Duty(49)

“And how did you take care of that physical need?” I ask shyly. “My best friend sent me a vibrator that I got very familiar with.”

“No vibrator here,” Aaron teases, then chuckles. “Let's just say I spent extra time in the shower.”

“Hmm, a shower . . . we never did try that,” I purr. “We should try that next time. And . . .”

“And what?”

“Next time,” I reply, knowing that while I'm not ashamed, there are other things to talk about. “So I guess this means . . .”

“Seems so,” Aaron says, kissing my neck and making me shiver. “Are you worried?”

“A bit,” I admit. “We may be Lindsey and Aaron, but there's a whole base that thinks otherwise.”

“We did it before, when I was under a lot bigger microscope,” Aaron reassures me. “At least now, we can leave post. I don't know how we'll handle it with Lance, but . . . to be honest, I don't care.”

“It could cost you your career. Mine too,” I whisper, and Aaron shrugs.

“Any Army that won't let me have you in my arms, let me have Lance as my son, is not an Army I want to serve in,” Aaron says with deep intensity. “We'll figure it out.”

“So you do understand that I'm not a single woman anymore,” I hum happily. “I'm a package deal, you know.”

“Which is exactly what I want,” Aaron says, turning my head and kissing me softly. “I want you, and I’m going to be his father. I know I missed a lot of time, but I’m over it. It’s time to look to the future.”



Monday afternoon, and I'm thinking about the weekend. Sunday was perfect, with Lance happy to wake up after a 'sleepover' at Aaron's house. Aaron brought back breakfast from the store before we left to go home. Now, finishing up my work, I'm smiling lightly the whole day, my body still tingling.

I get an email on my computer, and I see that it's from Beanie. It's a bit more info about me re-upping, and I think about it, wondering. After this weekend, I'm leaning toward leaving the Army, but where am I supposed to go? I know that even with the feelings that I have for Aaron, I don't want to become an 'Army wife,' where most of my life is controlled by his deployments, his chain of command, and the whims of his commanders. Some of them love it, but it’s just not for me.

Maybe I can talk it over with Aaron. I know that this is a decision that really hinges on him as much as me. I send a quick reply to Beanie, thanking him and letting him know that I'm still thinking about it, then I get ready to leave the office. The nice part about being in the Adjutant General's Corps is that I rarely have to waste time with end of day formations. I just leave the office. I enjoy it as I see infantry units getting together for their end of day formations, some of the troops looking pretty tired and raggedy after a long day.

I get to the post daycare center, parking and going up to the entrance. Fort Bragg is pretty relaxed about soldiers visiting their kids. The post commander knows that troops work weird hours and sometimes that one-hour gap in the middle of the day might be the only chance a soldier has to see their kid awake, so the staff is on a first-name basis with nearly everyone.

“Hey, Lindsey,” Jill, the lady at the front desk, says. “How was your Monday?”

“Papers filed, emails typed, and I was able to do it all without a paper cut,” I joke. Jill's a former service member herself, Air Force, she told me, and she understands. “How was Lance?”

“Your son . . .” Jill says, laughing and shaking her head. “He's kept us all in stitches all day. He won't stop talking about his new Big Brother. Apparently, this Aaron is something of a cross between Superman, Chef Marco Pierre White, and maybe a bit of God. All day, he's been telling people about how awesome Aaron is, and even the staff's gotten in on the joke after about the tenth time of him saying 'Well, my Big Brother, Aaron, can do it better' to anything. We're about to nominate Aaron for President around here.”

I laugh, blushing at the same time. “Yeah, Lance has taken a shine to him. Sorry if he got excited. He had a bit of an impromptu sleepover last night with the thunderstorm.”

“Well, just to let you know, Lance made this today. He made me help him write it, and he insisted that I keep it safe for when he goes home. Take a look while I go find Lance.” Jill hands me an envelope and gets up, going toward the play room. I open the flap on the envelope and take out a construction paper card.

I open it up, and what I read stops my heart and brings tears to my eyes.

Big Brother Aaron,

Thank you for the sleepover.

I love you.

Your Little Brother,

Lance





I read the letter three times and make a decision. I pull out my phone and hurriedly send Aaron a text. I think you and I need to talk about Lance. I think he's ready to know the truth.

I hope that Aaron replies soon, but when he hasn't sent anything back by the time Lance comes from the back, his eyes sparkling and his smile melting my heart, I reluctantly put my phone on vibrate. I know it's after five o'clock, but maybe Aaron's got military duties. If so, we can talk later, when we both have some free time.

“Ready to go home, honey?”

Lance nods, smiling. “Did you see my card, Mommy?”