Loved by a Soldier: A Military Romance Collection

by Alison Mello

  She smiles up at him and says, “Lilly, I’m Kenzie’s friend.”

  “Well, I’m sure glad Kenzie brought a friend.” He winks at her and takes a plate from the pile, acting like he hasn’t already eaten once. “Mind if I join you for dinner?”

  “Not at all.”

  I roll my eyes, then realize this could be a good thing. If Keaton entertains Lilly, I may actually have a chance to talk with Kenzie. There are a set of lawn chairs set up with a small table. It’s near a shady section of the yard, so Keaton and I pick up the table shifting it slightly so we can eat comfortably.

  “What would you ladies like to drink? Mama has water, soda, and lemonade, and then for adult beverages she has beers, hard lemonade, and Arnold Palmer Iced Tea.” Keaton and I are standing waiting for their response.

  At the same time, they answer, “Arnold Palmer Iced tea.”

  We both chuckle, and I say, “Be right back.”

  As soon as we’re out of earshot Keaton says, “Dude, who’s that Lilly chick?”

  “I have no idea. It’s the first time I’m meeting her.”

  “Good Lord, she’s so hot she’ll melt the butter on my toast,” he says, fanning himself.

  “Whatever, just stay away from Kenzie. I might ask her out tonight.”

  “It’s about damn time,” he says, to bust my balls.

  “Shut up, man. She has a lot going on right now. I didn’t want to rush it.” I grab two cups to get their iced tea. “Grab me a beer, will ya?” He pulls two beers from the cooler and I take the two cups and we walk back to the table like we weren’t discussing the two women we’re about to have dinner with.

  The ladies thank me as I place the cups in front of them. I sit by Kenzie, and Keaton sits by Lilly. “Your mom certainly has a nice home,” Lilly says.

  “Thanks. Where you from?” Keaton asks.

  “Barronett, the next town over. That’s where Kenzie and I grew up.” She nods in Kenzie’s direction.

  We all go into a comfortable silence as we eat, until I compliment Kenzie on her mac and cheese. “This is amazing,” I mumble through a mouth full of food.

  She smiles at me. “It’s my mama’s secret recipe. I share it with no one.” She takes a bite of it.

  “What’s your story?” Keaton asks Lilly.

  Her brows shoot up. “Straight to the point, I like that.” She takes a sip of her tea. “My mama and daddy still live in the same house I grew up in. I work for a law firm as an assistant. What about you?”

  “I own my own construction company and bought a nice house not too far from here.”

  “Nice. So you’re probably pretty strong then, huh?”

  He grins at her. “Strong enough.” She giggles in response. Kenzie and I just look at each other and shake our heads.

  “You two can sit here and flirt, but I’m going to go ditch this plate and grab some watermelon,” Kenzie says, standing with her plate in one hand and her cup in the other.

  “I’ll join you if that’s okay.”

  She grins at me. “That’s perfect.”

  We’re approaching the house when Mama comes walking out with more cut up watermelon in her hand. “I’ll get that for you, Mama.” I take the tray, and Mama moves the last few slices from the other tray onto this one. She takes the empty tray away so I can put this one down.

  Kenzie says, “How are you, Mrs. Bennett?” She air kisses her cheek.

  “Oh, I’m just fine. Are you two enjoying yourselves?” she asks us with a smile.

  “Oh, yes, ma’am. Thank you so much for having me.”

  “You’re welcome anytime, dear.” Mama takes the empty tray back into the house.

  “Why don’t I grab a blanket and we can set up to watch the fireworks? They’ll be starting just after dark.”

  “That sounds nice.” She shows me a shy smile.

  “Be right back.” I run into the house and straight to the linen closet for a blanket. When I get back outside, I find Kenzie filling her cup with more tea. I grab another beer and take her hand so we can find a spot to set up the blanket. I glance over at her. “Sun or shade?”

  “Sun, if that’s okay.”

  “Hold my beer for me?” She takes it, and I lay the blanket out in a sunny spot. The sun is starting to go down so we don’t have much sun time left, but it’ll be nice to take it in as long as we can.

