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I sent Amanda a text letting her know that I was at the gym. Do you want me to come over when I’m done?
No, she replied. Apparently Mom and Dad have been stalking my apartment. Dad wanted to know where I was in the evenings when he and Mom have stopped by.
My heart almost stopped. Great. Mr. Conners has some kind of idea that there might be something going on.
David and I skipped on our dinner tonight. I decided that Amanda and I would just order some pizza. I really wanted to know from the horse’s mouth what happened today.
She looked frazzled when she plopped down on my couch.
I brought her a beer and sat down in the chair across from her so I could watch her face while she talked. She chomped some Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza and drank half her beer before she started.
“Sooo, what did you hear about this morning?” she asked me.
“Pam told me that Gladys confronted you this morning. She walked into your cubicle and asked you if you and I were having a relationship. Apparently, you told her to mind her own business.”
“That is about the long and the short of it.” She took a sip of beer, and then continued. “Then, Dad called me into his office and wanted to talk about it. He asked me if we were having a relationship.”
“What did you say?”
“I asked him if we had been seen doing anything at work that would make someone think that we were. Apparently, someone thinks I touch your hand too much and we have a certain look in our eyes when we look at each other.”
“I’m willing to believe that I know who the person is who has been seeing all of that.”
“I would guess the same person. Dad told me that she got written up for her behavior this morning,” Amanda took another drink. She was a lightweight drinker. If she didn’t slow down, she was going to fall asleep before she finished her story.
“I told Dad that wasn’t my business. It was between him and her.”
I nodded. “You know she is going to be coming after you even more now.”
“I know. But I don’t know why. I didn’t do anything to her.”
“She is jealous of you. First, you’re the boss’ daughter. Second, she had hit on me when she first started, and I let her know that I wasn’t interested. She’s going to take it personally if she thinks that I’m interested in you and not her.”
“Those are stupid reasons to be mad at me, but then jealousy isn’t usually rational.”
“I agree. I hate that you had to lie to your father.”
“I didn’t lie to him. I simply told him that there was nothing going on between us at work besides a professional relationship.”
“He didn’t catch it?”
“No, but he might if he thinks about it later. I had just told him that I was tired of his accusations and that I was going to quit. Then, that I was going to walk out of his office, and in front of everyone ask you if you want to go home and make mad passionate love to me all night long.”
“Bet that went over well.”
“The funny thing is, even if we weren’t together, I would have done it on principle, and he knows it.”
“I almost wish you would have. It would have been great to see his face. And the look on everyone else’s face as well.” We both laughed. It was good to see the light come back into her eyes.
“What would have been even funnier was if you had said, ‘hell, yeah,’ grabbed my hand and took off out the door.”
Gradually she relaxed, and I had my Amanda back.
Once the adrenaline, stress, anger, and the overall fight had seeped out of her, she got sleepy. Rather than risk my arm going to sleep again, I simply tucked her into bed and crawled in behind her.
I wrapped my arms around her tightly and pulled her close to me.
“If I come over here anymore, I’m going to have to park my car in your garage. It’s only a matter of time before Dad looks up your address and starts driving by to see if my car is here.”
“That’s a tall order, baby. You wouldn’t believe the amount of junk I have in my garage.”
“Am I worth it?” she asked me.
“I’m not sure. That’s a tough one.”
“You’re a butt,” she said.
“I might be, but I’m your butt.”
“You are mine, and I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
She might have been snoring before I got ‘too’ out.
The day’s events kept running through my head. Gladys was clearly after Amanda. Amanda’s father smelled a rat, so to speak. She was right. It was only a matter of time before he did a drive by just to see if her car was here.
I hoped to get the job offer before all of this blew up.
Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, I was able to sleep.
My eyes felt like sandpaper when I finally managed to open them the next morning. I was certain that I could have used another eight hours of sleep.
For once, Amanda had beat me up, which meant that we pulled out of the driveway at the same time.
Amanda sat in her car for just a moment, so I got into the office a couple of minutes earlier than she did. Gladys was standing in the corner as though she were trying not to be seen. I noticed that she had a little notebook in her hands.
Since it looked like she was trying to not be seen, I called out to her. “Good morning, Gladys. I hope you are doing well.”
She jumped like Pennywise the Clown jumped out of the closet and grabbed her. Then, when she saw it was me, she blushed.
