Ann: A Love Story Ch. 88

We were sitting in one of the side sections, listening to Pastor Kane preach, my arm draped around Ann as her left hand rested on my thigh. I felt warm inside as she leaned into me, focusing on the service. I was trying to...but my mind wandered from time to time. I was glancing at the people that had gathered and couldn't help but think of our wedding.

"Is there going to be enough room for all the guests?" I wondered to myself as I looked at the size of the sanctuary.

It wasn't a tiny church, but it certainly didn't seem proportionate to the size of the town. Sure, it was a small community, but most churches seemed bigger than this one. I was busy calculating in my head how many people I thought the seating could accommodate, staring at the large stained glass windows directly opposite me. They were huge, starting above us, and going up two more stories...and that led me to look at the cathedral like ceiling. It was only then that my head turned to the left and I noticed the balcony.

Glancing over my shoulder, I realized there was a second level of seating running along the back walls, with one on the left side and presumably one on the right, directly in line with the two outside rows beneath them. There were only five rows in the one I could see, but the pews in them ran almost the length of the wall. Figuring the one above my side was likely the same, I guessed them to be able to hold at least another hundred people if need be.

That had me believing that the church could hold at least three hundred, maybe three-fifty if I'd miscalculated, which was way more than we'd need for the wedding. I went from thinking it was going to be cramped, to knowing we had more than enough room for our guests. As I looked at the intricate molding carved into the wood on the face of the balcony to my left, I let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" Ann whispered.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I smiled as I squeezed her shoulder, pulling her tighter to me.

She squeezed my thigh and said, "We're almost done, baby."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Actually, we were far from done...at least as far as being at the church. The service ended shortly afterward, just like she had said. But once that was done, we ended up heading downstairs with her parents to the meeting hall of the church. There, a group volunteers from the congregation had set up a buffet style breakfast for the rest of those that had come to the service.

Ann and I got in line to get food, while her parents stopped by the kitchen to see if they needed any help. Marlin and Jean were part of the breakfast team, helping out in the kitchen once a month. And technically it was their week, but they asked another couple if they could switch weeks with them because Ann and I were there. Still, Jean wanted to make sure everything was covered just in case, and she and Marlin ended up in line about thirty people behind us.

It was a rather large room and as we sat down at one of the twenty or so tables that were set up, I asked, "Is this where we're having our reception?"

It seemed odd to have to ask, but I hadn't been around when those plans were being made. Ann and Jean had been doing all of that while I was in West Virginia. With Ann's parents footing the bill, I didn't feel right asking in front of them. Since they were still in line and the question was on my mind, it seemed the right time to ask.

"No...we could have. And I suppose it would have saved Mom and Dad some money, but I didn't want to have it here."

"Really? Why not...it seems big enough?"

"Because I didn't want to be limited by the rules the church has for that type of function."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one...I wanted a band, which they didn't approve of."

"We're having a band?"

"Of course. And I shouldn't say they don't approve. It's not like this is the church from 'Footloose' and we wouldn't be able to dance here. Pastor Kane is actually very hip, for the most part. But if they made an exception and let us have a band, it could create problems because of the precedent they'd be setting. A cover band is one thing, but can you imagine a punk rock group in a church?"

"That's pretty unlikely in this town," I chuckled.

"True, but they have to consider all the possibilities."

"I suppose. I just figured you'd get a DJ."

"I thought about it. And if that was the only thing that kept us from having it here, I could have gone with that."

"What else is there?"

"The church doesn't have a liquor license," she smiled.

"So, we're having a band and a bar?"

"Yeah, if that's okay with you...although they've both been booked already, so you really need to be okay with it. It's in less than a week, baby."

I grinned as I nodded. "I know Ann. I can't wait."

"I really should have asked you...or at least told you," she said bashfully. "I'm sorry, Neil."

"It's fine babe. I could have asked before now if I was concerned about it. I probably should have, just so you wouldn't feel like you were doing everything by yourself."

"Oh, I haven't been. Mom's actually been great. And there have been a few others that have been a huge help too."

