Family (Re)Union

"Seamus. That beached whale over there? That Seamus?"

She blushed as she sipped her beer. "Aw yes, and he moved like a panther back then. Stop letting your mouth hang open like that. And it's not like I did it behind Dorian's back. He was in the room with Lily."

"Are you kidding?"

"Nope. She was... quite creative. He barely lasted five minutes the first time. Oh, but it was rather romantic. All of us in the living room, a roaring fire, snow falling outside."

He tried not to picture it. He already felt the stirring in his loins. Emily was still quite beautiful for a woman in her fifties, more like Aoife's older sister than her mother. And Lily still had a few features that the men on the beach kept ogling. Rick really did not need to fantasize about his mother-in-law or her sister right then.

She leaned in and patted his arm. "All I'm saying is that she acted just to remind herself that she was worthy. Your father responded by trying to prove that she is."

"But what about him? What if he feels... I don't know, less of a man? Unworthy?"

"It's just my opinion, but I'd say he deserves his own pass. As do you."

"What?"

"Please. I pulled the truth out of him when I found him alone in the kitchen last night, drinking his sorrows away. And Aoife told me about that girl, Mary, long ago."

"Do secrets even exist with you people?"

"Only when I'm the one keeping them." She sauntered off, leaving him to digest her advice. Becky, meanwhile, followed Emily and tried to strike up a conversation. Emily wrapped an arm around the younger woman and guided her down to the surf.

Aoife slapped him upside the head before he even knew she was there. For revenge, he spun and ran his twitching fingers over any exposed skin he could find. Which was pretty much all of her, considering how skimpy that bathing suit was. She squealed as she tried to escape, but once he swung his arms around her, it was too late. He lifted her into the air as she begged for help, and carried her all the way to the ocean, kicking and screaming. He didn't release her until the waves were pounding against his chest. One stripped off her sunglasses and swept them away.

"You will rue this day!" she cried.

"I accept that challenge."

"Oh really? Then have I got a very hard challenge for you."

"Name it, lassie."

She growled and pulled at his cheeks, trying to tear the grin off his face. Speaking of hard, her pressing against him as she fought was having quite the reaction. She noticed it, too.

"Quick response. Good, because you'll need it if you choose to accept the trial."

"Please no public nudity."

"Don't spoil it!"

She held onto his shoulders as they waded further out, until his toes barely reached the bottom. They were bobbing in tune with the waves, away from everybody. Considering how he'd caught her hiding behind the van earlier with Jess and Selene, and saw their smirks when they'd spotted him, he had a feeling he already knew her idea.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Okay, I've worked this out. Gerald and I... we never finished, thanks to you. And given how that all came about, your timing was good. But!"

"You want to finish what you started."

"Yes! Ugh, that sounded way too eager."

"Yes, very much. I'm just glad you two barely met before the wedding, otherwise I may have found you with your dress hiked up and my dad holding your garter."

"Wow, now that's a grand idea for roleplay. Wear a wig that looks like his hair, though."

"You're a freak."

"And you haven't said no." He shook his head. Oddly enough, he genuinely was excited by the idea. Her smile widened. "Now, for your part. Jess told me how you offered no resistance to the idea of a threesome with her and her new fling."

"Your situation is a bit different. Besides, Jess is one thing, but a woman we don't even know, and at the same time. That's pushing it, don't you think? I was just joking with them."

"I'm not sleeping around while you are left alone. And since I'll technically have had two lovers since we've been together, you should, too. Even out the score, and all that."

"A threesome, with your cousin."

"If you want, I bet I can convince her to wear a bridesmaid dress. But the sand might ruin it."

"Sand?"

"Apparently, there's a really nice spot on the beach that's ignored by tourists. Selene is showing it off to Jess now."

"And what happens if it's not ignored by the police."

She shrugged. "Then I suppose I run off with your daddy while you rot in jail. Ooh, maybe I can seduce Becky while I'm at it, and become their love pet."

