Setting Wife Up With Our Lawn Boy Pt. 02

At some point during the week, I noticed that the essence of Amanda and Tanner's sex had shifted. At first, they'd been operating on pure instinct and reflex. But as the days progressed, they began to make love in the true sense. Their sex was still passionate, but now it was also tender and soft. They caressed each other more and spent more time watching each other's faces rather than their bodies. It was almost sweet, if not for the fact that Tanner was barely an adult. And the fact that Amanda was married to me.

I suspect this essence-shift was a result of what happened between their sex sessions. In their downtime, Amanda and Tanner began to open to each other. It started slow, with Tanner asking Amanda what it was like to be a teacher and deal with former students like him. Amanda returned by asking what Tanner thought of his own teachers. And then the conversation developed further, into Tanner's plans for college and Amanda's plans for her own life. Soon they were talking about their interests and dreams; their embarrassments and failures. They talked about their love lives; how Tanner had been dumped by his high school girlfriend just after prom. How Amanda had met me and how our marriage had progressed.

Amanda did speak favorably about me, but she also talked about how marriage wasn't what she had expected growing up. She'd been led to believe in happily-ever-after... rather than good-enough-ever-after. She was happy with our marriage, but in the same way that she was happy eating her go-to everyday meals. Easy, comfortable, and healthy... but sometimes she wondered if there was more.

Tanner had just nodded along. When Amanda was done, he asked if maybe happily-ever-after did exist... just with someone else. His meaning was clear, but Amanda didn't flatly deny him. Instead, she replied that while she was flattered, Tanner just didn't understand yet. Tanner didn't push the point, but he did kiss Amanda softly... which led to another love-making session.

At another point, Amanda admitted to Tanner that she regretted not having any kids. She and I had discussed years ago that neither of us felt strongly about having children, but apparently, she'd changed her mind. As she explained to Tanner, she never told me about her change of heart because she didn't want to seem like she was going back on her word. And she knew that I wouldn't change my mind anyway. I felt a pang of guilt at this—I had no idea Amanda wanted kids now. I made a mental note for later.

The climax of their budding relationship came that Friday. After making love that afternoon, they were lying in bed together, cuddling each other closely. There was a somberness to their mood, a result of knowing that their time together was almost up. By the end of the weekend, Tanner would be at college, over a thousand miles away.

Tanner began reminiscing about the first time that he had met Amanda. He talked about how he'd been instantly smitten by her; her grace and beauty too much to withstand. How he spent every day that summer wishing he could get to know Amanda better, how hard it was knowing that she was spoken for. And then... how against all odds she had finally allowed him a taste, and they connected at last.

He was laying it on thick, but Amanda took it well, likely understanding that this was essentially his goodbye to her. But then Tanner did something unexpected. He suggested that maybe he didn't need to go to college after all.

"What?" Amanda had asked, clearly thinking she had misunderstood. "Say that again."

"What if I don't go to college? What if I stay here with you instead?"

"Tanner, you can't skip college for me." Amanda said flatly.

"Why not? People skip college all the time, and for dumber reasons. Besides, I'm not saying I'll skip college for good. Maybe I'll just take a gap year."

Amanda sat up at this point, turning towards Tanner. "Tanner, listen to me. This week has been one of the most incredible weeks of my life. I've loved every second of our time together. And I... care about you. But that's why I can't let you sabotage your future. Even for me."

"But it's not for you, it's for us." Tanner said earnestly. I could tell this had been weighing on his mind heavily.

"For you, for me, for us. It doesn't matter. Going to college is the type of thing that changes your whole life. I won't let you give that up. I know it'll be hard to leave. It's hard for me too. But that's what needs to happen."

"But our connection is also the type of thing that can change your whole life," Tanner countered. "It's already changed mine. Besides, I can always find another college. I won't be able to find another Amanda."

Amanda stayed silent. When she did speak, it was barely above a whisper. "Oh, Tanner, I'm so sorry. I should have never led you on like this. What we have is special, but it's temporary. I'll always remember our time together, but it can't last. I thought you understood this. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise."

