Take Me, Tom Pt. 87-89

"I'm glad she's not with David. That sounds harsh, but Richard and I were never certain about them, and he is just so...controlling. She seems to have found something with you...and Chrissie?" she said, her face uncertain.

"So? You...know about Chrissie and me?" I asked, hesitantly.

"Tom? Anyone can see how you are with each other...and our Emily. I have always thought highly of Chrissie. They were the best of friends, something that had been missing in her life for so long. Emily has explained to Richard and me about your uh, unorthodox relationship. We have never judged, understand? These things happen, not often, but they do," she chuckled. "We're glad Emily has found you both. Just be patient, and...be kind?" she asked.

"Tilly? Always, okay? Your daughter brings so much to us, which is why it works. It just seems we belong together. We're all aware of our problems, but it's worth it. We'll be fine, though. We have each other," I said, heartedly.

Tilly stood and hugged me, her affection for us all evident.

Emily walked toward us, and smiled. "You teaching him anything, mom?" she giggled.

"I think I'll leave that to you, Emily. He's not too bad at clearing weeds, though!" she smiled.

Emily wrapped her arm around my waist, and lovingly kissed me. "That's a start!" she laughed. "C'mon, buster, we have things to do!"

I hugged Tilly again, and walked to the house, Ems's arm hooked through mine. I turned my head, and looked at her mom, who was smiling at us.

"Did you have a good chat, Tom?" she asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I did, Ems. Your mom's okay, you know?" I sniggered.

"That she is, darling man," she sighed. "So, what are your plans for today?"

"Well, the first thing is to go online and buy a larger bed!"I smiled. "I'll have it delivered to the house next week, after we close. You can talk with the rep, and make sure she's there to take it in?" I asked. "I'll buy the bed, and you and Chrissie pick out the frame, okay?"

"Oooo, a new bed!" she smirked. "I hope larger than Chrissie's?" she asked.

"I'm thinking a 'super-king-size'. That should do for us!" I smirked.

I grabbed my laptop, and found a nice one at John Lewis, then had Chrissie and Ems choose a frame. Emily emailed the rep, Heidi, to see what day would be good. For what we were paying her, any day we wanted should be good!

Privately, I asked David if he'd like to go see his dad. He looked at me, surprised, and said he would like that.

We went into the backyard, and I told everyone that David and I would be out for a while but would be back in an hour. Chrissie looked at me, and knew. She smiled sweetly, hugged me, and told us they'd be here when we returned.

We stopped off, bought a bouquet of flowers, and made our way to the cemetery. I had my arm around his shoulders as we found his grave quickly this time, and then left him to his thoughts.

David sat on the warm grass, crossed his legs, and was seemingly deep in thought. After thirty minutes, he got up, and grasped my hand, saying, "Thanks, Dad," and we headed off in silence.

We returned to Richard and Tilly's, all eyes on us as we walked to the back garden. Tilly gave me an approving look, as Chrissie came over, and wrapped her arms around my head, sighing, "Thank you, darling."

We decided on a last walk to the lake we had frequented so often. Chrissie and Ems made a substantial picnic lunch, and we headed off, the sky clear, and the sun out! David and I veered off the path, looking for Indian arrowheads, and anything else that looked interesting. I idly talked about the move, trying to find out how he was about it. David seemed to be as excited as all of us. Sure, a bit of trepidation, but he was looking forward to it.

We followed a well-worn path that ended by the lake, and saw the three of them lying in the sun, blanket laid out, and plates ready to be filled. We had our last picnic, reminiscing about all the times we had come here over the years, but it was time to move on. The kids headed to the shoreline whilst I laid back, taking in the afternoon sun. Chrissie and Emily rested their heads on my shoulder, and we all sighed. Chloe eventually returned to us, climbed on me, and laid on my body, her little arms hugging me. It was a good day.

We headed back to the house, all of us drained by the day. Richard and Tilly had prepared an easy dinner for us, so we all sat outside, the conversation relaxed, and easy.

Eventually, the kids were in bed, their last week of US schooling starting tomorrow. Tilly poured the drinks, and we relaxed in reassured support of each other. Chrissie and Ems talked excitedly about London, and their prospects for the future. It was getting late, so I begged off, and headed to bed. Chrissie and Ems, being unemployed, stayed up, and chatted with Richard and Tilly. I kissed them both before I headed upstairs, hugged Tilly, and shook Richards's hand, thanking them, again, for all they were doing for us.

Chapter 89

Monday--Starting Anew

The last week and a half had flown by. I'm glad I had the time to sort out last-minute things, but Chrissie and Emily had everything in hand. I couldn't be prouder of them.

We closed on the house, signed contracts electronically, and sent monies. Chrissie and Emily sat with me, as I transferred 1.45 million pounds to the agent. We all laughed. When we arrived, we only had to call the realtor, and she would have the keys for us.

