Signed, SEALed, Delivered

by Jaime Russell

  “Thank you, and my name is Ella.” I say into the phone, since it’s on speakerphone.

  “Nice to meet you through the phone.” She laughs. “Good luck with Zack. He’s a handful.” She laughs, as she tells us goodbye.

  “That went better than I thought.” Zack tells me, as he shows me his cell phone to get Kelly’s number. I send a quick text message to let her know that it’s me.

  Kelly: Thank you for taking good care of my guys.

  Me: No problem. I’m quite fond of them.

  Kelly: They’re not hard to like. I can send you Alec’s schedule, and he has a birthday party this weekend, which is a slumber party.

  Me: Okay. I’ll need an address, so I can put it in my GPS.

  Kelly: Let me text the family, because I just know how to get there, but I don’t know the actual physical address. I’ll also let them know that it will be you dropping him off and picking him up.

  Me: Thank you so much.

  I sigh in relief of being able to breathe and not feeling so overwhelmed. “Thank you.” He kisses my temple.

  “This is new to me, and I’m going to fuck it up.” I’m honest with him.

  “Hey, look at me,” I turn to look at him. “We all fuck up being a parent. You’re stepping up in a big way after knowing me only a month. I couldn’t be more thankful to you.”

  “I would do it in a heartbeat for you. I’m crazy about you.” I lean in and kiss him, as my hand wraps around his waist. I’m really falling in love with this guy.

  “I’m crazy about you, too. In fact, I love you. I think I knew it the moment that you messaged me.” He tells me, as he looks into my eyes. I can tell that he’s being honest with me.

  “I love you, too. I’ve felt a connection with, since I first read your letter. I knew that you were going to be someone who took my heart.” I say, putting my head on his shoulder, as he kisses the top of my head.

  “We'll be okay. This is just a roadblock for us.” He tells me.

  “It’s going to be hard. I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t know how I can handle this, but I’m going to try. I love you, and Alec and I are going to be okay. I hope that Kelly and I can be friends, too.”

  “I know we’re going to be a family. I don’t know how I’m going to be okay with you and me not together. I need you close to me.” I sigh, as tears flow down my cheeks, as Zack watches Alec and Annie. He laughs every so often, so he doesn’t see me crying. I love being in his arms.

  “I think Annie is tired.” Alec comes running towards us. I quickly wipe my face, trying not to let them see me cry. “We should head home.”

  “I think you’re right.” Annie lays at my feet, and when I pick her up, she licks my face, which tickles. “You ready for your nap?” She grunts, as I put the leash back on her, but carry her to the truck. “She’s a spoiled princess so shut it.” I look to Zack, who rolls his eyes.

  “Can she sleep with me tonight?” Alec asks.

  “I don’t see why not. She loves cuddling.” I tell him.

  Zack whispers into my ear, “Hell yes. You’ll be in my bed tonight.” I blush.

  We drive home, and Alec’s full of energy, talking to Annie about his room. We pull into the driveway, and Zack mutters Tyler’s name, like a swear word. I look at him, and he half smiles. As we get out, my cell phone starts to ring, and I see it’s my sister, Ruth.

  “Hello, Pastor Ruthie.” I laugh, as I shut the door.

  “Nice to know you’re still alive.” Her tone is one of anger.

  “I am. I sent you a text message, when I got here. We’ve been busy with his son. We just had dinner, and then took Annie to the dog park.” I say, sounding defensive.

  “Fine, whatever. I want to meet him though, when I get there on Friday.”

  “He won’t be here because he’s being deployed early. He leaves tomorrow. You can meet his son Alec, though. We’re going to be hanging out.”

  “What? I’m sorry, Ella. I know you wanted to spend this time with him.” Ruth almost sounds sincere.

  “How was your training?” I sit down on the steps of the front porch, while the guys head inside.

  “It was enlightening. Will Alec be coming to church with you?”

  “Yes, but if Dad says or does anything disrespectful, I’m going to leave. Don’t worry, I have a shirt that covers most of my tattoos.” I have some on my hands that can’t be covered, but he can get over it.

