We'd had a nice day with her parents but the evening's dinner was on everyone's mind. Betty's lover Reggie was going to be joining us. A man Jess knew as a family friend but not an especially close one. In reality, her mother had maintained a secret life as his lover for almost a decade.
Reggie pulled up promptly at 5 pm. I'm certain he was anticipating this meeting as much as the rest of us were.
He looked kind of how I expected. He was a slender preppy guy who looked like he had rolled up off the golf course. A salesman, he had a bright, winning smile. I know folks who didn't understand an open marriage situation might be tempted to draw comparisons between the two men in Betty's life, but that's not how it really works. It could be that his different build or his skin color was what she got that she didn't get from her husband. But it could just as easily have been his personality or how he made love to her. I didn't want to delve too deep into contemplating my soon-to-be mother-in-law's sex life. That's not healthy for anyone.
He looked a little nervous, knowing that the secret was out to one of Betty and Ted's kids. It probably helped to know that Jess was involved similarly, but still. I'm sure being suddenly open about something that had remained a closely guarded secret for so long must be tough.
"Jess, it's a real pleasure to see you again. Especially under these circumstances. I hope you'll forgive me for perhaps having acted aloof for so long. There were so many times I wanted to give you a big hug, knowing things that I did from discussions with your mom."
"Well, we'll get there, but not sure that's in the cards today," Jess replied.
"Fair enough. I'm eager to move at the pace that you are. And you must be Darren, a pleasure to meet you, man. Betty has told me wonderful things about you," he said, offering his hand to me.
I shook it vigorously. "Nice to meet you too, Reggie. Very interested to get to know you."
"I bet," he said with a knowing smile. "I'm not going to lie, I wasn't sure this day would ever come. I would have been fine if it hadn't, but very happy it has."
"Well, come on in. I'm sure you weren't wanting to deal with a million questions just on the front porch," Betty said, trying to ease what little tension may be there. It was also really easy to see the love she had for him in her eyes.
This was a very different situation than Jess and mine. Whereas they'd been in a hidden relationship for years that had become love, Jess's current extra-curricular partners were just about the physical activities. Jacen felt strongly about her, but we all knew it was the rejection that he had emotions about. Mark was just having fun. Any others were just one-night stands, typically, although she had a few repeats. Mark and Jacen were better because she felt some level of trust so she was able to go bare with them. Plus, well the size thing was there. Thinking of them both I briefly considered the possibility of her being spit roasted by them and I had to quickly put it out of my mind.
We got our plates for dinner and had a second home-cooked meal in two days (my father had ordered takeout when we visited him. Food preparation was not his thing). Reggie and Ted sat on either side of Betty and she was positively beaming. I could see that she was torn. She didn't want to seem dismissive to her husband in front of Jess, but she was loving the ability to be open about her adoration of Reggie. Betty at one point held hands with Reggie on the table and then in instinct almost pulled away. I could see a noticeable determination from her to just relax.
Reggie asked Jess some very thoughtful and caring questions about how school was going and about meeting me. He and she both skirted the sharing topic. Not sure if that would be broached later, but they still had some icebreaking to do. I could tell Jess liked him but was being cautious. Maybe for fear of hurting her dad, which was ironic because he seemed to be thrilled. It occurred to me that the secret was also hard on him, but it might also be that this being open to his daughter was a bit of a humiliation that he might be enjoying. I thought about how I had felt about letting my father know. For us, it was more about logistics and keeping the air clear. For Ted, there might be some humiliation in knowing that not only could he be everything for Betty, but that she'd been with another man for so long to get her fill.
I thought about Jess and my supposed secret and how, thanks to Jacen's gross indiscretion, a big chunk of the campus had confirmed what many of them already believed to be true due to gossip. It happened close enough to the break that they hadn't dealt too much with the ramifications. Would it just be easier to stop pretending that something isn't going on between Jess and Jacen (or Mark) and just be us, enjoying an open relationship?
Reggie and I had some nice discussions in general about school and sports. There was one question I couldn't resist asking him.
"How has this worked for you? Haven't you ever desired to have her fully or to find someone who could be your wife and not hide all this time?"
"For one, I have to admit to loving not having a full-time wife. She has some feedback about how things are at my place, but she says her piece and that's it. It's my place. I also don't have to answer for every minute of every day. And I get the part that I want- a still exciting lover that gives me her best every time. It really couldn't be a sweeter deal for me. Has it sucked not being able to be open and share the love I've developed for her kids from afar? Sure. But man, I can't express to you all the upside of it for me and my life."
I got the impression he was just glad to be taking this first big step and choosing not to push things by talking in-depth beyond that. There was some talk about him coming back the next night so that they can come clean with Jillian and Teddy, but that was left on the table. A talk with them beforehand would be coming first so that they weren't set up to fail at consuming the epic news positively.
Then came something I should have seen coming but was unprepared for. When it was time for him to go, it became clear that Betty had planned on going home with him. Jess seemed a lot cooler with the realization; perhaps her mom had mentioned it to her and she forgot to pass it on. I later found out that wasn't the case, it just seemed logical in her mind. Now that it's out, why hide that she'd like to spend an evening with her lover. Her boyfriend.
I'll admit, it got me a little hot. The excitement Betty must have gotten to leave with the man she wanted to be with that night instead of staying, denying her urges out of the appearance of familial obligation. Ted later confided in me that he had come to enjoy his time alone... when he wasn't totally twisted up with desire knowing what was going on. Later that evening, he got a few texts and had to get up to excuse himself. I didn't have to guess that they were photos or videos from Reggie.
This left Jess and me basically on our own pretty early in the evening.
"Want to get up to some trouble?" Jess asked conspiratorially.
"What did you have in mind?"
"I want to be naughty. Like really naughty."
"Oh?"
"There's a cabana back behind the pool. Inside there is a closet with a slotted door. Go get inside and wait for me. Don't make a noise. I'll make it worth your time."
So, that's what I did, not knowing what to expect.
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I heard some whispering. The sounds were getting closer, then the door to the cabana opened up.
"I can't believe you talked me into this Mr. Baker. What if someone catches us?" Jess said in her most sultry voice.
"They haven't yet, have they?" replied an older guy that she was pulling into the cabana.
"Mr. Baker, you're such a naughty guy," my fiancé said as she closed and locked the cabana door behind them.
Mr. Baker was a good-looking guy, probably in his late 30s, with very groomed hair and the look of a father to young kids. He wasn't built, but it would be easy to see most of the women he met swooning over his movie-star looks.
"And you're not a naughty girl? What are you, like 21 now? How many years has it been since you first seduced me?"
