Never Judge a Book by Its Cover

Norfolk again, and maybe Naomi again. I didn't know if I liked that or not. "When are these orders effective, sir?" I requested.

"Immediately. We have until this time next month to detach you. Admiral wants you back in Norfolk ASAP. When do you think you can be ready?"

I thought about that. Transferring wasn't fun. In fact, it was a royal pain in the ass. At least I didn't have to worry about moving a family, but I still had an apartment full of personal belongings to move. "Not sure, Captain. How soon can they get a mover in to get my things?"

"With orders like these, probably the end of next week. Can you be ready that fast?"

"I'd rather have a couple of weeks, if that's alright?"

"You got it. That'll make it easier on admin. You want to take a run up there for a few days and try to get an apartment?"

"If you don't mind, sir," I admitted. "I'll probably try to get my old apartment back, but housing is a royal pain in Norfolk."

"Might not be this time," the Captain hinted.

"Sir?"

"I think congratulations are in order. Admiral Case pushed these orders through himself. He really wants you up there, Commander."

"Sir?"

"Promotion effective yesterday. Get with the tailor on base and get some silver leaves at the uniform shop." He stood up and extended his hand.

"Congratulations, Commander McConnell."

- - - - - - - - - -

ComSubLant was a great duty assignment. It was a lot of work, but it was the kind of work I liked. A lot of travel, a lot of report writing, a lot of protocol work, a lot of speech writing. We coordinated with NATO occasionally which was extremely interesting work. I was back in my element.

I had a Saturday off, so I went to a favorite restaurant for lunch. I was waiting to be seated when I heard a voice that sounded vaguely familiar.

"Uncle Andy!"

I hadn't heard that name in a lot of years, so I turned to look behind me. There were several others there but no one that I recognized. What caught my attention was a stunning blonde in her late teens or early twenties. At first, I thought I was seeing things. Then I realized that I was seeing one generation ahead of myself. Indeed, I knew who she was.

"Bear! How are you?"

A brilliant smile lit up her face and she threw herself into my arms. "Oh, Uncle Andy! You do remember me!"

"Of course, I remember you. Have you had lunch yet?"

She continued to grin at me. "Nope. That's why I'm here. You out shopping?"

"Nope, just hungry. Come on." The hostess had just called my name, so I grabbed Bear's hand and took her with me. "How have you been?" I asked as we were shown to a booth in the back of the building.

"I'm doing great. I start at Old Dominion next quarter. I'm studying criminology."

"You going to go to OCS and get into the JAG Corps?"

"Yep," she beamed, "just like mom."

That brought a sigh from me. I started chewing on my lip. "How is your mom? Where is she now?"

"She's back at the Law Center. She's a Lieutenant now."

I nodded. Actually, I was a bit surprised that she wasn't a light commander yet, but she would probably be in zone for promotion in the next year or so.

"Did she ever marry again?"

Cynthia looked at me with a strange expression on her face, like she wasn't quite sure what she should say. Her eyes darkened. "Uncle Andy," she said quietly, "she's never going to remarry."

"Why not? There must be a thousand guys here who would love to marry her."

"Yeah, probably, but none that she'd be willing to marry."

"She waiting for somebody special?" I queried, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Uncle Andy, she's waiting for you."

That floored me. It just didn't make any sense. "But then why did she cut me off? She wouldn't take my phone calls. Then her phone was disconnected. I sent her a ton of letters but she never wrote back. What did I do wrong?"

Bear poured herself a cup of coffee, adding some creamer and sugar. She stared into the liquid as she slowly stirred it. It was obvious that she was thinking very carefully about what to say next.

"She got very lonely in San Diego. She started to do a little dating. Nothing serious. Maybe once a month or so. Then, one Friday night, she didn't come home. She showed up around noon Saturday. She went straight into her room and started crying. That was when she changed her phone number. She hasn't had a date since."

My heart sank and my stomach soured. It didn't take a lot of thought to piece together what had happened. I knew I didn't have any claim on her, but it felt like Naomi all over again. "Didn't she get my letters?"

"She got them all. She still has them. She cried every time she got one. I told her to call you and talk to you, that you really cared for her. She just started crying again. She said she wasn't worthy of you."

That hurt. Now I knew exactly what was wrong, and it was my fault. I'd told her what Naomi had done to me, and she was thinking that she'd done the same thing. My eyes started to water. I picked up my menu to hide behind.

