Always the One for Me

• Jump to Ordering Options
• Content Warning
• Listen to an Audio Excerpt

Evan

~Ten Years Earlier

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Keegan announced as he bounced his knee so quickly that it jostled my seat.

I looked over at him while we sat in the airport gate area and studied his face. He might look anxious, but his bright brown eyes were full of excitement and anticipation. He’d shaved his head the day before, the stubble only just now showing up, and still looked a bit dangerous. That was Keegan for you. “I can’t believe you somehow convinced all of us to fly to Vegas for your wedding.”

Keegan beamed. “You’ve always wanted to go to Vegas. And now we’re finally old enough that we can go inside the casinos and actually spend money.”

I thought about my meager staff sergeant salary, since an E-5 didn’t really make as much money as I would’ve liked. “There’s going to be no gambling unless we go to the penny slots.”

“Hey, the nickel slots are right there,” Ward, our other addition to this party, said from Keegan’s side.

I rolled my eyes, my lips lifting at the corners. “Fine, I will go up to nickel slots, but that’s it.”

“Oh, Evan, you’re so cute, with your little savings account and truthfully caring about your future,” Britney teased as she rolled her eyes and sat on her new husband’s lap.

Ward gripped her hip and beamed up at her as if she was his everything. Considering they’d only been married for around two months and, when they weren’t working, were constantly boinking each other, maybe they were each other’s everything.

I was pretty sure they were trying to get pregnant as quickly as possible before we all headed back out for our deployment. But I wasn’t going to judge because they looked damn happy.

And with the way that Keegan and Lacey were staring at each other, ready to be married in the next couple of days, I was only slightly jealous.

“A savings account is good,” Lacey said as she walked up to Keegan. I moved one seat to the right so she could sit next to him. Britney slid off Ward’s lap and took the empty seat next to him as none of us wanted to get kicked out of the airport for inappropriateness.

None of us were flying in uniform, but all of our bags were still those green duffels that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.

The last thing we needed was our chief to hear that we were acting like idiots in public, and then there was no way we’d not get in trouble.

“Yes, a savings account is a good idea,” I grumbled.

Lacey cleared her throat. “Well, we are saving because we want a future. And we’re doing good. I promise we’re not going to go crazy and spend too much money.”

“That’s a good thing,” I said with a laugh.

“I’m just sad that Eli couldn’t join us,” Keegan said after a moment, speaking of my older brother.

I shrugged, missing my brothers, but this was par for the course these days. Keegan and Ward were my brothers now. “He’s currently in Korea, so I don’t think coming to Vegas for this wedding, however much he wanted to be here, was going to work.”

Eli had joined the Air Force before I had and was an officer while I was enlisted. My younger brothers Everett and East had joined up, too, and they were two years into their service.

I had a feeling that Elijah was going to join in the next few months, but we hadn’t spoken about it. I wasn’t sure if he would try for college or trade school or not, and honestly, I hadn’t had time to check in.

I needed to be better about that, but I didn’t want to bug him. It was his decision, and our family didn’t have the money to send all seven of us to college, which meant that many of us were doing what we thought was right—serving our country and taking the pressure off our parents.

My youngest brother Elliot and my sister Eliza were still in high school, so I didn’t know their plans, but it was my job to make sure they never had to deal with too much pressure.

“Okay, so we’re getting married, we’re going to gamble just a bit, eat way too much buffet food, and be good. No staying out too late and drinking so much that we make poor decisions,” Lacey said with a tight nod, as if she were reading off of a checklist. Knowing Lacey, she probably had a checklist and had it memorized. She was the reason we’d all been able to find flights and hotel rooms at a reasonable price to begin with, so I wasn’t going to judge.

Britney just rolled her eyes as she giggled into Ward, but I knew that she agreed. We didn’t want to get in trouble with a few days off before we had to fly back. Even getting these tickets at the discount rate was strapping us slightly, but this was their wedding, and we were going to make sure that Keegan and Lacey had a great time.

