Dan: His story

I'm trying not to rush into anything; my history of picking good husbands is 0-for-1 so far. But I can recognize a good person when I see one.

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Lara

I got a letter in the mail notifying me that my marriage has now been officially ended. I'm single, again.

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Dan

It's been almost a year since my marriage to Lara ended. This past year has been a real mixture for me. I was incredibly hurt by Lara. She didn't fight for us at all. When I told her that I couldn't live with her seeing other men she didn't do or say anything to suggest that she might be willing to change to save our marriage. That told me, very clearly, just where I fit-in and how unimportant I was in her life and in her thinking. She thought so little of me that she was incapable of even considering changing her ways. Having a family was the last thing on her mind. Children were not on her radar. I wanted a family. I wanted the stability of a wife and children. I craved that kind of life. Lara was not the woman for me.

Divorce was inevitable. I talked to our families and they all understood. They quietly knew what Lara was like and even though they all wished that she would stop with her need to be...not a faithful wife, they understood when I left. Her family wished me well.

Just when you think that life was...not good, I was saved. I was saved by two people. You know who I'm talking about. I thank my lucky stars every day for being rescued.

*******

Sarah

I need a full-time husband. My daughter needs a full-time father. I have a prime candidate in mind. My daughter had been asking me if Dan is going to be her daddy. My only response so far has been 'that would be nice wouldn't it' and she nods her head. Time to push things along a bit.

*******

Dan

I have a plan for the summer. It involves travel and camping, but in way that makes it comfortable for us all. My father and mother have an RV. It's a huge thing that I call the 'land-yacht.' It's one of my dad's toys and he and my mother travel quite a bit with it. They've offered to lend it to me whenever I want but I've never really wanted to use something that big and cumbersome before. My idea of camping is very...different. But then gain I've never camped with a small child before.

Now, my father is not one to do things in half-measure. And when I got divorced from Lara, he congratulated me on finally getting my shit sorted out. I was a bit...put-off...by his comment, but I knew that he only wanted the best for me. I initially interpreted his comment to say that I was stupid. But I knew, that he knew, that my relationship with Lara was complex. So, really, he was, in his plain-spoken way, telling me that he was glad that I was getting my life sorted out. It was classic 'dad.'

My mother and father also knew that I was seeing Sarah and indeed they had met Sarah and Matilda once when I stopped at my parents' house to drop off something. My mother greeted Sarah and Matilda as if they were royalty. She made a very big deal over Matilda and took her inside to ply her with treats and milk. I figured that my mother considered that Matilda was as about as close to a grandchild as she would ever get from me. I followed my father's lead and decided to stay out of the way.

But now, I was starting to see life differently. I was making the change from 'just-me' to 'us.' I wasn't thinking about what was the right thing for only myself, but I was starting to keep in mind what might be the best thing for Sarah and Matilda.

So, as we got close to summer and I began thinking about a camping trip, I realized that camping with a small child was quite different than camping the way I normally liked it. I enjoyed putting all I would need on my back and trekking off into the hills. Lara never did that with me. She didn't like the outdoors; too many bugs and too much dust for her, so I never did it with her.

This time out was going to be very different. I wasn't fully convinced that driving a huge 30 plus foot-long RV with a huge Diesel engine, was the way to go. My father however, the eternal pragmatist, put it this way, 'women have to pee a lot, and especially at night. And they don't like to trip around the forest in the dark and suddenly see themselves face-to-face with a raccoon or maybe a bear. So, take the god-damn RV and enjoy it! Besides it's free. What the hell do you have to lose.' And with that, it was decided for me that I would take the land-yacht on vacation.

My father and mother are well off, financially. My dad is a very smart guy and besides working very hard, also had invested wisely early on and was enjoying the benefits of that now. He loves his big toys and is proud of the tech gadgets. The RV is loaded with all the modern conveniences and even a satellite receiver and internet connections. My biggest job was to figure out how to drive the thing without killing us all, or somebody else.

