Third Year After Ch. 04

That probably hit him harder than the wisecrack would have. "I'm sorry, man. I know now that you weren't lying to me about Kyra. It's just... you stood by Amber instead of me."

"What did you expect?" I asked, staying calm. "That I was going to join you and attack her, when she was keeping the liaison that produced Kyra a secret to protect other secrets, to protect me? She twisted herself in knots most of the year, trying to do the right thing as she saw it. She didn't deserve to be screamed at, right after giving birth. Or to be called a cunt, and whatever else you called her before I got there. She still won't tell me everything, so I assume it was bad. The friend I knew, that I would have stood by, wouldn't do that. The friend I knew would have heard her out. Would have heard me out. I barely recognized you at that moment, that's how angry you were. So, I took the side of a woman I loved even then, over you. You know you would do the same, if the situation was reversed."

Kenny said, "I'm not sure I would have had the secrets that y'all needed to protect."

"Maybe not," I admitted. "But choosing between your girlfriend and one of your best friends is pretty much universal, isn't it?"

Amber walked up at that point, holding KJ, dressed all the way down to shoes he didn't need yet, and Patti was carrying his diaper bag.

Kenny's eyes went wide. "He's gotten so big," he said, reverentially.

"Babies do that," Amber said. "If you visit more often, you'll miss less."

"I know," Kenny said. "Work's been crazy busy, and this was my first chance for a break."

Amber turned to KJ, and softly said, "KJ, this is your daddy. He's going to take you to see your grandparents, and he'll bring you back in a couple of days." She handed KJ to Kenny.

Kenny asked, "Does he understand that?"

Amber answered, "Babies start to understand what we're saying at six months or so. He may not have understood everything I just said, but tone is important, too. I've shown him your picture for months, calling you Daddy, so he'd recognize you when you did come to visit. I recommend you talk to him a lot, call him KJ, call yourself Daddy. He might be scared at first, so you need to stay calm."

"Thanks, Amber. I'll take good care of him, and my Mom will help. I'll bring him back around 9 AM Sunday, right?"

Kenny took the diaper bag in his other arm, and walked out the door. As soon as I closed the door, Amber kissed me, deeply.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"That's for handling him perfectly, for standing up for me without yelling at him, for getting my side of it. I know you didn't always agree with my decisions, so thank you for understanding my reasons for them."

~~~~~

July 4, 2015

For the Fourth of July, we hosted a pool party at Center House for the staff of Henry's practice, and I got to meet the famed Dr. Mason.

I totally understood Mom's view of him as a major flirt, as it seemed like he hit on every woman who was there, particularly after his first two beers. Married or not, no matter what age. It actually made me cringe to watch it.

My Aunt Maria had come by for the party as well, and totally shot him down, when he tried his act on her. I wanted to kiss her, just for that. He was acting like the kind of guy that nice guys hate, because he puts women on the defensive against all guys.

I think he was one of the first to leave, and I could sense a collective sigh of relief. I sincerely hoped he was a better doctor than what he had just shown.

~~~~~

July 5, 2015

Kenny dropped KJ off at 9, while I was next door cleaning up from the party, and didn't stay to talk for very long, as he had a flight to catch back to LA at noon. Amber told me later that he said KJ behaved well, although nervous around his grandparents at first. Kenny promised to be back at least twice before the end of the year.

~~~~~

July 12th, 2015

Duke and Jean returned from their honeymoon, and Patti and I wound up picking them up in the minivan, as Duke's parents weren't available.

"How was it?" I asked, as we got their luggage stowed. "Or did you only see the inside of the room?"

Jean smirked. "It was beautiful, one of those all-inclusive resorts. So, we swam, caught naps while working on our tans, had great meals, danced, and then fucked our brains out back in the room until we couldn't go any more."

I swear the porter nearest the car bust his gut laughing at her. Jean just smiled. I think she actually made Duke blush, too.

~~~~~

July 19, 2015

I had just finished a set of diaper changes, when Patti came into the nursery, holding her phone in apparent disbelief. I turned to her and asked "What's up? You look like the phone bit you, or something." Amber and Sandy walked in behind her, wondering the same thing.

"Oh, you're not going to believe this," Patti said. "You remember how my boss Maria asked me for advice last year about getting into a foursome with another couple she knew?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, that was Jean on the phone. Apparently, Maria invited Jean and Duke to a party, and asked her to bring her camera along so she could take some photos, on commission. What Maria didn't say was that she wanted photos of the foursome having sex, outdoors, for their private collections. Jean said okay, I'm no prude, I'll do it, and says she took about 200 nice shots, with Duke looking on the whole time. As soon as that photo session was over, Maria asked if Jean and Duke wanted to join in. They must have been all kinds of turned on by then. And get this, Duke agreed. They swapped spouses, and Duke had sex with both of the other wives, as both of the other husbands got to be with Jean, even both of them at the same time. Jean loved having one guy in her mouth, and another in her pussy, apparently a first for her."

