Loving a Strong Woman

I helped Es sit up and Sarah brought over her pants. "Thank you sweetie" Es said, kissing Sarah's forehead. She got dressed, but stayed eerily quiet, only pausing to confirm her appointment time with the receptionist and thank Mrs. Williams before we got into the elevator.

I don't think my truck was as quiet as the four of us were on the way home. I swear I could hear not just my heartbeat, but our girls' as well. The adrenaline high from the day was finally crashing but it seemed like none of us really knew what to say.

We got back to Esther's apartment. The girls jumped out first to go let Maggie outside before heading into the kitchen.. Es was about to step out of the truck when I stopped her. "I'm here. You know you don't have to keep it bottled up. You can tell me what you're thinking."

Esther's thin mask of composure fell immediately. Those tears came out full force and it was a good couple minutes before she could speak. "I'm so sorry Roman. I didn't mean it to happen like this."

"For what to happen?" I asked, leaning over to wipe her tears and smooth her hair back off her face.

"I wanted to surprise you when we moved in" Es said through her tears "after you asked me, I..I..I had my IUD taken out. I...had a...a...positive pregnancy test early last week. Today was...supposed to be for my first checkup and go over my bloodwork."

If my head wasn't swimming and my thoughts weren't a jumbled mess before, they were now. I knew I should be upset with Es for keeping this a secret, but I felt this incredible surge of joy at her admission. "You want to have a child-our child?" I asked, looking at her like what she said could not possibly be real.

"Yes. I thought the girls and I were a complete unit on our own, but when you came into our lives I started to think about maybe just one more. I never wanted to scare you, but with those things you said then it felt like it was the right time."

I couldn't speak. I just pulled Es into me and we cried together.

Sometime later, a soft tap on the window got our attention. Sarah and Ava were standing outside. "We started getting the stuff ready for pan per deux. It's breakfast for dinner tonight."

"Thank you girls."

Es reached for her door handle, but I took her arm, "hold on, I'll come around and get you." Usually she would give me a look, but she was too tired to argue. I jumped down and went around to her side, opening her door and picking her up out of my truck and bringing her back down to the earth. Closing the door with my left arm, I covered her shoulders with my right and we proceeded to walk into the apartment.

Another testament to Es' work as a mother was her daughters' ability to cook. At their age, both girls were able to make simple meals on their own and help Es with prep when it came to holidays and big gatherings. Es being a self-proclaimed "breakfast queen" had taught the girls her pan per deux recipe pretty early on, and it was one that they loved to make themselves. They had made it so many times all Es really needed to do was supervise.

The girls did a great job, and Es thanked them for pitching in. She started to get up to put the dishes away, but I stopped her. "Sit down. I know it is going to drive you nuts, but you need to rest for now" I ordered, kissing her forehead. "Thank you" she whispered.

Sarah and Ava pulled out their homework, but as she tried to work her mind was elsewhere. "Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Sure sweetheart."

"Those metal things your feet were in, are they cold?"

"Yes. That's why you wear socks when you visit your OB GYN."

"Good to know." replied Ava. "Mom, for what it's worth, it really would've been nice to have another sister." "Or brother" Sarah added. The girls finished homework, then kissed Esther goodnight and went to their room. I brought Es into the living room, sat on the couch, and laid her on top of me.

"I'm going to call my brother and ask him to handle the inspection tomorrow. I'm driving you to the doctor and then we're coming back and you are spending the rest of the day in bed."

"Shit, that's tomorrow. I'm sorry honey, I forgot. Otherwise I would have taken the medications."

"Stop. You made what you thought was the best choice for your health, physical and mental. There is no home inspection more important than your health."

"Rome, what if this is it? What if the results come back and it's too dangerous or I..can't..carry anymore?" I could hear the fear in her voice, feel her body start to seize with tension as she tried again to fight back the tears.

"Then we do what is best for your health. When this day started I had the person I wanted in this world. And this doesn't change that. Do you still want to try after we talk to Dr. P?"

"Right now I don't know. I'm not sure I would be able to go through this again."

