Super Seven Ch. 06 - Sarah

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continued from Chapter 5

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Greg had barely finished his daily FaceTime chat with Allison when his cell rang.

"Hey, Greg, it's Sarah."

"Hi, Sarah, what's up?"

"Well, I need you to dress up. You don't happen to have a tux, do you?"

"Sorry. Not much need for a tux when I've been a lowly middle school teacher. I do have a nice black suit, though. Will that work?"

"That would be perfect."

"I'd ask what you have in mind, but I've learned over the last few days, you girls like to surprise me."

"Nah. We wouldn't do anything like that, would we?"

He could hear the playfulness in her voice. He had to admit to himself he liked it. But he also felt he should warn her.

"Sarah. I'm in a good place right now, but the emotions come and go. I'll follow your plan, but just so you know, the last time I wore this suit was at the funeral."

"Oh." She didn't know what else to say.

"I think I'll be okay. And I know you girls are doing everything you can to make sure I feel loved. Thank you for that."

"Wow, we're getting deep quick, but you're right, we do love you and we'll do anything to help you."

"So, you'll be here at five. Do you want to come in first, or should I meet you out front?"

"Out front would probably be better. We do have a couple hour drive, and we really should be there before 7:30. Oh, and bring an overnight bag with something casual to wear later."

"Suddenly, I suspect some possibilities of what we may be doing."

"Don't try to guess. Just wait for the surprise. Now hang up so we both can finish getting ready."

"I love you, Sarah."

This was all new to her, too. She'd never had anyone other than family say that to her. She teared up a little. "I love you, too!"

Greg smiled. Life was good again. He bounced up the stairs to his room. He opened the closet to find his suit, fully expecting to break into tears again, thinking about the last time he wore it.

But to his surprise, the tears didn't come this time. He thought about Sarah. He thought about what she would be wearing. He knew it would be more formal. Why else would she ask if he had a tux?

**********

Sarah was another beauty. The best way to describe her was petite. She wasn't tiny like Breanna. In fact, she was perfectly proportioned, just small. He guessed she was probably about 5 foot 2. She had golden surfer girl blonde hair. He seriously wondered if that was her natural color. Greg speculated that her breasts were a large B or small C cup. Her waist was narrow, and her hips had a definite curve to them. All in all, a very pleasing figure. Sarah also had the most gorgeous sky blue eyes.

Sarah's family was probably the most well-off of the group. Her father had been a very successful prosecuting lawyer for years. Recently, he was appointed to be a federal judge. Even in his short time on the bench, he was well-respected for his fair decisions.

Sarah's mother was a neurosurgeon. In fact, she was one of the best. Medical schools used videos of her surgery techniques to teach new doctors. Unfortunately, the research hospital where she worked was about two hours away. For years, Dr. Rachel McCoy would spend four days living in an apartment near the hospital, and then three days at home.

That all changed when Samuel McCoy became Judge McCoy. The Federal Courthouse was in the same city as the hospital. The family had to move. This all happened half way though Sarah's senior year. There were lots of tears. Sarah, of course, wanted to finish her senior year with her friends, both students and teachers.

Everyone expects parents to be unreasonably cold about these situations. In this case, however, Rachel and Sam understood Sarah's concerns. They loved their only child, and they were willing to make a sacrifice for her. They had already made some plans.

One Saturday, her mom came in to wake her. "Sarah, we need you to pack your stuff in your room this morning. We got you some boxes, but you should also use the new suitcases we got last year. My suggestion is that you put the clothes and other items that you're definitely going to need right away in your suitcases. The stuff that you won't need for a few days can be put in boxes."

Sarah didn't say anything, she just got out of bed and started packing. The look on her face was a defeated one. She just wanted this to be over. She decided that she'd put up with wherever her parents came up with, but as soon as she graduated, it would be different. She would come back and try to stay with one of her friends through the summer. At the end of August, she would be going off to college. She would be eighteen, and as an adult, she felt she should make her own life decisions.

After a few minutes, Sarah's mom came in the room and helped her pack. Each time they loaded up a box or a suitcase, her dad would pick it up and carry it to Sarah's car or her mom's SUV. In a couple of hours, they had Sarah's room nearly finished. It somehow never clicked in Sarah's mind that while a few things were packed in other rooms of the house, the only room they really focused on was hers.

