Of All People

I tweaked her nipple and soon she was moaning in pleasure, then rather suddenly realized where we were and pushed me away.

"You scoundrel, trying to take me in your old bedroom in your mom's house. She's right outside. She'll hear us."

"So?"

"So, considering she just lost her husband don't you think that would be a little insensitive?"

Damn, she was right. Normally I wouldn't have concerned myself with it too much; it's not like I was never subjected to the noise mom and dad made. But the timing wasn't right so I reluctantly backed off. We ended up taking a short nap.

I awoke to the smell of dinner cooking. Mom was a great cook and I was certainly looking forward to whatever it was she was preparing. Between the wonderful smells and the fact that I wasn't entirely awake, I forgot myself a little bit. I walked into the kitchen expecting to see mom scurrying about as she so often had but instead found Hannah handling the cooking duties. She looked up as soon as I walked through the doorway. I simply froze for a moment, as can happen when your expectations don't match reality and you're just not sure what to do.

She looked good. Her hair was shorter and she wasn't wearing any makeup (which was practically a sin for her), but otherwise she looked pretty much how I remembered her.

Hannah walked over to me and without a word put her arms around me and hugged me tight. I could feel her body start to shake and could hear her start crying. We were both hurting over dad's death and I decided this was not the time to let old issues surface. I put my arms around her and, realizing I wasn't pushing her away, she pulled me even tighter to her.

After a couple of minutes we separated and I quickly turned and left the room. Not a word had been spoken during the entire encounter.

Dinner was solemn and quiet. Obviously we had the specter of dad's passing hanging over our heads but I think everyone was worried about saying the wrong thing and causing some sort of scene. I know I was.

Later that evening I had retreated to my bedroom for some quiet time. This whole day had been very stressful and between that and my jet lag I was feeling pretty tired. Katie and the girls were in the living room with mom, Hannah, and Christie; the latter two were reveling in their first exposure to my daughters. They were crawling around on the floor with the twins while Darcy climbed on their backs looking for horsey rides.

There was a soft tap on the door and I called for the knocker to come in. Mom slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

"I'd like to talk for a few minutes, if you wouldn't mind, son."

"Anytime, mom. Come on in."

We exchanged a few pleasantries about how we were feeling before mom got to the reason for her visit.

"Son, this will be the only time I mention this while you're here. I don't want you to get angry or defensive or make any decisions now. I want you to listen and then we can talk a bit. Can we do that?"

I knew what this was about but there was no way I was going to say no to my mom, especially given the circumstances, so I agreed.

"Henry, one of the things that is so devastating for me is that your father went to his maker knowing his children were still at odds with each other. Katie says you did your best to put it out of your mind but dad and I talked about it almost every day. Some days we tried to come up with ways to fix it but mostly we just talked about how sad it made us. Son, I don't want to have to go through what your father did. I'd like you to please consider making up with Hannah. One day, maybe soon but hopefully not, I'll be gone and you guys are the only family either of you will have left."

"I've tried, mom, but how can you forget something like that?"

"No one's suggesting you forget it; only that you forgive her and find a way to build some sort of relationship."

"That's easier said than done. Every time I look at her or even think of her I'm reminded of what she did. She took my wife from me, mom! Just because I ended up even happier doesn't mean the ends justify the means. I don't understand why she couldn't have supported me by walking away."

"But what would walking away have meant? She would have been faced with the prospect of seeing her 'soul mate' regularly but she would have been out of reach. At some point she probably would have found reasons to not be around any of us, much like you did. And all while knowing Christie was in love with her and wanted to be with her. Effectively, they would have been choosing to stay apart only for you, which would have been extremely painful and likely would have led to one or both of them resenting you."

I ran that through my head while mom continued.

"Imagine if you had fallen for Katie and she had fallen for you but she was your best friend's wife. She loved her husband but loved you more, and the only reason they were together was because he had met her first. Wanting to be a good friend you back away from Katie but the feelings are still there, and she even says she'll leave him for you. You both know that would hurt him so you do nothing. Would you still be willing to see them every day, knowing how she felt about you and that there was nothing you could do about it? Or would you suddenly find other things to fill your time?"

