The Greatest of These is Love Pt. 01

"C'mon, John, I'll show you where my room is," Dawn said, tugging John's hand. They picked up their bags and headed downstairs. Two girls were gyrating on some dance mats while watching a wide‑screen TV and had not heard Dawn and John behind them. It was only when one of them did a spin that Dawn and John were noticed. The sudden stop of her partner caused the other girl to stumble momentarily. Then squeals of delight sounded as they rushed to envelop Dawn.

"You're home! Oh, God, Dawn, we've missed you!"

While loving on their sister, one of the girls noticed John and froze. Dawn noticed and stopped the other sister momentarily.

"It's okay, Ginny, Gypsy has already given her lick of approval. Mamma's good with him as well. This is my boyfriend, John. John, this here's my sister, Ginny, and her older twin sister, Jenny," Dawn introduced the girls.

Ginny, the one who noticed him, gave a half-smile and a small wave. Jenny, the older and bolder of the twins, stepped away from Dawn and surprised John by wrapped him up in a hug.

"If Gypsy thinks you're okay, that's good enough for me." She breathed in and her eyes widened. "Oh! My! Goodness! You smell so good! Ginny, you've gotta smell him!"

"You do know how weird that sounds, don't you?" Ginny asked. Still, she stepped up to John and wrapped her arms around him once Jenny had stepped away. She took a half‑breath and held it for ten seconds. Exhaling, she turned to look at Dawn and said, "If you let him go, I'm gonna be all over him like white on rice, once I'm old enough. You would wait for me, wouldn't you, John?"

John blushed at Ginny's words and Jenny's affirming nod. Dawn just thought her sisters' reactions were as cute as hell. Dawn pulled John from Ginny's grasp and led him around the stairs and down the hall to her room. She opened the door and gave John very little time to look before she pushed him in and shut the door. He was turning around when she tackled him onto her bed.

She zeroed in on his lips and their tongues came out to play as well. Hands were groping over clothed sensitive areas and the lust was about to spill over. A timid knocking interrupted them along with one of the twins' voices.

"Mamma says Daddy'll be home real soon, so don't go startin' somethin' you can't finish."

"Oh-okay," Dawn stammered out, and a giggling girl was heard retreating.

"Now THAT's a picture-perfect example of 'coitus interruptus'," John observed with a wry grin. He rose from the bed with a small groan of dismay. Extending his hands, he helped Dawn to her feet. They spent a few minutes straightening their clothing, cleaning their faces, and fixing their hair. A quick kiss and they were on their way upstairs. Just as they reached the top step, the front door opened and in walked Dawn's father and youngest brother, Daniel.

"Josh and Danny, supper'll be on the table in fifteen minutes. Go get cleaned up," came the mandate from the kitchen.

The menfolk did not notice Dawn and John emerging from the basement as they headed down the hall toward their rooms. Unbidden, Dawn led John to the kitchen to see if they could be of assistance to Emily in getting the supper on the table. Jenny and Ginny appeared as well and soon the table was set and food was being placed on it.

"Josh! Danny Boy! Supper is NOW!" Emily hollered. Emily took her seat at one end of the table with the twins side by side to her right. "John, you'd best sit here next to me; Dawn can sit next to you, leavin' those two for the menfolk." Emily gestured at the seat to Dawn's left and the one at the other end of the table.

Solicitously, John pulled the chair out for Dawn to sit and gently scooted her up to the table before taking his seat on Emily's left. The food smelled delicious to John. Suddenly the light from the other room dimmed, and Josh Taggart filled the doorway with his youngest son on his heels.

"Well, I see you two made it safely here," his bass voice rumbled, seeming to travel up from the soles of his feet, through his body, and out of his mouth. John started to stand, but Josh Taggart waved him back down.

"Stay seated, young man," Josh's voice rolled over the table. "We don't stand on ceremony 'round here much."

Dawn's brother sidled behind John and Dawn to his seat next to his big sister. John caught a whiff of hay as the boy passed by.

"Where were you?" Dawn asked of her brother.

"Doin' some work around the Patterson's place," he answered. "Who'd ya bring home?"

"That'll wait until after the meal, Danny Boy," his father rumbled, and he reached for the platter of pork chops. That signaled everyone else to reach for something else, and the family and their guest settled in to eat.

