Love Born in Florence

Please read chapters 1-3 before this,

To those who reach for the stars

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We were driving home from our weekend at the lake. Paige had dressed in a pair of loose-fitting cotton shorts, because they were comfortable for driving.

I found they were comfortable for me fingering her, an activity that woke her up. She moaned and her eyes were closed and she held my arm as she came. A few minutes later, she knelt on the seat so she could reach over the console of my Civic and kiss me on the cheek.

"You're a naughty boy, taking advantage of me that way. Please do it anytime you want."

When we entered the house, Mom and Dad were sitting in the living room, reading.

"We have something to tell you."

Paige walked over and showed them her ring. Mom screamed and stood and hugged Paige.

"I had a hunch that might happen this weekend. Welcome to the family, Paige."

They hugged again. There was going to be a lot of that. Dad shook my hand. Then he hugged Paige.

"When are you getting married?"

"I'm glad you asked. We've been looking at the calendar."

We talked them through the dates we had looked at and together we decided to shoot for a wedding on Saturday, August 9th. Mom called a friend who owned a reception center and that date was open, so we booked it on her assurance it was nice. Mom's know those things.

"Ok, guys, we're behind the 8-ball on this. Today is June 22nd, so we have 7 weeks--actually 48 days--to plan this."

Mom is an organizer, and immediately she and Paige were at the dining table making decisions about what to do and when.

Dad smiled and motioned for me to sit down.

"I've learned when the women start planning, I just shut up and appreciate it. Congratulations, son. Paige is a wonderful girl. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate you and Mom opening your home to her this summer."

"It's been wonderful to get to know her."

The next day, I asked Mom whether they would mind if Paige and I occupied the same room.

"If you can promise not to wake us up at odd hours of the night with all of her moaning and screaming."

I had to quote her to Paige because it was classic Mom.

Paige moved into my room that night and we slept together from then on. I can only think of one night when we disturbed their sleep, but the only way we knew that was a few minutes later when Mom screamed.

I had to hold my hand over Paige's mouth to stifle her laughter.

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One night, Paige wanted to talk about money.

"I've told you a little about my family's money and the money I got from my grandfather. You and I are getting married, so I've been thinking about how to handle that. I got that money five years ago and hardly touched it until my trip to Europe, and even that wasn't much.

"Most of my money is invested, but I have about $25,000 in checking and $125,000 in savings. My investment portfolio has grown to a little over $1.1 million.

"Here's what I'd like to do, and I want your thoughts about this. Right after we get married, I want us to open a joint checking account and a savings account as well. I want to transfer $10,000 into the joint checking and $25,000 into our joint savings.

"I think it makes sense for the rest of the money to remain in my name, but I want to do two things. First, I'll continue to transfer money to our joint accounts as you and I need it. Second, I'm going to add a transfer-on-death provision so the investment money would all transfer to you if I die.

"What do you think?"

"I love you, and one of the reasons is how kind you are. I think what you decide is your business. I know you're committed to us. That's all that matters."

Paige's eyes filled with tears.

"I love you so much, Logan. Your total support means so much to me. There's something else you need to know. Actually two things. At some point in the future, I'll probably inherit a lot more money. You probably knew that already, but I often wonder whether you and I will end up wanting to move there and live in that home once my parents are gone."

"Of course, that might be in our retirement years."

"Sure, or even early retirement for us. I just want to make sure we're on the same page of awareness. My second thing is about the costs of our wedding. Tradition helps here, because my parents have talked with yours several times and they're going to pay most of the wedding costs. That works out perfectly. They don't want your parents to incur a huge cost that's difficult for them. I guess there's another related thing.

"They want to us to have a nice honeymoon of our choice and will transfer $10,000 to my account soon so we can do that. So, where do you want to go?"

"Our first night needs to be here in Spokane, at a nice hotel. Are you thinking Florence or Vienna?"

