Broken River - Ruby Shae Page 0,32

what I had originally planned, but I’m not sad about it. Not at all.”

She tightened her grip on his hand and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. His girl was giving up so much, and even though she said she was okay with it, the situation still bothered him. He never wanted to see her unhappy, and yet, Gavin had known her dreams and had still sent her to him. That had to mean something.

Speaking of Gavin…

“I have to tell you something. It’s about how Gavin and I met, and it might change your opinion of me.”

“I doubt that could ever happen,” she smiled against his shoulder, “but get it off your chest so we can deal with it and move on. It’s obviously bothering you.”

“I told you a little bit about my issues from my time in the military, but when I first got back, those issues were bad. Really bad. That was before Gavin, and before counseling, and I was in a dark place. I drank…” he shook his head. “A lot. So much that I was basically useless to my family, and when I wasn’t drinking, I spent a lot of time in my bear form.

“This went on for a while until one day I just decided I was done. I hated the thoughts and images in my head, and I felt so lost, and so angry, that I wanted it all to end.”

“Oh, Liam.” She tightened her grip on his hand, and snuggled closer to his side. He felt a tiny drop of water on his shoulder, but he didn’t dare look at her. If he did, he’d never be able to finish the story.

“I had this incredibly stupid plan to expose myself to all of the campers, knowing that fear would drive someone to shoot me, and if I kept coming at them, then someone would eventually kill me. Then it would all be over. I wasn’t thinking about my family, or the business, or how my exposure would threaten them. I only wanted to find the end of my own misery.

“So, on a very crowded Saturday, I went into the water as a man and swam into the middle of the lake, and then I shifted. The shift is instant, so anyone watching could blink and miss it, but they would know a bear now stood where a man had once been. And that’s actually what ended up saving me, because my drunk ass didn’t think about the fact that maybe no one would be looking at some guy swimming alone in the lake when they were having fun with their families.

“But one person did see me. Gavin was swimming alone in the lake, too, and when I shifted, he jumped on my back and wrestled me under the water. If I had been sober, he never would have been able to get me under, but I was a mess, and it was pretty easy for him—at least to hear him say it.” He smiled at the memory of his friend bragging, and he felt Elle smile, too.

“He kept his hands around my neck and yelled at me under the water to change back, and he kept me under until I did. Then he allowed me to resurface and quietly scolded me while we waited to see if anyone had noticed my shift or his scuffle with the bear. No one reacted, and a few minutes later, he dragged me out of the water, and a friendship was born.”

“I’m sorry that you have ever felt the urge to end your life, but I’m not sorry that Gavin was there that day,” Elle said. “He saved your life, but even if he never admitted it, I’m pretty sure you saved him, too. Gavin had dark days, as well, and in the beginning, before he met you, I worried when he left on his camping trips, wondering if I would ever see him again. He never talked about you in depth, and I think he only mentioned your name once or twice, but you made a difference in his life, Liam. I’m glad that you guys became good friends, and I’m glad that he sent me here. He wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t love and respect you.”

“I know, but I’m still so ashamed about what I did. I told by brothers and Lacey so they would know how messed up I was, and even though they forgave me, and don’t treat