The Prodigal
Forty-seven
THERE WAS SO MUCH catching up to do. I hadn’t seen my folks since August. My life was focused on my project and rebuilding my relationship with Kate. Mom proclaimed that I was still too thin, and put a huge piece of hot Dutch apple pie in front of me. With ice cream.
“Okay,” Lissa said after Melody had poked her in the ribs for the thirtieth or so time. “Everybody. My wife wants to announce the worst kept secret of the year.” She stuck her tongue out. Melody laughed and kissed her. She stood up, which put her like two inches above us.
“What my beloved Beauty wants to announce but is too shy, is that Tony is going to be a daddy in June.” It took a second for everyone who didn’t already know to shift their focus from Melody to me and then back to Melody and Lissa. Melody smiled. “And my wonderful wife Lissa is going to bear our first child.”
Lexi had been holding her breath. “Oh! I’m going to be a grandma!” she exploded.
“So am I,” Mom squealed as she came around the table to hug Lissa, Melody, and finally me. Lexi and Dad were right behind her.
“You knew, didn’t you?” Lexi accused Jack.
“I was sworn to secrecy. I wasn’t supposed to find out.”
“And was that why…?”
“Not only that.”
“You guys are talking in code,” Melody laughed. Jack and Lexi looked at each other and he nodded to her.
“Well, that settles that,” Lexi said. “We were going to consult with the family first, but instead we’ll just make an announcement. Jack has invited me to move to Seattle and… shack up with him.”
“Mom!” Melody yelled running to her mother.
“Now that there’s a baby coming, there’s no way I’m passing up the opportunity,” Lexi said. “I probably won’t be able to move for a couple of months, but I’m wrapping up things in Boston.”
“Saul, this might be a good time for you to get your pilot’s license like you’ve been talking about for the past three years,” Mom said. “Either that or sell the farm and we’ll move to Seattle, too.”
The girls all crowded around Lissa and Melody and Dad suggested they move to the living room and let the men clean up. I thought that was generous of him. At least there were five of us to do the work and it went quickly. Before we left the kitchen, Dad motioned us to seats around the table. From under the sink he produced a dusty bottle.
“Is that the silver polish, Dad?” I asked, thinking he wanted us to get things ready for Christmas Eve.
“Don’t suggest such a thing!” he said. “This happens to be a bottle of cognac I’ve been saving for a special occasion. I think this is special.”
“Hear! Hear!” Sam, Jack, and David joined in. Dad poured five glasses of the fiery liquid and we raised them in a toast.
“To the next generation,” Dad said, “and the remarkable young adults that are bringing it into the world.”
“Congratulations, Tony,” Sam said. “This is quite a big step.”
“I guess she’ll be my graduation present,” I laughed. “Oh, wow!”
“I always hoped you’d father my grandchildren, Tony,” David said. I think he always considered Beth and me boyfriend and girlfriend.
“Well, don’t give up hope, David. It’s still possible,” Dad laughed.
On Christmas Eve, Bree and I went shopping. It was a ritual the whole family expected now and everyone was excited to see what we would come up with this year. I didn’t have the foggiest idea. Bree and I walked around the mall a dozen times with nothing jumping out. Each time we passed one store, though, I slowed up to look in the windows.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Bree said softly.
“Yeah. It’s too soon.”
“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared.”
“You think?”
“I think we aren’t going to get any serious Christmas shopping done until you get this part taken care of.”
I grinned at Bree and went into the store. It was simple. A pear-cut diamond solitaire in a platinum setting. It wasn’t too big. It had an interlocking wedding band and I bought the set. A guy needs something for his hope chest, I guess.
“I don’t want to see it until she wears it,” Bree said. Great. Now I had a diamond burning a hole in my pocket. “Look! Let’s get the boys some toys and some baby clothes for Lissa and Melody,” Bree said. We headed into the children’s store and spent an hour buying baby clothes in many patterns, shapes, and styles. I could tell that if I didn’t control myself, I’d go broke buying stuff for my children.
Just before we left the store, I saw it. Them.
“Bree, we have Christmas presents,” I said.
“Merry Christmas to all, And to all a good night!” the boys read with me as we sat in the armchair by the fire. The whole family clapped and we checked the NORAD website to see where Santa was. It was fun to see everyone in their fluffy robes and mukluks.