"Uncle Andy, please. She loves you. Let her know you still care about her."

The server turned up at that moment to take our orders. It took just a couple of minutes and our conversation resumed.

"Is she at work or at home today?"

"She's at home. Probably working on her PC."

"Is there a store around here that sells Teddy Bears?"

"Yeah. There's a Teddy Bear Factory in the mall."

"How about a florist?"

"Not in the mall, but there's one across the street."

"You willing to help me cheer your mom up a little?"

"Sure," she grinned. "What are you up to?"

We ate our lunch. Then she took me to the Teddy Bear store. I recalled that Leah's favorite color was blue. When I asked the store manager if they had blue teddy bears, she nodded and asked, 'How big?'.

She found us a medium sized Teddy, a soft blue nearing teal. Bear thought she would love it. Then we headed for the florist

I told the lady in the Florist's Shop that I needed a bouquet large enough to hide the bear. She looked at the size of the little teddy and asked how much I wanted to spend. I asked if she could do what I wanted for a hundred dollars. She said she could probably do it for a bit less.

Cynthia knew her mom's taste in flowers so I let her and the flower arranger put the bouquet together. When they were done, it came in just under the C-note mark. You couldn't see the bear unless you knew it was there.

We left the Florist shop and walked to Bear's car. "Okay," I directed, "I want you to take these to your mom. Under no circumstances are you to tell her who they're from. If she figures it out on her own that's fine, but don't help her. My phone number is still the same. If she doesn't figure it out, I want you to call me tonight. I want to know how she reacts. You okay with that?"

She put the flowers in her car then turned and hugged me. She gave me a big kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Uncle Andy. You'll hear from one of us tonight."

- - - - - - - - - -

The call came in about nine that night, and it was from Cynthia. There was an evil chuckle in her voice as she explained, "I wish you were here. She stared at the flowers for a good half hour before she saw the bear. She's thoroughly confused. She thinks it might be from you, but she's not sure."

"Is she happy with it?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. She's thrilled with it. Nobody's sent her flowers since the last time you did. I thought she was going to cry at first, but she didn't. So, what's next?"

I had an idea, but I wasn't entirely sure about it. I was going to need Bear's help.

"Can you meet me at the restaurant tomorrow, say about one? Lunch is on me."

"Sure, I can do that."

"Okay. Let me know if anything else happens or anything changes. I'll see you tomorrow."

- - - - -

I walked into the restaurant at twelve forty-five. She was already there waiting. We were taken to a table, served with coffee, and given menus. I was in a devilish mood. I looked at Cynthia with a suggestive smile.

"Are you married?" I asked.

"Of course not," she replied. "I'm only nineteen!"

"Well," I persisted, "are you taking applications?"

Her eyes widened as she looked at me with disbelief. "Uncle Andy!" she sputtered.

My laughter relieved her consternation. She grinned at me, shaking her head. "You're in a good mood. What are you up to?"

"You know," I advised her, "I don't really like being called Uncle Andy."

Her eyes narrowed and a confused expression crossed her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that. What would you like me to call you?"

A devious smile adorned my lips, receiving a curious smile in return. "How would you feel about 'dad'?"

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She swallowed hard, then reached for her coffee. After a long sip, she asked, "Are you serious?"

My look turned pensive and I reached for my own coffee. "If she'll have me. I don't want to lose her again. I couldn't take that. I love her. But I'm not going to do it without your permission."

Her eyes glazed and she smiled at me. "Oh, Uncle Andy! I would love it! So would she! When are you going to propose to her? I'd really like to be there."

"Is that florist shop open today?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but only until six."

"Okay. When we get done eating, let's go to the mall. You're going to help me pick out a ring for her. Then we'll go to the florist."

She did help me pick a ring, a beautiful set with a diamond surrounded by star sapphires. To my surprise, it wasn't all that pricey. It fit well within my budget.

When we got to the floral shop, the arranger waved to us, having remembered us from yesterday. I told her what we needed and she rewarded us with a huge grin.

"Will the ring case be open or closed?"

Now my eyes widened. I just didn't know. "Uh, I'm not sure. What do you think?"

"Well," she returned, "do you want this to be a shock or a surprise?"

"I'm not sure I'm following that."

"If we put the case in open and she sees the diamond immediately, a could be a shock to her mentally and emotionally. Nothing negative but just an intense sensation. If the case is closed, it will arouse her curiosity and it will be a surprise when she opens it."

