This chapter is told from Ali's point of view. I hope it is not too confusing, but this part of the story would not work out any other way.
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Tom and I flew into BWI and picked up our hire car for the week. It was Friday, 16th June, the day before Tom's Mom was getting married. I had been worried about how Tom was feeling. His relationship with his Mom seemed complicated, and sometimes I wondered about the two of them. But as far as I could tell he was really happy for her.
It was early afternoon when we drove out from the airport and picked up Highway 2 to Anapolis. Less than an hour later we were driving high above the water as we crossed into Queen Anne's County.
Heather and Sarah were at the house when we arrived, and after kissing his Mom Tom picked Sarah up and swung her round, threw her back over his shoulder as she laughed and kicked her legs. Heather looked at me with a big smile, and I felt my shoulders relax. It had been a while since I had seen her, only Tom's reports keeping me in touch with my favorite aunt. She looked wonderful, toned and slim, ten years younger than her 38 years.
"The idea of marriage looks like it suits you, Heather," I said, as she put her arms around me and kissed me on the cheek. She kept me hugged tight inside her arms and I felt her breasts, larger than mine, pressing against me.
"Alison, I'm so glad you came. It would not have been the same without you, you know that."
I hugged her back. She was three or four inches shorter than me and the top of her head tucked comfortably against my neck. I wondered if Tom had told her about my lifestyle choice, wondered if she knew what holding a beautiful older woman was doing to me. Particularly as this beautiful older woman was one I had had an enormous crush on since puberty.
Finally she kissed me on the cheek again, then stepped back, her hands on my arms, and looked me up and down.
"I keep asking Tom what you look like now, and all he ever says is, Oh, OK I guess. You look stunning, Alison. Stunning."
I felt myself grin. "You look pretty good yourself, Heather."
"Come on, get a room," Tom said.
"They don't need a room, silly," Sarah said. "You're staying here, aren't you?"
Tom laughed and we both joined in.
"Of course they are," Heather said.
"You can have my room, Al," Tom said, "I can bunk down on the sofa for tonight."
"I thought Alison might like to share with me," Heather said. "I'll need some female company tonight if I'm going to get through tomorrow. You did bring your suit, didn't you, Tom?" She directed the last at her son, who nodded.
I had taken him shopping earlier in the week, not altogether convinced he was capable of choosing something appropriate, and helped him pick a suit. Money wasn't an issue anymore. The expert work put in by Jack on getting us known was paying off, and last month our website had brought in a six figure income. Sandy and the rest of the team were practically running it now, Tom and I back to what we loved best, producing drawings.
Tom's suit had cost $900, Italian tailored, satin lined, and it fitted him perfectly. Just watching him walk around the store in it had made me wet between the legs. I don't think he knew quite what an effect he had on me. I hoped he didn't.
I didn't want my crush on Tom to ruin our relationship. What was it with this family? Tom and his Mom, I wanted then both, badly. I was just relieved that after Saturday it would be only me and Tom. I knew how to handle him, keep him at a safe distance. I'd had enough practice since he moved in, and I was becoming expert at teasing him enough to get myself off without letting things go too far. But God, did I want them to go too far!
"And you know what you have to do tomorrow?" Heather asked Tom. I mentally shook myself, aware I had been going off on a little fantasy again.
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mom. I'm giving you away. I've boned up on what I've gotta do. Don't worry."
She went across to him and pulled herself in tight against his side, wrapped her arm around his waist, her head resting on his broad shoulder. She reached up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek, then turned his face and kissed him on the mouth.
Wow, I thought, get a room! Tom had told me he had a close relationship with his Mom, but this brief moment seemed far more intimate than that. Perhaps it was just the emotion of the coming wedding, the idea of a new family balance.
Sarah was moving backwards and forwards, going into the kitchen, back out, up two stairs, back down, coming to Tom and hugging his leg, coming to me and hugging me even though she hardly knew me.
Heather finally released Tom, and he said, "Look, Sarah's going to drive us all mad if we stay here. How about I take her out somewhere while you two get on with whatever mysterious things you need to do for tomorrow?"
"That would be wonderful, Tom. Are you sure you don't mind?"
"Spend some time with my favorite sister? Of course not."
"I'm your only sister, silly," Sarah said, and punched Tom on the leg.
"You're still my favorite though," Tom said.
"OK then."
"Let's have coffee first," Heather said. "You must be exhausted after the journey."
Tom laughed. "An hour in the air, an hour and a half in the car. It's the twenty-first century, Mom. New York's not that far away now."
"I guess it still is to me," she said. "It seems a long way when you're there."
Tom looked at her and smiled. "There's always a bit of me here, Mom, you know that." He touched her cheek, kissed the top of her head and we all went through to the kitchen while Heather made coffee for us, a milk shake for Sarah, and we sat around the table telling her the news that we could.
I was surprised at how comfortable I felt sitting in this kitchen that I had shared with them until I was twelve. Everything felt exactly as it should. This was more like home to me than anywhere I had lived since, until Tom and I had moved into the new apartment. And that was probably as much to do with Tom being there as with the location. I felt like I belonged here, in this house, with this family, and I told myself to get it together before I started blubbing.
Luckily Tom and his Mom were too engrossed in their conversation to notice me, and Sarah was playing with the Nintendo Tom had bought her for Christmas.
It was almost four by the time we got up from the table. Tom quizzed Sarah and discovered there was a new movie playing in town she wanted to see.
"How about we call up some of your friends, see if they want to come too?" Tom said.
Sarah clapped her hands, then looked at her Mom. "Is that alright, Mommy?"
"I'm not sure Tom's going to want to hang out with a bunch of screaming girls," Heather said.
"I'd love it," Tom said. "It'll give you and Al plenty of time to catch up and do your girl thing. I'll take them to Pizza Hut afterwards, save you cooking. It's gonna be the only chance I get to see Sarah before she goes to camp tomorrow."
I frowned. "You're going to camp tomorrow?" I asked Sarah.
"Yes," she said. "Me and Angie and Susie and Zoe. All my best friends. And we'll be sleeping in a log cabin and learning to canoe and light fires and cook and... oh... just so much stuff."
"But your Mom's getting married tomorrow," I said.
"I know that," Sarah said. Tom and Heather were watching us, amused, and I could see neither was going to help me out.
"Mom's getting married at ten," Sarah said, in a voice that sounded like she was explaining to an idiot. "We're eating at the hotel, when all the people are coming. Your Dad, your step Mom, Mommy's friends, some of Tom's I think, oh, at least ten people I think. And then we're going to camp at six o'clock. Mommy says she's going to be on honeymoon then, so Tommy's going to take me to the bus and see me off." It was a long speech, and mostly pretty coherent, but my stomach dropped at the mention of my father.
I glanced across at Heather. "Dad's coming too?"