The simple meal of pork chops, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, squash, and bread kept everyone's mouth full and conversation to a minimum.

John thought he'd loaded his plate, but then Mamma T added spoonfuls of the vegetables to what he'd already taken. "You're too skinny, John," she said softly. "We have a policy in this household: if you go away from our table hungry, it's your own damned fault. I'm havin' none of that from you, young man!"

"Yes, Mamma T," John replied, equally softly. Dawn heard and smiled as she put her right hand on his left thigh. His compliance with her mother was very pleasing. It boded well for their future together.

"What time does Junior get off of work tonight?" Josh asked after he'd swallowed the last forkful. Everyone else had already finished and was waiting for him to finish his meal.

"I think he's workin' 'til 9:00, so he should be here by 9:15," Emily answered.

"Fair enough. Em, this was excellent as usual! Girls, would you please help your ma clear the table? Danny and I need to have some words with our guest," Josh declared. "Young man, leave those for the girls," Josh commanded John, who had placed a serving bowl on top of his plate and was preparing to carry it to the kitchen. "Come and join us in the great room," Josh 'invited' John.

"Go on. It'll be okay," Dawn whispered to John as she gathered up some dishes.

Gulping some air, John gave Dawn a quick kiss on her cheek then followed Danny out of the dining room to the great room. Josh came in behind John.

Entering the great room, Josh strode to his large, plush recliner. He gestured for John to take a seat on the sofa, and Daniel took a seat at the opposite end of the sofa. Once the young men were settled, Josh sat forward and said gently, "I do not mean to come across as harsh or stiff. However, we're talking about you and my daughter here, so naturally, I'm protective of my 'little girl'."

"I understand, sir," John said with a small quaver in his voice. He swallowed hard and found his voice again. "What would you like to know?"

"Just the usual. Your name, what you're studying, where you're from, how often you're doing my daughter; that sort of stuff."

John's eyes bugged a bit at the last part of Josh's list, but the smile on the large man's face offered some small measure of comfort.

"My name is John Wilson. I'm a junior, at State, obviously, and I'm studying Business Finance. My folks live in the KC area, and I have a younger brother, Owen. I met Dawn through a fix‑up date by her roommate, Julie, and Julie's boyfriend, Tom. Tom and I both work in the accounting lab at school, providing tutoring and teacher's aide services as part of our Work/Study financial aid packages. Dawn and I had our first date at an on-campus movie night four weeks ago today."

"Good. Very good, John. But you still haven't answered all of my questions."

John swallowed, hard, and then tactfully replied, "Sir, it's my understanding that most fathers really don't want to know those kinds of specifics. Furthermore, they are not something I would share with just anyone." John looked meaningfully at Daniel, who was busy with his phone and not seeming to be paying a lot of attention to the conversation.

Josh chuckled, once again with the sound seeming to come from deep within him. Smiling, he nodded his acceptance of John's reply.

"But you two have been intimate, right?"

"Yes, sir, we have." John flushed a bit with embarrassment.

"That's fine. For your information, you are the first guy Dawn has brought home from college. She's been a bit on the wild side, especially since she started school there. But I've noticed some indications of decreasing wildness on her part this month, apart from some expenses on her credit card. I can only assume that they are both due to your influence on her."

"We've been helping each other in areas where our strengths match up to the other's weaknesses. I'm sorry if I seem to have caused a small spending spree. It was certainly never my intention to do so."

Unbeknownst to John, Emily was leaning against the opening between the kitchen and the great room, listening to the conversation. She was smiling a little as she absorbed John's words. Dawn came up behind her mother and placed her chin on her mother's shoulder.

"What are they talking about, Mamma?"

"John's telling how you two seem to shore up each other's weak points."

"Oh, he certainly does, Mamma!"

"Come with me to my bedroom so we can talk privately about you and John."

Bold as new brass, they walked through the great room between the conversing menfolk, then down the hall to Josh and Emily's bedroom. The guys' conversation stilled as they watched their respective women sashay through the room and out of sight. Josh looked over at John and saw what he had hoped to find: genuine affection for his 'little girl'.

"Yeah, it's like that, isn't it?" Josh commented to which John could only nod. "Come on, John. Let's get some fresh air." Josh kicked Daniel's feet as he walked by. "You come too, Danny."

