Eva Pt. 20

I let out a long, painful sigh. Eva put into words what I had been feeling since we found out Connor was shot. I don't think either of us would have been completely shocked if we found out our son provoked his wife. He was a completely different person than the one we raised.

Thankfully, kind of, the next day Eva was informed that the investigators had determined that Leigh shot Connor while he had been seated at the kitchen table. He couldn't have been threatening her, physically, when she shot him from the doorway. This would be much worse for Leigh, legally, and ultimately a few months later she took a plea bargain and was sentenced to 8 years in prison. When she confessed in court, she denied having an affair herself and instead told how she felt emotionally abused by Connor's affair and neglect. They had a huge argument, the last of many, and she couldn't take any more. She got service sidearm from the lockbox and she shot him while he did some paperwork. Legally she was culpaple and she served 5 years, getting out in 2027. Objectively... I had to think she was provoked by my son. To say I was disappointed in him was a massive understatement.

The judge let us bring Oliver down to Florida to see his father. When Connor was well enough, about a month later, we were able to bring them both home to North Carolina. Rachel was on her off season break and she came as well with Tony, but Cammy and Kyle had to go home to Pennsylvania. Connor was still technically in the Navy, still getting paid. His and Olivers' personal things were packed and sent shipped to us and we had most of it put in storage. Connor and Oliver stayed with Eva and me, with Oliver bunking up with Vince until Vince went back to Georgetown two weeks later.

Walt had flown to Florida and told Phyllis what happened to her grandson. It was terrible for her, especially since she was not able to travel to Jacksonville or then to us. It was decided that she would move to California to be near Walt and Will and their families. She just couldn't be left to live away from all her family anymore, even in assisted living. That Summer of 2021 turned out to be a terrible time for our family.

To keep Connor and Oliver together, Eva and I paid for Connor's physical therapy. They really needed to be together and Connor needed help at home. He was depressed over being shot by his wife, the almost certain end to his career in the Navy, and what his future held for him. He barely talked to either of us and honestly, we didn't know what to say to him. We were so disappointed in him and the way he messed up his life. We enrolled Oliver in the Durham Academy, at least for the coming school year. It would take Conner a while to get his health back.

About a week before school started in mid-August, Eva flew out to California to see her mom. She took Oliver with her so he could see his great-grandmother and I stayed home alone with Connor. I was also hoping to get some time to talk to him one on one. Maybe I could find out what changed for him and what he thought about his future. He was 38 and had a lot of life ahead of him. And he had a son that he had to be a full-time father to.

One night while we sat in the library listening to music and sipping scotch together, I brought it up. I asked as gently as I could what he thought drove him to seek out another woman, which was how the whole thing started.

"Dad, I don't know if I have an answer. Jessica...well, she's beautiful of course, but it's more than just looks. Leigh's a beautiful woman as well. I started seeing Jessica when I got my command. It was something I wanted since I was 14 and told you and mom what I wanted to do. And in truth I love the engineering part of the job. I have a lot of talent for it, got a few commendations for getting repairs done earlier than expected. Maybe I should have stuck to reactors and turbines and not bothered with the command track. Because, to be honest, I'm not good at it."

My son looked uncomfortable and upset. I just kept quiet, refilling our drinks, as I let him talk in his own time as he explained that he made a couple of errors as Captain of his boat in terms of decision making. "Dad, a Captain of a navy vessel can be wrong, but he can't be indecisive. And I hesitated on certain decisions, things I can't talk about specifically (they were classified), and my junior officers noticed. I lost respect, especially from my first Exec, Commander Lee. It's a bad position for a commanding officer to be in, Dad. I felt like I was being undermined." He was crying silently, tears rolling down his cheeks. My confident, self-assured son was suffering inside, and it hurt both of us. I let him go on without saying a word.

"When I was home on leave, I was sullen around Leigh and Ollie. Bitter and angry. And when I met with my squadron commander, he told me he was 'concerned' about the things he was hearing about my boat. He gave me another tour at sea to get my act together, and I did it. I requested a new Executive Officer, Aiello, who you met. I got strict and I didn't hesitate when I gave an order and sure enough, my reviews improved to a perfect rating. But I felt like a fraud. And then on my next rotation at home, I met Jessica, who worked in a men's clothing shop. I guess you know the rest."