“Hi, Thomas. I’m good. How are you doing.”
“Groovy. Whatcha doin’ there?” I asked her, although I had a pretty good idea.
“Nothing. Just making my to-do list for the day.”
“You have a great day now, ya hear?”
It made me angry that she was spying. I walked behind her to watch. Sure enough, when Amanda walked in, Gladys checked her watch and wrote something down on her notebook.
I decided that I was going to mess with her. “Good morning, Amanda. How are you, today?”
She had clearly been in her own world, and looked up when she heard my voice. Then, she glanced at me and at Gladys and raised her eyebrows. I smirked.
“Well, Thomas. Long time no talk. We simply must make time to catch up.”
Gladys glared at both of us, sniffed loudly, and walked away in a huff.
I shrugged. “In for a penny, in for a pound, I ‘spose.”
She laughed. “Have a good day, sir.”
“You, too,” I said and we parted ways.
Later that night, I had Amanda park her car behind my garage. She laughed.
“I’ve never gone off roading in my car before.”
I looked at her as though to say, “Really?” Then, I said, “It’s grass. It’s not off-roading.”
After dinner, she said, “It looks as though Gladys really was keeping tabs on us.”
“Yep, she was writing down the time that we came in. I don’t think that she liked the fact that I saw her watching,” I answered.
“What are we going to do?”
“Do you think we should cool our activities for a while? At least until I hear back from the other firm? It shouldn’t be but a couple of days.”
I saw the unhappiness creep over her face. “I guess we could. I wouldn’t like it very much, but I don’t want to get you in trouble. We could simply vary the time we come in. Perhaps you could just show up an hour or so earlier than me. It’s circumstantial evidence anyway,” she said.
“You’ve been watching too many of those murder and forensic shows,” I told her. “Could you get up an hour earlier?” I knew that she was not a morning person.
“No, sir. You can get up an hour earlier. I need my beauty sleep so that I’ll be attractive for you. That way, you won’t be chasing after someone like Gladys who knows how to fill out a sweater, and proves it every day.”
I simply looked at her, then said, “She does have some bodacious ta-tas.”
Amanda looked at me and punched me in the arm. I pounced on her and started to tickle her until she begged me to stop.
I started to sit up, and she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me back down. Our lips met. The kiss was butterfly soft at first. It was one of those sweet kisses that speaks of a gentle love between two people.
Then, her tongue slipped into my mouth, and our kiss deepened. She moaned as the kiss turned into a passionate lovemaking session. I could feel myself getting hard and the ache to be one with her grabbed my soul.
She smelled like vanilla and lavender, and I inhaled her scent. It was intoxicating. Her soft moans reached my ears. All of my senses were engaged as I tasted the sweet mocha she had drank after dinner. The feel of her arms cradling me against her made me feel safe in the knowledge that we had a deep love.
I lightly traced her face as her hands moved to my shirt and began to unbutton it. The kiss deepened as our need for each other, our need to express our love, grew to amazing heights.
My hands lowered, and I rubbed her breasts through her shirt. I rubbed her nipples, and they instantly grew hard, straining to escape the confines of the fabric.
I unbuttoned her blouse and pushed it back. Through her lacy bra, I massaged her breasts, squeezing them firmly but gently.
“Mmm, Thomas. You feel so good.”
She ran her hands over my chest, and my manhood instantly responded, by growing even harder than it ever had before, fueled by my love for Amanda.
“You are so gorgeous, and I am one lucky man,” I said to her as I looked at her curvy body.
I pushed her shirt and bra off of her, exposing her chest completely to my gaze and touch. My hands roamed across her breasts and down her sides, causing her body to tremble. I cupped her ass in my hands and whispered into her ear, “You have such a sexy body.”
She pushed my pants down, leaving my hard cock covered only by the fabric of my boxers. She rubbed my shaft through the fabric, eliciting a loud moan that originated from the very core of my being.
We move over to the bed, with her hand cupping the aching bulge in my pants. I sucked and licked her hard nipples while she caressed me. She moaned and arched her back, pressing her luscious tits toward my mouth.
After a few seconds, she pushed my boxers down. She sat on the bed while I stood in front of her, my cock standing hard at attention.
Suddenly, I felt her warm mouth covering sucking the head of my shaft into her mouth. One of her soft delicate hands wrapped around the base of my cock while the other cupped my balls and gently massaged them. She licked the back of the head and then began to suck hard on it.
