Marriage Divorce Life Ch 04

We tried to re-find ourselves, but it was hard to start the rebuilding of trust all over again. Weekends she came to visit, occasionally spending the night.

Our daughter Jennifer threw a spanner in the works when she asked if she could come and stay, there was somebody she wanted to introduce us to. Obviously, they couldn't stay with me, the place was nowhere near finished. The decision which was simple was Jen and her friend would stay with Shelby.

They were flying in at about six Friday night so Shelby decided to cook a big dinner at her place and we could all catch up. My part in it was to pick them up from the airport. I found myself nervously waiting at the arrival gates wondering what the guy would be like. Parents may not get to choose their child's partner but you hope they choose wisely. God what if he was a flaming loser, a dead-beat unemployed waste of space? The longer I waited the more anxious I became.

Finally, I spotted her running madly towards me, arms and bags flailing around. She threw her arms around me and cried, "Hi dad."

"Hi pumpkin, how are you?"

She refused to let me go her arms were so tight around my neck. I just held on and let her choose the moment to pull back. As she stepped back a very cute girl about the same age as Jen stepped forward, "Hello Mr Thomas, nice to meet you."

Jen who was as red as a beet said, "Dad this is my girlfriend Alexis."

I reached out my hand to shake hers whilst trying to decipher the girlfriend bit, "Hi Alexis, pleased to meet you."

She pushed past my hand and we ended up in a hug. Jen smiled. I picked up their bags and we walked off talking about all the usual things the flight, the food, the poor service. As we were getting in the car Jen said, "Dad I'm so glad you and mum are back together, I know she did the wrong thing and I'm so proud of you for putting it aside and forgiving her."

"You know?' I grimaced.

With a curt nod of her head, she mumbled softly, "After my last visit and all that talk about that book being about mum I asked her outright and she told me the whole story. She did a terrible thing, but god I am so impressed dad, forgiveness, it must have been a hard thing to do. Not sure I would be so magnanimous."

"Yeah well, love makes us do silly things. How are the studies going? You haven't lost interest yet?"

She laughed, "Good try dad, yes the study is going well, so are you and mum back living together?"

"We were but I am renovating the house at the moment and I'm living in the shed, so your mum moved back to her apartment for the time being. It is on the market but hasn't sold."

"Alexis, what do you do?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I'm studying medicine at Victoria, which is how Jen and I met."

Medicine huh, what field?"

"Orthopaedics."

The conversation flowed pretty easily as we drove. Eventually we pulled up at Shelby's apartment and they walked up as I collected all the bags. By the time I was at the door Shelby and Jen were wrapped in a tight hug. Shelby glared at me inquisitively over her shoulder, I just shrugged.

Pretty soon all the introductions were complete and we were all sitting in the ling area. As we were sitting Shelby shrieked, staring down at Alexis large handbag was a book...my second book, "Are you reading that?" Shelby asked.

She looked a little piqued, "Yes it's damn good actually, I wished the flight had been longer, I was just getting into it."

Jen laughed, "Yeah she's worse than you mum, a real bookworm."

Alexis gave her a playful nudge. I saw in that instant the exchange and the eye contact, when she said girlfriend, she meant it. Oh god...I glanced over at Shelby but she seemed to have missed it.

Shelby couldn't help it asking, "So you like that one?"

"Oh, heck yes, it's even better than his first. I really like his work. Best I've read in a long time."

Shelby nodded, "Yes he is pretty good."

Alexis asked, "Do you know him? I mean I know the literary world is pretty big I just thought you might know him."

Shelby grinned, "Yes I know him very well, but I'm sworn to secrecy I'm afraid."

Dinner was great and it was afterwards when we were sitting around with a glass of wine when Jen made her big announcement, "Mum, dad, Alexis and I are engaged to be married."

Shelby looked shocked, choking on her mashed potato. At least I was expecting something similar, so I interjected, "Congratulations pumpkin, well done you."

She gave me a teary smile, "You're OK with it?"

I jumped up and pulled her into my arms, "Honey if you are happy that's all I care about. All any parent wants is for their children to be happy."

Shelby stood as well and they shared a hug, "Mum...are you alright?"