"So if we're not having the reception here, where are we having it?"

"Actually, we're having it at the Elks Lodge."

"Huh, really? I didn't know your Dad belonged there."

"He doesn't...but your Dad does," she giggled. "He and your Mom have been amazing too. He's even paying for the band."

"Oh my God...you're kidding. Who did he get, Glen Miller?" I said sarcastically.

"No...I'm pretty sure he's dead."

"Right. Dad would be more along the lines of Spike Jones anyway. I had to listen to those records my entire childhood."

"Relax baby, it's a rock band...and a good one at that. Tina found them."

"Really, who are they?"

"I don't know...she won't tell me. She said it's a surprise. But she promised me they're good, and I trust her."

"Are there any other surprises?"

"No...not unless you consider the third reason I didn't want the reception to be here."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"It's a surprise, silly," she teased.

"Can you give me a hint?"

"Perhaps. Let's just say that I don't want to be inhibited by my surroundings, that's all."

"Huh?"

She giggled at the perplexed expression on my face. "Last hint, Neil. While I'm mindful of the traditions of a wedding, and I want to be respectful to the church for letting us have it here...I still want to be me."

"You lost me, Ann."

"Just think 'wedding dress' and remember where I had mine made. What you see here won't be what you see at the reception," she grinned.

"I don't understand."

"I know you don't, but I'm not saying anything else. I want it to be a surprise for you...and I've probably said too much already."

"Well, I guess I can figure it out."

She put her finger over my lips. "Don't. I want you to think about this instead. I told you I want to be me, and I'll be able to do that better at the Elks Lodge than I will here, for obvious reasons."

At that moment she had me thinking about so many things that frankly nothing seemed obvious. Shaking my head, I wondered, "What does THAT mean?"

"It means, if I want to pull my new husband into a coat closet and give him a blowjob, I'll feel a lot better about it doing it there than here. Unless of course that sort of thing turns you on...in which case, we can go find one right now."

The mischievous smile on her face as she took a big bite of her bagel made my heart skip a beat. I knew she wasn't serious, but the devilish spark in her eyes was selling the idea that she would do it if I wanted to. I shook my head again and opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat as her mother sat down next to me.

"So, what are you two talking about?"

My mouth stayed open, only air escaping as I looked at Jean, not knowing how to answer. Or if I even could, considering how stunned I was at the moment.

Ann answered for me, saying "Neil was just telling me how he'd like a tour of the church, and I was thinking about showing him around."

"That's funny...so was I," Jean laughed.

I coughed out "Excuse me," my throat closing as I swallowed wrong.

Ann laughed and said, "Go ahead, Mom."

"In a bit, dear. I want to eat first."

"Me too," my fiancée said as she winked at me.

The tour never happened. Once Marlin sat down across from me, an endless stream of people started wandering by the table to say hello. I figured a lot of them were people that weren't close enough to their family to be invited to the wedding, and they were politely using the opportunity to congratulate us. Jean or Marlin would introduce us as a couple, and we'd spend some time making small talk until someone else showed up, which was quite often. I felt like I was in the receiving line at our reception already, although we were still sitting down.

It was wonderful that so many people thought enough of her parents to stop by, and I know they were both eating it up. They loved showing us off. Still, it was hard, because there were several people that stopped that I knew had said horrible things about me when my first marriage fell apart. They'd heard the rumors running rampant through the town and believed them. A handful even spread them themselves. Even as they said nice things now, I was struggling to forget what I knew they'd said before.

Ann felt me tense up a couple of times and she was quick to figure out why. She finally leaned in and said, "You know, if you were ever going to forgive, I think this is the place you're supposed to do it."

"You know how this town is as well as I do, Ann. You ran away because of it," I said defensively.

"I know, Neil. And you're right, I did. But I'm back now because I have you, and I think this is not only the right place for both of us to get over our past...it's the right time too. What do you say?"

"You want me to go up to everyone that said something nasty about me and forgive them...right now?"