The fact that I was once again flying as a fifth wheel didn’t make it any easier.

“Now boarding flight EL855 to Las Vegas International Airport, zone one.”

We all began to gather our things, but we didn’t stand up or get in the way. We were zone six, and I already had a feeling that the zone sevens were standing at the front of the line, blocking everyone’s way.

“I just don’t know why they do that,” a woman mumbled under her breath near me, and I turned to see a woman with honey-brown hair with blond highlights and hazel eyes glaring at the line. She had a small bag on her lap and a tiny duffel bag next to her.

“What was that?” I asked, doing my best not to stare. She had high cheekbones, plump lips, and, from what I could tell from how she was sitting, curves that made my mouth water.

I tried not to leer at her because I wasn’t an idiot, but it was damn hard not to.

She looked up at me and blinked before blushing. “Did I say that out loud?”

I grinned since I couldn’t help it with that sweet face of hers. I cleared my throat, trying not to look like I was staring even though I was. “Yes, but I can ignore it if that would be better.”

“No, it’s okay.” She blushed harder, and I was transfixed. “I am just annoyed that everybody stands up and gathers around the gate all at once as if that would make things go faster.”

I snorted, grinning at her. “I was thinking the same thing. They’re probably all zone seven.”

“And here I am, zone six, just waiting.”

I held up my ticket stub. “Zone six here, too.”

She smiled at me then. “Good to know. I won’t stand up until you do.”

“Sounds like a plan. See you then.” Ward elbowed me hard in the ribs, and I looked at him. “What?”

“Hot,” he mouthed, even as his wife of two months just rolled her eyes and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

I did not want to be the one who got him in trouble, so I ignored him and turned back to my phone, playing a game while waiting for our zone to be called.

When zone six got called, there were no overhead compartments left, and people were champing at the bit. I just shook my head and walked past Ward and Britney, and then Keegan and Lacey, as they waved to me from their seats.

I was three rows back from them, and I was just glad that we could get two sets of two so that they could sit together. I didn’t mind being back here. I had my book and could just relax.

At that thought, I took a look at the person in the window seat and blinked. “Oh. Hi.”

The gorgeous woman from before smiled up at me. I’d stood up with her back when they’d called our zone, but we’d all been shuffled around that I’d lost sight of her until now. “Hi. Are you the middle seat or the row seat?”

I looked at my ticket and then up at the bulkhead. “The middle seat. Great,” I grumbled and took my place.

She winced. “Both of my bags fit under the seat in front of me, but if I’m taking up too much space, just let me know.”

I shook my head and stuffed my small bag underneath the seat next to hers. “It’s fine. We’re good.”

An older man with headphones in his ears and his phone in his hands took the seat next to me without a word, crossed his feet in front of him, folded his arms on his chest, and promptly fell asleep.

I looked over at him, shook my head, and then smiled at the woman who I seemingly couldn’t get enough of. “I wish I could do that.”

She looked past me, her teeth biting into that very bitable lip. “I can’t sleep on trips either. I try, though.”

“Well, I won’t bother you then,” I said quickly, worried that she was trying to be pointed with her remark. I moved a bit, trying to get comfortable. I was a big man, over six feet, and broad with muscles, but the girl next to me and the older man were both small enough that they weren’t taking up any space.

Instead, I was the bull in the China shop.

“I’m not going to sleep anyway. I’m just going to try to read. You too?” she asked, looking down at my phone.

I pulled up my e-reader and waved it. “I’ll try.”

“I’m Kendall, by the way,” she whispered, and I looked down at her, my heart racing. Why was it doing that? I’d seen and been with my share of beautiful woman…but there was just something about her.

“Evan.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Evan.”

“Likewise.”

I wouldn’t know until later that this flight changed my destiny.

* * *

I couldn’t stop talking to Kendall. Though I was trying to be quiet, I knew that others around us could probably hear my rough chuckle and her sweet laugh.

