Sweet Tooth

Things are stressful enough when you're in your last few weeks of pregnancy let alone when you've just been exposed as a cheater by your husband and wonder if you'll have a two parent household once the baby is born. One fortunate thing was that Franklin talked with his big brother Tom about his problems, after swearing him to secrecy. While Tom was uncomfortable in speaking with Franklin about it since Tom had fucked me dozens of times, he honestly felt that he was giving the most unbiased and best advice that he could when he told Franklin that he had to wait until several months after the baby was born before he made any decisions. I know because Tom and I talked on burner phones about it on several occasions.

I delivered a healthy, happy, seven pound, six ounce, bouncing baby girl eighteen days after Franklin confirmed my cheating. The hustle, bustle, and midnight feedings (I nursed little Emily Rose, Franklin's and my mothers' middle names) that Franklin got up for to bring Emily to me, made my cheating fade into the background. But it reared its ugly head up again when Emily was three months old and I talked about going back to work.

"Doesn't that asshole Jack work at the same place that you're on maternity leave from?" Franklin rhetorically asked.

"Yes," I had to reply.

"I don't want you going back there!"

"If you can assure me that you've forgiven me and that you'll be staying around I'll quit and get another job, or even stay at home if we can afford it," I responded.

"I can't promise you that," he said and then walked out.

The night that I came back from my first day at work after maternity leave (we had a nanny who brought Emily to me to nurse at noontime) Franklin informed me that he could not forgive me, and that he wanted a divorce. I cried but nodded my head. "If you're at all reasonable I'll agree to anything," I told him.

We quickly reached an amicable arrangement. We sold the house and split the proceeds and each bought a small house, me near my work, he near his, but only about four miles apart. He paid for half of the nanny's salary and was responsible for Emily's college fund, and for day care until Emily was old enough not to need it. I was responsible for all of the rest of her expenses. He had liberal visitation rights, including at least every other weekend and with the nanny if he and she were agreeable. There was no alimony. All assets aside from the house were split 50-50.

When I got back to work there was a new head of the department. I brought her up to date on my situation, especially my addictions. She recommended a female therapist she had gone to graduate school with. I was apprehensive, but I felt that I had nothing to lose so I started going to see her.

I'd like to say that therapy worked wonders – and ultimately it did. However, there was a period of about six months where I was still off sugar (so Emily wouldn't be ingesting any from nursing) and needed sex. Even though I was no longer pregnant, Jack volunteered to fulfill that role. I gratefully accepted as long as he understood that it was not leading to a permanent relationship.

"We'll fuck each other comatose until someone else comes along for one or both of us," was his cheesy-grin reply. He was an excellent sex partner but I never felt any love for him.

During the divorce, and thereafter, I was as nice and friendly to Franklin and his family as I could be. I had several events – six month birthday, nine month one, etc. – for Emily, and invited not just Franklin but Tom, Connie, and Tom and Franklin's parents (Franklin's father was, of course, Tom's stepfather). All came and all were pleasant except for Connie. I noticed tension between Connie and Tom. After the first episode I called Tom up but he was unwilling to talk about it. After the second episode, Emily's nine-month birthday party, he called me.

"I'm at a loss about what to do about Connie," he confessed. "While I still have feelings for her, her attitude about many things is bugging the hell out of me – and the fact that not only doesn't she want kids, but doesn't even want to be around them – is a downer for me."

I commiserated with him for a half an hour. As we were getting to sign off I made the flippant – maybe it was Freudian, not flippant – remark "Well if you ever divorce her keep me in mind. I'll give you as many kids as you want knowing how well you'll service me when I'm pregnant."

I regretted the mark as soon as I said it. I started sweating when the phone was quiet afterward. "Do you mean that?" Tom finally asked.

After a pregnant pause I stuttered "I...I...well...uh...I was saying it as a joke. But if I think about it, I...I...well, it's not a joke. I really, really like you. However, it's impossible since Franklin would go ballistic."

"You've given me lots to think about; bye," Tom replied, and then immediately hung up.

Over the next nine months lots of things happened. The therapy actually worked, and like a recovering alcoholic I was sugar and sex-addiction free when Emily turned eighteen months old. As nicely as possible I broke it off with Jack.

While I had been going to therapy I had lunch or dinner with Tom on a regular basis, and he joined Franklin, their Mom, my Mom, and me on a zoo outing with Emily when she was sixteen months old. Shortly after that outing he announced to the family that he was divorcing Connie. I wasn't surprised but pretended that I was.

Once Connie and Tom were legally separated, they had already sold their house and moved into their own short-term-lease apartments and the divorce was only a formality, on a Saturday afternoon he came to see me. He was blunt. "Amy, I've always had feelings for you – and our sexual experience while you were pregnant was the best period of my life. I want to try a true romantic relationship with you."

"What about Franklin?" I asked.

"I'll convince him that that will only help his situation, especially when it comes to visitation; but I'm not going to talk to him unless I know that you're interested."

I got a diabolical smile on my face. "Your favorite niece is napping; would you like a non-verbal answer to your question?" I teased as I pushed my lips to his, and stroked his already half-hard cock through his pants.

We had a very sweaty, active, even athletic, fuck. As we lay next to each other panting I said "Was as good as when I was pregnant?"

He got a big smile. "Physically even better, although emotionally nothing – and I mean nothing – could beat the sex when you were pregnant. Of course I plan on seeing to it that you are pregnant again," he snickered, and then sucked each of my nipples in turn as I playfully tried to push him away – fat chance since he was four times as strong as I was.

