Eva

I forgot to mention something in my last chapter, friends. Jon and Eva's little girl, their new bundle of absolute heaven, her full name is Rachel Hannah Glazer Grossman, like her brother before her. Sorry I missed that but I wanted you to know, their sweet girl was just the same as their sweet son. In their hearts, in their souls, in their lives.

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Two days later, on the 19th, I brought Eva and Rachel home. It was midday when we pulled onto the school grounds and there was a big hand painted banner stretched over our driveway that said "Way To Go, Mrs. G! Welcome Home Rachel!" And the entire student body of both schools was out on the large field clapping and cheering for us. If it had been in my power, I would have given everyone all A's that semester.

I stopped the car in front of our house and the applause got louder when I helped Eva out and we brought Rachel out of her car seat. We stood on the steps so everyone could see, there were more flowers for Eva and a huge Teddy Bear for Rachel. I spoke briefly to everyone. "I wish we could invite you all in to say hello. I promise I'll post pictures on the bulletin boards as soon as I can for everyone to see and I'll be in tomorrow, if I get some sleep tonight!" Some friendly laughter. "Thank you all so much. You're all very special to us, our other family. Now everyone, back to class before I fail everyone!" More, louder laughter. more applause, and everyone returned to the school buildings. These amazing people made us feel right at home.

I took Rachel from Eva and put her in the basinet Eva's parents sent us; they were coming down for the weekend in two days. Eva was sore from her incision. She didn't want a strong painkiller because she wanted to breast feed the baby. So she stuck to mild doses of Tylenol. It didn't help much, but every little bit helped. Odette got everything Eva needed while I attended to Rachel and ran to the stores for a few things. I ran into a few women connected to the school at the market and they congratulated me and told me I should set up times for people to stop by to visit. I was non-committal about it and went off to finish my shopping. It was another thing that made us feel part of the community. The people we met who were treating us like we belonged.

That night, we brought Rachel up to her bed in our bedroom and Connor kept dangling his fingers for his sister to grasp. He already loved playing with her. But his mother was exhausted so I took him to his room (after getting his good night kiss from mom) and I read to him a little and sang something sweet to him as he fell asleep. I gave him my kiss and then left him to rest.

I went to lie down and Eva was already half asleep. She turned over facing away and I started ticking the back of her neck and down her arms, kissing her neck as well.

"Bear, that feels great, but we can't have sex tonight" she chuckled. "No sex for at least six weeks. I'm too tired anyway."

"Silly Angel. You know I'm not looking for your body tonight. I'll settle for your mind. Just for a minute. We have to give Connor his birthday present tomorrow. He hasn't complained but I know he expected something. I feel terrible that we didn't do it today. We're two days late. We're lucky he's such a sweet boy. Ten years old now. Where has the time gone?"

Eva leaned back into my chest, making soft sounds of some pain but mostly contentment. "I don't know, Bear, but I know I haven't regretted a single moment since we met. Twelve years married, thirteen together. Connor is ten. The only bad part is your parents aren't here to see what an amazing job they did with you. You are the very best man imaginable. I wouldn't trade you for anyone. Except maybe for Sylvester Stallone." Eva looked up and we smiled at each other. It was a running joke with us, her visceral attraction to Sly Stallone. Hey, she was a woman. I'd be surprised if some men didn't stir something inside her. It was the same with me. I looked a little. I was human. And if Michelle Pfeiffer ever hit on me... It wasn't real, just a couple of healthy fantasies for a couple of healthy adults who would never, ever cheat on each other. We had no desire or need to cheat. Ever.

"Tell you what, Angel. When you're all healed up and we can have fun again, we can go to the Rocky Steps and Statue and then that night, you can screw your very own Jewish Stallion." We giggled together.

"Ouch, don't make me laugh, Bear. My stitches hurt when I laugh!"

"Ok I'll be...dull."

"Don't do that either. Find some middle ground." Just then our little lady woke up and cried. I got out of bed and I changed her diaper, kissed her little nose (which made her giggle a little) and then I tucked her back into her bed.

"Thank you Bear" Eva said softly as I climbed back into bed. "Next time I'll get up."