"Oh, Logan, both of those places meant so much to us. I was in Florence in December, of course, so I'd pick Vienna, but either works for me. What do you want?"

"I say Vienna. It will be over two years since we made love that last night there."

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A thousand details later, only a few of which I had to deal with directly, it was our wedding day, It was August 9th, 2014.

Paige and I woke early, knowing it would be a long day. We had a reservation that night at the Davenport Hotel, for a junior suite, and planned to stay one night, then catch our 11 am flight to Vienna the next morning. We had our bags packed for Vienna and were sending our wedding clothes home with my mother.

It was a long day, but the moment neither of us will ever forget--a moment that in many ways felt almost surreal--was when the minister pronounced us husband and wife.

We kissed but then hugged each other. Paige whispered in my ear: "It's you and me, Babe. For the rest of our lives."

We endured the reception that followed. A friend once told me when he got married he realized the reception is for the mothers. He was right, but he failed to add they earned it.

We had a special moment when Amanda approached. She introduced herself and hugged Paige. "Paige, Logan told me you made him wait until after Christmas to tell me. That was kind of you. I can see why he loves you. Best wishes to you, Paige and Logan." She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek.

Paige and I were exhausted when we changed into our travel clothes at about 8. I ordered an Uber, and we left for the Davenport.

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When we reached the room, I opened the door and propped it open with my bag, so I could scoop Paige up and carry her into the room. We stood and kissed passionately.

I brought in both bags and she opened hers and handed me a present. Inside was a pair of black silk boxers. Nude in bed was out as my instruction.

Paige had taken her bag with her into the bathroom, so I got busy preparing the room and getting properly dressed, or rather, undressed.

She had hinted she had something special to wear on our wedding night, but I was more than surprised. She had not been a big one for lingerie. Bra and thong was her normal thing, but on our wedding night she came out wearing something truly special.

Black garter belt and stockings. No bra or panty of any kind. Over that she wore a sheer black peignoir. Her nipples were clearly visible, as was her pussy, only now it was shaved bare.

"Do you like what you see, Babe?"

"Almost too sexy to remove."

"I doubt that."

"I said 'almost.'"

I kissed her neck and moved behind her to kiss the back of her neck, causing her to shiver.

As I slowly pulled the peignoir down below her shoulders, I kissed her shoulders and back. I lowered the peignoir below her breasts, and reached from behind to cup them, holding each nipple between two fingers.

She was panting and slowly leaned her head back. I released a breast and pulled her head to the side by her chin and kissed her neck and sucked on an earlobe.

"You are the sexiest woman I've ever known," I whispered in her ear.

She was moaning and quivering, and her moans got louder as I squeezed her nipple.

Standing in front of her again, I kissed her. Our tongues explored as I held a breast in each hand. She reached down to cup my balls and then rubbed me through the silk.

The peignoir was now at her waist, and I continued pushing it down past her hips until it dropped to the floor. I knelt to help her step out of the peignoir, and when I looked up I was staring at her bald pussy. She was wet.

I stood and hugged her and then picked her up and carried her to the bed.

What followed that night was joyous and unhurried. She made love to my cock and swallowed my first load. I went down on her and listened to her moans as she came twice.

I was deep inside her for a long time as I gradually brought her to another orgasm. When I exploded, her legs were over my shoulders and I had folded her in half as I pounded.

We showered together and carefully washed each other, with due attention to sensitive parts, and that got our juices flowing again. Paige put her arms around my neck and pulled me with her as she backed against the wall of the shower.

"Do me here, babe. Pile-drive into me."

I picked her up by her ass and she wrapped her legs around me. She clung to my neck and wailed each time I pounded her against the wall.

We dried off and slept through the night, naked. My sweet wife snuggled against me.

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As soon as we got off the plane in Vienna, we checked into our hotel. No budget hostel-like place this time. We were traveling

a la

Paige. This time it was a beautiful boutique hotel in a quiet neighborhood just a couple hundred yards from St. Stephen's: the Hotel König von Ungarn (King of Hungary).

