Janet

"I'll move back in next week sometime if that's OK with you Mike," Janet gushed, but was she in for a surprise?

"You move in now, this very moment or not at all," I loftily informed her. "No way am I sitting at home for a week waiting for you, while you're with him."

"But what about Nick," she squirmed. "I have to explain to him Mike. I can't just abandon him."

"Like you did me you mean," I snarled at her, but she just dropped her gaze.

"They're my conditions Janet. You move back here right now. You don't go to see him. You don't telephone him. You don't tell him you're pregnant and in fact you don't tell anyone you're pregnant till we can't hide it any more."

"But Mike I can't do that. What will Nick think?"

"With any luck," I answered her. "He'll think what I want him to think --- What everyone will think. He'll assume that you left him to go back to me."

"But it will crucify him Mike. It'll break his heart."

"Yes it will with any luck," I almost smirked. "Maybe he'll see how I felt when he took you from me."

"Please Mike," she pleaded with me. "Don't make me do this. If you really still love me, then don't make me."

"If you love me as you say you still do Janet, and if you plan to spend the rest of your life with me, then I don't think it's a lot to ask," I explained. "But it's still your choice."

"You've changed Mike," Janet commented unhappily.

"You changed me Janet," I pointed out. "So maybe you can change me back."

I made Janet e-mail Nick with the news that she was leaving him to come back to me, and that she never wanted to see him again. It wasn't quite as short and impersonal as the text messages that I got, but it was enough. I wouldn't let her phone him to tell him anything. I insisted that she was never to contact him in any way again, and that if she even so much as saw him in the street she should walk away, or our relationship would end.

Let the bastard suffer!

By the way, I also told her that her mother was no longer welcome in our house, and she didn't seem to have any problem with that at all.

------------

Strangely it all seemed to work out quite reasonably right from the start. I made a point of telling Janet that I wouldn't be checking up on her, and that I put my trust in her to keep to our arrangement, and I think that helped.

I don't think I really trusted her of course, but what good would it do to make a fuss about it?

About a week later she told me that Nick had rang her at work lots of times and she had refused to take his calls. Eventually that day he had tricked her by pretending to be someone else and got through to her. She admitted she'd spoke to him for a few minutes but stuck to our story and said nothing about the baby.

I just nodded my approval. I hoped the bastard was suffering like I had.

Janet moved into the spare room as agreed, but other than that we led a normal life like any other normal couple. Everyone assumed what I wanted them to, that Janet had come back to me and I had forgiven her.

Our friends accepted it and except for a few, seemed happy that we'd worked out our problems.

A little time later Janet joined me on the sofa and took my hand and put it on her tummy.

"Can you feel her moving?" She asked, her deep blue eyes blazing with happiness.

I couldn't actually but it was perhaps our first intimate moment, and I left my hand there longer than I had to. Later, when we put the TV on, Janet again sat down beside me and leant up against me. When I didn't reject her she snuggled up closer and we spent the next couple of hours cuddled up on the sofa together like an ordinary happy couple.

When time came for bed, she took my hand and we walked hand in hand upstairs without a word. We passed the spare bedroom and quite naturally entered mine, where we helped one another off with our clothes. The merest hint of a bump was apparent and Janet just looked so healthy and beautiful. We slipped into bed together and cuddled up closely, both enjoying the warm intimacy of each other's bodies.

No!

No we didn't make love that night, but spent the whole night in one another's arms. We didn't even kiss till the morning when I woke so happy to find my wife back there beside me where she should be. We didn't actually make love for another two nights, but from then on the spare room was redundant. Had to be really as the baby was coming and at some stage would want that room herself.

Life was good again, and our problems seemed but a memory. Not a distant one, a painful one even, but one that I could manage live with.

Then little Mary popped out at five thirty five, one cold January morning and life seemed better than I'd ever dreamed it could be again. I even accepted to be in the same room as my mother in law, as long as the room was not in our house. Nick was never mentioned and if Janet still thought about him then I wasn't aware of it.

My niggling doubts diminished till they almost disappeared, and when we celebrated Mary's first birthday at our house, I even relented and let the dragon attend.

I didn't intend to say much to her, but .... Well you know.

