Her Teddy Bear

By the time the last song of the concert began, The Ecstasy of Gold, they were holding hands. It was an amazing song on which to finish with the choir in full voice, and Nashville Opera's lead soprano singing the feature portion was very moving and ended the night's performance with a rousing crescendo.

When the final note was played, Rose squeezed his hand and said, "That gave me goosebumps. Here. Feel."

Pete could already see them on her arm but wasn't about to turn down the invitation. When he rubbed his hands along the skin of her arm, he could feel the tiny little raised bumps. She placed her free hand over his and encouraged him to caress her a little longer.

Touching was good. Her encouraging him to caress her skin was very good, and Pete knew he wanted a lot more caressing with Rose that evening. She wanted the same.

Pete, again, placed his free hand gently behind her neck and pulled her in for a loving kiss. She responded with a, "Mmmmm." Definitely more touching and kissing.

As they languidly eased their way towards the exit, they were still hand in hand. When they left the hall, their driver was waiting for them. As soon as he saw them approaching, he moved to the rear of the car to get their doors.

They were not unnoticed in their slow departure through the hall. Joan and her cousin, Candace, had spotted the couple. Candace asked, "Is that?"

Joan was too struck to form words. She simply nodded and burst into tears.

When Joan had asked Pete if they could do something, this was the event to which she wanted to bring him, knowing that he would enjoy it. She had hoped it would remind him of the special evenings they had shared in the past.

Now he was here, with someone else, and not just any someone else - Lily's mom. Watching them together, Joan could see their smiles, their gestures, their affection...their intimacy. Those were all supposed to be reserved for her.

It was her worst fear. She had hoped he might have a rapid succession of flings and would be left unfulfilled with the casual sex and return to his one true love. However, seeing the two of them together, sharing a special evening, she doubted that would happen.

Lily was a bond that these two shared. Joan knew how much he loved Lily. She loved their 'adopted' daughter, also. But Lily had Rose, so she hadn't needed Joan the way she needed Pete.

Joan had never considered Rose a threat before that night because she knew Rose to be an honorable person, and she knew Pete would never cheat. Now? She was reminded, that had she not cheated, she wouldn't be watching this scene unfurl before her.

She had reduced the raging forest-fire of love and passion that she and Pete used to share into the tiniest ember remaining in a guarded campfire. Seeing the two of them get into that car, hand in hand, let her know that her small ember of hope had been unceremoniously snuffed out. She estimated that her chances of getting back together with Pete were about as great as the likelihood of Rose's dress not ending up on Pete's bedroom floor later that evening, which was damn close to zero.

Candice saw the emotions come over Joan's face; from shock to crestfallen to crushed. She expected she would be consoling her stupid cousin late into the evening. She felt bad for her, but it wasn't as if she simply fell over a cliff. She had slowly dug her own grave, deeper and deeper, ignoring the fact that she would never climb out.

Candace put her arm around Joan's shoulders and led her to the car.

____________

The happy couple was driven a short distance to one of Nashville's new, tall, fashionable hotels where they were met at the front door by a distinguished-looking gentleman in a nice suit. "Hi, I'm Mark Simpson; manager of this hotel. Welcome. I've been asked to show you to your table. Please come with me."

Mark took them to the elevators, which rose and rose until reaching the top floor. From there he led them into the bar and showed them to a reserved table by the windows, overlooking the rapidly changing Nashville skyline. A talented duo, of which there was no shortage in Nashville, a young man on the piano and a woman vocalist, were performing soft jazzy and big band songs. It was a nice atmosphere and a higher-end crowd.

Before leaving, Mark said, "Your rooms are on the floor below." Then he handed them a small envelope containing their keycards. "Your daughters have taken the liberty of having your bags placed in your rooms. For the two of you, everything tonight and tomorrow is complementary. It is our pleasure to have you here with us. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. Enjoy your evening." He then placed a business card on the table and left the two of them alone.

Their waiter arrived and took their drink orders - a white Russian for her and a nice, aged Armagnac for Pete, since he knew Carrie was paying.

They relaxed in each other's company and enjoyed their evening.

