Just Beth

A subdued Beth came back to get her stuff a couple of minutes later. She didn't say a word, just packed up her stuff and was gone. I left shortly after and drove around knowing I had finally closed that chapter of my life.

"You rake her over the coals?" Greg asked the following morning.

"You could say that. The ad should be done by the end of next week at the latest. I think you're going to like this one."

"Good, I'm glad that's taken care of. You got those new figures done yet?" he asked. It was clear the party was over and it was back to the grind for me.

I didn't hear a thing until mid-day Wednesday.

"Steve, I've got the layout finished. When can we get together and have it approved?"

"Bring it over late Thursday and I'll have Greg and Jill here. I only hope it's what we talked about."

"Don't worry, I can guarantee they'll be quite satisfied."

Beth came over shortly after four o'clock Thursday. We'd had a semi-normal day so Greg was in a halfway decent mood. Jill? Well, she was always in a good mood.

The layout looked fucking great—Greg's words not mine. He and Jill were more than pleased. I could tell by the huge grins on their faces.

"See, I told you Steve knew what he wanted," Greg said looking at Beth.

"I guess I should have listened sooner," she replied quietly, packing up her stuff as Greg and Jill said their goodbyes and left us alone.

"You did a great job, it looks even better than I thought it would," I said complimenting Beth on her work. Then I saw it. I don't know if she knew I saw it but the look she gave me said it all. I started to say something but stopped when I couldn't get all the words out.

"You gave it to me, remember? Even though it wasn't given in the spirit of which it was purchased, it still means the world to me," she said looking at the ring on her left hand. "The girls at work all wanted to know if I was engaged and all I could tell them was I should have been, but no—I wasn't."

What the hell was I going to say now, I want the ring back? "I'm sorry Beth, I wasn't implying anything I just wondered why, especially after all this time. Hell you're probably with someone else by now, so I just can't understand why you'd want to wear it." I was babbling and making absolutely no sense whatsoever.

"Steve, I'm not seeing anyone. Other than business lunches and dinners I haven't even gone out on so much as one date since we broke up."

What the hell was I doing? This wasn't a conversation that I intended on having with her now or ever but somehow we were knee deep into it. "Look, I'm sorry I brought this all up. Keep the ring and maybe you can use the stone to give yourself half a set of diamond earrings."

"No, I think I'll leave it just the way it is." With that she packed up the rest of her stuff and was out the door before I could say much more than a goodbye.

"It's probably better this way anyway," I said to myself not even coming close to believing it.

It was ten minutes to twelve when Beth walked into my office on Friday. She put down the bag she was carrying, not even bothering to look at me. No one had even thought to tell me that she was here. I was about to ask her something about the layout when she started moving papers around on my side table, apparently making room for whatever she had. She took out two Big Macs, a large and a small fry, napkins, and two soft drinks. All right, I was shocked.

"Sorry, it's not elegant, but it was kind of a last minute thing." I started to say something but shut up when smiling she told me, "You've got to eat anyway, don't you?" Touché I thought to myself. I don't think either one of us took our eyes off one another through the entire lunch. We spent the entire weekend together.

Did we make mad passionate love to one another all weekend? Not by a long shot. We did, however, drink two bottles of wine at my place, and talked all night Friday and most of Saturday. By Sunday morning we were kissing and by the following weekend we were a couple again but this time it was a lot different.

Quality time, that's what we concentrated on. We both agreed not to set up anything for Saturday or Sunday without first getting with the other in advance. We knew things were bound to come up with both our jobs but it was an unspoken courtesy to one another. We were trying to put each other first while going forward.

We had three months of bliss. Did we argue? Yes, but instead of digging in our heels like we would have before, we sat down talked and listened to one another. It was at that point I realized we were a real loving and caring couple not just two people going out with one another.

Saturday was nothing special. She drove over about five o'clock and let herself in because I was checking on a house in the neighborhood. The owners were inquiring about an addition and I wanted to scope out how difficult it would be. By six o'clock I was walking through the front door and being greeted with a loving kiss from Beth. She told me to hit the showers because there was a certain air about me. That was her nice way of telling me I stunk. I stripped down, started the shower, and with a toothbrush in my mouth I stepped in.