I moaned loudly. I knew that I couldn’t handle a lot of her sucking and licking, because I was going to explode in her mouth. I wanted to be inside of her. I wanted to be one with her.
Her warm, wet mouth felt so good on my cock. I felt the cum building. When I was at the brink, I pushed her back on the bed.
Her pants and panties seemed to magically disappear. Amanda laid on her back, her legs spread open, giving me herself. The moisture was already evident at her slit.
Using both hands, I fingered her pussy, exploring the outside of it. I lightly flicked her clit with my fingers. Amanda moaned loudly at the sensation and bucked her hips.
The wetness from her pussy dripped out, letting me know that she felt the heat and passion.
Slowly, I licked her pussy, tasting the juices that were ready for me.
“Baby. You taste so sweet. You are so delicious. I love licking your pussy, tasting you.”
She moaned, and lifted her hips up so that I could taste a bit more of her.
I circled her clit with my tongue before I sucked on it.
“Thomas. Oh, damn. That feels so good.”
I licked her pussy up and down. Then, my tongue plunges deep inside of her, moving my tongue in circles, tasting all of her pussy walls.
“Thomas,” she cried out my name loudly.
Her body quivered, and a rush of hot, thick cream gushed into my mouth. She was panting, and calling my name over and over again.
When her breathing began to return to normal and her body stilled, I put her legs over my shoulders. I slid my aching shaft into her slick, wet hole, burying myself deep. The head of my cock stretched her pussy walls and touched her inner core. She whimpered my name.
“Do you need me to stop?” I asked her gently.
“No, please, I need you,” she pleaded.
I moved in and out of her with swift, broad strokes. Her pussy walls were wrapped so tightly around my shaft.
“You are so tight. You feel so good,” I moaned.
“We fit perfectly together, in so many ways,” she purred.
Our lips met, and my tongue dove into her mouth, probing and tasting her.
She moaned against my mouth.
I pulled my cock out of her and flipped her over, pulling her up to her hands and knees. Then, with one swift movement, I sheathe myself deep inside of her.
“Oh, my Lord, Thomas,” she gasped. “If you go any deeper, your cock is going to come out my mouth,” she said, as I pulled out and then swiftly embed my cock deep inside of her.
Amanda moaned. My shaft slid in and out of her with swift even strokes. Her position allowed me to go deep inside of her, my balls slapping against her clit each time I slammed deep and hard inside of her. I kissed the small of her back, and licked and kissed my way up her spine to the back of her neck. She moaned with each touch of my lips.
“Thomas,” she screamed. Her body started trembling, and I felt her pussy grasp my cock tightly inside of her, holding me, while she squirted hot wet liquid over me.
When the wave of cum slowed, I pulled out again. “Lay down on your back, baby. Spread your legs. Show me your hot, wet pussy.”
She quickly obeyed, and once again, I plundered deep inside of her. It felt as though her silken walls were pulling my cock deep inside of her.
Amanda’s hips moved in time with mine. She ground against me when our pelvises met.
She cried out again and her pussy walls vibrated against my throbbing cock. She and I erupted at the same time. She sent showers of hot cum over my cock while I shot my hot lava deep inside of her.
When it was time to go to sleep, I held her tight against me. I was so afraid that, with all of the drama and gossip going on about us, I was going to lose her. Could I survive without my sweet angel?
When I woke up the next morning, I was content to simply lay in Thomas’ arms. Making love was wonderful, but sometimes I thought that laying in his arms was even better.
I would never turn my nose up at the sex, though. I honestly didn’t know whether I liked it when he was deep inside of me better, or when we used our mouths on each other. I had heard other women talking about a clitoral orgasm versus a vaginal orgasm, but I had no idea what they meant. They felt so different. Even vaginal orgasms felt different, especially when Thomas hit my g-spot. Then, it was like pushing the little red button on a nuclear bomb. As soon as the button was pushed, an explosion occurred. It was an explosion that knocked both of us off of our senses.
One of my and Kara’s high school buddies said that she had experienced a lot of clitoral orgasms, but had never experienced a vaginal orgasm. She said that a lot of women never have them. According to her, it took a very talented man to be able to make his woman have one. I guessed that Thomas was very talented, indeed.