  “Well, Dad will appreciate that. I like your tattoos. I have some, but no one can see them. Joshua will be the only one, when we get married.” She giggles. It’s like their private joke.

  “You would like Zack. He’s a good guy. He reminds me of Grandfather and a little bit of Joshua.” She seems shocked, when she tells me really? “He’s a good father, who puts his son first, and he prays before every meal and before bed. He even goes to church every Sunday, when he’s here. He cares about me. Ruthie, I love him, and I see a future with him.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to move to Knoxville?”

  “I don’t know. We just met, and I still have my job in Nashville. I can do it at home and go into Nashville occasionally for meetings. With this deployment, I’m going to be coming back and forth a lot. I want to be able to spend the time forming a relationship with Alec. He’s a big part of Zack’s life.”

  “You’re a good woman, Ella.” Zack stands over me.

  “Jesus Fucking Christ.” I grab my heart. I hear Ruth yelling, wanting to know what’s happening. “Zack just scared me. I didn’t realize he was outside with me.” I tell her.

  “Oh.” She laughs. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Pastor Ruthie. Bye.” I say, hanging up the phone. “Eavesdropping isn’t very nice, Mr. Sanders.”

  “Oh, I’m terribly sorry, my dear.” He laughs, as he sits down next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders.

  Zachary Sanders

  I felt her crying on me earlier, but I knew that she didn’t want me to know, so I didn’t say anything. When I saw Tyler in my driveway, I knew that it was now a reality. I’m really dreading this right now. As Ella stays outside to talk on the phone, I end up going inside.

  “That’s the girlfriend?” Tyler keeps looking outside at Ella.

  “Yes.” I say defensively.

  “Damn, she’s hot. How did you get her?” He laughs, and I push him.

  “Uncle Tyler, look at Ella’s dog, Annie.” Tyler goes over to Alec, as my attention is on Ella, and I walk outside to hear her conversation.

  “Hey, are you okay?” I ask, as I sit cuddled up with her.

  “Yeah. Ruthie wanted to make sure that I was still alive, and you didn’t kill me.” She laughs.

  “Oh, I don’t plan on killing you, but I do plan on making sure this body of yours is too sore to move.” I whisper into her ear, before nibbling her earlobe, and then moving down her neck. “No sleep for us tonight.”

  “Oh, is that so?” She teases me in a husky voice, as I put my hand on her thigh and start to massage it. She slightly opens her legs to me, as I cup her pussy through her jeans. I unzip her jeans to place my finger in, so I can rub her clit over her silk underwear, and she quietly moans.

  “Do you want me to stop?” I whisper.

  “No.” She quietly begs, as I continue to rub her clit through the underwear and feel them getting wet. She’s so turned on. I quicken the pace of my finger, as Ella’s breathing is quickening and breathy. I start kissing her neck and jawline.

  “I want to see you come undone by just my finger.” I tell her.

  “I don’t know if I can do that with people inside the house awake.” She looks at me, as her eyes flutter. I know she’s fighting it.

  “They’re not even paying attention to us. Besides, knowing that people could drive by or walk out on us any minute now, is turning you on. I can tell, so stop fighting it, and just let go. I want to watch you come to my finger on your clit.”

  She undoes t
he button on her jeans, giving me more room to move around. I stop and place my finger into her underwear, and I feel her swollen clit, as I groan. Then, I have an idea.

  “Sit on my lap, and then straddle me like earlier.” She looks at me, and then does as I tell her. I now have better access to her clit and can slide my finger inside her up to the first knuckle. I move swiftly on her clit, and she’s digging her nails into my shoulders, as she bites her bottom lip.

  “Oh, my God. I’m going to come.” She pants. “Don’t stop. Faster, please.” She begs, and her wish is my command. She leans over me. “Oh, God, Zack.” Ella’s body goes limp, as my hands run up her back.

  “Damn, girl.” I pant. “You’re beautiful, when you come undone.”

  “Thank you, but maybe, it’s my partner.” She kisses me, while she buttons her jeans and zips them up. “That was unexpected.”

  “I didn’t plan on that. You were just looking so beautiful, and I needed you.” I tell her.

  “Dad, Ella. Can we watch a movie?” Alec stands at the door.

