Happily Ever After... Interrupted

Larry Arnold didn't hear from his son for two weeks. Then came the notification from Purdue that Jason had withdrawn from the university, along with a refund of money already paid for the year. His calls to his son went unanswered. Two days later, Jason finally called home.

"Hey, Dad, what's up?" the 20-year-old said when his father picked up.

"You sound pretty good for a guy's who lost his girlfriend and withdrew from school. By the way, the refund got here. When we you going to tell us? Maybe next year?"

"Kinda sounds like a country-western song, doesn't it." Jason jibed. "Been busy. Getting most of my stuff packed up and sent home. Won't be needing it for a while. I joined the navy. I start basic in two weeks."

"Are you fucking kidding me, Jase? This isn't funny, Son."

"Not trying to be funny, Dad. My life is a do-over. Got a good deal from the navy. They'll pay for my last two years of school and I get to choose what I want to specialize in. But I might try to make the SEALs first."

"If this is what you really want, than your mother and I are behind you 100 percent. Be the best SEAL ever, Son. Just remember to come home and see us when you get some leave."

++++++++++

The three Navy SEALs at the bar were no strangers to being ogled by women. Something about dress whites really seemed to attract women's attention. The trio had just come from the wedding of a teammate, and had stopped at the hotel bar to continue their personal party. It was early on a Saturday night, and the several groups of women around the bar were watching the three intently. Since the three had leave until the next Monday, they each had more than a day and a half to find a companion in the nation's capital before flying back to California.

Traci Gibbons and two co-workers from the law firm of Highland-Nowak stood at a high table just off to the left and slightly behind the SEALs. There was something familiar about the tall one, she thought, but until he turned around completely to check out the entire bar she didn't realize why. His hair had gotten darker in the seven years since she had last seen him, and judging by his uniform, he had put on about 20 pounds of muscle. He also had a scar running about three inches along his left jawline, which gave him kind of a rakish look, she thought. All in all, he looked very different from the man-child she had last seen up close as he was pivoting away from her doorway in Evansville.

Almost as if she was a moth being drawn to a flame, Traci moved to the sailor, waiting until she was just about on top of him to speak his name.

"Jason? Jason? I can't believe you're here. Oh, my god, Jason. What's it been, seven, eight years?"

As a SEAL, Jason was keenly aware of the woman moving toward him, but hadn't given her a good look until she spoke his name. Recognition flashed across his face immediately, if not exactly happiness, his SEAL brethren noted.

Traci opened her arms for a hug and moved into Jason's space. Discretion being the better part of valor, Jason hugged her back.

As she stepped back from the hug, a quick but studious glance told him that Traci had grown from a beautiful 20-year-old into a gorgeous 28-year-old. She had gained about 15 pounds since he last saw her, with about 10 of those pounds being in her well-rounded boobs. It was still a very nice package, he thought to himself.

"How have you been, Traci?" he finally said. "You're looking good."

"Wow, that's all I get after all this time? Girls," she called over to the two women at the table, "this guy and I were practically joined at the hip when we were kids. He was my first, and if you would have asked our parents, he was also going to be my last."

"This is that Traci?" said the SEAL to Jason's right. Before he could go on, Jason held up a palm to both of his friends.

"That's enough, thank you," he said as he gave both a sharp glance.

Traci's friends had left their table and moved over to join the group at the bar. The taller of the pair, an auburn-haired beauty with green eyes, looked hard at Jason, then back to Traci.

"You mean you had this one and threw him back? Catch and release?" she asked.

"He was before Frankie," Traci said to her friends. "We have known each other since we were about 3."

"How are your folks, Trace? How about Katie?" I probably haven't seen them since the last time I went back home, about three years ago," Jason said.

"Everybody's good, Jase," Traci said. "How about your folks? I don't get home very often anymore either."

"Both good, too. So you guys live here?"

Traci told Jason about her being a paralegal, having gone back to school for a bit after her marriage to Frankie fell apart after three years.

"Frankie, huh? Never knew his name. Never asked. Never cared enough," Jason said blandly.

The tall redhead that had questioned Traci earlier then stepped in between the pair pointedly.

