My Wife's Best Friend

"Erica, I've asked Josie to move in with me and the girls. She's accepted and will move in with us in a couple of weeks' time, probably the next time that you have the girls on a weekend," I explained, "I thought that I should let you know just so there are no surprises. I didn't want any secrets, and certainly didn't want you learning it from the girls."

I didn't expect the smile. "I've been aware that you're dating, Chris. And dating would eventually lead to moving in with each other," she replied, "The girls also love her. They mention her quite a bit when they're with me for the weekend."

"This won't... I know things are different now," Josie stated.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're still my friend, Josie," Erica assured her. She paused for a moment to take a sip of wine. "I've been in therapy for the past few months."

"You have?" I asked in surprise.

"I've made a mess of things and needed to understand why I did it. My therapist is kind but brutally honest though I recognise the pattern of behaviours she has mentioned and certain traits that led to where I am now. Remember that letter I wrote you when I left?"

"I still have it, Erica."

"I didn't know if you would have burned it or not. I wasn't even sure that you'd read it. What I've always known but refused to admit was responsibility for what happened. I still don't like admitting it and find it difficult to do so. What I am responsible for is breaking your heart and splitting up the family." She glanced at our daughters who probably didn't really understand all that much. "I'm sorry, Chris. I was wrong."

It was after Erica had put the girls to bed that she joined us in the living room. She nursed a glass of wine and seemed content. The first time she looked genuinely at peace with herself in a long time.

"How's work?" I wondered.

"I've asked for a transfer. He mind fucked me, Chris. Completely and utterly mind fucked me. He and his wife." She laughed somewhat bitterly. "He's not exactly what they'd call a cuckold, but I learned that she was the one who wanted the open marriage years ago. He thought he was going to lose everything, and back when he might have divorced her because of it, he was probably right. No chance he would have got the kids and would have been kicked out of the house. So he agreed to it, she had her fun while he bided his time. I wasn't his first target. There have been a couple of girls before me. The reason his wife tried to convince me is, well, you were right. She's a whore. I've had more than one heart-to-heart with him regarding their agreement. He hated it then. Still hates it now. But it's like the cycle of abuse. The one abused can usually go on to become the abuser."

"Even after all this time, I still want to kick his head in."

"It wasn't worth it really," she admitted, "Sure, the work itself was great. And I've been taken around the world for work and seen places I would likely have never seen. Having the position is going to look fantastic should I choose to move on. But the sex?" She shook her head. "He promised so much when it came to that. I guess it was just the idea of something new, different and a little illicit. But within weeks, I learned he was selfish. Very selfish. And you were right about one thing. He wanted me to go off and fuck other men on these work trips."

"Did you?"

"Absolutely not. I remember when you called me a whore. That hurt me so much, Chris. Broke me completely. But I remembered. The first time he suggested the idea, I threw the drink I had in my hand in his face. Told him I was not his whore. He had this look that suggested he was going to argue before I stood up and returned to my hotel room."

"What are you going to do?" I had to ask.

"I'm not sure. He knows I'm not happy. The physical part of our relationship has pretty much ended once he realised that I wasn't going to do everything he wanted. I never agreed to it and wasn't going to be bullied."

"Why not go after him for sexual harassment?"

She snorted at that. "Please. You should know well enough that human resources departments exist to protect the company, not the employee. They'd just do their level best to sweep it under the carpet and ensure it quietly goes away. There'd be more than one person who would state that I willingly fucked him anyway. I happily took all the little gifts he gave me. I had no problem openly flirting with him. No, it wouldn't really go anywhere so I'll just play the waiting game. I know other positions are available in the company. Given that I won't do everything he wants, I think he'll be happy for me to move elsewhere."

It just seemed like such a waste, and I knew Erica was nursing plenty of regret. In bed later that night with Josie, she was cuddled into my side after we'd made love. I tried not to think about it too much, but I did end up thinking about 'What if?' But I assured Josie that there was absolutely no chance of a reunion with Erica.

