Tammy's Men

by Fawn Lowery

  “I have good news,” she announced.

  Wayne took her elbow and steered her through the door into the classroom. “Come inside, hon, where we can have some privacy.”

  The thought that she needed privacy never crossed her mind. She merely wanted to let them know that she had received her papers early. When the door closed, she turned to face them, the envelope clasped to her breasts. “I have good news.”

  Wayne’s brows rose and Lyle cleared his throat.

  “What is it?” Tammy asked, the smile fading from her lips.

  “Don’t mind us, babe. What’s your good news?” Lyle said.

  Tammy could tell something was wrong. Wayne seemed much too serious and Lyle couldn’t meet her gaze. “First you tell me what’s going on. Why do you seem so different?”

  “We’re aware of what you have in the envelope, babe,” Wayne said, releasing a long breath.

  “Yeah. We know you received your discharge papers. The envelope is always the same.” Lyle chuckled.

  Tammy cocked her head. “Well, I’m excited about getting out and wanted to share the news with you both.” She stared at the men, aware that her news didn’t appear to make them very happy.

  Wayne pulled Tammy into his arms and hugged her. “It’s not that we aren’t happy for you, hon, we are. It’s just that we hate to see you leave.”

  “We still have almost a month on the base, Tammy. And we’ll miss you like crazy,” Lyle added, smoothing one palm across Tammy’s back. “We’ve grown so used to being with you, I don’t know what we’ll do when you’re gone.”

  Tammy’s heart swelled. “You’ll really miss me?” She pushed out of Wayne’s arms.

  “Hell yes. I’ve gotten used to the regular sex,” Lyle said, laughter in his tone.

  “Me, too,” Wayne agreed.

  Tammy raised her hands to her hips. “Well, if that’s the only reason you’ll miss me—”

  “Hold on,” Wayne hurried to say. He took hold of Tammy’s arm and tugged her back against his chest. “The sex isn’t the only reason we’ll miss you, honey.” He kissed her cheek. “Can’t you see that the three of us belong together?”

  Tammy sucked in a quick breath. What did he say? What did he mean?

  Chapter 15

  Tammy entered the office and placed her precious envelope in her desk drawer. There were a lot of loose ends to tie up before she officially left the Army. Thoughts of her conversation with Wayne and Lyle returned to confuse her thinking. They hadn’t actually confessed their love for her, but they hadn’t really sidestepped the issue either. She had bit her tongue to keep from saying the words before they had a chance to inch up her throat. In the end, she had left the classroom with a feeling of confusion. Even though the men alleged they belonged together, they hadn’t backed up their words with any proof.

  Grabbing her clipboard, she walked into the hangar. There were two helicopters being serviced and six mechanics lending their expertise to testing and making adjustments. Tammy glanced at her paperwork and strode toward one of the machines.

  “I hear you got your discharge papers, Captain,” one of the mechanics said.

  Tammy nodded and smiled.

  “We hate to lose you. You’re easy to work for,” another mechanic added.

  “I’m anxious to get home,” Tammy admitted.

  “I’ve got two years left before my twenty are up.”

  “I’ve got ten under my belt,” Tammy said. She walked over to one of the testing machines and watched the data on the screen. “Any problems here?”

  Both mechanics shook their heads. “Everything checks out all right, Captain.”

  Tammy smiled. If she missed anything about the Army, it would be the fact that she had earned a commission. The right to be called Captain would forever stay with her. She thought about going to visit her sister and wearing her dress uniform just for her. She straightened, feeling a swell of pride rise inside her. She was proud of her time in the armed services. She had served her country well and now that she had decided ten years was enough, she was ready to get back to private life.

  Leaving the mechanics to their work, she returned to her desk and took note of all the things she had to finish before giving up her station. The paperwork on the helicopter that crashed in Iraq and came back to haunt the garage mechanics with allegations of improper maintenance, had been taken to the commander of the base. She thought she might hear something on the matter before she left, but it appeared the charges would be taken up elsewhere. At least she hoped the mechanics still in the barracks weren’t held accountable for something their commanding officer had overlooked. She stifled a shiver. Every time a piece of paperwork passed through her hands, she tried her best to make certain it was detailed and accurate.

  Tammy checked her calendar and made notes. Her discharge became official in two weeks. She circled the date with a red pen. Should I tell Helen? Her sister would be happy that she was leaving the military. She had a fit when she learned she had joined. She thought surely she would be killed overseas. For a moment she reflected on her time in Iraq. She had never felt more scared than the day she stepped off the plane at the field base. All the stories on the TV about the dangers were paramount in her mind.

  “That’s behind me now.” She pushed out of her chair and walked to the mouth of the garage. The sun was shining and the temperature was already nearing one hundred. She stepped through the doorway and looked across the wide tarmac. A unit of soldiers were headed from the classroom. She watched them, waiting for Wayne and Lyle to come into view.

