The Greatest of These is Love Pt. 06

She looked at him with a slightly glazed expression, and he chuckled. He gently wiped her face and forehead, then proceeded to clean her groin. She was unable to do anything more than spread her legs to make it easier for him. When he returned from tossing the washcloth into the bathroom sink, Dawn turned her head to look at him with adoration.

"You are so good to me, John. What could I have done to deserve you? And where the hell did THAT all come from?" She feebly gestured with her hand at nothing specific.

"Grandma told me that many women like it when the man takes charge once in a while. I thought back and realized that I've been rather passive in our relationship. So, I decided between the elevator and the room to take charge. I don't care about your past; it's your present and our future that are the most important things to me."

"That was one hell of a 'present', Big John," she croaked. "I don't know how many more of those you have in your sack, Santa, but please don't keep them for just once a year." That drew a big smile from John as he recalled the punchline to a Christmas joke about Santa and "only once a year".

"I'm getting a bit hungry, Dawnie. How about you?"

"Oh, God, yes! Let me get dressed while you inquire of Lord Google about what's available," she responded. "How the hell did my clothes end up over there?" she wondered aloud. John handed the strewn clothing back to her, then dressed once he had tracked down his clothes.

"Can we do Panda Express?" she inquired as he was searching for places to eat. "I like their Orange Chicken with both rice and noodles. And an egg roll."

John found a Panda Express although it wasn't exactly close by. They decided to drive the extra bit and soon were heading for supper. John's Midwestern palate couldn't handle a lot of spiciness, so he opted for some Beef and Broccoli over white rice. Because they had indulged in an extended coitus session after getting the room, they were well past the usual suppertime rush and easily found a table to sit at and eat, facing each other. Their feet were quickly entangled since they needed their hands to eat.

They talked about the upcoming time apart. The four weeks without each other that loomed before them seemed daunting. Classes did not resume until mid‑January. They had not been physically separated for more than a couple of days since they began dating, and both were concerned about how they would cope. They promised to try to talk with each other every evening, and if something prevented that, they would try to make up for it by texting a lot. John was especially worried about past boyfriends encroaching on his girlfriend when he could not do anything about it. He had to trust her to remain true to him. He felt stymied by his inability to spend more time with her over the holiday break. Dawn sensed his uneasiness and tried her best to allay his worries.

"How about you give me that Gonzalez jersey you have hanging in your closet?" she suggested. "You could apply some of your 'Business Man' cologne around the collar. I'm sure that would constantly remind me of you while we're apart."

"I'll think about it," John replied. He had already decided to give it to her, and now it appeared as though it was her idea. When your woman wants something you no longer wear, to keep you in her thoughts, you gladly give it to her.

Changing the topic, Dawn asked how far it was from the hotel to where they were meeting his grandparents in the morning.

"Do you mean mileage‑wise or time‑wise? I've only ever been to their church once, so I know roughly where it is. I'm guessing it's about a 20‑minute drive, especially on a Sunday morning."

"Okay, so when do we need to leave the hotel?" she pressed.

"Grandpa told me that they attend the 11:00 service, so no later than 10:30. That should leave us plenty of time for the hotel's breakfast bar and ..." he bounced his eyebrows, suggestively. Dawn flashed a quick smile in response but said nothing. She took another bite of her eggroll.

"So, what is our game plan for tomorrow?" she asked after swallowing.

"We are to meet Grandma and Grandpa at church, endure the worship service, then drive out to their house for lunch and some get‑to‑know‑you time together. I hope we're lucky to have her accept you as easily as Grandpa Smith did. When we're ready, we'll drive back to Freedom for the night. It's pretty straightforward."

"Endure? Did you have to 'endure' church with us on All Saints Day or before Thanksgiving?" she asked with a questioning edge to her voice.

"Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best word to use. No, it was not 'enduring' anything to visit your family's church with you. I had already met your family and they seemed to like me; my grandparents haven't met you yet. We also weren't in my grandparents' presence among people that neither of us knew. Which reminds me that I need to let them know we're here in town safely. Excuse me for a minute‽"

They returned to their hotel room and got ready for bed. It was still a little early, but Dawn emerged from the bathroom wearing a t‑shirt and panties, indicating to John that only cuddling would be on the menu. He followed suit and she kissed him sweetly, seeing his acceptance.

