Chapter 1
Caden
The Georgia heat clings to my skin as I step out onto the wraparound porch at Oakside, the scent of jasmine and fresh-cut grass hanging thick in the evening air. I only have a few more days before deployment. Even though I should be packing or getting sleep or doing something productive, I’m hiding out here, trying not to think too hard about what I'm walking into. I've done this before, but something about this time feels different.
Boots tap lightly behind me. I don't turn around because I don't have to. I know that sound. I'd recognize her step anywhere. Soft, sure. Like she owns the world and has no idea.
Lucy.
She walks up beside me, arms crossed over her chest. Her blonde hair glows silver in the moonlight, and she's wearing one of those flowy sundresses she always picks that drives me halfway insane.
"Are you ever going to ask me out, Caden Mason?"
I choke on the air. My head jerks toward her, my body reacting before my mind can catch up.
"What?"
She turns her head, eyes locked on mine. Though she’s absolutely calm—like she's asking about the weather. Like she hasn't just flipped my entire damn world upside down.
"I asked," she says again, a small smile playing on her lips, "if you were ever going to ask me out. Or if you were going to keep pretending we don't exist."
There's no oxygen in my lungs. My chest tightens. Lucy Carr is staring at me as if I hold the sun, making me want to give her everything. But I can't.
"Lucy," I start, shaking my head. "You know why I can't."
"Because of Noah," she says, voice sharper now. "Because I'm his little sister, and you think he'll kill you. Or because you're deploying in less than a week and it'll complicate things. Or maybe both."
I drag a hand down my face, scrubbing at the stubble on my jaw. "It's not that simple."
She steps in close, her perfume hitting me like a right hook. My control's already slipping.
"It is," she says, and her voice is soft now, almost a plea. "You look at me like I'm everything, Caden. You don't even try to hide it. But you do nothing about it either. And I'm tired of pretending that I don't notice. Like I don't care."
My pulse pounds in my ears. She's so close now that I could touch her if I leaned in just an inch. And I want to. God, I want to.
"You deserve better," I say quietly. "Not a guy about to fly into combat zones. Not someone who'll be gone more than he's home."
She lifts her chin. "Maybe I deserve someone who loves me enough to fight for me, even when it's hard. Even when it's inconvenient."
That hits hard. It cuts right through the armor I've spent years building.
"You think I don't want you?" I whisper, eyes locking with hers. "You think I haven't laid awake every night wishing I could make this easy? Wishing I could keep you?"
She steps in closer, toes brushing mine. "Then stop wishing and do something. Because I'm not going to wait forever."
The air crackles around us. Her scent wraps around me like a noose. It’s heady and intoxicating. I can't fight it anymore. My control shatters.
Gripping her wrist, I pull her flush against me, crashing my mouth down on hers.
She melts into me instantly, her hands fisting in my shirt, pulling me closer. Her lips are soft and warm, and everything I've imagined for months.
I've kissed girls before. But this? This is something primal. Like I've been starving, and she's the only thing that's ever going to satisfy me.
I back her against the porch column, my hands sliding to frame her face, thumbs brushing along her cheekbones. She makes a small sound in the back of her throat that nearly shreds the last of my control.
"Caden," she breathes against my mouth. Hearing my name on her lips like a prayer, breaks something loose in my chest.
"Sunshine," I whisper back, the nickname slipping out before I can stop it. It fits her perfectly. Always has.
"What did you call me?"
"Sunshine," I murmur again, forehead pressed to hers. "You've been mine since the first damn time you smiled at me. I just didn't know what to do with it."
She swallows, lashes fluttering. "Then stop wasting time."
I step back, chest heaving, hands shaking. "Lucy, I'm leaving in five days. I don't want to start something I can't finish."
Her eyes don't waver. "Then finish it when you get back."
I shake my head. "Noah's going to lose his mind."
"Then let him. We're not kids. And this... this isn't some fling."
And damn it, she's actually right.