"Logan, this is beautiful. I'm so happy to be back here with you. A year ago I thought I would never see you again, but today I'm your wife--and we've consummated our marriage, which was wonderful. Now we're back where we made love two years ago. Our first time together."

"Shall we make sure it was consummated properly?"

"Yes, but I'm hungry. How about if we walk over to Figlmüller and have some Wienerschnitzel."

"Too bad they don't have Bistecca Fiorentino here."

After we got our fix of one of our favorite local dishes, we walked slowly towards our hotel, loving the warm evening and the strains of music in the distance. We walked up to Stephansplatz and listened to a violinist. Around the corner a cellist was playing.

Paige turned to me and we kissed.

"This is about as romantic as anything I've ever experienced. Take me back to our hotel and make love to me, Logan."

When we got to our room, we simply undressed each other and stood, naked, holding each other so our bodies were pressed together. I loved holding Paige next to me that way, with her warm breasts against me as I held her ass in my hands.

We made love that night as though it had been our first time. She cried out as I entered her. I watched her face as I thrust in and out. She was smiling, but her eyes were closed. With each impact into her I heard a cry escape her lips.

She wrapped her legs around me and pulled with her arms.

"You feel so good."

My pace hadn't changed yet, but I was getting close to my climax, so I sped up and thrust harder. Paige was moaning louder with each impact.

I pushed deep and filled her.

Later as we lay naked in bed, we talked about a future family.

"I know we both want children, but when?"

"I have one more year of law school, but you have two. I really think you should get your law degree and pass the bar, at a minimum."

"You want to wait for at least two years before we have a baby?"

"What do you think?"

"Your reasons make sense, so I think two years, but I'm uncertain about practicing law."

"Why is that?"

"In the short term, we don't need the money. My portfolio is generating $30,000 to $60,000 a year in income or growth, so we can easily take care of ourselves until you are out and working for a law firm. Of course, that means a firm in Seattle, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I had always pictured myself in Spokane, but I also know at some point in our lives we may end up living on the estate in Connecticut."

"That could be far in the future. Mom's only 46, and she'll probably provide for Dad to live there with a life estate. It could easily be 40 years in the future, a place for us to retire."

"Don't you think if they passed away sooner, you would still want to leave Washington behind and live there?"

"You're right, I would, but we would be incredibly wealthy as well."

"Paige, how many children do you imagine having?"

"At least three. What about you?"

"Three or four. We'll be able to afford raising children. You're an only child, and the only cousins you have are on your dad's side. My brother and my sisters are still squeezing out babies, though, so our kids will have cousins."

"Is your heart set on practicing in Spokane?"

"It is. I've never had a desire to practice in Seattle."

"What if you could get a judicial clerkship in Seattle? Then we would be free to move to Spokane a year later."

"I hadn't thought of that, but my grades are certainly good enough. I co-authored a Law Review article with one of the professors last year. Instead of footnoting me, he insisted on listing me as a co-author. That will help a lot finding a judicial job."

"Talk to your career advisement people about timing, ok? However, I think you're correct I should graduate and pass the bar. It's fine with me if I'm pregnant when I graduate and due after the bar exam. Like maybe getting pregnant about February and being due in November. That means pregnancy about 18 months from now."

"You're excited to be a mother, aren't you?"

"I am. I can hardly wait, but I will."

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We had a wonderful week in Vienna. One day we took a train to Melk to see the huge Abbey there, perched above the Danube. Then we caught a boat downstream to Vienna.

On our last night, we made love, but this time it was Paige in charge, a cowgirl riding me violently and bringing us both to our climaxes at the end. We fell asleep with her on top of me.

We showered together the next morning and made love again, looking into each other's eyes.

We flew to Amsterdam, then non-stop to Seattle, then a regional jet east to Spokane.

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We were back in Spokane for two days. We found a letter to Paige, forwarded from Connecticut. The look on her face alarmed me.

