Iss Me Cate

I want to start off with thanking you for your patience. I hope it is well rewarded. No matter what we do, sometimes life gets in the way of our hobbies. The series is nearly complete and ends with chapter 12 so you've got a little more Cate and Dylan to enjoy.

As always I do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I had writing it.

I've had a long standing love of Irish lasses. Their eyes, complexion, smiles have always warmed my heart, and a few have broken it.

Constructive criticism as always is welcome in the comments, others will be dealt with in the usual manner.

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My fingers slid across the warm, smooth skin of Cate's back, stroking gently back and forth. The memory of the past few days bubbled in my half-conscious mind. The look on Cate's face when she saw her parents was priceless. They arrived for the graduation ceremony the day before. She didn't know they were coming, and I had trouble keeping it all quiet until my mom stepped in to assist by picking them up at the airport. Cate threatened me with bodily harm for making her cry before the ceremony took place. The smiles on their faces made it all worth the effort, to see their daughter graduate with honors and receive her doctorate. The party we had at my parents with everyone in attendance was great. Mr. Murray had brought along a book from the genealogical society on the Butler family in Ireland for my folks and hoped it might help in my fathers research. We took a day trip to Niagara Falls where Cate's mum was so happy to be getting another stamp in her passport, the distinctive maple leaf design of the Canadian flag. We crossed over to see the best view of Horseshoe Falls and see some of the other sights. We took a walking tour through the gardens in Victoria Park. It was the perfect time with so many trees and spring flowers in bloom. Cate was near delirious with happiness until we brought her folks to the airport. The tears flowed even though we were going to follow them in a few weeks and begin the wedding preparations in earnest.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Nothing in particular."

"Liar. You went from an abstracted stroke to a rhythmic figure eight. That means that you're thinking." I could hear the smile in her voice. My fingers traced the pattern gently on her back as she curled against me.

"I can't hide a thing from you. Can I?" I faded back into my thoughts for a bit longer and was prompted by a Cate's finger tracing its way down my stomach, around my belly button and beneath the light fabric of the sheet. She giggled as the sheet rose in response.

"You'll tell me or I'll wipe your mind clear of what ever is troubling you." Her fingers fiddling gently in the fuzz without actually touching my cock.

I felt a soft bubble of laughter rise in her chest when I didn't immediately reply. "All right then." She pushed the sheet off exposing my now rigid cock to the cool air and grasped it firmly and gently stroke up and down as she rose off my chest and straddled my lap. "One more chance." She said playfully hovering over me, stroking herself with one hand and me with the other.

"If you think that's incentive to get me to talk, you haven't quite figured me out yet." I said as my eyes lowered to watch her fingers at work. She slowly sank down my length, both of us letting out soft moans before she leaned forward to take my mouth as well.

Her plan worked for a little while. I thought of nothing besides her and what she meant to me. I smiled up at her. She leaned forward to kiss me and I grabbed hold of her hips and rolled her over onto her back causing her to squeal in surprise. I kissed my way down her face causing her to giggle and began working down her neck and chest. The giggles turned to sighs, the sighs into panting as I traced my tongue down her torso. I ran it slowly from her navel, and followed the depression created by her hip bone. Her hands were woven in my hair and variably held me closer and coaxed me towards my eventual goal. I had come to learn what she enjoyed and teased her, giving her what she wanted and retreating. I dragged my tongue upward slowly, and licked her clit drawing it between my lips and grazing it with my teeth making her growl. I proceeded to slip my fingertip into her, not going deep, just enough to tease as I drew my tongue down again before circling her hard nub. She moaned my name breathlessly, her fingers tightened on my hair as her legs wrapped around my neck making retreat an impossibility, not that I had any intention of trying. She began to whimper for relief and begged me not to tease any more and I relented, slipping a second finger along the first and plunging forth lifting gently as I drew tight circles with both my fingers and tongue pushing her over the edge. Her hips lifted off the bed as she came with a breathy litany of language she would never use in polite company.

I laughed when her accent kicked in, "Oh, fook me!" She gulped for air.