She swallowed hard, "Yes darling of course, surprised, obviously, but happy. Why didn't you ever say something sooner?"

"I was embarrassed, not everybody is so accepting. I'm sorry I didn't trust you; I was just trying to find myself, see if what I was feeling was real and then I met Alexis and it all happened so quickly."

So that answered the question about bedrooms. After a while I stood and stretched, "Sorry girls but I have to go, builders on site in the morning and it's a long drive."

Shelby jumped into my arms, "Stay Tom, please.... you can go tomorrow...please?"

"Sorry hon, I have to go, I have a real early start tomorrow." She walked down to the car with me, and the moment the elevator doors slid shut she said, "Wow that was a shock, what do you think?"

I laughed, "It shocked the hell out of me that's for sure, at least she seems nice and studying to be a doctor. She could do worse."

Shelby laughed as well, "Yes she could have met a writer, or worse a car salesman.... I wish you would stay; I could use your support."

"Why...they seem great."

With a tight grimace she muttered, "I'm sure Jen is going to give me a lecture, some of our conversations have been pretty curt, I don't think she has much respect for me anymore."

"You will be alright, just be honest with her, don't lie. Just tell her exactly as it is."

She nodded, "Can we come out for a look tomorrow?"

As I drove home, I had lots to think about.

The following morning, I was hard at it and the builders were right by my side. The conservatory was going up and thankfully it was a calm day as the glass was installed. Shelby's car pulled up and it was obvious there was a little tension. As I showed the girls around Alexis and Jen took the chance to head for the beach. Shelby pulled me aside and wrapped me in a tight hug, "God it was awful after you left. Jen started to get into what happened and it degenerated into a pick on mum night. I felt so sorry for Alexis, she went to bed, I could tell she was embarrassed. God it was so very uncomfortable."

That didn't sound good, holding her tight I gushed, "From what she said to me, it sounded like she was over it?"

"I thought so to but last night boy she really let me have it."

I sighed, "Perhaps you should stay with me tonight, they might enjoy having the apartment to themselves."

She nodded, "That would be so nice, I'm sure they would love that."

As I caught up with the girls I slipped Jen my credit card and whispered, "Shell's going to stay with me tonight, you girls will have the run of the apartment. Go out somewhere really nice, my shout."

Jen gave me a curious glare, "Is that because of last night?"

I nodded, "Jen we all need to move on, I'm trying, and I think you could try a little forgiveness as well."

She looked contrite as she hugged me, "Thanks dad.

As we were standing by the car and they were about to leave, Jen jumped into her mother's arms and sobbed, "I'm sorry mum, I shouldn't have been a bitch."

There were tears all around before they drove off in Shelby's car. Turning to Shell I laughed, "Right, seeing as how you're staying you may as well get stuck in."

She grumbled, "Oh god, what have I done?"

As I went to walk away, she grabbed me and we cuddled, her voice soft in my ear, "Thank you for whatever it was you said to Jen."

Sunday afternoon we drove in and picked them up from the apartment and drove out to the airport. It was a pleasant drive, Jen and Shell talked about the restaurant the girls went to, they talked school and wedding plans. There were tears a plenty as we waved goodbye.

Driving back to her apartment Shelby didn't say much apart from, "Would you stay tonight, I don't want to be alone."

As we were tucked up in bed Shelby sobbed, "I have made such a mess of things Tom."

She gave me a sad stare, "Tom I don't want to go through life living two separate lives that never touch. I like Paul and he is my friend but I don't want to never be able to even mention his name in you or Jen's presence, always scared that the merest mention of his name is going to consign me to the dog box. I'm not asking for a sexual connection I just want all of us to be friends."

"Maybe you just live on a different world. Me I live like everybody else when I feel pain, I do everything in my power to make sure that never happens again."

It was several days later when she sprang her next surprise on me, it came out one night as we were cuddled up in bed. "Tom would you do something for me?"

"That depends on what it is."

"Would you let me tie you up and blindfold you?"

Shocked I laughed anxiously, "In a word starting with N, one syllable, two letters ending with O...what does that spell."

"So, you don't trust me?"

"No, I suppose not."

She smiled coyly, "C'mon sweets what's the worst that could happen?"