I leaned forward and held his hand in mine. "Connie, I can't imagine what that was like for you. Loss of confidence as a commanding officer...that can be fatal under combat conditions. I don't know how you functioned like that. I think you're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for." We talked more about the rest of the year, how he kept seeing Jessica and how Leigh got suspicious. They started having huge fights, sometimes in front of Oliver. His life at home became almost intolerable. "Connie....why didn't you seek help? The Navy has psychologists."

"Dad, they tell us to get help if we feel we're having problems and they say it won't be held against you. But that's bullshit. The docs can't talk to the Brass about specifics of our problems, but it's known that you're even seeking help. And if you are, the implication is you're weak. I had just gotten past the suggestion that I was a weak Captain. Getting psychological help...I would have been done as a line officer. I would have lost my command and I would have lost my security clearance and I would have been put in some bullshit job without any hope for further advancement. So I cheated on Leigh, my life fell apart, and I still ended up ruining my career. And my wife is probably going to go to prison and it's all my damn fault..." He started crying harder, openly bawling, and I sat next to him and held him as he cried out all that pain and shame.

I let him cry for a long time, until he had no more tears to shed. "Ollie is going to hate me, Dad. I hurt his mother and she's going to be taken away from him for who knows how many years. He'll hate me and I don't blame him at all!"

"Your son does NOT hate you. He's hurting now, very badly. He was scared you might die, and his mom is in a lot of trouble. So, when he gets home this weekend, you two need to have a long talk together. it may be angry at times and he may resent you for a while. But the two of you are going to go for therapy. Together and individually. You can both live here as long as you want and need to. Resign from the Navy if you have to. Nothing is more important to your mother and me than getting your life back together. You don't have to rush into what will come next. Take time and figure it out. You can stay here as long as you want, you and Oliver."

"Dad, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. The only thing you have to do is get better, physically and emotionally. That's all your mother and I want from you."

We hugged, closer than we had in years. It was going to take him some time to get better, but he would heal. Ollie too. Even Leigh. When she got out of prison, Connor made peace with her and gave her money to start her life over. She was the mother of his son, after all.

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Eva and Oliver came home that Saturday night. Maria and Connor insisted on coming to the airport with me to pick them up, even though he had to walk with a cane. He hugged and kissed his mother as close as he hugged me that night during the week. She was deeply touched to feel like she was getting her son, the sweet boy we raised for all those years back.

On the ride home Eva told me we needed to go to California to see her mother as well as her brothers. Phyllis was doing poorly, and she got the feeling this might be her last holiday. Chanukah was too early in 2022 to go then (it started November 28) but Christmas was doable, and Cammy could easily make it. Rachel would be iffy, being in the middle of concert season. But we'd ask.

That night, after Connor, Maria and Oliver went to sleep (Vince was already back at Georgetown), Eva and I were alone in our bedroom. She changed into a long t-shirt and after taking off her makeup, she wearily crawled into bed with me. I cuddled with her, just enjoying her proximity and her warmth. We hadn't done much of this over that summer.

She snuggled on my bare chest and my hairs tickled her cheek. There was something else we hadn't done that summer and my body was responding to the feeling of my wife on my body. She felt my erection on her leg and she looked up at me questioningly.

"Really Jon? I'm exhausted tonight. I've been travelling all day and I'm just beat."

"I know. It's not like I planned to seduce you tonight. But with all that's gone on this summer, we haven't made love or had sex in almost two months. My body is enjoying feeling you next to me. We don't have to, Angel. But I don't want us to forget about loving each other."

"I know. It's been a terrible summer for our family. And I'm very aware we haven't been intimate in some time. But please, not tonight. I don't have the energy to even give you a handjob." She smiled at me, a very tired smile. But it was still a nice smile.

