Always a Bridesmaid

He kissed her and said, "Promise?"

"Cross my heart," she before kissing him back.

Half an hour later they were alone in his bedroom after Jason gave her the two-minute tour of his one-bedroom apartment.

"Nice bachelor pad," she told him as she put her arms around him. She glanced to the side and said, "Nice bed, too."

"I hope so," he told her with a smile. "After all I promised I'd make it up to you for waiting."

"Oh, right! Yes, you did. I'm looking forward to you making good on your promise," she said as she pulled his shirt over his head. "Mmmm. Someone is in very good shape," she purred when she his thick chest and flat stomach. "I hope you're not too disappointed when you see my body."

Kelley snapped her up like a child and almost threw her onto the bed. Emma shrieked with surprise as he got on top of her. "Okay, enough of that kind of talk from you!" He had her arms held out to the side of her head and pinned to the bed. "I am stone cold in love with you and that means your very hot body, too. So no more of that. Got it?" His eyes were playful but also serious.

She looked into them and felt herself falling deeper in love with him. "Yes," she said softly.

"Good girl," he said before unbuttoning her jeans and pulling them off. "Can you raise up for me?" he asked as she helped him take off her sweater. "Aha! Just as I suspected."

She looked but didn't speak. "You're perfect," he said convincingly before he kissed her.

Emma sighed as he reached underneath her and unhooked her bra while she unbuttoned his shorts. Jason rolled over onto his back and kicked them off then removed his own underwear. As he rolled back over on top of her Emma saw him for the first time.

"Oh, my...God!" she said.

He saw what she was looking at and asked her, "Will that do?" knowing it was one of his um...biggest attributes.

"Oh, wow. Talk about worth waiting for! Mmmm!"

Kelley spent a very long time making sure his beautiful new girlfriend got all of the needed attention she could possibly want. All women could have multiple orgasms, but not all women were the same. Some had these rolling orgasms that came one after the other. Once you got them on the roller coaster, they just kept coming and coming and coming. Others needed time to recover so after their first, a man would leave the Boy in the Boat alone for a while and focus on her breasts or maybe just kissing until she was ready again.

Emma was the latter kind of girl. She came the first time in less than two minutes from first touch on her swollen nub which had been preceded by a ton of kissing and petting. Kelley knew she was ready and it didn't take long before her body absolutely exploded in pleasure. He loved screamers although the quiet types could be fun, too. Emma was in between both extremes and he loved the way she reacted as she came harder than anyone he could ever remember.

"Oh...wow!" she cried as her body subsided after tensing and trembling and shaking.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg, honey," he told her as she reached for him.

"No, this is the tip of the freaking iceberg," she said with a laugh as she played with huge, swollen head of his dick. "They grow 'em big out West, don't they?"

He went to take her and she said, "Uh-uh. No way. I don't know about other girls, but this one loves giving head." Her smile was positively wicked as she pushed him onto his back then pulled her hair behind her ear. "Damn! This is gonna be a challenge," she said smiling at him before trying to engulf the tip.

"I'm sure you're up to it," he said as she lowered herself onto him.

She came up briefly and said, "Um, well...someone is definitely 'up' for something!" She went back down and went to work proving herself to be nothing short of amazing in that area of lovemaking.

Kelley couldn't believe how beautiful she looked as she worked her magic in his boneyard. When he couldn't take anymore, he pulled her off and watched her climb on top.

"Is this okay?" she asked looking down at him. "I want to see your handsome face from up here when we make love for the first time."

"Anything you want is okay with me, Emma," he told her trying not to be too serious.

She rested her palms by his ears, her hair cascading around their faces. "I love you, Jason," she said before reaching back and guiding him to the door of her vault. Once the angle was right, she pushed back and felt him slide inside her. "Oh, God," she moaned as he filled her. "Now that's a big cock, mate," she said. She wanted all of him but couldn't handle him all at once. "Easy does it," she said as she pulled up then went back down for more.

When he was finally completely inside her she purred with happiness. "Talk about worth the wait. My God, you feel good inside me!" She rocked back and forth as she raised herself up then down over and over.

After a minute or so more, Kelley grabbed her and roughly pulled her over causing her to happily yelp again. "Mmmm. Fuck me, Jason," she moaned as he filled her completely. "Just like that!"

Emma couldn't remember a time when she was happier or had had such an attentive (and well-hung) lover. Everything was perfect as she felt her body on the verge of coming again. He pounded her hard as her hand reached for her clit. "Harder, baby! Fuck me harder!" she cried as her fingers did what they'd done so many times before.

Seconds later her body exploded in a second, equally-amazing orgasm. In fact, his beautiful, hard cock inside her very wet pussy made this even more special than the first. When he felt her cum, he pulled out and let her use her hand to help him shoot his entire load all over her beautifully naked body. Kelley grunted and groaned as he shot one stream along her stomach then a second on her gorgeous tits, and finally a salvo that hit her right in the face causing both of them to laugh loudly.

