Ah... Honey, We Have to Talk Ch. 02

This story is the property of the writer Kalimaxos.

One of many military related stories in the works.

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The world - Ft Brag, NC - Jake

I left mother in turmoil. What I had heard from her and from dad before had shattered my world. Here I was a special operator for Delta Force, a war veteran fighting to keep my country and family safe from bad people. Yet I had missed any signs that my parents had problems.

I had focused on my family and soldiering only to come home to find that my family, the family I grew up in had broken up; shattered to the winds. I know, I know, we all get wrapped up in our lives and miss things. But how had I missed all this. It was like my parents had been these two strangers I never knew.

In one day...not even a full day I had found that my parents had divorced over my mother's rampant infidelity and betrayal of her wedding vows. But to hear it from her, my father had neglected her needs repeatedly with no interest in "fixing things." She was now busy being successful in business while being "entertained" by numerous male lovers. While dad was being "entertained" by our Pennsylvania neighbor; the stunning Mrs. correction Miss Joanna...what was her last name now? It had been Rivers, but she is divorced. Never mind.

As complicated and painful that had been, my mind was on more important issues. My parents were divorced and sorting out their futures. Until I dealt with my issues they would have to do without me. I had bigger fish to fry. My castle was my family; my wife and children. If the kids were in the castle keep, the castle was usually guarded by my wife when I was away doing heroic and dangerous Delta Force things.

I'm sure you've heard of it. Although the army makes like we are secret by changing our name periodically. We have been called all kind of names. Combat Applications Group (CAG), 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD-D), known as Delta Force, Army Compartmented Element (ACE), or within JSOC (Joint special operations command) as Task Force Green and never forget "The Unit". If this song and dance with names was supposed to make us more mysterious it failed. We in the business laughed at the brass and government need to rename us. We still had the same job to do; protect the nation from bad people.

I had been in the service for seven years now. Been to multiple war zone deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and in Asia once. All the missions I was in are classified, so don't ask. Be assured though that I have all the qualifications to be a member of delta. I am an E-6 staff sergeant in rank. When I was a private first class (E-3) I deployed with the 82nd Airborne to Afghanistan; so yes I am jump qualified. My next billet was the 75th Rangers Regiment where I jumped my next two ranks E-4 to E-5.

The Rangers are the most well trained and elite infantry unit in the Army. There I learned all kind of things to make me more lethal. But the most important thing I learned was when a special forces soldier fights and when he does not. Fight smart was ingrained in me. It became my moto in life. Think before you do. Emotions get in the way of thinking.

I deployed to Iraq with the 75th and to one more unmentionable place to rescue some Peace activists from a war lord high on Kat most of the day. Kat is a drug popular in Somalia...oh shit, I told you were I went. Or did I? They do Kat in other countries. Never mind. You think what I want you to think.

When I returned, I applied for and was given a slot in a Delta force training class. 120 of us arrived and only 13 graduated. We were called the unlucky number class, but we are all still alive. So much for superstition. All of us have a 13 badge on our battle utilities and no one has ever told us to take it off. It may break our lucky streak. Ha!

Somewhere along the line of my short and meteoric career in the army, I managed to meet Leila Van der Burg. She is a third Dutch American with Irish and Cherokee tossed in her genetic woodpile. What a combination. To say she is stunning is an understatement. She is long legged, slim and has these perfectly shaped 34C breasts that literally defy gravity. And they are real. But how I met her. Kind of important.

You ask how I managed to meet a woman let alone court and marry her with my busy deployment and training schedule. Simple. Leila was then Sergeant Leila Van der Burg, the supply and support NCO of my first Delta team posting. It took one look when she came into our ready room and we both knew. I noticed her and she noticed me. There was a brief few seconds that I stared at her and she at me before my team leader Platoon Sergeant Ruben Jefferson saw us and groaned.

"Oh shit," he said. "Someone toss a bucket of cold water on them. I think they are in lust."

"Careful Sergeant," I heard my self say still staring at Leila in a trance, "you may be looking at my future wife."

