Terrible Taste In Tees

What happened to Julie? Three weeks before the wedding he went to a comic book convention to surprise her. He did, while she was having sex with another man. She begged and pleaded, but he never took her back. Sherry dropped her when she found out. I think she lives in California now.

I congratulated them.

"We want you, J and Amy, Leslie and Mary, and Sherry to be in the wedding. Will you be my best man?"

"Name the time and place. I'll be there."

"Cancun, in three months. It's one of those destination wedding packages, all we have to do is show up. She saw a picture of a waterfall there, and wants to get married in front of it. We're still working on the exact date. I'll get back to you."

I started to wonder. Bree was still in Cancun, doing well in her job. So well, that they gave her Costa Rica too when she had to step in to do damage control when her predecessor screwed up badly. She contained it, made it up to all concerned, and avoided litigation. Sherry told me, they still stayed in contact.

I wondered if her resort was where the wedding would be and looked it up. No, it was a different one. I was a little disappointed, I hadn't been naked in a while. Took one of the women I dated once, and when she found out it was clothing optional, she called me a pervert and flew home. We never dated again. Maybe I could take a few extra days after the wedding.

................................................

The wedding was, to say the least, unusual. Everyone had to dress up as comic book characters, all from Obscure, of course.

I found out capes aren't always good fashion accessories, and tights aren't all that comfortable in a hot, humid climate. The only one comfortable was Mary. For once she didn't complain about how skimpy her costume was.

I had gained a little weight. I was thirty seven now, nature was catching up to me. Took a look in a mirror, didn't like what I saw, and hired a personal trainer. I thought the bitch was trying to kill me. She was actually a nice woman, but deadly serious about her job. I also took up running, something I came to enjoy. I even ran a few half marathons.

I ended up bulking up to two ten. I also got bored one day and shaved my head. I trimmed my goatee and waxed my mustache. Walking into the office a few days later, Les almost didn't recognize me.

"What the hell? Where's my slacker friend, and where did he steal that hot body?"

She called Mary, who ran in to hug me. I surprised her by lifting her up and twirling her around, something I had never been able to do before.

"Damn, there's a brother out there probably madder than hell because some white boy stole his dick and his body. You look good enough to eat."

She said that and licked her lips, while Les giggled.

"Remember our anniversary party next week. You know what we want."

I did indeed. They cornered me in my studio one weekend. They had come out to enjoy the fresh air, and get naked in privacy. I had a nine foot fence put around my backyard, so I could enjoy my pool and patio without worry. Les asked if we could talk about something serious for a minute.

"It's time to start our family. We're serious, Chris. We want you to be the dad, in every sense of the word. We've even got a contract written up, giving you unlimited access and freedom from financial burden, Think about it. I've let my window pass, so it's up to my wife now. Two, remember? And don't even think about artificial insemination. We want it done the old fashioned way so we will be connected forever. I'll be glad to be your fluffer."

Les giggled and grabbed my dick, giving it a few quick tugs while Mary tried to suffocate me with one of her boobs. They fell back laughing, then got serious.

"We know you've always wanted kids. And we know how hard this decision will be. Think about it, but please don't break our hearts."

I had thought about it, a lot. On one hand I wanted my own with a mate that loved me, on the other hand my clock was ticking, and I didn't want to be a biological dead end.

................................................

We partied, escorted the loving couple to their suite. Jay got me alone.

"You know where we wanted to have the wedding, but her parents would have thrown a fit. I know you guys are planning on going over to the resort. That works out great, her parents are going home in two days. We've already got a suite. See you soon.

The next day we packed, and the whole tribe moved up the coast. We were greeted like royalty. Sherry had called Bree and set it up. She let it be known Bree would be in Costa Rica that week. I was a little disappointed, it had almost two years, and I wondered what she looked like now.

I got my share of looks from the ladies and a few men, but Les and Mary hovered over me.

"Don't even think about it it. We want you full and desperate by the time you finally knuckle under. Got it?"

