by Jamie Knight
Once Aden and Camilla showed up, things got better. They couldn't stay the whole time, but they were there, and that was all that mattered. It was nice to be among friends. Other than Dixie, of course. It felt a bit less overwhelming having more allies. With Dad and Victor Pierre on our side, the pro-Chris camp numbered five. Five including me, but I was quickly coming to think of myself as being a unit with Chris.
We had all gathered for lunch. Mom intentionally took the table as far away from ours as possible. We had to push two tables together to get Dixie, Victor Pierre, Aden, and Camilla, in with the two of us. Dad still sat with Mom, as he saw that as his duty but looked pretty miserable. I felt terrible for him, realizing that, much of the time, he was just going along with Mom to keep their marriage civil. She could be really domineering.
Mom wouldn't even look our way through the entire meal, preferring to pretend that Chris and I didn't exist. I should have let it go, but if there was one thing I had inherited from her, it was bull-headed stubbornness.
Mom walked back into the house to get fresh lemonade, and I saw my chance, quickly getting up from the table to go and catch her without even telling my tablemates where I was going. Though I was pretty sure most of them could guess.
My courage grew with every step toward the house. Decades of frustration built up into a fit of righteous anger. Mom had always tried to lead me around by the nose. Even after I had grown up and moved out. The booby-trapped reunion was only the most recent example. Never mind the fact that I was in my thirties by that point.
“Mom,” I said, my back straight and eye steely.
“What?”
“You need to back off. Don't try to get me back with Ellis. It is not going to happen. I am not confused. I am not wrong. I am with Chris, and I love him. I am carrying his baby, and we are going to get married.”
I knew even as I said it that it was true. It wasn't just a lie to throw Mom off the trail or a passing fancy. I really did love Chris and wanted to marry him. I was carrying his child and had already started thinking about where we should buy a house. I looked back over my shoulder to make sure that he hadn't heard. It seemed really early to have such certainties, but I did and had the feeling that Chris felt the same.
“O-okay, I'll back off a bit,” Mom said, upset but keeping it together, “but Ellis really is perfect for you.”
“Then why did he cheat on me?”
“Some men do that,” Mom said, as though that excused it.
“And some men drown kittens and poison orphans. I wouldn't want to be with them either. Ellis is a master manipulator. He's playing you like a fiddle, and you just don't see it.”
Mom moved stiffly past me to take out the fresh lemonade and didn't look at me the rest of the day. Despite the silent treatment, I knew I had gotten through to her. She only ever got that mad when she knew that she was wrong.
Later that night we had a bonfire down on the beach of the lake. Technically they weren't supposed to be allowed, but my parents owned the land, so there wasn't much the authorities could do. The penalty was only a fine, and most of the local cops felt funny fining someone for burning wood on their own property.
Chris and I cuddled under a blanket, the night colder than most had expected. Ellis was nearby, glaring at us, making sure we didn't get up to any funny business. At least until Aden came by and sat beside me, blocking his view. I could always count on my big, smart cousin.
“So,” Aden said, with a wicked grin, “have you decided what you are going to do with the signed NFL helmet you got in the divorce? I think it could work great as a planter.”
“Oh, no,” I declared, grinning at him.
“A punch bowl?” Camilla asked, joining in.
“No.”
“How about a candy bowl?” Chris suggested.
“It's a bit big,” I pointed out.
“Right, like the jockstrap that went with it,” Aden said.
“You could use if for bacon grease while cooking,” Camilla suggested.
“Now, that's a good idea!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ellis getting angrier, narrowing his eyes until he was doing an unintentional Clint Eastwood impression in our general direction.
“Maybe Jeepers could use a new litterbox,” Chris suggested.
“It is meant to be a display piece!” Ellis shouted, loud enough to set a cluster of crows to wing.
I shrugged casually. “It might be on display somewhere, but I pawned it for $13 two months ago. What can I say, I was feeling a bit petty and needed the money for cat food.”
There were several bouts of laughter around the fire, even from Dad. Ellis got so angry. His ears turned bright red, visible in the firelight. They always did that when he was really pissed off — or when I wouldn't let him put it in my ass or dinner wasn't on the table when he got home.
“Listen, you stupid little cunt! You were fucking lucky to have me! Who the hell else would want a useless whore like you? I gave you five years of my life, and you just throw me out because you feel like it. Of course, I was fucking someone else. I had to get the fuck away from you on occasion. Who the fuck do you think you are?”
Before he had gotten to 'think you are,' I was on my feet and striding over to him. As soon as I got up, Aden was with me. A former soldier who had spent twelve years in the military, I had once seen Aden knock out a guy with one punch.
“I think it's time for you to go now, Ellis,” Dad said, also getting to his feet. He was clearly ready to get physical if needed.
Ellis was an asshole but not an idiot, and even he knew a three to one fight would not turn out too well for him.
“Whoa, now, let's not be too – mean, I'm sorry, I spoke out of turn. I was angry, you see. Diane, help me out here.”
Mom stood. Her eyes were on the ground, but her back was straight. “No, Ellis, you need to go now and accept that Shae is not in your life anymore.”
