Three Sisters of Delta Gamma Ch. 02

****

The girls were tense and emotional for days. Who was that guy and why was he trying to spy on them? On Wednesday, a brief text message arrived. It was from Jimmy, one of Paulo's men. The message said to call.

Layla went immediately to the pancake house and dialed his number. Jimmy called back in just a moment.

"Layla, your man is Eric Belton. He's a student at Delaware and was in the Army for three years. His parents live in Bucks County. Based on everything we can find out, he is legit. He was wounded during his tours in Iraq, once in the left leg and again by shrapnel in his right earlobe. He was married but is now single according to his records. Not sure what happened to his wife... we couldn't locate her. He works for Aetna Hook and Ladder in Newark. That's all we could find so far. Do you want us to keep digging? With enough effort we could find his former wife, I suppose."

Layla was very relieved and let out a big sigh. "Jimmy, that's great news. There must be some other explanation for the two calls I overheard. Tell Paulo and your guys that I really appreciate the research. Let's not dig any more for now. You guys are the best, and I love you all."

"We love you too, Layla. Anytime you feel nervous about someone or suspect a problem, please call us. We're all family."

"Thank you Jimmy. Yes, we're all family."

A delighted and very relaxed Layla returned home. As was her habit, she checked the answering machine as soon as she arrived and found a message from Eric. She glanced at her watch and realized that she had a class soon on advanced video editing so she would return his call after that.

****

Layla arrived home in the late afternoon and went to her bedroom to call. Neither sister was home yet but should arrive soon. "Hey Eric, this is Layla. Just got your message."

"Hi Layla. Sorry for the noise, I'm just walking to the car from class."

"That's fine, I can hear you."

"I was wondering if you could have dinner with me tonight."

"Sure, sounds like fun."

"Great, can I pick you up around 7:00?"

"I'll be ready. Are casual clothes okay?"

"Of course. See you then."

Layla flopped back on her pillows and smiled. Maybe her love life finally had a focus. But what was he talking about on those phone calls? And what happened to his wife?

Eric was also very relieved. But why was Layla so upset with him at breakfast the other day? She didn't even kiss him when he left for home. What did he do wrong?

****

David was very pleased with the DVD. The HD quality, the scenes, the editing combined with his memories of the day caused pre-cum to leak as he watched it. The shots of his face were clear, the emotions shown were real, his erection was impressive and the sounds were as he wished they were. It was perfect. Now he had to figure out how to show it to the brothers without appearing he was bragging about it. True, he wanted their admiration but he had to be careful. No one likes an egotistical braggart.

He shared a room in the Theta Chi house with Jeremy. Although they occasionally shared porn downloads, nothing like this personal DVD had come along. He couldn't just give it to Jeremy but he could leave it lying on his desk with the label showing. Maybe Jeremy would steal a look at it. The DVD was titled, "David's Big Day with the Ladies."

He had a date that night with Jessica, a freshman pledge to Sigma Kappa. They had met at a party and ended up talking most of the evening. He decided to take her to Twelves Grill & Cafe in West Grove, PA, about ten miles from campus.

****

Susanna and Julia returned from classes late in the afternoon.

"Hey guys," yelled Layla from her bedroom.

"Hey yourself. Is everything alright?" yelled Susanna.

"Couldn't be better," she replied. She came bounding down the stairs and was all smiles.

"What's going on?" asked Julia. "You're happy again."

"Eric is legit. My brother had him checked, and everything he told us was the truth. I couldn't believe it."

"That's great. So what was he talking about on those calls?" asked Susanna.

"Maybe I'll find out tonight. He's taking me to dinner."

"Oh! That's good. Layla, I truly hope this works out for you," said Julia.

"I do too. He was so tender and gentle as he made love to me. We talked and cuddled a long time after our showers. I'd never felt so close to a man before. I almost died inside when I overheard his call."

Susanna said, "I'm sure there's a simple explanation."

****

Eric arrived exactly on time. His military training demanded he be on time with no excuse. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the training manual about how to avoid nervous tension caused by women. As the door opened and he saw Layla's wide smile, he relaxed. She really wasn't mad at him.

"Hi Eric. Please come in."

"Thanks." As he walked through the door, Layla reached in and kissed him, as if everything was perfect. He happily returned the kiss.

"Hey there Eric," yelled Susanna from the kitchen. Julia had gone to the store for supplies, mostly beer. Susanna walked into the foyer to Eric, smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Good to see you again."

"You too." All three smiled.

Layla said, "I'm ready if you are."

"Is the Outback Steakhouse fine with you?" he asked.

"Wonderful. We never go there and I've wanted to."

****

Once seated and the meal ordered Eric took Layla's hand.

"I've been thinking about you all week," he said.

"I've also been thinking about you."

"Layla, I'd like to move our relationship forward, but I need to tell you more about myself. It's a little complicated, and another lady is involved."