His trunks were being pushed out by his erection as he thought of that. There was no hiding it from her. Taking one hand off his shoulder, she reached down into the water and grabbed onto him, stroking slowly, but with a firm grip. Her thumb twirled in small circles along the top of the shaft, just the way he liked it. She applied the right amount of pressure as she pulled back, then gently pushed forward, not bothering to tease him or take her time. There were still too many people around, and they'd have to return to the group before long. With her eyes half-closed, watching him be satisfied, she kept the rhythm until he climaxed, then kissed him again. There was no chance of him to debate her on her plans now.

Especially after she whispered, "I'm going to teach Jess that trick tomorrow, and a few other ones I know you like. So take your vitamins and get a good night's rest."

Groaning, he asked, "When are we doing this?"

"Thursday. So tomorrow is sightseeing, trying out the restaurants, and being lazy. I'll make sure everybody is preoccupied with something, so no one cares when Gerald and I slip out."

"Actually, I have an idea. Stay at the house. Tell your mom to take the girls shopping, and let the guys go out while Gerald pretends to still be under the weather. With all of them gone, you won't need to care about secrecy."

"How do I explain my absence?"

"Duh, we go out together. Hell, I guess it'll be easier to bring Gerald along and claim you're showing us a cool place to spend some quality time together."

"Awesome." They turned to someone shouting about a new shipment of booze. Seamus had woken up, ready for another round. "Time to chaperone again."

"Guy's going to be a folk hero to these college kids by the time he leaves." He still couldn't picture Seamus as a muscular yet lithe babe magnet. That was probably just jealousy on his part. Rick would love to have a woman twenty years from now talk about him as Emily did her brother-in-law.

*****

Aoife awoke on Wednesday with some extra pep in her step and whistling an old folk tune. Upon finding Jess, she high-fived the taller girl, letting her know the plan was a go. Aoife spun to watch her hurry off, likely to rush out and purchase some things for the game. She believed Jess was a bit in love with her husband, even if the woman wasn't aware of it. Had they met first, perhaps Aoife's life would have been very different. Maybe she'd still be single and living in England, though definitely still working for the website. Those people at work were as much family now as the worn-out group filling the house. Jess even worked for the site now, doing their daily gaming news bit. As Aoife imagined the what-ifs and could-have-beens, she found herself grateful to whatever higher power had led Rick to her first. And Finnegan's Kettle, where they'd had their first date. The waitress spilling the tea on Rick had happened at the perfect time, throwing them both off balance enough to settle their nerves.

With an extra bright smile on her lips, Aoife greeted every family member she came across. While the younger ones made plans to return to the beach, their elders chose to hit up the restaurants and gift shops, and perhaps drive further into town to check out the neighborhoods. Though a few of her cousins were living in cities now, most of them were still used to quiet, spaced-out towns and villages, so the congested, sunny city was mesmerizing for them. Aoife had already seen it all, though it wasn't hard for her mother to convince her to be the day's tour guide. Rick was all for it, too.

New Smyrna wasn't particularly big or filled with excitement, but the restaurants were great -- a Mexican place with an Irish name was a major hit -- and the homes were cute. They abandoned the cars after an hour since the day's weather remained comfortable with a cool sea breeze combating the blazing sun. Other than Jess, whose new friend was working today, everyone was paired off and generally stayed that way. Aoife kept things friendly with Gerald, giving no indication of her intentions with him, nor did Rick hint at tomorrow's activities, either. She did, however, strike up a conversation with Becky. As they walked down bright streets and dodged other tourists, she discovered that the woman was a fashion designer, spending most of her time at her home office creating stylish jackets and headwear, though she did admit to wanting to dive into architectural work, and was taking online courses at a local university for it. Aoife saw nothing of the two-faced hussy Rick's uncle had made her out to be. In fact, even if this was literally the second time they'd spoken to each other ever -- the first being on her wedding day -- she found herself liking the woman quite a lot. Which only made her feel a little guilty.

They broke off from the group with Jess in tow after stumbling upon an open house. The place was far smaller than the beach house they were borrowing, being only one story with three bedrooms, but it was decorated nicely and the realtor was providing refreshments. Judging by the amount of questions a retired-looking couple was asking her, Aoife assumed this place was going to be sold by the end of the day.

She led her cousin and mother-in-law into the backyard after grabbing cups of lemonade. Music was playing from the neighbor's house, a thumping rhythm with screamed lyrics, but it wasn't too bad. Most of the others checking the place out remained inside in the shade.

