Duty(54)

I take out my swimsuit, which I just bought two days ago at the PX. It's not the sexiest thing out there, a simple white top and slightly conservative boy short style bottoms, but I hope Aaron likes it. I tie the wrap I bought, a multi-tone blue thing, around my waist and pull on a sleeveless t-shirt, hoping to surprise Aaron a little bit on the beach.

I put my sunglasses up on my forehead and grab my backpack, heading out with a still hopping Lance to see Aaron waiting for us outside his room, leaning against the wall with his own little backpack and t-shirt, already changed into his trunks. “Ready?”

“Love the t-shirt,” I tease, noticing that it has Bugs Bunny on the front. “Where'd you get it?”

“I wanted something as far from the military as I could find, so I bought it on leave one time at USMA. Come on, I've got the beach tools all ready. You ready, Lance?”

“Uh-huh!” Lance grins.

Lance takes our hands and we walk the one block to the beach, and I'm happy to see that the sand is nearly sugar white, even if the waves are smaller than on the West Coast. Lance looks happy though. He's not ready to do more than splash in the water, so the calm Atlantic is actually more inviting to him.

“Can I?” he asks.

I look at Aaron, who looks at me intently. He knows what's coming. “Just a moment, honey. Have a seat with Aaron and me, right here, please. I have something I want to tell you.”

Lance stops and sits down, curious as I look at Aaron, who nods in support. This is something that I have to do myself first. “Lance, you've never known your Daddy. We've never talked about it.”

Little man nods his head. Aaron swallows, and I know what he's thinking, but his eyes are hidden behind his sunglasses, and he takes a deep breath. I shake my head, looking at Lance. “Lance, I never told you, and your birth certificate doesn't list it because . . . well, when Mommy and Daddy were together, we weren't supposed to be. There were rules, rules put in place by the Army that said that we couldn't be together.”

“You broke the rules?” Lance asks, surprised and a little confused. “You said I'm not supposed to.”

“Sometimes, there are rules that are good, and sometimes, there are things more important than the rules,” Aaron says softly. “And this was one of those times.”

Lance looks confused, and I take his hands. “I'm sorry, buddy. But . . . Lance, Aaron is your Daddy.”

He looks at Aaron, who nods. “Your mom and I were together back when I was a cadet. The rules say that we can't be together. Even now. So, I was like you. I didn't know either. But . . . but we talked, and we decided that we can't let that rule stay between us anymore. I love you, Lance. I love your mom. And I want us to be a family.”

Lance looks at both of us, and I squeeze his hands. “Lance? Honey?”

Lance pulls back and storms off. I start to get up to go after him, but Aaron puts his hand on my shoulder, stopping me. “Wait. He probably doesn't know how to react.”

I sink back onto the sand, not letting Lance out of my sight. He plays with the water a little, then comes back. “You lied, Mommy!”

I stop and blink back tears of shame at the disappointment in his face. “I . . . I know, honey. I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time, protecting you and protecting Aaron. I'm sorry.”

Aaron looks at him and speaks up. “Lance, the problem is, the rules still say that I can't be with you and your mom. They say that since I'm a Lieutenant, and she's a Sergeant, I can't love you two. Now you see why I said sometimes there are rules that I don't agree with? And why we still have to keep this a secret?”

Lance nods, and even though he’s smart as a whip, he definitely doesn’t understand the seriousness of it all.

I take Aaron's hand. “So what do you think, buddy?”

Lance holds his arms up, and I hug him. Aaron joins in, and I feel totally, wonderfully happy, kissing Lance and then Aaron.



Lance goes down after dinner, hugging to his chin Aaron's t-shirt, a smile on his face. Today's been a dream. “You know, the first thing I noticed when he was born was that he's got your eyes,” I tell Aaron, smiling. “It comforted me during those days when I thought I'd never see you again.”

“I'm glad he's got your hair,” Aaron replies, drawing out a lock. “And I'm glad you let him grow it out. I'm getting tired of keeping mine short.”

“I've noticed you've let it grow a little since we started seeing each other again,” I say, lifting my hand up and stroking his hair. It's still short, but nowhere near the prickly shaved sides a lot of Airborne wear. “You did the same when we were at USMA.”

“It reminds me that I’m a man, and not just a soldier,” Aaron whispers, looking at me.

I can see it in his eyes, and I nod. He takes my hand, leading me through the joined doors of our rooms to what is officially his. I close the door slightly behind me, but I don't lock it. Just in case. “We'll have to keep it down.”

“Then join me in the shower,” Aaron says with a quiet intensity, pulling me toward the bathroom. “The water will hide the noise a bit.”

I follow him, grinning when he turns and looks at me with a naughty hunger in his eyes. “You were so hot in that swimsuit.”