Her eyes brightened as we shared a ginger ale, since we were near the back of the plane and they had already run out of most sodas when they got to us. I just shook my head and opened my bag of peanuts so she could have them.

“So, what are you heading to Vegas for?” I asked as we did our best to relax.

“I’m meeting my family for a vacation.” She rolled her eyes, and I frowned.

“Vegas isn’t something that you wanted to do?”

“Considering my older brother can go into places, and my parents love gambling, I can’t really do much since I’m only twenty.”

That made me blink since that might be legal, but I was still a couple of years older than her. Plus going to Vegas under twenty-one didn’t make much sense. “Oh.”

“Yes, I’m an adult, but not adult enough to have a drink or walk into a casino, which is fine. I’ll just go drive to the Hoover Dam or something with our rental car, but it’s not the same.”

“I don’t know if Vegas is worth it for anyone under twenty-one.”

“That’s what I said, but I didn’t get a vote.” She shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal. They have already been out there a couple of days. I came in later because I had to finish up my exams.”

“College then?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m trying to at least do a business degree before I think about if I want to go into culinary school or not.” She pressed her lips together. “Once again, I didn’t mean to actually say that out loud.”

“Culinary school?” I could barely boil water.

“I love it. I love cooking. It’s what I want to do, but my parents made me try for business first so I could follow in my dad’s footsteps. He’s an ‘entrepreneur,’ as he likes to say,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

There was a story there, but sitting in a metal tin can in the air surrounded by other people wasn’t the best place to ask about it. “I followed in my family’s footsteps too, but the Air Force isn’t exactly the same.”

She smiled up at me, and my heart flipped. What the hell? Flipped? “I noticed the hair and the bag, and I assumed, but I didn’t know what branch.”

I shrugged, which was hard to do in a middle seat. “Nobody ever actually thinks of Air Force. It’s usually Army or Marine.”

“Considering how many bases there are in San Antonio, you could be anything.”

My gaze kept traveling to her hands and the way she gripped them in front of her. They looked soft, and it was all I could do not to reach out and touch her. What the hell was wrong with me? “That’s true, but I’m at Lackland.”

She frowned, then nodded. “I know that base. Although I’m closer to Randolph.”

My lips twitched. “Look at you, knowing the names of bases.”

“It’s kind of hard not to when you live near them.”

She smiled then, and we talked a bit more, and when the plane hit a bit of turbulence, her eyes widened, and she gripped my hand. I looked down at her soft skin touching mine and swallowed hard.

“Shit. You okay?” I cringed. “I should probably not curse.”

“Cursing is fine, but maybe not in public where people can get all grouchy. And if it keeps me from worrying about this plane turning into a fiery ball of nothingness as we die screaming, I’m fine with that.”

I just stared at her before I laughed, the plane shaking a bit more. “Well, that’s an image.”

“I blame the movie Final Destination.”

I shuddered. “I still can’t drive behind anything with those white poles, the pipes, or logs.”

“Exactly. No, thank you.” She smiled, even as the plane moved, and she squeezed my hand harder.

I stared at her then and wondered why I had to find her here. Now. On an airplane when we were going to Las Vegas of all places.

“Where are you guys staying?” she asked after a minute, the plane continuing to shake.

“The Rio. Not the greatest hotel, not even directly on the Strip, but we had to take what we could get.”

“We’re at the Venetian, which sounds fancier than it is.”

Not in my opinion, but I didn’t say that. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” I said after a minute, wanting to bite my own tongue off.

“Maybe. I’ll be the one walking around the casino rather than through it,” she whined.

I raised a brow. “Do you really want to gamble?”

“Not really. I do want to see a show or something. I haven’t really thought about it. I’ve been so worried about exams that I didn’t get to plan this vacation.”

That brought up an idea that sounded insane. “If your parents don’t mind, and you find yourself bored, you should come and hang out with us.”

“Are you serious?” she whispered, her eyes wide.

I hadn’t even meant to say the words, but then they were out, and there was no going back.