Grumbling, Daniel stood and put his phone in his back pocket, and dutifully followed the other two into the basement and out the doors to the patio. As John and Josh walked off the patio and onto the grass, Daniel spied a football in the corner and picked it up.

"Hey, John, catch!" Daniel gently threw the football into John's chest. John was not expecting that and the football bounced off his chest. He managed to bobble the pigskin a couple of times before pulling it in. Daniel gave a single clap and held out his hands, indicating that he wanted John to throw it back to him. John did throw it back, but very awkwardly and with no spiral on it at all. Daniel snorted at John's throw.

"Come and walk with me, John," Josh called, forestalling Daniel's toss back to John.

Josh was 6'5", towering over John's 5'11" height, but he was both aware of the differential and gentle. He placed his arm around John's shoulder and obliged the young man to stroll with him. Daniel remained at the house, watching the pair with mixed emotions. Josh and John walked away from the house for about five minutes before Josh broke the silence.

"John, I saw how you watched Dawn walk past us. Apart from our sizes, I saw a lot of how I look at Emily in your eyes. Tell me now and tell me true. Do you love her?"

"I'm pretty sure I do, sir. I've never been in love before, so I honestly can't say that what I'm feeling is love. But I physically ache when we're apart. My mind wanders off to thoughts of her if I don't keep a really tight mental focus. Of course, I love the feel of her simply touching me. Just holding her hand causes my heart to race sometimes. I just can't believe that she actually wants to be with me. I'm afraid I'm going to wake up one morning and all of this will have been a dream."

"Thank you for being honest with me, John. Most of us guys are totally clueless about what we're feeling, especially toward women. Like I said before, you're the first guy, and the second person she has ever brought home from school. We met Julie last spring when she came with Dawn for Spring Break. You said that Julie and her boyfriend set you two up?"

John gave a smile at Josh's words. "Yes, Julie and her boyfriend, Tom. I don't know everything behind the fix‑up, but I'm grateful as all get out. We seem to have had an instantaneous connection on that first date. She seems to 'loosen my laces' a bit, especially if I've pulled them too tightly. I want to let you know that she's become the most important person in my life. Do you object to us being together?"

"Not one bit, John. You don't seem to be the kind of guy she typically used to go out with. She was, after all, the head cheerleader of her squad all four years in high school and, by custom, she exclusively dated athletes. But she never brought one home, not even for supper. I don't know what's going on in her head nowadays, but I hope to heaven that she's finally changing for the better. You seem to be one big step in the right direction for her, John. Thank you."

"Thank you for that, sir."

Josh turned them around and they started back to the house.

"I'm very glad to hear that, John. For your information, her bedroom is right below ours and the insulation between the floors is probably not what it should be. If you catch my meaning."

John gulped a little and stammered, "Y-ye-yes sir. I understand perfectly."

"Good. I'm glad we had this chance to talk. I hope to have some more time to talk with both of you before you head back to school on Sunday." Josh gave a piercing whistle and held up his hands. Suddenly, there was a football whizzing about a foot over John's head and easily caught by Josh. John looked up, startled. Daniel was easily more than twenty‑five yards away.

"Danny's got a pretty good arm, wouldn't you say?" Josh asked. "He's the starting quarterback on the Freshman squad this year."

"I'm grateful his aim is good," John said quietly.

= [] = [] =

Meanwhile, in Emily's bedroom, Emily and Dawn lay on the bed facing each other. This was a special time for Dawn, one where she had exclusive access to her mother for as long as they lay there. They just gently stroked each other's arms, reconnecting. Even though Dawn had come home for a weekend about a month earlier, this time was special for Emily.

"Sweet Pea, tell me about him, please."

"He's a Junior, like me, and studying Business Finance. He's sweet and tender; He treats me like a lady, holdin' the door open for me, pullin' out my chair when we eat together. He makes me feel safe. He's smart as a whip. You probably won't see much of it, but don't leave yourself open for a zinger."

"But what about his family?"

"His parents are still together. He has a younger brother, Owen, who may be coming to State next fall. They live up near KC. I don't think he's as close to them as I am to you and Daddy. His family are all from mid-state and west, I think. He'd never been to this part of the state before."

