As Big as the Moon

I held my tongue, wanting to let her feel it, so when the arrow flew low and burrowed into the grass, I was ready and watched the general location so we could find it later. I went through it with her again and watched another arrow fly. This one was higher than the first but still did its burrowing act at the end.

"Here, may I help?" I suggested.

She nodded so I stepped in behind her, holding my left hand behind her forearm, and wrapping my right around her to help steady the bow on the string.

"See how that feels? See the positioning? Remember all that so you can repeat it in a few moments." I shifted around a bit, all too aware of our bodies touching as I drew my hand back to her elbow so I could help her sight. Not wanting her to hold the draw long lest she start shaking and fire wildly, I told her to release when ready.

Twang!

Jaimie's arrow hit the FITA target with a phff, though in the one ring near the edge of the straw circle. Her mouth fell open in surprise before she jumped up and down, saying, "Keith! I did it! I hit it!"

In her excitement, she practically beaned me with the bow but then shocked me by stepping in and kissing me right on the lips. It was nice and short, but, more than anything, it was shocking, and I stared at her in surprise.

I'm not sure if she even noticed, though, because she immediately turned and pulled another arrow from where we'd placed them in a row. My thoughts were confused as I watched her, the kiss fogging my mind.

Jaimie drew again and fired, with the arrow sailing over the target and off into the distance. That one, I knew, would take some serious searching.

"Damn," she uttered, before looking back at me. "Think you can help me again?"

"Yeah, I think that can be arranged," I replied, hoping that I wasn't grinning as much as I felt I was. Stepping in behind her like before, I felt her lean into me this time. She'd nocked the arrow and placed it in the rest on the bow, but hadn't drawn yet. Instead, she turned her face back to look at me.

"Does this feel right to you?"

"Mmm, yeah, it does," I agreed, though I must admit I wasn't thinking in terms of archery in giving the answer.

"Me too," she said. "And I'm glad."

With just a little help, she hit the target on her last two shots, with the last one clipping the very edge of the six ring. Jaimie jumped for joy on each, and gave me another kiss after the last one.

With it getting colder as the afternoon sun dropped toward the west, we put our coats back on over our sweatshirts and went downrange to retrieve the arrows. Those in the target were first and I put the cover back over it and then we started looking for the others.

The first and second arrows were right where I thought, but it took a while to find Jaimie's fourth shot and we somehow ended up walking side by side as we looked. I think we both saw it at the same time, but Jaimie held up a finger, stopping me before I could say it.

"Since we haven't found it yet," she stressed, "I think we should make another round together. I'm pretty sure it will turn up then if we both look really hard, right?" She took my hand in hers as she said it.

I grinned. "That sounds like a plan to me."

Hand-in-hand, we walked around a bit more, both of us smiling and looking at each other more than for the missing arrow we'd already spotted. When we returned to the right area, it actually took a little more effort looking before we were able to spot it again. I cleaned the tip as Jaimie held it, with the two of us, standing just inches apart, looking at each other rather than at what I was doing.

"Good thing you didn't buy Cory some of those hunting arrows," she said softly as she looked into my eyes.

"Why's that?"

"Cause you might have cut your fingers to pieces cleaning them like this."

"That is a good thing then, because I'd have wanted to clean them just like this."

Jaimie smiled at me and moved the arrow to the side before closing the gap and leaning up to kiss me. Seeing her eyes close, I allowed mine to do the same, to enjoy the moment together as her tongue swept my lips, begging entry between mine. Our tongues tussled, circling each other a few times as my hormones surged and raged inside me. Then, with some reluctance on both our parts, we drew back a bit.

Our eyes open once more, Jaimie looked into mine and smiled. "It's getting colder out here and Cory's probably looking for his bow and arrows by now. Let's head inside, okay?"

Gathering up the equipment including the pellet rifle that we'd never fired, we took hands once more and walked to the house.

***

"Did you kids have a nice time?" asked Mom as she stood at the kitchen counter with a glass of water and three pills.

"It was fun," answered Jaimie. 'But it was starting to get pretty cold out there."

Mom's face looked pained much of the time, but it seemed pretty relaxed just then, happy even. "I don't know, but from the kitchen window, it looked pretty hot out there."