The room went quiet as the team stared at Leila for a response. My eyes never left hers and hers never left mine. I knew this was more than lust. Don't ask me how, but I just knew. She managed to lick her lips; an act that I swear made me hard and my heart skip a beat at the same time. It was a defining moment in our life, and we had not even known of each other two minutes earlier.

"You have to pass the review process Sergeant Sloan," she replied, and my heart skipped another beat as she gave me a challenging smile and the rest of the unit whooped and hollered.

"Time and coordinates Sergeant Van der Burg," I replied. More hoots and catcalls from my boys.

Leila kept her cool still staring at me and lowered her bottom lip. Her tongue licked it briefly and she pursed her lips into a challenging grin.

"Twenty Hundred Hours at Legends Pub. I prefer dress casual. Be there early to get us a table. I'll meet you there. Think you can manage?"

"Peace of cake sergeant," I replied. The room was quiet taking in what had just happened.

"I'll be in yellow," she replied. "You may not recognize me out of this uniform."

"Oh shit," sergeant Jefferson said and bit into his unlit cigar. I swear he looked like the sergeant in the movie Aliens.

"I like to see you in yellow first," I blurted out.

"OK cowboy," she replied and right in front of everyone she winked at me. "Be late and I'll leave with the first good looking guy that buys me a drink."

And with that she did an about face no soldier other than her had ever made look so sexy.

'I'll be on time,' I thought already in awe of her.

"Absolutely Bad Ass," sergeant Jefferson said looking at Leila as she exited.

Army field camo uniforms are not fitted. But somehow, I think Leila had managed to buy the right size that accented her rear in ways the Army uniform board never had intended.

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I was on time that night. In case you are wondering twenty hundred is eight in the evening for you nonmilitary types. And I was there an hour early to get a table outside on the patio. I nursed a beer until she pulled up in her Jeep and the world stopped for me again. She was right, if I had not known she would be in yellow, I may not have recognized her. I would have stared at her as gorgeous as she was that night, but I may not have known it was her. The transformation was that stark.

Her shiny blond hair was loose in a braid over her right shoulder. The spaghetti strap yellow sundress came to mid-thigh hugging her every God created curve. On top her breasts were like perfect flesh apples while her legs below were athletic and bare until they disappeared into a pair of cowgirl boots. She carried a small purse that matched the boots I would learn later were custom made in Dallas and a present from her parents.

But that face! Her face was chiseled as if to be eternally worshiped on a statue in a museum. High cheekbones, full lips, golden eyebrows and green-blue eyes that burned deep into your soul. I don't think I took a breath until she came up the steps and saw me stand.

"Hi Jake," she said. "You look good."

"So do you Leila," I managed to reply. I had always been successful in the lady department, but Leila was different. She had reached into my core as soon as I saw her.

I was going to get her a drink alone from inside, but she tossed her shawl on the table and waited for me to pull her chair out. She left the shawl on it and ran her hand under my arm leaning next to me.

"Lets go get our drinks," she said. But she might as well had said I want your babies the way she held on to my arm.

From that night on we were inseparable. Five weeks later we were married and spent just a weekend on the coast for a honeymoon. Leila Van der Berg was now Leila Sloan. She was not interested in hyphenating her name. When I asked why she had chosen not to on her new driver's license she had said "Its shorter to just write Leila Sloan. If you divorce me I'll switch back, but you won't Jake Sloan. We're in it for life."

The day after we returned I was send on a four week mission to...another place in Africa to free those more "peace" types. The ones who hated our military and country just seconds before they were abducted. They were ready to suck our dicks and sing God Bless American seconds after we freed them. By the time the plane was back on safe land, they were back to hating the USA. Typical right?

Also in typical fashion, I had put the world behind me focusing on the mission. We had moments of down time that I could have contacted her if we had been allowed to use phones and the net. She was still part of the team support staff, but the minute we got married she was reassigned. Now she was permanently stationed at Bragg. It was temporary but the Unit commander did not want married people in the same command structure. When the plane landed in the states we were allowed to text out; she was my first text.

"Me: I'm home"

"Her: I love you; we have to talk."

"Me: Ditching me already?"

"Her: No silly, I'm pregnant."

Gulp!