I laid there, simply enjoying the feeling of lying in his arms. My soul was at peace and I was content.
Thomas must have sensed that I was awake, because he kissed the back of my head and said, “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning, my sexy man. How did you sleep?”
“I always sleep amazingly well when we are together. I’m not sure I’d be able to sleep without you.”
“Hopefully, you won’t ever have to,” I said, not thinking about what that implied.
He was quiet for a moment and then said, “Hopefully not.”
We laid there for a little bit longer. I was actually starting to doze back off when he said, “You know, we have to get up. We have someplace we have to be this morning.” He started to take his arm off of me.
I pulled it back down on me. “I don’t wanna,” I said. “I want to stay here, just like this.”
He laughed. “I would like nothing more. However, we have to get up and go to work.”
I sighed and said, “If you make me.”
“Yep.”
He was sweet and got the hot shower running for me. We showered, taking the time to soap up each other’s bodies and enjoy each other a little bit. I loved touching him, and the way his hands were roaming over my body, I was certain that he enjoyed touching me, too. He ended the shower before anything could get too intense.
Although Dad wasn’t extremely tight about starting times, as long as people got their jobs done, he did expect people to show up at a reasonable time.
Thomas turned off the water and snapped my butt with the towel before he handed it to me.
“I’ll get you for that,” I told him.
“Promises, promises,” he said. Then, he started to get dressed.
“This is wrong,” I said.
Thomas turned around with a worried look on his face. “What is?” he asked.
“You’re putting clothes on. You should be taking them off.”
“I’m pretty sure that I shouldn’t go to work naked. Doubt your father would appreciate it.”
“He’s a party pooper,” I said, sticking my bottom lip out petulantly, mimicking a spoiled child. “Some of the women there might like it, though. You are probably the closest thing to a sculpted statue of a Greek god that most of them have ever seen.”
About that time, my stomach roared, demanding to be fed.
“Come on. I’ll make you some breakfast.”
He made me some bacon, eggs over medium, and toast. A big glass of orange juice topped it off.
When we were finished, he kissed me briefly and hugged me tight. “I’ll see you there,” he said.
“I’m not sure what time I’ll be in. I have a doctor’s appointment this morning. If it goes too late then I won’t come in. I already let Dad know that I have an appointment. He knows my doctor, and knows that sometimes he runs late.”
“Are you okay?” Thomas looked worried.
“Yea, I’m fine. It’s just a check up. No worries.”
“Okay, I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too.”
He kissed me again and left.
I sat down on the couch. I still had about forty-five minutes before I had to leave. I sat down on his couch and took a little bit of a snooze. I fell asleep almost as soon as I sat down. The truth was that I hadn’t been feeling well lately. I had been super tired, almost all the time. My tummy had not been cooperating with me, either. Sometimes, I was so hungry, I thought that I could eat three huge meals in once setting. Other times, I was so nauseous I just hung out with the great white porcelain god.
I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew what was wrong, but I needed to sure.
The alarm on my phone rang, and I got my jacket and purse. I slipped into my shoes and headed out. As I double checked the locks, I heard someone behind me honk the horn. I turned around to look. My heart sank. Gladys. She waved and sped off.
It couldn’t be helped. I had more important things to take care of.
I sent a quick text message to Thomas. Gladys drove by the house as I was leaving. Expect all hell to break loose.
Thanks for the warning.
The doctor I went to was one that had known me since I was born. Dr. Vernon was awesome. He was funny, too. He still wanted to give me a sticker and a lollipop.
I didn’t wait long for him. I told him what was going on and how I had been feeling.
He asked me about how long it had been since my last period.
“Maybe two or three months ago? As you know, I’ve never been strictly regular, but to the best of my recollection, it was about then.”
He made a note on the iPad he carried. “When was the last time you had sex?”
I felt the heat rush to my cheeks, and I was pretty sure that I was glowing. “Last night.”
Again, more notes. “How long have you been sexually active?” he asked.
“About two and a half months.”
“Hmm,” was his comment. Then, he turned to the nurse. “Can you get a urine and blood sample?”
“Sure,” she replied.
“Come with me,” the nurse said. “We’ll get a urine sample first.”
I dutifully peed in the cup. She led me back to the room and took a vial of blood. Ten minutes later, Dr. Vernon was back.
