Death and a New Love

This chapter does not stand alone. Please read the previous chapters, before this.

To love in a tent

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I got out of the office a few minutes early, so we got everything loaded and the trailer hitched and were on the road early. On a Friday afternoon, that matters!

It had been years since I had been to that campground, but I knew exactly where it was. We found a campsite Toni liked and set up camp. I discovered Toni had re-made the bed--with black sheets! I was laughing over that as I wrapped my arms around her.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I just noticed the black sheets."

"Sexy, huh?"

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I stacked our firewood by the fire pit/enclosure. I noticed there was a place near the bathrooms where we could buy more, on the honor system. If we needed more, it was available.

Toni was busy cooking dinner. It was chili, and she had some cornbread in foil she was warming. I thought I'd have a little fun with that.

"I hope you don't fart after eating chili!"

"Like you'd kick me out of bed!"

She had a point.

The chili was delicious. I mean seriously good! I had two helpings.

"I appreciate the kudos for my cooking, but after two helpings of chili I might kick you out tonight!"

"Yeah ... I don't see that happening either."

She kissed me. "I think we're both safe from being kicked out of bed."

I built a fire and got out the stuff for S'mores. We had fun making them and ate too many.

"Can we go for a walk and get away from lights. I want to see the stars."

We walked about 200 yards away and stood in an open area, away from the trees. The sky was spectacular.

"I love seeing this. It's one of my favorite things about camping. That and being with you."

We stood and kissed for a long time.

The temperature was dropping, so I knew she would want to snuggle next to me all night. Camping is great!

------[]---[]------

We got into bed and there was no space between us.

"I'm cold, and you're warm."

"You just love me for my warmth."

"That's not true. I love you for your hot body."

"My hot body? Yours is the body that looks hot in two sexy swimsuits."

"Three. Not that you would know."

I had my arm around her and held her tightly.

In trying to get warm quickly, Toni had put her leg over me, turning her body so it was partly on me. I could feel her breast on my chest, and her pussy was a heat box down below. Near my hip. The heat I felt the most was from her leg. That was directly on my cock.

She moved her leg slowly over me and back. Yeah, she was checking me out.

I started laughing.

"I wasn't subtle enough, was I?

"No subtlety, but it's a nice reminder of what I hope will be our future together."

"Really? You hope that? I absolutely love you! Tony, you know I want to make love with you, but it's so important that you first become convinced you aren't taking advantage of me, that I'm not simply lonely. I don't want to have sex with you until you believe my love is genuine."

"I appreciate your patience. If it helps, I'm getting closer."

Toni hugged me.

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Our camping trip was a huge success. We had a great time together, went for long walks, talked, and, of course, kissed.

"I like camping with you, Toni. You're an experienced camper, a great cook, and a wonderful source of heat at night."

She was laughing. "I love cold nights. What can I say?"

We also talked about the next week.

"You have the same Monday issues every week, right?"

"This is the week that is lighter, but still a lot. I moved everything to Monday to maximize the rest of the week. Some companies report at the end of the week, but in my experience, people forget everything by Monday."

"I think we need a permanent date for dinner at my house on Mondays at 7."

"Followed by a backrub?"

"Of course. And the hot tub before that."

"I hope you're planning to sleep in my bed from now on."

"Unless you kick me out for farting."

We were both laughing over that one!

"On Tuesday, I think we should spend a couple of hours working on my trailer. Cleaning from our trip and I want to get some permanent extra pillows.

"Just so you know, during the day Tuesday I have an appointment at the cemetery to approve the plaque for the cremation vault. That wouldn't have been my choice, but Don made all the arrangements."

"Do you need me to go with you?

"I'll be fine, Tony, but thanks for offering. I can handle this, and I promised Don I would make sure his wishes were carried out."

"It will be an emotional moment for you, won't it?"

"It will, but I need you to understand something--maybe you do already. The fact that I love Don doesn't subtract from my love for you. I will probably always miss him and think of him every day. I will love both of you with all my heart. I hope you don't feel threatened by that."

"Not at all. It's a healthy thing to remember him that way. You were married for a long time. If you need me, please call."

"I think I'll be fine, but I'll call if I need you."

Do you still want to camp again this weekend?"

"I'd love to, if you want to as well."

"Do you have another favorite campground?"

"Several. How about a lake this time?"

"Let's plan on it."

"What are we doing Wednesday and Thursday?"

"We could stay in and relax on Wednesday. May I take you out for dinner Thursday? Casual this time?"

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We had fun again on Monday, and I got another backrub. I fell asleep during it and woke up the next morning to Toni kissing my bare chest.

"I like that a lot better than the alarm on my phone! I'll see you tonight, probably about 5:30."

"Bye, love."

We kissed goodbye.

When I got home, I asked how things had gone with the cremation vault. Toni said it was no problem, although she cried a little. She seemed upbeat and glad to have completed Don's wishes.

We took care of the trailer, and on Wednesday we bought pillows and more firewood.