A whole bunch of us pitched in on the weekend that Josie moved in with me. As she lived in a rental, she'd given notice and, as eager as she was to move, she would leave the place pretty much empty for the last two weeks before the lease ran out. We returned on Sunday to give the place a thorough clean so the estate agency couldn't bitch and complain about it being dirty.

My daughters were ever so excited to see Josie with me on Sunday night when they walked in the front door. And it didn't take all that long for it to feel incredibly normal for Josie to be part of our lives.

One thing that I had assured Josie is that I didn't expect her to be a replacement parent or mother figure. All I did was encourage my girls to treat Josie with respect, but any major parenting decisions would fall on my shoulders. The girls adored Josie so much that I didn't really have to concern myself too much. They were well-behaved anyway and always respectful of Josie.

She'd been living with us for around three months when I was asked the question that I'd been expecting, Annabelle wrapping her little arms around my neck when I kissed her goodnight. "Daddy, is Josie going to be another mummy for us?"

"Would you like her to be another mummy for you?" Her nod was so eager, I couldn't help chuckling. "What about you, Amelia? Would you like Auntie Josie to be another mummy for you too?"

"Yes, Daddy. I love Josie so much."

Josie almost fell apart standing in the doorway, eventually walking over and giving Amelia a tight cuddle before doing the same with Annabelle.

If anything lit a fire under my arse to propose, it was that. I'd read so many horror stories about step-parents and their struggles that I'd been worried about the relationship between my girls and Josie. While things might be difficult in the future once teenage hormones took hold, I knew we had at minimum five years before that might start to happen.

Josie and I had already discussed all the major things. I did want to get married again and I knew Josie wanted to marry me. She'd never been shy about that as soon as she moved in. When we discussed children, I knew she wanted to have at least one of her own, and considering we had the space in the house, and that we could easily afford to have a child, we agreed that we would have at least one if and when we were married.

I kept proposing a secret from everyone as it was something I wanted to do myself. I checked through her jewellery to see what things she liked before I started looking for a ring. She mentioned that she wanted something simple but elegant as an engagement ring. Nothing gaudy or ostentatious. She didn't want me breaking the bank. She didn't want a stupidly expensive wedding. She wanted a symbol of my love and affection on her finger, and then a day when we would express our love for each other when becoming husband and wife.

In the end, even the proposal was something simple. The kids were with Erica as we caught the train into the city. We were on the harbour by the bridge when I lowered myself to a knee and showed her the ring, asking her to marry me. She managed a nod and a quiet yes before I slid the ring onto her finger, standing up and taking her in my arms.

"Been waiting for this since the day I moved in," she confessed in a quiet voice, her head resting against my chest.

The girls were ever so excited when we picked them up the next morning, sitting them down to explain that Daddy and Josie would be getting married. When we explained that it would make Josie their stepmother, Annabella gasped and then smiled. Amelia immediately hugged Josie, Annabelle quickly joining her sister, both of them excitedly exclaiming how much they loved her.

Josie couldn't contain her emotions before replying that she loved the girls just as much.

We let all of our friends and the rest of the family know the exciting news. Josie's parents were delighted that she'd met the man of her dreams and was now getting married. They were not shy in asking me about having children. They already adored Annabelle and Amelia but did wonder if I would agree to children with Josie. I assured them that we had discussed it and already agreed that we wanted children together.

When it came to telling Erica, I think that was the first time that Josie mentioned her being upset with our relationship. Not angry at us, it was just concrete proof that our relationship was permanent and forever. I didn't give it any thought, but Josie did suggest that Erica probably always held out hope, however faint it might have been, that I would eventually forgive her and reconcile.

Organising the wedding was a lot of fun as I wanted to be involved, and I was pleased that Josie kept to her word about keeping it small and intimate. Most of the families would be involved. Close friends. We kept the bridal party small. There would be no bucks or hens' night as we didn't need to 'celebrate' our last days being single before marriage. And we'd read enough horror stories to know it was a bad idea.