Yes --- I know, but life was just so good, and it was our lovely little baby Mary that had made it all possible.

-----------------------

"Pity Nick couldn't be here," I heard the old dragon saying to Janet as I walked back into the kitchen with some dirty glasses, at which point I froze on the spot.

"We don't talk about Nick in this house Mum," I was delighted to hear my loving wife reply. "Mike would be really upset."

"Bugger him Janet," her mother retorted. "He's a Southerner, and you know I've never liked him."

"Keep your voice down Mum," Janet admonished her mother.

"Ok Janet, but what did Nick think of the baby when he saw how beautiful she was?"

Oh shit ---- What was this I was hearing? ----- The smile melted from my face.

"It wasn't a good idea of yours Mum," Janet went on. "He's simply not into babies and it would never work out. Anyway, Mike is a wonderful father, and I do love him."

"But you can't keep on seeing Nick behind Mike's back dear," the dragon then said. "You've got to make your mind up between the two of them."

"I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't interfered again Mum." I heard my wife say angrily. "You damn well knew what would happen when you tricked me into meeting Nick again, and I was doing so well forgetting about him."

"He's just no good for you, that Mike dear," the bitch of dragon insisted. "If I'd had my way ....."

"If you'd had your way you bloody cow," I interrupted, bursting in on them. "Janet and I would never have been married."

"Oh my God Mike," screamed Janet. "How long have you been ...... Oh God you heard everything didn't you?"

I didn't even so much as give her an answer. I simply grabbed my mother in law by the collar and roughly dragged her out of the kitchen, through the group of astounded friends and family gathered there, and threw her out of the front door for the second time in our life. Not stopping to check whether she was OK or not, I stormed back into our living room to confront the assembled throng.

"Sorry folks but this party is now over," I announced loudly. "I suggest that you all piss off right now and take my cheating wife with you before I do something that I'll regret."

Some took the hint and some stood there stunned by the turn of events.

"I think you all better go," Janet piped up. "Mike and me need to be on our own."

"No fucking way you bitch," I screamed at her, grabbing at her dress, which tore half off of her. "You're the first to go."

Commotion ---- Well you can imagine can't you.

Several of the guys caught hold of me to restrain me, and at least one of them tried to take a pop at me.

Fred, big sod that he was, sorted that one out, and bustled me out of the room before the whole thing became nasty.

I really have a lot to thank him for when I think back on it.

Some time later he led me back into our living room where I found Fred and Martha waiting and everyone else gone.

Except for Janet of course, who was slumped in a chair looking as miserable as sin.

"Happy are you now you bitch?" I shouted out at her.

"Settle down now Mike," Fred said, putting his huge arm around me, both to comfort and restrain me I suspect.

"Give Janet a chance to explain please Mike," Martha interjected. "It maybe isn't as bad as you think."

"As bad?" I gasped. " It's a damn sight worse than bad."

"He's right Martha," Janet butted in. "I've been a fool again, a bloody damn fool."

"Bloody right there," I shouted at her. "What have you got to say for yourself?"

"Just that I'm so sorry Mike," she wept. "I won't even ask you to forgive me as I know you won't."

"But Janet ...." Stated Martha, but was interrupted.

"It's no good Martha. I've let Mike down again and he knows it. I have no right to even ask him to understand."

"I think you'd better go Janet," I told her angrily. "You're no longer welcome here."

"What about Mary?" she pleaded.

"She stays here with me," I insisted.

"But I'm her mother Mike."

"Should have thought of that before," I pointed out. "Where the hell are you going to take her anyway? Your fancy man won't have her, and if you took her to that bitch of a mother of yours then I'd burn her bloody house down."

"He's right Janet," Martha agreed with me. "Come back for the night with us and we'll sort this all out tomorrow."

"I'm so sorry Mike --- Oh God I'm so sorry," sobbed Janet looking back at me as she was led out by Martha and Fred. "I met him a couple of times, that's all, and I swear I didn't sleep with him."

"Yes I'm sure you are," I spat at her as I slammed the door shut on the three of them.

-------------------

If it hadn't been for little Mary then I would have got paralytic drunk that night.

Jesus, a man can take only so much! But I had responsibilities by then didn't I?

Things had changed.

