Accepted: A Military Romance (A Soldier's Sacrifice Book 4) Read online

  Accepted

  BOOK 4

  of

  A SOLDIER’S SACRIFICE SERIES

  (A MILITARY ROMANCE)

  BY: NADINE HUDSON

  Copyright © 2021 Nadine Hudson

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Description

  Bad boy and trouble-maker, Devin Palmer, pulled one bad act too many just six weeks before school let out. He ended up getting arrested, having to get his GED while in lockup, and joined the military to avoid staying on probation for two years. The person who turned him in after his latest indiscretion? Melanie Ward.

  Back then, Melanie had been a substitute teacher and had a soft spot for Devin, the outcast. She thought turning him in was the right thing to do. What she wasn’t expecting was for him to show up at the little bar where she now works eight years later, looking as good as he does now… but still holding a grudge.

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  Table of Contents

  Description

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  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  What Happens Next?

  Follow Me!

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  About the Author

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  Chapter One

  Devin

  So she lied to me.

  Melanie raced out of here so fast that I fell for it, convinced that it was an emergency. No wonder she hadn’t wanted my help or hadn’t wanted a ride to the airport. Because it was all a game to her. There was no emergency, no airport… hell, for all I knew, there wasn’t even a mysterious kid with a life-threatening medical problem.

  It didn’t feel good to be lied to, but at least I hadn’t thrown my Army career in the trash for someone who was flaking out on me.

  I took one last look at her house and kept driving, my anger only getting louder as I put more and more distance between me and her place. By the time I made it back to the base housing that I’d called home for the last two and a half weeks, I was furious.

  The first thing that greeted me when I walked in was the mess Grass had left. Beer cans, pizza boxes, an Army-issue blanket from the closet that was still thrown on the couch… the place was a wreck.

  There had been a time not too long ago where my instinct to trash the place would have kicked in. I’d have grabbed a case of beer and added to the pile of takeout boxes, probably getting angry-drunk enough to punch a few holes in the walls or a small table and chair.

  Instead, I managed to take the rage that simmered quietly and got to work cleaning up the mess. That’s what I’d turned into these last few years, the dependable tough guy who could clean up the mess. It didn’t matter if it was a mess that world governments had made or just one that a single-mom who was struggling to keep it together was dealing with, I was your guy.

  And no matter whether it was a government or a hot woman, it really pissed me off when I was being used.

  After a solid hour’s worth of furious work, I hauled two trash bags down to the dumpster behind the apartment building. I mopped the floors throughout the small temporary apartment, changed the bedding and started it washing, gave the kitchen a thorough scrubbing, and put away the clothes I’d washed. But it wasn’t enough. I was still feeling pent up like some kind of caged animal, pacing back and forth with nowhere to go.

  I hated the thought of messing up the kitchen, so I jumped in my car to pick up some takeout. Nothing sounded good, but I realized quickly that I wouldn’t be eating at William’s barbeque place anymore. I veered out to the highway and headed in the direction of the high school, intent on grabbing my food and getting out of there.

  Wait a minute, I thought to myself as I encountered some school traffic. Teenagers whipped around me on the four-lane, and school buses were lumbering down the road. It’s a school day. Why was Melanie’s car at her house?

  Could I be so lucky as to hope her mom had driven her to the airport? A feeling of calm started to creep over me. For a second, I almost laughed out loud. It was too obvious, her car would be at the house if her mom had driven. On the other hand, if she’d lied to me about all of this like I’d first thought, her car still wouldn’t have been at home since she would have driven to school this morning.

  It was the only logical explanation.

  The lunch crowd was thinning out by the time I reached William’s restaurant. I pulled into the gravel lot and turned off the engine, then looked over at the old high school for a minute or two. So much was happening, so many things that I was struggling to process, and it didn’t help that I was back in the place where my old memories still haunted me.

  “Hey Williams,” I called out when I reached the register to order.

  “Devin! So glad you’re back. Same orders as last time?” he answered back while chopping cabbage for coleslaw.

  “No, not today. I just need to get one plate, and make it to go,” I replied.

  I must have looked about as dragged down as I felt because William put down his knife, wiped his hands on a towel, and came over to where I stood at the counter.

  “All alone today, huh? Now come on, my food ain’t that good. You only eat it ‘cause it’s close to the school. Heck, that’s why half my customers eat it!” he said good-naturedly. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just busy. No big deal,” I said, shrugging.

  “Devin… look at me. I can read you like a book, dude. What’s wrong?”

  I waved off his question like it really was no big deal. “Just stuff, you know. Lots going on, lots to think about. Nothing serious or anything, though.”

  “Well, hey, if you need to talk or anything, you know where to find me,” William said with that familiar grin of his as he smacked his hand down on the counter.