  “Yeah. Go get dressed in your pajamas.” I tell him. “We should do that, too.”

  “I didn’t bring pajamas.” She winks at me, and I groan. “I’m kidding.”

  We walk upstairs, and she heads to the guest room, where her bag is, and I head to my room. I walk into my bathroom and take my jeans off. I have this hardon that won’t go away. I start to pump it and close my eyes, thinking about Ella on her knees sucking me off. Her hands wrapped around my hard cock, gripping it tighter, as she licks the head of my cock.

  “Oh, God, Ella. Don’t stop.” I grunt out the faster I pump my hand on my cock. I tug at my balls, once in a while, feeling myself getting ready to come. I release on towel that I left on the floor, and I let out the breath that I was holding, as I come. I hear a gasp in the doorway, and I move my eyes to the noise, where I see Ella, standing there, and I feel my entire body turn red.

  “Wow.” Ella saunters to me, as she kisses me hard. “That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. When I heard you say my name, as you came, I felt a shiver up my spine.” I can’t believe she’s telling me this.

  “I…” I start to stutter, and she laughs.

  “No words need to be spoken, but there is a very anxious boy that wants a movie. I was coming to get you, but it seems to be that you’re the one coming.” She winks at me. “Get dressed, so we can watch a movie together, and then we can continue what we started.”

  She leaves my arms and heads out of my bedroom, as I quickly clean up my mess and get dressed. I run down the stairs, asking who wants popcorn, and everyone holds up a bowl of their own, as I laugh.

  “Do I have a bowl?” Alec holds up one for me. They start the movie without me. It’s some kid’s movie that just came out that I don’t even know the title of it, but Alec is excited to see it.

  Ella is cuddled up next to me, as Alec has Annie next to him. I play with her long hair, as Tyler is working on his laptop. I told him when we walked into the house that I don’t want to talk business tonight. It’s my last night with Alec for a little bit and my first/last night with Ella. Tyler is all business most of the time, and I wish he would live in the moment occasionally.

  I hear slight snoring coming from the floor, and it’s Alec. I decide to finish the movie, so I know he’s completely out. Tyler clears his throat, and I look at him.

  “I know you said no work, but we need a meeting in the kitchen now. Sorry, Ella.” Tyler stands up, and Ella moves to let me stand up. I kiss her, letting her know that I won’t be long.

  “What is going on?” I ask him.

  “You need to look at this. I’ve been doing some digging, but I’m not skilled like you in your hacking skills. I found who we’re looking for, and it has nothing to do with oil refineries and fires.” Tyler tells me, as I sit down at the kitchen table.

  “What are you talking about? What’s it about?” He shows me the laptop, and I think my jaw hits the floor. “Are you serious? How did you find this information out?”

  “We found out who owns the refinery, and then I started digging. I called in a couple of favors with the Pentagon, JAG, and some different Colonels I know, who found out this information. We’re going to be going to work with the CIA.”

  “Who is in charge of this mission now?” I ask, as I keep reading the disgusting information that I just read over.

  “It’s a joint task force. It’s one of the reasons that we’re going early to meet everyone and find out who works well with people.” Tyler tells me. We’re the same rank in the SEALs, but he has his pulse on everything. I used to be that person, but I can’t be connected twenty-four seven, and still be a dad full time, when I’m home.

  “Great. I’m not looking forward to this, and I wish I could tell them no. I don’t want to do it.” I’m honest with him.

  “I know, and I don’t either. My dad’s sick and not being home is going to mess with me.” He says pacing my kitchen. “My sister is going to email me, as much as she can to keep me up to date on things, but I don’t know if I can read a message that says he’s dead.”

  “I’m sorry, man. It’s tough getting news like that.” Tyler was there, when my uncle died, and I couldn’t leave the mission to be there for the funeral. “We’ll try to get this mission done, as soon as possible, I promise you.” I put my hand on his shoulder.

  “We need a game plan going into this, so the CIA knows we are taking this serious. We’re not going to be able to talk on the plane.” I know he’s right.

  “Let me put Alec and Annie to bed. I’ll have Ella head up to my bedroom, and we’ll start working on something.” I push out my chair.