"Who is it from?"

"Matt."

"Are you going to read it?"

"I think I should."

I stood behind her and held her as she read out loud.

Paige:

I heard from a mutual friend you and Logan got married a few days ago. I am sincerely thrilled for you and wish the two of you all the best.

I needed to write to tell you how sorry I am for what I did to you. Mr. Hamilton shocked me and forced me to take accountability. I spent months in counseling and never want to make those mistakes again. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

With warm regards,

Matt

Paige was crying as she turned to me and I held her tightly.

I realized he was fundamentally a good guy, but if he had been a better man back then, Paige would have married him. Mixed feelings on my end!

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We drove to Seattle with our car jam-packed, including the back seat. We had purchased bedding, and the owners had made sure the utilities were already on. We packed our car with dishware, cookware, and everything else we could think of.

Within a couple of days, we were moved in and unpacked. We had opened our bank accounts, and Paige transferred money. The following Monday I was a 3L and Paige a 2L, third-year and second-year law students.

It was fun to see Paige around the law school. Personal study space was assigned by the school, and hers was distant from mine, but we rode the bus to and from the law school together and often met for lunch.

We made love often in our new apartment. It was fun to be fellow students in law school, discussing cases we were reading, and preparing for finals together.

I got word in November that one of the federal district court judges in Seattle wanted to interview me. Paige was at least as excited as I was, so she checked my suit closely for lint before clearing me to leave.

I thought the interview went well. One of my challenges was simple. This was an activist judge, more apt to re-imagine the Constitution than apply it. I was surprised when he said he felt I was more conservative than him--that was an understatement, I thought--but that's why he wanted me as one of his clerks.

That made no sense to me. Washington and a bunch of other western states, including California, are in the 9th circuit--the most overturned circuit in the nation. It's a bunch of judges who have raised ignoring Supreme Court precedent to an art form.

"I want you precisely because you will understand better than a more liberal clerk the tension between strict construction and what I often feel is more correct for the problems we face today. Can you deal with liberal wackos like me?"

He smiled as he said that, so I came right back at him. "If you can deal with someone who's actually read the Constitution."

He laughed hard over that and held out his hand. "The position is yours if you want it. I think we'll manage to get along well."

I thought he was one of the most charming and disarming men I had ever met. And often thoroughly wrong on the law. He loved the Constitution until a case dealt with one of his leftist hot buttons. Then he ignored it.

However, since the majority of cases are more clear cut and aren't hot topic agenda items, I knew most of the cases were consistent with the Constitution and would not generate a successful appeal at the Supreme Court.

After a year of working for him, we were good friends, but that was much later. For now, Paige and I were both thrilled with the news. We could stay in this apartment, while I clerked for a year, and she finished her third year of law school.

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We spent Christmas with my parents. Paige and I had agreed on a single present we would give to each other. It was our favorite engagement photo, framed 16 X 20 and with a small printed card in the corner: "August 9, 2014." We opened it together, which was good, since we wrapped it together.

Dad handed me a small present at the end. Totally out of order. I opened it and there was a Toyota key fob inside. One of those for keyless entry.

I looked at Dad and he told me to follow him to the window.

"See that car parked in front of Jasperson's house. Push the button to unlock the car."

I did, and the car's lights flashed.

Paige was already standing by the house door. She opened it and we ran there together. It was a brand new 2015 model, a black Camry. Loaded. Not a base model.

We jumped in and drove over to my parents' driveway.

"Paige, tell me everything you know about this."

"Ok, I went to your father and we worked out a deal. You will sign over the title to your Honda to him, and he will sell it and recoup part of his contribution."

"And the rest came from you?"

"I played a role. That's as much as you will ever know. I love you. Logan, and I'm so proud of you for being down to one semester and having a judicial clerkship in your pocket."

"Shall we go for a drive?"

"Let's go."

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My last semester flew by. I finished in the top 10% of my class, which would help somewhat in recruiting.