Author's note: This story will not be a straight-forward read nor will it be a quick stroke story. The first chapter will give you a taste of my approach in this story to tell both the current events and the events in the past that got us here. In the first chapter, I'm not going to be as specific with the timeline as I think it's important to not give too much of the story away too quickly. In future chapters, the timeline will be a little more clear when I bounce through time periods. Hopefully, the story is still clear despite that.
How many chapters will be there be? Currently, I'm in Chapter 8. My gut says there will probably be ten total chapters. I also have, if this story has enough interest, a sequel of sorts I have a loose idea of that could be written. My hope is to release a chapter every week, which will hopefully give me enough time to finish up before a long period of inactivity hits. Thank you for reading and please comment/rate.
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I know?
Stephanie Bell shook her head, trying to figure out what her youngest son was referring to. What did he know? Maybe it was that his father was planning to surprise him and his older brother with a fishing trip when the latter returned home from college next month? Stephanie was well aware that Michael was not a fan of fishing, but the seriousness in his voice told her that the mild annoyance of a day fishing on the lake couldn't have been that big of a deal to him. Besides, time bonding with his father was rarely something that bothered Michael.
She replayed the scene in her mind. She was carrying laundry to the living room, the baby monitor clipped to her robe, as her son grabbed his bookbag and headed for the door to for the short drive to his high school. He'd only need to make the minor journey for little more than a month before he graduated. Then, a few short months after that, he would be off to William & Mary.
Sighing, Stephanie was slightly depressed about that last fact. Her oldest son, Jacob, was at the University of Virginia, with one more year remaining. Her daughter, Melissa (or Lyssa), was working and attending class at the local community college. She was only taking two classes - likely just to appease her parents. Thinking of her reminded Stephanie that Lyssa would be waking up soon.
Back to the scene that had her perplexed, her son ducked his head into the living room. She plopped the laundry basket down, feeling strangely aware of her son's eyes on her. It made her rather self-conscious. Her robe was thick, yet she had the unshakable feeling like her son was looking at her ass. It was the same feeling she often had when accompanying her husband to his yearly office party where his drunken co-workers would eye-fuck her. Depending on their ability to feel shame, would either avert their eyes when she saw them or, worse, eye-fuck her harder now that she was looking. She never let Nathan know that she experienced a minor high from the episodes.
Though she had celebrated her third 39th birthday in October, Stephanie was not yet ready to let age win in her battle to keep her looks. Dark, straight hair - she made sure to pluck out any stray white ones - was meticulously cared for. She used a nightly regimen of creams and lotions to keep her skin smooth and retain the face of a girl in her 30's. Her body showed the typical signs of multiple births and it increasingly became difficult to work off those last few pesky pounds, but she still turned heads wherever she went as her pear-shaped ass swung back-and-forth with each step. She had to admit her breasts weren't where she wanted, but for men who loved a woman with plenty of ass and tits, she was their ideal choice. Luckily, she had a husband who enjoyed both.
He often laughed about how many of his co-workers were ogling her as they drove back from office parties. She joined in the laughter when he told her, "they don't often envy the IT guy, but then they see you and they wonder what secrets I must know about a woman's body to get such a beautiful vixen to myself."
She didn't receive as many looks at the most-recent office party. Being bloated with a bun in the oven doesn't attract quite as much attention. She was still two months away from popping out little Isabella, who must have thought it was hilarious to show up a week after her due date. Her mother was not all that amused. Having a child at 42 was never the plan to begin with. She thought her baby-making days had ended around the turn of the millennium when she had three children in a condensed time period.
Speaking of which, she heard Bella beginning to babble, letting Stephanie know the little munchkin was awake. They had yet to transition her to a crib so she slept in a bassinet in the same room as her parents. When Jacob returned home, the plan was to condense down his stuff and move Jacob in with his younger brother. After all, by the time mid-August hit, both would be gone anyway. That would open a room for Bella and Stephanie, though she loved her surprise baby with all her heart, wanted the space she had been used to for years. Back to just Nathan and her.
I know.
As she put the laundry aside and made her way to go see Bella for her morning change and feeding, the comment still confused her. He said it, waited a tick, and then left the house. Bent over, Stephanie straightened and looked back at where he was supposed to be, but only saw him walking to the door. The comment had bewildered her so much that she didn't even ask what her son knew.
She changed Bella while her mind was still on her youngest boy. Maybe she should text him? She could ask him to clarify, but then, she worried that he would be dumb and have his phone both on and with sound on. The teacher might hear it, confiscate it, and it'd be a whole different thing.
Taking Bella to the living room with her, she loosened her robe and let it fall to the couch. Dressed in just her underwear and a nursing bra, she unclasped one of the cups to free her breast. She had worried for months that, at her age, she wouldn't produce enough milk to feed her baby. On the contrary, she was often hurting because her breasts felt almost engorged. Luckily, this morning, they just felt heavy and Bella immediately latched onto her nipple as Stephanie propped herself up against the pillows on the couch and grabbed the remote.
I know.
What did he know? And why did he say it like he was aware of her involvement in a conspiracy to steal the Mona Lisa?
Or did he...?
She shook her head furiously, not wanting to let herself even consider where her mind wanted to take that question.
No. He didn't know about that
, she said to herself assuredly.
No way.
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The Past
It started out with a kiss,
how did it end up like this?
She chuckled at The Killers' tune that filled the room from his computer speakers. He also gave a small chuckle and she looked up at him with a smile. He was still trying to catch his breath. She loved to rest her head on his chest after sex. His heart raced so fast. It had been months since the last time they were able to get this kind of quiet moment with no interruptions.
"Well," he whispered as the music continued to play. "I meant to pull out."
She laughed again.
They used to be more careful. Or, to be more exact, they used to not worry. That was until she stopped taking her birth control a few months before. A year-a-half before this moment in time, her husband, Nathan, had a vasectomy. He had done it for the exact reason she considered no longer using birth control. She felt the pill was keeping her libido low and she read a lot of literature about mood changes. As a result, Nathan tried to do her a solid. He was such a good husband. The vasectomy was easier than her taking monthly pills after all.