Free A Reason to Love by Alexis Morgan

noticed that, too. “Yeah, that’s the right one.”
    How much more should she tell him? “Spence made it clear he didn’t particularly want my company, but I ignored that and stayed anyway. At the rate he was downing beers, I didn’t think he should be alone.”
    Leif’s expression was a little less grim. “That was nice of you, and I’ll let Callie know why you were MIA at the reception. She’ll be glad to know he wasn’t alone.”
    He drained the last of his beer and set the bottle aside. As he did, he said, “I don’t suppose he told you anything about what happened, you know, over there. Where he’s been all this time. Hell, even where he is now.”
    Melanie rose to her feet to stand next to Leif. She didn’t know him all that well, but it hurt to see him in such pain. Putting her hand over his on the railing was not much to offer in the way of comfort, but it was the best she could do. “No, he didn’t talk about what happened to him, and I didn’t ask. At closing time, Liam, the owner, offered to take care of Spence’s motorcycle for him, and I brought him back here for the night since he didn’t have any other place to stay.”
    Leif’s temper slipped loose. “Damn him, that’s bullshit! He could’ve stayed at his own house. Did he think we would’ve kicked his ass to the curb?”
    She so didn’t want to get caught in the middle of this mess. “I’m sure he didn’t think that, Leif. To tell the truth, I didn’t even think about dropping him off there. It was my idea to bring him here.”
    That much was true, and Spence had been in no condition to argue.
    “I honestly don’t know where he is right now, but I’ll tell him you stopped by when I see him again.”
    Leif went on point, his dark eyes boring into hers. “So you will be seeing him again?”
    She cursed herself for letting that slip, but too late now. “Yes, he’s supposed to stop by later. Do you want me to give him a message for you?”
    “Damn straight I do. Tell that idiot to come see me or I’ll come hunting for him. I don’t know what’s going on in that thick skull of his, but he owes me that much.”
    His anger drained away just as quickly as it had come. His voice was thick with emotion as if he could barely get the words out. “Damn it, Melanie, I thought he was dead. We all did. Obviously he’s got issues with us right now, and maybe he has a right to be angry. Tell him . . . tell him I’ll be around if he wants to talk.”
    “I will, Leif.”
    “Thanks for being there for him last night. I’m glad he wasn’t alone. I just wished he would’ve given us a chance to be there for him, too.”
    Leif charged down the porch steps. She watched as he climbed into her father’s truck and drove away. The poor guy was clearly hurting, but then so was Spence. God, what a mess.
    She had no idea what to say to Spence about Leif’s visit. Yes, he really should talk to his friends, but it wasn’t her call. She also didn’t want to get caught in the middle of it all. On the way into the house, she checked the time. At least there was still time to work in the garden. And who knows, maybe she’d be hit with inspiration while pulling weeds.
    Stranger things had happened, not the least of which was having Spence Lang back from the dead.

Chapter 7
    S pence started to slow down but immediately sped up again to zoom past the driveway that led to his family home without stopping. Rather than dwell on the past, he gunned the engine on his bike and tried to put some distance between himself and everything he wasn’t ready to face.
    It was almost time to pick up something for dinner and head back to Melanie’s house. He hoped she hadn’t changed her mind about renting the cottage to him, because living in an apartment held little appeal. The thought of having other people right on the other side of a thin wall where he could hear them moving around at all hours made his skin crawl. It would be too much like being back in