"Thanks for the history lesson, girlfriend. Now take the hint and go away. I need to make a new best friend."

Jason smiled crookedly at Traci and started to talk with the ginger, who introduced herself as Candy. Traci was a bit put out that Jason was able to dismiss her so easily, but she figured it was just a matter of time before she got the chance to talk to him again. The chance never came, however, and two hours later Jason headed out with Candy hanging on his arm, telling the women he would get Candy home safely. Traci and her other friend, Melissa, stayed at the bar with Jason's two SEAL friends.

"So you knew Traci before her ex?" Candy asked as they entered Jason's room.

"Yes. I thought we were going to be married someday. So did our parents. And then along came ... uh, Frankie, I guess. End of first romance," Jason said.

"So, since there's no ring on your finger I'm guessing you haven't replaced her in your heart? Can I put in my entry?"

The redhead sealed her lips to Jason's for a good 30 seconds. He then picked her up like a feather and carried her to the bed.

Four orgasms later for her, Candy was curled into Jason's body as her breathing slowed. She took a quick look at her knight in shining armor, smiling as she saw her juices still dripping from his chin. She dropped off to sleep as Jason listened to her breathing, thinking.

Becoming a SEAL was the toughest thing Jason had done to that point in his life. It had taken all of his mental toughness to earn his spot. He used the experience to overcome the pain of losing Traci. When he saw her in the bar, he felt sadness, not anger. Jason hadn't replaced Traci in his heart not because he still loved her, but rather because he hadn't found anyone that could replace the love he had lost. Knowing what true love was, he wasn't about to settle for anything less. He thought he had found it once, only to find that the girl he thought might become his wife wasn't ready to settle down.

But then again, maybe settling down wouldn't be right for him, Jason thought. Without a wife, he could do the job he loved without reservation, without worrying what would happen to his family if he was injured or killed. Those possibilities were always there as a SEAL. Jason often wondered how the family guys did the job - or how their families slept at night.

Jason was very good at his job. In his eight years as a SEAL, he had seen action in 15 countries. He had learned three other languages, and gotten a look at several differing cultures. Sure, most of his memories could never be shared with others due to clearance, but he had no doubt that at the end of the day he squeezed more into his life than the average ham-and-egger, going from their TV to their office and back, watching their kids play Little League, and playing a round of golf on the weekends.

Regardless, Jason always had his teammates, and they had him. Falling in love wasn't a high priority. He could always find good pussy if he needed the release. He moved his head down a bit and kissed the top of Candy's head as she slept. The tall woman certainly was primo tail, he thought to himself.

++++++++++

From the standpoint of the weather, Virginia certainly wasn't California, but with spring rapidly approaching, plants were starting to bud out and the grass was turning green, so Jason's spirits were improving daily. Jason, a second lieutenant, had been reassigned to a different SEAL team in the fall due to the death of the team's second in command, and with the reassignment came the move from California to Little Creek, VA. It took a bit for Jason to get used to winter again, although Virginia's winter still wasn't as harsh as the winters he experienced growing up in Indiana.

The day had seen the team working on a training exercise. That completed, Jason and his roommate, Master Chief Earl Haley, were headed to a McDonald's for a quick supper when they spotted an SUV pulled over to the side of the road with its flashers on. There looked to be several children in the car with a woman driver, so the pair of SEALs decided this time they could be heroes simply by getting their hands dirty. They pulled in behind the disabled vehicle, and Jason got out of his pick-up and went to the driver's side door.

The sun was coming from behind Jason when he knocked on the window, so the driver couldn't get a clear look at his face as she dropped the window, but as soon as the window got low enough, Jason knew who he was looking at. Her hair was a shade or two darker than he remembered, but those big blue eyes still had the fire he had loved and remembered.

"How can I help you, Traci?" he boomed in his best baritone.

Traci looked shocked, and quickly raised her left hand to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Jase? Jason Arnold? Is that really you?"

"In the flesh, so to speak," he replied as all talking in the car suddenly ceased.

"Oh my god, look at you, you big handsome hunk of a SEAL!"

Jason stepped back, Traci opened her car door, stepped out and jumped into Jason's arms, wrapping her own arms around him.