When I proposed the idea, Sarah was initially skeptical but Matilda was very excited. We even went by my parents' house and my father let them check it out and he demonstrated all the gadgets inside it. I'd given him a heads up that we were going to come by so he had it all hooked up to power and water and the two slides pushed out. The air conditioner had cooled it off inside and the TV over the front bunk was on.

My mother brought out the fresh baked treats for Matilda and even showed her where she would sleep. It's the bunk over the driver's compartment. My father even offered to hook up the small, in his estimation, car (a Ford Explorer) that he pulls behind the RV to use when they get wherever they're going. I declined that and checked how to hook up my bike rack to the back.

So, in mid-July, and after some practice driving sessions with my father, and his final approval that I was 'good-to-go,' the three of us were off on the road to Wyoming and then down through to several other states on the way to Colorado and then back north-west to home. I figured that his was going to be a make-it-or-break-it time. At the end of this trip both Sarah and I would know if we had a future together.

The challenge of being together that long, and with a small child, was, I thought, a test of our compatibility. I was worried that I wouldn't measure up to what Sarah wanted in a relationship. I was also worried about my ability to interact with Matilda. I was nervous about the trip, so decided that I should leave the parenting to Sarah and take my lead from her when it came to Matilda. The last thing I wanted was to do something to undermine her authority as her mother. I came to learn that Matilda had her own agenda, if a three-year-old could have an agenda.

My father rigged a proper car seat in the RV for Matilda so that Sarah could be close to and see Matilda as we drove. Matilda had a good supply of toys and books to occupy her time and we stopped for frequent breaks. We planned lots to things to stop and do and see, so it meant that when we did get on the road Matilda was quickly napping in her seat.

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Sarah

Oh my god! Matilda and I are with Dan in his mother and father's giant RV. We're taking our summer vacation together. This plan started out as a camping trip but has morphed into its luxurious cousin, RV 'glamping.' I've never done this before but after a couple of days, I have to say that it is nice to have a comfortable bed to sleep in at night, and a great bathroom. Matilda just loves doing things with Dan and tries her best to monopolize him from the time she wakes up until she goes to sleep.

Dan makes a point of us getting away from the luxury of the RV every day and we hike and bike a lot. I have a special seat for Matilda on the back of my bike but for this trip I happily let Dan put it on his bike. Besides, Matilda insisted.

The trip was fun for all of us, I think. I know Matilda was overjoyed. And so was I. I got see a side of Dan that confirmed what I thought of him. He's a real man. He's smart, caring, tough, thoughtful, and he really wants a family. I can see it in everything he does. The look in his eyes, when he is with Matilda; the look that he gives me whenever we're alone.

So, this trip was fun for me too, especially after Matilda went to bed and Dan and I could have some time for just the two of us. Several nights we put the strength of the bed to the test. The man knows how to please me. He's an expert in the use of his mouth and fingers on my pussy. He can make me orgasm time-after-time to the point that I just about pass out. And then he puts his cock to work. I'm in another world with him inside me. He starts out pushing in and out slowly and then he even takes a break from time-to-time when he's all the way inside me with the head of his cock nestled up against my cervix. That drives me wild. He kisses my lips and his tongue does a dance with mine. He works my nipples between his lips and bites them just to the point of driving me over the edge again. I swear that my nipples and clit are wired together. The electric current that seems to flow between them leave me breathless. I pull him into me as much as I can and then I actually feel him as he comes inside me. His cock is about 7 inches long and does the job for me just perfectly.

Dan knows just the perfect blend of love and fucking. Of course, I knew that from our time as FWBs. But now, when I make love with Dan, it's just that, love. He lets me know, very clearly, that this is love. And when he wants to fuck, he lets me know that too. He'll grab my hand and drag me to the bedroom, just about rip my clothes off and then throw me on the bed and attack some part of my body.