"Just as soon as you catch your breath."

Our lovemaking was passionate and I had to consciously stop to remember her pleas to stop going after her neck and shoulders with my mouth since she spent half her time covering up the marks before going out. This ended up with the results I was looking at this morning across the breakfast table. Her lips where darker pink and swollen as she raised her coffee cup to them. She must have felt my gaze and her eyes darted my way as she took a sip. I took another bite of my breakfast and heard her coffee cup clink as she set it down. I was looking down at my plate when she brushed the lock of hair away from my forehead.

"It would appear that I was only partly successful in diverting your attention. What is it that's troubling you?" She set her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm. Her eyes shone brilliant blue in the light from the window, and the look in them was as pure a vision of love as I've ever seen. My insecurities exploded like a dam breaking loose under the pressure of high water and I suddenly wondered why someone so beautiful, smart, and loving would want anything to do with me. I have no idea what a husband is and what's expected of me. I felt my mind tumbling over and over.

I felt my jaw go slack and her eyes widened her face shifting from loving concern to confused fear. "Dylan, what's wrong?" She took my arm giving me a jolt.

I shook my head and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm fine, it's just..." I looked at her a moment longer then back at my unfinished plate.

"What is it?" She whispered. "You've been so out of touch. and you've hardly eaten. Which is hardly like you. The only thing you put your mind to was me." She opened her eyes wide. "Dylan? Is it me? Is there something wrong with me?" Her voice was small and fragile.

My head snapped up at that, my expression mirrored hers. "God no!" I stood up quickly and wrapped my arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Her hands crossed over mine and I could feel her trembling.

"Then what is it Dylan, because you're scaring the shit out of me right now."

"It's not you, it's me." I whispered into her hair.

"Do you need help?" She tilted her head back and looked up at me and swallowed hard. Tears began to well in her eyes and they were nearly ready to break free when I kissed her forehead. "Would you mind terribly if I went and talked to my dad today?"

Cate closed her eyes and let out a little gasp, her expression turned to relief. "Is that what this is Dylan? Are you getting cold feet?" She actually laughed in relief and stood and turned into my arms locking hers around my neck. "Absolutely, go and talk to your father if you need to, talk to anybody you need to, and that includes me, but please don't be worried. I love you with all my heart Dylan Butler and I plan on shouting it to the world on August the fourth." She leaned back, the tears had broken free but the the concern was replaced with a big smile. She kissed me deeply, her hands rubbed my shoulders as I pulled her towards me, most of the tension fled me. We stood forehead to forehead for a few minutes. "We've always been open about these things, our fears and anxieties. Is there something specific that's suddenly paralyzed you like this?"

I wobbled my head back and forth a bit. "I don't know, sometimes I think I'm just a kid in a sandbox building mountains out of molehills where they don't really exist."

"You may very well be doing just that. If it's expectations you're worried about I shouldn't need to remind you that we've been arguing about that for nearly a year. I hope you've come to realize I have no more expectation of you than that once you promise me this," she said placing her hand over my heart, "it is mine, and only mine. Everything else be damned. We will succeed at this." There was no hint of concern in her voice, for the first time she was the one with all of the conviction, and I was the one who felt unsure about the future.

"I trusted you with it nearly a year ago, and I wouldn't trust another soul on God's green earth with it." I held my hand over hers. "I'll call dad and see what he's doing today. We cleared the table and Cate kept close to me, reaching out and touching me as much as she possibly could. Her expression got serious as we finished the dishes.

"Dylan. Do you need some space?" She took her lower lip between her teeth, a habit that always made me smile. She looked up at me. "Other than when I'm at work or you're in class we haven't been out of arms reach of one another for months."

I turned and wrapped her in my arms. "No I don't need space. I just need a good old blast of parental wisdom to blow this, whatever it is, out of my head." I got my phone and made the call. Dad said he was planning on watching the dandelions grow in the yard and nothing more than a little puttering around the house. He said we should both come over and they'd light up the grill. When I told him it was because I wanted to talk to him privately he came back with the response that surprised me and made a lot of sense.