  I watch as she takes a seat. She’s wearing these little shorts that are short but don’t reveal too much. Her fitted top shows me her perky breasts, and the color pink suits her tan skin. I swallow and quickly sit when I realize I’ve been staring a bit too long.

  “So, Remy, what do you do?”

  “I’m in the military?” I say like it’s common knowledge because it is.

  “I know that, but what is your job?” She gives me a look like “duh.”

  I laugh. “Military Intelligence is about all I can tell you about my job. We’re not allowed to say much, to be honest.”

  “Oh you see the scary shit, huh?” she asks, sipping her tea.

  I shrug. “It seemed a lot scarier in the beginning than it does now. What do you do for fun?” I ask her, trying to change the subject.

  “I run, and I tutor during the summer when I’m not teaching.”

  The conversation carries on. It’s light, but we’re getting to know each other. We both lean back on one elbow, looking each other in the eye when a silence comes over us. That’s when I realize the sun is just about fully set, and Mama has the lights on all over the yard. “I’d really like to take you out for dinner sometime.”

  She looks down for a second, and I start to internally panic. I totally think she’s going to reject me when she says, “I think I’d like that.” She gives me a small smile, and I smile in return. I’m happy she’s agreed.

  Mama announces that the fireworks will be starting in just a few minutes and everyone should get comfortable. That’s when Vaughn comes over and says, “Hey, man, sorry to interrupt but I’m going to take off.”

  I quickly stand. “You all right to get home?”

  “Yeah, I just…” he trails off. “Fireworks aren’t my thing.” He looks down, embarrassed. I give him a quick hug in support, because I know what he means.

  “No problem. Be safe and I’ll see you around the base.”

  “Thanks for the invite.” He takes off at a quick pace from the back yard.

  “Is he all right?” Kenzie asks, full of concern.

  “Yeah.” I look down, wondering how much I should say. “Fireworks can be tough for some of us that have spent a little too much time overseas.”

  She looks down at the blanket.

  “Please don’t feel bad for us. That’s not what we want or why I told you. I told you so you would understand, not so you would have pity on us.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t mean for it to seem like pity. I hate hearing that men and women are dealing with issues like that after they’ve come home.”

  “Thank you,” is all I say. We both lie next to each other in a comfortable silence, and a few minutes later, the fireworks start.

  They’re amazing, and so is her expression when I glance over, watching the light from the fireworks reflect on her face. She’s beautiful as she smiles up at the sky, but she must sense me watching her, because she looks over to me and says nothing. We stare into one another’s eyes. The fireworks are reflecting in her eyes as I lean in, making my intentions clear. She smiles slightly just before I softly press my lips to hers. The connection sends a shudder through my body and I know she felt the same. She opens to me inviting me in, and my tongue finds hers. She tastes of Kenzie and tea, and boy is she sweet. I slip my hand into her hair at the nape of her neck to deepen the kiss, causing her to moan into my mouth. It’s the sweetest sound I’ve heard in a long time.

  Breaking our kiss, I press my forehead to hers and say, “I’ve wanted to do that for a while now.”

  She smiles at me, presses her lips back to mine, and says, “I’m
glad you did.”

  Suddenly, we hear Lilly’s voice. “Look at you two, all comfy on the blanket together.” We both laugh, still looking at each other. “You ready to roll, girl?” Lilly asks, and when we look up, we see Lilly and Keaton hand-in-hand.

  “Yeah,” she says to Lilly but never breaks eye contact with me. “Will I see you on the run Monday?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it. I’ll run with you to your house and we can exchange numbers and make plans.”

  “Your mama has had my number this entire time. Text me.” She wiggles her brows and jumps up from the blanket. I look up at her, shocked. I shake my head and jump up too.

  “Be safe getting home,” I tell her.

  “I will,” she says with a smile. She takes Lilly’s hand, and the two of them walk off giggling.

