Mikey's Mom

"I owe you an apology for trying to think for you before. I know our relationship has probably come at a price for you, and I'm sorry for that, too. But ...damn it, Traci, you're holding the key to my heart and soul in your hands. Would you be willing to spend eternity with me?"

I was looking at her eyelids as I talked to her because she had put her eyes down. Her big brown eyes locked with mine as I finished my question, then her lips locked with mine in a sizzling kiss. I took that as a yes.

We came up for air for a brief second, then locked up again. We repeated the action several more times in the next few minutes.

"Come on," I said, grabbing her hand and practically pulling her out the door. We walked over to my house, and as we entered the door I let out a big whoop.

"She said yes!!"

My parents reached us about 15 seconds later. Mom hugged Traci and Dad shook my hand like there was no tomorrow, then they switched and Dad hugged Traci and Mom hugged me. Then I planted one on Traci for the first time in front of my parents, and when we broke the kiss instead of seeing embarrassment on Traci's face, I saw a look that matched exactly what I was feeling.

"Oh, wait a sec," Mom said as she quickly left the room and headed upstairs to the master bedroom.

We all heard rustling noises, then Mom came downstairs carrying a small box.

"You need an engagement ring, Zane, and I just happen to have one handy."

Grandma Pressler's engagement ring was an heirloom marquis-cut 1-carat diamond. Grandma Pressler was Mom's grandmother, and the ring had been in the family for two generations before it was given to Mom when Grandma died. Traci and I both looked up at my mother with shocked expressions on our faces.

"Don't just stand there gawking, Zane. Put the ring on the pretty lady's finger," Dad commanded.

Ever the obedient child, I put the ring on the pretty lady's finger. Then the waterworks began for both Traci and Mom.

"Thank you, Mom," I whispered in her ear as I hugged and kissed her.

It was a small wedding done just after I graduated after fall semester a year later. Traci and Mom planned the whole thing and had a blast, and I think that experience helped them bond as more than just friends. We invited only close family and friends, and since everyone at the wedding knew the story, there was only the barest amount of awkwardness. Traci's brother, Vince, gave her away because Mikey was already busy being my best man. With some help from my Dad, I was able to afford a small honeymoon trip to New York City, where we went to several museums and art galleries and took in a Broadway show. Then we came home to Traci's house. As my first post-college job was in the same city, it didn't make any sense for us to move out of a perfectly good house, although we did buy a completely new bedroom set.

Mikey got married two years later to a beautiful woman named Heather, who just happened to be 10 years older than him. He credited the success Traci and I have had for expanding his horizons when it came to looking for women to date. Like many people, Mikey said he used to only look for women who seemed to be about his age, but using Traci and me as a barometer, he said he opened up his search to include all women. The fact that Heather was 10 years his senior was as much luck as anything.

I'm sure Mikey told Heather about us, but she still looked surprised when she met us for the first time. She admitted that she had been worrying if the age difference between her and Mike would be a problem, but seeing us allayed a lot of her fears.

"Apparently there's no rule written in stone for the age of a soul-mate," Traci told her.

Heather's parents were obviously nervous about the age discrepancy, too, and meeting us a few months before the wedding gave them new insight into the match as well, she admitted.

Although the pair lived in Missouri, the wedding was held in Heather's home church in South Bend. Heather's parents were fairly well off, and it was a large church wedding as Heather was their only child. Both parents admitted they weren't sure they were ever going to see Heather get married, but now that it was happening they were hopeful of being grandparents someday. I told them both my parents and Traci's mother were still hopeful of that as well.

"Really, dear?" Heather's mother asked Traci in a shocked tone. "Wouldn't that be a little tough on that gorgeous body of yours?"

Traci just walked right through the veiled insult like it didn't even happen.

"Zane and I have been talking about having a child since we got married," she said. "We didn't want Mikey going through life without a sibling."

Heather's parents kind of froze at Traci's comment, then when they looked over at our smiling faces realized Traci was just poking back at them.