I moved my head so I could kiss her, a few short kisses that were still very loving. "I understand, Angel. We still have a week before we have to start school. Maybe in a day or two. Maybe a few times this week." I winked at her and she giggled.

"I really would like that, Bear. It has been too long. I'm very lucky I have a husband who still gets very excited for me. You're still a very sexy man. There's just been so many distractions."

I rolled Eva gently on her back so I could kiss her properly. "When you feel up to it, honey. You're very worth waiting for. You always have been."

"You never had to wait very long in the past. Except after my pregnancies and my heart surgery. You were infinitely patient with me."

"I'd have been a real asshole if I wasn't. Imagine if I told you you'd better put out, heart surgery notwithstanding."

She laughed lightly. "Yeah, you'd have been a first-class asshole if you did that. But I would never have married a first-class asshole. I think. I hope."

"I hope so too." We kissed again. "I really do miss you, Angel."

She looked up at me, those warm blue eyes full of love. I hadn't seen that level of love since Connor was shot. Love was always there, of course. But like this... "Bear, suddenly I want you. A lot. It's been a long time for me too."

"Honey, are you sure? I feel like I'm kind of guilting you into this."

"Nonsense. You've never, ever done that to me and you're not doing it now. I looked up into your sexy brown eyes and your handsome face and I realized how much I've missed you. So, if you're still willing and wanting me, I want you too. I want to make love to my husband."

We kissed and embraced, rubbing our bodies together like we had so many times over the decades. We were together over 40 years`, and we still wanted each other over anyone else in the world. We kept kissing and touching in the ways that time had proved got us incredibly arousing to each other. I pulled up her shirt and kissed her neck and her shoulders, and Eva emitted long and low moans of building lust. I lightly bit her neck and then I whispered, "Are you SURE you're up to this tonight?"

She kept moaning as I lightly plucked her stiff right nipple. "Tomorrow is Sunday. We'll sleep late. I didn't realize how much I've been missing you, sexy Bear." She tilted her head and kissed me full on the lips and her tongue took a lazy trip through my mouth. Then "Just not so slow tonight. We can take our time another night. Just take me tonight." She sounded like her fire was stoked. I know mine sure as hell was.

We moved naturally together, so comfortably in sync with each other. We were a little out of shape; we hadn't played tennis together all summer and we even had barely used the pool since June. But some things still come naturally with decades spent together. Her legs spread as we kept kissing, hot, deep, passionate kisses. She may have been tired 15 minutes before, but that was forgotten as our desire consumed us. My cock was more than ready; it was ready since we got in bed 20 minutes earlier.

I used my fingers to tease her lips and clit and I applied a small amount of lube all over her pussy to make sure she was nice and slick. We kept kissing as she grasped my cock and gave me a few strokes for fun, then she guided my cock inside her slippery pussy as I mounted her. I groaned out loud as her pussy molded around me and I grunted as I held very still when I was all the way inside.

"Angel, I've missed this so much. I've missed YOU so much." I was just moving my hips in a small circular motion, just enough to put some pressure on her clit.

"I've missed you too, Bear. I'd forgotten just how wonderful you feel, how great we feel when we're connected like this. And I don't mean our genitals. Our true connection, Jon." I dipped my head down to kiss her, short and tender kisses. Her nipples were scraping my chest hair and her inner thighs were rubbing my cheeks and hips. We were joined as one in the most amazing ways imaginable. At that moment, we felt like we were back in our 20s, the most active and lusty time of our lives.

Then I started moving, lifting my hips, withdrawing my cock from her wet, warm pussy, then thrusted back in again. I wasn't moving quite as fast as I did thirty or forty years before; time did have its effects on us both. But we were still feeling incredible waves of pleasure, like they were flowing back and forth between us. Eva grabbed me tighter in her arms and her legs wrapped around the back of my thighs. Her heels kicked me lightly when she wanted me to move a little faster, like you would with a horse. It was sexy and fun, even if I was breathing a little harder than I used to.

"You're still the sexiest woman in the world" I growled in her ear before I tugged her lobe with my teeth.

