Walter & Dotty - A Love Story

Walter drove us another ten minutes to a little Italian place, Perugia Gardens. Once again, he ran around and opened my car door for me. "You'll love this place," he told me, "everybody who works here is a family member. When I worked for Mr. Bartolo, I used to come here all the time."

When we walked in, a tiny elderly woman ran up, hugged Walter, and began speaking in rapid-fire Italian. "Walter! È passato troppo tempo! Sei invecchiato! Vieni, per favore, siediti al tuo vecchio tavolo, ti porto un bel Chianti!" She led us to a small table in the back, hidden in a small alcove. A small candle flickered, illuminating the red checkered tablecloth.

As she seated us, Walter introduced us. "Dotty, this is Mama Leone, she started this restaurant. Her husband and oldest son run the kitchen, her younger son and her grandchildren wait tables. Mama Leone, this is Dotty. She's very special to me." I wasn't sure if 'very special' was a code word for something, but Mama Leone's face lit up.

She leaned in, kissed both my cheeks and said, "Ah! Walter, che bellezza!" Then she switched to English.

"You are an incredibly lucky girl. Walter is tutto uomo -- all man! If my husband ever left me, I'd snatch him up in un batter d'occhio! We've been married 53 years now, so I guess my husband is sticking around; since you're such a beauty, I'll let you have Walter! You must be something special, he's been coming here alone for over 25 years. You're the first woman he's ever brought in with him!"

The only woman in 25 YEARS? Every time I thought Walter couldn't make me feel any more special, he proved me wrong. Mama Leone ran off, then returned with a bottle of Chianti and two glasses. She quickly said, "Voi due amanti vi godete il pasto," then ran back to the kitchen. Walter poured us both a glass, then quickly downed his, like he was working up to something.

"I never order here," Walter explained. "It's like living with parents who are real good cooks, they bring you whatever food they're making, and you eat it. It's always good, I promise."

Taking a sip of my wine, I told him, "I already love it," then reached across the table and put my little hand on his massive one.

This was a man I wanted to marry, so I felt the need to explain my history and how things went wrong with my first marriage. "Walter, there are things about my past I should tell you..." Walter held up his free hand.

His deep voice rumbled softly, "Nope. Don't want to hear it, Dotty. There's no point to it. I'm not a guy who believes in looking backwards. There's nothing you can tell me that will change the way I feel about you." Wow. I had to admire how Walter was a decisive man who didn't overthink things -- the total opposite of me. We'd make a good couple.

I continued, "I'm not perfect, Walter. I have a temper, and I can get really crabby around my time of the month. I don't want to scare you, but I can be a handful."

Walter smiled and kissed my hand and said, "You may not be perfect, but you're perfect for me. I'm not afraid. For a lot of years, I made my living as a tough guy, and don't forget I own a bulletproof vest."

I thought this was bold talk, coming from the man who began apologizing the first time I cried happy tears in front of him. If Walter wanted to fool himself, though, who was I to argue?

Walter may not have cared about my past, but I was curious about his, and pressed him. "What about you? I want to hear everything about you."

Walter's reply was very matter-of-fact. "I love you Dotty, but I don't really like talking about my past. I'll tell you that I had a real rough time as a kid in foster care, nobody was there for me. Maybe that's why I worry about Trent. I never want the little guy to feel how I felt, that nobody's in his corner, watching his back." I was astonished at how in just four simple sentences, Walter just told me so much about himself.

The Chianti must have kicked in, as he began to loosen up. "When I grew up, I went in the Army but got kicked out and then went to work for Mr. Bartolo. I wasn't always a nice man and didn't do much to be proud of in those 30 years, but it was a living. After a few years, it kinda felt like normal to me. Then Mr. Bartolo loaned me to Tom to help his oldest daughter Olivia get her boyfriend Brad straightened out.

Her husband Brad is a nice guy now, but he used to be a solid fraternity asshole, see? He got Olly pregnant and then deserted her. I helped Tom to get Brad to see things right. I didn't do much except scowl at the little shit, but that and his Corvette burning up done enough to get him back to Olivia, on his knees begging forgiveness no less."

Walter stopped, smiling at the memories, then his voice went soft. "Dotty, for the first time in my fucking life I was proud I done a good thing! At their wedding, I seen how happy they were and realized I'd helped make that happen. Later, when I saw Tom and Laura dance together, I seen what I was missing by not being in a real relationship. I wanted that. I mean, I didn't know it at the time, but what I really wanted was you."