* * *

And that was how I found myself laughing hysterically as I walked down the Strip, Kendall by my side, as Britney and Lacey regaled her with stories about me.

I should’ve stopped them, should’ve tried not to be the center of attention, but I didn’t care right then.

It was just nice to laugh, to not feel like the fifth wheel.

“Seriously though, he was just in his boxer briefs, snow was coming down, and he was standing there, pretending to shovel.” Lacey rolled her eyes.

“That snowstorm did startle all of us,” Kendall said after a minute. “It doesn’t snow in San Antonio.”

“No, and people don’t know how to drive in it or handle it, but Evan had to go out in his boxers to take care of it.”

“It was on a dare, it was less than thirty seconds, and I quickly came in and got dressed so I didn’t die of hypothermia. I’m not an idiot.”

Kendall raised a brow. “I didn’t think you were, and I would’ve hoped it was a dare. Or you were drunk.”

“You can blame us for that,” Ward said, grinning.

“Seriously though, he did win the bet.” Keegan grinned.

I just shook my head as we walked around the Strip, each of us eating way too much food wherever we stopped.

“We’re going to go do a penny slot, just to say we did.”

I looked down at Kendall, who blushed, embarrassed. “I’m going to stand out here with Kendall, so she doesn’t end up in jail.” She elbowed me in the gut, and I let out a breath. “Ow, pointy elbow.”

“Don’t make fun of my elbows or my age. I’m twenty, not seventeen.”

Thank God for that. I at least thought that to myself and didn’t say it out loud.

That night we went to a show, something with magic that was off the Strip, cheap, and made us laugh. They weren’t carding anybody, so Kendall was able to have a drink. Although we tried not to be suspicious about it, I knew that she wasn’t the only underage person in here. We were laughing too hard, getting a little too drunk, but having way too much fun.

Later that night, I walked her to the Venetian, and as the lights twinkled, music blared, and people milled about us, I cupped her face and pressed my lips to hers.

We were drunk, but not too drunk, and when I moaned against her, she wrapped her arms around my waist and then smiled up at me.

“I’m delighted that I met you, Evan.”

“Damn straight,” I whispered, my breath going choppy. I pressed my forehead to hers and smiled. “Tomorrow then?”

“Tomorrow is bachelor and bachelorette time. The girls invited me.” She beamed, her entire face lighting up, and I swore I fell in love.

“They like you.”

I like you too.

“I like them too. So yes, my parents are excited that I’m not hanging out with them because that means they can do what they want, and my brother too.”

I didn’t know her family and hadn’t met them, but I already didn’t like them. “While that kind of annoys me, I’m going to pretend that it doesn’t because I get to spend time with you.”

“Evan,” she whispered, and I realized I had said that out loud.

I kissed her again, tucked her hair behind her ear, and then watched as she safely made her way into the hotel and to the elevators.

I stuck my hands in my pockets and watched after she was out of sight for longer than I should have. I was grateful when she texted to tell me she was safe in her room.

This was a danger—a mistake. You did not find the woman of your dreams in Vegas of all places.

But what if I had?

* * *

Four days later, we were in my room, her back pressed against the door, my lips on hers, and I panted, trying to catch my breath.

“Kendall. We need to take a break.”

“I’m not a virgin, Evan,” she whispered, and I just shook my head, cupping her face.

“That’s not why. However, we have a wedding to make it to, and I don’t think I can fuck you hard against this door quick enough for us to make it on time.”

Her eyes widened, and then she grinned. “After the wedding then?”

“After the wedding, we’re not going to get out of that damn bed. Or that shower. I promise.” I reached around, cupped her ass, and she groaned.

“That sounds like a plan to me.”

“And, Kendall? When we get back home? I’m not letting you go either.”

This time, I meant to say the words to test them out for myself.

And when she smiled, she cupped my face. “When you get home, I’m not letting you go. Except for deployment. Then I’ll have to watch you go.” She swallowed hard, and we both were thinking of the fact that as soon as I got back, we had two weeks before I headed out to Afghanistan with the rest of my squadron.