"Oh, John, I've missed sleeping with you holding me and keeping me safe. Come on, let's get a good night's rest. We can indulge ourselves a little in the morning."

They snuggled together in the large bed like two spoons. She shimmied her panty‑clad butt against his inflating cock and said, "In the morning, please. I need the night to recover a bit." She placed his hand on her breast so he could feel her hardening nipple through her shirt. He kissed the back of her neck and they quickly fell asleep.

= [] = [] =

After a slightly later‑than‑usual supper due to Kathryn's blatant desire to demonstrate her appreciation for Oliver's planning of their summertime cruise, the Drs. Smith sat at the table sharing a slice of cheesecake.

"You know, if both of Susan's boys are down at State next fall, it might be nice for them to have a car to share," Oliver began. "John told me how he has to take the bus back and forth from KC. This time, Dawn brought him home to meet us and his other grandparents."

"That was awfully kind of her, I think, volunteering to meet all of us," Kathryn commented. "I was always in favor of her being in John's life, despite her keeping him from coming home at Thanksgiving."

"That was his decision, dearest," Oliver defended his grandson, not noticing the corners of her mouth crinkling up as she guided her husband's thoughts.

"So, why raise this point?" she probed.

"We're fairly certain that Susan and Henry can't afford a third car, as stretched as they allowed themselves become." Kathryn nodded encouragingly. "What would you think about us speaking with Irving and Margaret and splitting the cost of a car for the boys?"

"I think there's room in the budget to share that expense, provided they will match and we find a decent vehicle at a good price."

"We'll just have to talk with them about it. Now, where were we when we got distracted by our stomachs trying to claw out of our bodies?" Eyebrows waggled suggestively, and scampering feet were heard, followed by a woman's giggles.

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Dawn woke with John still spooning her from behind, and she luxuriated in the feeling and sentiments. His morning wood was evident, and then his hands began to roam, gently squeezing her breasts and lightly plucking on her burgeoning nipples.

"You realize this is probably the last chance we'll have to do this, right?" she queried, wiggling her panties off completely.

"At least for this year and until we get back to school, quite probably," he responded.

"I wanna ride you, John. I wanna ride your cock until it spills its treasure into my hungry pussy. Make love to me, John. Make love to the woman who loves you!"

John had no words to answer her with. He quickly shucked his briefs and wiggled to the middle of the bed. This was what he had grown accustomed to: Dawn deciding what she wanted, how she wanted it, yet making it wonderful for the both of them.

It was a slow, loving coitus session that ended as Dawn had desired, with her pussy full of John's semen. She knew she was safe; her "danger" time was the previous week during finals, and she took her pill every morning. She leaned down to rub her nose with John's and declared, "I love you, John Wilson."

"And I love you, Dawn Taggart. Let's get cleaned up and dressed for church with my grandparents."

Dawn was worried the entire trip from the hotel to the church. She had a nice blouse to wear, but only jeans and casual shoes for her bottom half. She even asked John to cancel meeting his grandparents saying she was sick. Which she was, but only with worry. She could not believe that she had not packed a decent skirt, nor had she thought to pick one up at the mall on Friday. It was obvious, at least to her, that she had not considered the possibility of going to church while visiting John's family. Her discomfort grew with each passing mile.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Dawn was relieved by the sign she saw.

"God cares for what's in your heart, not on your back. Even our pastor wears blue jeans."

Once she had parked her car, Dawn turned to look at a smirking John.

"You knew about this sign, didn't you‽" she demanded.

"I respectfully decline to answer that question on the grounds that I might incriminate myself," John replied.

"You let me worry all the way here from the hotel!"

"Maybe yes, maybe no. What did your worrying achieve? Is there a lesson to be learned from this morning, perhaps? Maybe not to jump to conclusions until you have all the facts? Hmmm?"

Dawn could tell this was a very diverse congregation as she walked beside John, without holding his hand, to the front doors. The parked vehicles ranged from brand new to very old, with some visible rust. The people were a blend of differing ages and races. There were people using walkers or canes, and others with young children.