"Then we worry about getting to the office on time tomorrow and getting you home. After that we focus on moving and meeting with Dr. Patel" I said, rubbing my hands on her soft, full thighs. I moved my hands up further to probably one of our favorite spots - the curves at the top of her thighs right below her hipbone. My thumbs fit that curve perfectly on either side while the rest of my hands could move to do whatever else I wanted to her thighs or her ass. Almost immediately, Esther moaned. "The hardest part, pun intended, is going to be restraining myself from not moving further when all I want to do is see you on top of me while my hands are right here" I whispered in her ear. "Go to bed. I'm going to call Paul."

Es leaned her head backward onto my shoulder, "thank you. I love you." I watched her walk back to her room and thanked God that she was alive. And had that ass. Damn that ass would get me every time.

The Interlude

Dr. Patel had told Es to not do any strenuous work until she saw us three weeks after the procedure. Es was starting to go stir crazy at day three so she had packed up the entire apartment and started the mural in the entryway. That was on top of the series she had in progress in her studio. By day 7, she was choosing to pack over getting sleep, so she was taking a high dose of melatonin after dinner. I would stay until she fell asleep most nights, then take some of the boxes she packed to the house. The inspection had gone pretty smooth, and we got the certificate of occupancy right on time two weeks after. Both our families were on hand to help move the rest of the furniture. Ava and Sarah had helped Es pack what supplies she wanted from her main studio so that she would be able to paint in one of the extra bedrooms and work on each girl's room.

Finally our appointment came, and I think it was taking Es every ounce of control to not think of all the negative possibilities. I wanted to pull her into my lap and hold her to me, but I think security would have escorted us out. So I held her hand and kept whispering in her ear, "Breathe. No matter what happens in there, we are here and together. That isn't going to change."

Es smiled and put her head on my shoulder. I kissed her hand and followed her back to the exam room when the nurse came out to get us.

---

"One to three cycles before we can start trying." Es said it again. This time it sounded like she was starting to believe what Dr. Patel had told us. All the tests had come back negative and now it was about giving Es' body time to heal and get back to normal. We were sitting outside enjoying our lunch by the walking trails in the woods behind our house. For a late September afternoon it was rather warm. But neither of us were about to complain.

"Does that mean you still want to do this?" I asked her. Es looked up from her sandwich, "I think so. I understand it was likely a one-time thing and that it happens to lots of women." I put my arm around her, "Then how about we just focus on enjoying ourselves together in our house, and spending time with our girls." I continued "we can have a Halloween movie night in the living room after they come back from trick or treating and then we have Sarah's birthday in November."

Es answered, "You know that actually sounds really good. With all the space we have now we could host Thanksgiving and maybe a small dinner before Christmas."

"We'll see how much you want to have other people around before Christmas. Right now there is nothing more I want to do than take you inside and give you an idea of what you can expect." I tossed Es over my shoulder and hurried back to the house.

That was a mistake. While Es had started getting excited by being carried and then tossed on our bed, that excitement didn't move south. I had her half naked on our bed with her tongue in my mouth when I tried to tease her inner lips and clit. My index finger slipped and went inside at the wrong angle and Es was still dry. Painfully dry. She immediately cried and pulled away from me, "I can't-it burns too much!" Any possibility of an erection I had at that point did an immediate reversal. I think my head temporarily shrunk and didn't want to come out until after the World Series. I really should've Googled how to warm up a woman after a D&C.

We had the Halloween movie night. Ava and Sarah each had a couple friends over. The kids slept in the TV room. By this time I was well researched and Es and I were able to have a few treats of our own. Es tried to keep her moans quiet as she lowered herself on top of me, but I reminded her about the soundproofing I installed as my thumbs went to her special curves and my fingers gripped her upper thighs.

Ava had come out with me during deer season to practice hunting with a bow and arrow. She had her mother's laser eye and actually took down a four-point buck. Both Sarah and Ava helped clean and butcher it. Thanksgiving had us having both venison and turkey.

With that large an animal, we decided to also host dinner Christmas Day with family bringing their favorite sides or dessert. We had found the perfect tree during one of our walks in the woods behind our house two weeks earlier and Es had painted a few new ornaments to commemorate the past year. She herself put up a teardrop-shaped one with a heart that had a small hole in it. That night she stopped taking her birth control pill. As we were getting ready for bed, she left the door to our bathroom open and I could see her holding the packet with a small tremor in her hands.

