Home Is Where You Find Your Soulmate by Heather Scarlett

Author:Heather Scarlett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heather Scarlett

Chapter Six

Lexi sucked in a breath and Zach felt guilty for a moment for being direct rather than sugarcoating his experience. He’d learned, though, that it was best to speak plainly, even when it was difficult. If someone wasn’t ready to hear the facts, it was better to know right away rather than trust them with his tender spots.

Lexi turned to face him, concern etched in her expression. She ran her gaze over him as if searching for visible signs of injury. Her appraisal warmed him and had his thoughts wavered between the sadness he felt talking about his painful past and a sudden urge to pull her to him and kiss her.

Lucky chose that moment to jump up on the couch between them, breaking the spell. Lexi’s focus was on Zach, and she didn’t look horrified the way some did when he shared that he’d been shot—very nearly fatally, as a matter of fact.

“What happened?” she asked instead. Her hand reached out to absentmindedly scratch Lucky’s head as she waited for Zach to continue. The domestic scene created—her on his couch, petting his dog, legs curled up beneath her—made his heart lurch. A sudden longing nearly overwhelmed him with its intensity. Zach learned a long time ago that longing was futile—no use wishing for things that weren’t meant for you.

“I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. There was much more to the story than that, but those details weren’t worth revisiting.

“Clearly,” Lexi said. “I assume getting shot isn’t part of the plan.”

“It’s not the ideal outcome, no.” Zach tumbled his memories around in his mind in an effort to find the right ones. The ones that would tell Lexi what happened in the least traumatizing way possible—for either of them.

Her expression was soft, her eyes sympathetic, which usually irritated Zach. He hated pity. But something about the way Lexi looked at him was comforting. Like she wouldn’t wilt at the first terrible memory his brain pulled up. Because it always pulled up the bad ones. There was never an easy way to sugarcoat his experiences at war.

Lexi placed her hand on his and Zach found himself spilling his story like a dam had burst.

“I was on perimeter duty overnight and was minutes away from being relieved when shit went down. One minute I was standing, gun raised at rustling leaves in the brush and the next I was on the ground with searing pain in my side.”

Lexi winced and Zach braced himself for the inevitable moment when she’d had enough. Instead of that, she surprised the hell out of him.

“Show me.”

Zach met her liquid blue eyes, which answered the question on the tip of his tongue. Yes, I meant what I said.

Slowly, Zach raised his shirt to reveal the jagged scar that ran from his ribcage to his waist. He heard Lexi’s gasp as the ugly scar was revealed. Instead of recoiling, she reached out to trace the length of the scar with her finger.

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