"Kids, kids! Get out of the car. I've got someone I want you to meet."

By this point Earl had gotten out of Jason's pick-up and had approached as well. In the little time he had known Jason, the lieutenant had not talked much about family and friends, so he gave Jason a raised-eyebrow look. Jason shrugged in return as Traci's three children piled out of the car.

"Kids, this is my oldest friend in the whole world, Jason Arnold," Traci gushed to her clan. "I've known him since we were about 3."

Jason guessed the three children to range in age of 15 down to 10. The oldest and youngest were both girls, with the son in the middle.

Jason acknowledged the youngsters and introduced Earl. The children immediately began asking the soldiers questions.

"Tell you what. Let me see what I can do about the car, then how about we head over to McDonald's and it will be my treat, if that's OK with Earl."

Earl nodded sheepishly. He was notoriously tight with a buck, and would have no problem tolerating three kids if he could get a free meal.

The problem was a small one and Jason and Earl soon had the car running. Traci and her family followed the soldiers over to the McDonald's down the street.

After getting their food, the group took one of the larger tables. Traci sat directly across from Jason, from where she could study his face, and his upper body. She quickly noticed that his short hair was flecked with gray, and at 45 he no longer had that youthful look he had the last time she saw him ... about 17 years ago. She chuckled to herself when she remembered that she wasn't exactly a spring chicken either.

She watched him as he was talking to her children. She noticed a few scars on his well-muscled forearms, and the fact that his uniform fit him like it had been made specifically for his body. If there was any fat on him, she couldn't see it. Why had she let him slip away, she asked herself.

She was trying to think of a good answer to that question when she noticed the table had gotten quiet. Leslie, her oldest, had asked her a question, which Traci in her musing had apparently missed.

"Earth to Mom, earth to Mom," Leslie said.

"I'm sorry, Dear, what were you saying?"

"I asked you if you had ever dated Lt. Arnold," Leslie repeated, with more than a hint of teenage annoyance in her voice.

"Uhhh ... yes, Dear, we did date for a while," Traci answered uncomfortably. "We dated some in high school."

"Well, what happened?" piped up Nancy, the youngest.

Even Jason was looking at Traci at this point, as if she was going to reveal some sort of secret. She looked over at him briefly before starting to stammer an answer, but Jason had the good grace to jump in and make the save.

"We just agreed that our friendship was too important to us to lose, so we broke it off," he said in a calm, measured voice.

Traci's eyes flicked up to see him smiling benevolently at her. She took a deep breath and let it out quietly.

Jason had noticed that Traci was not wearing any rings on her left hand. He briefly entertained the thought of asking why, but then figured he didn't need to go there. It would only be natural for her to tell him in the course of conversation.

"Are you married, Lt. Arnold?" Leslie asked seriously.

"Nope. Never found the right woman," Jason answered with an ease that made Traci stiffen.

"How about you, Master Chief?"

"Getting more serious with my girlfriend every day," Earl replied. "Maybe later this year I might buy a ring and pop the question."

Jason scrunched his face into a look that said he wasn't believing the master chief. Traci smiled as she remembered that look.

"How about you, Traci? Where to from here," he asked gently.

"I um ... got divorced from the kids' father about a year ago," she answered quietly. "We were married for 14 years before I caught him cheating with a co-worker. It's been the kids and I since."

It had gotten quiet again at the table. The children seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Traci. I truly am," Jason said quietly.

"So you live out this way, now?" Traci said more upbeat, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I got transferred over about six months ago. You live here, too?"

"About 10 minutes from here. Archie, that's my ex-husband, got transferred here soon after we got married, and I've been here ever since."

"You still working as paralegal?"

"I went back to it after the divorce," Traci answered. "Archie makes great money, and treated me right in the divorce, but financially I still needed to get a job. And mentally ..."

"Yeah ... I get that," Jason interjected as Traci winced slightly.

Jason switched the topic to the kids, figuring he could get them involved in the conversation. He found out that Leslie was 13, Chris was 11 and Nancy was 10.

"Chris, here, is my athlete. We were just getting back from soccer practice when the car started having problems."

"You guys play sports?" Chris asked the two SEALs.