The last thing I expected before deployment was to fall headfirst into something I can't walk away from. But Lucy? She isn't a maybe. She's it.
"Okay," I say finally, voice rough. "But it's just us. No one else knows. Not until I'm back. Right now, I want to spend what little time I have with you."
Her smile breaks across her face like the promise of dawn. "Deal."
The next three days go by in a blur of sneaking glances, late-night texts, and drives down back roads where no one can see us.
We steal time like it's running out. Because it is.
***
Two days before I'm set to deploy, I'm at my older brother Jake's place helping him fix a broken hinge in the barn when we hear a car pull up the driveway. He glances at me, brows drawn, clearly not expecting anyone. I wipe my hands on a rag, instincts on alert. Then I hear it. That voice I haven't heard in too long.
"This place still smells like cow shit and sweat, or is that just Jake?"
Brentley.
Dropping the rag, I bolt through the barn door. He's standing there in the driveway, in boots and a dusty ball cap, grinning like he owns the world. My twin, and my shadow for most of our lives. I cross the gravel in three strides and pull him into a hug so hard it knocks the wind out of both of us.
"You son of a bitch," I mutter into his shoulder. "You didn't tell me you were coming."
He slaps my back, laughing. "Had to make a dramatic entrance, didn't I?"
Pulling back, I stare at him, scanning his face to confirm he's really here. He's alive, he’s here, fresh off his last deployment.
With his therapy dog Atticus in tow, Jake jogs up behind me. "You're early. You weren't supposed to…"
"Surprise," Brentley says, throwing his arms out.
Jake just shakes his head with a half-grin. "Mom's going to lose her mind when she sees you."
"Yeah, well," Brentley says, clapping Jake on the shoulder. "Figured I'd get my time in with my favorite brother before deployment round two takes you from us."
"Rude," I say.
"True," Brentley shoots back.
We fall into step toward the porch, the three of us side by side. I didn't realize how much I missed this.
"So," he says, leaning closer to me with a smirk, "how long have you been sneaking around with the blonde Carr girl?"
I stop walking.
He keeps going.
"What?" I bark.
Brentley turns, grinning. "Don't play dumb. I saw the way you looked at her. Your eyes keep going to where she is on the porch. Like you were already picking out baby names."
"It's not like that," I lie.
"Bullshit."
Jake's head whips toward me, eyes narrowing. "Wait. My friend Lucy? Noah's sister Lucy? She's the girl you've been sneaking off to call at night?"
"She's not your Lucy," I mutter.
Brentley throws his head back, laughing. "Oh man, this is better than I thought."
Jake scrubs a hand over his face. "You didn't tell me."
"Because you would've told Noah. And we're not ready for that yet."
Jake sighs, but his voice is calm. "I think you forget I'm your brother first. You serious about her?"
I glance back toward where Lucy is standing on the porch with Kassi and her sister, Grace. My chest aches just looking at her.
"Yeah. I'm serious. She's it."
Brentley whistles. "Well damn. Didn't think deployment would bring out the romantic in you."
"It's not just the deployment. It's her."
They both fall silent.
Jake finally nods. "Alright. Just don't screw it up."
Brentley slaps my back again. "Too late for that. He's already all in. I can tell."
Even though I laugh, it's laced with nerves. Because they're right—I'm all in. And there's no going back now.
"Shut up," I mutter under my breath and sneak another glance at Lucy.
"We're not blind, little brother," Jake says. "You're not exactly subtle."
I groan. "She's Noah's sister."
"So? You gonna let that stop you from being happy?" Brentley asks.
They don't give me a chance to answer before we’re joining the girls. But the questions weigh on me all night.
***
Later that evening, Lucy and I sit on the tailgate of my truck, hidden away from the others. Stars blanket the sky above us.
"You ever think about what happens after your deployment?" she asks, head resting on my shoulder.
"Every day," I say. "I think about buying land. Building a house. Big porch. Rocking chairs. Dog at our feet."
