Kristen Ashley - At Peace

“Joe,” I called.

“Yeah?” he answered, his eyes not leaving the yard.

“Baby, look at me,” I whispered.

Joe looked at me.

I leaned into him and put a hand to his face.

“Sucks for you, you had to wait thirty-nine years,” I told him.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“But works for me,” I went on and he grinned.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll do what I can to be worth the wait,” I whispered and his eyes got intense.

“You do that, buddy,” he whispered back, “startin’ tonight.”

I smiled, leaned further in and touched my mouth to his.

Then I pulled back and whispered, “This is workin’ great.”

Joe smiled then promised, “Best is yet to come.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

He leaned in this time and touched his mouth to mine.

“Always,” he murmured.

That was good to know.

* * *

When the girls came out to the deck to say goodnight this time, they kissed me on the mouth like usual.

Then they kissed Joe on his scarred cheek.

Both of them.

The best came for Joe faster than it did for me.

* * *

We waited for the girls to be asleep before Joe showed me what being creative meant.

I thought he was already pretty creative.

I was wrong.

I decided if he ever earned payback like that again, we’d go to a hotel so I could make as much noise as I wanted.

Luckily, one time I came, my moan was muffled due to his cock being in my mouth.

The other three times, I had to get creative.

* * *

Therefore now, with my in-laws at the door about to meet my new man, you would think I’d be pretty relaxed, having had four orgasms before sleeping like a log.

And having had a good week, a topsy-turvy one but, if this was an indication of my girls and my future with Joe, I’d not only keep it, I’d take down anyone who tried to take it away from me.

Because of all that, you’d definitely think I was relaxed.

But I wasn’t relaxed.

I wasn’t relaxed at all.

I exited the bedroom to see Joe coming toward me, his manner was urgent and there was a strange light to his eyes and set to his mouth. I wasn’t sure but I could swear he looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or shout.

He opened his mouth to speak but before he made a noise, Keira shrieked, her voice chock full of pure glee, “Mom! You won’t believe this! Uncle Vinnie and Aunt Theresa are here too!”

I stopped walking and Joe stopped in front of me so close we were toe-to-toe. I tipped my head back to look at him and I could actually feel my eyeballs bugging out of their sockets.

“Cool!” Kate yelled and I heard her scrambling toward the door, following, I knew because I heard her shouts outside, Keira.

Then I heard the door close. Then I heard both the girls shouting outside.

The mingling of family wasn’t supposed to happen, not now, not until Joe and I were having, say, our peony festooned engagement dinner somewhere fancy and close to water (I was thirty-five and this was the second time around but that didn’t mean I didn’t have fantasies), when Bea was comfortable with Joe; Theresa and Vinnie could be briefed about Bea’s delicate disposition; and the situation could be contained.

“Joe –” I whispered and his hand came to my neck.

“Relax.”

“Bea’s shy.”

“Buddy, relax.”

“She spooks easy and Theresa and Vinnie are –”

He dipped his head and kissed me lightly.

When he was done, he asked, “Baby, what’d I say?”

I stared into his blue eyes.

Then I nodded.

His hand slid from my neck to around my shoulders and he walked me through the study, the living room and out the door.

The vision that assaulted us was Kate, Keira and Mooch jumping around Bea, Gary, Uncle Vinnie and Aunt Theresa, Mooch yapping, the girls giving exuberant hugs and kisses.

Then Kate stopped and grabbed Bea’s hand, introducing, “Gram, Gramps, this is Uncle Vinnie and Aunt Theresa, Joe’s folks. They’re awesome!”

Bea started to take a step back but Kate, knowing how her grandmother was, clutched her hand and she got close as Gary’s arm went around Bea’s waist.

“Yeah, they’re awesome!” Keira concurred, her arm around Vinnie, her smile so big, it had to hurt her face.

“This is great, isn’t it Mawdy?” Kate called to me, “like, most of the whole family together.”

“Yeah,” Keira agreed. “All we need is Mel, Benny and Manny and it’d be like a family reunion.”

Theresa and Vinnie were beaming. Gary looked confused. Bea looked scared out of her brain.

One thing was good, the girls were thrilled and I liked it that they already thought of Joe’s family as theirs. I thought it was a little weird, we’d only met them once, but I liked it.

The rest of it was bad.

I disengaged from Joe and walked forward as Kate announced to Theresa and Vinnie, “We so have to do that!”

Oh Lord.

I ignored the reunion planning and went to Bea first. “Hey Bea.”

Kate and Gary let her go and Bea walked into my arms. I gave her a hug and she gave me one back. When she did, I forgot the current drama and felt Tim’s Mom’s arms around me. They’d been around me before, hundreds of times through laughter, through tears and just because. My eyes stung as the memories assailed me and I pulled her closer.

“Honey,” she whispered.

“I’m okay,” I whispered back but my voice was hoarse.

I didn’t let her go and shoved my face in her neck, smelling her perfume, the same scent she wore since forever, and the tears spilled over.

“Oh, my precious girl,” Bea murmured.

“Missed you so much,” I choked.

“Me too, sweetie.”

I pulled my head away and looked at her to see tears in her eyes and I shook my head and laughed, not because it was funny, just because it was so us.

“We’re the pair, aren’t we?” I asked.

She smiled at me and I felt Gary get close.

“Lemme have a bit of that,” Gary demanded, Bea let me go and turned me into Gary’s arms.

“Hey Dad,” I said into his ear.

“Hey there, my beautiful flower.”

His words, words he meant, words I liked, words said so often to me, made me choke again and I shoved my face in his neck. He held tight until I pulled in a steady breath then he let me go and turned us to the rest of the gang. Kate, Keira, Bea and even Theresa had wet eyes. Vinnie was studying his shoes. Joe’s eyes were on me.

