A Special Day

"The kids." He paused for a second, "You know, before Em, that thought scared the hell out of me. Now, with her, it seems exactly right."

"I'm so glad your car got destroyed a couple years ago. No one else can make our favorite gal glow like she does." Bill smiled and greeted another couple of visitors coming into the store.

So am I. Devon kept the thought to himself. He had vocalized it enough, "She makes me so unbelievably happy, and I very nearly didn't even stop to look around your town."

"I never thought I would live in a small town." Bill paused, leaning against the display. "I thought Denver was the smallest city I ever wanted to live in. Then I decided to work for a summer as a rafting guide. One capsized raft later, and I found my real place in the world. For me, it's wherever Artie is."

"I know the feeling. I never thought I would live in the mountains, hours away from the nearest multiplex. Now I couldn't imagine living anywhere else."

"Hey, I know we don't have the right ribbons here. I'll duck over to Lucile's Boutique; I'll bet she has something. I do owe my girl a birthday gift."

"I'm sure she'll love it, Bill."

"Watch the store for me; make sure those two don't take anything." Bill pointed at Kyra and Emily as they scrutinized a litany of shoes.

"They do look a little shifty." Devon laughed, found a spot to sit, and checked his phone. Bill clapped him on the shoulder and exited out to the main thoroughfare.

Dev stole peeks at his wife as she tried on several pairs of running shoes. To keep himself from just leering at her, He flipped through emails on his phone. His team's current project had hit a minor speed bump, but he was sure they would get everything figured out within the week he was on vacation. Devon sent some words of encouragement and then reminded them that he would be unavailable for the next week unless there was a real emergency. Then he couldn't help looking back at the offer from the realtor, dreaming of the home, Emily, and his own family.

"Which pair do you think looks better?" Emily came skipping back over with one black running shoe with green accents. The opposite foot had on a base green sneaker with navy blue as a secondary color, "Kyra likes these." She had the third shoe in hand; it was more of a lime green color, "But I'm leaning towards one of these two." Devon had difficulty paying attention to the shoes and not just staring at his naked and happy wife.

"Which ones feel better?" Devon asked, ever the logical guy.

"They all seem to feel good. I would take them on a test run, but these two make that difficult." Emily's hands flew up to her shapely breasts, shook the pair, and then quickly blushed as if she had just realized she was in public. She spun around and lifted each foot, modeling them, "So, as far as looks go?" Emily batted her eyelashes, fashion wasn't one of his strengths, but she expected something.

As she displayed, Devon found it difficult to move his eyes to the shoes. "I think the left foot goes best with the necklace."

"Grr." Emily let out a frustrated grunt but quickly smiled, "That makes it a three-way tie."

"Which one did he pick?" Kyra joined them. She was trying on a very bright pink pair of running shoes. The coloration was far more intense than Em's old pair and looked like it could be seen from space.

"These." Emily picked up her left foot, hands behind her back, and slowly modeled them.

"Those are my least favorite," Kyra exclaimed, "He's a typical guy anyway."

"Guess I'll have to model all three to someone with some true style sense. Where's Bill?" Of the pair of Bill and Artie, Bill had some style sense. While Artie had the same or worse aptitude for it as Devon.

"He was looking for a ribbon, in the back maybe?" Devon didn't want to give away Bill's birthday surprise.

"I'm sure he'll be back. It'll take a minute to lace up the shoes anyway." Emily skipped back over to the shoe section.

"You find a pair, Ky? Those may cause blindness out in the sun."

"They'll look cute in my party outfit, but I'll have to come back after Artie's to get the discount," Kyra said with a bright smile and then took off toward Emily.

Devon could feel his nerves creeping up into the periphery of his consciousness. He would do anything to support his wife on her birthday, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to flashing his bits to strangers. Fortunately, Dev couldn't stew in his unease for long as Bill returned triumphantly. He held a lovely emerald green bow in his hands, showing it off for Devon before quickly hiding it behind his back. "No shoplifting on your watch?"

"None that I saw, but maybe Emily was keeping me distracted while someone else walked out," Devon said as seriously as he could muster.