Later, Pete said, "Can you believe they got us rooms? I'm not sure if that's presumptuous or what?"

Rose replied, "This afternoon, Carrie was teasing me that she had wanted to send us to the Caribbean. As for tonight, I think they were just trying to be prepared. You know the three of them. Lily's the dreamer. Eva's the planner, and Carrie's the financier. Together, they could probably create quite a successful business."

Pete agreed, then laughed, "Lord help the men that marry those three."

She gave him a serious look for a moment and said, "They'll need to be strong men."

Pete hadn't picked up on her switch in mood yet and still jovially said, "Some of the strongest and most patient too."

She added, "And loving and caring. I'm pleased to know that we've already identified one of them. He was raised by the best."

When he saw the look that she was giving him, he held out his hand and said, "Beautiful Rose, dance with me."

She was happy to. There were not many couples dancing, but she melted into the slightly shorter man, thrilled with the close contact and the completeness she felt when he held her.

Pete was torn as he danced. How could he feel so strongly towards this woman already? Was his fatherly love for Lily confusing him and his feelings towards her mother?

They fit well together while dancing slowly. Not much was spoken; each enjoying holding the other and savoring the moments. After many songs, Pete leaned in and kissed behind her jaw, just in front of her ear and then placed several more between there and her neck.

Rose's response to that was another, "Mmmmm." A few wonderful moments later she asked, "Pete, would you mind if we continued this dance in one of our rooms?"

A gentle kiss on the lips later and he was escorting her to the elevators.

On their floor, he opened the envelope to retrieve their room cards and saw that the same number was written on both sleeves. He laughed at that, and when he showed them to her, Rose said, "Sneaky little bastards."

Technically they did have separate bedrooms, they just happened to be inside a large two-bedroom suite.

Once in their room, Pete started some music on his phone, and they resumed their dancing, which quickly transitioned into their dancing and kissing.

After a few minutes, all pretense of dancing had stopped, and Pete was gently kissing all along her neck. He knew what he wanted to do and hoped she did, also.

He slowly began to tug on her zipper, and as he eased it lower and lower, he planted soft kisses where the gap in the silk material began to appear. Rose leaned back into his kisses and murmured her approval.

Once the zipper was low enough, she reached behind her and pulled it the rest of the way down and stepped from her dress, revealing a beautiful white mini bustier and a very lacy thong with thigh high stockings.

Pete let out an "Oh wow," when he saw her. The white against her dark skin was captivating. He thought she looked very beautiful.

Rose said, "Lily picked these out. Carrie picked the dress; Eva picked your shirt, and I picked your tie. And I have no idea who knew how much I like your soap, but damn, you smell good. Please kiss me some more, Pete." He planned to.

More caresses with his lips now around her shoulders and upper chest. When he went to kiss her lips she said, "I think you missed a spot."

Pete smirked, and returned to her neck. He asked, "Here?"

Rose slowly shook her head and replied, "MmmNnn."

He began kissing down her front towards the top of her chest and asked, "Here?"

Again, Rose replied, "MmmNnn."

When he reached her breasts with his lips he asked, "Here?"

Her reply was, "MmmNnn. You're doing okay, though. Just keep on kissing and I'll let you know when you find the spot."

That began several minutes of Pete enjoying exploring most of her body with his lips, and she was savoring the attention. When he began gently planting kisses between her legs, she was ready to move to the bed.

As she laid back on the bed, her half-lidded eyes gazed at him seductively. When Pete first entered the car that afternoon, she would have had a hard time imagining them ending up in bed together. Now, after having spent the evening with this man, she wanted this. She wanted him in her bed and by her side. He was the man she had been looking for, and she planned on convincing him to stay.

Pete quickly removed his clothes. As he resumed the kissing along the inside of her legs, Rose began pushing on her thong. Pete saw the movement and helped her.

When he saw the completely hairless pussy peeking back at him, he said, "I don't know if you did this for tonight or not, but wow. You're beautiful Rose. As they say, 'good enough to eat.'"

Rose reached down and pulled him to her. She said, "Actually, you can thank our daughter for that. We all went to the salon yesterday. They told me I was just getting a trim, but before I knew it, all of those little babies were being ripped from my skin. I'm surprised you and the rest of Nashville didn't hear my scream. Our daughters laughed."