I grinned at Les, picked up her five foot, one hundred five pound frame, and threw her as far as I could into the pool, her screaming the whole way. She had never learned to swim. Mary and I were both right behind her, holding her up as she sputtered to the top. "Bastard!" she screamed, when she could get a breath. "I could have drowned!"

I laughed. The water was four feet deep. It still came up to her mouth. I ducked her again, and when she came up sputtering, I kissed her.

I let her go, looked down and grinned.

"Is that any way for a soon to be parent to talk? You'll have to watch that potty mouth in the future."

Mary had snuggled up behind her, actually had her off the floor of the pool. They both looked at me in shock.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" whispered Mary.

"Yep." I don't want to waste around. Plot your next fertile time and we'll get started."

They started crying, and I left them in the pool, telling Amy and Sherry this would be a good time for some girl bonding. I heard them screaming as I walked away.

It was a decision I didn't make lightly. But I had trusted and loved both for a long time, and I would make sure J wrote up a bulletproof contract. If I was going to father kids, I wanted to be a big part of their lives.

We had dinner, and the girls wanted to start right away, but I told them I'd like to be alone that night.

.................................................

I was up almost at dawn the next day, feeling sluggish. Off my exercise regime, I was feeling it. Looked around for my Speedo and running shoes, and hit the beach. Five or six miles should make me feel better.

I tried to run nude before, but there was just too much jiggling going on. Some women were the same, that's why you'd see them wearing sports bras when they played volleyball.

I had my Ipod cranked, not paying attention to my surroundings, zoned into the rhythm of my stride. I'd reached the private end of the beach, where many of the staff lived. I could see a woman sitting under a grove of trees, but didn't pay attention.

I was probably ten yards away when a pink ball rolled onto the beach, followed by a giggling child, who in turned was being chased by her mother. I stopped and picked up the ball.

The baby, just old enough to walk, held up her hands for the ball. Her mother had stopped, holding her hands to her mouth. She stepped out of the shade.

Bree.

I looked down, noticing the child. Black hair, grey eyes. She looked just like my baby pictures.

My head started spinning. The maternity shoots, the reason why she wanted a steady job, the silence, all came together.

She was trying to say something, but with my earbuds playing I couldn't understand. Unbidden tears rolled, and I turned back up the beach, almost sprinting. I could hear her screaming as she tried to run after me, but I ran until I couldn't see her anymore.

I didn't even pack, just threw on some clothes, chartered a plane on the way to the airport, and left. Back home, I got in my truck and drove. Wound up in the Smoky Mountains, Virginia I think, rented a cabin, and collapsed for two days.

When I turned on my phone finally, My message board was full. Les, J and Amy, Jay and his wife. Mary. Two from my mother. And one from Bree.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't how I wanted you to find out. I was afraid to tell you, afraid you would think I was trying to trap you. I didn't mean to get pregnant, but when I found out, I couldn't kill her. She's amazing, Chris. I know it was selfish, but it was like I got to keep a part of you forever. And I intended to tell you, this week. It was why I came back."

Then she broke down.

"Please Chris, please don't take her away from me. She's all I have. I've been a good mother, I swear. Please, please, call me."

All the rest were comments of worry from my friends. I went home, didn't tell anyone. I was there two days before they found me.

It was Sherry. I let her in, and flopped back on the couch. She just sat with me for a long time before she spoke.

"Sucks, huh? Finding out like that, I mean. Bree is scared to death, thinking you'll try to take her away. I met her, she's a sweet kid. Looks just like you. And Chris, I never knew, I swear. When I'd see her the child was nowhere around, and she never spoke of her. What are you going to do?"

I had thought about little else for days.

"Meet her. I think Bree owes me that. I'll go from there."

She relaxed for the first time.

"You're a good guy, Chris. You'll do the right thing. Want me to call her and tell her?"

I still wasn't sure about being around her.

"Does she have to be there?"

"It's her child, Chris. As scared as she is, she's not going to let her out of her sight."

I hung my head.

"This weekend. I'll book the flight, arrange for a car to pick her up. Just her and the child, understand? I know she was serious about some guy, but he does not need to be here. I won't accept it."

Kelly gripped my hand.

"She's not involved with anyone, hasn't been for a while. She's alone, Chris."

