Who Knew?

After dinner I had stepped onto the patio to grab some fresh air. I heard the sliding door open and my sister appeared out of nowhere beside me. She opened the conversation as subtly as a bull in a china shop,

"So, imagine my shock this afternoon when I realized that my baby brother was sleeping with his babysitter."

"Yeah, so I guess it means I have a lot more to be thankful for."

"Really Mitch? I mean I should have figured it out when you leased her the car last year, but really?"

"Yes, really, but this didn't start until a week or so ago. The car had nothing to do with it and this is neither the time nor place to have this conversation Steph, so for now, drop it."

"Fine! But we will discuss this soon Mitch." She replied with a tone of finality that told me it wouldn't be a normal family chat.

"Until then Steph, what you will do is go back in the house and treat Lindsay with the same respect that you treated her with before you figured this out. I'm serious about that, do not mention this to her or embarrass her in any way. She means a lot to me and David absolutely adores her."

"Mitch?"

"Yes?"

"I love you Little Brother."

"I love you too Old Lady." I said, kissing the top of her head. "Now let's get inside so I can watch some more football."

"Men!" she responded with exasperation in her voice. "It's always football and booze!"

"Nah," I said sliding the door open for her, "You left out rare steaks and hot sex."

"God!" she said laughing at me and swatting my arm. "I'm going to help Lindsay with the dishes. I promise, I won't mention it."

"Thank you."

I thought I handled it rather well, all things considered.

Stephanie and her family had been gone for about ten minutes and I had just settled in to watch the Bears and Packers game when Lindsay walked into the den and dropped a bombshell in my lap.

"Stephanie knows." Lindsay said as she plopped down on the couch and snuggled up next to me.

"Huh? Did she say something to you?" I asked, with my temper starting to build.

"No."

"Did you tell her?" I asked becoming a bit confused.

"No, but she knows. Call it a woman's intuition for both of us. I know that she knows, and she knows that I know she knows; let it go at that." she said giggling.

"Okay and you're right, she knows. She confronted me on the patio this afternoon and I fessed up to banging the babysitter." I said, surrendering to the logic of it and praying I didn't get a headache from thinking about it.

"She! You! What?" Lindsay gasped, pulling away from me and looking up with a surprised look on her face.

"I told her that you and I were a couple and that David adores you and that she was going to treat you with the same respect that she would give any woman in my life."

"Really?" she said, with a look of shock and adoration combined.

"Pretty much. I mean it's not like you are some deep dark secret that I need to keep locked in the attic. Actually, I'm really a little relieved that she figured it out."

"So that just leaves my mom and dad." she said quietly.

"Apparently." I replied.

"Oh joy." she whispered.

"Afraid of them finding out?" I asked looking at her.

"No. I'm think it will be easier for them once they understand that I started this. I just have to figure out when to tell them."

We sat there quietly absorbed in our separate thoughts for a few minutes and then Lindsay softly chuckled.

"What?" I asked.

"Banging the babysitter. That sounds like a fun game; we should play it tonight. I've got a cute little tartan skirt, white blouse and knee-highs in the dresser and a pair of black pumps in the closet."

"I'll keep that in mind." I said grinning.

"You do that." she said smiling up at me.

David bound into the room and jumping up on the couch beside us, snuggled in beside Lindsay and started watching the game. He had recently started watching football with me and was just starting to learn the basics of it. He started asking questions immediately and as I was explaining the rules to him he started yawning.

"Thirty minutes until bedtime Bud." Lindsay said.

"Aww. I can't stay up a little later?" David responded.

"It's already your bedtime Tiger; thirty minutes." She said firmly.

"You were a lot funner when you were just my babysitter instead of dad's girlfriend."

"More fun, she was a lot more fun when she was just your babysitter, instead of my girlfriend." I corrected him.

"That too." David said laughing.

"Really! REALLY!" Lindsay responded slapping playfully at both of us and her grey-blue eyes flashing with the peals of laughter coming from David and me.

"You two are so going to pay for this!" she said as we settled back down.

Later that night Lindsay headed for bed and I puttered around sitting up the coffee pot, arming the alarm and making sure the lights were off. I walked toward the bedroom thinking that this had been one hell of a week and I would be very disappointed when her parents returned, and things had to go back to normal around here. As I walked into the room Lindsay was already in bed.

"Aww. I thought we were playing Banging the Babysitter." I said laughing and half disappointed that she wasn't wearing the skirt.

"Nope! I told you that you would pay. The babysitter is the funner one, you get stuck with dad's girlfriend tonight."

"Cool! She's the sexy one." I said, winking as I climbed in bed.

"Aww that is so sweet, you're still in trouble, but that was sweet." she replied kissing me softly.

