Page 17 of All I Want For Christmas

She shook her head. “Wow, that’s going to get you laid.”

“Yeah?”

“Logan is a great guy and he’s making Dana really happy and he’s been really good to me and the boys too,” she said. “The fact that you’ve already figured out that he’s worth your time like that makes me just love you even more.”

He tugged her to a stop and wrapped his arms around her. “I didn’t need to talk to him to know that,” he told her against the top of her head. “Every time you talk about all these people, I can hear how much they mean to you.”

She hugged him hard and sniffed. “I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

“You’d do whatever you need to do,” he told her with confidence. “You’re strong and smart and tough and amazing.”

“Well, thanks.” She laughed lightly. “It helps that you don’t see me every day.”

“Lindsey.” He waited until she pulled back and looked up at him. “I mean all of that. I couldn’t do what I do without you. I wouldn’t want to. You make it matter and you make everything better.”

She always had. She’d been impressed with him—and a few of the embellished stories he’d told her about Basic Training and his advanced training and plans and goals for his service—when they’d first met. But he’d quickly realized that it wasn’t just his muscles or the idea of bravery or patriotism or anything that made her look at him with stars in her eyes. It was him. Whatever it was inside of him that had made him sure that being a soldier was what he was going to do with his life, was the same thing that drew her to him.

Sure, her tiny Santa’s helper outfit at the starting line for the Running of the Santas had first caught his attention. But it took him only about two hours of talking with her to realize that she really understood history and politics and the sense of service that had led him to the Army. It was similar to what burned inside of her and made her want to teach. The idea of doing something that would make the world a better place.

It sounded trite whenever he said it to anyone else, but Lindsey got it. It was what made him realize that first night that he was going to marry her. Sure, the eggnog blowjob hadprobably sealed the deal, but he’d known that he needed to be with someone who really understood not just what he did butwhyhe did it.

He was good at leading. He was good at strategy. He was good at communication. And he wanted to serve his country and do something that he could be proud of. The Army had been a perfect fit.

Even when Lindsey had told him that she didn’t want to travel with him. They’d talked about that before they’d agreed to walk down the aisle. She didn’t want to leave the States. She wanted to teach and live in New Orleans. She’d always wanted to be a part of making her city—their city—a better place. So she’d agreed to marry him, but with the understanding that she’d be here, alone, would be a single mom if they chose to have a family, and that they’d be separated for months at a time.

They’d gone into it with eyes wide open. And now, even ten years later, no regrets. They were partners. He wasn’t here to repair the roof or to take a turn sitting up with sick kids in the middle of the night. He wasn’t even there the last time they’d bought a new car. But he was her emotional partner. That’s what they both needed most—someone who believed in them and supported what they did.

It wasn’t perfect. But it worked. Because she was his best friend, his biggest cheerleader, and sometimes the only person who thought he was amazing.

Okay, that wasn’t true. His boys thought he was amazing. And he might be able to maintain that façade since he wouldn’t be the one here disciplining them for staying out too late as teenagers.

But his men definitely didn’t always think he was amazing. And they weren’t going to be very fucking happy with him when they got the phone call that he’d gotten on his way in from the airport.

Now wasn’t the time to tell Lindsey that his visit was going to get cut short, however. Now was the time to surround himself with all of the goodness that was here, give her as much goodness as he could in the next seventy-two hours, and then thank his damned lucky stars that he had her, because he knew she’d understand. Even if she didn’t like it.

She’d be disappointed and then she’d kiss him and say, “Go save the world, First Sergeant. I love you and I’m so damned proud of you.”

He’d told her how much that always meant to him, but he wasn’t sure shereallyknew. That she really could know how much it mattered to him that he could leave, knowing that she would be okay, that his kids and his parents and their house andeverythingwould be okay, so that he could focus on his job.

When he told her, she always said, “Well, babe, it’s not like you’re selling shoes or flipping burgers. You handle the bad guys and I’ll take care of our good guys.”

And he’d say, “You wouldn’t love me just as much if I was selling shoes or flipping burgers?”

And she’d say, “Of course I would. But in that case, I’d also make you take out the trash and cook dinner at least once a week.”

And every time he thought,I would fucking love that.

His phone rang and she pulled out of his arms with a little smile. “You need to take that?”

He always had to take it. This number didn’t get put on any phone lists except ones where he took the call no matter what else he was doing at the moment. “Sorry.”

“No problem. I’ll just be over here thinking about the Christmas cookie game I’d like to play.”

“Christmas cookie game?”

She nodded. “The game where I take all of the frosting and sprinkles and things I bought to make Christmas cookies and we pretendwe’rethe cookies.”

Desire and love slammed through him. She’d found out a little over an hour ago that he was home, unannounced, for an undisclosed amount of time and she hadn’t even asked how long he was here. She’d just rolled with it, obviously ready to make the most of whatever time they had, adjusting her plans, and making his homecoming fun and hot and full of love and laughter.

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