We Did a Good Thing Ch. 02

"I'll be right back. Don't move," she said, shuffling off the bed when she'd completed her task.

I was able to catch her wrist before she escaped. I pulled her back into our nest. I kissed her.

"Todd, how is it possible we found each other?"

"Various people tried to take our lives from us. The last set … inadvertently introduced us."

"Yeah." She sighed, nestling warmly into my outstretched arms.

We cat-napped together for a few more hours before a concierge knocked on our door to inform us our shuttle would be ready to take us to Hewanorra International Airport in two hours.

We showered, packed, then boarded a van with another couple. Brenda tried to strike up a conversation with them, but they were dismissive and curt. She squeezed my knee and gave me a smirk. Apparently, the other couple's stay had been a less-pleasant experience than ours. Neither spoke, even to each other. They only stared out their respective windows as the van meandered the road over the top of the island's highest peak. It was a very awkward … yeah, awkward hour.

We had to spend the night in Miami because our connecting flight to Houston was canceled due to a mechanical issue. We didn't mind, nor did April, Dale, Stacie, or Chloe.

"Jeez. April and Dale are so great," Brenda said when we checked into a comfortable hotel paid for by the airline. We ordered a late delivery dinner from a fast-food joint on our way there.

After we ate, the calm silence settled around us.

"You know what, honey?"

"What, babe?" Brenda whispered.

"You are the absolute center of my existence," I whispered.

I heard her sniffle a little. "Todd, that gets me right here," she said, patting her palm on her heart.

"Come closer. Let's get some sleep," I encouraged my wife.

"I love you," she whispered softly, snuggling into me. "We did a good thing this week."

"Yeah. We did. I love you, Brenihana ."

February 28, 2019, 6:17pm

"Oh, crap !" Brenda shouted from the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" I shouted from the home office, dropping the papers I was reading to the desk before I ran her direction.

"I can't believe I forgot this! Robin and Brandi's wedding is in two weeks, and I forgot to respond," she answered.

They'd sent us an invitation to their wedding in Columbia, Missouri, but all the activity and the concentration on the Jill Willis investigation distracted us. We'd failed to RSVP.

"Is it an online response?" I asked.

"Yeah, here," she said, handing me the invitation written in flourishing calligraphy, but also containing a QR Code.

"Good lord, Brenda. We did such a good thing. They're getting married. I love it!" I laughed, scanning the code with my iPhone.

"Are we going?"

"I would absolutely love to." I grinned. "You remember asking Benny if he was involved with the ouster of a certain Seward County sheriff by the name of Otis Merle Farber?"

"I do. That was, what. Five or six weeks ago?"

I chuckled. "Yeah."

"Todd, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Benny dug up the details, but he sent it all to Rob Grant. He was the journalist who wrote the article which was published in the newspapers. He needed to keep his name a secret until the indictments were signed."

"Get out !" Brenda shouted with laughter, punching my shoulder.

I grinned. "Yep."

My wife was silent for a few moments. "Then we have to go. I want to thank him personally."

"We should also get them a gift, shouldn't we?" I asked. "I mean, sure, we can get them something from their registry, but I think we should give them something personal, too, you know?"

"I agree. But what?"

"Hmm. What's a good way to personally congratulate them?"

Brenda was silent for several moments, then said, "I saw something really interesting online we could give them at a very personal level."

"Yeah? What is it?" I asked before I clicked the "Accepts" link on the RSVP displayed on my phone.

"A company in California makes customized laser-cut art in gold foil. Wouldn't it be nice if we sent them a map of their neighborhood, highlighting both of their houses? Sort of a reminder of how they met?"

"Oh, clever. I like it," I acknowledged. "Give me a second."

I called a contact I had saved in my phone.

"Hey there, Mr. Grant. It's Todd Carlson. Do you have a moment?"

My wife's eyes widened.

"I do. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Quick question. Do you and your future bride like the neighborhood you live in? Safe, quiet, and all that?"

"It's been great to both of us."

"Good to know. I remember you describing how y'all got to know each other by walking together around there."

"It's true. Why the interest?"

"We have a client who is relocating to the KC area from El Paso," I lied, ad-libbing a ruse. "What streets do y'all usually walk along? Like … what's your favorite route? Maybe it'll give our client an idea as to the general vicinity as a recommendation."