"That's okay; not like I'm paying you or anything. What can I expect for volunteer work?" Bill threw his hands up in an exaggerated expression. The bell on the door dinged, and a petite blonde woman in a plain gray dress strode in with purpose in her eyes, "Uh-oh, that's going to be trouble."

"What, why's that?" Devon questioned and tried to ascertain whether that was a playful or genuine invocation of peril.

"That's Brittany," Bill said and started to head toward the shoe section.

"Oh, fuck, not today!" Devon sped along behind him.

Emily -- That same time

Em squatted in front of the low mirror to compare Devon's favorite pair with the gorgeous necklace he gave her. He was usually fashion-challenged, but he may have a point about the green running shoes. These do look cute. She shifted her body weight from one foot to the other; her spread pussy briefly flashed over the reflection as she twisted on the balls of her feet. Taking Devon to the dressing room or taking a few minutes of alone time to take care of her screaming libido invaded her thoughts.

"You'll just show your dirty cunt to anyone that will look, even that mirror!" A familiar voice hit her like a slap. The words had zero levity or mirth; she meant to do harm with the acidic utterance.

"What the fuck are you doing here on Nude Day?" Kyra interceded, placing herself between Emily and the woman Em had once imagined was a close friend.

A couple of years after Emily moved to town, she met Brittany in her EMT classes, and they had hit it off. It was still in the time before Em had felt comfortable even being naked in her own house. Brittany seemed like a cool gal. She was a teacher who wanted EMT training to prepare for anything. She thought it would benefit the occasional field trips into the wilderness with a scout troop.

Over a year, the pair grew closer, and Brittany would not stop hounding Emily about why she never went home to Kansas. Maybe it was one too many beers that evening, or perhaps it resulted from wanting to alleviate carrying the burden of her secret name change and past. Regardless, Em confessed everything, her reason for moving to Colorado, and that she was a home nudist who had just started getting comfortable again. She even pulled up a video to prove both.

Her friend had crashed on her pullout couch and convinced Em that she could be naked if she wanted. Things did not go wrong until they both sobered up the next day. A switch flipped in Brittany, and she just started calling Emily names. The young woman had even seemed supportive the night before. Em still remembered her storming out of her house, yelling and raving about never wanting to see her again. She had repeatedly reiterated that she thought Em was a whore and a slut. The speed with which she had changed into a different woman was astounding.

At the time, the switch in viewpoint had reinforced how Emily thought of herself. Josh had made her feel terrible by broadcasting their lovemaking to all of Emily's family and friends. Em never really forgave herself for being an active participant, at least not until Devon came around and helped her stop running from things. It was not like Emily had wanted anything to get out or foist herself on friends and family.

"Of course you're naked!" Brittany fumed, "Are you trawling for yet another guy to fuck you, slut?"

"Get the fuck out of here, Brittany; it's Nude Day." Kyra spit back, "What's your problem anyway? What did Emily ever do to you?"

"Screwed anyone that moved, obviously. You know that's all a sin, don't you?" Brittany continued to rave. Things made a little more sense now. An apparent religious crisis was easier to understand than a total instant change in her thinking.

"I did nothing of the sort, Brittany. I believe I have far fewer notches on my bedpost than you ever did." Emily stood up, holding her head high. She would never again be embarrassed or run away from what she had done. It was not entirely her personality or past. It was a nearly infinitesimally small portion of her whole, "Did you just rush into the store to get all pissed off? You do know that naked doesn't always imply sex, right?" Almost subconsciously, she crossed her arms and displayed her wedding ring.

"It probably does for you, whore!" Brittany's features were bright red, anger straining to be contained by her petite frame.

"I need you to leave my store. I will not allow you to harass my customers or friends." Bill walked over and intervened before it looked like Brittany might try to start a physical fight with Emily. Her Chief was very understanding, but a naked brawl in a store would likely be going too far. Bill was almost always so kind and caring, but when pressed, he could get stern and employ a look that could practically peel paint.

"Ha!" Brittany doubled down on her ignorant shit, "Of course, you'd be friends with someone like him." She barked out a disparaging laugh.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Emily couldn't help it. Yelling and cursing at her was one thing but coming after her friends was patently unacceptable. I dare you to try something, bitch. She barely managed to keep her thought to herself. Devon had walked over and grasped Emily's hand in silent solidarity. Just a little of her vibrant rage leaked out from the subtle sign of support. Her husband was one to let her fight her own battles but always by her side when she needed him.