"No she's not. She has a child. I have no one."

She didn't know what to say, so she hugged me and left. She let everyone know I was home, and soon it was like had a revolving door. I took as much as I could before I assured them one more time I was all right, and politely ran them out.

Of course, I wasn't all right. I had no idea what to do, or how to handle the situation.

Bree emailed me everyday, including photographs of every stage of Tinas' life. It was short for Christina. She explained her actions in detail several times.

She was afraid to tell me before the birth. She assured me it was mine. Had DNA evidence. Made sure I knew it was when we spent the night that weekend at the resort.

She wasn't expecting to see me, she really wasn't expecting to sleep with me. She had been off birth control for awhile, she hadn't had sex in a long time and wasn't expecting to that night.

It was all rationally explained. I just don't know if I believed it.

It took a month for her to come. She wanted all her old friends there, safety in numbers, I think. I thought it was a good idea. I would be on my best behavior.

So on a sunny Thursday in July, I was waiting by my door for the car to deliver my, what, family? I had no idea what to call them.

................................................

The car pulled up, and the driver opened the door. Bree got out, wearing a conservative dress and sunglasses. She walked around the car, reached in, undid the child seat I told the service to provide, and pulled her out. She was blinking in the sun, the car had tinted windows.

As Bree came up the walk, the little girl saw the crowd waiting for her and gripped her mother a little tighter.

"Hi guys," she said quietly, "it's really good to see you again. I'd like to introduce my, er, our daughter, Christina Brianna Tate. How's that for an entrance?"

She got pecks and hugs, it had been a long time, and they bore no grudges.

She came up to me at last.

"I rehearsed speeches for a month, but now that I'm in front of you with her, I have no idea what to say. Would you like to hold your child?"

I reached for her with shaky hands. To my surprise she reached out for me.

"Da," she said, several times, tugging my goatee. I looked at Bree.

"She's trying to say Daddy. I show her your picture everyday, and tell her it's her daddy. I wanted her to know who you were. Don't be mad, but I have Sherry send me photos of you every few months. She thought they were for me. I can't believe you shaved off your hair."

I stood there, holding the blood of my blood, for the first time, and the emotions overwhelmed me. I held her back out to Bree.

"You better take her now...I don't..I can't..."

She reached out quickly, taking her. They told me later I went ghost pale, they were actually afraid I was going to pass out. I walked out back and sat by the pool.

Twenty minutes later Bree came out and sat beside me.

"All right now? I'm so sorry, Chris, for all of this. It was a mistake, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm relieved you finally know, it was so hard not to tell you."

We could hear Tina crying, and Sherry came out holding her. Bree took her and she calmed down for a minute, then started wriggling.

"Do you mind if I put her down? She's an active child, and she's done nothing but sit since we got on the plane."

She stood her beside her, and she clutched her dress until she got her balance. Then she decided the distance between our chairs was just perfect for a walk. She tottered, wobbled, but stayed upright until she reached me. She looked up and smiled like "see what I can do?" before looking around for another milestone.

I had forgotten Rorschach. I had put her out back. She had eased up to us, and was lying on the other side of me. Tina saw her, thought she was a toy, and toddled around me, losing her balance and landing right in front of her. Tina looked at Rorschach, Then reached out and touched her nose. When she licked her, she went into a fit of giggles. She cried when I picked her up, wanting her toy back. I calmed her, by getting up, letting her tiny hand latch on to my little finger, and let her walk wherever she wanted to go, as long as it wasn't the pool. Rorschach walked beside her, and she's sometimes fall against her. It made her giggle every time. Finally she just grabbed a handful of fur and walked between us. I showed her my flowerbeds, and she wouldn't move until she picked one, holding it to her nose. I tucked it behind her ear, which seemed to please her.

We did this until she got tired, then she wanted picked up. She put her head on my shoulder and was asleep almost instantly as I walked back to the patio. I looked up to see everyone there, with tears streaming down most cheeks. Leslie was filming the whole thing, something I'll always love her for. Bree was crying hardest of all.