"No, honey. You need to recover. I don't go back to work until Monday. So for now, I'll do the feedings and changings during the night. You rest." I kissed her neck.

"So good to me" she said, half asleep. "My Bear is so good to me."

"We're so good to each other, Angel."

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We made it up to Connor the next day. We gave him a whole new set of hockey equipment for the fall and, to make up for being three days late, I got tickets to see the Phillies that Saturday, for Connor, me and his grandfather and a friend of his choice. "But you buy the hot dogs and beer" I winked at him, He went to call his friend Avery from his hockey team. All was forgiven, so to speak.

Over the weekend while her parents were with us, we received a big gift basket from the board members with gourmet foods and snacks, champagne (very good stuff) and a $1000 gift certificate to the King of Prussia Mall, good at any store. It was a nice package. Friends were calling, wanting to know when they could come by to see us. While her parents were there, we did allow Patty and Larry and another couple, Kevin and Sharon, to come for a little while on Sunday. More gifts for the baby, mostly clothes or stuffed animals. And a few smart and kind souls, like Larry and Patty, also brought things for Connor. It had been his birthday, after all, plus it's important to not let a sibling feel neglected when a new child comes into the family.

The following Tuesday was Cammy's graduation from law school. Eva couldn't go, which ate at her a bit. But Rachel was newborn and it wasn't the place for her. And Eva wouldn't even discuss the possibility of her going and me staying home with Rachel. "Cammy is YOUR sister, Jon. It's your place, and you deserve to see her graduate. Take the video camera and record as much as you can. And be sure you get a good shot of her getting her degree! And make sure she knows we'll have a small party for her on Saturday afternoon here. And that I'm so proud of her." Eva got a little teary. She wanted to be there. She was like a mother hen and Cammy was one of her chicklings. After all, we did help raise her.

Connor and I went early since it started at 10AM. We found seats near the front and we picked Cammy out as the graduates filed into the auditorium. There were speeches, most thankfully brief. Cammy kept looking over at us with her winning smile, winking at her nephew. Then came time for the diplomas and I got a nice close up as "Camilla Rose Grossman" walked across the stage in her law school robes and got her diploma, number 4 in her class, as Connor led the cheers for her. I briefly thought of our parents, hopefully looking down from somewhere above with immense pride.

After the ceremony, we met her and after Connor gave his Aunt Cammy a big hug and kiss ("My favorite man!" she called him, no longer 'little man') it was my turn and I held my sister as close as I ever had. "I'm so proud of you, sis. Eva feels so bad she couldn't be here today."

"She has nothing to feel bad about. Rachel has to come first. Thank you for coming and for bringing my sweet nephew! I love you both so much!" We didn't want to keep her; she had friends she was meeting to get drunk with. She earned it.

I showed Eva the recording that afternoon and she cried mostly happy tears. I looked after our daughter while she got some rest. We had a party for just about 15 people, which was tiring enough for Eva that Saturday. We gave Cammy a beautiful leather briefcase, monogrammed CRG in gold lettering. And Connor and Rachel gave her a Mont Blanc fountain pen set, with a little help from mom and dad. Cammy loved it, and she spent as much time as she could with her niece and nephew. She'd see more of them for a while; she was moving back in for the summer while she studied for the bar exam at the end of July. But after that, she was going to move out, this time for good, to Washington for a year before she found her own place in Philadelphia or thereabout. She already had a solid job offer from the firm she worked at after she did her clerkship. Her future was sound. It was a little sad though when I thought about it. She wouldn't have a room in our home anymore in a year. That meant for the first time in my life, my sister wouldn't be living with me to any degree. It hurt a little inside.

One weekend at the beginning of June, I stopped into a local jewelry store and made a few purchases. A couple of nights later we were all together after dinner. I asked Cammy if she could take an hour off from studying so we were all sitting together, with Rachel in her mothers' lap. I brought out four small boxes and handed one to each member of my family. Well, I held Rachel's and opened it for her. Eva's had two new charms to add to her bracelet, one with a large letter 'R' engraved on it, like the J, C, C and E on the others she already had and one with a 'G' for Glazer- Grossman.