She stayed in the army until that Christmas then separated from the service. We were having twins. A boy and girl. We named them Randy after my dad and Lana after her mom.

When they were born I was luckily home after a mission doing high altitude jump training. But I made it back to Bragg to see my babies born. They looked beat up coming out of Leila's birth canal. If you have not seen your children born, you have missed out on the miracle of life. It was more than a bonding moment for me with Leila.

Having taken lives in combat, seeing life created from me was a cathartic experience. As if I was making up in a small way for the lives I had taken. Not that I felt guilty I had. They had all been armed and hostile. But still in the tally of life and humanity I had taken life. Now I had the responsibility to bring up these little ones to full functioning human beings.

I was on top of the world.

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Now I was back from a mission, my parents were divorced, and my mother had dropped the bombshell on me that some Jody asshole had been trying to seduce my wife and that she had ran to her parents back in Ohio with the children.

Mother had given me his name. Todd fucken Manson. Yes. He was named Manson. Just like the cult leader of the sixties. Why had his parents not changed the family name? But then I didn't give a fuck other than the fact this asshole had been hitting on my wife. And the worse part of it, was that he was someone I considered a friend.

Todd, the asshole and I had gone through Delta training together. He was one of the Lucky 13. That a brother member would crossed the line to seduce the wife of a fellow Unit member was beyond taboo in our world. We relied on each other for our lives. But Todd was a perpetual horndog even after he got married. His wife Jenny had a baby on the way. She was four months along if memory served. How could he...?

What an idiot I was and so trusting, thinking a fellow Unit member and friend would never move in on my woman? But mother was adamant. Leila had given her his name and described him to a T. It was him.

Todd mother fucken Manson! I wanted to kill him.

I had a couple of hours to kill before my flight, so I went back to base. I knew that the Mansons lived on base housing and where. In ten minutes I was there and parked outside. His truck, a Fire Red custom painted F150, was not there. Shit!

I was just about to leave, when his wife Jenny pulled up in her Blue Ford Escape. What was with the Mansons and their Fords? Pop has an F150...never mind. I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah...Jenny came out of her truck stopped for a second noticing me. She started walking toward me and I realized there was no way I could high tale it out of there.

Why would I? Well, lets just say Jenny Mans...I need to stop using that name. Its not her fault her husband is named after a jail bird nut-job. See, Jenny and I had history. She and I "knew" each other before I met Leila. It was brief and I had broken it off with her to date and marry my current wife. We really live in a small community at Delta and special forces.

"Hi Jake," she said. "What are you doing here?"

She may have been four months pregnant, but she still had it going on. If you liked Redhead models, Jenny would be your girl. She was probably the best looking redhead I have ever seen or bedded. Curly reddish hair with light highlights in summer, green eyes, pert round tities and long legs. Did I mention those sexy few and strategically placed freckles? Her once taut belly was now showing the old familiar slight baby bump but still, Jenny was a sight to see.

Look I may be married and in love with Leila, but I still appreciate the Big Guy's fine work. But I no longer hit on it and touch it. Its how it is.

"Hi Jenny," I replied. "How are you?"

"Fine," she said still waiting for me to answer. "Todd is not here if you are looking for him."

"Where is he?" I asked opening the door. "Can I wait for him?"

"Its your time you are wasting Jake," she replied and started walking toward their base house. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No booze," I replied. "I'll take what you got."

She pointed to a chair at her porch on which I settled for her to return with a can of Canada Dry Ginger Ale. She still remembered, but I was surprised she had any still. I knew Todd was no fan. I waved the can at her with a questioning look.

"I developed a habit for it with you," she said opening hers. "Don't let it go to your head."

"I won't Jenny. How are things with you?"

She looked out on the street before I saw a look of sadness before she shook her head.

"I'm pregnant Jake and he is out fucking some whore as we speak."

To say I was shocked would have been a lie. But I made a sorrowful face for her benefit. I was about to say something before she stopped me.

"Jake, admit it," she raised her tone in frustration. "Todd has not changed one bit since marrying me. He is still fucking anything that moves. Say it. I was stupid to marry him."