She stared at him, which he expected.

"Now let me explain before you walk out."

"You better hurry."

"The lady is my four-year old daughter."

Layla threw her head back and laughed from relief. "Oh my, you had me scared." She sighed and grinned at him. "Tell me everything."

"I married my high school sweetheart just after I joined the military. The first year was fine, and she could be near me. She got pregnant with Amy just before I was deployed to Iraq. Thanks to my parents and hers, the first tour went fast for Melissa and her pregnancy was perfect. I returned to the States when Amy was three months old."

Layla sensed that something dramatic was coming, and she took both his hands.

"During the second tour, I got a message to call home. This had never happened before so I knew it was urgent. I called mom and dad. They broke the news to me that Melissa had been killed in an accident. I learned after I rushed home that she was out with another man and was drunk when he slammed their car into a bridge abutment. That's when I learned that she had been cheating on me for several months. Mom and dad knew nothing about her betrayal, but some of her friends did. My parents took temporary custody of Amy until I could get a discharge. She stays with them when I'm in class or working."

"Where do you work?"

"I'm a part-time paramedic here in Newark. They've been really good to work my schedule around the classes, but I don't get to see Amy as much as I'd like. I try to call her every morning. She's daddy's little girl."

"Did you call her last Saturday morning?"

"Yeah, I called before I came down for breakfast. When I left you, I drove up and spent the day with her. I was off that Saturday."

"Do you have a picture of her?"

"Of course." He pulled one from his wallet and proudly showed it.

"Oh my. She's a doll. Eric, she's absolutely beautiful."

"Thanks. I think so too. Her birthday is Sunday and I'd love for you to come to her party. It's a big surprise, and she doesn't suspect a thing."

Layla smiled, "I'll be there. What time should I come?"

"I must work Saturday night and will get off at 6:00 am. I could pick you up after that. The other children and parents are coming at 2:00 pm."

"Do you have an apartment or someplace you stay around here? Surely you don't drive back and forth to Bucks County every day."

"I share a condo with another student. It's about five miles from here. We met a couple of years ago and were both in the military."

"Was he also in the Army?"

"She was."

Layla let go of his hand and leaned back. "You share a condo with a woman?"

"Yes. But we're just friends."

"I've heard that before."

"Layla, in the military, we all live together and we learn not to fraternize with the female soldiers. She's very nice but we're just friends."

"I want to meet her."

"Sure."

Layla had a thought. "As soon as you get off, come over to the house and sleep for a few hours. We have an extra bedroom and we would love to have you. I'll fix breakfast for us."

"Well, if you don't mind. That'd be nice. It takes about 90 minutes to drive up."

"Do you have to work again Sunday night?"

"Yes, starting at 10pm. I could bring you home before that so there'll be no need for you to drive."

Layla asked, "Can I make a confession now?"

Eric was surprised and answered, "I guess."

"I overheard one of your calls when I came to get you for breakfast. I was just beginning to open the door when I heard you talking. I shouldn't have listened, but I didn't want to interrupt you."

"Okay."

"I heard you say 'so far so good,' and 'she doesn't suspect a thing'."

Eric smiled. "And you thought I was talking about you?"

"Yeah. I thought you were up to no good." She playfully frowned.

"That's why you were upset at breakfast and when I left for home."

"I'm guilty and I'm sorry."

"I was talking to the mom of Amy's best friend in pre-school. She had called me to check on the timing of the party. Amy is spending Saturday night with them, and they will bring her to the party at my parent's. I was telling her that Amy was not suspecting a thing."

Layla replied, "I feel so foolish."

"Why? You didn't know. I was afraid to tell you about my daughter that night. I'm sorry for that."

"Why were you afraid?"

"I thought it might be a problem for you. I wanted to ease into that revelation."

"I'm very glad you told me and I really look forward to meeting her. She looks precious."

"So this news doesn't change anything? I still have a chance with you?"

"What you've told me tonight makes it even better. I love children. I need to think about this roommate of yours, however."

He grinned.

Dinner was perfect, especially since Layla now understood those calls. They each ordered steaks and shared a blooming onion and steamed veggies. Eric couldn't have beer because of his work but that didn't stop Layla.

Eric had her home an hour before his shift and visited with Susanna and Julia until he left for work. Layla walked with him to the car where they kissed and held each other for several moments.

Layla said, "I believe this is the opening chapter of an amazing story."

Eric replied, "Let's write it together."

She waited and watched him drive away. As soon as she closed the door, Susanna squealed, "Tell us everything!"

Julia added, "We're dying to know."

Layla filled her sisters in with all the facts over the next few minutes but she didn't mention the roommate. They were very relieved and hugged Layla.

"I really like him," Layla said. "This is the first time I've felt a genuine connection with a man."

End of Chapter 2. Please vote and leave comments. Chapter 3 will (hopefully) be posted tomorrow.