I was momentarily speechless, then asked, "Does this mean he might be willing to get involved with us?"

Patti said, "I asked Jean that, and she doesn't think so. She talked the whole thing out with Duke afterward, and he said that it was easier for him to say yes with a group who were basically strangers to him, because he doesn't have anything to lose if it goes bad. He's apparently really scared that having sex with us would damage our friendship permanently, that he would be stuck between not being able to go back to being just friends and not being able to go forward into joining our marriage because of the incest. Pretty much the same concern we had about him two years ago when he first got together with Jean, and the question of a foursome came up, even before he knew either Tina or Toni were involved with us."

"You might want to be prepared for him to change his mind," Amber said. "He's at least half-way there."

"Why didn't you get an invite, Patti?" Sandy asked. "Your boss knows you've been involved in group sex."

"Because my boss knows my job is on the line, if I ever get sexually involved with someone at work. It was a stipulation HR put on me after I had to complain about all the harassment and gossip that was happening when I first joined the company, due to the news of Foursome Friday swirling around. If she invited me, she'd also have to fire me. Jean isn't under the same restriction. But as far as I know, Maria doesn't know Jean was sexually involved with us, either."

~~~~~

July 23, 2015

Sandy got an email from her college's housing office, saying that a Freshman had been assigned as her roommate. She told me her first name was Amanda, but didn't mention the last.

~~~~~

July 29, 2015

I was helping with dinner, after work, when Henry and Mom came home.

"You admit you were flirting with him?" Henry asked, as they came through the door.

"Of course I do," Mom responded. "He starts flirting with me, and I'm going to flirt back. But Henry, that's all it is, I promise. If I wanted Jackson in my bed, I'd let you know that."

"You'd sleep with him?" Henry hissed.

Mom caressed Henry's cheek. "No, I didn't say that, and I'm not at all interested in taking him to bed. Where is this jealousy coming from, dear?"

"I guess I'm used to flirting being an indication of desire," he answered.

"Well, it's not always. At least not for me. I'd have to be an idiot to get involved with him."

"Why, Tina? I think he's hot," said Amber.

"He's a player, Amber. He takes it beyond flirting whenever he can, just to run up his personal score."

"What's wrong with that?" Amber retorted.

"It's about trusting him," Mom replied. "Not that I'm looking for a commitment from him, but he's the poster child for the kind of guy who would promise to be faithful, but wouldn't. If I couldn't trust him to keep that promise, why would I let him get close enough to maybe find out our secrets?"

"But if it were someone else, you'd have sex with them?" Henry asked.

I asked, "I thought we were all clear on the fact that this has always been an open marriage? Has that changed? Or should it?"

We all looked at each other, but Patti was the first to answer. "I wouldn't want to change that aspect of it. The six of us are married today because Drew and I were believers in open relationships from the beginning. If we had been exclusive, we don't get involved with Tina, or Toni, and I don't reunite with Amber in the same way. Maybe Tina still dates you, Henry, but would you have married her, given your commitment to Amber?"

"No," he answered. "I was only dating as camouflage. I supposed I'm still not as comfortable with the idea of an open marriage as you seem to be."

Mom said, "You seemed comfortable enough when we were having sex with my sister. Face it. All of us have had sex with someone who wasn't in the marriage, since joining it. Sandy is a special case since we've all had sex with her, but when you add in Steve, Maria, Jean, Matt and Sophia and now my niece Carrie, we have more current and past lovers outside of the marriage as in, beside the fact that Henry and Amber were sexually involved with us before joining the marriage. I'm aware we need to be careful in choosing new partners, but I'm not saying no to future involvements."

"You left out Kenny," Sandy said.

"I wasn't part of the marriage then," Amber said.

"But you considered yourself married to Dad," Sandy shot back.

"Then you would also need to count Ginger, Dad's girlfriend when I was away at college Freshman year," Amber said.

"Whatever happened to her?" Sandy asked.

Henry said, "Her mom got cancer, and Ginger dropped everything to go back to Oregon to be with her. Breaking up with me was the smallest item on her list."

"The point is," I interjected, "we've all chosen to not be monogamous, for one reason or another, and been better for the experience. I vote that we continue being an open marriage, carefully."

We all agreed.

~~~~~

Next up: Revelations at a funeral, and an old flame bursts back into Henry's life

Author's Note: I worked on Chapters 4, 5 and 6 together, to be sure their lengths worked out to where I wanted them, moving and reworking scenes as needed. As a result, they'll be posted about 2 days apart from each other, after a 3 week gap from Chapter 3. Thank you for your patience.

"Leeny's Man"