Super Seven Ch. 07 - Mia

"Breanna."

"It's true. The only way you know how to function is to show love. I've spent my entire life trying to be invisible, and you know what, I've been pretty good at it. But the seven of you would never let me get away with it. My sisters here dragged onto volleyball courts, and to dances, and movie theatres, and to any number of other activities. I've always struggled with self-esteem, but when I'm with this group, I always feel special."

Sarah reached across the table to take her hand. "You are special, and we love you."

Breanna squeezed Sarah's hand, and then continued, "You, Greg, were the biggest boost to my feelings of self-worth. I may have continued to be shy and reserved, but because of you I understood that that was my choice. I could be special and quiet at the same time. Of course, you remember one of the first things you taught us was poetry. And, as always, I could remember the poets and the poems, and what they meant. But then it came for us to write our own poems. I didn't know what to write. You knelt beside my desk, and talked to me. You weren't talking to me like I was a silly little kid, but like I was a person who mattered. You didn't tell me what to write. You guided me through my thoughts. Do you remember that?"

"Vaguely. But I've done that with a lot of students."

"And that's one of the reasons we love you. Do you remember when that poem was finished, and you asked if you could share with all of your classes? Do you know what that meant to me? I mean, you were the teacher, you could have done whatever you wanted with the poem. You didn't need my permission, but you asked anyway. You told me that if I didn't want to share, I didn't have to share. No one else had ever treated me that way. With my brother it was always take, take, take, and my parents not only let him get away with it, they basically encouraged him. You asked my permission."

"It was the right thing to do. I always do that."

"But you didn't stop there. Next, you asked if you could enter it into that contest. Personally, I was sure it wouldn't win, but just the fact that you thought it was good enough to enter, had me walking on air for the next couple weeks."

Greg jumped out of his seat. "That reminds me. I'll be right back." He dashed into the little room he used as an office. He was back a few minutes later with what looked like a framed photo. "After I had you girls in class, something about your poem just kept coming back to me. I honestly couldn't tell you what it is, but I still feel your poem is one of the best I've ever read. I hope you are still writing. If not, I think it's something you should reconsider. There's a talent there that needs to be pursued. Anyway, I took your poem, had it framed, and it's been front and center above my desk ever since. Personally, I wish I could keep it, but it is your poem, so I'm bringing it back to you if you want it."

He walked around the table and put it in Breanna's hands. She hugged the frame to her chest. She was crying a little. "Thank you."

She placed the poem back on the table, and wiped her eyes. "You're doing it again. You always put us first. You always make me feel special and truly loved. How could I not love you back? You were my first and only love."

She stood up, and handed the frame back to him. "I want you to have this. No matter what else I give you, I want this to forever be a symbol of my love for you."

Greg leaned in to kiss her. He squeezed her hand, and then returned to his seat at the head of the table. All of the other girls were smiling at the little romantic scene that had just played out in front of them.

Catie jumped in next. "Do you know that you went to more volleyball matches than my parents? I'm guessing that until this year, you never missed a match, right? I remember other teachers there once in a while, but usually because they were taking tickets or keeping score or something like that. You were always there because you wanted to be there. And I know it wasn't just volleyball. I remember you talking to the guys about going to football and wrestling, and other girls about when they had softball games."

Greg shrugged his shoulders. "That wasn't that big of a deal. I like watching the matches, and it seemed to mean something to you girls."

Catie responded, "You may think it wasn't that big of a deal, but your comments just prove that it was. It did mean something to each of us, and you knew it. You did it because you cared about how we felt. That just motivated us more. I know I can speak for all of us when I say that everything we did, we did because we just wanted to make you proud of us."

It was Allison's turn to speak. "Greg, darling, I've felt things similar to what Breanna and Catie have described, but I really want to tell you about two times that truly spoke to my heart. One was at the first dance of our seventh grade year. Remember, it was early in October. We'd had you in class for about six weeks. You and Mary were chaperones, and you were clearly in love with each other. The two of you held hands almost all evening. If that wasn't romantic enough, watching you dance with your wife could melt any girl's heart. I knew that I wanted someone to love me like that. I hoped against all hope I would have someone just like you to love me forever."