"Jenny, you knew him...you knew all of us. You were in the community when you were with me. He hit on you while you and I were together. You knew."

"I didn't cheat on you then Jake," she replied. "I hooked up with him because I was mad at you and because I was glad you got Leila and not him. He had the hots for her before you and she hooked up. They were together for a short time."

I felt a jab of pain the gut hearing that. I wondered why no one had said that to me in the Unit. Manson had been posted with the Unit before I was. Having been chosen to train with the SEALS for two months after Delta training ended, I had not been around the Unit when Todd was. So he had time to move in on Leila before I showed up.

A tense silence followed after her outburst and revelation. It made what I had to tell her hard, but she had the right to know.

"Jenny, you are right, he is still hitting on women."

She just nodded and took a sip. A look of resignation as she touched her belly.

"Who with Jake?" she asked.

"I don't know about others Jenny, but I just found out today that he hit on Leila."

I saw anger in her face and then resignation as she accepted it.

"I knew he still had the hots for your wife Jake, but I thought he would have some sense of decency and not cross the line."

"Yeah," I replied. "So did I."

"How did you find out?" she asked.

"Leila told my mother before she left to go to her parents," I said sad to confirm it for her. "My mother told me today."

"Did Leila let him?" she asked not wanting to say what.

"She apparently told my mother she resisted, but almost gave in. Its why she left and went home to her parents with the kids."

"Smart move on her part Jake," Jenny said. "Maybe nothing happened."

"Maybe," I replied. "But..."

I was hurting inside, but not enough to toss caution to the winds and screw Jenny when she placed her hand on my arm. Seeing I did not react, she removed it. She and I had out chance and did not take it. I was a believer of not going back to what had not worked. Over is over.

"I'm going to leave him Jake," she replied.

"Its your call Jenny," I said to her. "But I suggest you be careful. I hate to see him hurt you or the baby."

"Jake, I need to go pack. Can you stay fifteen minutes until I do?"

"Sure Jenny," I replied. "Do you have a place to stay? Do you need money?"

"I have a girlfriend with a husband deployed. I'll stay with her until I arrange for a flight home to my family. He won't bother me at my parents ranch in Texas. My brothers are ex-military and both cops. My father is a Texas Ranger. I'll be safe."

"Go ahead Jenny," I replied and settled down to wait for her fuckwit husband to return. I had an hour before I had to leave for the airport.

In fifteen minutes, Jenny came out with a suitcase and a carryall. I helped her put it in her SUV before we gave each other hugs and she left. There was no kisses and we left plenty of room between us in the hug. 'Goodbye Jenny,' I thought as she drove out of sight.

Todd fucken Manson showed up ten minutes later.

He stiffened when he saw me sitting on his porch. His face went on situational awareness mode. Its what some of us operators call the war trance. You sense danger and you automatically identify it and look around you for danger you missed. Silly boy. I needed no back up.

"Manson," I said drawing out his name, staring right into Todd's eyes. He knew and he knew that I knew.

Before he could react I made my move. We were on base and theoretically safe, so he was unarmed. I on the other hand had my personal 45 caliber short automatic under my sweatshirt on a ready holster. I lifted the sweatshirt with my left hand and placed my hand on the 45 grip. His eyes bulged wide open, but to his credit he stood still.

"You have seconds to tell me what I want to hear, or you will never see your kid born and Jenny will collect your insurance. What's it going to be."

"Jake...brother..."

"You're not my brother!" I spat at him. "You lost that privilege I bestowed on you when you hit on my wife. Now I want to know. How far did it go?"

He raised his hands palm up to show he was not a threat and backed away to sit.

"Sit down Jake," he asked. "Please. I have Unit guys living across the street. They can tell you and I are facing off if they look out. Let's keep this between us."

I sat but kept my hand on the 45.

"I fucked up OK?" he said almost pleading. "I...I hit on Leila Jake. I am so sorry, but she did nothing. She didn't bite. I checked on her a few times to make sure she was OK. She refused my advances."

"You went over to our place? More than once?" I asked tensing up. "We don't live near you. And you are not in my team. I didn't ask you to go check on my family."