When the last box was in the van, Sarah's mom said, "Okay, honey, it's time to go. You're riding with me, and your dad's going to drive your car."

Sarah didn't say anything, but she couldn't help the occasional tear. She headed to the car almost like a zombie leaving the only home she had known.

As they pulled out of the drive, Rachel reached over to squeeze Sarah's hand. "It will be alright, honey. Just trust us, okay."

They drove across town to a new subdivision made up of small duplex condos. Sarah didn't react as her mom pulled into the drive.

"Welcome to your new home away from home."

Sarah looked at her mom. "What are you talking about?"

"Sarah, we know what this move was doing to you. And considering how much we love you, we hated seeing you hurt. We also know how mature you are, and that soon you will be heading off on your own, no matter what else we do. So, your father and I talked about it, and we decided get you your own place. We're leasing it for you right now. It will be yours for the rest of this year and the summer. When you go off to college, we'll drop the lease. If you decide to stay here, we'll buy it for you. We don't want you to ever have to worry about a place to live."

Through all of this, Sarah was opening crying. "Oh, mom, I can't believe you did this for me. I love you so much. Thank you."

At that moment, Sarah's dad stepped up to the car window, both hands carrying suitcases. "I hope you ladies aren't expecting me to carry everything in by myself."

Sarah knew he was joking. She jumped out of the car, and threw her arms around her father. "Oh, daddy, I love you! Thank you!"

"I love you, too, sweetie." They stood there for several minutes, her arms wrapped around him while he held her suitcases.

"Okay, sweetie, let's see your new home."

Her mom held out a key. Sarah took it, screamed, and ran to the front door. She unlocked it, and ran into the house, dashing from room to room, giving little screams as she found the details of her new home.

"I know it's not a very big place, but it should be about right for a single young woman."

"Oh, mom, it's perfect!"

They spent the next few hours getting Sarah settled. About noon, Sarah's dad said. "Honey, I think you need to feed your help."

"Well, I can run out and get something. What do you want?"

"Why don't you fix something here?"

"Obviously, I just moved in, so I don't have anything to fix."

"You don't really think we'd move you in here without filling your pantry and refrigerator full of food, do you?"

"Seriously?" She gave another little scream and ran into the kitchen, exploring things all over again.

She fixed a nice little lunch for them, while her parents relaxed in her living room. After lunch, they stood up and said it was time for them to leave.

"You need a chance to settle into your new home."

"I still can't believe you did this for me." She started to cry.

Her dad wiped away the tears from his eyes. "How could we do anything less? We love you, and we're proud of everything you've done."

She threw her arms around him again. "Thank you, daddy." She then hugged her mom. After a while, they broke apart, and her parents headed toward the door.

Sarah was very happy with her new home, but she also recognized the cost to both her and her parents. She was growing up, and their relationship was changing.

She impulsively decided to lighten the mood as they left. "Now, you guys make sure you call before you come over. You don't want to walk in on me getting naked with my boyfriend or anything. Wink, wink."

Her dad didn't even flinch. "Yeah, about that, one other rule. No boyfriends in the house until you're thirty."

"No problem, call ahead so you're not walking in on me getting naked with my girlfriend."

Her mom also gave as good as she got. "No girlfriends in the house until you're forty."

"Love you, mom. Love you, dad."

"We love you, too. Be good." And they pulled out, leaving her in her new home.

**********

At 4:45, Greg was tying his tie, and his phone rang.

"Hello."

"Mr. Stevens?"

"Yes."

"This is Stephanie Love, Breanna's mother."

Greg thought to himself, "Oh, shit, this could be bad." He tried to be as casual as possible.

"What can I do for you?"

"Well, this is a little awkward. I wasn't going to say anything, but I'm just so happy, I had to call. When I saw Breanna this afternoon, and she started talking to me, I was just floored. She said it was all because of you."

"Well, Mrs. Love, she's a very special young lady. She means a lot to me."

"I know that, and I'm glad to see her blossom. Honestly, I've been worried about her. I'm not going to ask how you did it. I respect my daughter's privacy. I do have my suspicions. I mean, I can pretty much see it in the glow of my daughter's eyes."