Cammy's had two small gold hearts to go with the four she already had on the chain she often wore around her neck. Connor got a Jewish star on a chain, similar to the one I wore that Eva gave me, and at at each of the six corners were engraved small letters C, C, E, J, R and the sixth corner had the letter G for Glazer and Grossman. And Rachel got a small bracelet with a gold flat plate and again, the letters C, C, E, J, R and G were engraved. She was a little too small yet for it, but within a few months we'd put it on her.

Eva and Cammy were crying softly, and even Connor was tearing up. "Jon, this is so beautiful" my wife said gently, kissing me with her love. "But you're not included. This should include each member of the family."

"Not to worry, honey. I'm a part of this." I opened the neck of my shirt, showing my own star, my first gift from Eva a long time ago, and turned it around so they could all see that I got my own star engraved with everyone's initial. At the sixth point, like on Connors, was the letter G for Grossman and Glazer. "Cammy, I think I owe you another heart and they also should be engraved with each initial. So we're all always connected, even if we're far apart." We hugged in one big group hug, mindful of little Rachel's safety. I adored my family, each and every one. And the feeling was mutual, all the way around. Life was good, and about to get better.

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While Eva recovered, I was incredibly busy doing my job and much of hers. Lenny had both jobs and I wondered how he did it until I found out he delegated a lot of the administrative work to his office staff, something they resented. It was one of the reasons the board of directors agreed to split the job in two and add the extra relatively large salary. Lenny kind of fucked up the job. Then again, who knew how long he was sick without saying anything?

Eva did as much as she could from home, a lot of paperwork mostly, With her need for rest and recovery, I was exhausted by graduation, June 22, 1992. I survived, barely, it seemed. The senior prom had been early May but the school itself hosted a formal dinner for the graduates the week before graduation, honoring top students in each category of study and the overall National Honors Society (Arista) honorees, held at a very swanky hall in nearby Villanova. Eva came with me, her first night out since giving birth, while Cammy watched the kids for us. Everyone wanted to talk to her, students and parents and teachers all; they all missed her very much. We each gave a speech before handing out the individual awards. We told the students...soon to be graduates,,, how proud we were, how we knew they were all headed for great futures, that they'd all be missed and were welcome to visit in the future to let us know how life was going for them.

Eva also came into school the Friday before graduation, the last day of classes, to help say goodbye to all the students for the summer. She had been missed by everyone, just about, and she went around to a few classes to say goodbye directly (I did the same with the others).

That night we went out to dinner on our own, with Cammy again watching the children. She loved to spend time with them whenever she had the time. She was going to miss them, even though Washington is only two hours south. She was going to be very busy, even busier than when in school, through July, studying for the bar exam. But she was glad to take a night off to watch over her niece and nephew for us.

We sat at dinner at one of Larry's restaurants, a nice Italian place but no chicken cacciatore. Eva had her first glass of wine in ten months and it gave a nice glow to her skin. I had on a jacket and tan pants, much more casual than what I wore to work and Eva had on a scarlet spaghetti strap dress, very summery. It was a little snug on her and she was feeling self conscious but I thought she was beautiful on a warm summer night, out for dinner with her husband. I thought she was beautiful every minute of every day.

"Everyone made you feel the love today, didn't they? I'm really feeling like we've made a difference here, Angel. You especially."

"Oh, come on, Jon. They've been doing great while I've been out. They don't miss me as much as you think, or they think. They're some brilliant kids and great teachers. They'd be doing just as well with someone else running things."

I looked at her like she was talking out of her ass. "That's just ridiculous. I checked with Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Cole. They've both been here over twenty five years. They told me no one, no other teacher, no other principal, had a goodbye day like you got in February, or a student organized welcome home like they did when we brought Rachel home. They've never seen anything like it. These kids love you, Angel. They love that we're young and they can come to us with their problems. They enjoy how we've lightened the atmosphere, making things feel more easygoing while keeping strict standards and the right amount of discipline. They love you, honey. The staff too."

She sat silently, considering what I told her. "They love US, Bear. You too. You know how I can tell?"

"How? Tell me, oh mighty fortune teller." I smiled lovingly.