I didn't hear the curtain being pulled back as the hot water from the showerhead pelted my face and neck. I must have jumped a foot when I felt a pair of arms encircle my waist and a pair of lips kiss my back. I turned around to a smiling Beth who covered my lips and started probing my mouth with her tongue, toothpaste and all. This wasn't the first time we'd showered together, but this is the first time she had initiated it. Usually I was the one dragging her in with me. Still kissing we lathered up one another. Tickling her underarms almost killed us both when she slipped grabbing me in the process to keep from falling out of the tub. We did, however, tear down the shower curtain soaking my bathroom floor before finally turning off the water.

Still wringing wet, I chased her out of the bathroom into my bedroom where she stopped and waited for me. Dripping water on the bedroom carpet we kissed. There seemed to be more passion in what we were doing tonight. Quickly we made our way over to my bed. Lips, tongues, fingers, I was making use of them all as I worked Beth's body the best I knew how, then something changed.

She did a one eighty and started working on me with her lips. This wasn't anything she hadn't done before but when she asked if I had a condom I thought I'd heard her wrong. She went back to what she was doing. When she asked again, I reached over to my nightstand and pulled out an unopened box and handed her one. Sliding it on she lay back and pulled me to her. Heaven, that's the only word to describe what it was like to fully make love to Beth for the first time.

With her being a shade under five foot eight and me just under six feet we were the perfect height to make love and kiss at the same time. Her warm silkiness held me tight, unfortunately I didn't last anywhere near as long as I'd hoped. Even while I was shrinking fast I made sure to keep it up until I heard her moan and hold me tight. If we'd been drunk I never would have done it, but with both of us being stone cold sober there was no stopping us.

"Worth the wait?" she asked, finally opening her eyes. I kissed her.

"What do you think? By the way, what would you have done if I didn't have any condoms?"

"Steve, I checked your night table as soon as I got here tonight. If you didn't have any, I was going to sneak out and hit the drugstore myself. I was ready tonight."

"Why tonight? Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful beyond words, but what's changed?"

"I guess, when you're engaged, it's time to make sure everything fits and make sure we're truly compatible—you know, in all ways," she said, kissing me again.

"Engaged?" I said out loud.

"Is this or is this not an engagement ring? And didn't you buy it and give it to me?"

"Yes, but." I replied.

"No buts about it. You and I are engaged to be married, unless you don't love me or think we're not compatible," she said sitting up. "Well, speak up, are we or are we not engaged?" she demanded.

"Beth, you know I love you and have for a very long time," I said, taking the box of condoms out of my nightstand drawer. "And by the time we finish this box will be empty. She was the one smiling this time. I think we each cried uncle at the same time Sunday afternoon.

Both of our parents said it was about time we were finally getting married, her parents more so than mine. I think they were anxious to become empty nesters and there was talk about a media room they were going to install in a certain bedroom when it became empty. Two weeks later Beth moved in with me. My days of being a carefree bachelor were now almost over, not that anything really changed much.

All our friends were happy for us and we kept the wedding simple, just immediate family and a few close friends. Brian was my best man and Beth's older married sister, Sarah, was her matron of honor. We wrote our own vows, she taking out the word 'obey' and me adding the words 'lover' and 'equal partner'. We were two steps beyond happy.

I wanted to go on a cruise and Beth wanted to go to the mountains for our honeymoon, so we compromised. We stayed in a cabin on a lake in the Smoky Mountains. The lodge had a total of ten isolated cabins on twenty wooded acres and best of all, had a restaurant that brought the meals right to your cabin. I got my water, didn't have to cook, and Beth got her mountains. We were both happy. Hell, we didn't leave the cabin for the first three days as it was.