Gary’s gaze went to Joe.

“This your new fella?” Gary asked, his voice studiously friendly.

Before I could answer, Keira did. “Yeah, Gramps, that’s Joe. He’s the bomb.”

Gary gave his granddaughter a small smile that I could see he didn’t fully commit to and then he let me go and offered his hand to Joe.

“Joe, I’m Gary.”

Joe took his hand and said, “Pleasure.”

They dropped hands and Gary looked Joe up and down. “Pam didn’t lie, you’re a big guy.”

“Yep,” Joe agreed and said nothing else for this was true, Joe was a big guy.

Gary turned and pulled Bea to his side. “My wife, Bea.”

Joe pulled me to his side as he dipped his chin to Bea and murmured, “Bea.”

“Am I gonna get a kiss or what?” Theresa demanded to know, getting impatient and butting in. Then she bustled up and grabbed Joe’s face, yanking it down to hers, kissing his cheek then his other cheek then back before letting him go and coming to me to do the same thing. When she jerked my head around I understood why Joe didn’t protest. She was jerking my head around, sure, but the affectionate way she did it felt good.

“Cal, son.” Vinnie shoved in, giving Joe a back pounding hug then he turned to me and whispered, “Cara mia,” then he gave me a tight hug, released me and turned to Bea and Gary and asked, “So, momentous occasion, you meetin’ your daughter’s new man.”

“Um… Vinnie,” I said, “these aren’t my parents. They’re Tim’s parents.”

“Tim?” Vinnie asked me.

“My husband,” Vinnie’s eyes got big and I finished quickly, “he died just under two years ago.”

I could swear Vinnie’s face grew knowing and he looked at Joe.

Before I could assess what Vinnie’s knowing look meant, Vinnie said, “Right,” clapped his hands and finished in a booming voice, including Bea and Gary in his announcement, “family’s family, always is, always will be, thank God. Now, I need coffee. We been on the road since six and road coffee is shit.” He leaned into Bea, who leaned back as he said, “Pardon my French.”

Theresa slapped him on the arm and snapped, “Vinnie, the girls. They don’t need to hear your foul mouth.”

“That’s okay, Aunt Theresa, Joe cusses all the time and he says much worse stuff, like the f-word and the c-word.” Keira, doing her best to make Vinnie and Theresa feel better, threw Joe right under the bus.

I groaned because Bea, nor Gary, would shine their light on Joe cursing in front of the girls. The f-word, Gary would accept on occasion, but not in front of the girls. Never Bea, she went to church every Sunday and taught Sunday school for thirty years. The c-word for both, never, ever. Tim didn’t shy away from swearing but he never did it in front of his Mom or the girls and I wasn’t certain I’d ever heard Tim use the c-word.

Joe slid his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side. I looked up at him and he definitely looked like he was fighting back laughter now.

I couldn’t see what was funny.

Joe looked down at me, squeezed my shoulder and prompted, “Coffee, buddy.”

“Right,” I whispered, Joe turned me and we led the way to the house.

“Gram, this is my new dog, Mooch,” I heard Keira announce and then I heard Mooch yap his hello.

“He’s cute, honey,” Bea replied quietly.

We hit the house and the minute we did, Joe turned Dad.

“Keira, babe, show Theresa and Vinnie around. Katy, help your Mom with coffee. Yeah?” Joe ordered.

“Sure, Joe,” Kate smiled at him and skipped to the kitchen.

“No probs, big man,” Keira stated on a grin. She dropped Mooch and linked her arms with Vinnie and Theresa, tugging them through the living room into the hall.

I was staring at my youngest daughter, thinking, Big man?

Then I looked at Gary and Bea whose heads were swinging back at forth between the girls.

“Why don’t you guys sit?” I suggested. “Coffee’s fresh. Joe brewed a pot not ten minutes ago.”

Gary started then looked at me. “That’d be fine, Vi.”

Bea looked up at Gary. “I need to get my pie out of the cooler, hon.”

“Yeah,” Gary muttered, “right.”

“Pie?” Kate asked from the kitchen where she was taking down mugs.

“I, uh… made, um… Joe here a chocolate cream pie,” Bea answered shyly.

“Killer!” Kate shrieked then screamed, “Keirry, Gramma made Joe a chocolate cream pie!”

“No way!” Keira’s voice shouted from down the hall.

“Way!” Kate shouted back.

“Phenomenal!” Keira yelled.

I looked at Joe and explained, “Bea’s chocolate cream pie is really good.”

Joe’s mouth was twitching before he stated, “I’m gettin’ that.”

“I’ll go get it,” Gary muttered, his mouth also twitching which I hoped was a good sign.

I went to the kitchen. Joe moved to Bea.

“Sorry, Bea, didn’t know Vinnie and Theresa were comin’. You want, I’ll take ‘em somewhere, give you some time with Vi and the girls,” he offered, my stomach melted and Kate leaned into me, bumping me with her shoulder.

“I’m fine, Joe. It’ll be okay but… uh… thank you,” Bea said softly.

Joe wasn’t done. “They can get loud and in your business, it gets too much, just give me the sign, yeah?”

I was worried this was too honest. Being honest was, of course, Joe and it was also sweet but I didn’t want Bea to think I was telling tales out of school.

I held my breath and she looked up at him, not quite meeting his eyes then she lifted a hand. I thought she’d touch him but she dropped her hand and spoke.

“I’m sure it’ll be okay.”

“Right,” Joe muttered and Keira, Vinnie and Theresa came into the room, Keira playing tour guide.

“So this is the living room which comes complete with dining area and views of our sparkling kitchen which I cleaned.” She threw an arm out and sashayed around the room as if she was a paid model, showcasing a luxurious suite before she went on. “And next, you’ll see our fabulous study.”