I noticed a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead, and suddenly Walter was out of his chair and on one knee at my feet, the ring box in his hand. "Dotty, I'm an old guy with a rough past, always been a guy who lives life day to day, but since I met you, the future's been on my mind a lot, and you're in it. Dotty, will you marry me?"

I don't remember much about the dinner after that, mostly crying with joy and saying yes, the candlelight shining in the stones of my new ring, and the Leone family at our table singing a sweet love song in Italian. Once we got into the car to go home, it took ten minutes for Walter to actually start the car because his new fiancée couldn't stop kissing him.

++++++++++

Walter

Thanks to Aaron Sednicki's help, buying the ring was easy; actually asking Dotty the question was the hard part. Even though she knew it was coming, I was still real nervous, and it took a couple of glasses of Chianti to work up the courage to propose. Finally, I found my courage, and I must have done the words right because Dotty said yes. When Mama Leone's grandson Freddy brought us the tiramisu dessert, she jumped into my lap and fed it to me a forkful at a time. I liked that a lot.

On the ride home, Dotty insisted on singing to me. She told me to start naming my favorite songs, and she'd try to sing them. One time Tom told me Laura had been a gospel singer when she was a kid, but her singing skills hadn't made it to Dotty. Some of the songs she did OK with, most of them she was awful, but she still laughed and sang for me all the way home. I liked that a lot, too.

It was late when we got back to the farm. Dotty went into the cabin while I checked on Trent. He'd fallen asleep on the couch in the TV room, so, not wanting to wake him, I tucked his blanket around him to make sure he was warm enough. As I was leaving, I heard his little voice.

"Walter?" I turned back around.

"Yeah, buddy. I was just tucking you in. Go back to sleep."

"I was dreaming that you were my new daddy. Is it for true?"

I chuckled and told him "I asked your mother to marry me tonight and she said yes, so yeah. I'll be your daddy. You gonna go back to sleep now?"

He held his arms up, "I don't want to sleep here, I want to be with you and Mommy." Any thoughts I had about savoring the body of my soon-to-be-bride tonight vanished.

I went back, picked him up, and carried him to the cabin. Dotty was in bed, and I told her, "Sorry, Mom, but our son doesn't want to be alone tonight. We're gonna have to take a rain check on anything else." I put him down and he scrambled under the covers, hugging his mom.

By the time I'd stripped down to my t-shirt and put on some sweatpants, the boy had fallen asleep again. I walked over to Dotty's side of the bed, bent down, and kissed her. "Sorry, Dotty, but I couldn't leave him on the couch by himself. Am I doing this Dad thing right, Mrs. Connor?"

She smiled and whispered. "Perfectly, Mr. Connor."

++++++++++

Dotty

After our wonderful evening, I was ready to take my new fiancé to the heights of sexual ecstasy; I wanted to make a baby with him more than ever. My plans for ecstasy were dashed when he sweetly brought Trent in to sleep with us, but when he referred to Trent as 'our son', I felt my ovaries go into overdrive.

When we got up the next day, I looked out the window and saw several cars parked in the yard, and a bunch of people shaking hands and exchanging hugs. Laura texted me, "The kids all saw the news - they've come home. House is full. Come in when you're ready."

I managed to get my son and Walter up and dressed, and then we went in to meet all my nieces and nephews. When we walked into the kitchen, Tom introduced us.

"Kids, this is Dotty; she's Mom's sister and your aunt. Trent is her boy, your cousin. I'm sure you all remember Walter, my business partner. Walter is actually the man of the hour. He saved the farm, and our lives."

One of the boys, I think it was Liam, remarked, "Dotty looks a lot like Mom, except she's not pregnant." A few of the kids laughed.

I spoke up and said, "Everybody, in a few months, Walter is also going to be your uncle." I held up my left hand and showed them my engagement ring.

++++++++++

Walter

I honestly didn't expect the reaction to Dotty's announcement. The kids went nuts, proceeding to mob me and Dotty with hugs and handshakes, and in the case of the oldest daughter Olivia, a big hug, and a kiss on the cheek. There were so many of Tom and Laura's kids and grandkids I was having a hard time keeping track of which was which, but one stood out: Liam's wife, Miriam.