“Well, I suppose that you will not be too surprised when I tell you that you are about six weeks pregnant. If you have time to do an ultrasound, our tech can get you taken care of in about half an hour so we can be sure.”
“I have time,” I answered.
He looked at me and shook his head. “Seems like just yesterday I delivered you. Now, you are about to have one of your own.”
I went back to the waiting room and pulled out a book I had brought with me. I was actually pretty engrossed when the ultrasound tech, Heidi, called me to the back.
“Hey there. I hear we are looking for a baby,” she said.
I nodded.
“Congrats,” she said.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
Heidi said the gel was heated, but the woman lied. It was cold when she squirted it on my belly. I yelped.
She grinned. “Sorry ‘bout that.”
“Are you really sorry?” I asked her, jokingly.
“I’ll never tell.”
She ran her little roller thingy (the specific name for it, as far as I was concerned). She pointed to a small blip on the screen. There’s your wee one.” She continued to move the roller around and then, after a brief pause, said, “Have you ever heard the phrase that the best things in life comes in twos?”
“What?” My voice went a couple of octaves higher than normal.
“Well,” she said. She pointed to a second blip on the screen. “You’re about to have a hurricane on your hands.”
“Wow.”
She nodded. “I would start preparing now. You can get neutral colors until you know what the genders are.
“Wow.”
“Honey. I think you already said that.”
Nothing else would come into my brain. That was the word of the day. “Wow.”
I was sent back to a room. Dr. Vernon and his smiling nurse came in a couple of minutes later. He held out his hand and said, “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Then, he held out his hand again and said, “Congratulations.”
I raised my eyebrows out him.
“You have twins. You needed to be congratulated twice.”
I laughed and shook my head.
“You’re about six weeks along. You can pick up the prescriptions for your prenatal vitamins at the reception desk.”
I nodded at him.
“Wait,” I said, momentarily panicked. “I drank two beers about a week ago. Is that going to hurt my babies?”
“No, they’ll be okay. Just don’t have any more, at all.”
I held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a scout,” he noted.
“No, I wasn’t,” I agreed. “But I still have the honor of one.”
He laughed. “True enough. Make an appointment for about a week from now.”
I nodded again.
He hugged me and left the room.
I did as he said and headed to the pharmacy. It took a few minutes for them to get all the medications together. Then, the pharmacist handed me a paper bag, smiled, and said, “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” I said.
I went to my favorite diner and ordered an omelet. I didn’t want to gain too much weight. I wanted to call Kara and ask her to meet me. However, there was no way I could keep my mouth shut if she were in front of me, and it was only fair that Thomas was the first to know.
After the waitress delivered my order, I stared at the picture with the two blips on it. Thomas and I hadn’t talked about kids, but I knew he would be as excited as I was.
Then, my thoughts turned back to this morning when Gladys drove by. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had taken a picture as she drove by. Everyone at the firm would be aware that I was busted outside of Thomas’ house.
The muscles in my neck, shoulders, and back started to tense up. I needed to relax, because I was sure that stress was not good for the babies and it also made my tummy hurt, and I didn’t like the consequences of that.
My thoughts returned back to the babies.
I guessed now was as good as any time to have a baby. Dad might or might not fire me. Thomas would have his new job, so there wouldn’t be any fraternization.
The thought occurred to me that me that we might want to get married. I wouldn’t want to get married only because I was pregnant. That never turned out well for anyone. However, I was positive that our love was a forever kind of love. There was no doubt in my mind.
I had just settled into getting started on a project when my phone dinged. It was a message from Amanda telling me that Gladys had driven by my house this morning and saw her.
Instantly, I was angry. She clearly abused her position in the human resources to get my private information. Therefore, when I get fired today, I will make sure that Mr. Conners knew that it was a violation of policy and perhaps the law.
It didn’t take too long before I got the summons.
“Come in and sit down.” Mr. Conners was very angry. His face was glowing red and that little vein on the side of his neck was throbbing.
I was just as angry as he was.
“I’ve been made aware that you and Amanda are having a relationship.”
“I’ve been made aware that one of your employees abused her position to locate my residence and then drive by my home. If it isn’t against policy, I’m pretty sure it’s against the law.”
“I’ve dealt with that. She no longer has a position.” Mr. Conners’ voice was very terse. “Now, about my question.”