"Bring Cate. She might like someone to talk with too, and I know from experience that you're mother is a pretty good talker in her own right."

When I told Cate she asked if I'd rather go alone, the palm of her hand slid up my cheek. I kissed her thumb and shook my head with a little smile. "No, I wouldn't. The thought of leaving you here by yourself... no, come with me. Dad and I can still talk and we can enjoy the beautiful day outdoors."

We arrived around one with the bottles of wine mom asked me to pick up on the way. After the hugging and greeting was done Cate was set in front of a cutting board with a pile of fruit in a bowl, and dad asked if I could help him get the grill out of the shed. My folks were nothing if not smooth in their ability to make what I thought was going to be an awkward visit into a normal family weekend barbecue.

We went out to the back of the yard and got the grill out. Dad wiped it down with a rag pulled from shelf. He played with the valves and got a brush and began cleaning out the inside. He didn't prompt me or ask what I wanted to talk about, he let me start on my own which made it a little easier to get out. I let out a deep sigh and he turned his full attention to me.

I opened my eyes and looked down. "I have no idea what I'm doing." I said flatly. He laughed, a short little bark.

"Now you think to ask? A little more clarification might be needed here or this is going to be a very long talk. I'm pretty certain we don't need to go back so far as the birds and the bees Dylan."

I looked over my shoulder at the patio doors and back at him. "What's a husband? I mean, what do I do? I recently had the realization that I'm only twenty four and I'm going to be married in three months."

I was surprised that he didn't laugh again. He looked at the grill for a moment and gave it a cursory scrubbing with the brush and looked back at me. "Dylan, the first thing I'm going to ask you is a very important question and it's one you need to think about before answering. Do you feel that you've made a mistake asking Cate to marry you? It's very important to answer that now. It wouldn't be fair to wait until the last minute to find out that you weren't positive about this."

"No! I don't think I've made a mistake. I knew when I decided to ask her that I couldn't let her get away. She's too... perfect."

This time he did laugh. "I assure you that she's not perfect and you need to come to grips with that now. There are days you'll be frustrated, confused and likely even angry with her, be mindful of that now. Right now it's all roses with only an occasional thorn, be prepared because there will be times were it's mostly thorns and no roses."

"I just don't know what's expected of me. What am I supposed to do?"

Dad laughed heartily.

"If you figure out what it is you're supposed to do as a husband, let the rest of us know. Jimmy in particular since he's about to make that commitment too." He shook his head and kept at the hot grill, the grate now clean. "Let me ask you a few questions Dylan. What's the most important thing in your life?"

"Cate is."

"Do you love her unconditionally?" He held up a hand to stop me from answering immediately. "Can you see yourself giving the same answer years from now? Five, ten, twenty five?"

"Yes, and yes." I looked back at the house and saw Mom coming towards the patio door with a plate and two bottles in her hand. I jogged toward the door and opened it for her. She smiled and thanked me as she came out and set the plate of oiled peppers on the table and handed my father one of the beers. She turned to me and handed me the other.

"Everything okay out here?" She asked. I nodded and smiled. "Good. Get those peppers on the fire and keep turning them, let them char up a bit will you dear? Once they're done get them inside quick so I can cover them up. It makes them easier to peel." She smiled. I followed her back into the kitchen to give the tongs a quick wash. Cate looked up at me, knife in hand, the slight pinch between her eyebrows was the only clue that she was worried but patient to find out what was going on outside. I smiled at her as I walked by and leaned in for a kiss. I got that and a piece of the melon that she had been cutting up.

I went back out where dad had the peppers already on the grill. "So what's the real problem Dylan? Is it cold feet?"

"I don't know. It's just that I've felt so certain up until now. I had the future all planned out in my head and now the picture is getting blurry."