Thursday night I took her to a casual steak house I frequented. We were sitting on adjacent sides of our table and holding hands.

"I'm really looking forward to our campout, babe."

"Is that because you like swimming in that lake?"

"It's one of my favorites. There are a couple of docks I like to dive off. It's better than having to wade out there."

"I think I'm going to call you my dolphin."

"I do love water."

That weekend we found amother good campsite and she spent hours swimming in the lake.

It was a lot of fun to watch her.

Joie de vivre

comes to mind. The joy of life. When she wasn't swimming, she was either cooking something delicious, going for walks with me or kissing me. Her happiness was evident in everything she did. There wasn't a hint of sadness.

That weekend we made plans to camp in the same place again the following week.

My Monday, difficult and long though it was, ended with Toni's dinner, sitting in the hot tub together, and a wonderful backrub. She had found a couple of other massage oils she thought would help me unwind.

I fell asleep again that night without my PJ top. Tuesday morning, it felt wonderful to wake up and find her arms were around me.

Thursday night we ate out again for dinner. Toni started talking about how fun camping and swimming would be, starting the next day.

"I wanted to talk to you about that. I think we should cancel our campout this weekend, but I'll let you make the final decision."

"Why do we need to cancel? I want this one. What do you want to do tomorrow night and the weekend?"

"I thought you might be interested in staying home and wearing your sexiest lingerie to bed tomorrow."

She was staring at me and her mouth was open.

"Are ... are you serious about this?"

"Absolutely."

She came halfway out of her chair and hugged me. She nearly choked me!

She pulled back and looked at me. She was wiping away tears.

"Just a couple of weeks ago you were struggling over whether I was clinging to you out of fear of being lonely. You got over it?"

"I did. I realize your delight in being with me isn't about fear. It's love I see in your face and in your eyes. The way you look at me is filled with more love than I ever saw in Ashley's eyes. I even sense it in your touch. I know you love me for the same reasons I love you. When I look at you I see a person who is happy."

"I

am

happy!

"Babe, I have lingerie, but it's all stuff I wore for Don. I want to throw those away. It may not matter to you, but it matters to me, so I'll go shopping tomorrow. What's your favorite style?"

"I have no idea. Ashley just wore thongs. Can you show me some examples?"

She got out her phone and searched for something. She put the phone on the table.

"Show me what you see here that you like."

I pointed to a couple of pics. We repeated this a few times.

"I think you like black the best, and I think I know exactly the style that will float your boat, or harden your oar, or whatever metaphor for a hard cock you want to use.

"There's something else, babe, and this is a big one. I'm not on birth control. I never have been. I just finished my period the day you moved in, so I'm probably near ovulation."

"What are our options?"

"I really want to feel all of you our first time, so I would prefer not to have to use a condom. You could pull out, but that's risky."

"You want a baby, right?"

"Yes, but I absolutely don't want to end up as a single mother."

I thought about what she had said.

"Would you consider the pill?"

"Sure, but that doesn't do us any good this weekend, although by next weekend it might protect me. It's probably better, but still a risk."

I thought of something else.

"I have another idea, but you may think I'm crazy."

"May I comment on that?"

I was laughing, but what I had to say was serious. "I'm committed heart and soul to you, and I think you feel the same way towards me."

"I really do!"

"Isn't it just a matter of time before we marry?"

"I hope so!"

"If we both feel that way, let's not wait. Toni, will you marry me?"

There was that open mouth!

"Again, are you serious?"

"I'm absolutely serious. Remember that line from the end of

When Harry Met Sally

? 'When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.'"

She laughed through tears. I thought that might be a good sign.

"Tony ... I don't want to go camping this weekend."

"I thought you might understand. Did I miss the word 'yes'?"

"YES! Yes. I will marry you. I don't ever remember being happier than I am right now. Can we go camping next weekend?"

"Only if you wear your Wicked Weasel in the hot tub sometime next week."

"I'd love to. And then you have to take it off me so we can have sex in the hot tub."

"Of course. I think I'm sick and will need to call in sick for work in the morning. I'd like to take you to pick out an engagement ring. Then you can shop for lingerie."

She didn't say anything. She just stood up, sat in my lap, and kissed me for a long time. That drew some attention in the restaurant!

When the kiss ended and we could breathe again, she spoke. "This is crazy! We've only known each other for three weeks, but I'm so certain about my feelings for you. It's been almost love at first sight. I took six months to decide to marry Don. You've climbed that summit in three weeks!"

"I know. It's sudden, but I'm just as certain.

"Toni, you told me your parents died. Will your sisters want to be there?"

"We're not close anymore. I hardly know anyone here, so I don't need a big wedding. What about your mother?"

"She'll want to be there. We should have dinner with her soon and tell her. No one else needs to be there."

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On the way home, we talked more about getting married.

"Shall we just get married at the county clerk's office? Only Mom would be there."

"That's fine with me. We don't need anything more than that. Easy to schedule. Low cost, not that it matters."

