To Walk a Mile

"Do you still have the drawings?" she asked.

He looked a little defensive but at his sister's eager look he just nodded.

"I want to see them!" she gushed.

"The early ones were very rough! I've done better work since those," he insisted.

"I want to see them all!" Jillian said with glee.

Jack couldn't stop a smile from slipping onto his lips. He felt elated to have someone at home who was supportive of his passion.

"You need to sign up for a course on making clothes! They do that in Home Ec don't they?" she gasped.

"I can't sign up for Home Ec!" he exclaimed.

"Why not?"

"I'm on the football team! They'd eat me alive!" Jack barked.

They heard a shriek and turned to see the huge splash as Stephanie went under. They watched Ed dive under the surface and come back up with her in his arms again. He turned and carried her back to the beach.

Jillian turned to her brother. Her mind made the intuitive leap. "You've spoken to Ed about what you want to do?" He nodded.

Ed was setting Stephanie down on her feet and she swatted him but she didn't look too upset.

"Ed, don't you think Jack should take Home Ec to learn how to make the clothes he designs?" Jillian blurted and heard Jack's protest die on his lips as the young man watched his aunt's delighted smile.

"His team mates would eat him alive," Ed replied. "That shouldn't stop you if you want to do it. You can always tell them it's just to get closer to the ladies."

Jack's expression turned thoughtful as he considered that ploy.

"They'll still give you a hard time but if you treat their teasing as a joke you can survive it." Ed suggested.

"They do things other than sewing. You'll learn how to cook as well," Stephanie said. She saw Jack's expression twist into distaste. "Ed is an amazing chef! He makes the most delicious marinade for steaks! A friend of ours has a restaurant which specializes in steak and she now uses his marinade exclusively and is working on getting it sold commercially!"

Jillian and Jack were looking at Ed with wide eyes. "Did you take Home Ec?" Jack asked.

"No, I learned how to cook by watching my adoptive mom Shirley. She was an amazing cook! Then I just experimented on my own. We didn't have much money so I learned how to make cheaper cuts of meat tenderer and tastier by marinating them," he said with a shrug. He always felt a little sad when he talked about Shirley.

Stephanie saw the look in his eye and gave him a hug to pull him back from the funk. She tilted her face up and he kissed her tenderly. She felt something waking up and press against her before he pulled away with a nervous glance at the others. She sat back on her towel with a smile and watched Ed stretch out on his towel on his stomach to hide the beginnings of the bulge. She rested back and let the soft breeze dry her skin as she soaked in the sun.

They spent the afternoon alternating between baking in the sun and jumping in the frigid water. They also talked and got to know each other.

It was late afternoon when they'd finally had enough of the beach and packed up. They were ready for an early dinner.

They used the washrooms to change back into their clothes then made their way back to the car. This time Ed drove and got directions from Jillian to the Chinese food restaurant. They got a table for four.

Jack made a quick call home and got the all clear from his mom. Jeff had taken some headache medication and went to bed early. He informed his sister when he got back to the table.

Jillian and Jack ordered their favorites and Ed added to that as he was really hungry. The food arrived quickly and they dug in. Jillian mentioned the kids in the family all loved the chicken balls with sweet and sour sauce and the chicken fried rice. Stephanie flagged down the waitress and ordered two containers of each to go for Jillian to take home.

"If he asks tell your Dad you two paid for it," Stephanie suggested as she placed the bag on the edge of the table beside Jillian.

Jack nodded.

Feeling pleasantly full Ed drove them back to the farmhouse but stopped at the end of the driveway as he remembered the lack of welcome the last time they were there. Jillian and Jack slid out carrying their backpacks, towels, and the take-out food.

"Thank you so much for taking us to the beach and out to dinner tonight!" Jillian said at Stephanie's window.

"You're most welcome!" Stephanie replied. "We'll see you tomorrow at 4PM?"

"Yes!"

"Don't forget what I said about talking to your Mom. Maybe tonight would be a good opportunity since Jeff went to bed.

Jillian smiled and nodded.

Ed leaned over to look at the two through the window. "Have a good night!"

"You too Ed!" they called. They stood back as he backed out onto the road and headed back to town.

"It's still early. Would you like to go bowling?" Stephanie asked Ed with a grin.