"I suppose I'd probably keep myself busy. It would be hard to see her under those circumstances."

"Of course it would and everyone would agree with you. But what would you do if you truly felt you were meant to be together, and you believed that your friend loved both of you so much that he'd be happy that you each found happiness, even if it left him on the outside looking in?"

"I...I don't know."

"Henry, they didn't make this decision lightly. In fact, Christie tells me that she finally decided to...get intimate with Hannah because she was sure that would put the kibosh on the whole thing. But obviously that ended up being the last piece of her life's puzzle that she had been unable to solve. They still almost didn't go through with it. They nearly abandoned the whole thing even on the way over to talk to you that morning because they didn't want to hurt you."

"But still..."

"It was a hard choice, son, and in the end they decided they had to do what was right for them and trust in your love for them to help you understand. They knew you'd be hurt but they really believed you'd get past it by understanding the situation and how they felt. Something had to give. Either they got together and hurt you, or they got hurt by staying apart. The first one drove you away but the second one probably would have driven Hannah away. And considering what Christie now knew about herself and the likelihood that things wouldn't work out for you and her, it seemed to them that everyone would get hurt if they did nothing. So they made the choice they thought was the least of all evils."

She made some excellent points. What kind of choice was it really? The scenario mom created about Katie and my best friend really drove it home. What would I have done in that situation? I'd like to think I would have walked away but was that true? Now I wasn't so sure.

"Okay, mom. I hear you. I'll think about what you said, I promise. I'm gonna get some rest now."

She patted my hand and kissed me on the cheek, then walked out of the bedroom, turning off the light. I tried to sleep but it wouldn't come.

It was probably an hour later that I heard voices in the hall. The ladies were apparently getting the girls into bed before Hannah and Christie headed back to their place for the night.

Soon Katie eased into the room. She tried to be quiet, assuming I was already asleep. I don't think I had ever been so glad to see her. She began changing into her pajamas but I stopped her when she was down to just her panties.

"Come here, honey."

"Baby, we talked about this..."

"I need you, Katie. I need you now. I need you to make me feel better."

Something in my voice must have registered with her. She could tell this wasn't about getting my rocks off. This was an emotional need not a physical one. She slid out of her panties and crawled into bed with me.

"I'm here, baby. Let me make you feel better."

Our lips met but it was soft and gentle, more loving than sexual. My hands roamed her smooth, naked body, as much or more on her back and arms and shoulders as on her breasts and between her legs. Touching Katie always made me feel better and tonight was no different.

After several minutes of this she rolled up on top of me and just as easy as anything took me inside of her. She fucked me slowly, taking her time with each stroke moving in and out, in and out. She whispered in my ear.

"Is that better, baby? Does my pussy make things better for my man, hmm? I love you, Henry. I love you so much. My body is here to make you feel better, baby."

I felt Katie get off before I finally, and quietly, shot my load inside her. She continued to stroke me in and out until I finally went soft, then rolled over next to me. We drifted off to sleep.

*****

Katie shook me awake the next morning.

"We need to change the sheets. I'm not having your mother changing sheets I fucked her son on. C'mon, get up."

We cleaned up and aired out the room and then went to get the kids up and around, only to find that grandma had beaten us to it. After some pleasantries Katie went into the kitchen to start some breakfast while I went to help mom with the girls.

"Have you given any thought to what you're going to do now, mom? I mean, this house was kind of big for just you and dad. You know, Katie and I would love to have you stay with us."

"That's sweet, honey, but I'll be staying here. Hannah and Christie had been talking about getting a house so they could start a family so they're going to just move in here. They'll take the master bedroom and I'm going to move into Hannah's room."

"Did you say start a family? How are they planning to do that?"

