Raised the Texas Way Pt. 02

Bobby sighed. "None. No babies."

"So, how's about you let me ask my question?"

Bobby nodded.

"Good. So, I'm gettin' big and—yes—we can take care of Daddy's needs. But it's not going to be enough. I got two babies' worth of experience that says Daddy is gonna want more than I can give him." She paused. "You men! You're like cows—you know that? You're like cows."

"How so?"

"Y'all got to get milked a couple of times a week. If you go too long without getting milked, your udders start to ache and y'all get cranky."

"Wow! So that's how you think of us men!"

"Tell me it ain't true, mister."

Bobby thought about his Mama's words. "Yeah. Well, I was away from Suze for four months. I guess ... yeah. Okay. You got me. We're all cows and we need to be milked every so often. If we don't get milked, we get cranky. Yeah."

Terri smirked. "Told you. But now you listen: your Daddy's gonna need to get himself milked a little bit. None of us want him to get all backed-up and cranky. Am I right 'bout that?"

Bobby nodded. He was pretty sure where this conversation was going to go.

"So, I'm asking you for a favor. While you and Susie Rose are home these next three weeks, can you throw your Daddy a bone? Give him some alone time with Susie Rose? Let her milk him some?"

Bobby thought about his Mama's request. He felt a pang of jealousy. What if she likes him more than she likes me? he thought. Then he had another thought: If she's still willing to move to Boulder after being with him, then I know she loves me for sure. I know what we have is real and it's going to last.

Terri waited, letting Bobby think things through.

"Mama," he started, "you know I can't just give Suze away—right? She's her own woman now; she makes her own decisions about things like this."

Terri smiled widely at her son, almost beaming at him with love. "You got yourself a lot of wisdom inside of you, Bobby. You're making me real proud right now. Yes. This has to be Susie's decision. But I also know she won't say 'yes' unless her beau—and that's you—also says 'yes'. So, I figured I'd start with you. If you say 'no' then it just ain't happening."

Bobby nodded and smiled back. "Well, I guess it's okay with me. I mean, it's not like they haven't been together before, right? So, if you think this would help Daddy out, then I say 'yes'." Then he paused and looked hard at Terri. "But while they're, uh, milking each other ... I want to be with you. For every minute they're together, I want that same amount of time with you. Doing the same things they're doing. Deal?"

Terri shook her head; she took Bobby's hand and put in on her belly again. "You want to be with this fat ol' lady?"

Bobby kept his hand on her belly as he leaned in and kissed his mother on her cheek. Then he whispered, "More than anything, you sexy woman. You know when I said I loved you? I meant it. The thing about my love for Suze is that I love the part of you I see in her."

Terri blushed, smiling. "Well, then. You got yourself a deal. Now I got to go speak with Susie Rose. Then I got to let Daddy know. I don't 'spect he'll take much convincing."

"Nope. I don't either. But you'll let him know about our deal? You and me?"

"Sure will. Your Daddy and I don't sneak around on each other anymore."

"Good."

*****

Bob shook his head when Terri broached the subject of him spending the night—once again—with Susie Rose. "Are you sure about this?" he kept asking his wife.

"Sure I'm sure. Susie said 'yes' and Bobby said 'yes'—so the family is ready, willin', and able 'bout this particular topic." She put her hands around Bob, holding him. "You know you want some more of that pussy of hers. I know you want some more of that pussy. Bobby knows. We're all happy to give you a late Christmas present. Just ... a little vacation. You know?"

"Just a little vacation. Jus' like we talked about."

Terri nodded. "Uh-huh. Then you come back to me and nothin's changed for us. You come back and we have us our baby. You know how much work the little one is goin' to be, right? You and I ain't gonna have too much time for lovin' until the baby is grown a bit. So, I figure ... I gotta give you a vacation a'fore the hard works sets in. Kind of, you know, give you a memory until I can take care of you again the way a wife's 'sposed to do."

"You don't want me slippin' my Longhorn into any other pussy. That's what this is all about."

Terri shrugged. "Maybe that's a part of it, sure. But it ain't the entire part of it. Truth is: I love your sorry ass and I wanna make you happy. Since I'm gonna be out of commission for a while, I need to see to your needs in another way. So ... that's mostly what this is about."

"I do love you, Terri. I know it's gonna be hard, for both of us. Jus' so you know, I won't be stickin' my Longhorn into anybody else's pussy while we take care of Billy and you get yourself back into commission. I'll be there for you and little Billy. That's a promise."

They kissed gently.

"Well, Bob. I do appreciate that you seem to have turned over a new leaf in this second marriage of ours. I surely do! I'm givin' you a pass to go on a little vacation with Susie Rose so long as you come back to me and pick things up just where you left 'em. We have a deal?"

Terri smiled slightly as she saw her husband unconsciously lick his lips. "Oh, hell yeah."

*****

That "vacation night" was a long night. And after it was done, everybody realized that there were going to be other nights just like that one. It wouldn't be every night—no. But before Susie and Bobby returned to college, they were going to have a few more nights just like this one.

Bob, Senior, spent the night in Susie Rose's room. Bobby, Junior, spent the night in Terri's room. Before they disappeared into their rooms, Susie kissed Bobby and Terri kissed Bob. Then the doors closed.

Before that moment, Bob, Senior, and his son took a minute to discuss things—man to man.

"Was she your first?" Bob asked his son.

Bobby nodded. "Yes. She caught me—"

Bob held up his hand. "Nope. I don't need any of the details. I just wanted to know if she was your first." He looked at his son and realized that Bobby was a hair taller than he was. Taller and about 50 pounds lighter. Looking at his son, Bob, Senior, liked what he saw. Bobby is a man now, he realized. He's a man and Terri helped make him that way. Maybe if I'd been around more, he would have been more like me—but I wasn't. Well, I ain't gonna make that mistake again. I will be there for little Billy.

Bob, Senior, clapped Bobby on the back of his shoulders. "Go get 'em, boy!" he said. "Treat your Mama good—you hear me? She gives so much to us all and she deserves to get some back."

Bobby, Junior, nodded. "I'll do my best, Dad. And you? You take care of Suze tonight. I know she really liked what you did to her last time."

"I'll do that, son."

*****

The morning after the first "vacation night" might have been awkward, but Terri and Susie worked hard to keep things normal.

Terri served Bob a cup of black coffee; she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his neck. "Did y'all have yourselves a good time last night?"

Bob's smile gave her the answer without the need for any words to be spoken.

Susie pulled Bobby up from the table and kissed him deeply right in front of their parents, who looked on without saying anything. "Did you have yourself a good time last night?" she asked him.

He smiled and nodded, then pulled her back in for another kiss.

Terri looked around her kitchen as happy as she could remember being. A year ago, she and Bob had been talking divorce. A year ago, her family was about to be broken up into a bunch of pieces. Right now—a year later—the family was stronger than ever.

*******