Tanner processed her words before responding. "You say we can't last. Why? Because of Mr. Long?"

"Yes, in part. But also, I'm closer to middle age than my teenage years. Starting over isn't as easy for me now," Amanda explained. "But even then, as I've said before, we're just in two different stages of life, Tanner. You're just getting started, while I'm locked into my life-path. Let's say that you do stay here another year. What then? Do you go to college next year when it's even harder for us to separate? Or do you just keep putting college off forever? What happens when you start resenting me for keeping you from your potential?"

"I could never resent you," Tanner said so sincerely that I had no doubt he believed it himself.

"Yes, you could," Amanda gave a rueful half-smile. "It's just part of being human."

She leaned over Tanner and gave him a slow kiss. "Listen, as hard as this is, it will pass. I promise you'll move on. You keep telling me how special I am, and as flattering as that is, I know deep down it's not true. There are a lot of special women out there—your college will be full of them. And unlike me, they won't come with the downside of being temporary. Can you trust me on this, Tanner? Promise me that you'll find a way to make it to college?"

Tanner stared at the ceiling for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Okay, Amanda. I promise. But can we still text once I leave?"

Amanda considered this. "Yes, you can still text. But same rules as before—we can't let Brian see you on my phone."

"Okay. As long as I can still talk to you, I can live with that," he kissed Amanda back. "For the record, though, I don't care what you say. I will never meet anyone as special as you."

They cuddled in bed together for the rest of the afternoon. When Tanner did finally leave, it was fast and without fanfare, almost as if neither of them would be able to stand dragging it out. And just like that, their week together was over.

All of this I discovered well after the fact, of course. There was simply too much camera footage (almost 40 hours' worth!) to watch more than the highlights at first. I didn't realize the full extent of Tanner and Amanda's connection until weeks later, otherwise I probably would have panicked into interfering with it while it was ongoing. No question, they had stopped being fuck buddies and crossed into true lover territory. I still didn't think they could be in a sustainable relationship, even if I wasn't in the picture... but their closeness was concerning.

By the time I made it through all the footage though, Tanner was long gone. At first, they did continue to text—as I discovered when going through Amanda's phone—but without their in-person chemistry, their connection eventually flamed out. By that winter, they hadn't texted each other in months.

Amanda and I were a little rocky both during and after her week with Tanner. She was closed off, likely exhausted from giving so much of herself physically and mentally to him. I was drained too, from the constant rush of either thinking about the two of them or watching and masturbating to them. We were both hollowed shells; more like roommates than husband and wife.

But eventually we returned to our usual selves. Like people coming out of a trance, we began to rediscover each other slowly but surely. Amanda had lamented the mundane nature of our decade-long marriage, but the ritual of our joined lives was what pulled us back together. We began to laugh again, love again, and see each other as spouses again. It was like awakening from a months-long coma. Our relationship would never be the same as before Tanner, but it seemed like we would persevere regardless.

And I did benefit in one major way—I now knew about Amanda's secret desire for kids. I was always ambivalent about the idea, but now that I knew Amanda's true feelings, I began to take another look at it. And I surprised myself by coming around. Sure, kids would change my life and my marriage... but could it be any worse than letting a teenager fuck my wife? It had to be healthier, at least.

I brought the idea of having kids to Amanda one night, and she was so surprised and so happy that she almost cried. Just like that, we were both on board.

Amanda stopped her birth control shortly after, and we began trying to conceive that fall. We didn't have any luck those first few months, which was a little disheartening, but the return of our sex life was a nice silver lining. Using Tanner as inspiration, I began to experiment a bit more in the bedroom too. At first Amanda seemed perplexed by my newfound innovative spirit, but she went along with it. We weren't as fiery as she and Tanner had been, but for spouses married over a decade, I think we were as spicy as could have been expected.

There was still a separation between Amanda and I that I don't think ever would completely go away, even though neither of us acknowledged it. I doubt Amanda realized I even noticed it. But considering how much I'd risked pushing her into Tanner's arms... I counted myself lucky that a little distance was all I faced.

It could have been much worse.

**

And that may have been the end of the story.

But even though Tanner was gone for the moment, he wasn't gone for good.

