Cole's been home six weeks. Third deployment. He checks the locks three times a night, scans every room before he enters it, and hasn't touched his wife since the compound.

Meg holds him every night and it isn't enough. His body shuts down. His hands clench at his sides. The man who came home isn't the man who left, and the thing that followed him back is bigger than one woman's love can reach.

Then Rachel arrives. Danny's widow. Cole's brother's wife. Five years since the sniper round, and she still wears his watch. She visits every few months, sleeps in the guest room, and leaves before anyone has to name what she feels for both of them.

This time, Meg asks her to stay.