John's grandparents were waiting inside where it was warmer. They had already hung their coats and clipped on their members' nametags. John's eyes lit with his delight at seeing them again. He pulled a still slightly hesitant Dawn over to one side, out of the way of others coming in the doors, as he stepped up to greet his grandparents.

"Oh, Grandma, it's so good to see you again!" he declared, pulling her into a gentle hug. It wasn't that she was particularly frail or in declining health. He was accommodating her slight stature, barely 5'2" compared to his 5'11". She hugged him tightly in return and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a slight trace of her lipstick. John and Owen were her only grandchildren and John was secretly her favorite of the two, being the oldest.

Irving Wilson greeted his grandson with a hankie in his left hand and his right extended for a handshake. John accepted both, pulling his grandfather in for a manly hug as well. Margaret tugged the handkerchief from John's hand and scrubbed at the lipstick residue on John's face.

"And, is this lovely lady your girlfriend, Miss Dawn?" Irving asked while giving her a quick up‑and‑down inspection. A gradual smile and a slow nod signified his approval of John's choice of Dawn.

"Yes, she is. Grandma and Grandpa, this is my girlfriend, Dawn Taggart. Dawn, these are my father's parents, Irving and Margaret Wilson," John introduced them all. Margaret extended a hand to Dawn, who graciously and cautiously accepted the handshake. That triggered Irving's exclamation, "Balderdash! I hope she's on her way to becoming family, Maggie. We don't greet family that way."

Grandpa Wilson enveloped Dawn in his brawny arms and cradled her protectively. Surprised at this unexpected display of his approval, Dawn quickly relaxed into his embrace and compared it to her father's. The two men were physically similar. She could not help but allow a single tear of relief and happiness to escape her eye at his effusiveness.

"Johnny?" they heard and all four turned to look in the direction the voice came from. It took him a few seconds to place the face and voice, but once he did, he stepped right up to the lady who had asked the question. The woman at her side looked somewhat familiar as well, but John couldn't immediately place her.

"Aunt Jewel?" John's eyes bulged with his surprise. At the lady's nod of acknowledgment, Dawn gently pushed off from Grandpa Wilson to check out the latest of the day's surprises. John stepped quickly to Aunt Jewel and tentatively embraced her.

"Oh, I need a whole lot more of that, young man," Jewel gently scolded her great‑nephew. She hugged him much tighter, and the delicate scent of lilacs invaded his nose. She released him and stepped back. While John was gesturing with his left arm for Dawn to approach, Jewel introduced her companion. "You probably don't recall having met my cousin, Helen Wilson. Helen, this is half of the latest generation of my side of the Wilson tree, my great‑nephew John; and ...?" her voice trailed off.

"Aint Jewel, ahm Johnny's girlfrien', Dawn Taggart," Dawn said with a slight Southern drawl, which got a huge smile and laugh from Jewel, and a questioning look from Helen. Jewel's raucous laughter drew glares from some of the others entering for worship.

"Oh dear, my dear! You truly are non-blooded kin!" Jewel replied, echoing Dawn's accent. Turning to Helen, Jewel said, "We'll explain later, Hel. For now, we need to take our seats for the service." Jewel took Dawn by the elbow and led her and Helen to an unoccupied row of comfortable seats. John, Irving, and Margaret were initially taken aback but eventually followed the trio. They sat with Irving on the aisle, then Margaret, John, Dawn, Jewel, and Helen, taking up the entire row of seats.

It was the fourth Sunday of Advent and the sermon topic was Love. Specifically, it was about the angel's message to Mary about her unborn son, who was to be named Jesus. The pastor repeated all of the requisite words of the angel's message but spent the last half of his sermon time urging the congregation to consider what love truly is.

"This is just my take on this subject. You are free to accept what works and doesn't work for you. When we are told to 'love thy neighbor as thyself', I believe it means to truly care for what happens to that person, whether you like them or not. It's the highest and purest form of love. It's also the hardest one to do correctly. But I believe that God did it right, with Jesus."

In the parking lot, the six split into three groups heading for their cars.

"Do you know how to get to our house from here?" Irving called out before they got too separated.

"Yes, Grandpa, I know where we're going, but we'll follow you anyway," John replied.