Brenda caught on to exactly what I was doing, and quickly placed a pad of paper and a pen in front of me. I wrote it all down.

"Let me make sure I got this right. Scarborough, Swanson, Vickery, Sumac, Cambridge, Camberton, and Juniper?" I asked, seeking confirmation of his answer. "Thanks you, Rob. That'll surely help."

"We won't be here much longer, if all goes well," he advised.

"Oh? You're planning on moving?"

"Hopefully. Our house is on the market. Since Brandi can sell it now, we're planning on moving nearer to her base in St. Louis."

"That's great news. I'm so glad we were able to make it easier. I appreciate your time. Brenda and I wish you both all our best, and we're looking forward to seeing both of you in Columbia in a few weeks."

Yes, I'd bald-faced lied to get the information I wanted. But I fully intended to tell him the truth once they'd received the gift.

I smiled. "They're planning on moving to St. Louis."

Brenda clapped. "Then such a gift will be a more meaningful reminder."

"And now we know what streets should be highlighted."

"That was genius . Let's get an order started."

March 13, 2019, 10:18pm. Columbia, Missouri

There's something very erotic about the sensation of soapy skin under hands. Brenda and I often shower together, but it's typically with the purpose of expedience and utility.

When the moment is right, as it was that night, I allowed myself the pleasure of relishing it.

Hotel showers are almost as good as hotel sex. They never run out of hot water, so we could take our time. I thoroughly bathed myself before I tended to my wife. I started at her very top, lathering her hair with her favorite shampoo and massaging her scalp. I took my time since there was no reason to hurry, and Brenda didn't rush me at all.

I knew she was enjoying herself when gooseflesh erupted on her shoulders with soft moans uttered barely loud enough to be heard over the sound of the running water.

As she rinsed her hair, I lathered my hands. With her back turned toward me, I massaged her neck, giving extra attention to her trapezii and rhomboids. Her shoulders willingly relaxed.

I washed her back to her waist and the outside of her hips, then up her sides, being very careful not to tickle. Then, I washed her arms down the outsides to her hands and every finger and nail, then up their insides to her underarms, again being very careful to avoid discomfort.

Standing behind her, I carefully lathered the front of her neck, her chest, her breasts and gumdrop nipples, pausing for my own pleasure to hold them in my palms.

"I could fall asleep standing up," she whispered as I washed her tummy and the front of her hips.

"Yeah?" I asked.

She nodded slowly.

I knelt to the floor of the shower. My wife maintained her balance with a hand on the wall as she offered me a foot. I washed and rinsed it with a cloth because I didn't want her to slip. The other foot followed.

I wondered at the sight of my bride's legs. The subtle borders between various muscles exhibited her tone and build. The boundaries were soon obscured by thin blankets of sudsy bubbles.

I truly and completely adore her magnificent form, and my worship of it that evening was as much a pleasure for me as I hoped it was for her. I uninhibitedly traced my tongue over the full length of the scar on her inner right thigh from a wound that could have ended her life.

She stood almost motionless as I tended to her legs then began to wash between them.

"Oh, Todd," she moaned as I carefully washed her pussy and mons.

Her back arched in some sort of reflex. I soaped my hands and cleansed her buttocks and what was between, finding and very softly stroking a particular muscle with a fingertip.

Her thighs erupted in goosebumps.

I rinsed her, then turned her to face my knelt form. I pressed my tongue into the folds between her legs, seeking her clitoris which I found instinctively. Her rump's muscles clenched in response to the sudden intrusion. With a soaped thumb, I very, very slowly added a little pressure at her ringlike muscle. I wanted to allow plenty of time for my wife to adjust my course if I was sailing in the wrong direction.

She mewled slightly.

"Is what I'm doing okay?" I asked, seeking reassurance I wasn't violating boundaries.

"Yeah, baby … be gentle."

Four simple words conveyed so much. Gentleness was my entire guiding factor as I penetrated her butt with my thumb.

"Oh," she gutturally moaned. "Please don't think I'm weird if I like what you're doing."

Her free hand grasped a cheek and pulled against it.

"Never, my love. Never ."

I entered her vagina with the middle finger while I tended to her clitoris with my tongue. I felt my thumb through the velvety flesh. Mere millimeters separated them. I felt her muscles go nuts when her orgasm claimed her.

