Bagging Lauren - Again

"Oh, honey! It's over. It's really over! I can be with you and the best part is Reed doesn't want the house! You can move in here with me immediately! Come inside and let me tell you everything!"

She was so excited he didn't want to say anything to take away her joy. "So tell me everything," he said as they went to the kitchen.

"Well, when he got home I told him we needed to talk. I started to tell him how I felt and he stopped me and said he'd never stopped seeing Trish, the flight attendant. He told me he was so sorry but that he was in love with her and wanted a divorce. He felt so guilty he said he didn't want the house—just his half of the money."

"Did he ask if there was someone else?" Petersen inquired.

"No, but I told him I'd met someone, too. He surprised by saying he was happy for me. He didn't ask who it was or anything at all. He packed a couple of bags and said he was going to a motel and then moving in with Trish. It's all so surreal. The big, fat, hairy deal I'd imagined was a non-event. Oh, and guess what I bought for the first time in my life?"

"I hope it isn't a vibrator," he said wryly.

"Not even your sarcasm can bother me tonight." She went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of expensive champagne. "Ta-dah!" she exclaimed proudly. "I also picked up a set of champagne flutes." She set them on the counter then said, "Would you open the bottle, sweetheart? I'm afraid that's something with which I have no experience."

Petersen removed the safety wire then popped the cork. Lauren cheered then squealed with joy. "I am SO happy and I am in love with Cal Petersen!" She put her arms around him and kissed him deeply. "I love you so much. Thank you for believing in me, honey!"

They toasted to their new life and took a long sip. "Ooh! That's very bubbly. Gee, maybe that's why it's called...bubbly!" she said bubblingly. She set her glass down and said, "You haven't said much at all. Is everything okay."

"Yes, everything's fine, honey. I couldn't happier or happier for you. But there is one thing we need to discuss."

She sat on his lap at the kitchen island and said, "Anything. Anything at all. Did I tell you I love you and that I'm so happy?"

He smiled and kissed her and said, "You did, but I love hearing it. And I really I'm so happy for you."

"Then what it is? Talk to me, Cal."

"You remember when I said I don't want your money?"

"Of course, it was just yesterday."

"Then...we can't live here. In this house. In your house...his...house."

Lauren looked crestfallen. "I didn't even think of that. I just assumed..." Her face look like he'd just told her he was leaving her, too.

"Lauren, honey. Please understand. I didn't earn the money for this home. And it's the place where you and Reed lived your lives—together. So...I can't live here. I don't want anything to spoil your happiness. Lord knows you deserve it. But honesty can sometimes have a rough edge to it. But I do have to be honest with you." He paused and ran his hand along her cheek. "Because I love you so much."

She put her hand on his and did her best to smile. "It was selfish of me to just assume you'd..."

"Hey—stop. Please don't do that. We're a team now. I'm on your side and I'll always have your back. You don't need to apologize for anything. Especially for something you meant in our best interest. If I hurt you...if I was...too direct, I'm very sorry."

"Well, it did hurt but not in a bad way. It hurt that I didn't listen more carefully yesterday. You told me how you feel and then when everything went so well, I got so wrapped up in my own feelings, I forgot about yours. So I'm the one who's sorry..." She realized she was apologizing again and stopped. "I'm new at this, you know. This...new way of life. Can you be patient with me?" she asked.

He pulled her close and said, "I will always be patient with you, sweetheart. And I have thought about our living arrangements."

"Maybe a new bed for our apartment?" she asked hopefully. "I think a queen would fit in there pretty easily."

He stroked her hair and told her, "No. I can't have the woman I love living somewhere I'd worry about her safety. That place is okay for me, but I would never let you live there. I'm willing to let you pay a little more than half to get us into some place where I'll know you'll be safe. But I will pay you back every penny you pay over half."

Lauren couldn't wait any longer. She kissed the man she loved and began unbuttoning his shirt. Minutes later she was underneath him begging him to cum inside her.

__________

They stayed in her big house until the end of the month when his lease expired. They put the house up for sale and found a very nice apartment in a quiet part of town. When all was said and done, Lauren had just over half a million dollars in assets. Cal encouraged to work with a financial adviser to make her grow as they began their new life together. Having saved what was a lot of money for a junior enlisted Marine, Petersen still had a little over $20,000 after paying his share on the new apartment and now had a full year of college behind him.

They lived there until he he'd earned his masters in aerospace engineering and went to work for McDonnell Douglas.

It was then that Lauren first noticed the lump in her breast and just a year later she lay dying in their bed in their new home. "Please don't feel bad," she said as she gasped for breath. "You taught me what it meant to live and to love. I was happy day I was with you. Now, all I want is for you to be happy, too. Mourn my loss if you must but promise me you'll love again."

As tears fell from his Petersen promised her he would. Before she closed her eyes for the last time he held her frail hand and told her how much he loved he and that he always would.