I pressed my forehead to hers and let out a deep breath. “We’ll jump that bridge when we get to it.”

“That’s not the saying,” she teased.

“No, but we’ll figure it out.”

Because we had to. A connection like this didn’t come often, and I’d be damned if I’d miss out on it because of fate, jobs, or circumstances.

By the time we made it to the chapel, all of us were a little buzzed from energy and the tequila shots we had done beforehand.

I gripped her hand tightly, looked at Kendall, and knew that she was the one. But I needed to stop, hold back, and tell myself that this was stupid. That we didn’t need to do anything too spontaneous right then.

And as Keegan and Lacey vowed to love each other forever, as the Cher impersonator told us that we didn’t need to turn back time because this was the time that we were living in for now and forever, I looked at Kendall, and I didn’t want to say goodbye.

“Marry me.”

Kendall’s eyes widened. “Evan. Are you serious?”

“Dude. For real?” Keegan asked.

“Fuck yeah!” Ward shouted.

Britney and Lacey spoke at the same time, their words coming so quickly I could barely hear.

But all I could do was look at Kendall.

Look at her and wait for her answer.

“I know this is insane. I know this makes no sense. But I feel this, Kendall. You do, too. This connection doesn’t come often. Let’s not lose this chance at what we could have.”

“Aww,” Lacey whispered as Britney shushed her.

“You’re crazy,” Kendall blurted, and my heart fell before she threw her arms around my neck. “But fuck yeah, so am I. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

The next day, completely sober yet caught up in the moment, I vowed I would love Kendall forever. That I would be her protector. That she would be mine.

And I knew that this might have been quick, but it wasn’t a mistake.

She was mine.

And now I had a chance to earn her.

Two years later.

The Humvee shook on the gravel road, and I held onto the bar, trying not to throw up.

I was nauseous from being car sick, something I had never had an issue with until recently. But the concussion I had gotten last year when the IED had hit made things a little more complicated now. We were going to the next space, prepping for when the commanders told us it was time to go out.

We were the Air Force Pararescue. It was our job to always be in the thick of it.

One of my men was driving, Ward next to him, Keegan next to me.

We had two more weeks out here, and then we could go home to our wives.

To Lacey, Britney, and Kendall.

The women that we had married in a slight rush but fought for. Things weren’t easy. And I knew that they were harder on the girls in some aspects, but the six of us were stationed at the same base and working our asses off to make things work.

Keegan sighed into his mic. “I can’t believe I can finally meet my kid,”

I just shook my head at my friend. “I can’t believe you haven’t met the newborn yet.”

“At least I was there for the birth of our first one. I just hate that we missed the second.”

“I’m surprised I could even make it in time to be there for the birth of ours,” Ward said from the front, and that familiar twist in my gut came back in full force.

Kendall and I were waiting since we hadn’t waited for anything else, and getting married quickly, when your husband was constantly out of the country, hadn’t been easy for our marriage, but we were making it work. I loved her more than life, and I wasn’t going to change a damn thing.

I should’ve thought better about that. I should’ve remembered that life burned, but it also was frail.

So when the explosion came, the shouts were quick, the grunts loud.

Later I would remember the glass shattering against me, metal screeching, the heat, and inferno.

Our driver, Jake, screamed for his mother, and then there was nothing, and I opened my eyes, blood pouring from a wound on my head, having been thrown from the Humvee.

Jake was gone. I could see it in the angle of his neck. The rest of our squadron came out to protect us, to make sure that whoever had taken out our Humvee wouldn’t come back with a second wave.

There were shouts and screams, and I tried not to throw up, tried not to scream. Instead, I moved towards the two men that had been my everything, had been my brothers in all but blood, at their vacant gazes, and I knew that there was no going back.

The blood became sticky on my face and I could no longer fully recognize Keegan or Ward through the haze.

I knew one thing.

They had made their wives widows, and I refused to do the same.