Traveler

Instantly, her eyes watered. She grabbed the linen napkin and wiped away the tears that had already streaked her cheeks.

With all the happy times and love they'd experienced as a couple before, it was in that moment that Al realized how much she loved him and how he loved her back. He reached across the small table and helped wipe away a track of moisture from her face.

"What about that Brad guy?" he asked. "You know he has the hots for you. You looked pretty cozy coming out of the school."

"He's the guy I told you about before. We have lunch together, that's it. He's a nice guy and we talk but we're just friends, Al. We've never even been on a date."

"Okay—just checking. I know he doesn't feel that way. I could see it in his face. I wouldn't doubt if he makes a play for you now. He probably figured he had plenty of time before, but now that I'm back...well, don't be surprised if he gets more aggressive."

"I doubt that'll happen, Al. He didn't even show up for lunch today. Believe me, if he makes any kind of romantic overtures toward me I'll shut him down immediately. I screwed up once, I'm not about to do it again."

As it turned out, Brad was smart enough and cared about her enough to be happy for her. They remained friends and still ate together but he never asked her out again and finally met someone who cared as much for him as he did for her.

Al and Dawn dated for several months until the lease on her apartment was up. They took the next step and rented another place together. A few months after that, Al received his bachelor's degree. It was time.

It had been just shy of a year since he'd moved back to Chicago. After a cold, snowing Midwest winter, people were finally roaming around with no coats again. It wasn't a gigantic diamond but it was the most beautiful thing Dawn had ever seen in her life. When he actually spoke the words he was shocked that she had one condition...

"I get to pick where we honeymoon," she said with a big smile.

"Ah, yeah, sure; just, well we'll have to make sure we can afford it. I mean..."

"I want to go to Stonington," she said.

Not so she noticed but inwardly he was able to breathe again. He was afraid she was talking about the south of France or something. He could smile again. "Really? Why there?"

"I want to meet everyone. I want to meet Coral and Jack and Amelia. I want to eat in Joe's Galley. I want to buy a painting from Coral. I know you love it there. I want to experience it, Al. I want to share with you."

When Al called Coral to let them know he was bringing his wife she told him to leave the accommodations up to them. Jack and his crew along with some of the gang from Joe's Galley all pitched in and got the newlyweds a beautiful room in the most exclusive bed and breakfast in the area as a wedding present. It sat on the rocky bluffs, overlooking the Atlantic, just a mile north of town.

Just like Al, Dawn immediately fell in love with the place and the people treated her like family. Within two days she regarded Jack as her second father and Coral as the sister she never had. Never could Dawn remember having so much fun crammed into a week; of course a good part of that fun was being able to share it with the man she loved.

It was their last night. Al held her hand as they walked up the sandy coastline, listening to the pounding surf and watching moonbeams dance along the top of the waves. They found a dry spot of beach and sat down to take it all in. Dawn gazed into the warm night and could swear the man in the moon was looking down on them and smiling. Al put his arm around her as she pressed her body to his and laid her head on his shoulder.

It was a totally different world than Chicago.

"You're going to have to make a lot of money," she whispered.

Al chuckled. "That's the plan."

"I want a summer home out here, honey, three bedrooms so there's enough room for the kids."

"The kids? Plural? How many, exactly?"

"Of course, kids. Three," she answered. "The girls can share a room but our son will need one of his own."

Al didn't say anything; he just let his mind wander. He could almost see them jumping around and laughing as they played in the surf.

"We'll have to start making babies pretty soon," she continued. "I want them to know their grandpa Jack and aunt Coral. When do you think I'd be able to go off the birth control?"

"When was the last time you took a pill?"

"This morning," she replied.

"How about if you make it your last one?"

She pulled her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Really?"

"Really," he chuckled.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Then I think we should get back to our room and start practicing immediately."

They had another half a mile to walk so they took the time to enjoy the pounding surf on their way back. When they returned to their room, it was as if the air had been charged with romance. They made love hundreds of times in the past to express their love for one another, but the thought of making a baby added a dimension neither had experienced before. They had already committed to each other at the altar. Now they were committing to bringing another life into the world; a life for which they would be responsible, a life they would raise and nurture with all the love they possessed.

Al took his new wife in his arms as they kissed. Seductively Dawn started unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time. He responded by opening her blouse, undoing the front clasp of her dainty bra, and covering her chest with light kisses. Slowly, they each removed the other's clothing.

As many times as he'd seen her naked, she'd never looked lovelier than she did at that moment. With almost no effort at all, he picked her up in his arms and gently laid her across the king size bed. "I love you so much," he whispered in her ear before tenderly touching his lips to hers.

As Al worked his kisses around her neck and continued south, Dawn basked in euphoric dreams of the reality she thought would never come to be. She cried out as her husband's tongue massaged her love button and within minutes, reached a crescendo of erotic pleasures.

Al would have loved to continue his oral tribute but the skin was stretched so tightly over his cock that he was in pain. He moved up and hovered above his beautiful bride. With excitement, she reached between them, took his steal rod, and guided it into its moist, warm home. Slowly Al started to rock up and back, sometimes teasing her by holding himself just inside of her before pushing it all the way in. He held off as long as he could. When Dawn knew he was about to cum, she reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her breasts, and held on tight while they both erupted in volcanic passions. It was only the beginning of a magical evening neither would ever forget.

The next day everyone, including Jack, had tears in their eyes while saying goodbye.

"We'll be back," Dawn told everyone. "Al has promised to make enough money to buy a summer home out here and I'm holding him to it."

Epilogue;

It took ten years but Al did fulfill his promise and made enough money to buy a three bedroom summer home just outside of town. By that time their three kids, Evangeline, Brianna, and Tyler were old enough to enjoy the ocean breezes, not to mention Grandpa Jack's stories of life on the high seas.

Over the course of their lives, as it is with everyone, the McCain family saw its highs and lows. By the time Dawn retired after thirty years of teaching, all three parents had passed on. Captain Jack also left his trawler behind as he approached the heavenly gates. After decades of loving, nurturing, and guiding, their kids had become prosperous adults with families of their own.

After talking it over with the family, Al and Dawn decided to sell the home in Chicago and live out the rest of their days listening to the surf pounding against the rocky shores of New England.

The End.