The Patriot A Small Town Romance - Jennifer Millikin Page 0,124

hallway, away from the concourse. Ethan! My insides go topsy-turvy, my heart hammers like it wants to leap out of me and run to him. Calm down. He’s still the same person you’ve known since before you could ride a bike.

Ethan strides past security and slows, peering around and above the people who are in the midst of their own reunions.

His jet black hair shines in the light overhead. For a brief moment, I’m struck by how different he looks. It’s not the classic military hair cut or the tan fatigues he’s wearing that make him look so different. It’s his face, his shoulders, his chest, even his neck, that have changed. He looks so big, so strong.

Something even more alarming than Ethan’s changed appearance is snaking its way through me. The warmth spreads, starting in my heart and running out to the tips of my fingers and all the way down to my toes. My skin feels alive.

Desire. That’s what this feeling is. My brain tells my body to stop, but my body isn’t listening.

Ethan hasn't seen me yet. Petite girl problems. His warm brown eyes continue to scan the throng of people. I’m halfway to him when his eyes meet mine. His face lights up.

My feet accelerate. Deftly I dodge elbows and purses as I make my way toward him. I smile, but he just stares at me, transfixed, like my face isn’t the same face he’s known for most of his life. Finally, he smiles back, but his eyes continue to stare at me, absorbing me in a way that puts a blush on my cheeks.

Ethan finally comes to life, dropping the bag from his shoulder and taking a few steps forward.

I don’t even stop to think about what I’m doing. The talk I had with myself in the bathroom flies out the window. This is Ethan, my best friend, and I’ve missed him so much, it’s become a physical ache.

As soon as we’re close enough I launch myself at him. My legs wrap around his waist and he catches me, arms encircling my back, holding me up. I let my face fall into his neck, feeling comforted by what I find there. I inhale deeply, breathe him in, and his familiar scent tattoos my heart.

I’m in love with him.

I can lie to myself as much as I want when I’m alone. But right now, with my nose pressed to his skin, my heart knows my truth.

His hand falls down my back, rises, falls again. My shoulders shudder and bow. My insides twist and arc, a convolution of confused excitement.

I break first, jumping down and backing away from the circle of Ethan's arms. Heat fills my cheeks as I peek up at him.

His eyes bore into mine. He squints, like he’s trying to wrap his mind around what just happened. I should apologize for leaping into his arms like a gazelle. My lack of control is mortifying.

Ethan grins his beautiful, happy smile and lifts his left hand up to my face, his thumb tracing its way along my jawbone. He’s never touched me like this.

I lean into it, forgetting myself again. I can’t help it. This must be how he felt all these years. Why did it take me so long?

His hand is touching me. Ethan. And now my stomach is starting to feel funny, and it’s Ethan making me feel this way.

I want to grab him and kiss him right there, in the middle of this mass of people, but I don’t.

I take a step back, forcing his hand to drop. His eyebrows draw together as though he’s trying to solve a difficult math problem. Well, haven’t you been a difficult problem for years? And now you’re acting like this.

I’m not ready to tell him. I want to say the words, but they aren’t there. Adrenaline courses through me, and I hate how it makes me feel. I want my control back.

Ethan’s staring at me, waiting for me to explain my behavior.

“Are you hungry?” It’s a lame question. I wish I could do better.

His eyes narrow like he’s evaluating. Whatever he’s thinking of, he makes a choice. “I’ll grab my bag, and we can go.” He turns, walking to his backpack lying on the ground a few feet away.

Oh, thank God. He’s letting it go.

He hefts it to his shoulder. “I know it’s the middle of the afternoon, but I’m hungry. Starving, actually. Airplane food.” He wrinkles his nose. “I ate in Philly on my layover, but that was almost six hours ago. I had a Philly cheese steak. It sucked. Don’t you think it should have been better, considering where I was? Maybe ordering one at an airport wasn’t the best idea. And the snacks they handed out on the flight were crap.”

Yes, this is definitely my best friend. Live, in the flesh, and acting like himself. His chatter is infectious. I find myself smiling as I picture him working his way through the bad cheese steak while he waited for his next flight.

“Okay, so no cheese steaks, peanuts, or pretzels. Where would you like to go?”

“You won’t believe this, but I want a burger. A good old drive-thru burger.”

It’s my turn to wrinkle my nose. “That’s gross, but I won’t deny you. Your wish is my command. After all, you do spend your days protecting me.”

As usual, one word of the war, and Ethan withdraws instantly. I shouldn’t have said anything. I know better. But I’m so grateful to him for giving up his civilian life for me…for everybody.

I let his withdrawal pass without comment.

In baggage claim, he grabs his green duffel like it weighs nothing, then nods to the door. “Take me anywhere. Surprise me.”

We reach my car, and there’s that familiar stab of disappointment when I see it. Dad wasn’t even alive when I bought this car, and still I chose something that would’ve made him happy. Even if it didn’t make me happy. I can still hear him expounding the virtues of Hondas. Reliable, safe, trustworthy.

Ethan grins. “Good old Helen the Honda. Gotta love her.”

I give him a side-eye and he laughs.

“Can I drive?” His eyebrows raise with hope.

“No way.”

He gives me a dirty look and tosses his bag in the back seat. My God, those muscles. Since when? I climb into my car and blink a few times, trying to clear my head. This is Ethan. I’m looking at Ethan like he’s a piece of meat. Or a treat. Yes, a treat. A gorgeous, raven-haired, caramel-eyed delectable man. One who can dig his fingers into my skin and run his stubble across my face and—

“Kate, what’s with you?”

I feel the flush in my cheeks. There's no way Ethan will miss it.

“Nothing. Why?”

Ethan’s eyes narrow. “I asked you where we’re going. Twice. And you’re blushing.”

I don’t answer. I just point the car towards downtown Phoenix and drive.

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Also by Jennifer Millikin

Return To You

One Good Thing

Beyond The Pale

Good On Paper

The Day He Went Away

Full of Fire

The Time Series (Standalone)

Our Finest Hour

Magic Minutes

The Lifetime of A Second

Acknowledgements

It seems that for every book I write, the same people receive acknowledgement. So when I started writing this page, I struggled. I wondered if I should skip it altogether. How boring to thank the same people for the tenth time! Then I stopped being dumb and realized how incredibly lucky I am to be sending my gratitude to the same people. It must mean both my personal and professional relationships are steady, and what a gift that is. Neither my personality nor my work is bad enough to send people scurrying. Hooray! So, once again:

Thank you to my beta readers, Kristan, Jody, Crystal, Julia, Autumn, Megan, and Stephanie. You get multiple versions of the manuscript, and you are essential in making the final product shine. I am so very grateful to you.

My family. The Patriot was written entirely during the pandemic, and it was a group effort. Kids home-schooling, two parents working, sacrifices made all around. Thank you to my family for supporting me.

Thank you to Sarah Hansen at OK Creations for taking the ten ideas I sent (all completely different), and somehow understanding and creating a cover that perfectly captured Wes and the Hayden family.

Finally, thank you to my dad for telling every person he meets that his daughter is an author. You were my number one fan long before I put pen to paper.