"Ha...no. I just think we'll both be happier if we don't dwell on what people said or did to us. Who cares? They can still say whatever they want. That doesn't change us and who we are together. We're happy, right?"

"Well...yes."

"Then that's what we should show them. That we're happy despite all that happened in the past, and they can't change that."

"Sounds more like revenge than forgiveness."

"Do you want revenge?"

"No...but some poetic justice would be nice."

"I think seeing us happy is just that, Neil. They were wrong about you. They know it."

"How do you know that?"

"Because...my parents told them. That's why they're so proud to have you here today. They wanted to show everyone who you really are, in case they didn't get the message already."

"What? They told all of them?"

"No...just the ones that needed telling."

"But, why would your Mom and Dad do that?"

"You're part of their family, Neil," she said as she kissed me on the cheek. "That's how it's supposed to work."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ann was right. I needed to let my past go if I was truly going to move on and be happy. That seemed a little absurd at first, since I'd never been happier in my life than I was with her. But if I could be sitting next to her, happy in that moment, and someone could alter my mood just by saying hello, then I was still living in the pain of my past in some small way.

I suppose that's human nature. Everyone has a past and we all have something that's painful that we've gone through. But that pain also shapes us, and I'd come through the other side of mine to find her standing there waiting for me. I truly believed fate brought her to me, but it was the anguish of the experience I'd gone through that opened that door.

When we got up to leave, I felt a weight lifting off my chest. I could forgive, but I wouldn't forget. I didn't want to forget. That sentiment wasn't to hold a grudge, but to remind myself that I had to go through what I did to appreciate where I was now and who I was with. To pretend it never happened would be a mistake, because I became a better man because of it...because of Ann. As we made our way toward the stairs, I decided to follow her advice. I would always remember, but I wasn't going to dwell.

We stopped and said hello to Pastor Kane as we got to the top of the stairs. He mentioned how much he was looking forward to the next weekend.

"It's going to be a wonderful wedding," he said as he shook my hand.

"And marriage," I whispered to Ann as I held her close to me.

"I hope you enjoyed the service. I know it's not like your parent's church."

"No...but Ann guided me through it. It was very nice."

"Well, the wedding won't be that formal. Have a safe trip, and we'll see you Friday for the rehearsal."

I'd forgotten all about the rehearsal, and the rehearsal dinner. At that moment, I'd even forgotten about the bachelor party. Everything was coming up so fast. Yet before any of that could happen, I still had to drive back to West Virginia, work four days, and then return for Thursday night.

Looking at my watch, I said, "I've got to get moving, babe. I've got a long day ahead of me."

Grabbing my hand and pulling me toward a room off to the side, she said, "Okay...let's go get our coats!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ann teased me all the way to my parent's house.

"Did you really think I was going to blow you right there in the coat room?"

"With you, you never know. That's what I love about you."

"You should have seen the look on your face when I dropped my coat and then dropped to my knees in front of you to pick it up. Man...that was hilarious."

"Not as much as when you reached for my thighs. That was a riot," I said in a mocking tone.

"Maybe so...but you're hard as a rock right now."

"That's because you won't stop touching me," I laughed, feeling her hand roam near my crotch again.

"I won't stop touching you because it's Sunday. And that's..."

"I know...it's our day. I wish I could spend it with you, babe. Hell, I wish I could just stay here until the wedding."

"I know, Neil. But I understand. And besides, I have a lot of things to get done, so we wouldn't be together much this week anyway."

"A lot of things? I thought everything was pretty much set."

"I have the cake to worry about, there are details I need to nail down about the reception hall and I have to confirm a lot of reservations."

"See...I should be here."

"But you're not going to be because you can't. Don't worry about it...we have it under control."

"We? You and your Mom?"

"Me and Tina.

"Tina? Now I'm not worried. I'm scared."

"Scared. Why would you be scared?"

"Because, you're dangerous together," I laughed.

"Hmm...that we are," she said, an ominous tone in her voice.