  “I’m sorry.” He keeps repeating, as I stand in the doorway of the kitchen and living room.

  “Stop saying you’re sorry.” I snap. “This is our world. We need to do this. Ella will understand, even though I don’t like it.”

  I chuckle, as I see Ella, Alec, and Annie all asleep in the living room. I hate to move them, so I decide just to cover them up. Ella stirs. “Shh, I have to work some more. You were asleep, and I thought that I would just cover you up.”

  “No. I’ll head up to the guest room.” She yawns, as I give her a dirty look, which makes her laugh. “I mean, your room. I’ll take Annie out first, so there’s no accidents in the house. Are you taking Alec upstairs?”

  “Yeah, Tyler is sleeping on the couch. He doesn’t like being too far away from the front door.” Ella stands up and stretches, and her tank top pulls up. I quickly see a tattoo with words on her rib cage. “Umm,” I reach out to touch her ribs. “What does that say?”

  “It’s the Lord’s Prayer, and the other side has the Serenity Prayer.” She smiles, as she walks around to get Annie’s leash. “The Lord’s Prayer was the first bible verse that meant something to me, as a child. The Serenity Prayer has a special meaning to me because my aunt is an alcoholic and struggles daily. We went to Al-anon a lot, so we could better help her. With my aunt being that way, this is a daily reminder not to go down that path.”

  “So, your tattoos mean something to you?”

  “Most of them.” She winks. “Come on, Annie.” She whispers, as Annie gets up. They walk outside, and I hear Ella, talking to her about how much fun she had today.

  “She’s something isn’t she?” Tyler stands behind me.

  “I hope I don’t fuck this up.” I walk over to Alec and pick him up, and he mumbles something. I chuckle to myself, as I carry him upstairs into his room. I lay him down on his bed and start to tuck him in.

  “Daddy?” He yawns.

  “Yeah, buddy?”

  “I love you.” He turns over and goes back to sleep.

  “I love you, too.” I kiss the top of his head, as I sit on the bed, watching him. My heart is breaking leaving him. I’m missing out on so much of his life. I love what I do, but this pain I feel, when I must go on these missions, are killing me. A little bit more light, comes into the room, and Annie jumps
on the bed with Alec. She curls up on the pillow next to him, and I smile at the scene.

  “I think I lost my dog.” Ella chuckles, as he wraps her arms around me from behind.

  “I don’t know how Alec is going to deal with all of us gone. Am I making a mistake with all of this?” I whisper.

  “You mean us?” I nod. “I thought about that too, but I don't think so. I plan on being here, when I’m not working. I’m talking to my boss about working from home a little bit more, so I can be here with Kelly and Alec. Annie loves Alec, and I won’t separate them.” She kisses my cheek. “I’m going to lay down. You go to work and wake me up, when you come to bed. You made me a promise, so you better keep it.” We walk out together. I shut the door, but leave it open a crack, as I walk Ella into my room.

  “Are you going to be okay in here by yourself?” She nods. “I’ll hurry.” I say, as I kiss her. She walks over to the bed and gets under the covers, and I smile, as I walk out of the room. I walk downstairs, and Tyler is on his phone with someone about what time we need to leave in the morning.

  “Yes, sir. We’re flying out of Knoxville. It’s a three-hour drive from Knoxville to Nashville. Okay.” He hangs up the phone, and then starts speaking. “We need to book flights to Fort Benning for tomorrow. Then, once we all get there, we’re flying out on an Army plane to Germany out of Atlanta.”

  “Okay. Let’s see what’s available.” I sit down and pull up flights. There’s one for two thirty in the afternoon. “I know they want us sooner.”

  “Hey, I’m good with leaving later. You have a girl that needs your attention and love. I’m going to take Alec to school, if you’re okay with that. I miss the little guy.”

  “If he’s okay with it.” I say, as I book our flights and sigh.

  “Now, go be with that girl of yours. I’m going to go out for a little bit. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Tyler tells me, as he wiggles his eyebrows. I shake my head, as I shut the front door, when he leaves. I make sure to have a couple of lights on in the living room, before heading to the guest room to get Ella’s bag.