"And you're still my stud Bear. You know just how to fuck me right" she said with a lusty giggle.

"Feel like trying to cum together, my dirty Angel?"

"Oh, always! Go for it, sexy Bear!"

I grabbed her ass in my hands as I lunged in and out. She didn't quite have as much muscle control in her pussy as she used to, but Eva still knew how to give me a great time in bed and I was clearly doing the same for her. We fucked harder, faster, and soon my cock was swelling inside her snug cunt. "Almost there..." I grunted as the bed squeaked under us.

"Cum, Jon! Cum inside me and fill me up, Bear!" I tensed and my cock spasmed in coordination with my deepest thrusts. My climax, pulsing on her clit, set Eva off and she came just after me as her nails clawed at my back and my ass. I lifted my head and stared into her eyes. I saw the same deep love there I was feeling for her. We kissed tenderly, sweet and kind. Then I moved to lay next to her and we both giggled as the release of sexual tension eased from our bodies and minds. "You're still a very sexy man, Jon. I'm so glad I found my second wind tonight. We've forgotten how important this is in our lives." She kissed my chest and then my lips.

"We didn't forget, exactly, Eva. We've had a lot of worries this summer. We still do, I guess. But Connie's getting better, both he and Oliver will get some help...and I think we have to take Ollie to see his mom, even if we're feeling ill disposed towards her. I don't want to hurt our grandson any more than he's already been through the last few months." Leigh was out on bail by then, working on a plea bargain, but she couldn't leave the state of Georgia. Oliver was missing her and really the only question was who in our family would take him. It would probably fall to me. Leigh's sister had been in touch so we could try to work out a visit and I had been dealing with her. The plan was to go the following weekend, before Eva and I had to start getting school ready.

But for the rest of that night, all our troubles were pushed aside. Eva and I held each other and kissed each other in our familiar romantic ways. We cuddled and we were playful in our touches. And when we finally said goodnight, said our I love you's, we slept better than we had in many weeks. And we slept until almost 10:30 the next morning. That was pretty great in itself.

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With all that went on that summer, the trustees understood why we didn't give them an answer regarding our future beyond the next two school years, but with the new year starting, they needed an answer. Eva and I talked it over and we gave them our decision. They should start looking for our replacements. We were ready to retire in a little less than two years, in May of 2024. If they wanted to find someone(s) from our staff, we'd be glad to make recommendations. The trustees were disappointed, especially Dr. Kellman, but in light of recent events, they understood. The summer took a lot out of us. Two more school years and we'd be done. The school would be on a strong footing. Besides, we didn't develop quite the attachment to Durham Academy like we did with Wayne Upper Day. We loved living there, we made a lot of close friends and we loved the house, but we never felt like it was our 'other family'.

School started up again with one unplanned new student, Oliver Martin Grossman, 14-year-old eighth grader. He was a smart young man, and he made the adjustment from public to private school. But he was also in a lot of pain that school year, 2022-2023. His life had been upended, his mother was going to prison for shooting his father, and the kids at Durham Academy heard things. If Eva and I hadn't been his grandparents, it would have been even harder on him. But he did make a few friends as the year went on and it helped him make the social adjustments.

He and Connor started going to counseling together and Connor also had to do physical therapy. What he couldn't pay for, Eva and I took care of. I took Oliver to Georgia three times to see Leigh that Fall before she was sentenced to 8 years that November.

The biggest factor in keeping Oliver from falling off the deep end was Maria. Technically his aunt, she was three years older and a senior in school, four years ahead. She looked after him more in the way a big sister would over her younger brother. She and Vince had both turned out to be great young adults, like Connor and Rachel had been years before. Vince was headed for a good career in government service, but he was kind of shy around new people. Maria, however, was turning out to be someone very special.

She was popular and a natural leader. She was elected her Class President in her senior year, and she was popular with boys and girls. She loved her nickname "Grease Monkey" which she got from her love for working on cars, a very unusual hobby for a woman, even in the 2000's. Eva and I thought she would be headed for a career as an engineer of some sort. But she kind of surprised us a week before Thanksgiving.