“We’d better hang our stockings and get to bed, guys,” I said. “Santa will be here soon.” I lifted each boy to hang his stocking as we all hung our own. I noticed that Mom had made a stocking for Celia as well, and Sam had provided her with a robe and mukluks.
“The moms will take care of bedtime tonight,” Lissa said as she and Melody scooped up Damon and Drew to take them upstairs. “Relax a while with the grown-ups.” Lissa and Melody kissed me, starting a line of girls waiting to kiss Tony. Nice. Dad brought out eggnog and I threw another log on the fire. One-by-one people got tired. They surreptitiously put little gifts in stockings and went to bed.
“Can you watch the fire for a bit to make sure it doesn’t flare up?” Dad asked as he followed Mom toward their room.
“Sure, Dad. It will die down soon.”
I wasn’t in a big hurry to go to bed. It had been strange the past couple of nights. There was lots of play and lovers getting each other off, but I’d been hesitant to get involved since Kate was holding back. And I wanted to sit and think for a while. I supposed I could go into Omaha on Friday and return the ring. It was a stupid idea. If Kate found it, she’d freak out and I’d be staring at an empty room again. I don’t why I was in such an all-fired hurry. I supposed it might have something to do with Lissa being pregnant. I wanted that to be over tomorrow, too. I mean the baby to be born. Already people had begun suggesting names. That was cool. I was going to be a daddy.
I heard a movement and looked up. I’d been so lost in my thoughts all evening that I didn’t even realize Kate had never left her seat on the far side of the Christmas tree. She stood and came toward me. Somehow, I’d just assumed that she’d gone to bed and hadn’t bothered to kiss me. I raised a hand to say hi as Kate came toward me. She walked right into it. I started to pull back but she caught my hand and held it in place against the robe at her stomach. I could feel her breathing as her diaphragm rose and fell.
“I didn’t get a kiss goodnight,” she whispered.
I looked up into her eyes—lost in their depths.
She perched on the arm of the chair facing me and as she shifted, my hand slid inside the robe where I could feel her bare tummy. She leaned toward me for a kiss and as she did, my hand slid farther up until I was holding her at the rise of her breast, her hand still keeping me from pulling away. At this point, I couldn’t have pulled away if I wanted to. She paused an inch from my lips, eyes locked with mine.
“Don’t feel like you have to touch me if you don’t want to,” she said, releasing my hand. She leaned closer and my hand ascended her round bosom. “Not unless you… want to.” She kissed me and I cupped her breast in my hand, feeling her nipple harden.
I pulled her into my lap as we kissed and petted, letting her shower me with kisses. My lips found every bit of available skin to caress.
“I love you, Kate. I love you and I ache not having you.”
“Really, Tony? Will you ever… can you ever… Oh, Tony. Please forgive me. Will you ever be able to call me Kitten again? Please love me. Please let me be your Kitten. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Kitten. Kate. Katarina. Kitty Kate. My Kitten. My love. My darling. Kitten I’ve been so cruel. So stupid. So blind. Please, forgive me, my Kitten. I love you,” I was repeating myself—babbling. A light snapped on in my head. Dad warned me months ago that forgiveness would be the hardest part. Sure, I forgave her for leaving. I forgave her for whatever happened with the Slimy Dick. For walking out on us. But that one night when she’d knelt in front of me, I’d never let go. I’d withheld her pet name ever since—never used it again. Cruel. Vindictive. Punishing her. And myself. Stupid fucking son-of-a-bitch! My special pet name for her. “My Kitten. Oh, Kate, I love you. I’m so sorry.”
“Do you forgive me, Tony?”
“Forgive you? Yes, oh, yes. But how can I forgive myself? It’s been a year. I’ve been so selfish. I forgive you. Please, forgive me.”
“Yes, I forgive you. I forgive you and I love you and I don’t ever want to go through another year like this one. Please love me, Tony. Make love to me.”
I didn’t just make love to her; I worshipped her. As busy as my hands and lips were—exploring, touching, stimulating—hers were just as active. We were starved, kept too long from the banquet before us. We tossed the sofa cushions on the floor in front of the fireplace and spread our robes on them. We lay in each other’s arms as we made love.
