In the Arms of Angels

This is a continuation of In The Arms of Angels Pt. 1. It is long, which is why it is in the novel/novella section.

Recap: Jason Hughes is torn from his mother and sisters by his useless father after a messy divorce, moved across the country, and never sees or hears from them again. Fast forward 15 years and his father dies in a horrific accident. After years of his father poisoning him against his mother for not contacting him, Jason finds an unopened letter in his dead father's bedroom indicating that she has been trying to find them the entire time. He reaches out, they make contact, and as any loving mother would do, she immediately flies across the country to be reunited. It's awkward at first, but his mother and 18-year-old sister begin to mend old wounds.

All characters in this story are 18 years of age or older, and this is a work of fiction.

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The meal Elin had prepared, with Paige's help, was a hit. Not long after they began eating, Jason had a sense of déjà vu, realizing he'd had the same meal before. And not just spaghetti with meatballs, but

her

spaghetti and meatballs. It tasted different; better than any other he'd had in a long, long time. Elin teared up as he commented on it and told him that it had always been his favorite meal when he was young. The conversation continued as Jason told both women more about himself and described the circumstances around David's death. It broke his heart when Paige went silent, and then tears began falling.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as Elin comforted her. "It just made me very sad." She looked at her brother. "I know that you're very cross with him, but he was still a person. That's a very, very horrible way to die."

Elin saw her son's face scrunched up in anger, but when he glanced again at his little sister's honest tears, his anger quickly abated, and he actually felt a bit of shame. It's like she brought out the best in everyone she was around with her honesty.

Elin cleared her throat and said. "Please, continue."

"That was it," he said. "I didn't have anything else, really."

Now that her tears were under control, Paige gave him a kind smile. "I'm glad you told us all of that. Not great memories, but you are a good, strong, and handsome person."

Jason stammered a bit. "Ah, I mean, I-I don't think I had a hand in the handsome part. DNA, you know? But thank you, Paige."

His sister then let out a long, protracted yawn. "I'm so sleepy," she said with a deep sigh and a frown. "I was enjoying this."

Looking at the time, Elin frowned. "It's 9 o'clock here, which means it would be midnight back home," she said, standing and gathering the plates. "It's past our normal bedtime, young lady. We should probably turn in."

Paige nodded and stood to help clear the table, but Elin stopped her. "I'll take care of it. Go on. Get to bed."

Paige nodded again, hugged her mother, and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Momma," she said before she rounded the table and hugged Jason, followed by a kiss on his cheek as well. "Goodnight, Jason."

"Uh, goodnight," he said. He heard her door close and decided to help his mother clear the table.

"Are you okay?" Elin asked as he began loading the dishwasher.

"Yeah," he replied softly, then chuckled lightly. "She really does just kind of know what you need, or at least what you need to hear, doesn't she?"

"She's an incredibly perceptive young lady. I don't know how she got this gift, but I know that I appreciate it." She looked down the hallway almost as if she could still see her daughter. "It's as if she's wise beyond her years but delivers her wisdom in riddles or very obscure ways."

Throughout the rest of dinner, Elin had noticed that Jason still did not want to make eye contact with either her or Paige. Apparently, he was still upset about what had happened earlier. She needed to get him over that hump if they were going to make progress this week. He'd told her that he wanted to come home, which meant that he wanted to go back to Vermont with them. But now he could barely look at her or his sister, presumably out of shame. Going home to a house with not two, but three beautiful women, which Elin was proud to say, would be much worse if she couldn't get him over this particular issue.

"Jason," she said, finally deciding on the direct approach, "may I ask you a personal question?"

"Um..." he started.

She huffed lightly. "Normally, I would just ask, but my relationship with you is different than it is with the girls, or if you had been with us—" she stopped before she finished her thought. "Ah, heh," she let out a nervous chuckle. "I-I didn't—" she stopped again.

"It's complicated," he said, finally looking at her with a weak smile. "You can ask."

After a moment of hesitation, she asked, "Are you seeing anyone? Like, a steady relationship?"

He almost said yes, but Willa wasn't exactly what he'd classify as a steady relationship. And having one glorious night with her wasn't really what he'd refer to as seeing someone. "No."