I did have a few glasses, but then went up to bed, dragging the cot with little Mary in it into my room, where we slept alongside one another. She totally unaware of the changes about to happen in her young life. But me? Well, less said the better.

Oh God ---- here I went again, but this time it was different, and if I had to fight tooth and nail, there was no way I was going to give up my Mary without a hell of a fight, and somehow I didn't think I was going to have to do that.

As it turned out, I again didn't bother with a divorce, leaving that to her if she needed one. I went for a formal separation instead, which was cheaper and much quicker anyway. My main reason for doing so was to establish custody of young Mary, and when he heard all the circumstances, and that Janet didn't object, the judge had no problems granting me what I wanted.

------------------

"Hi Mike!"

"Oh hello Carol," I replied turning round, unable to avoid my eyes quickly scanning the pretty woman in front of me, and especially her rather lovely slim body. "How's little Tim?"

"Oh he's fine this morning," the lovely young mother in front of me told me with a smile. "He's got over his cold now. How's Mary?"

"As gorgeous as ever," I responded grinning, looking back at my infant daughter. "But then again I suppose I'm may be biased."

"Oh I don't think so," Carol added, plonking her rather delightful, jeans clad bottom down beside me. "But she's so lucky to have a father like you after what her mother did."

Heard this before haven't you all?

Yes indeed, this is where we came in. So where do we go? What happened next?

Read on please --- Read on.

---------------

Carol I have to say was a stunning piece of crumpet. Ok, so she was a good few years younger than me, but that didn't mean I couldn't look. With her lustrous auburn/cum red hair and her near perfect slender shape she was everything a guy could dream of. Too young for me though, the twelve years between us seeming to be too long a stretch to hurdle.

Life for a single working dad turned out to be satisfying but not easy. All I seemed to do was work and look after Mary, but at that time that's all I ever wanted. I did however discover the local park and all the lovely young mums that frequented it, and after a few explanations of why I was there, they all accepted me without question.

They were gorgeous!

Well ---- Most of them were, but since I wasn't in 'pulling' mode it didn't matter and I got my fun just looking and chatting.

OK ---- So I admit that I looked at Carol a bit more than the others!

I'd met her in the park when I'd been out with Mary and she'd been walking young Tim. Happy little chap he was and we took to one another straight away, him chuckling away and me unable to hide my smile of pleasure.

Mary's husband had gone over to the middle east for some security enterprise and come back in a body bag soon after. The company had not exactly abandoned her, but their generosity was limited and about to run out.

She needed somewhere not too expensive and it suddenly occurred to me that I needed a live in nanny for Mary.

Q.E.D.

Sorry ---- it's latin I think, and I don't understand what it means exactly, but as a sort of engineer/mathematician for most of my life, it's a term I have often used. It sort of means one had arrived at a solution without too much difficulty. Something obvious!

Voila! (Sorry, that one's French)

Accordingly, Carol moved in and looked after the two kids while I ---- Well I went to work to earn the money.

Hey Presto! (Is that really Italian?)

These things have a way of working themselves out, and though I wasn't at the time having any sort of relationship with the girl, we were very content together. Life was fine, the kids were happy and so were Carol and I.

I had really started to get over Janet.

Then one evening I was sitting on the sofa while Carol tidied away the delicious dinner we'd just had. My daughter Mary had climbed up alongside me and snuggled up, yawning away and obviously not far from sleep. Then Tim decided that my lap looked comfortable and waddled over, and pulled himself right up on top of me. Curling himself into a ball, young Tim made himself comfortable and promptly fell asleep on my lap.

In all honesty, it was one of those magic moments, and I wasn't far from following the pair of them into do-do land.

"Is there room there for me?" Giggled Carol as she walked back into the room.

"Not unless we put the kids to bed," I joked back, half expecting a playful slap for my cheek.

"Well they're both sound asleep so we might as well," Carol replied to my surprise, and promptly scooped Tim up from me.

Picking up Mary, I then followed her up to the spare bedroom that the two small kids shared with Carol, and we put them away for the night, both giving the two kids a goodnight kiss.

"You don't give me a goodnight kiss Mike," Carol teased me when we got back downstairs. She often teased me like that, so I said something equally silly back to her.

