The Oddest of Set-ups

*****

Like most games, the crowd scattered after the winners left the field. Everyone raced off to their phones or to the restrooms and I was no different. When I came out, I was surprised to find the door to my room almost closed, and Erica sitting on the edge of my bed. The bed I was supposed to sleep in the night before.

"Auston, can we talk?"

I couldn't read her. Even at the games table, she barely looked at me, and now she was in my room, wanting to talk.

"Erica, I honestly don't think that's the best idea at the moment."

"Come on, there's no hard feelings. I loved what happened between us, and so did you. If I hadn't lost your number, it would have happened a lot more."

"You didn't lose my number. You threw it away. If you had lost it, you could have talked to Troy, he would have given it to you."

"Auston, let's go somewhere private. Let me try to explain what happened. I'm certain we can find a way to work it out, just between us." Her flirty tone was evident as her fingers touched the material of her own collar, and she moved her body so that it formed an "S" shape.

"There is no us Erica. There never will be an 'us', and I will talk to you anytime you want, but Amanda will be there with us." I could tell that what I said pissed her off.

"You know, he looks like you." Very tricky words that sounded venomous.

"Not really. Jackson is a very cute kid, and he looks exactly like you, but you already knew that. If he is mine, I own it, and I'll love him. I mean, I already like him."

"I just don't want it to be uncomfortable for you Auston, when he starts calling Antonio 'daddy' in front of you. I wouldn't want you to get hurt by it." Her fingers made quotations in the air when she said daddy.

I wanted to say that from where I stood, Jackson would be calling lots of different guys "daddy" over the next few years, and I wanted to tell Erica not to be so sure of herself until the DNA results were in, but I also wanted to take the high road.

"No. That won't hurt me. The only thing that will hurt is if he is my son, and I've missed the first three years of his life. That would hurt me the most, but you know that, don't you?"

Erica got off the bed and stood in front of me. She was once again trying her best to look sexy, and she was doing a very good job of it. The pitch of her voice had changed. It became a smokey, sultry, overly exaggerated version of what she normally used. Her hand unbuttoned the top two button of her blouse, showing off her cleavage and the frills of a lacy bra.

"Jackson would love a little brother or sister. We could sneak away. There are lots of places to hide in this big old house. We make beautiful babies together Auston. The proof is downstairs. Nobody but us would ever know. I promise. You wouldn't have to miss a minute of our next child's life."

Her hand reached for my belt, and I stepped back.

"Come on. Remember how good it was. Do you remember how good it felt when we were together? When you fucked me and took my cherry? Can you remember when you came in me, and gave me a baby? Let's do it again. Make another baby with me Auston. Amanda will never know."

"I'd know. I'm sad for you, because if you ever heard how highly your sister talks about you, you'd be ashamed of yourself. And as far as you and me, you know that's never going to happen. I'll die a slow painful death before I ever hurt your sister again. I know you heard it last night, but I'll tell again right now. We are in love, and we are married, and there will never, ever, be another woman in my life."

"Hah..."

It was the last thing she said as I exited the room. Pulling open the door and turning for the stairs, I almost ran squarely into Amanda. She was standing right outside the door, listening to every word that was said. I tried to wipe her tears, but she moved away from me.

Going past me, she walked into the room where her sister had tried to seduce me and slammed the door behind her. I waited. The voices weren't as loud as I had thought they might be, but they were nowhere near quiet. When I knew that an actual physical fight wasn't going to erupt, I went downstairs.

*****

"Alright boy's let's go out back. Jackson, you comin' with Grandpa or are you staying in here?" Jackson chose to stay in where Amber and Elly were baking cookies. "Make sure you save me one that looks like a Christmas tree." They shook on it, and we headed out.

For the next two hours we played pool. Junior and I teamed up, beating Senior and Mr. Frisbee golf, every game. At some point the girls joined us. By the redness in their eyes, it wasn't hard to tell that Erica and Amanda had been crying.

"Are you okay?" I asked when she unshyly snuggled up to my arm. Just a couple a of nods, and the return of glossy eyes. "You know I love you, don't you?" I couldn't have cared less who heard me ask her. Amanda responded with another nod and a very hard squeeze of my arm.