"The second time was a few years after that. It was about a year after your daughter was born. I saw the three of you at the store. Mary was the one really doing the shopping, and you were just carrying Jessie up and down the aisles. You were showing her all kinds of things on the shelves. It was a little funny. You were reading labels to her in a happy kind of voice, and she was just eating up the attention. I mean, she wasn't even a year old yet, and you're trying to explain monosodium glutamate to her. But then she reached up and touched your cheek. The look of love that you gave her. I can close my eyes, and still picture that moment. It's sealed in my heart forever. That's when I truly fell in love with you."

Tears were flowing down Greg's cheeks. No sobs, just tears of joy.

The stories continued around the table. Each girl told her own tale of her love for Greg. They were all similar, and yet each one was unique. In some way, without him really understanding the full impact of his actions, Greg had touched each one of them, and to them there were no other options. They loved him, just because.

Greg wiped his cheeks and eyes, and cleared his throat. "I think maybe we could use a break for a couple of minutes. If you don't mind, I'm going to step out on the deck."

The girls quickly agreed. They had been sitting at the table for a couple of hours straight, and they all needed a break. Breanna and Sarah headed for the bathrooms. Catie, Elizabeth and Amelia fixed drinks for everyone. Allison and Kim watched Greg through the door as he stood up against the railing, looking out over the yard.

Kim suddenly spoke, "Excuse me, I've got to do something," and she opened the door, stepped out on the deck, and hugged Greg from behind. "I love you."

She gave him a squeeze, and then released him. Allison immediately took her place, repeating Kim's actions. In a few minutes, Greg had been hugged by each girl in turn. He wanted to face them so he could hug them back, but they wouldn't let him. It suddenly dawned on him that this was their way of showing their unconditional love. They were giving him their love, expecting nothing in return.

After the last girl finished her hug, he turned around to face them all. "Girls, I love you, too." He stretched out his arms. "Everybody get in here. Group Hug!"

The girls rushed forward to join in. They stood that way for a long time.

Afterwards, they were back around the table discussing how they would approach the girls' parents. Generally, they agreed that most of the parents would be okay with the girls dating Greg. After all, the girls were adults, and their parents always said they just wanted them to be happy.

Sarah pointed out that Greg already knew how her parents felt. Breanna said that even though Greg had not talked to her dad, her mom had, and he seemed to be okay with things. Kim seemed a little sad that her mom really wouldn't be interested at all in what was going on with her.

Greg pointed out that they still had four sets of parents to tell. Plus, that was just telling them about Greg. He was really worried about what they would say when they found out about his relationship with the rest of the group. He didn't want them to think he was just using their daughters for cheap thrills.

Of course, it was Allison that allayed his fears the most. "Greg, I honestly don't know how they will react. I hope my parents approve and support us, but ultimately, I'm not going to let them influence me. I love you ... we love you ... and we're going to be with you. It's our lives to live, not theirs, and we will live them the way we feel is best."

Greg looked at them thoughtfully for a couple of minutes, his eyes making contact with each of the girls, then nodded his head, and said, "Okay."

Everyone looked a little relieved.

"Now, I think it's time for the rest of you girls to go. I owe Mia some serious attention."

Mia jumped in, "Wait. You all say your goodbyes. Greg, I need about 20 minutes before you come upstairs, okay?"

Before he could say anything, she grabbed her bag from where she dropped it beside the front door, and was bounding up the stairs.

The other girls managed to take slightly more than 20 minutes to make their goodbyes. There were lots of hugs and fairly passionate kisses as they made their way out of the house. By the time Greg was heading up the stairs to his bedroom, he was very aroused, and looking forward to his time with his young lover.

He was a little surprised when he found the door to the bedroom closed. He knocked gently to make sure she was ready for him. He had no clue what to expect.