"Rome?" she called. "Yeah hun, what is it?" I stood in the bathroom doorway looking at her face in the mirror. Es turned around and looking me in the eye said, "I'm ready."

The Announcement

Esther kept her warehouse as her main workspace, and we were going to convert half of the above apartment for meeting space and the other half for nights when showings ran late and we were too tired to drive. Tonight was going to be one of those nights. It was the last weekend in January and Esther was showing a small collection of glacial scapes and abstract sculpture she called 'Fire and Ice.' The girls came for the first hour and then my Mom took them back home and stayed with them since they were going to cheer on my nieces in their basketball tournament Saturday morning. It was well past midnight when we locked up and went upstairs.

Esther had worn what I call her "fuck me secretly" dress. The neckline looked professional initially, but if she moved a certain way you could see glimpses of the top and sides of her soft, beautiful breasts. And it hugged almost every sweet, full curve. If I didn't die from blue balls I was going to be on top of her right after we saw the last guest out.

"Fuck woman, the only thing better than you in this dress is you out of this dress." My eyes hungrily raked over Esther. She smiled slyly "that's generally the idea. Though what are you going to do to earn that type of pleasure?"

I didn't make Es wait for long before I gave her my answer. I turned her around, pushed my palms against her satin-covered breasts, bent her over our bed, and proceeded to move my hands down her sides while I leaned in behind her, putting only some weight on top of her body. My erection was wanting to attempt mutiny and jump out of my pants. Es moaned, and her breaths became more shallow. "What do you want, my strong, beautiful, soft, tigress of a woman?" I leaned my hips further into her.

"God, Rome, I want you. I want you to hold and push and squeeze every inch of me until I can't move without cumming."

I laughed, "as my woman commands." I reached up and started to unzip her dress. Es then stepped out, revealing a nude lace bra and garter set that just barely covered and supported her curves. I could see her rose aureola through the lace and wanted to suck them until they were red as cocktail cherries.

I reached one hand to trace the curve of her spine, down to her mesmerizing ass. I barely brushed against the pearl and lace thong, but with enough pressure to elicit a low, wanting groan. "Smart woman, you've been getting yourself ready for me all evening." Es started to move to take off the thong, but I stopped her. "No, keep this on. I am going to enjoy the sensation."

I shrugged my shoulders, letting my jacket fall to the floor near Es' dress. My shirt and tie soon followed. Standing behind Es with just my dress pants and belt, I took her hands and brought them behind her, maneuvering her hands down my pecs to my belt buckle. "Is there anything I am missing?" Es turned around with glazed eyes "Just a couple things" she said while she unbuckled my belt with one hand, then pushed my pants and boxers down in one motion. She smiled again when my cock bounced off my stomach. "Hmm, someone else is prepared" she licked her lips and kissed my head, then licked all around my cut, the underside, and then down my shaft, giving feather soft kisses to my balls when she reached them. I put my head back, allowing myself to be driven wherever Es wanted to take me. After kissing each sack, she kissed her way back upwards and then started to slowly bring her mouth over my head. Her hands stayed below giving light scratches to my balls and inner thigh.

I laid down on the bed and motioned to Es to turn and straddle my face. While she was continuing filling her mouth with my cock I began pushing my fingers into her warm, dripping channel. It didn't take long before Es had arched her back and was trying to yell my name around my still hard as steel dick.

I found the pearls to be a turn on and wanted to see how they felt. Before Es could get me off, I reached forward and brought my hand under her chin, guiding her face off of my cock. I spun her around and gazed at her half lust-induced face. "How good did these pearls feel rubbing against you all night?" "Hmm. So good. But they didn't set me off like you do." "Well then, I want to see how they feel." I pushed Es' thong to the side and guided her down onto my cock. When I was fully inside her I released and let the pearls come back against the side of my balls and base of my shaft. I brought us up into a sitting position and started to slowly, deeply thrust into her. Es, almost unable to take the sensations she was getting, threw her head back and started to move with my thrusts. The stimulation from the pearls was so intense it didn't take but more than a minute for my balls to tighten, my back to bend, and my cum to fill Es' tightening cavern, triggering a third climaxing moan from her lips. We fell backwards onto the bed and drifted off to sleep, her still on top of me.