  Her heart fluttered when she spied the pair. Wayne towered over the men surrounding him, his dark head easily spotted in the gathering. Lyle was at his side. She smiled. It was hard to imagine the two men ever being separated. After spending four tours of duty together and now training the recruits before discharge, they had spent most of the past eight years together. She thought for a moment. They were both from California and most likely, they would be returning to the state together. She smiled. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they kept in touch.

  The group approached and she stepped back inside the hangar. Wayne’s loud voice came to her ears as he directed the soldiers to the chopper sitting near the hangar. Knowing a few of the recruits might be in for a short flight, she busied herself at her desk. Once again she stifled the worry inching up her spine. Anything could happen on a training flight. She grimaced. Both Wayne and Lyle had tried to reassure her that they took every precaution, but she couldn’t stop worrying about them.

  It was quickly becoming a fact that she had feelings for the men. Worrying about them and wanting them in her bed only confirmed the emotional bond she felt. Deciding what to do about the feelings was bothering her almost as much as the feelings themselves. If she confessed how she felt, would they return her feelings?

  Chapter 16

  Tammy wiped at the sweat on her forehead and sat down on the couch. Packing up her belongings was proving to be more of a chore than she imagined. Looking around the small living room, she wondered where all the clutter had come from. When she arrived on base less than a year ago, she had carried all her belongings in one duffle bag. She chuckled. Some of the items scattered across the coffee table could be thrown out, the magazines she barely had time to glance at and the cheap decorations she had purchased at the Five and Dime.

  She glanced at the shorts and top she wore. The shorts were Army green, light weight cotton, with a drawstring waist. And the top was an old worn t-shirt she had since basic training. It was threadbare in places and frayed around the neck. She raised her feet to the coffee table, crossing her ankles. Her tennis shoes had seen better days. They could be tossed in the trash. “The lighter I can pack, the less I have to drag back to San Diego.”

  The matter of visiting her sister was still up in the air. Wanting to see her kin and actually following through with that desire were two different things. She bit her lip. She didn’t have much of a life to return to. She
joined the Army right out of high school and shipped out two weeks later. Her parents had argued that she was too young to be joining the military, but being head strong at eighteen she insisted that she knew her own mind. When she decided to stay for another hitch, she surprised all her family. Now, ten years later, she felt it was time to go. She needed time to have a private life, to fall in love and perhaps even have a family.

  Thoughts of Wayne and Lyle entered her mind. She groaned and laid her head back on the couch. Despite the happiness she felt over being discharged after so many years, she found thinking about leaving the men dulled the joy she was feeling. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. They were training recruits right now, up in a chopper with a novice at the controls.

  “I won’t miss worrying about them, that’s for sure.”

  She levered herself off the couch and picked up the bag she had packed. In three days she would catch a flight home. Her Army career would be pushed to the back of her mind while she decided what else she wanted to do with her life. In school, she had shown no particular interest in any one thing, though her grades were good in math. She shrugged. There wasn’t much use thinking she could land a job as an accountant since she had no degrees. The thought of returning to school, taking some college courses, something technical, perhaps, entered her mind. She wrinkled her nose. Returning to school didn’t sound too attractive an idea. At twenty-eight she would probably be surrounded by fresh-faced teens just out of high school.

  The sun was setting when she decided she was finished packing. Aside from the necessary items she would need to finish the remaining days on the base, everything was tucked into the Army valise and setting near the front door of the apartment. Thank God the furniture wasn’t hers. The thought of having to arrange transport of household items could be a real headache. She went to the small kitchenette to fix dinner. Her life was rather bare of mundane things. She had the clothes on her back and the few civilian relics of her life before the Army and that was about it. She thought of her old room in her parents’ house. Not long after she had signed up for another tour of duty, her dad told her they converted her old room to a den. It was filled with new bookcases and all the volumes of classics he had stored in the basement for years. Of course when she came home for a visit, they would make room for her. It wasn’t as though they had forgotten about her since she left home. Tears sprang to her eyes and she brushed the back of her hand across her face. Loneliness settled in her gut.

  She hurried from the kitchen and found her cell phone in her purse. Punching in the number of her parents, she waited for someone to answer. Surprise filtered through her insides when the answering machine picked up. She listened to the message, chuckling when she learned her parents were on an extended vacation abroad and if the caller was Tammy, they could be reached at the following number.

  “Well, I won’t worry about flying home just yet.”

  She prepared dinner and sat at the breakfast bar eating. Her life was lonely. It was a fact. Aside from the Army, she had little else. Even as she grew up, she failed to sustain lasting relationships, either male or female. In high school she really didn’t have a close girlfriend to share things with. “I’m a loner and looks like I’ll always be a loner.”

  A knock sounded on the door as she was finishing eating. Wiping her mouth, she crossed the living room and drew the door open. Wayne and Lyly stood on the landing, staring at her. For an instant neither of them moved, as though memorizing the other for future recollection. These two she would remember the rest of her life, their easy manner toward her, the way they made love to her, their teasing personalities. Forcing the thoughts aside, she smiled and motioned with one hand for them to come in.