When Pete began tracing the edge of her labia and the surrounding area with his tongue, she enjoyed the sensation and began thinking that it may have been worth the pain.

He told her, "Remind me to thank them tomorrow, because I may be here a while."

"Oh, I hope you are." He was.

After bringing her to several enjoyable orgasms, she pulled him onto her and said, "Come here, lover. I need you."

With a great deal of patience and restraint, Pete eased himself into her and looked into her eyes and thought, "All is right with the world." He wondered if it was the sex, being with a woman to whom he was attracted, or if there was something more. He certainly hadn't planned on having sex with her, but it was capping an amazing evening spent with Rose. He knew he wanted to spend more time with her, and his previous positive feelings that he felt for her had grown in a few hours to what felt like genuine connections, beyond his love for Lily. Fleetingly, he wondered if it was foolish to fall for someone so fast.

With the earlier build-up, it didn't take either of them very long to reach their climax. After a quick clean up, they eased into bed next to each other and Rose told him, "Come here, Pete. I'm going to enjoy sleeping in your arms tonight."

It was a very contented night for the couple. Whether love or not, they both cared for each other deeply and reveled in sharing their newfound closeness.

Chapter 10

In the morning when Pete woke, he saw Rose looking at him. She said, "Good morning, lover."

He glowed at that specific term of endearment. He replied, "Good morning, sunshine."

She smiled at his term and said, "I enjoyed last night; all of it, but I may have enjoyed waking up next to you even more."

He felt the same way. How was someone for whom he cared so deeply, waking up next to him? Was he getting a second chance, and so soon?

"I know what you mean. I see you next to me, right now, and only two things come to mind. First, how can I wake up seeing that most beautiful smile every day? Your smile is like a mixture of a newborn baby's and watching the sunrise. It's inspiring. Second, how can I wake up to hearing you call me 'Lover' every morning?"

Rose leaned in and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you. I believe I would like that also."

He asked, "So, beautiful lady, you never did tell me how it is that someone hasn't scooped you up yet; though obviously, I'm glad that hasn't happened."

The smile left her face at that comment, and Pete worried that he picked the wrong time to ask that question. She said, "I was planning on using some liquid courage to help with this, but here it goes. There isn't much to tell really. After Derrick and I divorced, which was several years before I met you, I wanted to be careful with who I married next. Lily was very young, so I wasn't in a hurry.

"Around eleven years ago, when Lily was eight, I wasn't even searching for anyone and then I met a man who set the bar for who I was looking for. He wasn't available, but he made such an impression on my daughter, and by extension, me, that I decided that I wasn't going to settle for 'good enough.' If I were going to re-marry, then I would find a good man who would be good for Lily and me. I looked a lot, and I've kissed a lot of frogs over the years but never found the right person that I wanted to join my life with. Let me show you something."

She got out of bed and pulled her phone from her small purse. As she was walking back towards the bed, Pete told her, "You know, I could get used to seeing you walk around naked."

She smiled at him. "Pervert."

"All guys are perverts or would be if they could see you."

She flopped back into the bed and kissed his lips. "Hopefully, only for you." When she opened her phone, she said, "Do you remember this picture?"

He looked at it and smiled. It was a fond memory for him, too. In the picture was Brian being hugged by Carrie on one side with Eva holding a kneeling Pete's hand and smiling on the other. In the center was Lily who was hugging and kissing Pete on the cheek.

She continued, "This is one of mine and Lily's favorite pictures. As I'm sure you remember, it is from the night of the state fair, the first year that Lily became friends with Eva and Carrie. At the midway, where they had all of the carnival games, the first game was a BB gun shooting game and when Lily wanted to play, you stepped up and helped her win a prize. Then you helped Eva and Brian helped Carrie. I don't know if you even realized it or not, but for that night you were Eva's AND Lily's dad. There was no hesitation or indecision, you just cared for her like she was yours.

Pete interjected, "Well, that wasn't hard. How could anyone not love Lily?"