I started to turn away so they wouldn't see my blush from being called out by my mother, but Jaimie stepped forward then and gave her a hug.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent mostly with Mom, with Sandy and Addy joining us part of the time, and Cory and Dad with us most of the rest.

"Sweetheart, do you feel like going out to eat tonight?" Dad asked as dinnertime approached.

"Norm, I'm pretty tired. You take everyone to dinner and just bring me something, okay?"

"I can fix something, Mom," I volunteered. Cory frowned at me, doubtless remembering the dinner I'd made him while visiting at Christmas, but he was relieved when Dad shook his head.

"No, I'll tell you what, Keith. How about running into town and picking up some KFC--"

Mom stopped him. "Jaimie, do you like chicken?"

"I love chicken, Mrs. Bristow, and KFC would be just fine with me. I even--"

Thinking she might give away our secret by saying she lived in Kentucky, I looked at her in warning but she continued without missing a beat. "--like the extra crispy chicken, though not quite as much as the Colonel's original recipe."

Mom dictated a list, including extra biscuits, while Addy wrote, and then Dad gave me enough cash to feed a small army.

"I'll come, too," said Jaimie as I was getting my coat. To my surprise, Sandy and Addy wanted to come too, so the girls piled into my car and chatted the whole way to town and back, with me saying almost nothing except when I placed the order.

Dinner was really a family affair, with all seven of us eating KFC on Mom's fine china.

"This is a very pretty china pattern, Mrs. Bristow," said Jaimie before we started. "I'm surprised you'd use it for an everyday dinner like this."

"We do have a guest," replied Mom, "but being sick sometimes makes you realize that you should enjoy your nicer things when you can while you can rather than letting them always sit in the cabinet and collect dust." Mom looked like she was about to cry as she said it. With Dad at the far end of the table, Sandy took her hand and gave it a squeeze as Dad forced a smile and gave her a nod.

After dinner, Sandy, Jaimie, and I did her best dishes and the fine silverware we hadn't even noticed, while Dad took Mom in the living room to rest. We joined them a bit later and took requests for a movie for the evening. Addy wrote down the nominations and Cory drew a name from the cup. Dad stuck the DVD in the player, and I lowered the light before taking a seat on the loveseat next to Jaimie. She leaned into me and tucked her stockinged feet up on the seat behind her.

I slid my arm around her and was enjoying having her next to me when I realized that she was doing a great job playing the part of my girlfriend. Worried that I might be putting too much pressure on her in her role, I leaned down and whispered, "Jaimie, you don't have to sit so close if it makes you uncomfortable."

She looked up at me with a frown, poked me in the ribs, and then leaned back against me like before. I grinned and kept my big mouth shut after that.

***

Mom was the first to give out, so she told us goodnight and Dad helped her off to bed before the movie was even half over. My siblings got ready for bed after the movie was over, so Dad, Jaimie, and I stayed up and talked for a bit afterward before he caught himself yawning, too.

"Kids, you two be good and sleep well. I'll see you in the morning."

After Dad was gone, Jaimie said, "Keith, I'm tired, too, but I want to tell you something. As bad as yesterday was and as scared as I was, I'm glad it happened because I got to meet you and your family. I had a really nice day with you today, with you all, and I'm looking forward to another one tomorrow. Thank you."

She pushed me back on the love seat and lay down against me, hooking her foot and knee over my leg, wrapping her arm part of the way around me, and then leaning in to kiss me. I slipped my arms around her and joined in, enjoying her feel against me, the touch of her hand and her face against my cheeks, and the joy of her lips and tongue exploring mine.

Our kisses and her movement against me stirred a desire and I knew she had to feel it despite my attempt to angle away to hide it. Worried that it was getting to be too much and knowing that we couldn't go any further, I finally had to break away and draw back.

"I'm sorry," whispered Jaimie. "I didn't mean to get us fired up. And then leave you hanging."

My head shook. "Jaimie, you're not leaving me hanging. I know my parents' limits so it's my fault I let us go a little further than we should have. But, like you said, I'm really glad that we met and that we've gotten to have such a good time together."

"Me, too," she agreed. "Good night, Keith. Sweet dreams."

Kissing me one more time, she turned and headed to the guest room.