We had a lovely goodbye dinner with Martin and Grace, promising to keep in touch, and hook up whenever they were in London. I said my final goodbyes, possibly, to Arthur, and everyone in the Chicago office. I had called mom and dad, letting them know when we were leaving, and that we'd love to see them before we went. They were cool about the meeting, but I felt we all had to do this. We did, finally, catch up with them. Their sadness was palpable, but our minds were made up. They loved seeing David and Chloe, for the last time, perhaps. Chrissie was stoic, refusing to give an inch. There was no room for compromise on this, the new beginning for her, and our lives together. I only hoped that, with time, they would grudgingly accept our decisions.

Our last night with Richard and Tilly almost broke their hearts, too. At least they were supportive of their daughter, and of us. They would sort out any last-minute paraphernalia that would come up for us. We had a lazy Sunday, not having to leave until two. Chrissie called mom and dad, just to say goodbye again. We sat in the backyard, Tilly plying the kids with food and cuddles. She kindly made up little lunch boxes for them, somehow thinking BA wouldn't feed us! It was a thoughtful gesture, though. We handed Emily's parents a nice bag with a few 'thank you' gifts. Unnecessary, yes, but still. Chrissie had chosen a nice bottle of perfume for Tilly, and I had picked out an even nicer single malt for Richard. They were taken aback, and accepted them gratefully.

We arrived at O'Hare, checked in, and, soon enough, were in our seats, the kids excited beyond belief! I had booked a row of three seats, and then the two seats on our left. At least we'd be together. We flew Economy Plus, as the First Class, one-way, was 10k...each, versus 3k! Our flight left at five p.m., arriving at seven a.m. Monday morning. I'm sure we'd all sleep at some point.

We all changed seats constantly during the flight, as the kids wanted to experience flying from a different seat...every hour, it seemed! It was touching that the kids wanted to change seats, as I was able to catch up with Chrissie and Emily during all these swaps. The kids were getting sleepy, and Chloe wanted to use me as her pillow. I laughed at her, and pulled her tight, covering her with the blanket. Chrissie and Emily continued to tease me during the flight, their eyes looking at the bathroom, raising their eyebrows, cheekily.

We made it through Passport and Customs with no problems, all of our various visas checked, and stamped. We were here! At last!

We each had two suitcases, so navigating those was a bit problematic. Still, we finally walked into the arrivals area, and a guy with my name on a card was waiting. "We're in 'Ing len', Little One!" I teased Chloe, and she smiled shyly at us.

I contacted Madeline, giving her our arrival time at the house. We pulled up to our new home around nine, and Chrissie was more excited than anyone.

"Welcome to our new home, everyone!" I chuckled. "We think you're going to love it!"

We stumbled out of the large, but comfortable people carrier, and grabbed our suitcases. Madeline opened the front door, and came out to greet us. Introductions done, I led everyone in, telling them we would go room to room before they all ran off in different directions. Chrissie was the worst one, wanting to see it all right away. Ems held her hand, trying to calm her down, and temper her expectations. We took everyone to the front room, Chrissie and Emily almost crying. It was set up exactly as they talked about; Emily's prints, and paintings exactly where they wanted them. I was impressed.

Chrissie, like Emily, wanted to see the kitchen, but we headed upstairs first, showing the kids their rooms. Again, they were all perfect, as if we had just been on a day out. The beds were made with fresh linen, all their clothes were hung up, and toys were precisely where Chrissie had wanted them laid out. They both loved them!

We all took the next set of stairs to the top floor, and our bedroom. Again, perfect. Our new bed was made, comforters and pillow laid out just correct, as if this was show home. In the 'spare' room, the new sofa bed was exactly as we ordered, desks were set up with computers hooked up, and the wardrobe was filled with clothes.

David looked out the rear window, and saw the annexe, squealing, "Look, mom!" Chrissie turned to me, tears streaming down her face, and hugged me, Emily, behind her, doing the same.

"Ems? Would you like to show Chrissie the kitchen now?" I asked.

We trundled down the stairs, and Ems took us down the wide hallway. Chloe was ecstatic, running around, touching, and amazed at everything. Madeline stood there watching us, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Ohhh, Tom. This...this is...perfect, darling," she cried, and we kissed. I noticed Madeline's face, as it was Ems whom she had met. Oops. Emily took her by the hand, and walked her around the is land, showing her the little bits and pieces. Emily's chairs worked well with the walnut table. I opened the fridge, and it was stocked full of food!

I walked to Madeline, and thanked her, saying, "It's wonderful, Madeline. Thank you so much for all your help. I guess they like it!" I chuckled. I opened the sliding door, and the kids ran out into the garden, David heading for the annexe. Chrissie and Emily hugged Madeline, and thanked her, too.

"This...this wonderful, Madeline," Chrissie sighed, finally drying her eyes.

"Well, Tom certainly has a good eye. I'm sure you'll all be very happy here. Welcome to Richmond!" she smiled.

I collected the paperwork, and spare keys, and we had a walk around, Madeline pointing out where all the services were. I checked the title, and all three of our names were on it. I'd have to talk with

them about wills soon!

