He was easy to spot. I’d never wanted to see Josh in a uniform, but in blues, he blew me away. He was different, austere somehow, like by putting on the uniform, he’d matured years. I chased away the apprehension and instinct to run. Be brave, Ember. I could do this. I would be strong like my father, and brave like my mother.

The back of the room was lined with windows overlooking the Front Range, and the sunlight was perfect for this time of day. I sat far enough back in the room, about seven rows, that he didn’t notice me. I liked the element of surprise, which caught me off-guard when I saw Jagger in uniform down the line from Josh.

The instructors gathered the sixteen graduates and lined them up with the Rockies as their backdrop. They called the room to attention and started the ceremony. I was too absorbed in watching Josh to listen to the speeches. Not once did he smile, or look happy like the others with him. Instead, he looked resigned, trapped. A stab of guilt pierced me. I had taken this happy moment from him, because he thought it cost him me.

I would never again hold this man down.

The oath of commissioning started, the deep voices of the graduates swearing to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. It was a beautiful oath that touched me every time I heard it. Selfless service, it was apparent in every one of their faces.

The MC, a lieutenant colonel, explained the pinning process and how each of the graduates had selected someone special to pin on their yellow bars. “Butter Bars,” Dad had called them. Josh was third from the end, and I sat anxiously as the other graduates were pinned.Crap. I hadn’t watched enough of this. I couldn’t remember exactly where the rank went. My sigh of relief was audible when I realized they were using shoulder boards, and I wouldn’t have to freak out about getting the rank on straight.

One by one, I watched them pin, the knot of tension growing in my stomach with each passing second. Was I about to make an ass out of myself? Was Tweedledum here, waiting to pin him? Josh had no responsibility to wait for me. After I broke his heart again last week, was he going to want me?

“Joshua Walker,” the MC called out.

Josh stepped forward, and I lost my heart all over again. Unlike the others who were pinned in relative silence, Josh spoke. “The man I wanted to pin me couldn’t be here today. He saved my life in Afghanistan two years ago, only to fall there this last Christmas. I can honestly say that without his support, I wouldn’t be here.” The MC walked over, ready to pin him.

It was now or never. “His daughter will stand in for him.” I stood slowly and stepped into the aisle, meeting Josh’s shocked gaze. I walked carefully toward him, aware that every eye was on me. Don’t trip and fall. Once I reached him, I held out my hand, and he gave me his shoulder boards. “On behalf of Lieutenant Colonel Howard,” I whispered. I slipped the left shoulder board on. I leaned up on tiptoes, now wishing I’d worn the heels; he was so tall I only reached his collarbone. “On behalf of me,” I whispered again, and slid the right shoulder board home.

I knew the routine. If I’d have been a man, I would have shaken his hand. Instead, I reached up and kissed his smoothly-shaven cheek, taking a millisecond to absorb the delicious way he smelled. “Congratulations, Lieutenant Walker.”

His smile was radiant, though quickly contained as was proper in uniform, and I pulled away. I couldn’t hold back my grin when I took my seat. I’d just delivered Josh Walker the shock of his life.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Everyone stood and clapped for the newly pinned lieutenants as they were announced. Ceremony over. Real life commences.

The blue uniforms blended into the crowd as the families embraced. Cameras were pulled out and images snapped, but I couldn’t move. My heartbeat sped up until it should have taken flight, lodging my heart in my throat.

Josh tunneled his way through the crowd, determination, awe, and a little worry dancing across his features. Anticipation curled in my stomach. God, that man was beautiful. Beautiful, and mine. I just had to be brave enough to hold onto him.

He stopped just short of me, unsure if he was supposed to come closer. “December.”

“Hi.” It was all I could say, there were too many emotions racing through me to form a more coherent thought.

“Don’t do this unless you—”

I stopped his words with my mouth, wrapping my arms around his neck and pouring everything I felt into that kiss. For a few seconds, I thought I’d made a huge error when he didn’t respond.

I ran my tongue across the seam of his lips, and he came to life, swinging me in his arms and consuming me in his kiss.

“Walker!” Jagger called out.

Josh pivoted only long enough for Jagger to take a quick picture, and then he carried me out of the room, one arm under my knees, and the other behind my back.

I laughed breathlessly, happiness filling every corner of me for the first time since I couldn’t remember. “This is very An Officer and a Gentleman.”

“What is that?” His gaze dropped to my mouth, telling me his mind wasn’t on movies.

A slow smile spread across my face. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Walker!” Another lieutenant yelled down the hall at us, laughing. “No PDA in uniform!”

“Let me know when you lose your virginity, McAfee!” Josh fired back, opening the door to a lecture hall. He slipped us inside, locking the door behind him. He walked down the awkwardly spaced steps, and didn’t stop until he sat me on the professor’s desk.