That made sense, but I still didn't know which one I wanted. I turned to Cynthia. "What do you think, Bear?"

She nodded forcefully, first at me and then at the arranger. "Closed. Definitely closed. Draw the suspense out as long as you can." The florist chuckled at that.

"Okay. What kind of an arrangement would you like?"

"Something bigger than yesterday. I don't care about the price. Bear, do the same thing you did yesterday. Help pick the flowers and decide on a vase. I'll just wait."

It set me back about two and a quarter, but it was spectacular. I don't know a lot about flowers. What Bear picked out was gorgeous. It was literally a rainbow of colors. I didn't know there were actual blue flowers out there. She had blue, purple, coral and a dozen other colors in the thing.

"Thank you, ma'am," I said to the arranger, handing her a tip. "This means a lot to us. We appreciate your help."

"This is a beautiful bouquet, sir," she replied. "I hope she likes it. Good luck with the ring. I think she'll accept it." She looked at Bear, smiling. "Don't you?"

"Oh, yeah!" the young blonde agreed. "It may take a while for her to answer, though. At least until she stops crying."

We walked out to the cars and I helped get the bouquet into Bear's. "Same as yesterday," I said. "If she doesn't call me, you call sometime this evening. I'm going to want to know how she reacts, whether it's good or bad. Okay?"

Cynthia nodded, again giving me a big hug. "I'll talk to you soon." She looked at me with an impish grin before adding, "Dad."

- - - - - - - - - -

I was sitting in the living room watching the History Channel, an excellent documentary on the construction of HMS Warrior and the French Gloire. When the phone rang, I answered it rather absent-mindedly. "Commander McConnell."

There was silence for a few seconds. Then I heard a shaky female voice. "Andy?"

My attention was suddenly locked on the phone, the television no longer of any interest. "Leah?"

"Oh, Andy," the voice repeated.

I didn't need to see her tears. I could hear them. "What's wrong, Leah? Why are you crying?"

"Oh, Andy," she repeated. "Yes." Then the phone went dead.

I stared at my hand, the now silent phone staring back at me. "What the hell was that?" I asked myself.

Almost immediately, the phone rang again. It was Cynthia.

"Bear?" I questioned. "What's going on? Is she alright?"

A cheerful voice answered me. "She's fine, dad. She's sitting on the couch, staring at the rings and crying."

"Did she actually say 'yes' to me?"

"Oh, yeah. If I didn't know what you did, I'd think she was in shock. When she opened the ring box, her jaw dropped so hard I heard it. She doesn't know what to do. She's just sitting there."

I sighed, but it was a happy sigh. A grin tugged at the side of my mouth. "Bear, go to her. Give her a hug and a kiss for me. We can talk later."

"Okay, dad. I'll talk to you later."

It took several minutes but I did go back to the documentary. The smile on my face stayed there the rest of the night.

- - - - - - - - - -

The following day, I was sitting at my desk totally engrossed in a report for Admiral Case. I heard a knock on my doorjamb and a female voice ask, "Commander McConnell?"

I glanced up just long enough to see the stripes on her sleeve, then turned back to the report. "Come on in, Lieutenant. Have a seat. I'll be with you in a minute."

Finishing the page I was reading, I asked absently, "What can I do for you?" The answer brought me up short.

"You could put this on for me, sir."

My head snapped around, my eyes wide and my ears not believing what they were hearing. In the chair next to my desk sat a beautiful strawberry blonde legal officer, holding a diamond ring in her fingers. She held the ring out to me. "Will you put this on, Andy?"

I closed my eyes, my arms folding across my chest as I started to chuckle. I stood up, moved around the desk, and took the ring from her hand. To her surprise, I sank to one knee in front of her and slowly slid the ring onto her finger. Standing up, I kissed her gently, whispering, "I love you, Leah."

We heard a quiet chuckle from the doorway. Turning, we saw Admiral Case grinning at us. "That was touching," he said. "Congratulations. You know, this entire command has been wondering for I don't know how long when you two were going to get married."

"You were?" Leah questioned, an embarrassed smile on her lips.

"Lieutenant, he's a lousy actor. We knew he was in love with you before he got here. Remember, I was his Commander back at the Safety Center."

I shook my head, chuckling. "There's no fraternization issues here, are there?"

"No," the Admiral reassured us. "But there is a standing order about this, a direct order from me."