"That sinner has sex with men." Brittany continued to rave.

Bill kept a calm demeanor, but his usual gregarious smile was nowhere to be seen, "Ma'am, I need you to leave. If you refuse, I will call the police." He stated as if he were reading a recipe, not a shred of anger or passion in his voice. Bill could not be induced to stoop to her level, it seemed.

"And you married him? You know that's a sin too." Brittany would not leave herself a shred of dignity before she left. Emily was amazed that she had hidden all this bullshit back when they had been friends.

"The fuck does that mean?" Kyra asked, taking a step closer to the invasive and irritating hateful blonde.

"What would your parents and grandparents think of you marrying something like him?" The blatant racism spewed from her.

"My family all loves him, as do I. Why don't you go ahead and say what you were thinking? I had no idea you were a racist moron." Emily couldn't believe what she heard. This was the first time she had encountered anyone who overtly objected to her marriage to a black man. She was under no illusions that someone the pair had run across had not harbored such thoughts. Brittany was just the first to vocalize them.

A sudden flash of thought made her wonder, not for the first time, how hard of a time Devon's maternal grandparents must have encountered. They had been married in the south far before it was considered acceptable by the general zeitgeist. Emily now had a further appreciation for the pair.

"You have twenty seconds to get the fuck out of my store," Bill stated as he pulled the cellphone from his pocket. His voice stayed steady, but he was not one to curse in his store, "You will be the first personae non grata at my shop. I don't need your business."

"I'm going; I never wanted to support your lifestyle," Brittany growled out and then stomped her way from the store. She paused to throw one more verbal punch, "By the way, I was the one that showed the town your history. Everyone should know you're a fucking whore!"

That solves that mystery. Emily kept to herself. Her fists clenched involuntarily

"Are you okay, babe?" Devon stepped in front of her and rubbed her shoulders kindly.

"I will be. I just need a few minutes. I'm going to take a walk." Her blood boiled, but she wouldn't let this encounter ruin her special day, "In that direction, though." She pointed down the road opposite where Brittany had huffed off to, "Want to come with me?"

"Always." Devon grabbed her hand again and pulsed a firmer grip into it. That was another of his silent ways of telling Em he loved her.

They were several blocks away from Bill's when Emily realized she had just walked out with new shoes and hadn't paid for them. Bill knew she was good for it, but perhaps more importantly, she left all her personal belongings in the shoe department, "Well, shit. I think I just stole a pair of shoes. Although I did leave my purse, wallet, and phone as collateral."

"Don't worry about that. Kyra has your things. Bill wants us to stop back by before we head to Artie's. He put the shoes on your tab. So that was the infamous Brittany, huh?" Devon's voice stayed placid as he glanced at his phone.

"Believe me, there was no hint of that bullshit back when we were friendly." She still seethed with anger; it was hard not to give in and allow the rage to ruin at least part of her day.

"I can't believe anyone would think that any part of that spectacle was acceptable behavior." Devon commiserated with her.

They walked and talked as her anger slowly cooled but never entirely dissipated. Emily and Devon ran across a beautiful pair of young women enjoying Nude Day out on a walk. They had an excited dog that pranced happily between the couple. Emily wanted a dog badly. It was a minor miracle that she had not gotten one already, but it did not seem fair to only have a dog out on a leash. This fluffy tri-colored beast seemed happy to enjoy the holiday and warm weather.

"Hi!" Emily waved at the small group. They each had a matching pair of diamonds on their left fingers and held hands as they walked. If Emily were to wager a guess, this couple of women were married to each other. "Can I pet your dog?"

The young women stopped. Their dog halted immediately and sat down. His fluffy tail went non-stop as he swept any loose debris from the sidewalk, "I don't know. He's already quite proud of himself; Chester might become insufferable." The taller woman said with a smile.

"But he does love attention so much." The shorter blonde said with a giggle and waved Emily forward.

