Author's Note:
Thanks to all for being so patient and apologies for taking so long to finish this story. It is a long chapter, and I was very tempted to split it into two parts, but I have had submissions get stuck in the queue before and didn't want to take the chance that the final part might get delayed too long. Once again, thanks to all who have been very supportive of this series. As always, all characters in sexual situations in this story are eighteen years or older.
It was the next morning since Mom had made her latest confession to me. She had wanted to talk more last night, but Dad had called to see how we were doing, and we ended up spending the better part of the evening on the phone with him.
I was still lying in bed, trying to digest everything Mom had said and trying to take everything in that had happened. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that yesterday was an attempt to seduce me. It had to be. Mom had taken me to a secluded, cozy spot, removed her clothes, coaxed me to do the same, and then talked about how much she wished Dad had made love to her in this special place, finally adding that she knew things would be different with me. It had to all be a ploy, and I felt so dumb for not having realized it.
I wished I could read Mom's mind the way she seemed at times to do effortlessly with me. Maybe I'd been too distracted by her story to see what was going on around me, or maybe I was too preoccupied with what was happening with Dad. Speaking of Dad, as much as he tried to reassure us otherwise, his voice sounded noticeably lean on the phone, much worse than we'd ever heard him before, and so despite his protests to the contrary both Mom and insisted that we'd be coming back home as soon as possible.
"But James..." Dad had said to me on the phone, "I didn't want you to return until this matter with Paula was settled, and it doesn't sound like that's happened yet."
"It is settled Dad," I answered. Then, mustering up all the confidence I could, I added, "I'm going to do it."
"Are you sure, son? I mean, I didn't get the impression that was the case, especially after I spoke to Paula just now."
Dad's voice sounded so much weaker than it had only a couple of days before, and even if he didn't want to admit it, I could tell he was near the end. And despite that, all he seemed to care about was making sure Mom and I were going to be okay, that we'd be there for each other the way he wanted us to. I couldn't say no to that voice on the other end of the phone, not in a million years, but I wanted to be honest with him too.
"We haven't exactly worked everything out, Mom still has some things she wants to discuss with me, but we'll find a way to work things out. I promise."
"That-a-boy, James. I knew I could count on you," Dad said. Even with his voice sounding so fragile, I could practically hear Dad's smile over the phone. Was I as certain about this as I appeared to be? No, but if Dad really was on his deathbed then I was going to do everything I could to comfort him.
Mom and I hastily had breakfast and then packed up for the drive back home. It was early afternoon by the time we were on the road, so with a little luck we would be back home before evening set in.
Mom hadn't said much to me until then, and whatever discussions we did have had been about Dad, but as I settled in behind the wheel she decided to take things in a different direction.
"James, we..." she stammered slightly, "we didn't get a chance to finish what we were talking about yesterday."
"Can't it wait, Mom? With everything happening with Dad, I'd rather focus my attention on him right now.
"Don't you know what I'm going through?" Mom asked, sounding on the verge of tears. "It's not like this is easy for me."
"I'm sorry Mom," I replied. "Go on then." I wasn't sure why she wanted to talk about this now; maybe she wanted to get it off her chest before we had to deal with the harsh reality of what was looking to be a dour situation back home, or maybe she needed a distraction to keep her occupied over the long drive. Whatever the reason, she seemed intent on having this conversation now, so I allowed her to proceed. Since Mom did all of the talking at this point, I'll present the next part from her point of view:
It was a couple of months into Ana's new relationship with David and everything seemed to be ideal. Their first night together hadn't led them to any horrible, damaging repercussions as I might have feared but instead had blossomed into a beautiful love affair. With Ana's focus being so much on David now, I expected her relationship with me to suffer, but once again had been surprised as she and I still communicated as often as before. We usually spoke on the phone rather than in person, but we still easily spent a couple of hours a day keeping up with one another. The subject matter of our discussions changed drastically, however, as her new relationship had clearly taken center stage.
Ana and David were closer than ever, and she often became impassioned as she spoke of their love for one another. It had surpassed anything she'd ever felt with her husband, or even for David as his mother prior to them becoming lovers. She went on and on about their sex life too, excitedly describing their lovemaking in spectacular detail, gushing about how it was so invigorating that she felt like a young woman discovering sex for the first time. I almost thought she was boasting, but I knew Ana well enough to understand that this was not her intention. And much like that first night when she and I texted back and forth, Ana either asked about you directly or found other ways to bring you into the conversation.
For example, she might say something to me like, "I had this dream last night, Paula. I was on all fours, with David pounding into me from behind like a madman."
"How is that different from what you're doing most nights for real?" I teased back.
"Because when I looked over to my side there you were in the same position, with James ramming his cock into you just as hard. All of sudden you started shouting that you were about to cum, and then I saw James' hunky body tense up as he was cumming too. I got so hot watching you have sex with James, and I smiled at you, knowing you were finally getting to experience what I feel with David, and then you smiled back."
I'd get quiet whenever Ana spoke to me this way, not because I was still ashamed or felt guilty about how I felt about you, but because I was convinced it was never going to happen and that thinking or talking this way would only make it harder for me to try and carry on a normal life. To make matters worse, this was a particularly busy time of year for Bryan at work, so I wasn't seeing much of him these days either, and when I did see him... well, let's just say we were going through a rough patch marriage-wise as well. And so I listened to Ana's tales about David, feeling more and more like a third wheel in my friendship with her, and isolated at home the rest of the time.
Things changed for me one day when Ana was talking about their upcoming three-month anniversary together. They were going out for a fancy dinner to celebrate, and Ana was excitedly telling me the details when she unexpectedly asked if I'd like to come with them.
"You must be joking," I said in dismay. "Why would you want me along when it's your night together?"
"Well, maybe it sounds kind of silly," Ana began timidly, "but it's unsettling that we always have to drive out of town to be together publicly, just to make sure no one recognizes us."
"And how does having me there help with that?"
"Because sometimes we
want
to be recognized. I know you've only been over a couple of times since David and I got together, but I can't tell you how much it meant to us. Neither of us feels ashamed for what we're doing, and yet we have to drive off like a couple of fugitives to act like a real couple. You're the only one who makes us feel like we have nothing to hide."
It was true that I'd visited a few times when David was at home and that the two of them came across like any happy couple. I'd seen them do things like hug and hold hands, even kiss, and they'd always seemed very natural about it. I guess I was happy for them, although once in a while the thought that I was watching a mother behave this way with her son would enter my mind and I'd find myself freezing for a moment. I wasn't uncomfortable, more like stunned briefly to know I was witnessing such a taboo act happening in person before me. Maybe even excited a little.
"I don't think this is a good idea Ana," I asserted. "I would just be a third wheel."
We debated the subject for a while, but Ana knew how to weaken my resolve, bringing out that it had been ages since I'd done anything out of the house and that the fine dining and enjoyable atmosphere of going out with friends was just what I needed to get out of the funk that I'd been in.