When we went inside, the table was set like something out of a magazine. It was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. The center piece Crown Roast was so grand it would have sent Martha Stewart home, crying in self-pity, and the trimmings were, let's just say plentiful.

After dinner Jackson asked me to play hockey with him. He had mini sticks and liked to smack a foam ball around. I asked him if he liked football, and he gave me a firm "no" for my efforts.

Senior suggested a family movie and during it received and made a few texts. It was sometime after 9:00 pm when Parth arrived back at the Smyth house. I wondered to myself how large of a donation they had made to his charity, to have him working on Christmas Eve.

The coast was clear to resolve our problems. Jackson had been in bed for a while, so the adults gathered around the table. Parth laid out the parameters of the testing and the percentages of accuracy. Everyone listened intently. It was a situation where the tension could be felt like some vibe floating through the air. His lecture included words such as cells, chromosomes, genetic testing, maternity, paternity, molecule along with a list of others including various test types. We were lost.

"Brass tacks Parth. Brass tacks." Senior wanted to get down to business.

"Sorry Mr. Smyth, I just wanted everyone informed as much as possible." The poor guy looked hurt. "So, we have confirmed that the test results in and on all three tests were conclusive and received identical results. Candidates one, two, four, six, eight and nine are all related by blood. Three, five, and seven, have negative results and have no common link what-so-ever."

Amanda held my hand tightly as her father thanked his friend for the help and wished him Happy Holidays as he guided him to the door where he handed him an envelope.

Looking at me, as we awaited the news, Amanda smiled a sad smile. Any of the outcomes were going to be hard to take for some or all of the family. I had already done the math in my head. I didn't need to hear the results but listened closely as Elly read off the numbers along with the names attached.

"Number one was most fittingly given to Jackson. Number two is Rickie. Number three is Amber. Four is dad. Five is Auston. Six is me. Seven is Antonio, and eight and nine are Amanda and Junior." Her hands were shaking as she held the paper. Both parents looked sad for one daughter and happy for the other.

Antonio stood and shouted. "What the fuck? You told me he was the father. You told me you were only ever with him and me. You slut." It wasn't my home or my place to say anything, but I wasn't going to let it go.

"Stop it." His Latin temper had got the best of him, and for some reason, he turned, and took a step toward me. Jumping into the standing position to be ready. I gave him fair warning. "If I were you, I wouldn't." The glare of my eyes and the promise of danger was more than enough to make him reconsider the series of events that lay before him.

Erica raced from the room and a drama filled chase ensued. Fleeing for anywhere that wasn't here, Erica was followed by her mother, her sister and future sister-in-law, as she disappeared up the stairs.

"I suppose you're happy now?" came the words of an upset lover. I looked at Antonio and he grinned so only I could see him do it. I thought to myself, that if it had of been my home, I would have risked the assault charge and punched him in the mouth, but David senior beat me to it.

"Antonio, that has to be about the stupidest thing anyone has said today."

The offended look was written all over the poor bastard's forehead like a neon billboard, and just like his girlfriend, Antonio left the room in a hurry, only, no one chased after him. Alone once again with father and son, I felt horrible about the outcome of the tests. I was torn. I was happy and relieved, yet I felt horrible for Amanda's entire family.

"Sir, I'm so sorry. I know it would have been so much easier for your family if a positive result would have come back."

Both David's nodded in agreement. It would have been easier, but that's not what happened.

"Well, Auston, it's a sad day for Rickie, but it's a good day for Amanda and yourself. Now you can carry on and start a family of your own, and not be burdened with the responsibility of taking care of an unexpected child."

"Sir, I can assure you, it would have never been a burden."

Senior shook my hand firmly and retreated to somewhere that neither Junior, nor myself were invited to follow.

*****

"Beer?" Junior asked quietly.

"I'd love one." There was no way I was declining Junior's offer.

Going outside, through the still falling snow, we made our way to the games room. A place that was rapidly becoming my favorite. With the fireplace going, and the music on, Junior opened our beers and tapped the edge of my can.

"Auston, I really am happy for you and my sister." He must have read something on my face. "Don't get me wrong. I love Jackson. He's a great kid, but if he were yours, things would have always been weird for Amanda."

"I suppose."

"No supposing about it. She and Rickie have a very competitive history. It would have never worked out. I mean for you guys. Those two would have stayed sisters. You know the whole blood is thicker than water thing, but for you and Amanda, it would have been over, and Rickie would have done her very best to make sure that happened."