Two weeks before the ceremony, Erica knocked on our front door. I opened it and was surprised to see she was already upset. Although I still hadn't really forgiven her, I don't think I would ever be able to fully forgive her for the flagrant betrayal. But she was doing her best to be a good mother to our girls, and I would never do anything to harm her relationship with them.

"Can I come and talk to all of you?" she asked.

"Sure. Let me get the girls. They'll be delighted to see you."

I was proven right as whatever they were doing was quickly forgotten as they hurried out of their bedroom to greet their mother. Despite everything, seeing Erica with our girls would always make me smile, watching here give each of our daughters a tight hug, kissing them all over their faces, and expressing her love for them in both actions and words.

Josie offered her a drink, and a few minutes later, we were gathered around the table near the kitchen as Erica explained she had something to tell us. Taking a letter from her handbag, I didn't miss the fact her hands were shaking as she looked at me from across the table.

"I told you about my therapy, Chris. You remember the letter I wrote?"

"Yeah. As I said, I've still got it. For some reason, I've never thrown it away."

"I've written you a new one. A new one that includes our daughters. By extension, it should probably include you, Josie. Everything I did has resulted in where we are today."

"Would you like me to keep this new letter instead?" She nodded with a slight smile on her face. "Okay, read us the letter, Erica. I think we'd like to hear what you have to say."

She cleared her throat and wiped her eyes. I had a feeling this was going to be cathartic, perhaps for both of us. Perhaps this would also bring closure.

"Dear Chris, Amelia and Annabelle... I'm sorry..."

Then she started to cry. Josie took her hand as my girls were up and out of their seats quickly to hug their mother. No child wants to see their parent crying. Erica took a couple of deep breaths before managing to continue, our daughters hugging her from either side.

"Chris, I'm sorry for ruining our marriage. I'm sorry for showing you such disrespect that evening when we sat at this very table, and I told you what was going to happen. My actions were driven by my own selfish desires. I should have known that few men would ever accept what I told you. I should have understood the immediate consequences of what I told you and understood your reaction. My belief that your love for me would make you accept it was delusional and wrong. I'm sorry for putting my career above our marriage and our children. I'm sorry for missing out on so many things since the day our marriage effectively ended. I now understand that everything that happened is my fault. It was my choices that led us to this moment. What I'm not sorry for is the fact you are now with Josie. It hurts to know that you will be getting married, but I am not saying that I will not congratulate you and will not hope that you have a bright future together. I can only hope that Josie proves to be a better wife and partner than I was."

"Thank you, Erica," Josie said softly.

"Amelia and Annabelle, I'm sorry for not being here like I should be. I'm so sorry for leaving the way I did. I knew I would be hurting you, breaking your little hearts. But your mother made a series of bad choices. I was hurting. I was embarrassed. I was starting to realise the pain that I'd caused your father. I never stopped loving you. I missed you terribly every time I was home late while I was still living here, and I miss you every day now that I don't see you. What I can promise you is that I will never stop loving you, never stop trying to be a good mother, and will always be available whenever you want. It's time I put my girls first again and everything else in my life can now come a distant second."

Erica broke down again as she placed the letter down to hug our daughters. They were old enough to understand a little bit of what their mother was saying. Josie needed to wipe her eyes. I wasn't being stoic. No tears from me but I could understand this wasn't easy for Erica. And I appreciated the honesty and the accepting of responsibility for her actions. It's taken her a while to get to this point. A lot of men and women would never make this step, and would always blame others for what happened.

"Chris, the only promise I can make you going forward is that I will work with you as a cooperative co-parent. Everything I do now will be for the benefit of our daughters. I promise you that I will not fight for more custody. I believe in my heart that they belong in this house and this home with you. I know Josie is going to make for a wonderful stepmother, and I'm aware that my girls already love and adore her too. Apart from our girls, the only other focus is self-improvement, and the last hope I have is that maybe one day in the future, I will hear a few words from you that I really need to hear.

That you forgive me."

She paused and glanced at Josie and then our girls before she looked over the table at me.