Dawn had been holding his hand once again after the subtle message in the pastor's sermon. John realized this and recalled that she had not held his hand on the way into the building. He mulled that in his mind as they got into the car. Dawn also let him drive as he knew which car to follow. Once they were on the road following John's grandparents' car, Dawn tried to speak, cleared her throat, and tried once more.

"John, I'm sorry that I was angry with you earlier. I was anxious about meeting your father's parents and my concerns about my attire just got me all spun up. You didn't help matters with your carefree attitude. It felt like you weren't taking my worries seriously. I intentionally refrained from holding your hand while we walked up to the doors. I didn't want to argue or fight, but I wanted to let you know that I was not happy."

John wisely held his tongue in check. The smartass in him wanted to ask her, 'So, which of the other six dwarves were you?' Instead, he said, "I don't like to fight or disagree with you either, Dawn. Honestly, I was so focused on seeing my grandparents that I didn't notice at the time that you weren't holding my hand. I realized it as we returned to the car, though, and I was trying to think through what it meant. Please forgive me for my lapses. I'm used to being one of the smartest people in the room, and I easily fall into lecture mode, which is great for the Accounting Lab and the students I try to help, but not so great for you and me. I'm sorry." He lifted his right hand off the gear shifter and kissed the knuckles on her left hand, which she had placed atop his. That simple act of contrition caused her love for him to grow still deeper and her loins to twitch.

They followed John's grandparents westward from the church down some curving county highways. John coolly remained behind his grandfather and noticed the third car following them from the church. They passed a large farmhouse where the trailing car turned in, then they passed a large, empty field, and finally turned into his grandparents' place.

After helping Dawn from her car, John turned to his grandfather with a questioning gaze.

"Grandpa, was that Aunt Jewel following us?"

"Yes, she and Helen live in that farmhouse across the field," Irving stated, pointing. "Much of the land on this side of the road used to belong to my grandfather, Irving Wilson, for whom I'm named. We can talk more about this indoors if you'd like. It's a little chilly out here for my old bones."

Margaret had begun to reheat leftovers while Dawn was trying to ingratiate herself by being helpful and setting the table. She was a little puzzled when Margaret got out five plates and sets of utensils.

"Why five place settings?"

"Jewel will be joining us," Margaret explained. "Helen is choosing to remain at home, though." Dawn smiled and nodded and completed the simple task. Margaret paused for a moment to watch Dawn and saw that there was no sign of reluctance or contrariness on the younger woman's part. With a smile and quick nod to herself, Margaret resumed lunch preparation.

John and his grandfather waited inside by the door, and Aunt Jewel wasn't very much longer in arriving. Irving opened the door for his sister, who swept in and gathered John in a huge hug, completely ignoring her big brother who shut the door with a knowing, rueful shake of his head. Why should he have expected anything different from his baby sister?

"Aunt Jewel, it's so good to see you again," John sputtered out. "But I was surprised to see you and your cousin, Helen, at church this morning."

"Oh, we occasionally slip in through an unlocked door and sit in the back," Jewel said with a teasing smile. "After all, that denomination is quite proud of its 'Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors' slogan. But enough about me. Come, sit down, and tell me about all that's been going on with you!" She led the way through the living room into the dining room. She saw the five places set at the table and moved to take the one on the opposite side of the table, gesturing for John to take one of the two together on the opposite side from her.

Margaret and Dawn came bustling in from the kitchen carrying platters and bowls, and Irving was summoned to sit down for the meal. Dawn sat in the seat saved for her between John and Margaret with a grateful smile to any who would see it. She took his hand in hers, unaware that the other three had already linked hands and were waiting for the two younger people to catch on. Irving cleared his throat, and John gave a start when he realized what his grandfather was waiting for. Hands were clasped to complete the prayer circle, heads were bowed, and grace was asked.

Throughout the delicious meal his grandmother had prepared, John was peppered with questions about his studies, his plans, and his girlfriend who happened to be sitting at his side. Occasionally Dawn would field a question about her so John could actually chew his food and not have to swallow it whole. The pair revealed how they had been set up by Dawn's roommate, Julie, and Julie's boyfriend, Tom Harrison. They shared the less salacious parts of their two trips back to Phelps Bluff and of their time with John's parents for the past few days.