Prologue
10 Years Ago
Colton (18)
“Well, it’s official. We’re done, brother,” Cade says excitedly.
He was swinging his legs and playing with the tassel of his cap, while mine was still in the truck, right where I’d tossed it after we left the ceremony.
The guy’s been a ball of excitement for weeks now and the last thing I want to do is bring him down or concern him with my feelings.
We’re sitting on the hood of my truck watching the sunset on the horizon. Just hours ago, we walked across that stage, diplomas in hand, and tomorrow... tomorrow everything changes. Tomorrow, we leave for basic training. It’s been our plan since we turned fourteen, a pact made by two kids. One who just wanted to get out of this town, and the other, me, who wanted to follow in the footsteps of the other men in my family. But now that we’re here, I can’t help but feel a knot in mygut. It’s a mix of anticipation and some other emotion I’m not ready to admit out loud.
Tomorrow everything changes. Not only will I be leaving behind everything familiar, including my friends and family, but also a certain blonde haired, blue-gray eyed girl who has had my feelings a twisted mess for a while now.
Ember. My firefly. I’m not sure when it happened, but it did. Two years younger than me and Cade, she’s a whirlwind of laughter and sass, with eyes that remind of a stormy sea. Our families have been friends our whole lives, so I grew up with Cade and his siblings. I’d known Ember since before she could walk. Somewhere along the way, she went from being my best friend’s little sister with pigtails, always tagging along, to a stunning sixteen-year-old girl I suddenly saw in an entirely new light.
“Yeah,” I mutter, jumping down off the hood, kicking at a loose stone on the gravel. “Things change tomorrow.”
Cade laughs. “Man, this is gonna be an adventure. We’re gonna see the world, learn some skills, make a difference.” He pauses, his voice softening. “You okay, Colt? You seem... off. You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
I shrug, avoiding his gaze. “Just thinking about everything. Leaving, you know?”
“Yeah, me too,” Cade admits, his excitement fading slightly. “But we’ll be back. We’ll be back heroes.” He bumps my shoulder with his. “Besides, think of all the stories we’ll have to tell. Think of all the girls,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows. “They’ll be throwing themselves at us. Everyone knows women love a man in uniform.” He laughs, while giving me a wink.
I force a smile. “Yeah.” But there’s only one girl on my mind. My gaze drifts towards the lights of Cade’s house. “Speaking of home, we should probably head back. Our moms probably have a huge spread laid out, and Ember...” I trail off, the name catching in my throat.
Cade’s eyes narrow slightly. “Something you wanna tell me?”
“Nah. Just worried about who’s gonna watch out for her now that we’re gone,” I say, trying to sound casual.
“Right.” Cade says, a hint of something unreadable in his tone. He knows me too well, and I wonder if he’s starting to catch onto how I feel about his sister. The thought sent a jolt of fear through me. Admitting it, even to myself, scared me. Cade was my best friend, had been since we were kids, and the idea of anything coming between our friendship was terrifying. What if he saw it as a betrayal? It wasn’t just about potentially damaging our friendship, it was about changing the entire dynamic, risking everything we had built. A friendship as solid as ours was rare, and a part of me was terrified at the thought of shattering it.
“Come on, Colt. Let’s go before Em’s out here looking for us. Besides, I’m starving.”
As we climb into the cab, I can’t shake the feeling that tonight, seeing Ember, will be different. It always is. But tonight, with the weight of tomorrow hanging over us, it feels monumental. I’m not sure what I’m going to say to her. I want to make promises to her, promises that when I return she’ll be my girl. I want to tell her how much she means to me, how I plan on coming back for her.
This last year we had our moments, subtle looks that lingered too long, touches that felt more than just friendly. I’d definitely given her hints, little signs that I felt something beyond friendship, even if I never said the words outright. And I’d picked up on her cues, too – theway she’d get quiet when I talked about a girl I was going out with, or how her eyes would flash with something that looked suspiciously like jealousy when other girls hung around me or Cade.
But I can’t say anything. She’s still in high school. She needs to live and have fun. I couldn’t tie her down, I couldn’t put that kind of pressure onher.
Ember (16)
I’m already awake when the annoying beeping of my alarm goes off.
I let out a groan and roll onto my side, pressing my face into the pillow as the reality sinks in. Today is the day Cade and Colton leave for basic training.
Last night our moms threw a big celebration for them to mark their high school graduation and send-off to the Army. I was hoping to get some time alone with Colton but there wasn’t ever a moment when someone wasn’t coming up to congratulate him.
I don’t remember a time when Colton hadn’t been a constant in my life. He’d always been there, a protective older brother figure. But somewhere along the line, my feelings for him had evolved. It wasn’t just admiration anymore; it was something deeper, something that made my stomach flutter, and my heart beat faster when I was around him.
The worst though was watching him date other girls, trying to brush it off and act like it didn’t bother me. But the truth was, it hurt. It hurt to see him with someone else, to know that I was just the little sister of his best friend. Thankfully none of them ever stuck around.
Dragging my tired ass out of bed, I make my way into the bathroom to get showered and dressed.
Afterwards, I head down to the kitchen when I hear the muffled voices of my parents. I can also hear my brothers Garrett, Owen, and Cade.
As soon as I step into the kitchen it feels like my heart stops. There sits Colton at the island with everyone, his packed duffle bag at his feet. I suddenly feel that familiar ache in my chest start to grow.