He looked at her with a smile. "I've never bowled before."

"I worked at the alley when I was younger. It's probably a lot different from when I was last there."

They drove to the bowling alley and went inside. The lighting was subdued and colorful. "I was right, it looks nothing like it did when I worked here," Stephanie said with a smile. She was actually pretty happy about that as she hated the florescent lighting they used back then.

The far six lanes appeared to be busy with some kind of tournament. Teams wearing colorful shirts commanded those lanes and had a large audience behind them. There was a fair amount of noise coming from the group who were cheering and jeering in equal amounts.

Stephanie led them to the shoe rental desk and smiled at the young man behind the counter.

"Can I help you?" the man asked.

"We'd like a lane and to rent some shoes, please."

He looked over and saw most of the lanes on the left side were empty. "I'll put you in lane three. What size shoes?"

Stephanie looked back at Ed. "Size twelve," he said.

"Size twelve for him and seven and a half for me."

Ed looked at the odd red and blue shoes and tried one on but it was too tight.

"Uh, it doesn't fit."

He gave the shoes back and the clerk brought him a pair of thirteens. He slipped one on and nodded. "Are bowling shoes normally one size larger than regular shoes?" he asked.

The clerk stared at Ed. "No, they use the same sizes."

Ed looked at his boots and sure they were looking pretty rough but they didn't pinch.

"Maybe your feet got bigger too," Stephanie smiled poking him in the chest.

His eyebrows went up. "I thought I was finished growing!" he replied.

"I think feet continue to grow as needed to support the rest," she said with a smile, continuing to run her fingers over his muscular chest before pulling them away and biting her lower lip.

They made their way over to the lane and stood before a rack of bowling balls. "You'll need to find one that fits your fingers. The holes are drilled in different sizes. Find one that your fingers fit into easily when you hold it like this." Stephanie picked up a sparkling purple ball with her thumb and two middle fingers, showing Ed where her hand gripped the ball. He nodded and made his way down the rack trying ball after ball. He finally found one at the end of the rack. It had bright orange stripes like a tiger and Stephanie grinned with delight thinking the tiger theme suited him as he returned with it.

"You've never bowled before?" she asked and he shook his head. "Ok, I've only done this casually with the kids but here is how you play in its simplest terms. You roll the ball down the lane to knock down all the pins. You get two tries unless you knock them all down on your first roll. Try not to put your ball in the gutters which run along beside the lane. I'll bowl first so you can watch how I move and release the ball. Alright?" He nodded once more.

Stephanie entered her name then Ed's in the computer on the little desk and her name popped up on the TV screen above the lane. She got up and Ed followed her. "See how I'm holding it? I'm going to take three steps, not going past the line drawn on the floor there, swinging the ball back then forward, releasing it only when it's moving towards the pins. I'm aiming just to the right side of the first pin. Got it? OK, here I go."

Ed watched Stephanie's moves and saw the smooth release. The ball rushed down the lane to crash through the pins but two were left standing.

"I get one more try to knock these two down. If I do it's called a spare and I get extra points with my first bowl in my next turn. If I don't I only get the points for the pins I did knock down." She looked at Ed and saw he was beginning to look confused. "You know what? Let's leave the scoring to the machines and just have fun."

Ed sighed with relief and smiled at her.

Stephanie managed to get the remaining pins and squeaked with glee as she danced back to the desk. He clapped for her and watched the pins being reset.

The TV showed Ed's name and he positioned himself as he'd seen Stephanie do and he took the steps and released the ball on the forward swing. The ball sailed down the lane and didn't land for eight feet. It hit with a heavy thump and Ed knew he'd done something wrong. The ball was moving towards the right side gutter but he did get the ten pin at least. He walked back with an embarrassed look on his face. He looked over at the scowling clerk and pantomimed an apology. The man turned away.

"That's ok Ed. You just released the ball a little late. You get another try."

Ed's ball popped up in the ball return and he positioned himself again. As his throw went right last time he angled his body a little to the left. He made his approach and release and this time the ball landed just two feet out and rolled quickly down the lane to pick off the seven pin. He got two pins. He turned back to Stephanie and shrugged with a smile.