"Oh, shit ," she yelped. "I don't care if the bed gets wet. I need you! Right this second!"

Despite her protests, I towel-dried both our bodies. Brenda grunted with frustration for the entire thirty seconds the task required. I was inside her the next.

"Happy tears," she preemptively uttered before I saw her eyes forming some in their corners. "Happy tears !" she repeated.

Her head flew back into the pillow, and she sputtered as she came. I brought in the tongue which had left her mouth, relishing its flavor scant seconds before I painted her womb with my cum. I hoped my groans and grunts made her feel like the feminine goddess she was.

"Brenda," I whispered. "Je t'aime complètement ."

She laughed, forcing my softening penis from her body. "Was that French? What'd you say?"

"I said I love you completely."

"Well, I love the fuck out of you," she said as her laughter eased. In fact, I did just love the fuck out of you."

"Whoa, potty mouth!" I said before laughing.

We snuggled warmly against each other in tenderness.

"Forever?" I asked.

She sighed deeply. "Forever."

March 14, 2019

Brenda and I clapped happily when Robin Grant and Brandi Hanes kissed at the conclusion of their ceremony. It was simple yet elegant. We tried to be inconspicuous, but the newlyweds found us later that evening.

"Mr. and Mrs. Carlson, I can't tell you how thankful we are," Robin Grant said, shaking my hand firmly.

His happy bride agreed. "'Thankful' can't begin to describe it. It wouldn't have been possible without the work and effort your firm put in. You've been so incredibly generous to us, and now you're married, too. It's serendipity!"

"That's as good a word as I can think of," she grinned, "but there's a little something I discovered which makes it even more so. Your husband played a big part of our past."

Mrs. Grant smirked. "How?"

Rob's expression exhibited equal curiosity.

"Does the name Otis Merle Farber ring a bell?" Brenda asked.

Robin's eyes blinked. "Yeah, your firm sent me some information about him. It was enough for me to dig further⁠—"

"Rob, who is she talking about?" his new wife asked.

"Otis Merle Farber was the sheriff of Seward County, Nebraska," Brenda answered.

Rob's eyes exhibited an unasked question.

"Do you remember what happened shortly after you first contacted my firm? When I planned to meet the two of you in Kansas City before Christmas of 2017?" I asked.

"Sure. You crashed a plane," Rob answered.

I laughed. "Well, it wasn't that bad, but fair enough. I deposited an airplane on some property in Seward County."

"Okay, but⁠—"

"In my front yard," Brenda said. "Thousands of acres of farmland nearby, but he parked it a hundred feet from my door."

Both of them were stunned in surprise.

"That's how Brenda and I met. I plonked a Cirrus on their snowman," I said.

"I knew it!" Brandi yelped. "You used the ballistic recovery system. That explains everything I saw on the flight tracker."

Brenda and I grinned.

"It's cosmic, isn't it?" Brenda said. "Your husband's article put an end to a sheriff who was nothing but a nuisance to the county for years. The incident with the airplane brought him back into my life where I didn't want it."

"You have to tell us more."

Brandi and I described the events in more detail. I explained I'd taken their case pro bono because their plight seemed … similar. They couldn't continue their lives in the direction they wanted to go because of moral and legal hurdles. I'd hoped helping them would help mend my heart's injury at the hands of Cassidy Hudson.

Rob chuckled. "That's an amazing story. It really is. You could probably develop it into a book."

"I'm no writer like you are. Escaping the Depths was incredible, by the way. Your style is so … vivid . I'm looking forward to the sequel."

"It'll be published this fall. I'll send you both a signed hardback as soon as they ship me some from the first printing."

"Todd, Brenda, we're so glad you came today. Rob and I should circulate some more, so please excuse us. Keep in touch, okay?" Brandi requested.

"Sure thing," I answered. We bid them a polite farewell as they went to chat with other attendees, then Brenda and I departed for the airport for our evening flight home.

April 13, 2019, 2:30pm

"Why do we always wait until Saturday to get groceries?" Brenda asked as I navigated the shopping basket through the crowded aisles.

"Because we're dumb, and we like to do things the hard way. Plus, we had Chloe with us for a couple of days."