"Hi there, Chester." Emily could feel more of her seething anger dissipating as if petting the pup's soft head catalyzed the outrage into a flash of a feeling of contentment. Emily could acknowledge that her friends and husband were here for her, even if they knew about her past. They know everything and still love you. She silently affirmed. It was something she had learned to do from her therapist. Chester smiled and leaned into the scritches, "Wow, he's beautiful and well-behaved."

"He's a great dog." The taller woman said. She was tall and lean with a tan complexion and fiery red hair. Her breasts were small but looked fantastic on her lithe form. Her whole body was in excellent shape with nary a tan line and a smoothly waxed womanhood. The way she was standing, it was apparent the woman had every intention of putting her nude form on display.

"What kind of pup is he?" Emily questioned as the fluffy dog basked in the attention.

"A rescue, half golden retriever, and beyond that, we don't know. Something smaller, though." The shorter woman replied. She was of average height with short blonde hair that looked quite fetching. Her large breasts eclipsed Emily's in size and perkiness; it was rare that Em felt jealous of another woman's chest. Although thicker than her wife, she may have been in even better shape. The blonde woman did not share her bride's same open stance but was not hiding her waxed womanhood. It was decorated with just a poof of blonde hair at its crest.

"He's adorable and so well behaved. Are you two tourists? Did you come into town to celebrate Nude Day?" Emily stood back up, again almost forgetting that she was naked in the middle of town.

"Actually, my wife just brought me here on vacation. She's never been rafting, and I heard you have some great rapids. We got in on Friday, and when we heard about the holiday, she insisted we join in the fun. Her middle brother and his family are going to meet us here tomorrow. They're driving in from the west coast." The shorter woman had a brilliant smile.

"I hope you have fun on our river. Though it is your first time, I recommend sticking to the upper half. The whitewater gets a little gnarly as you go through town. I won't keep you any longer. Thanks for sharing your puppers with me."

As she turned to go, she thought of everything that Kyra had done to help her out. What's the harm in a little free advertisement? "Give Hot Pepper Rafting a call. Tell them Emily recommended them, and they'll take care of you."

"Thanks, We'll do that."

Hot Pepper Rafting had made more sense as a name where Kyra's dad opened his first rafting guide service. He kept the title when he moved up north for his wife. Her uncle still ran that wing of the family business in New Mexico.

Emily had a gleaming smile again as they turned around and moved back toward Bill's, determined to not let a crazy happenstance with Brittany ruin her day.

Devon -- A Few minutes later

Dev couldn't help being a little scared that Emily's prior encounter had damaged his wife's birthday. How her mood changed and face lit up when she petted a dog owned by a pair of lovely naked women left Devon no doubt that they would need to get a dog soon. He silently added it as the next step to their plan of starting a family right after the house, "You need a puppy, sweetie." He broke a contemplative silence as they rounded the block back toward Bill's.

"Maybe." She said with a smile that lit her features and then faded, "But you're not a dog person."

"I'm an Emily person." Devon smiled, "The way that pup made you smile was infectious. You may just have to teach me a few things about dog ownership."

"Like I had to teach you to drive a stick?" Emily gave him another light hip check to punctuate the sentence. Em had taught him how to drive her truck on his second visit to town. They both knew early in the relationship that it was forever. Devon needed to understand how to operate her Scout if anything happened to her on one of their expeditions, like a broken leg or a badly sprained ankle.

"Maybe with less swearing this time." Devon stopped her in the street and leaned in for a peck.

"That was all you, babe." Emily gave him a wink.

"Mostly me." He smiled back.

"I did think you were going to slide back into that car."

This time as they approached Bill's, Devon couldn't miss posters in the windows advertising his Nude Day sale. Em had him distracted before, "One more stop, and then we head to Artie's." Devon had noticed his heart rate creeping up as he thought about what that meant.

"And you have to join in." She taunted and then stepped into the store.

"There's the shoplifter, returning to the scene of the crime, I see." Bill tried to keep a stern look on his face but couldn't hold it for long.

"Sorry, I was blinded by anger." Emily finally released Dev's hand and strutted over to the counter with Bill. Her rump swished with each hypnotic step. Devon watched in awe of his breathtaking wife, again thinking how lucky he was.