"Come in." She said in a quiet voice.

He opened the door, and caught his breath in surprise. The room had a soft romantic glow. Mia had lit a couple dozen candles, and had placed them around the room, on the dresser, and the tables beside the bed.

She stood in the center of the room, dressed in a floor-length, sheer, black robe that covered a matching bra and panty set.

"I know our first time was hard and quick, but I wanted tonight to be more romantic...more honeymoon like."

"I think you succeeded. This is wonderful, and you look absolutely beautiful."

They slowly and gently removed Greg's clothing, kissing and caressing each other every step of the way.

Their lovemaking that night was in stark contrast to what had happened just hours early. They both knew that the love they showed each other both times was the same.

**********

Afterwards, Greg lay on his back, with Mia cuddled up next to him. His arm was wrapped around her. Her head was on his shoulder and chest, and her hand drew lazy lines up and down his sternum.

"Greg, honey, were you serious when you said you wanted more kids someday?" She thought she might be playing with fire by asking this, but she wanted to know how he was feeling.

He reached up to grab her hand and hold it to his chest. "Mia, sweetie, I really hadn't thought about it before tonight. Seeing those two women in the class brought it into my mind."

"And?"

"And... yes... someday I hope I have more children." He paused. "I really liked being a dad."

She could see the happy memories run through his mind. He smiled. "I loved bedtime. I loved reading books to them. I loved the hugs and kisses, and the endless, but futile attempts to stay awake. I loved playing games with them, especially the ones where they made up the rules as they went along. And, if I'm really being honest, I didn't mind changing their diapers, although nobody really likes to do that."

He turned his head to look directly into her eyes. "Yes, I would love to have kids again. That's one of the things that makes what I'm doing with you girls a little difficult. It's way too early to be thinking about this sort of thing. And, considering how much I love all of you, how do I ask six of you to step aside, just so I can be a dad again. Not to mention the question of how I would or could possibly choose between the seven of you."

"Sorry, Greg, we didn't mean to make things so complicated."

"No, you really didn't. Like I said, I had never considered any of this until tonight. I mean, until last September, I was a dad, so it was never a concern. Then, after the accident, I was in such a dark place, I couldn't possibly conceive of having kids again. That is, until this week. You girls, you seven wonderful girls." He paused again. "Sorry, you seven wonderful women, have brought me hope again. It's one of those corny sounding lines, but the seven of you have brought me out of the darkness, and into the light."

"That's a good thing, right?"

He kissed her forehead. "That is an absolutely fabulous thing. I can't think of anything more wonderful than being here with the seven of you. So, maybe it's a good idea to push this talk of having more kids back a while. I'm only 30. There's no rush. Maybe all of this will resolve itself without any pressure from anyone."

Now it was her turn to give him a quick kiss. "I hope so, I truly hope so."

Greg pulled his arm out from under her, and got out of the bed. Mia protested a little. "Where are you going? Come back."

"I'm not going anywhere, but it's been a long, yet wonderful evening, and we need to get some sleep. I don't know about you, but there's no way I'm going to get to sleep with all these candles still burning. I'm going to blow them out, and then I be right back in bed, holding you against me as we fall asleep."

"Okay, I guess." She tried to sound disappointed, but she couldn't really pull it off. Not to mention that she knew he was right, they were tired, and they needed some sleep.

She watched him move around the room, blowing out each candle. Finally, he reached the ones on his bedside table. He sat on the edge of the bed as he blew out the remaining few candles. He then moved back to his spot in the bed, and pulled her back into his side, with her arm and leg draped over his body.

They kissed, professed once more their love for each other, and settled back into position. In a few minutes, she fell asleep beside him.

He knew he would be asleep soon, but for a few minutes, he watched and listened to her breathing. He thought about the conversations they all had this evening. He relived the stories they told as they explained why they loved him. His heart warmed as he remembered the feeling of each girl hugging him on the deck, demonstrating their love for him.