"Mrs. Love, I don't know what to say, except that I really, really care for Breanna."

"She really cares for you, too. I've seen the way she lights up when she talks about you." She paused for a few seconds. "It's hard for a parent in this position. I want my daughter to be happy. She's an adult now, and she needs to be free to make her own choices. But please don't hurt her. I'm afraid that would destroy her."

"I do understand your fears. And believe me, I will never do anything to hurt your daughter. I love her too much for that." As soon as he said it, he wondered if it was the wrong thing to say. Telling Breanna he loves her is one thing; to admit it to her mother was a much deeper step. "Trust me, Mrs. Love, I'm following her decisions on how our relationship has proceeded."

"Thank you for telling me that. I can't say I'm entirely comfortable with all of this, even though I really am happy for my daughter."

"As I said, she's a very special young lady."

"Maybe, in a couple of weeks, you can join us for dinner so we can get to know you better."

"Why don't we let Breanna guide us on when is the best time for that as well?"

"You may be right. Take care, Mr. Stevens."

"You, too, Mrs. Love. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Greg stood there staring at his phone for a minute or so, thinking again about how much his life had changed in just a few days. But he realized that Sarah would be there in a few minutes, and quickly finished getting ready. He expected to have a twinge of guilt after his discussion with Breanna's mother. After all, he was about to go on a date with his sixth different woman over the last six days. Yet there was no guilt, only love for these women in his life.

He chuckled a little and said out loud to no one, "How did I ever get so lucky?"

He dashed down the stairs and out the front door just in time. Sarah was just pulling into his drive. She was driving a red Mazda Miata. Greg thought about the fact that he and Mary often joked they wanted one of the nice little sports cars. But after the kids were born, a two seater was never going to be an option.

Greg got in the car and they headed down the road. He got his first look at Sarah. She was very elegant in her makeup and dress. It looked to be a blue satin, floor length gown. It was an asymmetrical design with one strap going over her right shoulder. Because of that, it didn't reveal much in the way of cleavage, but the way the fabric was gathered did show off Sarah's breasts quite well.

Greg couldn't help himself as he became aroused looking at her while she drove. He was surprised that he no longer felt guilty when that happened.

He lived on the edge of town. Technically, he was inside the city limits, but he was far enough out, and he owned a large enough piece of property that he had no close neighbors. He liked the fact that he could be alone if he wanted. And in their town of about 15,000 people, he knew that probably wouldn't change any time soon. He didn't mind.

He also knew there wasn't much in this town in the way of entertainment. Certainly, nothing that would require formal attire. He quickly guessed they had a two-hour drive into the city. Along the way, they had the typical discussions about school and family.

"So, you haven't said what we're doing tonight, although I can probably guess. Honestly, I haven't thought much about what performances are going on right now, but I'm thinking play or musical. Am I close?"

"Performance, yes. Musical or play, no. My parents are patrons of the symphony orchestra. They have box seats."

"Wow. I love music, but I've never imagined box seats."

"I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't want to worry you. My parents will be with us tonight."

She saw him tense up in the seat beside her.

"Greg, dear, it's okay. They know you going to be with me tonight, and they're thrilled."

"Yeah, well, I've never been on a first date, that's also a double date, with my girlfriend's parents. They don't know everything we're planning to do tonight, do they?"

"Well, I didn't tell them that, I just told them that you were going to be my date for the night. We have the concert, and then they want to take us for a late dessert. It will be pretty late when we're supposed to head home, so they invited us to stay at their house. But I told them we would rather stay at the Marriott down the street from the concert hall. They know I have only one room reserved for us. They're both pretty smart. I'm sure they're aware we won't be sleeping the whole time."

Greg just stared blankly ahead.

"By the way, I don't think my mom meant for me to hear, but she did whisper to my dad that you were a "good catch."

"You think they'll still feel that way when they find out about the rest of story? That I'm not yours exclusively? That I have six other girlfriends?"

"Well, let's cross that bridge when we come to it. Honestly, they know how much I've always loved my sisters, and when they find out how much we love you and you love us, and how happy I am, how happy we all are, I think they'll be fine."