Once, when Matilda was staying overnight with her grandparents, we fucked like crazy for over an hour and then he flipped me onto my stomach, lifted my hips and entered me from behind. He was so hard. Oh god, it was so good. After we recovered, we showered, got dressed up a bit and went out for a fancy dinner. Later that night we made love. This time slow and sensual. He massaged almost every part of me with a nice scented oil and between his hands, mouth and cock, there wasn't a single part of me that didn't get his attention. I can tell you that was a day, and night, that I won't forget for a long time.

When our vacation was over, I was almost needing another vacation to rest up from the trip. I went back to work and Matilda went back to daycare. She wanted me to take her to Dan's place, so I had to explain to her that he had to go back to work too. She understood, I think, but was sad that he wasn't around.

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Dan

So, the great land-yacht adventure was a success. We took the RV back and thanked my mother and father for the use of the beast. Matilda took my mother into the RV and proudly showed her the way that the bunk, that she slept on, was lowered and where the switch, to make it happen, was located. Then, after the bed was down in place, she put the ladder in place and crawled up. My mother was beside herself with the idea that maybe, just maybe, she might have grandchildren soon. My father walked around the outside of the RV and gave it a critical check and was asking me all the normal questions I knew I was going to get: did I flush the black-water tank thoroughly, did I fill up the fuel tank, all the things that are important to him. Yes, Dad, I did it all, just the way that you told me, and we cleaned the inside, too. Inside I was laughing. I knew that my dad would walk barefoot over broken glass to do just about anything that Sarah or Matilda might need. Wow.

Two weeks later, I suggested to Sarah that we do a day-trip. We packed my Crosstrek and headed off. The weather was forecast to be great. We got in some great hiking and even though we didn't have the convenience of the land-yacht we managed all the same. I had a chance to try and see if my greater plan was a possibility.

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Lara

It's been over a year now since I last saw Dan. I moved to a new apartment closer to work. I'm seeing a few different guys but haven't gotten beyond my basic needs. I have to say that after Dan left, I started to wonder just what my life was to become. I mean, I'm still young. I have plenty of time to settle down and get married, again.

I know now that it wasn't a great idea to take Dan for granted. That was wrong. I should have paid more attention to him, but I thought he understood what I wanted. I figured that he didn't really care what I did as long as I paid attention to him sometimes and we would pretend to be normal couple.

Doing things together didn't seem to take off after we got married. He was into the outdoorsy stuff and I don't like getting dirty that much. He also liked the theatre and wanted to see some of the stage productions, but I find that stuff boring and prefer to go out partying and dancing. The times we did go out to do that, I found myself checking out some of the guys there and I know that Dan could see me doing that.

Two months ago, I was having a small medical problem and went to my OB/GYN for a checkup. She diagnosed an STD and gave me a prescription for some pills to take and told me to abstain from sex for the next few weeks, until the symptoms had cleared up and the next test came back negative. She also recommended that my sex partners use condoms. She knew a bit of my history and I suppose condoms were a responsible thing to use; but fuck, I hate those things. They reduce the feeling I get when a cock is inside me.

My need for a hard cock is getting greater by the day. I'm not sure how much longer I can endure this drought. These pills are making me nauseous.

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Dan

So, my plan is coming together nicely. I had a quiet little chat with Matilda and told her what I wanted do and asked her permission to ask her mother to marry me. I wanted to know that if I did, would she want me to be her father. Her answer was unequivocally, YES! She was completely wound-up after that as I told her that I wanted it to be a surprise for her mother and so she could not tell her anything. The child was beside-herself with excitement. I wondered how long the secret would be kept, so I planned a hike for us to take on the weekend.

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Sarah

Matilda has been looking at me for the last few days with wide-eyes and a real sense of excitement. She laughs a little bit every time she looks at me. I told her that the three of us were going on a hike on Saturday and she ran to her bedroom to get her things ready; and it was only Thursday.

Dan wanted to hike to a favourite park and have picnic lunch. When we got out of the car, she grabbed Dan's hand and whispered something in his ear. He nodded back to her and she laughed and looked at me. Something was up. I had a good idea what it might be.

When we got up to the picnic site, we got things set up and my daughter could hardly stand still. She was twirling around and almost turning inside-out.