One thing led to another and before I knew what had happened Lindsay was setting on top of me and I was holding her hips as she ground her clit against my body. I was watching her breasts heave up and down with her breathing and thinking that my life couldn't get any better than it was right now when the bedroom door flew open. David stood there looking at us for a split second and then turned and fled back up the hallway to his room.

"Oh crap!" Lindsay whispered as she dove under the covers.

"Yeah." I said chuckling as I climbed out of bed and threw on my pants. "I need to remember to lock the door."

"Yes, you do. Are you going in there or do you want me to?" she asked.

"I got it."

"Okay." she whispered, still blushing and smiling up at me.

I walked down the hallway and pausing at his door, I knocked softly and then opened it slightly. Poking my head inside I saw him under the blankets, he had pulled them up over his head and I could hear him lightly sobbing underneath. I walked over and sat down beside him placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Hey Buddy. Is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry Dad! I should have knocked first."

"That's okay, what's wrong, why were you out of bed?"

"Had a bad dream." he sat up sniffling and wiping tears from his eyes.

"About?"

"Lindsay. I dreamed that she was gone, and we couldn't find her. We were looking everywhere but she was gone."

I leaned over and kissed his forehead then told him that it would be a long time before Lindsay went anywhere. He sniffled again and then asked, "Did you ever say that about mom?"

My blood ran cold for a split second and then I said "Yes, but that was then, and this is now, and Lindsay isn't going anywhere. She will be here tomorrow morning when you wake up. Okay?"

"Dad?"

"Yes son?"

"Did mom love me?"

"More than anything."

"More than Lindsay does?"

"Yes and no. It's a little hard to explain right now."

"Dad?"

"Yes."

"If you two got married, would Lindsay be my mom?"

"If we got married then yes, but that is a long time away partner. We've only been together for a few days."

"You've been together a lot longer than that." he said innocently and then he threw his arms around my neck and gave me a hug. "Good night Dad. I love you."

"I love you too Son." I said softly as I stood up and left the room.

As I turned around to walk back to my room; Lindsay was standing just outside his bedroom door with tears streaming down her cheeks. I put my arm over her shoulder and led her back to the bedroom. I got in bed and as I lay down I propped myself up on my pillows and folded my arms behind my head. Slipping off her robe, Lindsay lay down beside me and rested her head on my chest. We stayed that way for a while, each of us lost in our own thoughts about what David had said. Lindsay was the first to break the silence.

"When did he get so smart?"

"I haven't got a clue." I said honestly.

"I thought my heart was going to break when he asked if his mom loved him more than I do."

"Yeah, mine too; the boy adores you Lindsay."

"I know. I am not looking forward to June."

"Me either. Telling him that you won't be around all the time is a conversation I don't want to have."

"We will have to eventually because I am going to have to get a job after I graduate and that will mean no more me all the time."

"I know, but today isn't that day so we will cross that bridge when we come to it. He was spot on about one thing though."

"What?"

"You really have been a part of my life for a lot longer than a few days, I was just too stupid to see that. We have raised him together and you know what?"

"What?"

"We've done a pretty good job so far Kiddo." I responded, kissing the top of her head.

"Yes, we have."

"Honey," she asked a moment later, "why did you forget to lock the door?"

"I'm not use to locking it. Honestly, you are the first woman who has been in this bed in over five years."

She sat up and looking me in the eyes, "Really?"

"Yes."

"I didn't realize that." Then she slid her hand down my stomach whispering with a husky voice, "Now, where were we?"

I suppose the fight was inevitable. I knew it was coming even though Lindsay had remained optimistic about it. I was a dad and I knew it would happen sooner rather than later. Her parents were livid when she sat them down on the Friday afternoon before Christmas and told them that we had been dating and sleeping together for more than a month. I was on the way home when my phone rang, and I saw Lindsay's number on the caller ID.

"Hey!"

"Mitch, I told them, and my mom went nuts! Dad is so mad he isn't speaking right now. I am at your house. I told them before I left to pick up David from school. My mom was screaming all sorts of obscenities at Stephanie on the phone when I walked out, and I am humiliated beyond belief at what she was saying. Please get here soon." she said breathlessly, her sentences running together like she had panicked.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes Honey. Just stay calm and don't open the door for any of them until I show up."

"Okay." she said softly.

"Hey Lady,"

"Yes?"

"I love you." I said for the first time.

"I love you too Mitch." she replied softly before she hung up.

Okay, I'll be the first to admit it, maybe beginning a relationship with a woman who is fifteen years younger than me wasn't my smartest move and beginning one with the daughter of two of my oldest friends was even dumber. But things had been going well between us for the past month and honestly, I had never seen David happier. At twenty-one, Lindsay wasn't as worldly as she would like to believe she was. Right now, she was terrified of the confrontation that was coming once I got home and was doing her best to protect David from it. When her mother went off on her and then on my sister; Courtney had managed to do something that few people rarely do, and walk away from it unscathed. She had truly pissed off a Momma Bear.