  Chapter 7

  Kenzie

  I groan, stretching in bed. I can’t believe it’s Monday morning already. I roll out of bed exhausted from the long day yesterday. After drinking with Remy Saturday night, I slept in a bit and then went to Nana’s to spend the day with her and do some house chores at her place. I cleaned all three of her bathrooms, dusted every inch of her two-story house, cleaned all the floors on the first floor, and gave Nana a bath.

  Aunt Kenderly finally made her way over at dinnertime, and by the time she got there, I was spent. I was going to come home to make dinner and relax, but she insisted I eat with them.

  Slipping on my running shorts and sports bra, I throw my hair in a ponytail and quickly stretch so I can meet Remy for our run. I smile thinking about him. He sent me a text yesterday to let me know he had my number and to give me his. We’re going out for dinner tonight.

  I run out the door with my music blaring as usual, and I set my pace. As I run I contemplate what I’ll wear for our date tonight. He hasn’t told me if we’re doing anything else after, but I’m thinking I should ask him so I wear something appropriate.

  One of my neighbors waves as I run by, so I wave back. She’s out watering her lawn as she does every morning. A lot of people in this area have put in sprinkler systems, but some of the older folks just can’t afford it, so they water it with a garden hose. I think some of them like it. Gives them a chance to see what’s going on in the world without appearing nosey.

  As usual, Remy meets me as I round the bend. He smiles at me, and we continue on in a comfortable silence until we reach my house. When we do, I bend over, placing my hands on my knees as I pant trying to catch my breath. I swear he was pushing me today. I stand to see him smiling down at me. I pull my earbuds from my ears and say, “What?”

  “Nice run time,” he says with a grin.

  “You were pushing me, weren’t you?”

  “A little,” he says with laughter in his voice. I’m about to say something, but he pulls me toward him, pressing me against his hard, sweaty body. His green eyes are looking into mine and he says, “I have to run so I can get to work, but I’ll see you at five-thirty sharp.” Before I can respond, he presses his lips to mine and runs off toward his house. I stand there staring at him like a fool until my neighbor drives by honking his horn, waving hello. I shake off my thoughts and run into the house so I can go about my day.

  ***

  I’m getting out of the shower to finish getting ready for my date when my phone rings. “Hello,” I say, holding the phone with my shoulder.

  “Are you ready?” Lilly asks me.

  “Somewhat, I’m just getting out of the shower. I meant to ask him if we were doing anything after dinner, but I forgot so now I’m not sure how to dress.”

  “You saw him on your run this morning?” she asks, sounding excited.

  “Yeah, the comedian thought it was funny to push me to run a bit faster.” I giggle into the phone. “Anyway, back to clothing. It’s gorgeous out today but it’s supposed to cool way down tonight, so I think I’m going to wear capris and a short sleeve shirt.”

  “Sounds good to me, but why don’t you just shoot him a text and ask him?”

  “Because with his job he probably doesn’t have his phone.”

  “Ah, your boy does the top secret stuff, huh?”

  “Yeah, something like that.” I giggle, because she called him my boy. “Listen, I have to go. He’s going to be here in less than an hour to pick me up, and I guarantee you he isn’t one to be late.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you at lunch on Wednesday so you can tell me all about it.”

  “You got it, talk to you later.” I cut the call and slip into the clothes I pulled out while I was talking to her, then rush into the bathroom to do something with my hair.

  Grabbing my cell from the charger and an extra hair elastic from the drawer, I rush into the kitchen to see him pulling up in his silver Audi. I look at my watch to see it’s five-twenty-five. Damn military men are always punctual.

  He knocks on the screen door, and I shout, “Come in.” I don’t have central air so the doors are open, as well as the windows. I turn to find him in shorts and a polo looking handsome as always.

  “Hey, pretty lady. Are you ready to go?”

  “Sure, but where are we going? I never asked, am I dressed all right?”

  He steps closer so our noses are almost touching and says, “You look gorgeous.”

  I feel a blush creep up on me as I look to the floor and say, “You look pretty good yourself.”

  He chuckles. “You’re dressed fine, come on.”

  He takes my hand and we walk out the door toward his car. He opens the passenger’s side door for me, and once I’m seated inside, he closes it and runs to the other side.