She was a tall one, well over 6 feet, and was an Army veteran. She also knew her firearms and spent quite a bit of time talking to me about sidearms and shotguns. Just for fun, I took her into an empty field and set up some cans so she could try firing off a few rounds with my .454 Raging Bull. Damn, she was a good shot!

If she'd been with us when Sonny and his crew attacked, I had no doubt there would have been dead tweakers instead of just wounded. Watching her shoot gave me the idea for her to teach a firearms' class exclusively for women, which would be perfect to promote the security side of our business.

What I had not anticipated was Dotty's reaction when Miriam and I got back to the party. Luckily, Olivia stopped and warned me. "Walter, Dotty's upstairs in Mom and Dad's room and she's upset. You need to get up there."

I thanked Olivia, then headed up to the master bedroom. The door was closed, so I lightly knocked. I heard Dotty's voice call out, "Come in."

I stepped inside, and Dotty was laying on the bed, facing away from the door. I walked around and knelt on the floor in front of her. "Babe, what's wrong?" I could see she'd been crying.

"Last night you asked me to marry you, then today you ran off and spent time with Liam's wife instead of me. She's tall and blonde and pretty, and I'm just a toad compared to her. You can have your ring back." She took off her ring and handed it to me. I realized I'd really screwed up. Shit!

I spoke softly to her, "Dotty, I'm sorry. It was nothing, she used to be in the Army, and we were talking about guns is all. Anyway, she's married to Liam and has three kids. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, you're my girl, I love you, only you." I took her left hand to put her ring back on, but she snatched it away. Afraid I would drop it, I put the ring on the nightstand.

I foolishly tried to console her, but it was no use. "Sweetheart, please don't be mad. I'm crazy about you, you know that." I leaned in and softly pressed my lips to hers, but she quickly turned her back to me.

"No! Go away, Walter. I'm just a short ugly ogre, you don't want me." Dotty had warned me she could be moody, I guess I was getting a taste of it now. What sucked was, it was my own damn fault. Stupid me!

I remained calm and thought it over for a second, then decided what to do. I stood up and walked towards the door, and I heard her voice squeak, "You're not leaving me, are you?"

I reached the door and said, "You just told me to go away, Dotty. I'm doing what you asked. Isn't this what you want?" As I was saying this, I locked the door. I never really had any intention of leaving; I just wanted some privacy.

"No," I heard her say, "I want you with me, but you'd rather be with some tall blonde woman." Ouch, that stung, but I had it coming. I laid down on the bed next to her.

She quickly turned away from me, but that was OK. I put my hand on her ass, caressed it, and said, "These jeans look really nice on your ass, Dotty."

"No they don't," she replied sharply, but when I took my hand away she said, "I didn't say you should stop." Then I reached out and pulled her against me, and she whispered, "No squeezing me." But she made no move to pull away. I sniffed her hair and kissed the back of her neck. "Stop that, too," she whispered, but I didn't.

I reached around her with one arm and found her belt buckle and undid it, then undid the waist button of her jeans and slowly tugged her zipped down. I kept on, using what I hoped was a seductive voice, but was probably more like a croaking toad, "Like I said, those jeans look good on your ass, but you know where they'd look even better? On the floor."

Saying that, I gently rolled her on her back and pulled her jeans off, revealing a pair of red silk bikini briefs. I moved around so I was by her feet, looking up towards her. She looked and smelled delicious.

"Stop it, Walter," she said, "I want my pants back on right now." There wasn't much conviction in her voice.

"You're my delicious woman, and I'm going to eat you up," I declared, and began kissing her left leg at the ankle, working my kisses up to her knee, then onto her thigh.

Even as she said, "No, get away from me, don't touch me," she spread her legs wider. I reached the patch of silk between her legs, and it looked damp. I kissed the fabric, then rubbed my nose across it.

"Don't. Stop. You mustn't," she said breathily, her eyes squeezed shut, "I'm mad at you, Walter, I won't allow you -" She stopped talking and gasped, as I'd just taken two fingers and pulled the cloth over her red-hair-covered folds aside. Moving my face in, I extended my tongue and lapped at her womanhood. She began to shudder slightly, I hoped it was in pleasure.

After a minute, I stopped and raised my head. "I have a confession, Dotty. I never done this with any woman before, so I hope I'm doing it good." I dove back in and resumed my licking and kissing.