Stephanie was left with a split on the next frame with just the seven and ten pins left.

"Hey! Those are the pins I can hit! I can get them for you if you like," Ed joked then raised his hands in defeat as the machine reset the pins.

His next attempt was better and he thought he might be getting the hang of it. Stephanie was still beating him but he gradually started to catch up.

Aside from the tournament at the other end of the building their lane was the only one in use. Stephanie noticed they'd drawn some attention as she saw heads turned in their direction when she looked in theirs. She put it down to small town curiosity and concentrated on her own game.

Then she got a strike followed by a second one while Ed got five pins then seven. She was all grins as she returned to the chairs to give Ed a kiss. When she pulled back he smiled at her and saw her expression stiffen as she looked over his head. He turned and saw a group of people walking by. The tournament was obviously over. Then he noticed they were frowning in their direction.

"Do you know these people?" Ed asked as he watched them leave.

"No, I don't recognize any of them."

Two men in bowling shirts were following the others past their lane. They also had scowls on their faces. One worked up the nerve to speak. "Isn't it bad enough you broke up Kenneth's marriage, now you're going after kids?"

Ed stood up to face the man. "Excuse me, what are you talking about?"

"She made Nancy go queer and leave her husband!" the man barked.

Ed blinked at the man's statement. "It doesn't work that way sir. People can't make other people become gay. Either you're gay or you're not. Stephanie's friend Nancy is gay but was trying to live like she wasn't. She wasn't happy so she decided to stop lying to herself."

The man was pouting belligerently. "Nancy didn't decide to do it until she showed up!"

Ed looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't understand why you're mad. Stephanie had nothing to do with Nancy's being gay or her decision to leave. Nancy could have made the decision tomorrow or the day after that for any number of reasons. I think the fact that she made it so quickly meant it was just a matter of time. The why of it doesn't matter."

"It does matter because Kenneth's now on his own with the restaurant and two daughters to raise!" the second man growled.

Stephanie had had enough. "We're both sad Kenneth and Nancy's marriage failed but it's sadder that Nancy married him in the first place for the wrong reasons. It's too bad she couldn't have been honest with herself from the beginning." Both of the men looked uncomfortable about that. "We met their daughters last night. Lovely young women. They're both adults. The raising part of their lives is done. Now it's their turn to help their dad until he can hire someone to help out in the restaurant."

Unhappy about how they seemed to be losing the argument, the first man focused a sneer on Stephanie. "That doesn't excuse you from robbing the cradle!"

Ed felt Stephanie bristling so he put his arm around her shoulders and addressed the men once more.

"I don't understand why you're angry about something that can't affect you in any way," he said.

"Come on, Burt. It's clear they have no sense of propriety."

"Oh, but judging us makes you morally superior somehow?" Stephanie barked.

The two men frowned and left. Stephanie was breathing hard and trembling.

Feeling her tremble he gave her a hug and decided they'd probably had enough bowling for the night. He kicked off the funny shoes and put on his boots once more. Stephanie saw what he was doing and nodded as she struggled to compose herself. She changed her own shoes, dropped off the rentals with the clerk, and headed outside.

Ed drove them back to the motel. Stephanie stopped by reception to arrange for an extra night. When they got back to the room she used her tablet to connect to the airline and adjusted their flight home as well.

Ed called home to let them know he would be away an extra day. When he hung up he turned and saw Stephanie sitting on the edge of the bed with a sad expression on her face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

Blue eyes looked up at him and he saw her lower lip begin to tremble. He sat on the bed next to her and put his arm around her, resting her head against him. "Please talk to me," he asked gently.

"Are they right?" she asked faintly.

Ed didn't follow. "Are who right?"

"Those men at the bowling alley. Am I being ridiculous for trying to have a relationship with a man so much younger than me?"

"Hey! We're in a relationship! There is no try!" he teased but he saw from her frown she was really upset. He took her chin in his fingers and tilted her face up so he could look into her beautiful eyes.

"In my heart I have so much love for you. You are my Stephanie. The woman who is mischievous, playful, and makes me happy. You are beautiful and dazzle me with your smile. You are unique and it may be completely selfish of me but I want you in my life. Grace and the others have welcomed you so as long as you will have me I'm yours as well. I seriously don't care what some ignorant strangers think. Yours is the only opinion that matters... on that... matter," he finished awkwardly but it didn't seem to matter as Stephanie no longer looked sad.