Dan looked at her and asked her, "Well, do you think this is a good time?" She nodded and giggled.

I was pretty sure I knew what was coming. I wasn't disappointed.

Dan reached in his backpack and brought out a small box. Oh my god! He's really doing this.

He got on one knee, took my hand and looked me in the eyes. "Sarah, I love you so much, and I want us to be together, as a family, forever. Will you do me the honour of being my wife?"

I was holding my breath with the anticipation of his words and when they did come, they had just as big an impact as I imagined they might.

This wasn't just a proposal to me; this was also to my daughter. We come as a package deal. But he knew that, and had told her of his plan to propose before we had planned the hike. Matilda was in on Dan's plan from the beginning. She had courted him to be her father, as much as I had courted him to be my husband, and he had courted me to be his wife. I had wanted this day for a while now; ever since the camping trip in Dan's parents land-yacht. That for me was the confirmation that he was the right man to be my husband and the right man to be a father to Matilda; and the baby that I was carrying.

"Yes!"

Dan jumped on me and kissed me. Matilda jumped on the two of us and hugged us.

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Dan

Well, you could say that I surprised Sarah, but that would be overstating it. She was the one that really surprised me. When she said 'Yes' to my marriage proposal, I was a very happy man. Life was getting to where I wanted it.

And then it took a sudden leap forward.

After we finished hugging and kissing and Matilda announced to her mother that she was going to start calling me 'Daddy,' I was about to suggest that we pack up and go share our news with her mother and father. She announced, "I have a surprise for you."

She reached in her pocket and pulled out a small white plastic thing and passed it to me. "Congratulations, Dad!"

I looked at it. It had two blue lines in the little window. I had to look at it again to realize what it meant.

My eyes got large; my mouth was open. I looked at Sarah and she nodded to me, "Yes, five weeks now. During the trip with the land-yacht."

I jumped on my soon-to-be-wife and kissed her.

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18 months later

Lara

I was walking in the downtown today and saw Dan across the street with a woman and two children. I had to do a double-take because I wasn't sure at first if it was actually him. When I looked again, I was sure it was him. He was with a woman and a small girl and they were pushing a stroller with a baby in it. The woman was clearly pregnant, I guessed about six months, or so.

They were laughing. The small girl, she looked about four or five, was holding Dan's hand.

I realized at that very moment just what I could have had if I hadn't been so fucked in the head. My life was a series of one-night encounters and short-term relationships. Happiness was counted in orgasms.

I was glad he found happiness. Too bad it wasn't with me.

*********

Dan

I have to tell you that two and half years ago, when my sham of a marriage to Lara disintegrated, I couldn't have forecast the turn that my life would take. I found what I wanted. I found a woman that I could love and she would love me. Sarah is wonderful and she makes me incredibly happy. In addition to a wife, I gained a daughter. Matilda is a powerhouse. I sometimes say that she is nuclear powered and there's no 'off-switch.' I think she likes having a father.

My mother and father are incredibly happy to have grandchildren to spoil. My father even had his RV modified inside for proper passenger seats that kids' seats could be attached to and that face forward. I didn't ask him to do it, he just did it. My mother loves to bake treats for the kids even though the baby is only a year old. She's babbling non-stop.

Sarah is pregnant with number three. We bought a new house. New to us. It's a big older home, that I have plans to renovate. Sarah is doing the design work and I'll do the construction. Her father says that we should start our own company. He's probably right and after the baby is born and we let the dust settle, we're going to come up with a plan. At the last family barbecue, Sarah's father and my father 'talked,' and then announced to the two of us that when we were ready to sit and talk 'business' they were ready with ideas and some funding. Not sure that I want to have them that involved, but we can talk about it. I just want to make sure that I can feed my family.

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Sarah

I guess I get the last words.

I thank my lucky stars every day that I found such a wonderful man. Dan is a wonderful husband and father. Matilda loves him to the moon and back. Our baby, Adrienne, is a year old and she and her big sister have their father firmly wrapped around their little fingers. Number three is on the way and I think this one will be a boy.