“Amanda and I have been in a relationship. We fell in love at first sight. It isn’t about sex. I love her and I love spending time with her.”
Mr. Conners’ fists turned white, as he was clenching his hands so tightly. The vein was throbbing so hard and fast, I was afraid that he was going to have a stroke at any moment.
Through clenched, bared teeth, he said, “You are almost old enough to be her father. You are fifteen years older than her. She is an innocent baby.”
“She is a grown woman who is able to make her own decisions in life. She actually initiated it. I felt a pull to her. I felt an instant connection to her.”
“She didn’t know what she was doing. The pull and connection you felt was your dick,” he growled at me.
I struggled to maintain my cool. “Not with Amanda. I am in love with her.”
Again, he bared his teeth at me, and growled. “If you are so in love with her, then why haven’t you proposed?”
“Actually, I was planning on it this week. I was aware of your no-fraternization policy. So, I applied and interviewed with another engineering firm. I expect to hear back from them this week. Frankly, I’m surprised they haven’t called for a reference.”
“They did, and I gave you a great reference. I was disappointed that you didn’t come to me first. Now I understand. You have been going behind my back for more than one issue. You betrayed me and my trust.”
“I have not. I never directly lied to you about Amanda. As for the job, there is nothing written or unwritten that I have to check with you before seeking other employment. I have no contract with you or the company. I have no obligation to work here until you give me permission not to.” I was so angry that my hands were starting to shake. I don’t know why I didn’t just give my resignation and walk out.
“You betrayed my trust because I asked you to watch out for Amanda. Instead you seduced her.”
I wasn’t going to justify myself to him. There was no point in trying to justify myself or offering excuses. As Doris Day sang many years ago, “Que Sera, Sera.”
I just sat quietly and waited for him to finish.
“I trusted you. She may be an adult, age-wise, but she is an innocent, impressionable young woman. She’s never even had a serious boyfriend. Then, here you come, in a supervisory role, and take advantage of her innocence. How would she even know what love is?”
His face was now a crimson color, and the vein in his neck was throbbing a fast and hard tattoo. I idly wondered his rising blood pressure was going to shoot his head off like a rocket.
Finally, his ranting began to wind down. He pushed a check at me that was equal to three months’ pay and told me to clean out my desk.
I left the check on his desk and went to clean out mine. There was no one around to bid me goodbye. I was pretty sure that they were scared to speak to me. What I had might be contagious, and they didn’t want to get sacked as well.
Amanda’s car was in my driveway when I got home. She was sitting in the driver’s seat, waiting.
She popped out and started to say something, but then she saw the look on my face and noticed the box I was carrying. Understanding dawned on her face.
She grabbed my keys and held open the door for me as I passed through with a box of stuff that represented ten years of my life I had given to that company.
“What happened?” she asked me.
“Your warning was spot on. Before he unleashed his hot fury all over me, he did tell me that Gladys had been fired.”
“I take it you were fired, as well,” she said, sitting down on the couch next to me.
I nodded. “I was fired, after he told me that I betrayed him because he asked me to help you out and take care of you and instead, I seduced you.”
“Is that so? Did you tell him that I seduced you?”
“It wouldn’t have mattered. He had his mind made up, anyway.”
I got up and grabbed a beer and opened them for both of us.
“Amanda, I love you with all of my heart, mind, and soul. But maybe we should stop being together. I wouldn’t want to be the person who got between you and your father.”
“Dad will come around, I promise,” she said.
“You don’t know that he will. I just think it’s best if we break up. I hate to lose you, but I would hate more for you to lose your father. Besides, eventually you would start to resent me for it.”
Amanda narrowed her eyes and cocked her head sideways. “I thought you loved me.”
“More than you’ll ever know. But I want what’s best for you. And what’s best for you is that we stop seeing each other.”
She handed me her bottle. “Hold my beer, we’ll see about that.”
She tossed her head, grabbed her purse, and walked out the door.
I sat on the couch and cried. Breaking up with her was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
I didn’t know if I was more upset with Dad or because Thomas tried to break up with me. Actually, I wondered if Thomas understood that his attempt to break up with me was unsuccessful. That was an issue I would tackle later.
When I reached the company, I was happy to see that Dad’s truck was still parked in the lot. Good. Let’s get this done and over with.
I typed up my resignation and walked straight into my father’s office, and shut the door. He was on a telephone conversation. I parked myself in the chair in front of his desk and waited.