“Do you still remember me, Tony?”
“Darling, there have been nights when I’ve awakened from such a vivid dream of you that when I found you weren’t next to me, I panicked. I could still smell your scent in my nostrils, feel your breath on my cheek. When I closed my eyes, they were filled with the vision of you in front of me. I remembered this,” I said as my hand drifted between her legs. It was not to plunge into her or to stroke, but to lightly touch a spot below her opening and slightly to the left.
“What is that?”
“You have a tiny birth mark just here. It’s the size of a number three sable brush tip and the color of terracotta.”
“I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
“You did memorize me.”
“And I want to do it all again.”
“What else?”
“The right lip of your inner labia is just a little longer than the left. It clings to my finger or my cock when I push into you or pull out, as if it doesn’t want to let me go.”
“Show me.”
I pushed my finger into her slowly, dragging her labia, no matter how slippery, with it.
“Now show me with your cock.”
She kissed me and pulled me toward her. Sliding into her, the clinging labia were forgotten as we were lost in other sensations. So long. It had been so long.
Making love is never the way I think it will be. I don’t know what position we were in, how long we moved with each other, even who came first, or second, or third, or fourth. What I knew was that we were connected. A hole in my heart was filled. I drank her in with my eyes—with my mouth. We kissed. We moaned. We wept. When she climbed to a pitch that threatened to wake the house, I pulled her to me and forced her to breathe with my breath as she climaxed again. When we paused there were barely embers left in the fireplace.
“Grrr rawr rawr,” came the voice from the chair where we had started. We both turned toward Wendy.
“Wendy! How long have you been here?”
“Long enough.”
“Come to me, lover,” Kate whispered. “Please forgive me.”
Wendy stood, dropping her robe, and stalked toward us. It was sensual—threatening. Two years ago, she had been an injured, frightened girl who couldn’t stand to be separated from Kate or me. Tonight, she was a tiger on the prowl. She dropped to her hands and knees and ignored the offered embrace as she licked up Kate’s side and across her breast eliciting a gasp of excitement. Wendy kissed Kate lightly and pulled back when Kate tried to pull her closer. Instead she turned her eyes on me and closed for an intense kiss that left me breathless. When she pulled away, she bit my tongue—not hard, but enough to let me know she was now in control.
“Do you love your Tiger, Kitten?” Wendy asked.
“I love you, Tiger,” Kate gasped. “Do you forgive me, too?”
“Do you love your Tiger, Master?”
“Tiger, I love you. Will you forgive me, too?”
“I’m hungry,” Wendy growled. “I’m going to eat you both. All. Up.”
I pulled back. I’d seen Wendy in this mode, in fact, had been on the receiving end of her attentions. Kate shivered in anticipation. Wendy fell to her meal with as much energy as we had. Kate cried out with her first orgasm before Wendy’s lips had reached her nether region. Soon, they were locked in a sixty-nine with Wendy riding Kate’s face as she licked the come from our lover’s pussy. I lay beside my lovers—my Tiger and my Kitten—petting both of them, loving their love-making.
I felt a hand on my renewed erection and Wendy tugged me toward her opening above Kate’s face. I moved behind her and thrust into her in one long stroke. Wendy’s growl mounted to a whine as Kate’s tongue pushed us both toward orgasm.
“Psst. Hey. You guys,” Bree whispered. I cracked one eye open. She was wrapped in her robe looking down at… the three of us wrapped in each other’s arms cuddled in front of the cold fireplace. One of our robes was pulled part-way over us as a cover, but my feet were cold.
“Bree? What are you doing here?” I asked. Well, I knew she was here in the house, but why here in front of the fireplace?
“You need to get up and go to bed. Santa’s going to come.” Oh, yeah. Christmas Eve.
“I think he already did,” Wendy giggled.
“Me too,” Kate joined.
“I suppose that means a predawn romp while we put out the Christmas presents is out of the question,” Bree laughed quietly.
“Not necessarily. I could use a snack,” Wendy said rolling toward Bree and catching her ankle as the redhead tried to skip back. Bree knelt beside us and pinned Wendy’s hands at her side.
“Oh, no you don’t, Miss Tiger,” Bree whispered. “Back in your cage! We have to put Christmas presents out for everyone.”