"Things appear pretty good between you and Gerald," said Aoife.

"We're trying. This trip has helped a lot. I haven't seen him this relaxed in a long time."

"But he was the one who stepped out of bounds, wasn't he?" They both gaped at Jess, then noted the small bottle of vodka she tipped over her lemonade. "What? I'm on vacation."

"Propriety shouldn't go out the window with sobriety, bitch," said Aoife.

Becky giggled, waving them off. "Not bothering to segue into the story, are you? And it was me, not him. I've never caught him so much as looking at another woman, except for you, sweetie." Aoife blushed and busied herself by taking a very long sip of her drink. She now wanted that vodka for herself. "It was a mistake, yes, and I don't know what I was hoping for. A release, or to get him angry. Gerald was always so polite, never letting the stress show. He simply asked me when I told him if I wanted a divorce."

"Did you?"

"At that moment, I realized I loved him too much and begged his forgiveness. We started counseling the next day."

Jess looked confused as she asked, "You two basically shrugged it off? If it were one of us, there'd have been blood. Or the jilted one would've been fixed up with a friend."

"Believe it or not, our counselor actually made that suggestion. She advised a very brief separation, like a weekend, let him sow his oats, if you will. Gerald refused immediately. At first, I got pissed at the idea."

"But not anymore?"

She shrugged. Aoife was listening a little too eagerly now. "If he ever did such a thing and was honest about it, I don't think I'll mind. The man has spent most of his life as a model employee or being a father. And since Rick was gone by the time I arrived, Gerald defaulted to being a hard worker. I don't think he's ever done a single wild thing in his life. He married his second girlfriend, after all, right out of college. Then became a father, and a single one shortly after that. He's spent so long being responsible that he's forgotten how to cut loose."

Jess smiled in that worrisome way of hers, letting Aoife know she was up to something. Then she asked, "So, if your husband were to come to you and say, purely hypothetically, that he wanted to spend the night with Aoife, what would you say?"

"My god, Jess! Give me that liquor." She tore it from her cousin's grasp, then chugged it straight to the woman's horror. Becky was laughing all the while.

When she caught her breath, she said, "I'd rather not see Gerald killed by his son, thank you. And I doubt you'd jump into his arms so easily."

"Hey, if we were both single. He is quite the catch."

They were all surprised at her bluntness. She hadn't meant to say it aloud, and wished for more liquor. The others were coming out back, so Becky recommended they drop the subject for now. She went over and gave her husband a quick kiss as Aoife gave her cousin the death glare. Jess ran over to Rick, slipped her arms around his neck, and pretended to hide behind him, all the while pressing her breasts against his back. He visibly stiffened as he checked to see who was watching. Thankfully, everyone was so used to Jess goofing off that they paid her no mind. Even after Aoife came up to them, her cousin wouldn't let her husband go, remaining glued to him as her arms held him loosely. She imagined them holding each other on the beach, and only felt excitement at the prospect. They had to be careful, though, lest either one of them enjoyed it too much. Rick grinned at her and touched her cheek lightly, silently telling her he was aware of her worries.

She took one of his arms in both of hers, clinging to him as the group finished their little break and resumed their journey across town. Along the way, she and Jess ducked into a drug store to buy everyone drinks, and made a pit stop for certain supplies. Near the pharmacy, they found the rack of condoms.

"Choose your preference," said Aoife. "Rick doesn't care."

Jess grabbed two boxes of the ribbed, with fancy colors, so that they could be found easily if tossed in the sand. "What about you?"

Aoife arched an eyebrow. "Ideas?"

"Personally, I'd go with bare back."

"No."

"Not fair."

"I'm not letting my man have a love child, so don't even think it." She grabbed a random selection of Magnums. "Now, uh, how do we hide these?"

Jess grabbed a large box of sweet tarts, knowing most of the guys weren't going to harass her for them like chocolates. Before leaving the store, when nobody was looking, she poured the candies out, then emptied the boxes of condoms into the package and tossed the evidence. So now she was carting around a snack nobody wanted, leaving them all none the wiser.

"You've done this before."

"Did you forget? You taught me this trick back in college."

"Oh yeah. Damn, the married life is making me rusty."