"You fucker!" she teased as she tried to blink the think goo out of her left eye.

"Why, yes I am," he said as he collapsed alongside her. "I am indeed a fucker."

Both of them laughed again before Emma said, "O, my God! I just realized you've fucked my sister in this very bed."

He leaned on his elbow and looked at her. "Oh, shit. I forgot all about that. Is that too weird for you? Never mind. Dumb question."

She finally got all of his cum out of her eye then said, "Not really. Sex isn't love. I don't know if you ever really loved her...and I don't want to know. But I know you love me, so...no, it's not a big deal."

"You're amazing," he told her.

"Normally, I'd make a joke like, 'Yeah, I sure am,' but I'm so happy...and so in love with you...all I can do is tell the truth. You were amazing. My God, that dick of yours is like a piston!"

"So was it worth the wait?" he asked with a smile.

"Uh-huh!" she told him. "Speaking of waiting, how long do I have to wait to try that again."

Both of them looked down at what she called 'The Big Piston' from then on, and both of them laughed. It had only gone down about half in its size and just the mention of Round Two brought it back to full steam. "Does that answer your question?" he asked as he got on top of her.

"It does, indeed," she said as they made love for the second time.

Emma hadn't spoken to her family since Kelley showed up at Shelby's reception, but she got an earful from her mother the next time she stopped by to work in the greenhouse.

"Tell me you're not seeing that boy!" she demanded to know after informing her elder daughter how badly he'd embarrassed the entire family.

"No, Mom. Not the entire family. Only the part you care about. The part that doesn't include me."

"Why...why that is just not true, Emma. You are as much a part of the family as anyone else!"

"Oh, really? So if I was seeing Jason and that made me happy, then you'd be happy for me, right?"

"Well, that's unfair, Emma. You couldn't expect your father and me to support such a foolish and hurtful decision."

"Hurtful to whom, Mom?"

"Well, to Shelby. And to your father."

"Right. To the people who matter. I rest my case."

Emma turned to walk outside and her mother stopped her.

"Are you seeing him?" she asked, her voice much softer this time.

"Again, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Emma said. An hour later she came back inside and her mother asked her to sit down. She even asked if she'd like some tea, an event normally reserved for her good daughter.

"I just want to say that your father is very set in his ways. Being married to him isn't always the easiest thing. I do love him, but he can be...difficult at times." She put her hand on Emma's and said, "In my heart of hearts I know he favors your sister for reasons you and I know quite well. It's always bothered me because I love you just as much, Emma. But when you told us you no longer believed in God, that was the final straw for your father. Yes, he was upset you chose nursing over the law, but being...being an...atheist, well, that was just a bridge too far."

"Is there a point here, Mom, or is this just another lecture?"

"I'm trying to tell you I love you, honey, and I will support you whomever you love. I could never say this in front of your father, but I wouldn't care if you were, you know, one of those kind of women."

"A lesbian?" Emma said trying not to laugh. "I'm definitely not gay, Mom. I like men. But it was nice to hear you say something accepting. But I am still an atheist. I'm not some angry, anti-theist who's has an aneurysm over Beaufort High School saying a pray before a football game. Religion—and no religion—is a personal choice. Do you accept my choice and love me in spite of it?"

"Of course I do, Emmy," she said using her pet name for her daughter. "I don't care about any of that. Our faith, such as it is, consists of going to the chapel once or twice a month. We claim to believe, but we don't do anything else differently than those who don't. So yes, I love you unconditionally."

"Even if I'm seeing Jason?"

"Are you?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes," she said. She looked at her mom for a second then said, "I love him, Mom. I know that sounds crazy after him being engaged to Shelby, with how long I've known him, with me being so much older, and with how Dad feels. But I do. I really love him."

"Well, your father is seven years older than me, you know," she said trying to be supportive. She squeezed Emma's hand then asked, "Is it serious?"

"Kind of," she said. "Or maybe it could be."

"I can't speak for your father or your sister, but I do know they will be rather...displeased to learn this, but I can speak for myself, and if you do love him and if he makes you happy, then you have my support, okay?"

Emma had always been closer to her father than her mother until the rift opened between them her senior year of high school. Since then, she'd been closer to her mom but never close. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and saw her mom in a whole new light.

"Thank you, Mom. That means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, honey. It's not going to be easy once your father finds out, but I will stand up for you. You have my word on that." She patted Emma's hand and said, "And should he one day propose to you, I have a little money squirreled away your father doesn't know about. It wouldn't provide for a grand wedding like Shelby's, but let's just say we could but something nice together, okay?" She saw a tear fall from her daughter's eye and said, "I wish I'd told you this years ago, honey. I'm sorry it took so long. Fear is a terrible emotion to live with and I'm tired of being a slave to it."

Emma stood up and hugged her mom. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Emmy-Em," she said as they held one another and had a much-needed cry.