“And stuff stockings,” I said.
“God, it’s so good to see you three together,” Bree sighed. She leaned over Wendy to kiss Kate.
We ran around, forgetting our robes, delivering presents to the foot of each person’s bed, and taking turns putting little gifts in stockings.
“Maybe the naked Christmas elves should put their robes on before they come to the kitchen for hot chocolate,” Mom said. We froze.
“Mom?”
“I’m going to have to try that fashion, but I think I’ll wait until there are fewer people in the house.” We heard her laugh as she went to the kitchen. We scrambled into our robes before we followed her.
“What are you doing up, Mom?”
“Oh, I heard elves in the house and remembered we hadn’t left hot chocolate and cookies out for Santa, so I thought I’d fix some. And it’s almost time to make scones. Come on, here you are.”
“Have I told you lately that I love you, Mom?”
The five of us never got to bed. I built up the fire while Mom and Wendy made the scones and got coffee started. Kate kissed me and dragged Bree into a passionate embrace with us in front of the fire.
“You’re being extra passionate, Kitten,” I said.
“I’m committed, Tony,” she said. “To all of us and all our lovers. No reservations. Ever again. I’m all in.”
“Coffee,” Wendy called from the kitchen.
“Merry Christmas! What’s this?” Lissa said, walking into the kitchen. She was the first one down.
“Merry Christmas, darling. I think Santa brought you a present.”
“Well, from the look of our room, it appears that Santa even brought presents for naughty children who weren’t in bed.” Lissa’s smirk was quickly covered by Kate’s lips.
“Oh, Lissa, I love you,” Kate said, overwhelming Lissa. “I love you and I’ve missed you. Please, let me back into your life and let me love you. Please, say you forgive me.” Lissa sat back in a chair and pulled Kate into her lap.
“Kitten, there is something about your kisses that I can never resist. I love you and will never let you go. There’s nothing left to forgive.”
“Oh! Who’s making out with my wife?” Melody laughed as she came into the kitchen. Kate bounced up and hugged Melody.
“I love you, Melody. Please…”
“Shut up and kiss me,” Melody cut her off. “I forgave you long ago and can’t wait to have you back.”
“Mommy, look what Santa brought!” Damon said running into the room.
“What are they, Tony?” Drew asked, bringing his long narrow package to me.
“This, son, is a kite. In Washington you don’t see kites until spring and often only along the coast. But here in Nebraska, we have wide open fields and lots of wind in the winter. There’s nothing like watching the snow blowing in competition with your kite.”
“How cool!” Beth said as she and Allison came rushing into the kitchen. “Winter kites!”
Sixteen kites flew in the cornfield behind the house with gusts of wind so strong we had to have a safety line attached to Drew. It was a blast. Melody ran up to me.
“Can you hold my kite, darling? I gotta go pee.”
“Sure, Meddy.” I gave her a quick kiss and she hurried off. I glanced back at her and saw Kate and Lissa ahead of her. Allison and Wendy were each holding two kites and looking at me with surprised expressions. Then we all started laughing.
That night, Allison, Beth, and Bree entertained each other while my four queens and I made more noise than was appropriate in a house filled with parents and children. When we’d exhausted ourselves, our three friends crawled over us and brought us back to another peak before we finally slept.
“I’m glad I don’t have to make up stories to go with what I’m painting,” Kate said as we talked with the parents about our projects. “The Stations of the Cross have specific verses, so I just have to figure out how to represent them. The archbishop threw me a little, though.”
“Archbishop?” I asked. “When did you meet the archbishop?”
“You mean you haven’t had a meeting with him yet? He came to the ceramics studio at school and looked at my first three paintings and the process we were using to fire the tiles. I had no idea who he was at first. He was okay, but there was a grouchy priest with him that criticized everything. Victor somebody. I wasn’t introduced.”
“I didn’t know we had to meet with anybody else. Father Michel turned us over to Andy. I thought that was as far as it went,” I said.
“Well, it was okay, I guess,” Kate said. “The archbishop even suggested there were other churches that would be interested in the Stations if they could be reproduced. That would be cool.”
“I’d love to see Kate’s mosaics in a cathedral in France,” Lissa said.
“Vacation! We could all go for the dedication,” Melody laughed.
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