*****

Gerald checked himself out in the mirror, trying to decide if he should go with the typical vacationing tourist look, or as a guy who just got off work and was hitting the town before calling it a day. Becky came up to him, pinched his butt -- way out of character for her, and a welcome surprise -- and held up a pair of tan khaki pants.

"Stick with the shirt, but open two more buttons. Try the disheveled look for once, like your son is so good at."

"He's a game designer. He's used to hanging out with college kids and sitting in bean bag chairs at work."

"Oh hush. I've done actual research, and those folks do not act like hipsters all day. According to his wife, he enjoys dressing up for work. He just knows how to cut loose when off the clock."

"I can cut loose."

She unbuttoned his shirt and fluffed the fabric, exposing most of his chest. With his tan contrasting greatly with the white fabric, he looked almost Italian. "Honey, you look great, but you're stiff as a board member all day long. If a young thing like Aoife or Jess ever hit on you, I bet it would go right over your head."

He immediately thought of Aoife flirting with him openly, and pushed it away quickly. Not in front of his wife. He checked her out, in a flowery dress that was cut rather low, showing off a fair amount of cleavage. Men were naturally drawn to her, even if she, too, rarely realized it. That asshole who had taken advantage of her had just been at the right place at the right time. And yet, he was somewhat thankful for that man seducing her. She truly did need the validation that he'd failed to give her, and it brought them closer together. He just hoped he wasn't about to ruin it all.

"So what are the plans for today?" he asked. "Maybe find a quieter spot on the beach? Or, I heard some small music festival is going on."

"Oh, actually, Emily and Lily have asked me to go shopping with them for souvenirs and summer clothes. All the girls are going, even Mallory's daughter, though I've heard Jess is planning to sneak off with a friend later. Aoife actually asked to commandeer you for today."

"Me?" A stirring of arousal proved very difficult to stop, but he managed, and kept his tone free of delight. "What for?"

"I guess she thought it best to take you and Richard some place for proper bonding, seeing as how little time you've spent together for the last few years. The two of them have come down here a few times, so she knows a good place."

"Ah, right. I think I have avoided him, haven't I?"

"He understands. It's pretty obvious he's waiting for you to make the first move. So don't be shy. Enjoy the day. We'll all meet up tonight at that festival." She leaned in and kissed his neck, whispering, "And you and I will have a little festival of our own when the kids are in bed."

She gave his butt a full-on slap this time as she left the room. He was glad he had the strength to forgive her, and so thankful that she was giving him another chance. Now if only he forgave himself, he could be free to start over properly. Of course, if he had to admit it, a full restart with Aoife's help would make things so much easier.

He went downstairs and saw his son and daughter-in-law in the kitchen. Jess was there, too, leaning against her cousin's husband without a lick of shame. At least, until her mother gave her hair a tug and tsked her for the behavior. Chris and Bree walked around hand-in-hand as Gloria gagged while following them. He overheard George telling the guys about a good fishing pier about a mile down, and a place to rent the poles and tackle. Only he had a license, but the cops rarely carded anyone unless there was an incident. Gerald just hoped they kept an eye on Seamus in that case.

His eyes returned to Aoife, and the white outfit she wore -- a fluffy miniskirt and shirt with a single string around her neck in place of shoulder straps, the bottom of which was unable to reach her navel. Unlike most of the group, her tan was barely noticeable, held back by the voluminous freckles on her shoulders. She turned to him, wearing bright red lipstick and pale blue eye shadow, smiling brightly.

Before he reached them, Emily barred his path and enveloped him in a hug. "I'll take good care of your wife," she said, "so have fun today. And be gentle."

"I don't think Rick is that fragile."

"Oh, I know he isn't." She smiled coyly as she released him. Then she ordered the women to group up. Chris tried to follow, until Dorian grabbed him and dragged him away from the girl. Bree blew him a kiss as they all flooded out the door.

As Chris was left grumbling, Gerald gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Be happy, kiddo. When a woman looks at you like that as she's heading off shopping, you know she's going to buy something for your benefit."

"Don't encourage him," said George. "He's fifteen!"

They looked to Seamus, who just shrugged. "What? Bree is sixteen. She's already beaten her mother and sister's records."