  “Yeah, he’ll be right here,” Jacinda said darkly, coming up behind him, “because we apparently live here now.”

  “What’s that mean?” I asked, suddenly worried for them.

  “Nothing, she’s just complaining… again,” William shouted back towards her over his shoulder. “We’ve got a leak in the roof back in the kitchen, and the health department says we gotta fix it by next week. I thought I’d make a bunch of repairs to the place at once by selling our house and looking for something a little smaller. Just until we get this up and running.”

  “Hate to hear that, man,” I said, my own problems forgotten for a minute. A new idea occurred to me. “You know, if you’re thinking of doing it yourself, I could help out. I’ve got some time on my hands right now since Melanie’s out of town right now—”

  “She’s not out of town,” William said, looking confused. “In fact, her mom came in last night and picked up a bunch of food so she wouldn’t have to cook.”

  “Oh. Right, I didn’t realize they were back already,” I said, covering my confusion. “I gotta run, just let me know if I can help you with that roof.”

  “Will do, thanks!”

  I got in the car and set the bag of food on the seat carefully before slamming my palm against the steering wheel angrily. Dammit. I had every intention of going back to the apartment and doing my best to put Melanie out of my mind for good, but I was nev
er one to tuck my tail and hide… not even when it was good for me.

  ***

  Melanie

  “Honey, you feel like eating anything?” Mom said when I came out of the bedroom. I shook my head, but she tried again anyway. “I picked up some of that barbeque you told me about, you know that place across from your work.”

  “Thanks, I’m sure I’ll be hungry later,” I mumbled, pouring a glass of water to soothe my throat.

  “Melanie, this isn’t good for you,” Mom whispered, looking past me to where Sam was laying on the couch, watching cartoons. “I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to be strong for Sam. And you can’t do that if you aren’t taking care of yourself.”

  “I know,” I said a little more harshly than I’d intended. But the guilt I felt for snapping at her only piled onto the guilt I was already feeling for losing my mind and not keeping up a brave face for my son.

  The sound of a car engine outside made my mom and me both look towards the window. The door slammed loudly as Devin got out and strode towards the front door.

  “I wonder what he wants,” I said, but Mom put her hands on my shoulders and spoke into my ear.

  “Whatever it is, I’d let him have it. He’s hot!”

  “Mom!” I said, shocked. But my mom only laughed.

  “I only teasing. But he is hot. Go talk to him, I’ll sit with Sam,” she said, already heading towards the living room.

  I put my hand on the doorknob just as Devin reached for the bell. I opened it in time to see his expression morph from the inexplicable look of anger to one of shock. I mean, I knew I looked rough, but I had no idea it was bad enough to make someone recoil in horror.

  “Devin, hey,” I said softly, stepping outside awkwardly and closing the door behind me. “I’ve wanted to call you, but—”

  “But you were too busy lying to me to get around to picking up the phone?” he said, this weirdly accusing tone in his voice.

  “Excuse me?” I said, indignant as a sudden surge of anger welled up inside me. “Lying to you? What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about your fake emergency, your ‘out of town’ trip,” he said, glaring at me as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “So did you actually bother starting the car and driving around the block for show? Or did you just tell me you were leaving to get rid of me?”

  “Devin, what are you talking about?” I asked, too tired to decipher his words, my head throbbing too much from hours of crying.

  “I missed you, and I was out for a drive so I swung by your house. Your car was here, Melanie,” he said, like that explained anything.

  “You’re… stalking me?” I asked, cringing. “You’re accusing me of lying because you were watching my house?”

  “What? No. It’s not like that,” Devin said, sounding defensive all of a sudden.

  “That’s exactly what it sounds like,” I pressed on. “You drove past my house to see if I was really out of town?”

  “No! I said I was just out driving. I was bored and not feeling right and… forget it. It does sound bad when you say it out loud,” he said, shaking his head. “But the point is, you made excuses to get rid of me. What’s going on, Melanie? If you’re not interested in me, just say so.”

  “Devin, it’s not that. It’s complicated,” I tried to say, but the whole sentence sounded pathetic. It was like a line from a really bad breakup movie.

  “That’s great,” Devin said sarcastically. “Like you’re the only one with a complicated life? You know what makes things uncomplicated? Honesty.”

  “I am being honest!” I argued a little too loudly.

  “No, I mean about everything. I don’t play games, Melanie. What’s really going on?” he demanded.

  I wanted to argue, to shout, to tell him to mind his own business. After all, who did he think he was to come over here and question me about anything?

  Instead, I fell back against the porch rail and started crying. I’d cried so much over the past day and a half that I was shocked there were even any tears left. I didn’t know which was worse: dragging Devin into my chaotic drama or the fact that he’d thought I’d lied to him.

  I wish I had lied to him. It would be so much easier than the truth.