"But seriously, I love Zane more than anything, and I want to be the mother of a child created by us. Love has nothing to do with a calendar, I can tell you that. And I know my son. He won't be looking at your daughter's age. All he sees when he looks at her is the love in her heart. You're getting a good man for a son-in-law."

Mikey's wedding was also the first time I got to see his father since I started dating and then married Traci. Mr. V, as I still called him, wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea that his ex-wife had married the kid who spent a lot of time at his house as a youngster. I decided to play it cool after we greeted each other cordially at first and mostly stayed away from him and his second Mrs. V, but about halfway through the reception I overheard him talking with some old family friends and calling Traci a pervert for hooking up with a teenager. I was talking with some other family friends just a few feet away, so I was pretty sure he was making a point to me. So after excusing myself from my conversation, I walked over to where he was standing, gripped his right hand in a very hard handshake and clapped him on his left shoulder perhaps a bit harder than was usual.

"Gary, so good to see you again," I said in front of the small group he was with. "How is life with the woman you left Traci for, you philandering pig?"

I had apparently spilled some of his drink on his suit jacket, and as he started to respond I viced down on his right hand and squeezed his left shoulder while moving him backwards and away from the group.

"Hey! Ow! You little son ..."

"Now listen up, you stupid bastard," I said almost in a stage whisper as I interrupted. "I'll break your damned hand right here, right now unless you shut the fuck up. It's only because I love your son like a brother that I don't kick the shit out of you right here.

"You were the asswipe that traded in Traci for some cheap sex. Never forget that. So I never again want to hear any shit again about her, or the next time I won't be near as polite. We clear on that? Now go on over to the bar and get a new drink, and when you return all I expect to hear out of your mouth for the rest of the night is what a great son and new daughter-in-law you have."

My father among others saw the confrontation and was headed my way. I turned Mr. V loose and he half-staggered over to the bar.

My father gave me a crooked smile as he walked up to me to see if I needed help.

"I was afraid something was going to happen tonight. I thought you handled that really well," he said.

"Buyer's remorse on his part," was all I said.

Two months after the wedding, Traci me gave the good news that I was going to be a father when I walked through the door after work. I'm not too proud to admit I cried on the spot. We hugged hard for about 30 seconds, then I whisked her off her feet and up the stairs to our bedroom, gently laying her on the bed.

"Ah, back to the scene of the crime, so to speak," she said with a big grin.

We made love for half the night. For the other half, we sat and talked about some of the changes we would have to make and some of the things we would need to purchase. She called in sick to work in the morning, while I dragged my ass through work for the first half of the day. Just before lunch, my boss noticed that I was tired and asked if I was feeling OK. That's all it took. I told him my good fortune and then ordered in several deluxe pizzas for our unit. The rest of the day I accepted congratulations and was floating on air. Who needs sleep?

Traci invited my parents over to dinner, and while we were waiting on it to finish cooking, I broke out my bottle of single malt that I save for special occasions and poured one for Dad and myself. I poured Mom a glass of a nice red wine I had, then I made a production out of handing Traci a glass of water. Mom was starting to protest for Traci when Traci quietly said, "Thank you, Dad." Mom's eyes about bugged out of her head as Traci looked at her and nodded. Do you know the sound that women make when they are excited together in a group and that pitch gets up there so high that even dogs start to whine. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

After a great supper, we Skyped with Mike and Heather and told them the news. Mikey had to sit down as she started to blubber like a 5-year-old.

"Nobody in school better mess with my brother or sister, or I'll come down there and beat them up like a good older brother should," Mikey said through tears.