We thanked Madeline again, and saw her out. Closing the door, the girls whooped! We walked, hand in hand, to the kitchen, and then outside to the annexe. Chloe was chasing David around the vast garden, making us all smile.

I went back into the kitchen, and pulled some juice out for everyone, the glasses exactly where they should be. I poured five tumblers, and stood there.

'Fuck', is the only word I could come up with.

Emily walked in, and said, "You okay, Tom?" and smiled.

"We fucking did it, didn't we, Ems?" I laughed, and kissed her.

"Yes, Tom. WE did," she sighed, leaning her head on my shoulder.

I called everyone in, handing them all a glass.

"Here's to our new home!" I smiled, and we all 'clinked' glasses, and took another walk through the house. "Do you like it, David?"

"I think it's great, dad!" he smiled. "It's so big!"

"Well," I said to everyone. "I think we're all going to be very happy here!"

Reality kicked in, and we carefully moved the suitcases upstairs, Chrissie and Ems helping the kids sort through everything. I made some feeble excuse, and walked around the house, taking in the enormity of what we had accomplished. I poured a single malt, easily finding the bottle, and my tumbler, and walked from room to room.

Eight, nine months ago, I was living in Canary Wharf in a fabulous rented apartment, single, somewhat happy, and climbing the proverbial ladder here. Now I have a mortgage, responsibilities I could never imagine, and four people who relied on me, but four people I loved dearly. I sat on the settee, and smiled. [This is our home, I thought.] I loved it. I took another sip, and headed to the kitchen, my hand moving across the sleek countertop, opening drawers, and cabinets, and just nosing around. [Yeah, I could live here! I thought, gratefully!] I opened the sliding French doors, and walked to the single bench in the yard. I sat down, my back against the high fence, and had another sip of the peaty whisky. I heard a window knocking, and looked up, Chrissie and David waving at me. I raised my glass, and smiled.

A few minutes later, Chrissie sashayed out, her loose dress floating around her legs. She shifted me over, and sat beside me, her hand gently on my thigh.

"What's up, buster?" she smiled, and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Second thoughts?"

"Christ, no, Chrissie," I said, and took another sip. "Just...thoughts, I guess. I just cannot believe we pulled this off," I sighed.

"We did, Tom. God, it is unbelievable, isn't it? It is what you want still?" she asked.

I looked at her, my hand gripped her head, as I brought my lips to hers. "I couldn't be happier with my life, our life, darling," I sighed, and kissed her again.

"So. Now what?" Chrissie laughed.

"Fuck if I know!" I laughed back. "I guess we take the kids for a walk, maybe grab lunch, and get a feel for the place. Have you and Ems given any thought to how we should introduce ourselves? This is our home now, so we need to think about these things," I said.

"Well, I think our whole teasing about us being wives should stop...unless we're alone," she giggled. "I think we do you as you said, and we just use our first names, and see what comes next."

"Yeah, but it's what comes next that concerns me. I think we just admit what we are...poly, and leave it at that," I replied. "It's not exactly against the law, ya know. If we get it out there, to begin with, there'll be no lies to remember. I don't mean we flaunt it, but I'm not happy about denying it, either. I'm thinking about Emily, as much as I am about us, darling. Whatcha think?" I asked.

"Let me go grab Em, and see if she's comfortable with that, okay? We all need to agree on this, right?" she asked, and went back into our house, coming out with Ems a few minutes later.

"You happy, Ems?" I asked.

"Tom...I'm...still speechless. This is...all ours?" she smiled. "I couldn't be happier, darling," she sighed, kissing us both.

"Tom suggested we all go for a walk while the kids are still awake, but...we've just been talking about how we want to be recognised here. This could be our home for the next forty years, so how do we want people to know us? Tom has suggested we just use our names, but if anyone asks, we're honest, and say that we're poly. What do you think about that, Em?" Chrissie asked.

"Wow! Well, I'm sure we've all given this a lot of thought, and I agree with you...let's just be open about who we are, and deal with the repercussions as they come," Ems said.

"Whew. That was easy," I chuckled, as they both whacked me. "I really think we're going to be happy here. We need to pay attention to our Sunday meetings now, right? We're dealing with a whole new set of situations, so let's keep it open," I said.

The kids came running out, happy, but tired. We decided to put off the walk for a bit, and laid them both down for a nap, something we could all use now! We had them sorted in their new beds in no time, then climbed the stairs to ours. The new bed was huge! We cleaned up, slipped into shorts, and tops, and slid between the luxurious sheets, all smiling. Chrissie would need to get a note of thanks to the moving company, thanking them for the outstanding service. I slid in the middle, the other two seemingly miles from me!

"I...I love the bed, Tom," Chrissie giggled.

"I love the bed frame, Chrissie," I snickered. She and Ems had chosen a black metal frame with a gentle curvature on both ends, with adequate room to attach any ties that may come into play. It was

simple, but elegant, and worked with the room.

I pulled them both to my chest, their hair ticking me somewhat. I leaned over to both, inhaling, and kissing them. We lazily chatted 'til we all slipped into a deep sleep.