Ellis finally realized that he was facing a united front and slinked back to the house, tail between his legs. There were several celebratory whoops and a round of “Time to Say Goodbye”, augmented by Dad's surprisingly rich baritone, as my ex packed up his car and drove away about twenty minutes later.
Chapter Fourteen - Chris
The rest of the night went really well, the mood lightening considerably. Even Diane seemed to relax a bit, and I could have sworn I hear her laugh.
I thought it was odd that Shae wasn't drinking anything. I was pretty sure she had been kidding about being pregnant. It was a heck of a joke, but there was a tone in her voice that sounded sarcastic, and the effect on her mother only strengthened my suspicions.
Pregnant or not, my fake fiancée was certainly frisky, leaning on me and kissing me the whole time. Not that I minded, of course. I loved being around her. Shae was really sexy, and we felt perfect together. It was like we were on the same page.
It was when she started reaching under the covers and squeezing my cock, which to be fair was quite hard at the time, that I realized it was time we went to bed.
“Ready to go to bed?” I asked, almost breathlessly.
“Yes, please,” she said grinning.
“You heard her,” Aden said with a drink.
Shae was still leaning on me as we walked to the house, leaving the others to the bonfire. It was such a relief to have Ellis out of the picture entirely. We could just go up to our room, lock the door and fuck like bunnies until we fell asleep. It was a bit tacky, but it felt like a celebration. The villain was thwarted, and the family was wooed, and all was right with the world. Nothing like a good bit of rutting to top off the day.
Shae was on her knees as soon as I had the door locked, hauling out my hard cock and sucking it like my cum contained the antidote. I was a bit concerned she might hurt herself, not an unreasonable thought considering the length of my cock compared to the depth of Shea’s small mouth. I gently put my hand on the back of her head. Not to encourage her to go faster but to mode
rate her sucking depth, just enough to avoid serious injury. She didn't seem to mind and kept on going, swirling her tongue around the head of my cock at the top of each suck. It was a challenge not to come right away, but I held back, enjoying the feeling of my cock in her mouth for a while.
She started sucking even harder. I just couldn't hold on anymore, releasing a thick torrent of cum into her mouth. Taken a bit by surprise, some of it got away as she swallowed down the rest. Not one to be defeated, Shae wiped the rest off her chin and sucked her fingers clean.
She stood up, using the door as support, keeping her hand wrapped gently around my still hard cock. Just having her touch me was enough to get me to full attention. My beautiful girl led me over to the bed, where she stood perfectly still as I slowly stripped her naked.
I really wanted to fuck her but knew I had to get her ready first. Not that I minded, of course. I loved licking her pussy.
Sitting her down at the edge of the bed, I gently opened Shae's legs as I got down on my knees between them. She reached down and spread her pussy lips as I moved in. I ran my tongue along her folds, going slowly from bottom to top, making her shudder. Giving her a few more licks, I started going faster, devouring her tight little pussy and making her moan. We built up to the point that she had both hands on the back of my head, encouraging me to go faster, as well as harder. Her loud moans emphasizing the point.
Shae held on a bit longer than I did. Her orgasm, when it came, made her shake and rattle. The vibrations going all the way down to her pussy, where I could feel it on my mouth. Her wetness increased as she got ready to try and take my cock. Had I been thinking, I would have brought lube, but I wasn't, so we came down to this.
I kissed Shae lovingly, leaning her back into a laying position, and putting her feet up on the edge of the bed.
“That comfortable?” I asked.
“It's okay,” she said.
“Well, that just won't do.”
Taking her by the ankles, I shifted the position, so her legs were up over my arms, her knees flush with my elbows.
“Better?”
“Much!”
I would have kissed her then, but she was a bit too far away. My hands were also pretty full, so Shae did the honors, taking my cock and easing it into her pussy. She closed her eyes and let out a long, soft moan as she did so.
“You okay, sweetie?”
“Yes, i-it just feels so fucking good. It's right up against my cervix.”
“Always a good thing,” I said, making her giggle.
Getting well up in her, I started to move, pumping her sweet little pussy as hard as I dared, knowing full well how sensitive she was. Her pussy clamped even tighter around me as I pumped her, reacting to the stimulus and apparently wanting more.
“Kegels?” I asked, continuing to pump.
“Yeah, I thought it might be fun,” she said.
“Definitely,” I said, lovingly stroking her thigh.
I moved in her tight little pussy, pumping her a bit more gently than usual until I was getting really to cum. By the way her body was tensing and the sounds she was making, I could tell she was getting ready too. Just to be safe, I pulled out of her, working her to orgasm with my fingers, while delivering my cock to her mouth before giving her a second load as big as the first, which she sucked down greedily.
Both of us spent, I got onto the bed with her, and we cuddled before Shae fell into an exhausted but happy sleep.
“I love you,” I whispered.
I was both testing out the words and practicing them at the same time. It felt pretty safe, as I knew she couldn't hear me, but she was also right there, so it felt more real. I was still trying to pluck up the courage to make an official declaration despite her family, and most of mine already able to see what a good match we were. I had gotten Ellis out of the picture, so she didn't have to worry about him anymore. That was the first step.