"I'm glad you felt that way. You weren't just a good man feeling sorry for a little black girl. You were and are a wonderful man that has always loved my child like she was yours. Miriam took that picture at the end of the night.

"The fair and you were all she talked about for a month, until the next time the three girls did something together and you were there and shared your attention with her, again. You were always there for her. You loved her, and she loved you.

"After each new event with you, she would tell all of her relatives about you. Why do you think my mother hugged you so hard at Lily's graduation?

"So, I didn't have to try to find a good man and marry him for her to have a good man in her life, because she already had you. I had the luxury of taking my time and kissing frogs hoping for a prince, knowing that she already had a king in her life.

"Also, it would have been hard to marry a man and bring him into her life that didn't at least measure up, somewhat, compared to you. I've been quite content to look and wait for the right person, believing that I would eventually find him. I wasn't in any hurry to settle, and I haven't.

"The few times I've needed to travel, there was no question where she would stay. She stayed with your family while I was away so she wouldn't miss any school. You have always been there for her; for us. We may never be anything more than we are right now, but you and I will always share a lifelong connection through my daughter, our daughter.

She hugged him after saying "Our daughter."

"Did you realize that since the graduation trip to Spain, she doesn't call you anything but 'Dad?' Even at my house, when you aren't around, she refers to you as her Dad, and you are. At least she and I both view it that way."

Rose caught herself after saying that. She feared it may have been more than Pete wanted to hear. She said, "I'm sorry, Pete. I hope that doesn't upset you. That's why I was hesitant to explain why I wasn't married. I don't want to scare you away."

He smiled at her and kissed her on the lips. "It's okay. I don't scare easily."

She returned the smile and said, "So I've learned." Rose set her phone down and rolled over and into Pete so that her body was in contact with his. She said, "What now, Pete? Last night was wonderful and very easy, maybe too easy. Do we, as a couple, go anywhere from here?"

Pete inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly. Mostly, he was giving himself a few extra seconds to think. His emotions and thoughts were all over the place. He started gently stroking her arm. He said, "I know what my head is telling me and what my heart is telling me. Then there is what my gut is telling me."

Rose replied, "You can tell me, Pete. Just be honest, even if it's something you think I won't want to hear."

A few seconds later, Pete requested, "This may be a little jumbled, so don't judge it too harshly. My head is telling me that we are moving way too fast, and that last night was a mistake. As much as I want us to move forward, together, my head is screaming for me to slow down."

Rose didn't like the sound of that, but she appreciated the honesty. She asked, "And your heart?"

Pete answered, "that one is easy. It's saying for us to catch the next flight to Vegas and get married today."

Rose liked that one much better, though she knew that was too fast, even for her.

She urged, "And what is your gut telling you to do?"

He responded, "It's telling me to make love with you for the rest of this morning and then for us to live happily ever after, and I think we have a decent shot at that. We know each other fairly well and have more in common than a lot of couples starting out. We're both mature enough to know how hard you have to work to make a life together successful. And I could be wrong, but I think this is something we both want, which means we are going to try very hard not to let the little stuff cause problems. Hopefully, neither of us are so set in our ways that we cannot meet the other halfway, or more, when we encounter friction. I like our chances, but honestly, I don't know how to start."

Rose hugged him tightly. She liked all of those answers and they told her that he was serious about her, about them, and he would be deliberate in thinking about their relationship. She liked that, too.

She said, "Why don't we start by making love as you suggested. Then we'll take a shower, together, and afterward, we'll order a sumptuous breakfast through room service. And while we are eating, we'll plan out the rest of our weekend. Also, at some point, we'll have to text our kids, because I'm sure they are dying to know how we are doing."

"Well, they can wait a little longer. Just thinking about making love with you has already made me excited again for you."

"Mmmmm. I'm ready for more of this." She wiggled his hardened member with her hand.

Pete coaxed her up onto her knees and began to gently eat her. She thoroughly enjoyed Pete's tongue last night and was looking forward to more of it that morning. Seeing him lying there, she thought she would see what she could do with his hard cock while he was taking care of her. They ended up in an enjoyable sixty-nine, soon followed by their trying to screw each other's brains out in several different positions.