***

I awoke early on Valentine's Day to look out the window and see that the snow had passed us by, but the gray, overcast sky and the largely brown pall of winter that generally covered what I could see from the bedroom window remained.

After doing my morning routine and making sure my face was well shaved, I headed downstairs and slipped out the back. I returned less than thirty minutes later and was surprised to find Jaimie leaning against the kitchen counter with a cup of hot coffee in her hands.

"Happy Valentine's Day, mister," she whispered as she set the mug on the counter and slipped her arms around me. "You're up awfully early."

"And a happy Valentine's Day to you, too, Miss," as I pulled her in close against me. "I had a little errand to run. Have you been up long?"

"Long enough to want to do this." She reached up and kissed me. Maybe I liked it too much and responded a bit too enthusiastically for she moaned into my mouth and the clearing of a throat behind us scared us both so badly that I thought we'd hit the ceiling.

Dad was barely controlling his urge to laugh as he said, "Happy Valentine's Day, lovebirds, though I see y'all are already well into that."

"Morning, Dad."

"Good morning, Mr. Bristow," added Jaimie. "How's Mrs. Bristow this morning?"

"Kathy doesn't feel like getting out of bed just yet, so you two get back to whatever you were doing and pay me no mind while I get her some coffee."

Leave it to my dad to know just how to embarrass me.

Jaimie ignored his gibe and asked, "Is there anything I can do for her? Or we can do?" she added, glancing at me for confirmation.

"Thanks but no. She's hoping to be feeling better by the time to leave for Sunday school or at least church...but I'm not counting on it today. Say, speaking of that, y'all are welcome to join us for one or both if you wish."

To my surprise, Jaimie agreed for us to go to church with my family, with the two of us bringing Mom for the service after the others left earlier for Sunday school too. She helped Mom into the front seat so it would be easier for her to get in and out of my car, and Jaimie sat in the back on the passenger side so I could sneak peeks at her periodically as I drove. She must have been watching me for she grinned at me each time.

We held hands through most of the service, with Jaimie giving me a little squeeze occasionally, though whether it was a twitch on her part or to keep me from falling asleep, I'm not sure. It caused me to glance at her each time though, so I didn't mind either way.

After the service, Mom was feeling tired but not too bad so Dad took us all out for the buffet at the nearby state park. Dad took Mom and the rest of the family home afterward, while Jaimie and I drove into the park to take a walk by the river.

"It's peaceful here," she said as she sat down on a rock overlooking the slow-moving stream. The sun had finally peeked through the clouds and was doing its best to warm us. Jaimie took the hint and unzipped her little coat before pulling me down to sit behind her. "You know, when I left for the wildness of Mardi Gras in New Orleans on Friday, I figured I'd end up being, well, as wild as the place, even though I wasn't sure I wanted to, just because of who I was going with and because that's what's expected there. And, I guess, because that's what he expected. I never dreamed that I'd find a nice guy and be doing something so totally opposite of that just 48 hours later."

Jaimie leaned back against me and I slid my arms around her, pulling her back against me a little more firmly. "I'm really glad you're here with me, Jaimie, but I have to ask: are you saying I'm boring?"

Taking a chance, I pushed my hands up and cupped her breasts, giving them a little squeeze before she could answer.

"Aa! Keith Bristow," she exclaimed looking around at me. "You are full of surprises today, aren't you?" Repaying my surprise, she slid her hands up over mine and pressed even harder, holding me there, the sweet softness of her boobs in my hands. She leaned her head back against mine and added, "And I like that."

My heart was smiling as I replied, "I'm glad."

We were about to kiss her when laughing little shrieks interrupted us. Turning toward them, we saw a pair of young kids running in our direction and I tensed, ready to jump up and stop them when I saw their worried father a short distance back behind them. "Stop before you get to the trees," he called, causing them to come to a halt and me to relax, though I did slide my hands down to a less delicate position.

Jaimie laughed and said, "A really nice guy." She gave me a little kiss and then got up. "I'm getting cold...and it's getting crowded."

I chuckled as I rose, thinking of the odds of the only other group around picking our spot, but then saw as we were walking back to my car that there were actually several other families scattered along the river bend and even a few couples walking hand-in-hand along the tree line or the park drive.

