In the mess hall, Ro was glowing, and Lia once again inwardly sighed with envy. She’d always wanted her own kids, but it seemed like that was never going to happen.
Ro started to stand, but Zach laid a hand on her shoulder and kept her in her seat. “I got your plate, babe. You stay. You want blueberry pie? Allison’s getting low on filling, so if you want it … now’s the time.”
Her smile was brilliant. “Do you even need to ask?”
Zach dropped a kiss on her lips and grabbed her plate. Then he turned to Lia. “You want some, too?”
Lia fought the urge to drop her eyes from Zach’s. Today was a new day, and today she was reclaiming a piece of herself that she’d lost when she’d been dragged off to hell.
Instead of giving him a jerky nod or shake of her head, she stared him straight in the eye. “I’d love a piece, thank you.”
Zach’s eyebrows rose, and a smile curved his mouth. “You got it.”
When he turned to head for the kitchen, Ro’s attention landed on Lia.
“So … you know why there’s no one here for dinner, right?”
Lia had noticed the mess hall was strangely empty. Only Allison and her daughter were there along with Zach and Ro. “Are the guys having a meeting or something?”
Ro’s eyes lit with something that Lia couldn’t quite identify.
“Not exactly…”
A shiver of concern worked through Lia. “Then what?”
“They’ve decided to go old school barbarian and settle a dispute with their fists.”
“What?” Lia demanded. “Who? And what for?” None of that made any sense.
“Cam and Travis. Andyouare the what for.”
Zach came back carrying two plates with giant slices of blueberry pie.
Lia completely forgot that she was supposed to be afraid of him. “What do you know about this? Where are they fighting?Whyare they fighting?”
Zach set the plates on the table. “You should probably just eat your pie, and pretend this little troublemaker didn’t say a damn word.” He looked hard at Ro. “You said you’d stay out of it, Ro. And just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean I won’t find a creative way to make you pay for not keeping your word.”
“She deserves to know. This affects her more than anyone else.” Ro’s chin jutted playfully. “And maybe I want you to make me pay…”
“Jesus, babe. You’re determined to get us to—” Zach cut off his words with a shake of his head. “I’ll deal with you later.” He looked to Lia. “You need to stay put. There’s nothing to be gained by seeing this.”
Lia shoved her chair back from the table, ignoring the mouthwatering aroma of the pie. “I’m not letting this happen.No oneis fighting over me.” A sick feeling settled in the pit of Lia’s stomach at the thought of Cam and Travis fighting … over her. Everything she wanted—the fantasy she’d constructed in her mind—crumbled to dust at the realization that they didn’t want it too.This is not how things are supposed to go.
Ro reached out and snagged her hand and squeezed. “Don’t freak out yet. If this is what it takes to get Cam off his ass and make a move, then it’s a good thing.”
Lia ignored her words. “Where are they?”
Zach slid his hand over Ro’s mouth as she opened it. “You’ve meddled enough, babe. Leave it be.”
“Fine. I’ll find them myself.” Lia spun and headed for the door. She made it two steps before she turned and grabbed the plate and took three huge bites of the pie. It was the last of Allison’s canned stash; it made no sense to let it go to waste.
Once she was in the main area of the compound, she spotted Erica rushing toward the wall. She slowed to a halt at the sight of Lia.
“You coming or what?”
Lia didn’t need an explanation. “Oh, I’m freaking coming.”
Travis circled the man he considered to be his closest friend. But the last several months had put a shit load of distance between them. Wanting the girl your best buddy had staked his claim on threw a wrench in the easy friendship they’d always had. He’d still take a bullet for Cam, but he wasn’t willing to let him keep sitting on the fence when it came to Lia. Travis had watched her slowly come out of her shell, and it had been so damn good to watch. Yeah, she still jumped around the other guys, but the way she was around him and Cam was completely different. Cam just needed a shove to get his head out of his ass. Regardless of the outcome of this fight, Travis wasn’t giving up his shot at Lia. No … he had a different plan in mind.