"They have some choices to make but it's really not for me to talk about. You can always ask them if you want to know."

I let the subject drop. I was mildly curious but not enough that I wanted to inquire about the baby-making plans of Hannah and my ex-wife.

They arrived at the house for lunch time, and after we ate they took the girls into the backyard to play. Katie and I really appreciated the break. Mostly Katie, since she spends most of her life these days taking care of them.

Things started to change that afternoon when I went into my room to get a framed family picture we had brought as a gift for mom. I looked out the window, which overlooked the backyard, and saw my girls running through the soft, thick green grass. Dad sure could keep a lawn looking good.

But what I really noticed was Hannah and Christie sitting on the bench swing. Hannah had her arm around Christie and Christie was leaning into Hannah. It was a simple domestic moment of two people that genuinely cared deeply for each other.

I don't know how long had passed but at some point I was startled to hear Katie's voice break me out of my reverie. She appeared beside me.

"Did you hear me, Henry?"

"No baby, I'm sorry."

"I asked if you found the picture."

I glanced over at her then turned my attention back to the scene before me in the backyard. In my periphery I saw Katie turn and look out the window as well.

"They really love each other, don't they?" I said.

"Yes, baby, they do. Almost as much as we do."

We stared out the window together for a few more minutes, and then we located the picture and walked back out to give it to mom.

*****

Later that afternoon the kids were laying down for their nap and the rest of us were sitting in the living room. I was silently thinking while the ladies gabbed about this and that. It seemed mostly like Hannah and Christie were bringing Katie up to date on their life so far. Abruptly I stood up, catching the attention of all 4 sets of eyes.

"Hey, sis."

Hannah looked at me with shock, then quickly glanced around at the other 3 ladies before looking back at me. It was the first time in a long time that I had called her anything but her name.

"Yeah, bro?"

"Let's take a walk."

Without waiting for an answer I headed for the front door. I was halfway to the street before Hannah caught up with me. I felt her hand tentatively slide around my arm and then latch on to my elbow when I offered no resistance.

We walked in silence for about 15 minutes as I gathered my thoughts and decided how to proceed.

"Do you have any idea how much you hurt me, Hannah?"

"Yes I do, but I had no idea you'd take it so hard."

"What were you thinking? How did you think I was going to react?"

I tried to ask these questions honestly and without a trace of anger. The fact was that I was genuinely curious how they thought this would go.

"We expected you to be hurt some, of course. Honestly, who wouldn't be? But we really thought that you'd see it was for the best. We were sure you'd be glad I was happy and that you'd understand that if Christie was willing to leave you to be with someone else then the marriage wasn't all it could be, and certainly not how you saw it to be."

"I assume you've realized that I got over losing Christie relatively quickly, and that's not even really the issue and never was."

"It took us a while but at some point realized that all your anger was aimed at me. I was your sister and you trusted me to look after your wife, and then I fell in love with her. The fox had been in charge of the hen house but you thought it was just another hen."

I smiled briefly at her analogy.

"You were supposed to have my back over everybody else; at least that's how I saw it. I couldn't have felt more betrayed than I did by my sister having done what you did."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"Let me ask you this, Hannah: If you knew then that I would react the way that I did, and also knew how your relationship with Christie would turn out, but forgetting that I was able to find Katie, would you have done what you did?"

Hannah thought carefully for a few minutes before answering.

"Please understand I would never want to see you hurt, but she's my soul mate, Henry. I love her more than I've ever loved anyone and she makes it clear to me every day that she feels the same way. Given the conditions you just gave me, I hate to say that I would absolutely do it again. I can't imagine going through life without her. Do you hate me again?"

We stopped walking and I turned to look directly in her eyes.

"No I don't. In fact, that's what I was hoping you'd say. Mom and I had a talk right after I got here, and she devised a parallel situation putting me in your place and Katie in Christie's and asked what I would do. Would I go for her knowing it would end a long-term friendship or would I let things stand, forcing myself to see her with someone else or having to pull away from them entirely. She helped me realize the spot you were in and that I probably would have made the same decision myself."