"It's been a while, I take it?" she asked, but before letting him answer, she added, "I want you to know, Jason, that boys—ah, I mean,

men

your age get easily excited sometimes. So, I really did not take offense to what happened earlier. And I know Paige doesn't either." She stopped, wiggled her head back and forth with pursed lips as she seemed to briefly consider her statement, then said, "To be honest, I'd be surprised if she even noticed. But she's more comfortable about that sort of thing."

He didn't say anything, and instead just rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I'm making it worse," she muttered. "I want you to come home with us, if that's what you want, Jason. But I want you to be comfortable around us. It's just been you and David—"

"Not exactly a great role model," Jason growled.

"—and I don't want you to think that you can't be welcome in our home."

He chuckled. "Three whole pairs of boobies, though," he joked, and to his surprise, she laughed with him.

"Hard to tear your eyes away, right?" she asked, then her eyes flared open as she realized what she'd insinuated.

"This—"

"Don't say it," she said as she grasped his hands. "Don't." She was breathing hard as fear rippled through her. "I can't lose you again, Jason. And definitely not for something as silly as this." She touched his cheek. "You're a good man. The fact that you're even upset about this tells me that."

He turned away from her and started the dishwasher, and then leaned on the counter with his eyes closed. "Yes, I'm only 19. No, I don't get much action," he said, and he wasn't wrong. It had been almost seven months since he'd had sex before Willa visited him last night. "And to suddenly have two ridiculously beautiful women here who are family but are more like strangers and are talking about...stuff," he said with a frustrated sigh, "is a bit difficult to process."

It wasn't his intent, but his words about incredibly beautiful women made a shy smile appear on her face. It had been so long since someone had called her that in a genuine way, as opposed to the normal "Damn, you're hot!" comments she regularly received at the country club from men who just wanted a quick fuck.

"You're right. It doesn't help that we don't really even know each other," she said, realizing what he was saying.

"So, you see the issue, then," he said. "I was scared to death to meet you in the first place, worried that I would be seen as a disappointment. Then Paige wanted to come along, another person that I could disappoint. And then two stunning strangers show up. My brain knows that you are family. Other parts of me, not so much." He let out a shaky breath. "I'm so ashamed," he said, barely loud enough for her to hear him, then added, "and couldn't possibly be anything but disappointing."

"Because you find your mother and sister attractive?" she asked, then clicked her tongue at him. "Don't be ridiculous. As I said before, I think you're a good man. You're also a very handsome man. It thrills me to no end that someone like you would find me attractive," she said as a quick thought entered her mind,

Did I really just say that about my own son?

She quickly continued, "And you'd have to be deaf

and

blind to not find Paige attractive. Elaina as well, but you've not met her yet."

"I'm sure she's just as beautiful as her not-at-all-old mother," he said, stressing the last few words as he waggled a finger at her and rolled his eyes. He then let out another chuckle, relaxing at her words. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just making too big of a deal about this. I'm just so worried that you won't want me."

"You couldn't be more wrong," she replied. "I'd be overjoyed if you came home with us. Maybe you could just visit for a week or two? You could see how it goes and then make a decision. If it falls through, you always have this place." She stepped closer to him, taking his hands. "But if it helps you make up your mind, just know that I'd like you to be with us, and to do so as long as possible."

"Okay, no fair," he said, smirking at her. "Giving me puppy dog eyes is dirty pool."

She shrugged, nonplussed. "Hey, if it works, it works." She covered her mouth as a yawn escaped. "It looks like I'm a bit worn out as well, but I hope that I've helped assuage your fears a bit."

He nodded. "Yeah. Thank you."

Without hesitation, she tiptoed up to kiss him on the cheek as if it were something she'd been doing for many years. "Goodnight, Jason."

"Goodnight, Elin," he replied, then looked pained. "Er, I-I mean—"

She turned to him. "It's okay, sweetie. Maybe in time."

As she walked away, he realized how horrible he felt at not being able to call her mom. It was as if there was an insurmountable hurdle in front of him that kept him from being able to say it. Letting out a deep sigh, he wandered around the house checking the locks on the doors before making his way down the hall. He stopped in front of David's room and peered inside without entering. Was he being silly not taking the large room as his own? A small smirk appeared as he realized he hadn't had a problem sleeping in there with Willa, but with someone else there it didn't seem abnormal.