"Walter! No! No!" she moaned, then two seconds later moaned, "Oh yes! Yes!" She dug her heels into the bed and pushed her hips upwards against my invading tongue. Her hands were clutching at the bedding, so I think I was doing OK. Then she shuddered and went stiff for a few seconds. A little orgasm! Nice.

Dotty being mad at me had a strange effect -- my cock had been getting increasingly hard since she'd taken her ring off. I stopped to take a breath, then reached down and undid my own pants and shorts, pushing them down around my knees, my erection now sticking proudly out. Still semi-dressed, I wasted no time plunging into Dotty and began moving in and out.

"You're MY woman, Dotty do you understand? You're the only woman in the world for me, and you're ALL MINE! I'll take you whenever I please!" I began thrusting more quickly. "If you're mad at me and don't want to marry me, well, too bad, you're still gonna have my babies!" Wrapping my arms around her so she couldn't move away from me, I started thrusting harder now.

I could feel Dotty's pelvic muscles squeezing me as she pushed her hips upwards to meet my thrusts, and she hissed, "No, Walter, you can't have me! I hate you! I don't want your babies! Don't you dare fill me up!"

I lowered my head and put my lips on hers; she responded by slipping her tongue into my mouth. I could feel her stiffen and shudder again. Then she pulled her mouth away from mine, uttering, "Give me your babies, you bastard! I hate you, go ahead and knock me up you asshole!"

I think Dotty said more, but I temporarily lost my sight and hearing due to the powerful climax that swept through me. I wasn't sure how long it lasted, but I was shaking and definitely dehydrated when it was over. I rolled off of Dotty onto my side and pulled her in close, kissing her sweaty forehead.

Finally, after we both caught our breath, I whispered, "I love you so much Dotty, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. You really are prettiest woman I've even known. You're perfect, you're my angel, you're..."

She interrupted me, "Walter, I broke up with you, remember? Are you going to propose again?"

Oh, shit! The ring! I reached over and grabbed it off the nightstand, and asked her, "Dotty, will you marry me?"

She held her left hand up so I could put the ring back on. "Yes, Walter, I'll marry you. I love you, you big stupid moose!"

++++++++++

Dotty

I'd tried to give Walter fair warning that during my PMS time I could turn into a monster, and sure enough, it turns out our first fight was two days before my vagina declared a code red. I was proud of Walter for muddling through with me. When I lost my mind and got crazy jealous of Miriam, he didn't fight with me or run away, he stayed calm and collected.

Ignoring the drama of me taking my ring off (a true sign of my temporary insanity), he'd rubbed my bottom, licked my kitty, and basically nailed me to the mattress. There was no way I could stay mad at him. And when he confessed that I was the first woman he'd performed oral sex with, I almost exploded. Walter was my man, and I just loved him so much.

It was a little embarrassing explaining to Laura how Walter and I had left a huge wet spot on her bedcover, but she laughed and told me it was all fine. When I related the story of how I got jealous and took my ring off, then made Walter propose again, she suddenly got quite serious.

"You know, Dotty, you were stupid as well as lucky. Liam's wife Miriam is a wonderful wife and mother. Neither she nor Walter would ever do anything to hurt you. It's natural to be jealous; I was about to claw your eyes out the first time I saw you hugging my husband, remember? But if I ever took off my ring and spoke to Tom like that, he'd be devastated. Since is the third baby I'm carrying for him, the chances of him leaving me are pretty slim, but there's still no way I'd want to risk it.

Walter really loves you and let you get away with it this time, but the next time you take that ring off you might not be so lucky. He's always been a low-profile guy, but now because of him being in the news, he's going to be getting a lot more public attention. He doesn't think so, but Walter's a very handsome man, and some woman might get it in her head to take a run at him. Before you threaten to dump him again, even if you're not serious, ask yourself if you want his ring on some other woman's finger."

My big sister was right. A chill ran down my spine as I realized how close I'd come to letting my silly fit of hormonal jealousy throw away the love of my life, as well as Trent's relationship with Walter. I'd dodged a bullet this time, and I'd make damned sure I wouldn't ever do that again.

I gave Laura a hug and thanked her for her sisterly advice, then ran out to the cabin to find Walter. He and Tom were on speakerphone doing a phone interview with a reporter, so I sat quietly on the couch until it ended. Then I jumped into Walter's lap and began to cover his face with kisses. He put his arms around me and laughed, "What's this about?"

I think Tom could sense Walter and I were having a moment, mumbled something about checking on Laura, and quickly left.