"Do you mean that, Henry? Are you saying you're going to forgive me for taking Christie?"

"Yes, Hannah, I am."

"So, we're good then, Beavis?"

I smiled at the long unused nicknames we had for each other when we were kids. I was older by 7 minutes so I got to be Beavis.

"Yes, Butthead, we're good."

We walked back to the house and just before we got there I asked Hannah if she minded if I took her bride for a walk, promising with a smile that I wouldn't try to put any moves on her.

"Try all you want. It won't work. You don't have the equipment that interests her these days."

We walked into the house and were met by 3 sets of concerned eyes and questioning expressions. Neither of us said anything until I walked over to Christie.

"Can we take a walk, Christie?"

She glanced over at Hannah, who smiled and gave a slight nod. I helped her to her feet and we walked out the front door. Christie took my arm in hers just as Hannah had.

"I'm sure Hannah will tell you about the talk she and I had later, but I wanted to talk to you for a few minutes first."

"Okay."

"Are you happy, Christie? Happier than you were with me?"

I sensed a hesitation. She didn't want to hurt my feelings again.

"It's okay. I want, no, I need to know."

"Honestly, Henry, I am, but don't think that says anything about you. I loved, love, you too, but being with Hannah has put me in touch with parts of me that I had struggled with for some time, and I finally feel like I've got it figured out and I'm a whole person for the first time in my life."

"I'm happy to hear that, I really am. I wanted to thank you for telling me the way you did. Of course I would've rather you broke up with me before dating and...well, you know, with Hannah, but ultimately you came to me and were honest with me."

"I wish I had as well but the fact is that until Hannah and I slept together for the first time I was completely confused about what I wanted. We came and talked to you as soon as I had the clarity I needed."

"I understand, and I'm glad you and Hannah are so happy and doing well. I guess we all landed on our feet."

"We did. Katie is wonderful and loves you so much, and I can see how much you love her, too. And the kids, my nieces, they are so amazing. I envy you two."

We walked back to mom's house to find Katie and Hannah starting on dinner and mom playing Candy Land with the kids.

*****

The next two days were uneventful and then came dad's funeral. There was an immense turnout and I was delighted that so many people talked of how he had impacted their lives. I think the world was a lesser place without him in it.

By that evening we were all exhausted and we were sitting around the living room after having a dinner made up of dishes the various well-wishers brought over. Shortly we took the kids up to bed and then Katie and I turned in ourselves.

Katie climbed into bed naked and was on top of me. She kissed my neck and my chest and I responded with my hands all over her body. She lightly whispered in my ear.

"Make love to me, baby."

We worked my shorts off and I slid inside her with no difficulty. I was very hard and she was very wet. We maintained a leisurely pace almost the entire time, speeding up right at the end and coming together as we often did. She rolled off of me and cuddled into me.

"What brought that on?"

"Being at your dad's funeral just got me thinking about how dedicated they were to each other, and that made me think about us and our love for each other. I love you so much, Henry Weston, and I just had to show you how much you mean to me."

*****

The next morning we slept in while Auntie Hannah and Auntie Christie came over early and took the kids out for breakfast. When they got back the kids were handed off to mom, almost like it was pre-planned (which, it turns out, it was) and she took them out to the backyard. Hannah spoke first.

"Henry, Katie, can we talk to you for a minute?"

We gathered in the living room. Hannah and Christie sat together on the couch while I sat on the recliner with Katie in my lap. They were outwardly nervous: wringing their hands, looking at each and then at us and then into space, that kind of thing. I don't think they were this nervous when they told me they were fucking each other and Christie wanted a divorce. Hannah started.

"Henry, Katie, I hope this isn't too soon after we just managed get back on speaking terms, but we wanted to talk to you face to face and you guys are leaving tomorrow."

Katie and I glanced at each other for a moment, wondering what this was about. Hannah continued.