By that winter, Amanda and I both had moved on. I still masturbated to the videos of them together occasionally, but it was far from the feverish obsession I'd had that summer. Now that they were done, it seemed tamer somehow; less exciting. I knew that Tanner might return at some point, but since he had stopped texting Amanda, I had assumed he'd moved on as well.

Turns out he did... to an extent.

I first became aware of Tanner's return when my doorbell cam alerted me at work on a Friday afternoon. I still received alerts with some regularity, but they were for mundane triggers, like the mailman or a bird. When I casually glanced at my phone expecting another rogue animal, my heart almost stopped when I saw Tanner at our door. It was like seeing a long-buried man return, resurrected and in perfect health.

Amanda was equally surprised to see him. I could hear her shocked greeting when she opened the door, and her confused agreement when he asked if he could enter the house.

I watched my phone closely over the next several minutes for any sign of his departure... but there was nothing. It wasn't until I finished my work shift that he finally left. My mind raced at the possibilities. Sure, he could have slept with Amanda again... but I'd been checking Amanda's phone regularly, and there had been no contact between them. If he'd been wanting to set something up, I would have expected him to reach out first. But an afternoon together was a long time for a quick catch-up...

When I arrived home, I saw no sign of anything out of place. Amanda seemed off-balance, but when I asked her about it, she just made an excuse and said everything was fine. Clearly, she wasn't giving any hints.

It killed me to wait to check my cameras—which I'd kept running even once Tanner had left for college—but somehow I did it. That Saturday morning, when Amanda was sleeping in, I did my now-familiar roundup.

Using multiple camera feeds, I stitched together what had happened and watched through the entire time Tanner and Amanda had spent together.

Once I'd finished, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.

The video started innocently enough.

Tanner entered the house and Amanda found him something to drink. There was a new uncertainty to their dynamic though... it was clear that neither knew quite how to react to the other. They'd been incredibly in-sync that summer, but now months had passed without contact. It was uncharted territory.

Once Tanner had his drink, they sat on the couch together.

"So, back from college, huh?" Amanda had asked, feeling him out.

"Yeah. For a couple weeks anyway. Winter break." Tanner said. "Figured I should stop by and say hi."

"Dropped by just to say hi, huh? You didn't want to text first?" Amanda sounded either skeptical or disappointed; I couldn't tell which.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't even really plan on stopping, but as I drove by, it was like I couldn't help myself. I pulled into your driveway, and next thing I knew, I was at your door."

"Just to say hi?"

"Yeah," Tanner said. He seemed uncharacteristically unsure of himself. He paused for a second. "I've got a girlfriend now. Her name's Mackenzie. She's nice."

"Really? That didn't take you long," Amanda said, still unreadable. "How long have you been dating?"

"A couple months now. We were lab partners in biology."

"Well, congratulations, I suppose," Amanda murmured. She didn't sound thrilled for Tanner, but she didn't seem upset either. Maybe she was still trying to decide how she felt.

"Yeah, it's been good. But how are you? I know it's been a while since we've talked. College has been really busy," Tanner said apologetically.

"Oh, everything's been fine around here," Amanda said casually, but then she perked up. "Brian and I are trying to have a kid now. I didn't think he'd ever want kids, but he was the one who brought up the idea. Can you believe it?"

"Wow, lucky you," Tanner smiled, but it looked forced. "You and him still together, huh?"

Amanda looked at Tanner like he'd questioned that the sky was blue. "Of course, we're still together, Tanner. He's my husband."

Tanner's smile dropped. "I just meant that I thought you'd realize you deserve better by now."

"Brian's a good guy," Amanda said defensively. "And besides, who would I be better off with. You? We've been over this. Plus, you just told me that you've got a girlfriend."

"That's not what I meant," Tanner said, off-balance now. "I just hate to see such a beautiful woman settle for less than she deserves."

"I can take care of myself," Amanda replied. "But what about you? Are you settling?"

Tanner frowned and considered her question. "I... don't know. I really do like Mackenzie. She's pretty, she's nice, she's... my age. But now, here I am at your house, and I don't know why. It's like I couldn't stay away. I feel like... like we haven't gotten... like we..."

