Chapter 155: Breakfast
*Third General Order of the Navy: To report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce*
“Reese!” Helen hissed at her husband as JD and Dean walked into the restaurant. “They did.”
He turned from where Cheryl was holding Ariel under the tired, but watchful, eyes of her parents. Focusing on the teens as they made their way across the room, Reese smiled and pressed a light kiss to the top of Helen’s head.
“No, they didn’t. I’m sure they did something.”
“How do you know?” She whisper hissed at him.
Leaning close to her ear, her husband spoke so softly that she almost did not hear him. “Because she looks like a woman who was pleased, in fact thoroughly pleased, but still wants more.”
“But-“
A strong tattooed finger was placed over her lips effectively silencing her as Reese shook his head. “I love you. I love my niece. But if I have a choice between your sex life or hers, I would much rather discuss yours. No more, Kitten.”
“Yes, Sir.” She replied as she cast her eyes down.
“Beautiful, Kitten.” He murmured as he tucked some of her brown hair behind her ear.
“Really dad?” Cheryl chuckled. “You have to let her heal before you can do whatever you do. And no, I don’t want to know.”
“I don’t want to know either.” Jolene laughed and Jaxon agreed.
Helen blushed even brighter, and Reese had to adjust himself. But since they were surrounded by their grown children, he tried to do so discreetly. The grin that Neo gave him told Reese that he was not as discreet as he had hoped.
“Besides,” Reese quietly told his wife as he ignored the others around them, “I told him that when he is finally with her, put her pleasure first. Take his time and memorize everything about her. Those memories will carry him through long deployments and even longer nights.”
“Reese.” Helen said quietly.
“I’m serious, Kitten.” He said pulling her to his side. “It will be better for both of them. Not just the sex, but everything. They need the time apart, and they need the space to grow up.”
“You took him to get her a ring.”
“Just because I think that they need some time apart, doesn’t mean that I don’t think that they’ll make it. I really do think that they will. I hope they will. But Kitten, they need some time and space apart.”
“I know. They’ve been through so much together. And they’ve been together almost all the time.” She sighed. “I’m just hoping that this time apart doesn’t break them.”
“Me too.” Reese agreed. “But she needs to grow up completely. He needs to find who he is as an adult. Then, only after they find their individual selves, can they really find out who they are together.”
Looking at him, Helen cupped his cheek and leaned in for a kiss. Which Reese happily obliged.
“How did you get so smart?” his wife asked against his lips.
“I made a lot of bad mistakes that I had to learn from.” He admitted with a smile. “But they all led me here, to you and all of our kids. Mine. Yours. Dean. And ours.”
“They’re all ours.” Helen corrected.
“Yes, they are.”
“What are the old lovebirds whispering about?” JD asked as he and Dean sat down at the table with the rest of the family.
“If you and Dean finally fucked.” Cheryl said and cut her eyes to her stepmother.
“Germanic in origin.” Dean muttered.
“I’m glad you learned that.” Helen told the teen as she leaned around and looked at Cheryl. “My kids don’t cuss around me. I would prefer that you show me the same respect.”
“Ouch.” Cheryl complained.
“Watch your language, young lady.” Reese growled at his daughter.
“Da- uh- darn.” His daughter blushed. It had been years since her father had chastised her for her language.
He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she suddenly felt like she was twelve and he had gotten onto her for a similar word. Possibly even the same one. Honestly, she didn’t remember the word she had used. Only the lecture that her father gave on language and how others would perceive you if you used certain words.
Working in the field with crass archeologists and hanging out with wildland firefighters, the lecture had often been forgotten. At this particular moment, it flooded back to her. Maybe not the exact words. But definitely the feeling she experienced and lesson that she learned.
“Yes, daddy.” Cheryl said sheepishly and her dad sat back in his chair with an arm along the back of Helen’s chair.
“Told you it would happen when it was time.” Daphne quietly told her young cousin as they exchanged a hug.
Dean shook her head. “Not all the way.”
“Then when it is time, it will be even better.” Daphne kissed her cheek before hugging JD. “Take care of yourself and come back home to us.”
“Yes, ma’am.” JD replied hugging the woman back.
An hour later, the party was breaking up and JD stood in the parking lot with his mother, Reese and Dean. His stomach growled loudly, and he pressed a hand to his stomach.
“Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to eat.” He admitted with a little blush.
Reese handed over a to-go bag of food. “I noticed. Plus, I remember how bad dinner was the night before I shipped out.”
“That has not changed.” JD groaned. “When I did my physical, dinner was an overcooked burger on a dried-out bun with ketchup and mustard. And cold, soggy and undercooked fries.”
“You’re going to love ketchup and mustard.” Reese laughed.
“Ugh.” JD gagged. Ketchup was his least favorite condiment. In fact, on the top three of disliked condiments ketchup would be listed as all three. On the same list, ketchup would also be listed as numbers four and five.
Helen laughed. “He was the only child that I ever knew that never liked ketchup.”
“No, mom.” JD begged.
“You don’t want me to tell them about you ordering a cheeseburger at McDonald’s with only a bun and cheese?”
“No, I don’t.” He deadpanned. “But it’s a little late now.”
“Don’t worry.” Dean grinned. “I have ten weeks to learn all your secrets.”
“Ugh. This is going to be a very bad situation for me.” He grumbled as his stomach growled again. “You drive, I eat. Let me go say goodbye to the triplets.”
“Come on.” Dean laughed as she headed for the drivers side door on the Mustang.
“We’ll meet you there.” Helen said as she headed for the SUV.
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