"I was all-state in track," Earl beamed. "I can still haul ass. These guys can't even get close to me when we do any running."

"Jason was an all-conference wide receiver in football and was pretty good in basketball and baseball, too," Traci answered before Jason could speak up. "I spent many a cold Midwestern Friday night cheering for him on the sidelines in a cheerleader's outfit."

"And she was quite the cheerleader," Jason followed up.

"Sounds like you two really need to catch up by yourselves some evening. I'll watch these two goons for Mom if you want to take her out some night, Lt. Arnold," Leslie volunteered with a mischievous smile on her face.

Traci started to stammer something, but Jason cut her off.

"I think that's just what we need to do. That's a great idea, Leslie," he said as he smiled at the teen.

Traci's face went from shocked to pleased as Jason spoke. Considering the way Jason made it a point not to speak to Traci after the break-up and then in Washington, D.C., years earlier when they met, she certainly wasn't expecting that. She recovered quickly, though, and got a business card out of her purse, wrote her cell number on the back and handed it to Jason.

Leslie gave her mother an approving smile as Jason put the card in his pocket.

Earl waited a few minutes before he broached the topic of Traci on the drive home.

"Well, LT, you going to explain that, or just pretend it didn't happen?" Earl said in his most sarcastic tone.

"Master Chief better get that smirk off his face before I punch it off," Jason said with a laugh in his voice.

Jason told his friend the now ancient story. Earl listened quietly, and let out a stream of air from his mouth when Jason finished. By this time, the men had reached their apartment, and as they got out of the pick-up, Earl looked Jason directly in the eye.

"Do you still love her? Even a little bit? Because that woman has three kids, and she doesn't need to get involved with a Frogman if said Frogman can't make the total commitment," he said.

"Most of my love fell away that day in Evansville, IN, at the door," Jason responded. "Boot camp and SEAL training took most of the rest, and what little was left evaporated over the years. So, no, I won't be getting involved with her in that way, and I'll make sure she knows that if the conversation or mood even veers that way when I take her out.

"But they look like a nice little family, and I wouldn't mind seeing my old friend and her kids from time to time."

"Just keep those kids in mind with what you're doing, too. Better to leave them alone completely than have them be collateral damage if you're planning on getting some revenge," Earl said.

"When did you get so smart, Dr. Phil?" Jason chuckled.

Jason didn't tell Earl that revenge was just about the farthest thing from his mind. From the little bit he knew of Traci's life after he left it, karma got his revenge for him in the form of two divorces. But they had seemed like a nice family ... a family he didn't have and probably would never. If the circumstances had turned out different, those might have been his kids, Jason thought to himself.

Jason waited a week to call Traci for a night out. They set the "date" for the following Friday night. Guessing that Italian was still her favorite food after all these years, Jason made a reservation at one of the nicer places in town.

Jason wore the only suit he owned for the evening, noting to himself it wasn't like he needed more formal attire very often. He supposed he could have worn his dress uniform for the evening, but he really only liked to wear that to official navy events.

Leslie greeted Jason at the door when he arrived at Traci's house. She looked him up and down before giving a low whistle.

"You SEALs clean up nice," she said.

The other two children were seated in the living room as Jason walked in.

"Mom's a little slow at getting ready," Chris said with a grin on his face.

"I guess some things don't change, then," Jason replied back.

Traci appeared then in what would have to be called the "mom version of the LBD." The dress was tight enough to show that she still had good curves, even with the extra 15 pounds or so she

had gained since Jason had last seen her, but came down to about two inches above her knees, and there was no cleavage on display. Still, her appearance made Jason's heart jump a bit.

"Do you like?" Traci asked him directly.

"Yes, ma'am," Jason answered as his navy training took over.

"Ma'am? Who says that anymore?" Leslie ridiculed in a friendly voice.

"SEALs do," Jason noted.

Traci waited in the passenger seat of the pick-up for Jason to come around to her side and give her a hand getting down from her seat in the parking lot at the restaurant. A true gentleman, Traci thought, he gave her his forearm to lean on as she got down. She noted that Jason's arm was still packed with muscle, and she noticed a familiar tingling in the middle of her body.