She hums. "Baby on my hip?"
My heart skips. "Maybe more than one."
"I like the sound of it. Ever do more than think?"
"Yeah. Got sketches in a notebook. Floor plans, landscaping, stupid details like the cabinets I'd build. Where I'd hang our coats."
She lifts her head. "I want to see it."
"I'll show you when I get back."
"Promise?"
I nod. "I don't make promises I can't keep."
She leans in, kissing me again. Soft, slow, but charged with the weight of everything we're not saying.
When we pull back, her eyes hold mine, and there's a fire in them I've never seen before.
"So, you've thought about us," she says. It's not a question.
"Every night," I admit. "Every damn night."
I pull her into my arms and kiss her again, rolling her onto her back in the bed of my truck while I hover over her. The moonlight catches her eyes, turning them silver-blue, and I can see my future reflected there.
"Caden," she whispers, her hands sliding up my chest, fingers tracing the dog tags hanging around my neck. "I don't want to wait anymore."
My breath catches. "Lucy…"
"I know what I'm saying." Her voice is steady, sure. "I know what I want. And I want you. All of you. Before you leave."
Studying her face in the darkness, I search for any hint of doubt. But there's none. Just Lucy, brave as always, asking for what she wants.
"Are you sure?" I ask, my voice rougher than I intended.
"I've never been more certain of anything in my life."
I lean down and kiss her again, pouring everything I can't say into it, all my fear, my need, my desperate love for this woman who's turned my world upside down.
When I break the kiss, we're both breathing hard. Her fingers are still tangled in my dog tags, and I can feel her pulse racing beneath my palms.
"Not here," I say, glancing around the open field. "You deserve better than the back of a truck for your first time."
Her cheeks flush pink even in the moonlight. "How did you…"
"Because I pay attention to you, Sunshine. Every detail." I brush a strand of hair from her face. "And because you're Noah's little sister. He'd have murdered anyone who tried before now."
She laughs, the sound breathless and sweet. "So where?"
I think for a moment, running through options. Jake's place is too risky with Brentley staying there, and the walls are thin. My parents' house is out of the question. Then it hits me.
"I know a place," I say, starting the truck. "Trust me?"
Lucy nods, settling into the passenger seat. "Always."
We drive in comfortable silence, my hand resting on her thigh, her fingers tracing patterns on my knuckles. The old dirt roads wind until we reach the edge of Oakside property, where an abandoned caretaker's cottage sits.
"Noah mentioned this place once," she says as I park behind the cottage, hidden from the main house. "Said he was planning to renovate it someday. He's let a few families stay here when they were visiting."
"It's been empty for years," I say, leading her to the door. "I helped Jake fix the roof last summer. No one ever comes out here."
I push the door open with a slight creak. Inside is a small living area, a kitchenette, and a bedroom through an arched doorway. There's a layer of dust on everything, but it's dry and private and ours for the night.
Lucy walks in slowly, her fingertips trailing along the wall. "It's perfect."
As I close the door behind us, my heart hammers against my ribs. When Lucy turns to face me, the sight of her in the silvery light steals my breath.
"You're sure?" I ask again, needing her assurance one more time before there's no going back.
"I'm sure," she says, stepping closer. "I've been ready since the moment you called me Sunshine."
Crossing to her in two strides, I cup her face in my hands. "I love you," I whisper against her lips. "I know it's crazy, I know we haven't been at this long, but Lucy…"
"I love you too," she breathes, and the words hit me like lightning. "I think I have for months."
Then, I kiss her, deeper than before, backing her toward the bedroom.
Her skin is like silk under my touch, warm and yielding. Taking my time, I memorize every curve, every soft gasp. When I'm surrounded by sand and gunfire, I want this burned into me. All of it, every single moment. I want to carry her with me.
"You're thinking too much," she whispers against my neck, her fingers working at the buttons of my shirt.
"Just trying to remember everything," I admit.