"Well from what you told me about your exploits with Paul I might get spanked, something shoved up my arse or I might wake up with my cock in a cage...any of those sound familiar?"

She giggled, "Or maybe I would just spend a couple of hours making love with you, and by saying no you miss out on the most incredible sexual experience of your life."

"I'll take my chances with the no...thanks all the same."

She sighed and there was a hint of fatalism in her look. "Tom what if I promised that none of the things you were worried about would happen?"

"I said no Shelby, can we leave it at that."

"What if I offered to let you tie me up and I said you could do anything you wanted to me?"

"No thanks Shell, there's nothing that I want that I don't already get."

Falteringly she whispered, "What about anal? Have you ever thought about that?"

"Yeah, I guess I have, but I don't think I have to tie you up to get it. From what you said all I have to do is ask and you will do it. So why do I need to tie you up?"

She rolled away from me, "I suppose you don't... good night."

As we lay there, I asked, "Why is this important to you?"

"Because I hoped you would trust me but apparently you don't. You see it takes complete trust in your partner for it to happen."

She sat up to glare at me, "I mean it would have worked better if I didn't have to make those promises. Part of the magic is not knowing what will happen, knowing that you are completely at the mercy of your partner and they can do anything they want from simple kisses to something far more carnal."

I could see how much it meant to her, but something twisted in my stomach, something didn't feel right. I pulled the blankets up close under my chin, "Goodnight Shell."

The work on the house moved into high gear the annex we were building as a guest room which was to be fully self-contained like a flat so the kids would have their own accommodation when they came to stay. We always said we wanted the family to get together for big occasions, weddings Christmas and the big birthdays. We thought by providing a nice environment it would encourage them to come and stay.

Anyway, all the work progressed smoothly and because Shell and I were sort of on the outer we weren't spending so much time together and that meant I could focus on my writing. I couldn't believe how quickly the last story I was writing had flowed so quickly. It was almost ready for publication and I was amazed that with everything going on around the place I was able to spit it out. From the dirty dusty depths of my garage something bright and new emerged.

I decided to send it to Shelby to see what she thought. Lately we hadn't spoken about writing I guess she assumed because of how busy I was I wasn't doing much. I emailed it away without too much expectation, I liked it but the way it few off my fingers made me wonder if maybe it was shit. Guess I would wait and see.

I expected her to ring or contact me straight away but nope, there was nothing. For four days I waited getting increasingly more anxious with every passing minute.

On the fifth day which happened to be a Friday she walked brightly into my office at lunchtime. Strode purposefully up to me as I stood. She came to stand in front of me and we stood toe to toe her eyes focused unblinking staring at me, "Tom.... it's fantastic, better than the last, better than anything I have read in a very long time."

Her arms flew around my neck and her lips crashed against mine in a scintillating kiss. I felt her body heat as she leaned against me. My arms coiled around her waist and we rocked wobbling as the kiss grew in intensity. "Wow Shell that's a hell of a greeting."

She smiled, "Tom I'm sick of the coldness that's grown between us, the distance...I hate it and I want us to get back to the way things were before."

"I agree, I hate the way things are at present, I hate living apart. I want you in my arms every night."

She giggled, leaning close and whispering wetly in my ear so nobody would hear, "I'm horny as hell, I need more than your arms around me."

We kissed again and this time there was no confusing the intent. It was laden with sexual intent, her hot mound cuddled my erection, even through the thin material of her dress and my slacks I could feel the heat.

I walked out with her hand in mine and poked my head in the boss's office on the way past to tell him I was taking the afternoon off. He saw Shelby and smiled, "Hello Shelby, nice to see you."

She suddenly became aware that he knew what we were doing and became very embarrassed, her face flushing brightly.

We went straight to her apartment and made love, all afternoon we stayed in bed. We hadn't made love with that passion for a long time and it was like a safety valve had lifted and it all came flooding out in a flow of bodily juices.

It was wonderful to be laying together, her head on my shoulders, her hot sticky breath wafting assailing my nostrils. "Tom sweets you shocked me with your book, it happened so quickly, how the hell did you write it that quickly?"