"Like we have unfinished business?" Amanda offered.

"Yeah," Tanner said. "Yeah, that."

Amanda scooted towards Tanner's side of the couch and laid her hand on his.

"I know how you feel. This summer with you was an experience I'll never forget. Especially that last week we had... I still think about it and smile. All the conversations. All the laughter. The mind-blowing sex. And then it was over... We never had a chance to let our connection run its natural course, so now it feels incomplete. Like stopping a movie halfway through... or leaving a dinner half-eaten." Amanda stared off, lost in her own thoughts.

Then she shook herself back to attention. "But now, it's too easy to play the what-if game. To wonder what might have happened. Or to feel like it's not quite done. And you may never stop wondering... but it does get easier to deal with, especially if you have a connection with someone else. Like Brian and me. Or you and Mackenzie. Give it time. Focus on your new girlfriend. You'll move on, I promise."

"But what if I don't want to move on?" Tanner asked softly. He looked at Amanda with a mix of uncertainty and hope.

Amanda started to respond, but the words seemed to catch in her mouth. I saw a series of emotions run across her face in rapid succession... pity, sympathy, annoyance, bashfulness... and longing.

Tanner watched Amanda's inner turmoil play out. Seconds passed, and every time Amanda started to speak again, she stopped herself. Tanner must have sensed her ambivalence; without saying a word, he leaned in and planted his lips on hers.

Amanda didn't resist; they shared a single tender kiss, before Amanda pulled back at last.

"Tanner... I can't do this with you again. I can't spend a week with you just to have you leave for months. Besides, what about Mackenzie?" Amanda asked, her eyes searching Tanner's.

Tanner frowned. "Mackenzie's great. I like her a lot. But she's not you."

He paused before continuing. "The truth is, though, I couldn't spend a week with you even if I wanted to. My grandparents fly in tonight. They'll be visiting with us until I go back to college. I'm sorry to cause you trouble by stopping by. I just couldn't resist. Being in the neighborhood brings back too many memories."

Amanda sat silently, either unwilling or unable to respond.

Tanner took her silence as unwillingness. "It's okay, Amanda. You don't have to say anything. I can leave. Sorry to bother you." He stood from the couch.

"Tanner..." Amanda said with a sigh. "Don't leave yet. Brian won't be back for a couple hours. Why don't we spend one last afternoon together? This can be our chance to say goodbye. To end things properly."

Tanner looked down at Amanda, conflict on his own face. He clearly wanted to stay... but I think he was afraid he wouldn't be able to leave again if he did.

Amanda gave him one last push. She stepped from the couch and moved in front of Tanner. Staring up into his eyes, she began to rub her hands through his hair and against his face, with all the tender familiarity of an old lover. And then, for the finishing touch, she slowly pushed her face towards him... just barely grazing her lips against his.

I saw Tanner's uncertainty evaporate. He pressed into her kiss softly, but there was now a hunger to his stance. He began to slowly run his hands along Amanda's body, exploring her curves like a road-weary traveler who had finally found his way home.

Amanda allowed herself to be swallowed by Tanner's embrace, working her body more and more into their kisses. Their tongues began to swirl together, and I saw Amanda smile as their familiar connection revealed itself again. Even from the camera, I could sense the electric charge reforming between the two of them.

Tanner seemed to feel it too, becoming increasingly bold with his hands. He slipped them under Amanda's sweater and pulled it from her head... revealing that Amanda was not wearing a bra underneath, her full breasts exposed to the air. Tanner removed his own shirt next, while Amanda began to fiddle with the button on his jeans. Once she freed it, she kneeled in front of Tanner and pulled both his pants and boxers to the ground. In the process, Tanner's cock sprang upwards, almost hitting her in the face.

Amanda looked up at Tanner lustfully, before returning her gaze to the teen's manhood inches in front of her. She opened her mouth and looked to take him in, but she never quite made contact. She'd gotten close enough that Tanner could probably feel her breath on his cock, but no more. Teasingly, Amanda slowly extended her tongue... and then withdrew it.