"That seems a bit harsh." I told him while trying to read why he had said it.

"Maybe, but it's the truth. Rickie cares about Rickie, and only Rickie. She's done things that were pretty evil to Amanda and me. She even went after Amber when she joined the family. It's in her nature to hurt the ones she loves."

"That doesn't sound much like love."

"Yeah, well, you're not wrong there. We're a pretty fucked up family sometimes." Once again, Junior's can of beer touched the edge of mine. It was a toast to weirdness. "How did you guys meet?" he asked me.

"Innocently. My best friend at school, one of the receivers on the team, he has a girlfriend who is Amanda's best friend. They introduced us. At first, I think your sister hated me. If she didn't hate me, she surely didn't like me. But it seems I grew on her."

"I'll say. Enough that she married you." Reaching for the remote, David switched on some outdoor lights that showed off the snow-covered yard. Then he turned up the music and opened the fridge behind the bar, pulled out two more beers, and handed me one. "You think your marriage is strong enough that you can work through this?"

The cold beer wasn't going to help with this question.

"I hope. We haven't been together all that long, but I have never been anything but open and honest with Amanda. When she asked, I told her about every girl in my life. The only detail I left out was that one of them was her sister. Sorry, I guess your sister also. But the only reason I left that out, was because I didn't know."

"They look a lot alike. How could you not know?"

"Not really. Your sister told me her name was Erica. She was in a different state, she had long blue and orange hair, and I'm sorry, but not once during the entire evening, did we talk about her siblings."

"I guess it would have been messed up if you had. She never called you afterward?"

"No, and I was surprised. I thought we had made a connection," I told him honestly.

"Were there any other girls at this party? Any that might have been trying to get your attention? You know, someone that would have been upset if Rickie grabbed you up first?" He took a drink of his beer and waited while I thought about it.

"I don't know. Maybe. It was so long ago. There were lots of sorority girls..." Yeah, there were plenty of girls, and I remember Erica telling a couple of them to get lost. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Rickie did the same thing to more than a couple of my friends." He now took a long pull on his beer. "It's her way of being in control."

"Oh. So, she doesn't follow the church rules like Amanda?"

"Not really. I mean we were forced to go as kids and requested to go as we got older, but Rickie and I don't take it as seriously as Amanda does." He looked at me and smiled. "Amber and I live together. Same house. Same bed, and we didn't need to get married to do it. No offense."

"None taken, but aren't you staying in separate rooms here?" I asked.

"Easy... I do that because, some rules are law."

"Oh. But if you live in the same..."

"Look, I was trying to be cool, because I never get to be cool. I'm the opposite of cool. Okay? No one knows that we share a bed. Amber keeps her shit in the spare bedroom just in case."

It was my turn to tap his can.

"I feel you. Your sister and I both keep our own separate dorm rooms."

"Man, what a messed-up family we have, and I say we, because whether you like it or not, you are now a part of it," Junior said as a way of welcoming me into his clan.

*****

Almost as if on cue Amber came through the door with Amanda. Rickie shyly came in behind them. Both of the lead girls headed to their men, while Rickie sat on the arm of the huge sofa.

"Where's Ricky Riccardo?" Junior's smirk let those looking at him know he was playing.

"It's Antonio," Rickie said quietly.

"Who's Antonio?" Her brother continued to tease.

"Stop being a dick, David. He left." Erica had raised her head to look at her brother.

"See Amber, that's why I told you to hang onto the receipt for his Christmas gift." Amber's hand moved off the bar and Junior shrieked, "Ouch."

"Behave." His fiancée had pinched him and laid down the law.

Over the next few hours, the five of us hung out like we had known one another for years. Everyone but Amanda had drinks and eventually, Rickie made it up to the bar, but stayed as far away from me as possible. It turned out that Junior was a very funny person. He took shots at, and made jokes about everyone in the room, including himself. At one point he offered to have sex with me, so that he wasn't the only sibling I hadn't been with. He also teased both his sisters about being tramps for sneaking off to have babies or to get married.

"What's next? Pretty soon the heavens will open up and someone will accuse Amber and I of sleeping together. The shame! Whatever will our family do? We'll be banished from the church. Our homes will be burned to the ground. Hell, they'll make us move up north to Canada."