"Can you spend some time Monday getting information from the clerk's office? It's probably even online. Pick a date. Also ask whether we need a marriage license a few days before the marriage. Some places require that."

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Tony, where will we live? I don't want to live in my house. Too many reminders of Don, and your house doesn't have a pool."

"Do you want to buy one together? Find one with a pool? We can always add a hot tub."

"Honey, there's something else I want you to know. I got Don's death certificates this week, and gave one to Don's insurance agent. I've already signed the claim form. Don left me a two million-dollar death benefit. It's tax free, of course. We can sell our two homes--mine has a small amount left on the mortgage--and we will have money to buy a nice home. Exactly what we want."

"We may not need to use much or even any of that, but I'm happy for you to have that."

"Happy for

us

to have that Tony. Back to the house, though, how many bedrooms should we look for?"

"Three? The master plus two for children. I doubt we'll have more than two kids. One more bedroom as an office, unless the house has a dedicated office already."

"Children. Wow, that will be exciting." Her eyes filled with tears.

"What do you want first, a boy or a girl?"

"I just want a healthy baby."

"It's been a life-long dream for you, hasn't it?"

"It has. A dream I'd given up on. Now, with you, it might still come true."

More silence. She kissed me on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

"Because I love you more than I can express."

I pulled the car over to the side of the road and kissed her on the lips. That became a passionate kiss. Wet and deep.

"Tomorrow night, Toni. I'm so in love and so excited to make love with you."

"I'm going to have fun getting to know your body. I think you're larger than Don. I can hardly wait to give you a blowjob."

"You're killing me again! Since you brought it up, I want to go down on you."

"Ok, now I'm even more excited than I was. This may surprise you, but Don didn't like going down on me. We're going to have fun, aren't we?"

"I'm sure of it. FYI, I love oral sex! I assumed you would have more experience than I do"

"Is that a 'rob the cradle' reference?"

"Not at all! You and Don were married for 23 years, about 19 of those you were sexually active together. I had less than two years with Ashley. On top of that, you talked about being adventurous and creative. I hope you'll teach me."

"We'll learn together what each of us likes. It'll be fun for a long time, I hope."

"Me too."

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I kissed Toni to wake her up.

"It's 8:30, babe. You get in the shower while I make you breakfast."

"You really are spoiling me, you know."

"That's my duty, and I plan to be good at it."

"I keep finding more reasons to love you."

"Do you like pancakes? Eggs? Scrambled or fried? May I take your order?"

"I would like two pancakes and two fried eggs, preferably a solid yolk, but I can handle it slightly runny, too. Can I have hot chocolate?"

"I have some great hot chocolate. Come in the kitchen when you're done showering. Tomorrow we can do that together."

Her timing was good. I almost had everything ready.

"I just remembered a funny story. I had just started dating a girl in college. Really cute, a freshman. One day, walking between classes, I saw a girl coming towards me. She was talking to a friend. I looked at her and thought, 'She might be cute if she did something with her hair and wore some makeup. And those glasses are horrid.'"

"Oh, I see where this is going. It was her, wasn't it?"

"Yup, she looked up and smiled and stopped to talk. I only took her out one more time. Very superficial of me, but I saw what she would look like when she woke up next to me. You, on the other hand, are beautiful asleep and first thing in the morning. Even your bed hair is sexy."

"Whew, I was worried where you were headed with that!"

"You are always beautiful to me."

We had breakfast, got ready and headed for a jewelry store. We looked at several rings there, but nothing excited Toni, so we went to another.

Almost immediately she found one she loved. It was a two-tone ring, mostly white gold, with a yellow gold stripe that split in two around the central diamond. The yellow gold had small diamonds on the two sides around the center. It was designed for a 1 carat center stone, the size of the stone in it already..

"I like this one, Tony, I would be fine with a smaller center diamond, but this design probably needs a full carat. What do you think?"

"It looks so nice on your hand. How's the fit?"

"Perfect!"

"May I buy this one for you?"

Her eyes filled with tears. "I love it, Tony."

"I'll buy it, but I want to put it on your finger outside, so let's take it in the box."

We walked out to the car. Before opening her door, I had her hold out her hand and I slipped the ring onto her finger. She was crying again.

"I don't know why I'm so emotional about this. I got married a long time ago. I've done this before. I think it feels so special because of how much I love you."

"Do you want to take me home so you can shop for lingerie?"

"I think so. Part of me wants you there, but I really want to surprise you tonight. Yeah, I'll drive you home. Maybe I should take my car. You might have something you need your car for."

There

was

something.

When Toni returned home, she came in from the garage with a big smile. Then she saw the floral arrangement of red roses and white lilies on the dining room table. I had placed a card on the table in front of the arrangement.

Dear Antoinette:

I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. Tonight will be a night we both remember forever. The only night that will rival this, and likely exceed it, is the day I become your husband, and you become my wife. Thank you for joining me on this great life-long adventure.

Your lover and fiancée,

Anthony