We probably would have fucked again, but we heard Emily stirring then calling "Mama, mama," so we quickly got dressed. Emily was very happy to see "UT" as she called her Uncle Tom.

Tom didn't let any grass grow under his feet. The very next day he went to see Franklin. Franklin had been seeing a woman named Gretchen that he was getting serious about, and she liked and got along with Emily. I went out of my way to be nice to Gretchen the three times that I met her, and made sure that there was no awkwardness when she was around.

I don't know if it was that Tom is a super-salesman, Franklin's relationship with Gretchen, my constantly pleasant and cooperative demeanor around both Franklin and/or Gretchen, or all of the above – but Tom called me on my cell that Sunday night. "I'm sure that Franklin is OK with it," he gushed. "I lied and told him that I hadn't talked to you about courting you yet, but I thought that you'd be receptive if he gave you his OK. He wants us to come over tonight – please say OK when he calls."

"You got it," I excitedly replied. Just then my land line rang. "That might be him calling now – I hope to see you soon," I said as I terminated the call.

"Hello Franklin," I said in a cheery voice as I answered the phone after confirming by caller ID that it was him.

"Hi Amy; how's our girl doing?"

"She was just telling me today – as best she can with her present vocabulary – that you, me, grandmas, and UT are taking her to the zoo again this week. I'll bet you didn't know that."

"I'm glad that she liked it," Franklin laughed. "Say – now that I know that Emily's doing great, let me ask you something else. Would you mind if Emily's UT and I came over tonight to talk to you about something of mutual interest?"

After a pause I laughed "Sounds mysterious. Sure, come on over but give me an hour to clean up the house so that toys and junk aren't all over the place."

"Don't go out of your way – but how about right after you put Emily to bed at 8:30."

"Wow, you've really got my curiosity up, Franklin; you and Tom are coming to see me without Emily present? OK – see you at quarter to nine," I replied.

I put Emily to bed a little early, and Tom and Franklin arrived together right on time.

I offered them each a glass of wine, which they accepted, and then we sat together at the kitchen table. "I can't stand the suspense – lay it on me, dudes," I chuckled when there was an awkward silence.

Franklin nodded at Tom to go first. I have to hand it to Tom – he acted apprehensive and deferential, like he didn't know what my reaction would be. "Uh...well...you know that one of the reasons that Connie and I split up was because she didn't want, or even like, kids. You on the other hand are a great Mom..."

"Thanks," I interrupted with a smile.

"Don't interrupt, I'm on a roll," Tom laughed. "Anyway, I've always liked you as a person, and to be honest...this is really embarrassing – I thought that you were the sexiest sister-in-law in history. So – now that both you and I are divorced, I was wondering if we had any chance for a romantic relationship?"

I pretended to be surprised. Then I looked straight at Franklin. "What do you have to say about this? Wouldn't it be uncomfortable for you?"

"Tom and I talked about this for a long time – and brought Gretchen into the conversation too. I have no objections. If it works out I think that it will just make things even easier than they have been so far in co-parenting Emily. Our family unit will be strengthened. Of course I have no idea what your feelings about Tom are – but I'll be the last person to stand in the way."

I acted pensive. "This is new to me – I've always liked you, Tom, and there is no doubt that you're a hunk. But let me think about it."

"That's only fair," Tom and Franklin seemed to say in unison.

"Tell you what – if I think that it's a good idea I'll call you and ask you over for dinner; if you don't hear from me you'll know that I think that it's a bad idea. Is that a good plan?"

"It will save my ego not to be rejected in person if you don't have any interest," Tom nervously chuckled.

We chatted about work and things in general for another twenty minutes and then they left. I mouthed "call me" toward Tom when Franklin couldn't see.

Tom called me as soon as he dropped Franklin off. When I saw his cellphone number on caller ID I answered the phone "You're a fricking genius."

"I told you that I thought that I could work it out. Can I come over tonight to celebrate?"

"You are so, so, soooo bad," I chuckled. "I won't do anything to encourage you, but if my front door is somehow left unlocked and you sneak in, I don't know how I could fight you off without waking Emily," I giggled, then hung up.

I waited in bed naked. Tom didn't disappoint. He fucked my brains out that night and the next morning. It was all we could do to wait two months before Tom gave up his lease and moved in with me – we thought others would think it was suspicious if it was less than two months.

Tom and I got married in a simple civil ceremony three months after his divorce became final. It's now six years later and:

--I've now been "sober" – no sugar and no sexual addiction (except for Tom) – for seven years. I still go to a therapy session every three months to make sure that I don't fall off the wagon. One reason why I'm sure that I won't is because unlike the situation with Franklin, Tom is very supportive of no sugar around the house. I hope that Emily doesn't go off the deep end once she leaves home because the poor girl has almost never had a cupcake, donut, soft drink, or sugary cereal in her life.

--Tom and I have two kids of our own, boys aged four and two. I quit work and am a stay-at-home mom, and I love it. Tom fucked me to nirvana virtually every single day each time that I was pregnant.

--I'm head-over-heels in love with Tom. I sometimes feel guilty that I love him much more than I ever loved Franklin, or anyone else.

--Our relationship with Franklin and Gretchen – who got married a year after Tom and I did – and their own little girl, Jessica, could not be better. There is virtually no tension at family functions, and no difficulties with visitation – which is almost joint custody but without all of the problems often associated with joint custody.

As long as I can stay "on the wagon" I expect to have a great life – and I'm doing everything in my power to ensure that my kids never become addicts!