---

The sex after the showing had been the hottest we had since October, so I wanted to switch things up and make Valentine's Day a more sensual, slow experience. Since it was on a weeknight this year, I planned on cooking a dinner for the four of us then setting up the massage table and oils in our room. The beef stew was almost ready when Es walked in. "Damn polar vortex" she grumbled. I laughed quietly at the sight of Es only taking off her gloves and going to pour herself a cup of tea. A loud panicked scream from upstairs caused her to spill milk on her wool coat. "MMMOOOOOMMMM!" Maggie jumped and bolted from her bed in the corner of the kitchen.

We both ran upstairs. Maggie was standing with Ava outside the girls' bathroom. "Sarah's sick. She's throwing up, her stomach hurts, and she's bleeding." Es looked at Ava, "Sweetie, can you please go get my purse." Looking at me she asked "Honey, can you bring me the small tan basket from underneath our bathroom sink?"

I brought her the basket and then had Ava come downstairs with me. I wasn't sure how to approach this topic, so it was probably better to wait for Es. I cleaned up the spilt tea off the counter and got out a couple extra cups. But tea was not strong enough for me in this case. I grabbed two beers out of the fridge in case Es decided she wanted one. "Ava, come help me set the table. Mom might be awhile."

Twenty minutes later Es and Sarah came downstairs, Sarah leaning against her mom. Es wet a dishtowel and stuck it in the microwave for a couple minutes. When the microwave beeped, she wrapped the damp towel in a dry one and had Sarah sit down with it on your stomach. She kissed Sarah's head, saying "it was bound to happen sooner or later."

Ava looked horrified, "Mom are you talking about what I think you're talking about?" Having figured again it was best for me to stay out of the conversation, I took another sip of my beer.

Es was unphased, "Yes baby. Sarah got her first period." She looked back at Sarah, "Sweetie, don't feel like you have to eat a full bowl. It looks delicious, but only eat what you think you can manage. The iron in the beef can help with some period symptoms." Es came over and finally gave me a hello kiss, licking off the drop of beer that was still on my bottom lip. "Hmm. Good idea for dinner." She put the extra beer back in the fridge, picked up her tea, and sat down.

Ava was about to protest her mother's openness about her sister's period, but Es knew what was coming before Avan could get it out of her mouth, "Don't start young lady. Remember, you're next." Ava groaned and rolled her eyes.

I finished my beer and went to get that second one. My oldest daughter got her first period. Yep, this is a Valentine's Day I'm never going to forget.

"I'll have to call Dr. Patel's office in the morning to see when she can see Sarah." Es told me while we were cleaning up the kitchen.

"Does she need to be seen that young?" I asked. Es put half the leftover stew in the freezer,"Yes, after a first period is around the recommended time for a first gynecologist appointment. It's just to make sure everything is working the way it should. And it gives Sarah a chance to ask some questions. I am a little worried that she was in that much pain but that might just be her biology. Another reason it's important for her to go."

"Did you want to bring Ava?" I asked.

"As good as a learning experience it would be for her, no. This is Sarah's appointment."

"I have no idea what do when it comes to these things, so I will trust your judgement." Es stood by the drawer where we kept the dishtowels, looking like she was thinking about something and didn't hear me, so I went over and wrapped her arms around her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I said while kissing the back of her neck. Es rolled her head and looked in my eyes like she wanted to say something, but then hurried over to finish loading the dishwasher and wash the pot in the sink. "Shit, I forgot to grab a towel. Rome, could you please get a couple out of the drawer and help me dry these?"

"Sure" I shrugged my shoulders, thinking that whatever it was Esther had been thinking about was probably nothing. I went to open the drawer and underneath the towel was a large red envelope with 'Happy Valentines Day Daddy Roman' written in big white letters.

My heart stopped. "Es, what is this?" I turned around to see her recording my reaction on her phone. "I don't know - open it." She said playfully. I tore open the envelope to find two white sticks with blue caps. In the middle of each stick were two visible pink lines.