"Do they have any money?" Emily asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

"No, Mamma, they're as poor as church mice, it seems. He has to take the bus when he goes home. He's earned his way through school by keeping his full‑ride scholarship and by working in the accounting lab. That's one reason for his choice of majors. But he hasn't asked me to get him anything. We do a lot of free stuff, and he insists on paying his own way most of the time. Don't go worryin' 'bout me, Mamma. I know a really good thing when I see it, and John's it."

"So, he's not freeloadin' off'n you?" Emily asked.

"Oh, no, Mamma. In fact, it's tough sometimes to get him to let me pay for things. I have to be kinda sneaky 'bout it sometimes. The cologne and the hotel stay were complete surprises to him, and even then he wasn't really comfortable with my payin' for them. No, Mamma, he ain't after my fortune. He's got somethin' even better."

"What's that, sugar?"

"Well, John's got a poker sizeable enough to deserve my callin' him 'Big John'. Kinda like you and Daddy, if you know what I mean." Dawn's face flashed a crafty smile. "I've seen Daddy fresh out of the shower a time or two. John's just as well built, and he takes direction really well."

Emily's eyes widened in surprise, and pleasure for her daughter. Then Emily's smile grew concerned as well. "You are takin' your pill every day, aren't you? I'm still too young to be a grandma."

"Yes, Mamma, every day. But he rubbers up most of the time as well. I've got to be clever to have him take me bareback. It's happened a time or two, but never during dangerous times. He's a very caring lover. To tell the truth, we stopped at that picnic spot about an hour west of here on our way in. I'd have been climbin' the walls if we hadn't."

"I know that spot, Dawn. Your daddy and I have made good use of that hideaway a time or two. I'm so happy for you. You've never brought a guy home before, not even in high school. That's gotta say somethin'. Do you love him? Even more important, does he love you?"

"I'm not sure how he feels, Mamma. He did say he wanted to talk about us once we're heading back to school. I had this moment at the end of August when I didn't like who I was ending up with. Then Julie hooked up with Tom. She's out of her head with love for him, and I can see why. I wanted what she was having so bad, Mamma. Tom's a lot like John; smart, serious, and quiet. I may have taken things a bit too far with Tom one night. I think she and Tom brought John in just to distract me from Tom."

"Looks to me like it mighta worked, Dawn. Now, answer my question: do you love him?"

"I think I do, Mamma. It's still a bit early to say for certain. He's not an athlete, which is good 'cause he doesn't have an athlete's attitude. He's smart and caring and considerate. He listens. I think he's got a good future ahead of him, and I want to see how far this can go."

"That cologne I smelled on him today; that was the one you bought?"

Dawn smiled broadly and nodded. "Uh-huh. I like it on him and I could tell that you do, too." Emily had nothing to say in response. They just lay there, holding each other, basking in the comfort of family.

"I miss you when you're gone to school," Emily stated. "I can't talk with your sisters the way I can with you."

"I know, Mamma, I miss y'all too. But I've got my life ahead of me and I need to do everythin' I can to live it."

They heard the guys coming back inside, so Dawn got up and headed for the great room to await John. As she exited her parents' bedroom, her mother said, "Send your Daddy here to me. We've got some discussin' to do."

"Yes, Mamma."

Making herself comfortable on the sofa, Dawn called out to John once she saw him coming up the stairs from the basement.

"John, please come here and sit with me a spell. Oh, Daddy, Mamma asked me to send you to her in your bedroom."

"Okay, Dawn. I'll head straight back there. Don't you two do nothin' your mamma and I wouldn't do," Josh said with a smile. He gave John a gentle shove in Dawn's direction. "Junior'll be home from work shortly after 9:00. It'd be nice if you'd stay up to meet him."

"Yes, Daddy, we'll wait for him to get home." Dawn reached up and pulled John down by his belt to sit next to her, and quickly had him wrapped in her arms. Before succumbing to her obvious desires, he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was just past 8:00 so they had some time to indulge in each other. John grasped Dawn's head in both of his hands and held her in place while he fastened his lips to hers.

Time passed quickly for the passionate pair. All too soon, the front door opened and in walked a small mountain. He was nearly as tall as Josh and nearly as wide in the shoulders.

"Ahem," Junior Taggart cleared his throat. "I don't mean to interrupt y'all, but you are out here where everybody and their dog can see you."

John jerked away, but Dawn kept right on kissing him, now slightly laying on him. She looked up with a wicked grin and said, "Take a seat, Junior. You might learn somethin'."