"You know what they say about the best laid plans. What I said about the frustration and anger, be ready now so you react properly when it does happen. If I can give you one piece of advice it's this." He lifted the lid of the grill and flipped the peppers, black char marks covered the surface of each red orb, as he continued. "No matter what problems you face, you face them together. The problem is not between you," he moved the peppers around into a triangle and pointed at them in demonstration, "the problem is outside of your bond. Treat this bond between the two of you as sacrosanct and be aware that no matter what the situation, you are not angry with her, you're angry with something else and push it aside and tackle it together. It doesn't matter what it is, it doesn't get between you, learn to push it away and tackle it as a team." He pulled the lid of the grill down again and took a sip of his beer then looked up at me for a long moment. " The problems usually start when you stop communicating, so never stop talking about what's on your mind, and always listen to what's on hers, keep her talking too. That's the best advice I've ever gotten and I hope it helps you. Your mother isn't just the love of my life, she's my best friend, and I honestly believe that's why we're still together when so many of our peers are on their second or third marriages."

I nodded and we stood in silence for a moment listening to the sizzle of the peppers. I sipped my beer and thought about what he said. My folks had been together for a long time. I thought about some of my friends and he was right, some of them were from families split and reconnected with step-parents and siblings, but not ours. I let his words sink in, the bond is sacrosanct, everything else is outside of that.

"I remember when you came to tell us about your engagement and Cate said something about literally sitting on your chest and explaining how things were going to be." He smiled at the thought. "There are times I'm sure your mother would have liked to do the same thing to me. There have been arguments, silences, and eventually compromises but we came out of it smarter. I guess what I want to let you know most of all is that it's not a smooth road, no matter how well ahead of the game you are in some ways. The two of you will disagree at times. The key is to not let the problem get between you and fight over it because that's not marriage, that's war and that's not how you treat someone you love."

I ran the peppers into the house where mom put them under plastic as if she were trying to trap a wild animal. They steamed up instantly in the bowl and she grabbed a plate and put together the other items to put on the grill. She handed it to me and sent me back out. I glanced at Cate and smiled and the little furrow between her brows was gone as she smiled back at me. She gave me a questioning look as she picked up the plate and offered me a piece of the prosciutto wrapped melon. A moment of unspoken communication occurred between us and she popped one of the pieces in my mouth and gave me a kiss.

"Mmm, salty." I said smiling.

"Sweet as well." She smiled back.

Once everything was on the grill he turned to me and asked if there was anything else bothering me. The biggest concerns laid aside. I shook my head, a little smirk played across my lips. He didn't have all of the answers, but the answers he did have were what I needed to hear.

"There's no hard and fast rules. You develop your own style as you grow. We're not all the same so there's no right or wrong path, for either of you. I'm sure that Cate is going through this in her head too, though she may not be showing it. Your life is not going to mirror your mothers and mine any more than it's going to mirror her parents. You take parts from both sides and you make something new."

I turned toward the house and willed myself to read her mind through wall and window, and came up with nothing.

"If I can make a suggestion, now that school is done for the summer. Sit down and write out what you think marriage is, not just what you expect mind you, but what you're bringing to the table, or the altar as it were."

"An assignment?" I said only half joking.

"An exercise." He smiled back at me. "When you're done, edit out all the the stuff that doesn't really matter you'll probably have your wedding vows written."

Cate and mom started bringing out dishes and I was drafted for a trip to get a few more items. Mom had outdone herself as we sipped sangria and dined on Mediterranean style barbecue. After we'd done justice to the dishes in front of us, and a good amount of damage to the sangria words started flowing. Mom being the way she was, always seeking the middle ground between two parties, had started to draw me out a little herself and she added her wisdom on top of dad's. Cate had made a trip indoors to use the bathroom and when she came back scooted her chair closer to mine. When she sat and picked up her wine glass with one hand, her other slipped into my own giving it a small squeeze.

"I'll have to admit that I worried a bit when you announced your intentions to get married. As I get older I tend to take a lot more time to think about things than I did when I was younger, and I think that's why most of us old folks think that children are rash and impulsive. It's a process you begin as you get older, taking time to go over the consequences of your decisions to the point where you minimize risks. Sometimes you reminisce back to when you did impulsive and crazy things and smile and wish you were still like that." Mom went quiet, her gaze lengthened across the yard and focused on something far in the distance.