  Moments later, I felt his arms go around me, pulling me to his chest. He rested his cheek against the top of my hair and held me tightly, just letting me cry. After several minutes, I slid my arms around his waist and buried my hands in the soft fabric of his t-shirt, clinging to him as though it could help me keep myself together.

  “Are you okay?” Devin finally whispered when my sobbing quieted down. I nodded against his chest. “Let me guess, you’re not going to talk to me about it, are you?”

  I sniffled and took a step back so I could look up at him. I could still see traces of mistrust in his eyes, but they were almost entirely masked by a look of concern and sympathy. I took a deep breath to steady the quiver in my voice.

  “We got all the way to the hospital and waited forever… but someone else got the liver,” I finally confessed.

  Devin looked confused. “How does that even happen?”

  “There’s this list,” I explained, trying to sound casual or like it was no big deal. “The next person on the list gets the call. But if someone else—either somebody who’s already on the list or somebody who just now started to need a transplant—needs it more, they get to jump ahead of you.”

  “That doesn’t sound fair,” he said, looking irritated.

  “Maybe not on paper, but then again, if Sam suddenly needed it worse than anyone else—like, if he was sick enough that he was going to die—I would sure want him to go ahead of everyone else who wasn’t as sick,” I said, trying to sound like I was okay with this.

  “So they made you go all the way up there, only to give it to someone else?” Devin asked, as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was he actually skeptical of this? Of me?

  “Yeah,” I said, nodding. “And this is the fourth time.”

  “Four? How many times can they make you do this?” he shot back, obviously bothered by what we’d been through.

  “As many as it takes. And I’m really sorry that I didn’t call, but this time… well, I just came home and lost it. I went to bed, I cried all day, and now I have to get up and pick myself up and be strong for Sam. But you know what? I’m getting a little tired of being so strong. I mean, I know I have to do it, but for just a minute or two, it would be great to not have to be so damn strong.”

  Devin didn’t say anything as fresh tears formed in my eyes. He pulled me into his arms again and smoothed my hair, making comforting shushing sounds.

  “You don’t have to be so strong, Melanie. If you’d let somebody else be strong for you, it wouldn’t be on you all the time,” he said softly.

  “I know,” I cried, my voice muffled by his shirt. “But I can’t keep putting people through the ringer. I’ve already lost one person that I thought mattered to me, all because he didn’t have what it takes to go through this. How many people do I have to lose in my life because I was selfish enough to want a little help?”

  It was Devin’s turn to pull back and stare at me, a hard glint in his eye. “There is nothing selfish about you. There’s nothing selfish about needing someone. God, I know that more than anybody.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was back,” I said, still holding back sobs. “I should have at least texted you. I can’t imagine what you must have thought when you saw my car.”

  “Forget it,” Devin ordered kindly. “I’m sorry that I jumped to conclusions. I’m glad you told me what happened so I could be here for you, but I’m not proud of myself for making you tell me like this.”

  “Like what?” I asked, cocking my head.

  “Like you had to defend yourself from being called a liar. I’m sorry, Melanie. I mean that.”

  Devin gave me a weak half-smile after he apologized, and for the first time, I actually wondered what i
t would be like to trust someone again, to be able to hand over my heart and not have to be afraid of what they might do with it. If there was anyone on earth that I thought I could trust, it was Devin.

  “Hey, I have an idea,” I said as I sniffed back more tears. I smiled a little and said, “Do you want to meet Sam?”

  Chapter Two

  Devin

  Holy crap, this was huge. I don’t know how I knew, but I did. Melanie was trusting me enough to meet the most important person in the world to her… and all I had to do was not screw it up.

  “That’d be awesome,” I said, my voice practically a whisper as I stood there in awe.

  “Come on,” she said, kissing me softly for a moment before stepping back and opening the door.

  Melanie wiped her eyes on her shirt sleeves and checked herself out in the hallway mirror, patting the circles under her eyes as if she could hide the evidence that she’d been crying. I wanted to look around a little at the house, to see what kind of person she was when she was in her sanctuary, but all I could focus on was the giant responsibility of saying hello to a very small human.

  “Sam? You awake?” Melanie asked softly from the door to the living room.

  A woman that I remembered as Melanie’s mom smiled up at me, then tiptoed out of the room to give us some space. I followed Melanie into the room and looked down at the scariest thing I could remember seeing in a long time.

  Her son wasn’t just sick. He was deathly sick. His soft brown hair hung limply around his face when he looked up at us, the purple under his eyes even more pronounced due to the eerie shade of yellow over his skin.

  “Hi Mommy,” he said in the most angelic little voice. “Who’s that?”

  “Sam, this is Mommy’s friend. His name is Devin,” she began, but Sam’s wide eyes darted to my face.

  “Is he your boyfriend?” he asked slowly, with great effort.

  “Kind of,” Melanie answered without hesitating.