  “You still haven’t said where we’re going,” I tell him with a questioning look.

  “Well, first we have to stop at my place. I wanted to do something other than just take you to dinner, and since I don’t have a place of my own yet to show off my cooking skills, I asked Mama to make us a picnic. We’re going to go out to the open fields up the street for a quiet dinner for two.”

  “That sounds great! I love to picnic.”

  “Good, I’m glad you like my plans.”

  “I love your plans,” I tell him as he pulls up outside his parents’ house.

  He runs to my side of the car like a gentleman and opens the door for me. When he takes my hand as I stand, I press my chest to his. He looks down into my eyes for the second time. I feel like he’s dying to kiss me, so I take the pressure off. Rising up on my tippy toes I press my lips to his, and the same feeling of shock that hit me the other night hits again. He licks my lips and I instantly open them. Our tongues collide and dance with one another. He breaks our kiss, but then presses his lips to mine one last time. He says, “Let’s go grab our dinner.”

  When we get inside Mrs. Bennett has a picnic basket waiting with a blanket for us, but we don’t see her anywhere and the house is quiet. Remy shrugs and scoops up the basket. “I don’t know where Mama is, but I’ll thank her later,” he says as we make our way back toward the front door.

  Before we get there, we hear Mrs. Bennett shout, “You two have a nice time now, you hear?”

  We both turn and give her a warm smile. Remy says, “We will, Mama, thanks.” She gives him a small nod, and we head out to the car.

  He pulls up to the field a few moments later. Neither of us live far from it, and to be honest, I’m not even sure who owns it, but it’s a beautiful spot. It reminds me of the lake Mama used to take me to when I was a kid. Remy grabs the basket from the trunk, and I take the blanket. We both walk down this small path that leads a beautiful open area. It’s completely empty and very private. I open our huge blanket and lay it down in the grass. It’s a perfect day for a picnic dinner. It’s not too hot, the lake is calm, and the wildflowers are breathtakingly beautiful.

  Looking through the picnic basket, Remy starts to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I told Mama her southern cooking was going to make me put on too much weight, that I had to watch myself.” He pulls
out a container. “So instead of traditional southern fried chicken, she made us fried chicken tenders.” He chuckles.

  “The unhealthy way to eat white meat,” I say with laughter.

  “At least she tried.” He takes two plates from the compartment in the cover of the basket. “We also have mashed cauliflower and watermelon.”

  I open the lid on the chicken. “Mmm, this smells delicious.” I put a few pieces of chicken on my plate, and Remy hands me some utensils. I help myself to cauliflower as he makes his plate.

  Remy lies back on the blanket and says, “So, Miss Kenzie, why did you move north?”

  I lie back in the same position facing him, and think about my answer while I swallow the food in my mouth. “Well, my father died when I was a little girl, and my mom had passed away from cancer.” I pause a moment thinking about how amazing my mom was. “I decided life was short and that it was time that I spread my wings and fly a bit. I had always wanted to live somewhere with four seasons, and I wanted to experience real snow, so I chose the north as my location to settle. I had a great job as a teacher in Boston, and was doing well until I got the call that Nana was ill.”

  As I pause to eat some more, Remy says, “Yeah, that must have been tough. I’m sorry about your parents.”

  “Thanks. When I heard Nana wasn’t doing well, I knew I had to come home and had long ago decided winter wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.” I look down at my blanket thinking about the friends I left behind. It still stings a bit. “I’d met some great people while I was up there and it was nice, but it was time to come home.”

  “I’m glad you did,” he says with a warm smile.

  “What about you?” I ask him to change the topic.

  “There isn’t much to my story. I left when I was eighteen to serve our country. My mission had always been to become Military Intelligence so I kept my sights on that goal. I’m not allowed to talk about my job much, because it could put me and my family in danger. To be honest, the stuff I see is not pleasant.” He finishes his plate and places it back in the compartment where they belong. “During my last overseas tour, I took a bullet to the shoulder and was told I had seen enough. Since I still have a few years left, I was transferred to do something a little calmer for a while.”