I didn't want to get too intense too fast because I might scare her away, even though we had agreed that we would start dating seriously.
The very thought of Shae leaving me drove me from the bed and down into the kitchen for a bit of late-night stress eating. I was looking for something in the fridge when I heard a throat clear behind me. It was too feminine to be Chester or, heaven forbid, a returned Ellis. That pretty much left Diane or Dixie. I turned around, dearly hoping for Dixie.
“Want me to make you something?” Diane asked.
I was about to decline, well able to make food for myself, but then I realized that it was a sort of overture.
“Yes, please,” I said, minding my manners.
Moving with the grace of a veteran homemaker, Diane assembled a quite nice looking assortment of leftovers and put them in the oven as opposed to the microwave.
“I'm sorry about the cool welcome. I really didn't realize how awful Ellis was.”
“I have a feeling most people don't,” I said by way of extending an olive branch.
She nodded sadly, then looked up and held out her hand to me. “We never really got to know each other, but if you're going to marry my daughter, we might as well try.”
“I'm not sure about marriage. Not just yet, anyway. Not planning to live in sin forever mind you. I just want to wait until Shae's ready.”
“But you're ready now?” Diane asked, surprised.
“Yes,” I said, answering honestly.
“Well, that's a new one. A man ready to get married before his lady.”
“A bit unusual I'll grant,” I admitted, a grin pulling at my lips.
I knew lots of guys who had no interest in getting married at all and others who were more or less dragged down the aisle. The only happily married couples I could think of where the decision seemed to be mutual were my parents who, according to family legend, had proposed to each other at precisely the same moment, and Aden and Camilla at the office.
“Anything else usual that I should know?” Diane asked, giving the impression that she was kidding.
“Well, I'm kind of the black sheep of my family.”
She frowned. “Oh, how so?”
“They'll all passionate, creative types. Music, to be exact. My mom is an opera singer, my dad is a composer, and my brother is the vocalist in a famous heavy metal band.”
“And you don't like music?”
“Oh, I like it fine. I just don't really have the same depth of passion for it that they do, ya know?”
“I do, actually. Both my momma, Dixie, who you met, and my daddy were really into art. Like crazy into it. They were outstanding artists, too. I like looking at it fine but couldn't draw a stick figure to save my life. Still can't. Yet I tried to fit in. Lots of art lessons, but it was no use. I just had no skill for drawing or painting.”
“A lot like the multiple years of music and singing lessons I attempted, all of which turned out to be — ”
“Futile torture,” Diane said, seeing where I was going.
“Exactly.”
We couldn’t help but laugh over our shared foolishness as well as our status as the weirdos in our family. I felt like we had bonded, and Diane might just, finally, approve of me.
Belly full of quite good leftovers — Diane's skills clearly laying in the culinary —department, I got back into bed holding Shae the rest of the night. Basking in her gentle warmth, I wanted nothing more than to be able to experience it for the rest of my life.
Before long, I was drifting to sleep, the weight of Diane's disapproval finally lifted from my mind. I realized that she was really just concerned for her daughter, having been mislead by Ellis, who could be pretty damn slick. She wasn't really so bad once you got to know her.
****
The next day, packing went pretty quickly. We had packed pretty light on purpose, figuring we wouldn't need much for a long weekend. Diane and Chester were waiting for us downstairs. I shook hands with Chester and got a surprisingly warm hug from Diane. Then it was Shae's turn to say her goodbyes.
“Be
good,” Chester said, hugging her tight.
“Always.”
“Goodbye, my sweet child. You have a real winner here, don't let him go.”
“What did you do to my mom?” Shae asked as we walked to the car.
“We talked, is all. Diane even said she hadn't really gotten to know me. We rectified that last night. Though I do remember telling you as such. You just had to give me time. You also owe me.”
“What, we never set a bet!” Shae protested.
We spent the rest of the drive playfully quibbling over her debt and how she could best repay it, settling on some very generous terms to which she had no strong objections.
Chapter Fifteen - Shae
It was a blissful sort of haze. For a couple days after we got back to Vegas, I just couldn't stop smiling. I was so in love with Chris and felt he was on the same page. Feelings we didn't hesitate to show each other every chance we got. I had never fucked so much, even as a newlywed. Even though neither of us brought it up directly.
“Well, what's this?” Camilla asked as I got off the elevator at Sure Thing Graphics.
“Lunch, for everyone,” I said, holding up a big paper bag.
It was partly true. I had brought enough food for everyone, and it was, indeed, lunchtime, though I'd also had the hidden motive of seeing Chris.
“Are you glowing? Like a motherly glow,” Camilla asked, looking me over.
“Keep it down, will ya? I haven't told Chris yet. Well, not really. I tried to, but I'm pretty sure he thinks I was joking.”
“Oh, must be love then, the glow of love!” she said louder, trying to cover up for her mistake.
I couldn't really deny it. I was in love.
If only I had realized that Chris was within earshot walking up to the receptionist’s desk. He heard everything Camilla said about love and gave me an assessing look that I couldn't quite read, but it seemed to me like he was pleased. For some reason, this sent me into a mad panic. I put the lunches on Camilla's desk and ran off to work.