I pulled into the driveway at my parent's house and opened the garage door so I could back in. Ann got out and waited for me. She'd come over to help me pack. I had intended to have that done the night before, so all I had to do was load the car, drop her off at her folks place and hit the road. But with Ann offering to help, it allowed us to stay on that couch and watch the games.

"Where are your parents?" she asked as I got out of the car.

"They went to a party for the Barrett's," I replied, popping the hatch.

"Oh...that's right. They did," she said sexily, making a shiver run up my spine.

My mom and dad had headed to an anniversary celebration for some good friends, going straight from their church to the party. They'd said their goodbyes as I walked out the door to go pick up Ann. For once, it wasn't tearful on my mom's part, mostly because she knew I'd be coming back in less than a week for the wedding.

As I heard Ann's reply, I remembered my mother telling her the night before that they were going. In fact, that's when she said she'd come over to help me pack. I didn't think anything about it at the time, mostly because I wanted to spend as much time as I could with her before I left. Now, with my cock hard from all the teasing she'd put me through in the car on the way home, it sank in.

I knew she was up to something, but I had driving on my mind. It was already past eleven, and I had a nine hour drive ahead. I'd known I was going to get back late because I decided to go to church with the Franklins. But I didn't want to be too late, because I had to work the next day. I started to say that I should really get going, but I couldn't get the words out of my mouth.

That was because she took off her coat and threw it in the back of my car. Then, she reached behind and slowly unzipped her conservative dark blue dress, letting it fall to her feet right there in the open garage. She stood in front of me in a black lace bra and a matching thong. Turning on her sexy black high heels, she glanced over her shoulder.

"You can get my things. I'll meet you in the family room," she said as she stepped into the house and closed the door.

I grabbed her coat and her dress, scrambling into the house behind her, kicking off my shoes in the mudroom out of habit. When I to got the family room, she was already on her knees in the middle of the floor with her legs spread a little. She reached behind to unclasp her bra, letting it fall down her arms gracefully. Flinging it off to the side, she cupped her breasts, playing with her nipples as she stared at me, wearing just her thong and those incredible heels.

It amazed me that she was wearing the heels. Not that it was bad...I loved it. And apparently, so did my mother, which was what amazed me. My mother was just like Ann's mom, each of them having a 'no shoes in the house' rule that always applied. That is, except for Ann when she was wearing heels. For whatever reason, she wore them into the house once and my mother didn't object. In fact, she actually commented on how nice they looked.

From that point on, whenever Ann would wear some type of stiletto, she'd keep them on. And it wasn't just at my parent's house. She'd started doing the same thing at her mom and dad's, with her mother's silent, smiling blessing. She would still take off any other shoes or sandals she's wear, but her heels had become exempt...not that I was complaining.

But what I found interesting as I thought about it was my mother had taken to doing the same thing. I'd seen her several times, including on her way out the door heading to church earlier that morning, wearing a pair of high heels through the house. It was an interesting change; one that I was sure was brought about by Ann just being Ann, and the way she carried herself.

And at the moment, she was carrying herself as a wanton slut. Curling her index finger to motion me toward her, her voice dropped again into that sexy, seductive tone she loved to use to turn me on. "Come here, baby." I dropped the clothing I was holding, but stood frozen in place with a stupid grin on my face, gazing at her amazing body as she tweaked her nipples again. "What are you waiting for," she finally asked.

"Ann, I...I need to get going," I replied, not believing those words were the ones that actually came out of my mouth.

Instead of being angry or offended, she took my comment with her usual grace. "You can go...right after I make you cum. And the longer you keep standing there, the longer it's going to take. Now come here, baby. It's Sunday, and I want to suck that cock!"

It wasn't a request. Even though she had a naughty smile on her face, she had pretty much demanded that I do what she said. It all had to do with her promise that we'd make sure our Sunday's were devoted to each other sexually. She'd said before that she didn't want to miss one, even if she was on her period like she was at the moment, because once we did, it would make it easier to do it again...and again. She wasn't going to let that habit start, particularly so early in our relationship.