She pushed him back onto the bed and climbed on top. Then her lips were on his, hungry for his kiss and he gave himself over to her passion. Their tongues stroked across each other and Ed's hands slid down her back to squeeze her ass.

Stephanie moaned into Ed's mouth as the feel of his big hands on her ass sent waves of pleasure through her. She kissed him more aggressively and began frantically pulling at his clothes to get him naked.

Ed moved his hands up and pulled her top up and over her head. He looked at her sexy black bra and the delightfully perky tits it contained. She reached back and undid the clasp, yanking the garment off and tossing it aside. His hands went immediately to her breasts and held the modest orbs in his palms.

Stephanie sighed in bliss as he gently squeezed her tits and felt the tingles rush from her nipples to between her legs.

"I need you naked!" she gasped and he smiled. As she was on top of him getting undressed would be a challenge.

He released her tits and arched his back with his head pressing back against the mattress so he could pull his shirt up. He got his arms free and relaxed his back so he could get the shirt up and over his head. He felt Stephanie's hands on his chest caressing, squeezing, and kneading his thick chest muscles. When the shirt came free of his head he looked at the lovely brunette and saw the joy and lust in her eyes. He reached up and pulled her face to his so he could caress her lower lip with his and feel the softness of her mouth. They both felt the charge from that and soon they were kissing deeply, her tongue in his mouth as he sucked on it.

He loved the feel of her stiff nipples rubbing across his chest and he pulled her tighter against his body, feeling her breasts squeeze flat against his chest.

Stephanie cooed, enjoying the power of his arms around her. Her coo turned into a squeak as he suddenly rolled over putting her beneath his large body. Her pelvis was trapped beneath his, pressed down into the mattress and she felt his cock becoming harder against her. She moaned in primal bliss feeling it pulse and move against her.

"I want you Stephanie," he growled quietly against her cheek as he rocked his pelvis side to side. She moaned and shook as her body spasmed with the strong sensations.

"Oh fuck! That feels so good! Take me Ed! Take me... like you take Zoe!" Ed pulled his face back to look at Stephanie in surprise. She was looking up at him timidly.

"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he could... do that with Stephanie as she was so different from Zoe.

"I- I just want to know what it feels like. Just this once."

"It... can get rough," he warned her.

She bit her lip nervously but didn't give in. "Please," she begged, her blue eyes looking deeply into his pale ones.

He couldn't speak so he just nodded. He slid the fingers of his left hand into the hair on the back of her head. Her pixie cut hair was so much shorter than Zoe's long locks but he was still able to get a grip. Her eyes widened and she gasped before he kissed her hard. She squeaked then moaned into the kiss as he sucked on her tongue and caressed her mouth with his. He controlled the kiss with his grip and she began to pant.

He released her, pushing himself up to stand at the end of the bed. He shoved his pants and boxers down and kicked them off. Stephanie lifted her head and her eyes widened as she saw his thickness bobbing between his legs. He undid her pants and lifted her legs to pull them off. Off came her panties as well as she gasped at his rough tugs.

Ed flipped Stephanie over onto her stomach and ran his hands up the back of her legs until he reached her ass.

"Oh yes!" Stephanie gasped as she looked over her shoulder at him.

He squeezed her cheeks and parted them with his thumbs as he lifted her hips. He dipped his face down to stroke his tongue strongly across her pussy.

"AAAAAAHHHH! FUCK! OH GOD!" she cried.

Ed fucked her with his tongue and sucked on her pussy as she clung to the sheets and thrashed from the strong sensations.

Stephanie was dazed by how fierce Ed was being with her. When his tongue stroked across her puckered ass she squealed and jolted. He returned to tease it and she tried twisting out of his grip but his hands were too strong.

"WHAT! WHA- ED! MMMMFUCK! MMMMMNNAAHHH! NONONONO!" Her cries took on a desperate tone but her juices were running down her legs.

With a final flick of the tip of his tongue across her rosebud he knelt behind her and rubbed his hard shaft against her slick pussy then pushed the fat head of his cock between the swollen lips.