"I hope you're right. Just before you picked me up, I got a call from Breanna's mom. She didn't exactly say it, but I could tell she knows pretty much what Breanna and I did last night. She said she was happy for Breanna, but I know she's also worried about it."

"Don't you think all parents are like that? I bet your parents worried when you started getting serious with Mary. They'll see how much we love and care for each other, and they'll be happy."

"Like I said, I hope you're right."

They were quiet for a few minutes. Greg looked at the corn fields passing by. He turned back to Sarah, "You know what. Fuck it, I don't care if they're happy about it or not. What matters is what we think. I know I love you and I want to be with you, and I'm pretty sure you feel the same way."

She laughed. "Exactly the same way."

The mood in the car was noticeably lighter. Sarah giggled a little. "Fuck it? Really? Sounds like Allison is being a bad influence on you."

"Absolutely not. I'm the one that taught her that sometimes, certain words have to be said. In this case "Fuck it" needed to be said. Anything else would have been bullshit." He chuckled as he said it.

"By the way, while we're talking about all of this, remember, my parents have a wicked, sarcastic sense of humor. Even when they love you, if you're not paying attention, they'll eat you alive."

"Isn't that why I've got my lady knight in the blue, formal gown? To protect me from the wicked king and queen?"

"There you go. That's the perfect attitude."

They were quiet again.

"Sarah?"

"Yes?"

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

He could see the big smile brighten her face. "Yes, dear, but I'll never get tired of hearing it."

They were both smiling.

"Greg, dear?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Have I told you lately that I'm yours, body, heart, mind, and spirit, forever and ever?"

"Thank you. I can't believe the happiness you girls have brought to me."

"So can I expect this kind of sappy romantic stuff the rest of my life?"

"It's part of the whole package; sappy, sarcastic, call it like it is, love."

"Good."

Both were lost in their own happy thoughts, but they had to admit, it was a pleasant drive.

Shortly, they were exiting off the expressway into downtown. Sarah pulled into a parking garage, swiped a card to open the gate and turned almost immediately into a numbered parking space.

She flashed a quick smile. "One of the privileges of being a patron. The SUV next to us is my mom's. My dad will probably complain that we're late, even though the truth is, he's always early."

They walked in the door of the concert hall. "So what are we hearing tonight?"

"I don't know the specifics, but I do know it's a tribute to Aaron Copeland."

Greg threw a quick arm around her. "Really? Cool."

She looked at him, slightly puzzled. "What?"

"My favorite composition of all time is "Fanfare for the Common Man." There's nothing to compare to it."

"I can pretty much guarantee we'll hear it tonight."

"I think I love you even more."

"I'll never get tired of hearing that." They maneuvered their way through the lobby. "Look, there's my mom and dad."

Greg suddenly got nervous. Sarah had hold of his left arm, and he put his hand over hers. "Judge McCoy, Dr. McCoy, it's so nice to be with you tonight."

"Mr. Stevens, we're glad you're here. Relax. Please, let's not be so formal. Call us Sam and Rachel. Do you mind if we call you Greg?"

"Sorry, sir, I'm just a little nervous. Of course, you can call me Greg."

"Good. And drop the "sir" crap. Like I said, relax." He broke into a strange little smile, leaned in a little and whispered. "Besides, you've got nothing to worry unless you break my little girl's heart. Then I'll throw you in a jail so dark that Gitmo looks like a preschool playground."

Sarah smacked his arm and said, "Daddy," and the same time Rachel smacked his other arm and said, "Sam."

"What? I'm kidding." He looked a little sheepish. "Greg, I am sorry. I get a little carried away with my humor sometimes. Seriously, I see Sarah's happy, so we're happy."

"It's okay, sir... sorry... Sam, I do get your sense of humor, but I'm going to be serious for a second. This is pretty new to me. Remember it was only last September that I lost my wife and kids."

Rachel had a brief look of pain on her face as she interrupted, "Greg, Sam and I are truly sorry for your loss. We know it was difficult for you. Sarah was very worried for several weeks."

"Thank you. I'm still struggling with it some days. It broke my heart. And you have my word, I will do everything I can to make sure Sarah never feels that kind of pain." He turned to look in Sarah's eyes. "I love you."

Sarah wrapped her arm around him, and looked at her father, "Happy, daddy?"