Even though we thought we'd discussed everything under the sun, new things kept cropping up. We pooled our money with Beth being in charge of paying the bills. I would take care of the house and yard while she would keep up the inside of the house. The first one home would start dinner and even though we tried to plan weekly meals, most of the time one or the other of us would change the menu. These were all Mickey Mouse items; the bigger issues would come four years down the pike.

Both of us had intense jobs. Stress and deadlines were the norm rather than the exception. A glass of wine, a neck, or foot rub would help in most but not all cases. Sometimes just being a sounding board and someone to vent to was all that was needed. We couldn't fix each other's problems but we could listen, keep our mouths shut, and leave our comments to ourselves. Afterwards a kiss and a hug was all that was necessary. We were in love, which said it all.

"I think I want a baby," is how Beth started it at dinner one night. "I think it's time we take it to the next level and I sure as hell don't want to be changing diapers when I'm in my late thirties." I had thought about kids, but wasn't sure we were ready. Hell, would we ever be a hundred percent ready? So we started trying.

Since Beth wasn't on the pill, we figured she would be pregnant the first month she ovulated. She was approaching thirty and became a little concerned when by the fourth month nothing happened. She was burning the candle at both ends trying to get everything in the world done before she got pregnant and had a baby. It was her doctor who told her to ease up.

"Beth, relax. You're stressing yourself out. That could be why it's not happening. You're both young and fertile so there's no physical reason you can't conceive. Why don't you two take a couple of days off, relax, and wind down. You'd be surprised what stress can do to a person's body."

We took his advice and put together a four-day weekend. Instead of just sitting home waiting for it to happen, we took a long weekend cruise. We didn't really care where we were going—we just needed to get away. Our cell phones were left in the car and we told everyone that unless the world was ending, not to contact us. God, it was a glorious weekend.

"Now I wish we'd taken a cruise for our honeymoon," Beth said after the first day. I could get used to this even though they would probably need a wheelbarrow to get me off the ship after seven days of nonstop eating." She laughed but she was right.

You could literally eat twenty-four hours a day aboard ship. Somewhere something was always being served and if not, there was always room service. So, we ate our way across the ship and made love morning, noon, and night. The last night aboard we went to the midnight buffet and walked the ship for an hour before returning to our cabin to pack our bags.

"One more time for good luck," Beth said pulling her sundress over her head. She was totally naked beneath it and even though I'd eaten a lot, there was always room for dessert.

Sucking face and almost too much oral, we finished with me sitting on a plastic chair with her on top facing and kissing me. This position was a first for the both of us and Beth joked that maybe this would be our good luck position; we stayed that way until I finally fell out of her.

Something that weekend must have worked because the first and then the second test kit both said the same thing, Beth was with child.

I guess every woman's pregnancy is different but that golden glow of motherhood never arrived. There was morning sickness, cramps, cravings, and emotional swings just to mention a few problems, and those were just my symptoms, Beth's were a lot worse. We got the nursery ready and bided our time until the blessed day arrived, or I should say when the baby finally decided she wanted out of her temporary residence.

Beth didn't gain a lot of weight but was uncomfortable, nonetheless. We switched cars after the seventh month because mine was larger and a lot roomier. By the end of the eighth month she just wanted it over with. She said she felt like a whale. To me she still looked good. Sex? There was none of that the last eight weeks before the baby was born. When I suggested a blowjob the look she gave me was enough, even if she'd said yes, there was no way I was putting my dick anywhere near those teeth. So we waited it out, but it was worth it.

Linda Rebecca Moore was born at four forty-five in the morning after a night of intense labor. I was in the delivery room and held Beth's hand throughout it all. Of course, I still have her fingerprints on my left forearm and probably will for life but it was worth it. Linda was six pounds five ounces of beauty even after twelve hours of labor. She had a mess of dark hair, her mom's bright brown eyes, and a small pug nose. With a small slap she let out a cry that I'd never quite got used to over the next couple of months, but we were now a family.

Even though our moms wanted to be the babysitters, after four months we got a nanny to care for Linda while we were at work. It was a whole different life for us now and after the initial problems we set up a plan and stuck to it. Life for the three of us was good.