"I still love you and never stopped. But I know your heart now belongs to another. That's okay. And I say that because I know it was my fault. My choices led to your love being given to someone else. It's not a good feeling, but it's also something that will help me grow.

I'll finish this by stating that I wish you, the girls and now Josie all the best in the future. You have my full support, and I can only hope you all have a happy life together.

Erica."

She placed the letter down and slid it across the table in my direction. Josie stood up as Erica did, the two women sharing a hug. I stood up and disappeared into the bedroom, returning with the letter that Erica had left on the table on the day she'd walked out. I threw that letter in the bin and told Erica that her new letter would be the one I would now keep. She whispered her thanks to me.

Two weeks later, Josie and I were married in a rather simple ceremony at a nearby park surrounded by our family and friends. Josie wanted to invite Erica as she believed it would help her move on. I didn't agree straight away, and I eventually asked our daughters what they thought. They wanted their mother there, so I sent a quick invite to Erica. She accepted without hesitation.

"Chris, you know how I'm on the pill," Josie whispered during our first dance as husband and wife.

"I'm aware as your pills are quite visible, and I know you take one every morning."

"I want to stop taking them during our honeymoon."

"Want to get started straight away?"

"I don't want to wait too long before we start extending our family."

"I like how you said extending and not starting."

"I have stepdaughters now, Chris," she said with a smile, "You know I've treated them like my own since I moved in."

"As far as they're concerned, they already have two mothers. I think they might think of something to call you soon enough."

"I'd love it if they did," she said softly.

We consummated our marriage that night as we agreed that getting drunk and stupid during the reception would be a stupid idea. Our sex life had been fantastic since our first time being intimate, and making love as a newly married couple was the perfect way to end a wonderful day and start our marriage.

Erica arrived two mornings later to look after our daughters. She would stay in the guest bedroom for the week while Josie and I spent a week on a Pacific Island. Nothing but sun, sea, sand and hopefully a lot of sex. Josie made me laugh when she showed me the pill packet and threw it in the bin while putting everything else she needed in her suitcase.

We returned home a week later looking a little more tanned than usual, with constant smiles on her faces, and if it was possible to fall even more in love with each other, we'd done just that. I had been relaxing, a lot of fun, and just what we needed. A week spent focusing on each other, and it was the right way to start our marriage.

I arrived home two months later to the news that Josie was pregnant with our first child. The first people we told were our daughters. They were over the moon to know that they would soon have a sibling.

*****

Epilogue

I think it's fair to say that I find my wife as sexy now after two kids and ten years of marriage as I did the first day I met her. I still think of ourselves as young though we've matured during the past decade. She's aged gracefully, like a fine wine. I've done everything I can to keep the aging at bay. When I started to thin up top, Josie suggested I just get a razor and go smooth. She now loved my bald head, always kissing in. Even Erica thinks it suits me particularly as I usually have a cropped beard or goatee.

Our marriage has been rather smooth sailing. Sure, we have arguments from time to time, but even when we agree to disagree, we always end the discussion with a hug and kiss, and never go to bed angry without expressing our love for each other. Sure, we don't make love every night like we used to, but we are far away from a dead bedroom. Josie still has quite the libido, and I still can't get enough of my wife.

Amelia and Annabelle are in the last couple of years of high school and looking forward to graduating and heading to university. I've told them that they're welcome to remain living at home as long as they need.

Josie and I eventually had two children together. She gave birth to a son first, who we christened Mark, and then there is our little girl, whom we christened Michaela. My son is a real 'mini me' and he loves spending time with his father doing blokey things. He's already talking about either being a professional rugby league player or a race car driver. But he's also smart and I reckon there's a chance he'll end up doing what his father does for a living. As for Michaela, to say that everyone dotes on her wouldn't be wrong. Gorgeous, precocious, and just the cutest giggle in the world whenever we make her laugh. Annabelle and Amelia adore her, even Mark tolerates his little sister, and the rest of the family has simply fallen in love with her.