  “Babe,” Lyle began, sliding one arm around her waist. “How many more days before you leave us?”

  A lump rose in Tammy’s throat. She didn’t want to think about it. Leaving them made her sad. She sniffed, trying to keep from crying.

  “Honey,” Wayne said, inching his arm around her waist, too. “We’ll miss you, too.”

  Tammy looked at each man. “How can you know what I’m thinking? It’s like you can read my mind sometimes.” She pushed them away, then turned to face them. “It’s not supposed to be this way, guys. I’m not supposed to fall in love with two men—” she paused, her face flushing, tears spilling down her cheeks. She had confessed the one thing she had been trying to keep to herself.

  “Darling,” Wayne said, reaching out to her. He grasped her upper arms and pulled her against his chest. “Sweetheart, we feel the same way about you. We love you.”

  “Tammy,” Lyle added, pulling her from Wayne’s arms and into his. “We do. We love you. And while it might seem unorthodox, it’s okay. The three of us can be happy.” He smiled and stared into her eyes. “When we met you, we knew you were the one, honey. You share the same values we do. You’re dedicated and committed, a woman who isn’t afraid to be herself. Sweetheart, if we could marry you, we would.”

  Tammy laughed and sniffed back more tears. Her heart swelled with love for them. All the time she had been in the Army she had never met anyone who satisfied her needs intellectually or physically. She smoothed one palm across each of their chests. “I’m so glad we met.”

  Wayne kissed her temple, then brushed a tear from the corner of one eye with the ball of his thumb. “Honey, we don’t have to say goodbye. We can be together, the three of us, for the rest of our lives.”

  “We want you to come to LA, Tammy,” Lyle said, stroking her back.

  “I have a house,” Wayne said. He slid one hand into his pocket and pulled out a key. “Here’s the key. There’s a maid and a gardener taking care of the property. You’ll like them. I’ll call and tell them you are coming.”

  “But, Wayne—” Tammy’s mind spun. Were her ears playing tricks on her?

  “No buts, honey,” Lyle cut her off. “We have a plan and we want you to be a part of it. Wayne and I will be discharged in a few weeks and we’ll be returning to LA. He has a law practice there and I own a store just up the coast. We’ve decided that we can all live together. You can work at the law firm or in my store.” He smiled, his brows rising. “What do you think? Will you let us take care of you?”

  Tammy drew in a long breath. Their offer spun around in her head. Could it possibly work? She raised her gaze and looked at each of them. Their faces were so dear. Already they were an permanent imprint in her mind. She could close her eyes and see either one, knew the contours of their features, the curve of their lips, the way their eyes mirrored their feelings.

  “My darlings,” she began, drawing them into her arms. “I had not intended to confess my feelings for either of you, but I guess being discharged is having a profound effect on me. I’ve been in the Army for so long that leaving it will be a drastic change. Actually, my plans are up in the air. I have no house or job to return to.” She sighed and tightened her arms, then closed her eyes a moment and savored the feel of their arms cradling her body. “I cherish every moment I spend with you both and though I’ve argued with myself about my feelings, I find I can’t deny that I’m truly in love with you both.”

  Wayne’s arms tightened around her so quickly that she thought her breathing would be shut off. Lyle’s lips traced along her nape, forcing her to close her eyes from the serene pleasure.

  “There’s no better place on earth than right here in your arms, Tammy,” Wayne whispered.

  “We want you with us forever, darling,” Lyle added.

  Joy and hope surged through Tammy’s insides. She turned her head and kissed each of them, then pushed free of their embrace. “I was worried that you might not feel the same about me,” she confessed. She smiled. “You make me very happy, both of you and I can’t imagine my life without you.” She reached for their hands.

  “We can make it work, Tammy,” Wayne insisted, wagging the key before her eyes.

  “Give it a chance, babe. That’s all we ask,” Lyle added.

/>   Tammy nodded. “Yes. I think we can make it work. I believe in love and everlasting relationships.” She accepted the key into her hand and quickly went into their arms. Laughing, she sniffed back fresh tears. “You both have to promise me that these three way hugs will continue forever.” She closed her eyes and pressed her body into their solid frames.

  “We promise,” Wayne whispered.

  “Always,” Lyle added. “We’ve got your back, babe.”

  Tammy’s heart jumped with joy as she tightened her arms around her men.

  About the Author

  I began writing freelance almost twenty years ago and eventually my short stories became longer. The characters seemed to take over and draw their stories out. I first submitted a novella length story to eXtasy Books in 2003 and it was accepted. That was Captive Heart, the historical romance now on the site. I have twenty-four titles with eXtasy Books. New ideas come to mind every day and some of them find their way on to the computer screen. When I’m not writing, I enjoy traveling with my husband Dave.

  Fawn’s email:

  FAWNLOWERY8@PRODIGY.NET

  Fawn’s website:

  http://www.fawnlowery.webs.com