She smiles up at me, eyes bright even in the dim light. "Then pay attention, soldier."
And I do. I pay attention to the way her breath catches when I trail kisses down her throat. The soft sound she makes when my hands find bare skin beneath her dress. The way she whispers my name, not a question, but like she's claiming me.
"Caden," she breathes again, and I'm lost.
I lift her easily, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carry her to the small bed in the corner. The mattress is old but clean, and when I lay her down, she looks like an angel against the worn quilt.
Taking my time, I unwrap her like the gift she is. Her skin is glowing and pale in the moonlight spilling through the dusty windows. When I finally have her bare beneath me, I have to stop for a breath to take her in—golden hair and storm-blue eyes and trust so complete it nearly breaks me.
"You're staring," she whispers, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.
"Can't help it," I murmur against her collarbone. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
Her hands find my dog tags again, pulling me closer by the chain. The metal presses between us, cold against warm skin.
"Shit. I don't have a condom," I start to sit up, but she pulls me back down.
"I'm on birth control and have been for a few years to help with my period," she whispers the last part.
"This is good news, Sunshine."
"I want you so bad I might die if you don’t take me now," she whispers.
Feeling the weight of the moment between us, I line my cock up at her entrance and pause.
"You're sure?" I ask one more time, my voice rough with need. "We can stop…"
"Caden," she says firmly, her legs wrapping tighter around my waist. "I want this. I want you."
Her words break the last thread of my restraint. As I slowly push forward, I watch her face for any sign of discomfort. Her eyes flutter closed, while her lips part on a soft gasp as I ease into her. The feeling is indescribable, tight, warm, perfect, and it takes everything in me not to lose control.
"Breathe, Sunshine," I whisper, brushing my lips against her temple.
She nods, her fingers digging into my shoulders as she adjusts to the feeling of me inside her. Then in one hard thrust, I claim her virginity, and sink fully inside of her.
I freeze, watching her face twist in momentary pain before it slowly eases. Her breath hitches, and I press my forehead against hers, staying perfectly still while her body adjusts to mine.
"You okay?" I murmur, brushing my lips against her cheek, tasting salt.
Lucy nods, her eyes fluttering open to meet mine. "I'm okay," she whispers. "Don't stop."
Kissing her deeply, I begin to move, slow and gentle at first. She trembles beneath me, her hands exploring my back, my shoulders, my chest like she's memorizing me too. The way she says my name, broken and breathless, nearly undoes me.
"Look at me," I tell her, needing to see her beautiful eyes. "Stay with me."
She does, holding my gaze as we find our rhythm. The old bed creaks beneath us. She moves with me like we've done this a hundred times before, her body responding to mine in perfect harmony.
Even though I try to go slow, to make it last, there's a desperation building between us, the knowledge that our time is running out. Urgency is seeping in, knowing that in two days, I'll be halfway across the world.
"Caden," she gasps, her back arching as I hit a spot that makes her tremble. "Please…"
I don't need to ask what she's begging for. I can feel it in the way her body tightens around mine, the flush spreading across her chest, the way her breath comes in short, sharp pants. Shifting my angle, I drive deeper, one hand sliding between us to where we're joined, circling her clit.
When she comes apart beneath me, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed. Her eyes go wide, then flutter shut as she cries out my name, her body clenching around me like a vice. The sight and feel of her unraveling pushes me over the edge, and I follow her with a groan that sounds like it's been ripped from my chest.
I collapse beside her, pulling her against me before our breathing has even steadied. Her head finds its place on my chest, right over my heart, and I wrap my arms around her like I can somehow keep her here forever.
"Jesus, Lucy," I breathe into her hair.
She looks up at me, and there's a new depth in her eyes. It’s as if we've crossed a line we can never uncross.
I kiss the top of her head.
"When I get back, we’ll tell them. Until then, I want this bubble a little longer."
"Okay."
I hold her tighter.
And pray like hell I make it back to her.
