In the Arms of a Soldier Read Free Page A

months since we’ve gone anywhere alone.  Or this late,” he added with a wry smile.  “Why, is one of you wishing that you had kids already?  Because we’re always looking for reliable babysitters,” he said jokingly.
    “I’m probably the last person you’d want as a babysitter,” I laughed.  “I know absolutely no thing about babies.  Even Josh would be a better choice than me.”
    “Josh?  Really ….”  Lexie glanced over at him, pretending to ponder the idea.
    “You know, I would be insulted, but Jess is right,” Josh teased.
    I playfully punched him in the arm.  “Very funny.”
    “That’s right, you have a kid sister, don’t you?” Rob asked, seeming to remember the ten-year age gap between Josh and his younger sister.
    “Lindsey,” I said knowledgably.
    “She’s not much of a kid anymore,” Josh said with a laugh.  “She absolutely idolized Jessica when we were growing up, but she’s in college now.”
    “That just makes me feel old,” I groaned.   “That and the fact that our friends are already getting married and starting families.”
    Josh yawned as he glanced over at me.  “We are old.”
    I laughed and jokingly rolled my eyes.  “Just what I wanted to hear a week before my twenty-ninth birthday.”
    “Hey, your thirties aren’t so bad.  And look at it this way: you still have an entire year to say that you’re in yo ur twenties.”
    Lexie laughed as she glanced back and forth between us.  “You guys are always too much.   It’s so good to have you back Josh, but we have to get going soon.  I want to check on the baby—we’re not used to leaving her with a babysitter yet.”
    “ Maybe we better head out, too,” I said, glancing down at my phone to check the time.  “You guys have the babysitter, and Josh probably doesn’t want to be out late after his long day.”
    “That’s my Jess, always looking out for me,” he teased.
    “Well someone has to.”  I swiveled my barstool back toward Allie and Rob.  “Hey, we’re all going to head out.  Are you guys staying?”
    “Yeah, probably for a little while longer,” Rob said.
    He and Allie turned to say goodbye to the rest of us.  Josh pulled out his wallet, but Rob waved his hand in protest.  “No man, this is on us—a little welcome home for you.”
    When I grabbed some money from the small clutch I was carrying, Rob said he and Allie were treating me as well.  “I’m not the one who was deployed for six months,” I protested.
    “No, it’s our treat.  You guys are practically a couple anyway.”
    “More like just roommates,” I said with a laugh.  “Or siblings who don’t always get along.”  I hopped off my barstool to stand beside Josh.   He laughed as he glanced down at me, but I saw that hint of emotion pass behind his eyes again.  Just as quickly it was gone, and I looked questioningly up at him.
    “Everything okay?”
    “Yeah, it’s nothing,” I replied.
    “Should we get out of here then?”
    “Lead the way, roomie.”
    Josh casually slung his arm around me as we headed out, and I smiled, happy to have my best friend safely home once again.

Chapter 3
     
    “Something smells good,” I called out as I walked toward the kitchen the next morning.  The scent of sizzling bacon, fried eggs, and freshly brewed coffee had awakened me, and I happily hurried down the hall as I remembered that Josh was back from Afghanistan.  I yawned as I rounded the corner and stopped in surprise to see Josh standing in front of the stove wearing navy blue boxers and a dark grey tee shirt that showed off his broad shoulders and chiseled torso.  His biceps bulged out beneath the cotton sleeves, and I quickly looked away before he caught me staring at him.  This was my roommate and best friend for God’s sake.  Since when did I start swooning over the sight of him in his underwear?  We’d been roommates before he’d deployed.  Certainly he must have occasionally wandered around our