"Quit it, you're being a jerk." Again, it was Amber trying to quell his humor.

"Quit it? Quit it? Baby, I'm just getting started."

"Oh yeah? Let's see how that works out for you tonight."

"What?" Junior kept pressing her.

"What nothing. One more word out of your yap, and Santa won't be coming down anyone's chimney tonight. Got it?"

"Awwww, baby."

Amanda just shook her head and pretended to choke him.

The sexual inuendo was easily caught, and it was also the party ender. Erica said her goodnights, hugging everyone, but me. Junior offered to Rock-Paper-Scissors with Amanda, to see which of them got to spend the night in front of the fireplace, with their significant other. When this didn't work, both Amber and Amanda, one on each arm, guided him to the door.

*****

Without words, we turned out the lights and to my surprise, folded out the sofa, into a bed. Amanda lowered the flame setting on the fireplace and stripped off her outer layer of clothing. I followed suit, but unlike her, I was naked.

For the longest time we did not speak. Instead, we chose to enjoy the silence and our surroundings. Fresh falling snow. A warm fireplace, and two warm bodies.

Amanda used the coverage of our thick blankets to remove her bra and panties. Moving her lips to mine, was all I needed. That, along with the feel of her breasts pushing into my chest and the warmth of her pussy resting on my leg, had me hard and ready.

I wanted to talk, or at least say something, but Amanda's fingertip softly touched my lips. She didn't want or need the comfort of words. She wanted this moment to be about us, and that's what it ended up being as she held my shaft in her warm hand, raked it over her wet lips, and guided me into her love nest.

Like a pair of young lovers trying their best to conceal their lovemaking, we kept the blankets at our necks and only moved in long, slow thrusts.

The smell, feel, touch, warmth, and wetness of my wife was everything it was supposed to be. I wanted to see her nakedness. I wanted to taste her. But Amanda wanted this, and I was more than happy to oblige her. Slow, soft, caring, gentle lovemaking. A bond so complex, that can only be felt between two lovers who are truly in love.

Entangled as one, our breath coming in gasps, her holding my head, my hand on her ass, and the other touching the edge of her hair and back of her neck, Amanda bit down on my shoulder, and came. It was all her. She had done all the work to bring herself to that point. I was merely along for the ride. I hadn't done anything to assist or accelerate her climax, yet there it was. Her body convulsing as she worked her hips to try and finish me off.

By the time I came, Amanda's teeth had freed their grip on my skin. Her puffy lips and tongue moved with mine. Laying there with my semi hard cock still in her, we still hadn't said a word. As time passed, Amanda rolled off my body. Turning, she pushed her back to me, pulled my arm over her, holding it tightly in place, as we lay joined together in the spoon position.

"I love you." I squeezed her tighter as I said it.

"I know you do."

"Do you forgive me?" I had waited to see if she would add to her words, but she hadn't.

Her hand pressed mine to her chest. It was almost as though she were trying to find a way to let me down easy, or to find the correct thing to say.

"I don't need to forgive you. You didn't lie to me or try to betray me. I leave those things for my family to do. What does surprise me is that you didn't get in your truck and drive home when you saw how messed up we all are." Amanda's arm pulled me to her as she placed my palm to her naked breast. "I'm just..." Her pause lasted an eternity. "Auston, I'm afraid that you'll..."

"Shhhhhhh." Snaking my arm under her pillow, I now held her with my body and soul. Placing my head next to hers, I let my lips find her neck and ear lobe. Whispering, so that no other person in the world could or would be able to hear. "Amanda, you are the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me, and I promise you nothing or no one, will ever come between us. I love you so much, I have no other desire but to be with you forever."

Under the warmth of the blankets and the heat of the fireplace, our naked bodies relaxed as we drifted off to sleep. But before I did, I let the moment wash over me. Darkness outdoors. Cold and frosty as the light wind gently swirled the falling flakes. I knew deep in my heart I hadn't lied to my wife. I would never stray, and we would grow old together, because today, the day before actual gift giving, we had already been given gifts. These were odd gifts from what seemed to be a strong family. Although these gifts held no monetary value, they were the best gifts I had ever received in my life, and I knew immediately they would be cherished for the rest of my days.