He heard a small click and turned to see Paige's door opening. The short, slim young woman stood in her door a moment, clad in a nearly sheer cropped pajama top with thin spaghetti straps, and equally sheer pajama shorts. He could make out her pert nipples through the fabric and he had an incredibly difficult time tearing his eyes away. She then crossed the hall and wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you, big brother," she said softly. "You will be fine. You'll see."

After getting over the shock of how alluring she looked, and the warmth of her embrace, he gently wrapped his arms around her as well. "I hope so, Paige."

Their hug continued until she looked up at him, raising her arms in the air. "Up," she said sleepily.

He hesitated. The petite beauty had her eyes half-closed, and he noticed she had changed her hair into two, long pigtails on either side of her head. She looked adorable, and he just couldn't deny her request. Leaning down, he scooped her up, holding her against his chest as she wrapped her lithe legs around him, her arms doing the same around his neck. Her head was now on his shoulder, and she seemed to find comfort in his arms.

Not knowing what else to do, he kept one hand under her bottom while the other gently rubbed her back as he twisted back and forth at the waist. It felt good holding her. He could feel the stress of his actions throughout the day just melting away like they'd never happened. He began to seriously consider if this perfect little angel in his arms did have some sort of mysterious power that she was unaware of.

"Thank you, Paige," he whispered once he felt better.

"Bed," she said through a small yawn.

He dutifully walked into her bedroom, lowering her to the bed, and pulled the blankets up to her chest.

"Mhm..." she sleepily murmured, followed by, "Boobies."

He snorted, put a hand to his mouth, and darted out of the room before he began laughing and woke her. His shoulders shook as he laughed silently, making his way to his own room. "Ah, man," he said as he shut his own door. "That's one incredible little lady."

In Elin's bathroom, she sat on a stool in front of the mirror to brush out her platinum blonde hair. Having changed into a mauve, camisole night dress that fell to her mid-thigh, she stopped brushing and looked at her reflection. She ran her hand over the fabric on her chest before slowly lowering the thin shoulder straps, letting the top fall around her waist. It had been a while since she had truly looked at her body beyond ensuring she was keeping her trim figure. She knew that she was still desirable, at least to some degree, since she would get hit on by club members at the golf course weekly, but did she believe it?

She studied the shape of her teardrop shaped breasts, and the size of her nipples, turning sideways to see herself in profile. Jason was 19, and men in that age group were normally horny all the time, so it hadn't been surprising at all that he'd been caught looking, even inadvertently. Suddenly, her nipples hardened as she recalled Jason's gaze upon her chest, and she remembered the look that had been on his face. It wasn't the face of a young boy seeing a woman naked for the first time. Instead, it was the look of a man who knew what he wanted, a man with experience. And he looked as if he was briefly imagining what he could have done with them had he been given access.

Rolling her eyes, she silently chastised herself at being turned on by her own son's gaze, but he'd had a valid point when he said that they were strangers to each other. She had given birth to him, and they knew that they were mother and son, but it wasn't much different than if they had been separated, met by happenstance in public, and became infatuated with each other, not knowing at all that they were blood relatives. She'd even read true stories of situations somewhat like theirs, but the mother had given up her child for adoption. Then, many years later, without knowing who each other was, they found each other and struck up a sexual relationship, only to find out after their love for each other had blossomed that they were mother and son, or in some instances, brother and sister.

He did look quite a bit like his father, albeit a vastly improved version. When Elin and David had met, he was a very handsome and desirable young man, full of passion and a desire to succeed in life. But Jason had turned out to be even more handsome than David had been. Probably due to his athleticism in middle and high school, and then his focus on martial arts training. He was very well built, she admitted to herself. He was at least six feet tall, and his ruggedly handsome features were accentuated by the beard he kept on his face. His jet-black hair and kind, blue eyes, mixed with his charming smile, would instantly draw women to him, especially because he kept himself fit on top of it.