The cart was gaining weight. We hadn't done a full grocery run in almost three weeks. Stacie removed two boxes of her favorite cereal from the shelf and added a pound to the basket. Strangely, it wasn't some sugar-coated marshmallow-bombed sort. The cartons contained Cheerios. The plain kind.

"Good job, sweetie," Brenda acknowledged. "Go see if you can find the granola bars at the end of the aisle."

Stacie trotted off. We met her by the time she found them. Into the cart they went, and I scratched the lines off the list which had grown over the prior three weeks.

Stepping through the toiletries aisle, I removed a box from a shelf, put it in the cart, and scratched it off, as well.

"Nah, don't need'em," Brenda said, putting the box back on the shelf.

"You put them on the list," I said, pointing.

"Weeks ago."

I figured she'd bought them herself and forgot to remove it from the list. No biggie.

We finished the errand when my watch paid $244.19 via ApplePay at the register.

Stacie helped stow various items in the pantry as I restocked the chest freezer in the garage with various meats and frozen vegetables.

"Honey, can you hand me a package of TP?" Brenda asked, sticking her head out the door and pointing to the warehouse club brick of toilet paper on the wire shelf.

I pulled a nine-pack out, gave it to her, and followed her back inside.

"Grab those two bags, please. It's all bathroom stuff."

I followed her with the items and started stashing things in drawers and bins in the linen closet.

Brenda broke open the package of rolls and began placing them in the small cabinet above the toilet. She removed a few partial packages of other things that were in it, putting them in one of the emptied grocery bags. She placed the collection on one of the shelves in the closet.

She caught me watching her.

"What's wrong, babe?" she asked with a suspiciously innocent tone, wadding up the emptied plastic wraps into the other grocery bag.

"Why'd you move your pads and things to the closet?"

"Like I said at the store, I don't need them right now," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Huh?" I was even more puzzled, because even though she only needed such items for a week every month, she'd always kept her supplies in the cabinet.

"Probably won't need them for while. But I will be needing more TP soon. So I made room for extra rolls."

"Why won't you need⁠—"

Neurons began firing when I realized what I'd just withdrawn from the last bag.

Brenda briskly walked past me, taking my hand. I followed her wordlessly into the empty spare bedroom to which she'd led me. Well, mostly empty. It held a dozen bankers boxes of files I needed to take back to the office.

"I want to run an idea by you," she said, gesturing into the room. Her voice suddenly sounding like it was riddled by nerves.

"Definitely needs different paint. We can pick colors later. When we know. But I'm thinking a crib could go there, a changing table next to it along that wall, a rocking chair near the window, a dresser there, and a bookshelf there. What do you think?"

The neurons which had been engaged weren't the ones that maintained my balance. I clumsily sat on a stack of boxes.

"Brenda?" I whispered.

She focused her own on eyes on mine. I was numbed.

"Baby, please, tell me you're not joking," I whimpered, trying to hold back tears in case they were falsely induced.

"I don't think I am. It's why I snuck a test into the cart," she said.

"Oh, my god," I cried.

She stepped to me and helped me to my feet, embracing me for all she was worth.

"Oh, my god!" I cried again, leaning back so my wife could see my deliriously happy face. "How long have you known?"

"Well, I don't know for sure, but I started suspecting because I should've started my period a few weeks ago. I'm late," she said, her nervous mien gone.

"Brenda, come here," I said, pulling her close to me again, enrobing her in my grasp. "Oh, mercy. Just … mercy . I can't tell you how happy I am right now."

"I was worried you might be angry."

"Ang⁠—angry ? Why would you think I would be?"

"It's not like we were trying to conceive. The pill is supposed to be ninety-nine percent effective, and it makes me wonder if I wasn't taking them correctly."

"That doesn't matter to me one bit. You've always been one to beat the odds." I paused. "Um, Brenda?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you maybe pee now?" I asked, waggling the box I still held in my hand.

She laughed. "Not right this second."

"Let's get you some water," I said, grabbing her hand, pulling her toward the kitchen.

Her grasp tightened, and she stopped me.

"Todd," she whispered, "are you happy?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm thrilled !" I didn't whisper.

"You might be a daddy."

"I already am."

"Yes, you are, but I'm absolutely and completely overjoyed I might be pregnant with your child. Your blood. I hope you understand how much that means to me."

I grinned so widely my cheeks strained. "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Until you wee on that thing, and it does whatever it does, I'm just going to hope."