"Because I saw smiling, happy faces today that even the last day of school couldn't completely explain. Because in the weeks I've been out, there's been no fall in grades and the staff is still in positive spirits. I saw your evaluations of the department heads and theirs of their teachers. There's not a lot of discontent. You know what else?"

"Tell me, my love."

"I took the time I've had sitting at home and did a little research. I had Mrs. Cole bring me a bunch of files and I found out that every year, besides the occasional retiree, there's almost always one or two, sometimes three, teachers resigning at the end of the year. We haven't lost a one in our two years. In fact, we have a list of potential teachers should openings become available. That doesn't mean we wouldn't have to recruit, but we have names to start with. We're doing something right here."

"Well, we'll see. After graduation, we meet with the board for OUR evaluations. I wonder who writes their evaluations?" We laughed and I reached for Eva's hand, and even in the restaurant, I lifted her hand to my lips. She smiled shyly.

When we got out into the parking lot, Eva said "Give me the keys, Bear. You had a little too much to drink."

"I'm not going to argue with you. Drive my hairy ass home, my love."

"Asshole" she said with a grin. When she drove to the street, Eva made a right instead of a left towards home.

"Honey, you're going the wrong way."

"No I'm not. I forgot to tell you one thing from my appointment with Dr. Garcia yesterday. She said we could resume 'relations'. I'm all healed up. So I asked your sister to watch our nestlings overnight. I pumped plenty of milk for Rachel and I'm taking you to the Wayne Hotel. Where I'm going to do all sorts of unmentionable things to you. Things that are still a felony in some states, I'm sorry to say."

"Foolish states" I mumbled in wonder at my sexy, scheming wife. "Angel, I really love you. Especially your cute little round ass."

"You mean my fat, flabby ass. I'm fat, Jon. Fat fat fat." She looked upset as she pulled into the parking lot.

"Angel, if you think I'm not attracted to you, why did you bring me here?"

"I guess I'm hopeful. We can just relax together if you don't want to."

"Are you kidding? I've been missing you for five months. I might cum as soon as you start taking your clothes off. You are the most beautiful woman in the world. You have a few more pounds? I don't give a damn. You're stunning to me. Ever since that day in the school hall. You're just as beautiful now as you were then. More so, actually. Motherhood really agrees with you. And in forty years, you'll still be the most beautiful woman to me. Now stop being silly and lets get into our room so you can molest me."

"You never cease to amaze me, Bear. You always make me feel like a million dollars." She kissed me across the seat, then we got out and we went inside the 4 star hotel in our town. A five story Tudor building with luxurious rooms and suites, even a few extended stay mini apartments. We just had a guest room, all we needed for the night. We hadn't had sex in about five months by then. I doubt sleep was on either of our minds.

She handed me my keys and said "There's a bag in the trunk, sweetheart. Would you, please?" How could I say no? I got the small valise my wife packed during the day without me seeing, and we walked inside holding hands. She got the keys for the room she booked and in just a few minutes we were alone for the first night in a long time. "Let me just call Cammy and make sure everything's all right, Bear. Go use the bathroom and wash up."

I saluted her and went into the bathroom while she called home. I heard her vaguely through the door while I washed and brushed my teeth, then I came back. "Everything ok back at the fort?"

"Yep. Cammy's got it all under control. Connor is her little helper. He really loves his little sister. Now, what can I do for my infinitely patient husband?" Eva draped her arms around my neck and pulled my face to hers. Her kiss was electric, sending little shock waves all through me.

"This was your idea. You choose."

"Then I'll be right back, baby. You get undressed. Not all the way. And it's too bright in here." She pecked my lips and went to the bathroom with the valise.

I turned off all but one lamp in the corner so the bed area was barely lit. Then I got down to just my black with red banded boxers and waited for Eva. It had been a long time and my cock was already like petrified wood. All from anticipation.

Eva came out a few minutes later. Maybe she thought she was fat from the leftover baby weight, but to me, she never looked better. She had on a black babydoll nightie, trashy looking, with pink fuzz at the bottom. Pink panties hugged her hips and ass tight. And pink fuzzy sandal/slippers with a slight heel. She was dressed to play!