It was, after all, Valentine's Day and we didn't appear to be the only ones celebrating.

When we reached my car, I unlocked it and reached down to take the handle to open her door, but she stopped me, wrapping her arms around me and looking up into my eyes. There were words on the tip of her tongue but she left them unspoken as she leaned her head against my shoulder and neck and hugged me.

Her hair smelled of flowers as I took a deep breath, loving the feel of her against me as we held each other tight.

"Jaimie," I whispered, "considering how long we've known each other, this is probably silly but...will you be my Valentine?"

She looked at me with a grin and gave a little nod. "Keith, you're right, it is silly considering how long we've known each other. But yes, for today, I'll be glad to be your Valentine."

Kids, families, couples, and any others who may have been present were forgotten as our embrace turned into a passionate kiss right by my car parked next to the drive. We were lost in each other as nothing else mattered. We separated, slightly, when the fireworks we were experiencing became less important than the need to breathe.

Practically gulping air, we were looking at each other with lust in our eyes when a good old boy in a jacked-up Ford F150 slowly drove by and honked at us with his General Lee horn. Jaimie was a bit startled and turned to see the driver giving us a big thumbs up as his girl snuggled up against him biting her bottom lip.

I gave the driver an index finger salute to my forehead and Jaimie laughed.

"Guess they caught us," I said as I turned to her door.

"Yeah," she agreed. "And now I know why guys like to lift their trucks ten feet off the ground."

"Huh?'

"So they're high enough off the ground that no one can see what's going on in there." She circled her finger and thumb and gave a slow up and down motion.

"You're kidding," I said, not believing her.

"Nope. It's Valentine's Day and she was concentrating hard on, well, something hard." Jaimie giggled.

"Well, happy Valentine's Day, guys," I called after them as I grinned and threw them another wave as they drove away in the distance, though I'm pretty sure that, concentrating on something else, neither of them noticed.

Moments later, we were on our way too.

***

Mom was resting when we got back to Farmington, so Jaimie and I took Cory out to his archery range for a while and then I taught her how to shoot my pellet gun. She said she'd shot a BB gun a few times but that it had been a long time so we went through it all, starting with safety, like in archery the day before, and then getting into the mechanics of shooting and finally stance, aiming, and firing.

She was much better with the rifle than with the bow, but it was soon obvious that she wanted me standing close, steadying her, touching her to make minor adjustments, and helping her aim. Since the old Daisy rifle was a single pump, single-shot target model, she got it pretty quickly, but wearing my old sweatshirt instead of her coat, she got cold more quickly too.

Seeing this, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her, enjoying our bodies crushed against each other as she squeezed me as tightly as I was squeezing her.

"It's getting colder, Jaimie, and the wind's picking up. Are you ready to go inside?"

"Think we can continue this in there?"

"We'll find somewhere."

I helped her get her coat back on and we quickly gathered everything up and headed inside. Unfortunately, our plan for making out was foiled when we walked in and found my mother in the kitchen. I was glad she was feeling well enough to be up to talk to us but was a little disappointed that our moment, and our idea to continue it, had been ruined. However, after our discussion, Mom reached into the pocket of her housecoat and shoved a $50 bill across the table at us.

"Kids, I can't tell you how happy you've made me on this Valentine's Day, coming to see me, and spend time talking with me. Valentine's Day was always a special day to Norm and me because, though he's always claimed it was love at first sight and I know I loved him for a long time before I said it, but we actually said 'I love you' to each other for the first time on Valentine's Day, twenty-seven years ago today. And, you know, we have loved each other every single day since then too."

Tears were running down her cheeks as she continued. "You two gave up your Valentine's Day, your whole weekend even, to spend time with our family and me rather than doing what young lovers often do, so I appreciate it so much. Now, while I'm not encouraging that in particular, I want you to take this, get out of the house, go somewhere and do something together, just the two of you. This is my Valentine's Day gift to you because you both deserve it. Now go so I can sit here in peace."

She shoved the bill into my hand and then dropped her head to stare at the table. I got up from my chair and kneeled down beside her, wrapping an arm around her, and said, "Thanks, Mom. I love you so much." She pulled my hand to her cheek and then gave it a kiss.