After a couple of minutes, he figured out I wasn’t leaving and he ended his conversation.
He wasn’t one to beat around the bush. Good. I wasn’t in the mood to tiptoe around the conversation.
“I assume you’re here about Thomas.”
I didn’t answer him. I simply handed him my resignation.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I’m in love with Thomas. I can’t live without him. Since you think our relationship is so wrong, and that Thomas is such a bad guy that you would berate him without knowing anything about the situation, it is only right that I leave the company as well.”
“That is not necessary. But you have to realize that he is fifteen years older than you. You never had a serious boyfriend. He was your supervisor. He seduced you.”
“He older than me. Just because I hadn’t had a serious boyfriend doesn’t mean that I don’t know my own heart and my own feelings. You sure as hell don’t get to tell me who to date and what to feel about anyone. He was a mentor, not a supervisor. He had no power to fire me, give me a raise, a promotion, or any of that. And furthermore, father dearest, I seduced him.”
I was angry. I could feel the heat in my face. But I made sure that my voice was steady and low. I sat back in the chair in a calm pose.
He sat back, thinking about what I said.
Then, I decided to give him something else to think about. I slid over the ultrasound picture. The date and my name were printed on the picture. He focused on the two blips on the picture and looked at me, his eyes wide.
“Really?”
I smiled and nodded.
“Twins?” he asked.
I nodded again.
“Well, I’ll be.” He sat back in his chair and thought about what I had showed him.
“Not only am I in love with Thomas, but we are going to be parents. I don’t want my children to be raised in a broken family. I want them to have a full-time mom and dad.”
I paused as he looked at me, his eyes starting to get a little watery.
“I love you, Daddy. But please don’t make me choose between you and Thomas. That’s not fair to me, not fair to the babies, and not fair to you.”
After a short pause, he said, “You know, I met your mother when we were in middle school. I fell in love with her then. I knew we were destined to be together as soon as I laid eyes on her.”
He stopped and chuckled. Then, he continued, “Your grandfather thought I was the devil and wasn’t good enough for his daughter. He fought me tooth and nail. But your mother loved me so much that she gave her father the same ultimatum.”
I listened with interest. They never told me this story.
“For the longest time, your grandfather would not speak to your mom. It broke her heart, and sometimes I could hear her crying, which broke my heart.”
I nodded.
“After a while, I went to see him and told him that he was an ass and a fool. I told him that he was missing out on a lifetime of love from his daughter and his grandchild.” He smiled at me. “You hadn’t been born yet.”
“So, what did Grandpa do?”
He smiled again and wiped a tear away. “He admitted that he had been a fool and he was sorry. He bought your mom some flowers and went to our house to beg her forgiveness.”
“Mom, then, would understand how powerful my love is for Thomas.”
He nodded. “I guess you have more of your mom in you than I thought. I guess I’m bedeviled to have two strong, stubborn women in my life. Two women who I love more than life.”
I waited, silently. I wanted him to admit that he was wrong.
“Your mother showed me what true love is. It means standing up for it, no matter what it costs you.”
Still, I waited.
“I give you and Thomas my blessing.”
I jumped up and hugged him. “Thank you, Daddy. I was hoping I could make you see reason.”
“I’m stubborn, not stupid.”
“Amen to that,” I said.
“So, what about Thomas’ job?”
“Before all of this happened, I was going to make him my number two. I will call him tomorrow and make him an offer.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“I do have a no-fraternization policy,” he said.
I nodded, anticipating what he was about to say. That I couldn’t work for his company. However, he surprised me.
“However, I always have more than enough work that my employees can handle. I would like to offer you a position of contractor. You can work from home, for the most part. You can clock in online, and I’ll pay you the standard rate as my other employees. It doesn’t have insurance, but Thomas will have that.”
A huge smile spread across my face. It was so big that I was surprised that it fit on my face.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“You’re welcome. Now, get out of here. I think you have a man to talk to.”
I jumped up, kissed him on the forehead and ran out the door, saying, “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too, sugar plum.”
I headed over to the jewelry store that I have loved since I was a kid. Although I love the way the jewelry looks, I never bought anything. I was always afraid I would lose something valuable. My logic was “why buy it if I’m not going to wear it.” However, this piece of jewelry, I was determined to wear.