"Sir?" we asked simultaneously.

"You will plan this as a military wedding, at the base chapel. Both commands will be invited. Andy, I don't care what exactly you want me to do, but I'd be very honored if you'd include me in the wedding party."

"I'll see to it, sir."

"Good," the Admiral smiled. "Now, put away whatever you're doing, lock this office up, and take your fiancée out for the day. I'll see you tomorrow."

- - - - - - - - - -

We went home to pick up Bear, then went to a steakhouse for an early dinner. When we finished, she asked us to take her home so she could get her car.

"Me and Samantha have a double date tonight. We're gonna see that new Antonio Banderas movie then go get a banana split. I'll probably be home just after midnight."

So, we took her home. Leah headed inside while I accompanied Bear to her car. "You're acting weird. What the hell are you up to?"

She gave me a suggestive wink. "We don't really have any plans tonight, but we can come up with something. If you want me to stay out later, just give me a call. Now, get your butt inside. And have fun, stud."

With that she turned the key in the ignition. The engine in her Camaro roared to life. I wasn't going to hear anything else. I turned toward the house and went inside.

Leah may have set the all-time record for getting out of uniform. I didn't really get to take mine off. She did most of it for me.

I don't know if we left anything out of the sexual encyclopedia that evening, but I kind of doubt it. I was amazed that when she slid down my body this time, I didn't react. I felt her throat sliding over my cock and just lay back and groaned. We were both in an exhausted sleep before Bear got home.

- - - - - - - - - -

The first date that we could get for both the Chapel and the O-Club was the following July. July in Norfolk was hot, so we opted for Summer White uniforms rather than Service Dress. Choker collars would have been too much in that weather. That was about where my participation ended.

I'd already learned that when Leah got started on something, it was best to just get out of the way and watch. If she needed help, I would be there. Unfortunately, early on, we did run into a significant problem. So it was that, early one morning, we were standing outside the Admiral's office. He looked up and invited us in.

"Morning, Andy, Leah. What can I do for you?"

"Uh, sir," I began, "you asked me to include you in the wedding party, and we could really use your help."

He nodded, indicating chairs for us. We sat down and he asked, "Okay. What do you need?"

"Sir," Leah explained, "my parents are deceased and Captain Ramirez will be out of town at the time. Would you be willing to give me away?"

The Admiral's eyes widened slightly, then he smiled at us. "I would be honored, Leah. Thank you for thinking of me." He drew us into a conversation of the planning for the wedding, ensuring that there weren't any other problems. Thirty minutes later, we both thanked him and left for our offices.

Almost eight months later, we walked through a double line of drawn sabers as Mr and Mrs Andrew McConnell. A limo waited at the foot of the Chapel steps, driving us to the Club for the reception.

Leah had opted for a traditional wedding gown rather than a uniform. It was a good choice. Once my eyes returned to their sockets, I was able to continue with the day's events. I'll never forget what she looked like that day, and I have plenty of photos to ensure that.

My best man had some fun with the garter ceremony, getting a warm blush from Leah and a chuckle from me.

The first major surprise of the day came while we were standing in the reception line. Accepting congratulations from one person after the next, Leah suddenly turned to me and asked, "Who is that gorgeous blonde?"

I looked down the line and froze. We hadn't invited Naomi, but there she was. When she got to us, she smiled shyly.

"I saw the announcement on the internet. I just had to congratulate both of you." She reached into her purse and came out with a large envelope. She handed it to Leah

"This is a gift certificate from my publisher. It's good for a complete set of my children's books, up to the day that you use it. It could be for your first child together or for your first grandchild."

Leah looked at the envelope, then smiled at Naomi. She drew her into a warm hug. "It's wonderful to finally meet you, Naomi. I'm glad you came."

The slender blonde smiled, looking at her feet before looking back up at my wife. "You have a wonderful man here, Leah. Please take care of him." Then she moved to me.

I glanced at Leah, not quite sure of what I should do. She saw the question in my eyes. Her eyes closed slowly in a nearly feline blink. She smiled and nodded.

I reached for Naomi, pulling her into my embrace. Our kiss was soft, sweet, and loving. There was nothing uncomfortable in it. When I pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. Might have been in mine, too. "Naomi, thank you for coming. I want you to know that I have forgiven you. I will always love you, little one. Please, find a good man and remarry. You're too wonderful a woman to go through your life alone."