He didn't know when or how it would work, but he suddenly had a feeling that he was going to be a dad again someday.

He slept, feeling a love he hadn't felt in months.

**********

"Good morning!" Mia said cheerily as stood cooking at the stove. Greg slept well, but was a little surprised when he woke up in bed all by himself. He had learned his lesson a week earlier, so he slipped on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before heading to find Mia in the kitchen.

"Good morning to you, too. What's on the menu for this morning?"

"How about biscuits and sausage gravy, hash browns, and fried apples?"

"Mia, sweetie, I'm already in love with you. Making my favorite breakfast isn't going to make me love you more."

"Well, see, that's just more proof that we belong together. This is my favorite breakfast, too. Why don't you fix our drinks while I finish up. I'll take a glass of chocolate milk."

"Ah, we have the same favorite drink, too."

In minutes they were enjoying a hearty breakfast.

"It's amazing how such a simple meal can do wonders for your soul. Mia, this is just what I needed. Thank you."

"It's my pleasure."

That ate a little more before Greg started looking thoughtful. "I know I've talked about this a lot, but it's really been starting to worry me. How are you parents going to react to us?"

"Greg, sweetie, you have absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to my parents. They will be so supportive, you won't believe it."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh my God, you really don't know about my parents, do you?"

"No, it's been years since I saw them, and even then, we never really talked much."

"Well, when you hear their story, you'll understand everything. Let's start with my dad. You know he's a chemical engineer, right?"

"I think I remember that. Works for a private lab, doesn't he?"

"Sort of. He works at a private lab, but he's really working for the government. That much he can tell us, but he not allowed to tell us what he actually does, or which agency he actually works for. The secrecy thing is a little scary, if you ask me."

"Anyway, he got both his bachelors and his masters at MIT, and because he was at the top of his class, he was heavily recruited for this job. There was only one catch. The funding wasn't quite complete, and his background check was really complicated, so while they offered him the job, they told him he couldn't start working for 9-10 months. They offered him a signing bonus to keep him happy until he actually started. It wasn't quite enough to live on, but they told him to find something part-time until everything was set."

"At the same time, the high school had a sudden opening for a chemistry teacher. Dad heard about it, and offered to teach, but he told them it would be for only one year. They were a little desperate so they quickly agreed."

"So, here's my dad, 25 and fresh out of graduate school, teaching a high school chemistry class. My mom was a 17 year old starting her senior year at the same high school."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah, but before you get the wrong idea, she never was a student in his class. They saw each other in the hall, and at games and dances. She was with her friends, and he was supervising. She turned 18 at the end of November. Three weeks later, one of her friends that was taking Chemistry needed to ask my dad about a paper. Mom went with her for moral support. Apparently, the sparks flew between my mom and dad at that moment. He somehow got her by herself, and asked her out on a date."

"So, they started dating. But they had to be really discrete. Even though she wasn't in his class, and she was a legal adult, they were still afraid of what might happen if someone found out about their relationship. The other thing mom has told me, is that they saw each other for months before they had sex. Dad was patient, and told her that he wanted her to be sure before she gave him her virginity."

"And then, on Mother's Day, she found out that she was pregnant with my brother. When she told my dad, she said he made a very romantic gesture. He went to my grandfather, told him they were in love, and asked him for my mother's hand in marriage. Apparently my grandfather was a little reluctant, but my dad convinced him that they really loved each other, and because he already had a good job lined up, that he would be able to financially take care of her. Only after my grandfather gave them his blessings, did they tell him that she was pregnant. They felt that proved that they loved each other, and they weren't getting married just because they had to."

"The wedding was a week after mom's graduation, and they settled into a nice little house in the quiet little neighborhood where I grew up. So, you see, their story is about a young student falling in love with, and marrying an older teacher. Think they'll have a problem with us?"

"You're right, I do understand a little more. Okay, so they'll approve of you seeing me. What about me seeing the others, too. Don't you think that'll upset them?"