Page 23 of Pax

“You’ve obviously not been around these guys for very long,” smirked Annie. “Don’t worry about the language at all.” He blushed, nodding at Annie.

“Chuck?” asked Alice.

“Oh, Aaron is good, ma’am. We always use last names or call names.”

“Okay, what’s your call name?” He looked at Brax, who burst into outrageous laughter, shaking his head.

“Is that funny?” asked Annie, staring at her son.

“Oh, sorry, Mom, but yes. That’s funny. Go ahead, Aaron. Tell her your call name.” Aaron blushed a deep crimson color, shaking his head.

“This must be good,” smirked Saint.

“Tits. It was Tits. Sorry again, ma’ams.”

“Why would they call you that?” asked Deanna with no humor at all.

“I had gynecomastia. It’s common in men, but basically, you begin to form breasts like a woman. I had it surgically removed maybe a year into the Navy, but not before a bunch of assholes saw me without a shirt. Most people don’t remember that it was my call name. They just call me Aaron.” Annie turned to face Brax and frowned.

“If I ever hear you use that name for him again, I will turn you over my knee,” she said with a serious expression.

“Mom, we didn’t mean anything by it. We all get strange names. Like Saint.”

“You asshole,” muttered Saint.

“Saint doesn’t seem like a bad name,” said Deanna. “But I am curious why they call you that. Is it because of your name, Patrick?”

“No,” he ground out between his teeth.

“They why?” asked his mother.

“I hate you guys right now,” he said, looking at Pax and Brax. “On my twenty-first birthday, the team bought me four hours with a porn star. A genuine, on-screen porn star named Cara Cums.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” yelled Alice.

“Wait. It was a waste of money. I didn’t do anything with her. I couldn’t. It – it was my first time, and I didn’t want it to be with a porn star. They spent all that money for nothing. She took a nap, and I watched a movie. That was all.” Alice smiled at her son, shaking her head.

“I’m actually proud of you for that,” she chuckled.

“We weren’t,” said Brax. “Cost the team five grand for four hours.”

“Well then,” laughed Luke, “I’d say that makes you guys the idiots.”

They laughed and told stories, talked about all the trips they’d made over the years to the house on the beach and how it all started. Around midnight, Aaron stood and bid everyone goodnight.

“I’ve got a BUDs class happening, so I’ll be swamped the next few days, but I’ll be around. You can always find me on the beach if you need me. I’ll let the tower guards know to not shoot you if they see anyone that looks like they might belong.”

“Appreciate that,” smirked Brax. “Appreciate your willingness to help too, man. And no hard feelings about the name, right?”

“Not at all,” he smiled. “Hairy balls.”

Brax’s face went bright red, and the entire room broke into laughter. When he closed the door on his friend, he turned to the others, raising a hand.

“Not a word. Not a damn word. It’s been handled.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

After a robust round of lovemaking, Deanna curled into Pax’s side, feeling content and positively euphoric.

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