She put her down for a nap, and we fired up the grill. Steaks, chicken, shrimp, with a salad. I turned on the party lights, and we ate quietly.

By the time everything was done, she was awake, so Bree gave her a cleanup and a fresh outfit. I forgot a high chair, so she sat on alternating parent laps, eating her baby food. I may have slipped her a bit of mashed up baked potatoes, but nobody noticed. I got caught slipping her bites of pudding I had purchases just for her.

Bree gave me a lecture about what to feed a baby, but laughed when she smeared pudding on both our faces.

Finally they left, leaving us alone. Bree had cleaned her up again, and she was practicing walking, holding on to furniture as she went. Rorschach was either right behind her or right in front of her. When I told Rorschach to lie down, Tina toddled over and fell against her, crying when I lifted her up. I patted her back while I walked around, talking to her soothingly. Ten minutes later she was out like a light.

Bree put her down, and left the door open, so she could hear her.

"This changes everything, doesn't it?"

I just nodded.

The tears started.

"Please don't take her away from me. You've got the money, if you turned J loose on me I wouldn't have a chance. I'll do anything."

I looked at her while she snuffled, trying to get my phrasing right.

"Don't say anything, Bree. I might just take you up on that. I'm pissed beyond words that you hid her from me. The first Christmas, the first birthday, the first steps she took? You stole that from me, never gave me a chance."

"I believe you when you say it was an accident. But I helped create her, didn't you feel I needed to know?"

She was looking pale herself.

"You don't think I agonized over that? I wanted to tell you so badly it was killing me. But I do what I always do with you, I fuck up. We should have been together when she was born, here, in this house. I should have made you see this was a gift from God, and needed to be treated accordingly. I'm asking you for your help here, how can we fix this?"

I already knew what I wanted, I had thought of nothing else since I discovered her.

"To start with, she needs my last name."

She actually smiled.

"Weren't you listening when I introduced her? She already has your last name, and you're listed as father on the birth certificate. Here."

She rummaged through a small case she had and handed me the certificate.

"Thank you. Now for the biggie. I want her to be part of my life. I'll fly down every other weekend, and I'll want her here whenever you can come up. You know money isn't an object."

She smiled, relaxing for the first time. She pulled another paper out and handed it to me. A custody agreement, to be held jointly, with her as primary. I would have access to her anytime I wanted. I just had to sign it.

We talked into the night, about a lot of things, staying away from the real serious subjects. She finally yawned.

"Time for bed. You're a parent now, you don't get to sleep in. Want to kiss her goodnight?"

What a stupid question.

I held her as she turned down the bed and went into the bathroom to change. She came out in a light weight, knee length gown. Sensible, simple, but she made it look stunning.

She gave me a kiss goodnight and shooed me out.

................................................

I woke to her standing over me, holding Tina.

"Get up. Some little lady needs breakfast."

I jumped up, hopped in the shower, brushed my teeth, and got dressed in record time. When I came into the kitchen she handed her to me.

"Walk her around a little, let her burn off some energy, and I'll fix her breakfast."

I wouldn't let her in the grass because it was still damp, but Rorschach and I walked her all over the patio. The way the dog acted I thought she may have been exposed to small children in her past. In the end, she was holding her fur and not my hand.

Bree called us in, and fed her strained bananas and hot cereal, while I fixed an adult breakfast.

"How long are you going to stay?

It was killing me to ask the question.

"I've taken two weeks vacation. How much we spend it with you is your call."

I called Les and told her I was on vacation until she heard from me. She laughed, said "Duh. Have a good time, daddy."

I had kept the car seat, and put it in my little SUV, making sure to follow the directions to the letter. Bree watched me through the kitchen window, grinning.

"Get her ready," I called out as I came in.

"We need to shop if you guys are stay that long."

I couldn't find then anywhere. Then I heard a horn honk. They were strapped in, waiting on me.

Bree had to hold me back. First we went to the mall, for extra clothes for both. Then to the box store for diapers, then the grocery store for supplies. My head felt enormous as I pushed the buggy while Tina rode and Bree shopped, I was so proud. Women looked at the baby and cooed. Men looked at Bree and drooled.