My duties increased and Beth cut out all her traveling over the next two years. Our first disagreement came when I thought it was time to get a bigger house. With two bedrooms and one bath we'd outgrown our humble abode. I was looking at something real nice and modern. Greg said that he would give us a great price on a new house, but Beth thought we should pick something a couple of years older and save the money. "We can always build later," she said, finally convincing me.

After being in our newer house less than two months I came home one Friday night to find it almost empty. Beth said to shower and shave, she had plans for us for tonight. I wasn't too happy. I was tired and wanting nothing more than to grab a beer and play with my daughter before having a nice meal. I got out of the shower and with a towel wrapped around my waist, called out to Beth asking what she wanted to me to put on.

"What you have on looks great to me," she said standing at our bedroom door.

It was red, new, and there wasn't much of it. It was designed most likely to get a certain reaction and that's exactly what it was doing to me. I may have been dead tired ten seconds ago, but I sure as hell wasn't anymore. I ate her up with my eyes. Handing me a half of a glass of wine she gave me a very wet kiss. I drained my glass, and in the spirit of Errol Flynn I picked up my wife and carried her to bed.

Making love doesn't even come close to what we did for the next hour and a half. There was a ton of kissing, some great oral, and even greater screwing. For a while I thought she'd memorized every position in the Kama Sutra book I had given to her as a joke years ago, however after trying three new ones we went back to the one that had always worked best for us.

I didn't think even think about a condom, it had happened so fast. But twenty-four hours later after another fantastic love making session I asked the hard question.

"I thought we were suppose to talk about the big issues and make our decisions together," I said resting my head on my hand looking at my naked wife.

"I was kind of afraid to ask you. You've been a little stressed out lately and we did talk about another one, it's just that we never agreed when it should happen.

"And this is your way of telling me that you want another baby?"

"And Greg said you weren't quick on your feet. If he could see you now." She laughed and kissed me for the hundredth time. "This way there will only be a little over two and a half years separating the two of them. It'll be much easier and after this one we'll be done no matter what it is. Are you mad?" she inquired a little hesitantly.

"As a wet hen," I said tickling her and then mashing my lips against hers. "One down, one to go. But in order to do it right, maybe we should finish up in our lucky position? It worked once, maybe it'll work again." Just like on the cruise we finished up in a chair, only this chair was a lot softer than the hard plastic one we had in our cabin on the ship.

Either my little swimmers set a new world's record for speed and efficiency, or we were the luckiest couple on earth because we nailed it on the first try this time. Not that I couldn't have gone for another weekend like that one.

Her pregnancy was a lot easier this time for some reason. Maybe she knew what to expect, but whatever the case, after nine months we welcomed Megan Marie into our family. Like Linda, Megan was beautiful and the best baby you could ever ask for.

"You sure about this?" Beth asked, waiting with me at the clinic. "We could try again for a boy if you want."

"No, I've got my two girls and I'm happy. A son would be nice but don't worry, I'll make both of them tomboys." An hour later I was snipped. My days of making babies were over.

The next six years were great, at least in my book. Instead of taking an increase in pay, Greg gave me shares of stock in his company. Money wasn't tight with both of us having good jobs, but other little things seemed to be picking at one or the other of us.

First of all, Beth was not moving up in her company the way she had hoped. For the first couple of years, when our kids were small, she turned down trips and passed up promotions that required extensive travel. She had done it for us, the family, but at the same time she wasn't too happy about it. Then, I started breaking the weekend rule that nothing was to be planned without the others okay. I didn't do it much at first, but when I started to do it more and more often it became an irritant between us. I guess after the tenth or twelfth time, Beth started doing it herself. Sometime after that, we were both doing different things on Saturdays and Sundays. I didn't see it as problem at first, but eventually it became just another issue between us.

"Steve, I've been offered a promotion and I am probably going to take it." Our discussion started while we were cleaning up after supper one night. "I think if I turn it down this time, they're never going to offer it or anything else to me again. It's going to require some traveling but it should be minimal."