My Soldier: A Miliatary Romance by Leah Holt Read Free Book Online Page A

here?”
    “He probably saw your driving.” Smirking, he turned his head to his window and chuckled to himself.
    Shaking my head, a soft tap against the glass sent a jolt into my heart. Fear was coating my gut, I hated getting into trouble. It always gave me an unsettled feeling, and when it came to the police... They just made me fucking nervous as hell.
    Pressing the window button, it smoothly lowered. Kevin leaned over, and took control. He knew I'd be a ball of knots and jumbled words. “Hey officer, what can we do for you?”
    “You can start by telling me what you guys are doing.” The man in the dark blue suit had a bright shining badge fixed to his chest. Wrapping his fingers over the edge of my window, he leaned down and was shooting his eyes all around the inside of the car.
    “I'm teaching my sister here how to drive a stick, Sir.”
    The cop's face that had been taut and stone, loosened. His eyes softened, and he started to laugh. “Ah, that explains the erratic driving then. Well, good luck with that, Son.” Slapping the roof of the car, he turned and headed back to his vehicle.
    My face must have been ghost white, I had felt all the blood drain down, my hands shaking against the wheel. And when I looked back over at Kevin, he was laughing harder than I think I'd ever seen before.
    “What is so fucking funny?” I spat.
    “Honestly, your face. You should've seen your face!” Tears began to stream down from his eyes, his guttural laugh was coming out so hard he was struggling to breathe. “See? It was your driving.”
    “Fuck you.” Yanking up the emergency brake, I threw open the door and stormed off towards the house.
    “V! Come on, V, it was funny!” His head rested on the bottom of the window frame, arms hanging out over the door. “Come back, you need to keep trying.”
    Not turning to look at him, I threw my hand up and flipped him off.
    I don't even think I was really pissed at him for laughing the way he did. I honestly thought it was more my resentment for his leaving the next day. I had been edgy all week. Fuck, I was edgy all month!
    And when that day had finally come, I wanted to run into a dark room and hide.
    My mom was holding the trim of his ACU jacket, folding the collar over and smoothing it against his chest. “Kevin, be safe out there. We're all very proud of you, but come home safe to us.” Her lips had scrunched up tight, small sniffles followed each inhale.
    “I promise, I'll come home safe. I'll be fine, Mom. This is what I was meant to do, trained to do. I'm going to protect people, that's my job.”
    Wrapping his large fingers over Kevin's shoulder, my father gently shook him. “You're going to do what others wish they had the strength to do. I'm so proud of you, Son.” Embracing my brother, my dad wept quietly into his shoulder.
    My dad never cried, I had only seen him cry two other times in my life; the day my sister was born, and the day my grandmother died. But even those tears didn't compare to the ones that rained down knowing his son was heading into war.
    Flicking his eyes at me, Kevin stood with a delicate smile. “V, when I get back we're going to finish teaching you how to drive a stick. So don't touch my car while I'm gone, we need something to work with when I get home.” Holding his arm out, he pulled me into his chest.
    I had an uneasy feeling that day, one that sent my stomach into a nauseous spin. Kevin was actually leaving for a year, and I suddenly felt all alone. Even though he was still standing right in front of me, a piece of my soul had shut down.
    There was already a hole, an emptiness that was Kevin's place in my world.
    “I'm not making any promises, a year is a long time. And you know I have no patience.”
    Hugging my brother, I squeezed tighter than I ever had. He was about to walk onto foreign soil, stepping into a world that none of us could even imagine.
    Kevin was willingly putting himself in harms way for others. I was proud of