"Am I ugly or something Mike?" Carol asked after staring at me for a few moments.

"Course not Carol," I replied cautiously. "You're very attractive."

"You gay or something?" She went on, grinning ear to ear.

"Hardly!"

Well ---- I wasn't!

"You fancy me then?"

"Well of course I do Carol," I spluttered, knowing I was on dangerous ground. "Any man would, but there's the age thing."

"Twelve years?" Carol queried. "Twelve years is a problem?"

"Carol," I tried to explain. "You're nearly young enough to be my daughter."

Ok, that wasn't true and Carol looked at me quizzically.

"So then," Carol broke the silence with as she stood up from her chair. "If I'm just a child in your eyes, then me taking my clothes off won't disturb you will it?"

I swallowed hard as she started to unbutton her blouse, my voice failing me at first as I tried to tell her to stop.

"Carol you shouldn't," I croaked out at last.

"Then tell me to stop Mike and I promise you faithfully, that I'll never try this damn stunt again. I'd be far too embarrassed"

Oh my Gawd!

Speechless, I watched as the blouse was discarded, then her skirt. Carol did a little twirl then undid her bra and cast it aside. My God, her firm little breast and gorgeous long hard nipples were incredible to look at and I don't have to describe the effect it was having on me.

"Well Mike?" She challenged me. "Do I stop or go all the way?"

Gulp!

Words wouldn't come out, so I simply nodded, which seemed to work for her, her tiny panties soon joining the little pile of clothes arranged round her.

"High heels off, or are you feeling a little kinky with this little girl?" She demanded her grin lighting her whole face.

"Come here sweetheart," I ordered her, and seconds later she was curled up naked in my arms, just where her son had just been, but with a totally different result.

Twelve years?

No problem, and though she was younger than me, Carol was just as knackered as I was when the playful cries of the kids woke the pair of us up in the morning.

"Your turn or mine?" The beautiful young woman cuddled up against me asked me sleepily.

"I'll go and settle them down this morning as long as you don't move till I get back," I offered.

"Fine lover," Carol whispered huskily grinning at me. "Your turn this morning and my turn tomorrow."

Tomorrow eh?

And the next day and the next!

Life suddenly looked damn good again, believe me.

---------------

It turned out even better than damn good actually, as Carol and I found ourselves so well suited. Six months later and despite my earlier decision to leave it to Janet, I applied for a divorce, and immediately that came through, Carol and I got hitched.

I officially adopted Tim as my son, and Carol, with Janet's blessing (yes, she was still around), adopted Mary.

In fact Janet had been visiting Mary at regular intervals and got on well with Carol. She even started to take both kids out with her when she took Mary out somewhere. I had made it clear however that I would not be happy with Janet's mother being around her, but it appeared that Janet saw little of her anyway.

And Nick the footballer?

Never actually met the guy and never really want to. I know he refused to marry Janet, but as far as I know was never unfaithful to her either. But there was no doubt either that my ex wife's relationship with her new man was not working out as she had hoped, and her strained relationship with her parents didn't help either.

I found myself feeling sorry for her ---- Can you imagine that?

I guess once you have loved a woman the way I loved Janet then it doesn't just suddenly end. Feelings may wane and may eventually wither, but they're still there and tend to resurrect themselves, sometimes at the worst possible moment.

For me that was about three years into my marriage to Carol. Nick had been dropped by Stockport, and at his age he would find it difficult to find another decent team. Then his attempts to get into management were unsuccessful.

It was, I suppose a low time for the pair of them and Janet needed a shoulder to cry on.

"I don't know how you could be so good to me Mike," Janet cried. "After what I did to you."

"It's Ok Janet," I replied holding her in my arms to comfort her. "It all worked out in the end."

"But I miss you Mike," she whimpered. "After all that's happened between us, I still miss you."

"I miss you to honey," I found myself saying for some reason, and gave her a comforting kiss on the forehead.

I don't know how it happened but that little kiss turned into a kiss on the lips, and before either of us knew it we were kissing each other furiously, all the passion of our old relationship bought back to the fore. I don't know who started it, and it doesn't matter anyway, but the next thing we were touching and stroking one another, and tearing at one another's clothing.