"Well, it was already half written, when I wrote my first book, I started a whole bunch. I had different ideas and this one got under my skin, I had some ideas for it and once I started, I couldn't stop."

She sighed, "God it's so damn good, I asked Paul to read it, I needed confirmation and he said he loved it as well."

Shocked and annoyed I hissed, "You showed it to him?"

"Don't be angry hon, it was so good I needed confirmation. I wondered if I was letting my emotions get the better of me. I needed a neutral opinion. Honestly, he liked it, I think he is envious."

I didn't know whether to be angry or secretly happy. If indeed she was telling the truth. "Thanks for the compliment."

She smiled, "I will pass it along."

We slipped into easy comfortable conversation about the house and her work. She blabbed on about Annabelle who was now close to publishing, and then she gushed, "Paul is close to finishing as well."

I tried not to snap but my body language gave away my true reactions, I guess I tensed, and she rasped apologetically, "Sorry."

Swallowing my pride, I muttered painfully, "Shell, you were right when we spoke after Jens visit. I don't want you to have to be afraid to mention his name. I want you in my life. More than anything else, it has been hell living apart and I hate it. If you and he are going to be friends, I want you to feel like you can talk naturally. You will have to forgive my reluctance and I am not always going to be happy to hear what you say but, it would be worse knowing you have another life I am not part of."

She hugged me tight and her tears flowed, "Thank you sweets, oh god I love you."

The next day we drove out to the house and she was completely blown away it had been over a month since her last visit. The annex was now almost complete. The main house was finished apart from paint.

She wandered around the kitchen admiring the new cabinetry, the quartz benchtops, the large sliding windows that opened a servery onto the deck for barbeques. The large gas hob and double oven. The sparkly white tiles. The hardwood floors. That was my biggest expense, I didn't want laminate floors. I found an old barn being demolished and brought all the timber which I took to a lumber yard and had them finished to be used as flooring.

The ensuite was completely finished and she loved that there was now a bath tub which although I face the back of the house it overlooked its own little courtyard for complete privacy.

As we wandered around, she appeared overwhelmed, "Tom it's incredible, god I can't believe how stunning it is. Bloody hell it's too much. I can't believe that it's going to be ours." She peeked up at me, "Well yours at least."

I spun her around quickly, "Shell I want this to be ours, not mine. You helped with the design."

"But you paid for everything, you did all the work."

"Honey shut up...please. I don't want you to move out here unless you feel comfortable. It is ours yours and mine."

We hugged and finished our inspection arm in arm. As we walked around, she asked, "What about furniture?"

I replied, "There's the stuff I brought out in the shed, but most of it is not going to suit, but some of it will be OK."

"What about mine?" She asked. "A lot of it is from our old home and I would like to keep it."

Shrugging casually, I moaned, "I'm happy to use it if you want. Have there been any offers on the place?"

She winced a little, "I actually took it off the market because I wasn't sure what was happening. I feared you were over all my shit and were going to push me away."

"I'm sorry Shell, it's taken me a while to get over my animosity. I don't think I fully forgave you but now I think I'm over it and I am ready to say I forgive you and mean it."

She kissed me and it was passionate, intense, spine tingling and my mind spun wildly and became unsteady. We staggered and reeled clinging tightly together.

The day was dragging to an end and it was getting late, "Are you staying the night?"

She nodded, "If I'm allowed."

I picked her tiny little frame up in my arms and carried her into the shed. Where we made love with tenderness and love, it was slow and sensuous not the wild frantic sexual tornado of the night before.

Sunday, we drove back into town and spent the day wandering around the shops stopping for lunch before going back to her apartment. "Tom would you like me to do the editing on your novel?"

"I would love it, how much will it cost?"

She grinned, "Well I would wipe the debt if you let me tie you up."

I laughed at her suggestion, "OK, but not until we move into our home and we are properly settled in."

Her gaze tightened a little, "No rules, no restrictions. I tie you up and you are mine to do with what I want."

With some trepidation I nodded, "Yeah, no restrictions."

It took another month for the house to be finished properly and during that time Shelby and I grew a lot closer. She edited my third book and it was just about to be released.

The moving in and decorating phase was particularly enjoyable as we battled over which items of her furniture we would use and which of mine we would keep.