Letting out a deep sigh, she realized she was beginning to get warm all over and felt a dampness between her legs. "Steady, girl," she fussed as she pulled the thin straps back up to her shoulders, covering herself. "Yes, he's handsome and...sexy, but he's your little boy." She turned off the lamp on the bedside table and pulled the blankets up. "Little boy, all grown up."

* * * *

"Jason!"

His eyes popped open in surprise as he felt someone pounce on his bed, giggling maniacally. Sleep had come quickly for him the night before, possibly from the amount of stress he'd dealt with throughout the day with the family reunion, and he was still a bit groggy despite the wild ball of energy who was currently bouncing on his bed.

"Ooh!" the little voice said with curiosity as the pouncing stopped.

Paige had been sent to retrieve Jason for breakfast, Elin having gotten up early to make something filling for them. With Paige being Paige, she didn't care much for boundaries and decided to barge right in, flinging herself onto her brother's bed. It was then that she noticed that he slept nude.

Her eyes were focused on the large erection standing tall and in the open, her brilliant, blue eyes wide as her slender finger extended toward it. She poked his stiff cock and giggled. "Huh. Cool!"

"Wha--?" Jason tried to say, then realized that he was lying on display for his sister. "Paige!?"

"Come onnnnn!" she said, her attention now focused back on her brother. "Momma says breakfast will be ready as soon as you come out." Her eyes flitted back to his now-covered erection as she smiled happily, and then back to his face. "Tomato, basil, sausage, and cheese frittata," she said with a knowing nod. "It is amazing," she sang, and then bounced off the bed. "Come on, sleepyhead!" she urged as she stood at the door before glancing down at his crotch again, biting her bottom lip. She then disappeared just as quickly as she had come in.

Jason stared at the door, his mouth hanging open. "What the—" he began. "Did she just—?" His head fell back down onto the pillow as he wondered if he had imagined that whole scenario, but the smell of Elin's cooking found him, and he realized he'd need to get up for his guests. Scratch that. For his family.

While he emptied his bladder, Paige bounded back down the hall and into the kitchen, pouncing onto a bar stool, landing with her elbows on the counter and her chin resting on her hands. "He's excited," Paige said with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Really?" Elin asked. "For frittata?" She chuckled as she pulled the dish out of the oven and then found the plates and silverware to set the table. With a small smile, she crossed the room to the small breakfast nook. "I kinda' like that. I don't think anyone has told me they were excited about my cooking."

"It's really big," Paige said softly. "And thick, and long, and warm..." She let out a satisfied sigh as she thought about what she had seen just moments before.

"Sorry. I'm here," Jason said, appearing from the hallway. Both women turned to look up at him as he pulled on a t-shirt, but their attention was on the shorts he wore.

Elin did a double-take and nearly let a plate slip from her hands.

Jesus!

she thought.

Is he hard right now?

"I, uh, don't really have much by way of pajamas," Jason said sheepishly, "and these shorts are quite old. I had to dig into the bottom of my drawers to find it."

Paige's smile was wide as she enjoyed the gray, cotton shorts, along with the thick bulge contained within them. It appeared smaller than it had been earlier. She wondered if he had just urinated, or maybe handled the excitement himself, possibly thinking of her. He was her brother, but in her mind, there was no better man in the world for her. It just seemed natural.

Jason walked up behind Paige to give her a quick hug. "Thanks for waking me," he said, then whispered in her ear. "And I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's okay," Paige said, not bothering to speak quietly. "It was nice."

"What was nice?" Elin asked as she came back to the kitchen island to begin cutting out pieces of the frittata.

"Uh—" Jason began, but Paige cut him off.

"His big ol' penis," Paige said. "He sleeps naked, and BOOM, there it was. Big and huge, like a—"

"Paige Elizabeth Hughes!" Elin snapped angrily, and then tried to downplay it by chuckling nervously. "Stop," she added through gritted teeth.

"It's not nearly as big now, though," Paige continued, unabashed. "Did you—"

"Paige!" Elin said, slamming her hand down angrily on the counter. "What has gotten into you?" The room fell uncomfortably silent with only the sound of Elin's angry breathing to be heard. After a few moments, and an embarrassed look at Jason who looked very pale at the moment, she let out a quick huff. "Go to your room, please, Paige," she said in a soft, very controlled voice. "I will be there in a moment."