That night, Emma recounted the talk to Jason who listened in stunned silence.

"I'm glad, honey," he told her. "As much as I love you, I can't imagine having to choose between me or your family. Not that..."

"Jason? There is no choice. I love you and if my family loves me, they'll accept our love. If not, they can go to hell. You know, the place that doesn't exist kind of hell." Both of them laughed before Jason put his arm around her and told her again how much he loved her.

For the next month, they spent as much time together as possible while avoiding her family. Her mother never said a word to her father and he might never have known except for one thing.

Jason took Emma out to the Old Sheldon Church ruins under the guise he'd never seen it before. That part was true, but he knew she loved that place and that it was very special to her. It was there he knelt down and asked her to marry him. Somehow she managed not to cry when he proposed, but that didn't mean her heart wasn't overflowing with love and happiness.

She gladly said 'yes' and Jason smiled then said, "Just so you know, this is not the same ring."

Emma managed a laugh and told him, "I don't care about rings or weddings, sweetheart. I care about love and commitment. I love you and I promise I'll love you the rest of my life. What else matters?" she said as he stood up and held her hands.

"Nothing," he told her. "Nothing else matters. But if you do want a wedding, I want to give it to you."

"A big wedding has never been my dream. I would love to wear a beautiful white dress for you and maybe have a small, informal reception afterward, but no floral arrangements, no seating charts, no band, no hoopla. Just you and me and a few close friends."

The colonel barely contained himself when Emma told him to his face she was getting married to Jason a few days later. She calmly said she wasn't there asking for his blessing let alone his permission. She was simply informing her father she was getting married to the man she loved and he was welcome to attend.

"I don't expect to be walked down the aisle like Shelby, and I'm okay with that. But I would very much like you to be there, Dad. However, I'll understand if you're not."

He launched into a diatribe about the family, its reputation, their friends, and most of all, her sister.

She let him vent then said, "My friends are happy for me and they won't be talking. What your friends think, say, or do is beyond my control. I love you, Dad, but I won't be intimidated by you ever again." She left a simple invitation on the table and walked away.

Her mother caught up to her and walked her outside. She handed her an envelope and said, "This will more than cover any dress you want plus a modest reception. And I promise you I will be there even if your father won't."

"Does Shelby know?" she asked.

"No, but she will very soon and you should not expect her to attend. She may not ever speak to you again. You know that, right?"

"That's her decision, Mom. I'm not angry at her but if she is with me, that's her cross to bear. Secularly speaking, that is."

Her mom didn't laugh, but she did hug her and remind her how much she loved her and that she would be there.

"Mom? Would you be my maid of honor?"

"Technically, I'd be the matron of honor, but I would be...honored!" she said.

Six weeks later, there was a small rehearsal dinner for a handful of friends as well as Emma's mom and Jason's family who'd flown in from Portland.

"Your father and I haven't spoken much since, you know..." her mother told Emma when she asked if her dad might show up after dinner.

"Okay. I wasn't expecting him. I was mainly concerned about you," Emma explained.

"Me? Oh, honey, I'm wonderful! My daughter is getting married to a handsome Marine aviator tomorrow. How could I not be?" she asked rhetorically.

They were getting married at the base chapel with several of Jason's squadron mates performing a sword arch for them after the ceremony. Emma had found the perfect wedding dress at a very reasonable price and after paying for the rehearsal and reception had money left over. Money she tried to give back to her mother.

"Nonsense! You keep it and use it toward your honeymoon," she'd told her. It was just enough to cover the cost of a three-day cruise out of Charleston which they'd booked for the day after their wedding.

The ceremony itself was short, simple, and sincere. The happy couple exchanged personal vows and rings, then walked under the sword arch on their way to a waiting limo that drove them to the back of the base to the officer's club for a small reception.

There was also music and dancing and as Jason held his wife, Mrs. Jason Kelley, for their first dance as a married couple he said, "Any regrets?"

Neither her father nor her sister attended, but her mother had been there along with several close friends from Beaufort Memorial.

"Not one," she told him smiling a very happy smile. "I would trade everything I have just to be with you."

"Well, you have me. For better or for worse for the rest of our lives. And you will always have my love."

"And you mine," she told him. She smiled then said, "I hope this isn't the wrong time to tell you this, but I'm pretty sure I will having something else of yours in another eight months."

"What? Are you serious? Emma, are you kidding?" he said hardly able to contain himself.

"I'm very, very late," she told him. "I don't know for sure, and yet I do know."

He picked her up off the floor and swung her around. "I am SO happy!" he said. He put her down and said, "You just made me the happiest man on earth twice in the same day!"

She pulled herself close to his ear and said, "Wait until we get to the hotel and I'll make sure it will be at least three times."

Jason laughed then pulled her close and told her again how much he loved her.

"And I love you, Jason." She looked into his eyes and said, "Looks like I'm not always a bridesmaid after all."