While not everyone probably knew that Traci was married to someone 20 years her junior, everyone could see that a mid-40s woman was pregnant, and while she never said much to me about it, I'm sure she probably took some grief over it from some people. The only problem she admitted to me was that it was tough to buy maternity clothes that didn't look like they were made for a 20-something. At my urging, Traci was dressing a little younger than her 45 years - she definitely had the body for it - but we were both aware that she would look ridiculous trying to dress like a 20-something. But when it came to maternity clothes, there wasn't much choice - until my mom came to the rescue. Mom was an excellent seamstress and through the years she had made several items of clothing for herself. She and Traci got together and came up with some designs, and before anyone knew it, the two had a fledging business, Mature Mommy Maternity Wear. After running the numbers, Dad and I went to the bank for a small business loan and turned the basement of our home into a workshop for the women.

While Mom and Traci had been neighbors and friends for years, their relationship deepened when Mom finally wrapped her head around me marrying Traci. It certainly wasn't the traditional in-law thing, but both women seemed to be bonded by their love for me. And, with us being neighbors, we actually hung out with my parents quite a bit. So I got to know them as friends as well as parents, and my dad noted that Mom actually seemed to be thinking younger due to hanging out with Traci so much. He said that with a big grin on his face that told me more than I really wanted to know.

Julie Christine Lambert entered the world at seven pounds, two ounces, and 20 inches. Of course I was in the delivery room and I even got to catch my daughter. My parents and Traci's mother, Elizabeth, were outside in the waiting room when I made the announcement. Mikey cried again when I texted him the photo of his baby sister, who fortunately took after her beautiful mother.

I was doing well enough at my job that we decided Traci could take off work until Julie went to school, at which point Traci could decide if she wanted to go back or not. So while she was the primary childcare giver, I made sure I didn't get cheated and changed my fair share of diapers when I was home. And Traci also had the burgeoning maternity wear business to watch over.

My parents went absolutely nuts over the baby, and trust me, we never lacked for a babysitter if we wanted to take in dinner and a movie. Traci worked very hard to regain her pre-baby figure, and while I never pushed her to do so, I was indeed a happy man when she did. My mother even went to the gym several times with Traci, and she and my dad wound up joining. A lot of good things were happening, and my mother constantly chirped about babies bringing luck.

That's not to say that things were perfect in my life, or that Traci and I didn't have our moments. It's just that when you can see how fortunate you are, you appreciate things more and wring more good out of every moment.

I watched Traci carefully when we would do parent stuff such as dance classes for Julie or attending school plays, stuff like that. It was obvious to everyone that she was noticeably older than all of the other mothers, but it didn't seem to make a difference in her interactions with them. Although she tried to stay in the background sometimes, most of the other mothers deferred to her, rightly assuming that she wasn't new at this game. But as she explained to me one night, sometimes she stepped back to allow another mother to lead - to be able to gain that valuable experience that Traci had already picked up while raising Mike.

And speaking of Mike, big brother and Heather made the one-hour trip over quite often so he could be a big part of Julie's life while growing up. Watching him play with my daughter, you just knew that his turn as a father would come soon, and on their second anniversary they announced they would be having twins in about seven months. Traci was over the moon happy.

While I was happy, it seemed bizarre to be a grandfather at 28. Life works in mysterious ways.

I think having a child turned out good for Traci in several ways. I think if we hadn't had a child, her life would have been boring and staid - go to work and come home. But things are different when kids are around, particularly for the parent who is the primary childcare provider. Traci had to stay "younger" - if you will - to communicate with Julie, and to keep up with all the running around that being a parent entails. And when a person is younger in spirit, I think they are also younger physically, and after watching Traci, I'd have to consider her a dynamo. She could even keep up with the language and the social world. I've got to admit, I barely know who is current on the radio, while Traci seems to know all the groups and half of the songs. And the woman can text like a 15-year-old.

Even with the age difference, I never really was concerned about Traci being faithful to me. I know how badly Gary hurt her when he cheated, but even more important, I just felt that secure in my connection to her. Not that there weren't moments that made me anxious. As anyone who is married to a goddess can attest, you always still watch when another man smiles at your wife, or flirts with her a bit. And the first time it got somewhat serious for me came about at my Christmas party one year.