This particular jewelry store had a wedding ring set that I had always loved. I had even fantasized about wearing them. They happened to have an engagement and wedding ring that fit me perfectly. I estimated Thomas’ ring size, but the jeweler said that I could always bring it back in and get it sized.
After I was done at the jewelry store, I went across the hall to the baby store. I bought a pair of yellow booties and light green booties.
In the car, I tied my rings to the yellow booties and his ring to the green booties. Then, I head over to Thomas house.
My heart was beating a million miles an hour, and I felt a trickle of sweat in my bra.
What if he says “no?”
I heard the knock on my door. I wiped the tears from eyes. Was this heartache ever going to heal?
I was both surprised and not surprised to see Amanda standing at the door.
“Did you come back for your beer?” I asked her.
“No, dum dum. I came back for you.”
“We already talked about this,” I began.
“No, you talked about this. Now, I’ve got something to say,” she said, and pushed past me and plopped down on the couch. She had a small shopping bag in her hand.
“Did you bring me a present?”
“I might have,” she said, looking at me suspiciously. “Have you been crying?”
“I might have,” I said, a little sheepishly.
“It takes a real man to have feelings,” she said. “A real man who is strong enough to admit when he is upset is the strongest of men, in my opinion.”
I smiled weakly at her. “So, what’s in the bag?”
She brought out a box. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks or says, including my father. I’m in love with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Amanda handed me the box. I opened it. There were two sets of booties with wedding rings attached to them.
I stared at them, trying to register what I was seeing. Wedding rings. Baby booties.
“Will you marry me?” she asked me.
“Of course, my love. Of course, I will.”
I cupped her face with my hands and leaned over to kiss her passionately. I had just slipped my tongue into her mouth. Then, something else clicked in my mind, and I pulled back abruptly.
She looked at me as thought to say, “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Baby booties. Are we having a baby?”
She smiled, nodded, and then held up two fingers.
“Two babies? Twins?”
She smiled again and handed me a picture of an ultrasound.
“This was where you went this morning.
“It was. I had an idea that I was pregnant, but I wanted to make sure before I said anything to you.”
“I’m going to be a father?” I was completely in shock. “I’m going to be a father twice?”
“Yes.”
“Hot damn,” I yelled. “I always wanted to have a family, but I never found that perfect woman. Until now. I love you, so very much.”
I slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. The ring she had bought for me fit perfectly. Just like Amanda fit me perfectly.
“I love you, too.”
I leaned in to kiss her again, when my doorbell rang.
“I’m never going to get that kiss, am I?” she asked me.
Mr. and Mrs. Conners were standing at my front door. The shock must have registered on my face, because I just stood there staring. Mr. Conners cleared his throat and said, “Can we come in?”
“Yes, of course.”
They walked in and sat down.
Mrs. Conners looked at Amanda’s hand and smiled. She nodded approvingly.
She looked at Mr. Conners and gave him a look that said, “Get on with it.”
“I owe you an apology, son. Amanda explained the situation. I never gave you a chance. She resigned her position, told me that she was in love with you, and begged me not to make her choose between me and you.”
I simply looked at him. I was still feeling a bit insulted.
He nodded toward his wife and said, “Her father hated my guts and cut us out of his life for a long time. I don’t want to lose that time with my family.”
He paused a moment and then said, “I see that Amanda already went ahead with her plans, but if it matters, you have my blessing to marry my daughter.”
My anger and hurt had abated quite a bit.
Mr. Conners continued. “Regarding your job; before all of this went down, I was planning on making you my number two in the company. I would like to offer you that position now. It comes with a lot of responsibility, because I would like to work a lot less, and take the Mrs. on a couple of vacations we missed out on. However, the pay would be matched with the responsibilities. What do you say, son?”
My pride allowed me to relent. “I accept. It looks like I’m going to need a good paying job. I’m going to have to buy a bigger house and support a couple of kids.”
Mrs. Conners jumped up at that moment. “So, it’s true then? You’re pregnant with twins?”
Amanda nodded, and glanced at me apologetically. “I wanted you to be the first to know, Thomas. But I told Dad so that he would know exactly what he would be losing if he made me choose between the two of you.”
“I understand,” I said, and kissed her on the forehead.
The four of us went out to eat to celebrate the babies and us. I was a happy man, indeed.