It happened after we were married about 10 years. One of my corporate bosses was a guy named Herb Steele. Herb was about Traci's age, and practically had the word "boss" written on his forehead. He looked to be in excellent physical condition, had a nice tan, was good-looking in a manly way and swaggered rather than walked. He would flirt shamelessly with all the women when he was visiting our office, and was usually seen leaving at the end of the day with one of our female employees on his arm. Naturally, none of us in upper management liked the guy.

But he was at a full vice president's position with corporate, so unless he did something really egregious, he was someone of which we had to be wary.

He and several other VPs were in town for the annual Christmas party, to be thrown at one of the more posh hotels in town. Greg Hawkins, VP in charge of our division, had warned us all to be on our best behavior. Our division was a good profit center for the company, but Greg was the guy who was going to take heat if any of the bigwigs got a burr up his or her ass.

As usual, Traci looked beautiful that night in a dark blue, low-cut gown she bought specifically for the formal occasion. She has a great body and she doesn't have a problem showing some of the assets, within reason, and I'm good with that. All of the hometown guys I work with know our story by now and have seen my gorgeous wife several times over the years, but Herb hadn't met her before that night and practically came unglued when I introduced him to her at the party. I mean the guy wasn't even subtle as he practically drooled while looking her up and down like a horny teenager, and I made a mental note to keep my eyes on Traci whenever she wasn't with me.

As usual, the meal served was fabulous, and after dessert and after dinner drinks, the live band took the floor. Traci loves to dance, me not so much, but for her I'd do anything, so we got up on the floor. After a half-dozen dances, we went back to our table to take a break, but I knew she wanted to dance more.

Almost as if he materialized out of thin air, Herb was standing at our table, asking Traci if she wanted to dance. Although I desperately wanted to say something snide, I knew I couldn't, so I looked at him as blandly as I could and interrupted.

"I'm not sure where you grew up, Mr. Steele," but around here it's not considered good form to ask a woman to dance with her husband sitting right there. Usually you ask the husband if he will let you have permission ..."

"This beautiful mature creature is your wife?' he responded quickly. "I assumed you were just a youngster with good taste who beat me to the punch. You certainly don't look like you belong together."

Making good use of the psychology class I took in college, I stood up to level the playing field, so to speak. Then I held my left hand up and wiggled my ring finger.

"Mine," I said as I pointed to Traci. "Now how about you move along."

I could see his top lip curl up into a sneer, but he was smart enough to take my advice and moved on.

Traci looked nervous, realizing what was going on.

"Don't lose your job trying to impress me with this macho-shit you guys do," she said. "I'm a big girl, and I can handle myself professionally in public."

"It's not you I'm worried about. I'm not sure I can handle myself, Babe."

She pursed her lips at me, then gave me her trademark pouty smile. She knew I was putty in her hands. We got up to dance some more.

We walked off the floor about 30 minutes later in a light sweat. I hit the bar for a scotch for me and a red wine for her. Just as I set the drinks down, Greg walked over with another VP and said we needed to talk a little business and would I step out into the hallway with him and the other guy. Traci said she would be OK with it so I left.

When I got back to the table 15 minutes later, Traci was on the dance floor with Ron, one of my co-workers, but as the song was ending, I saw Herb approach the pair and say something to Ron. They then switched partners, with Ron taking Herb's dance partner and Herb stepping in front of Traci.

The music was a little fast paced so they danced apart but facing each other and looked to be having a good time as I sat at my table sipping my Glenmorangie and water. When the next song was a ballad, Herb held out his hand, took Traci's in his and then moved in close. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for the first 30 seconds or so, but then I watched Traci do a little skip while it looked like Herb's hand made contact with her ass. He looked to be smiling while he leaned in and started talking to her.

When I got to the pair, Herb had a handful of Traci's ass in his right hand, and he was softly saying something to her. I grabbed his right wrist hard with my right hand, removed his hand from Traci's ass and twisted inward and upward. He tried to step away from me at that moment, but instead bumped into Traci as I pushed his arm about as high as I could make it go behind his back without breaking it.