I pulled into a driveway that had a Jag, a Lexus and a BMW in it and thought to myself, "I need a newer car. Maybe a pick-up, and a ranch; a nice one in Montana. Hell no, it gets cold in Montana. No, what you need to do is go and face the music." I climbed out of my car and muttering "Well shit!" under my breath as I walked toward the porch under the glare of Stephanie, James and Lindsay's parents Bill and Courtney.

"You son of a," Courtney started to say.

"Stop right there. We can go inside and discuss this like civilized people but I'm not going to let you cause a scene on my front lawn." I said firmly, then walking to the door I unlocked it and stepped inside.

"Lindsay, David, I'm home." I shouted.

Lindsay appeared at the top of the stairs, obviously shaken, and said, "I'll be right down." as the crowd outside filed in past me. She appeared in the den a minute later and said "David is in his room. I told him to let the adults handle this and that he would be okay." Then she stood up on her tiptoes and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Have a seat Honey." I said softly to her.

Both the couch and love-seat were taken up by the others, so she slid into my recliner and looked over at her mother.

"Have you calmed down any Mom?" she asked.

Courtney ignored her and looking me in the eyes said, "I'm going to sue you for every dime you are worth you damned pervert."

"No, you're not." I said flatly, "You can scream about a lawsuit all you want but it is an empty threat; I know it and more importantly, Bill knows it. What has happened between Lindsay and I happened between two consenting adults. If you file a suit the judge will dismiss it and the only thing it will do is drag our names through the mud of social media and the court of public opinion. Bill's firm won't allow that to happen and he damn well knows it. The only reason he hasn't told you that is because he is either letting you vent or he is too terrified of you to say anything right now and I don't know which it is."

I watched her deflate instantly and Bill, bless his heart, looked down at the tops of his shoes and didn't say a word.

"Next!" I said looking at Stephanie.

"Mitch, all I have to say is that I'm so very sorry that I suggested to Courtney that Lindsay be allowed to babysit all those years ago. I never thought that you would betray her trust or mine and it is killing me."

"Sis, you can go fuck yourself. You've known about this since Thanksgiving and if you had meant a word of what you just said you would have talked to Courtney sooner or had that chat you spoke about with me on the patio when you found out."

I had never taken that tone of voice with my sister before and she sat there silently in shock. Her husband was looking at me like he had just realized that his wife's baby brother was a grown man. Courtney's head had popped up and she was glaring at Stephanie when she screamed, "YOU KNEW! YOU BITCH! YOU KNEW?"

Springing to her feet Lindsay said, "Oh, for the love of God, Mother, stop with the damn Momma Drama! Dad is thirteen years older than you are and Mitch is fifteen years older than me. You are nothing but a hypocrite! If you are trying to call Mitch a pervert, what does that make Dad? Huh?"

"LINDSAY!" her mother gasped sinking back into her seat.

"And you!" Lindsay said wheeling around on Stephanie. "You're sorry that you suggested I babysit all those years ago? I'm not! It was the best thing that has ever happened to me. The only thing you should be ashamed of is the way you've walked away from Mitch and David over the past two years. You use to come over once or twice a month. How many times have you been here this year?"

Stephanie started to answer and then Lindsay interrupted her, "No, wait! Let me answer that for you. Three. Easter, Thanksgiving and today! You didn't even bring his cousins over for his birthday party this year! David loves you more than you can possibly imagine, and you are too damned busy to drive for ten minutes to spend some time with him each month? Please! You are a worse hypocrite than my mother is."

I stood there fully understanding why Bill and James had remained silent; it was pure Fight or Flight instinct. Get small, stay small and stay still; maybe the Momma Bear will think you are dead and leave you alone.

Lindsay continued, "Ladies, you both need to listen to me because I am going to say this one time and one time only. I am not going to stop seeing Mitch and I am certainly not going to stop taking care of David. There is not one valid reason that I should and if either of you can come up with one, I will be more than happy to ignore it!"

The "talk" had almost turned into a shouting match and we had forgotten that David was just upstairs, and that he could probably hear every word that was being said.

That is why it stunned us all into silence when he walked into the room, stood beside Lindsay and asked, "Can I say something please?"

"Go back to your room young man!" Stephanie almost screamed at David. Lindsay instinctively moved between the two of them, but David side-stepped around her and shouted back at his aunt, "No!"

Then much more softly he said, "Lindsay has raised me since I was a baby. She taught me how to tie my shoes, and she taught me how to write my name. She is the one who puts me to bed at night and she takes care of me when I'm sick when Dad isn't here. She is the one my teacher calls when something is wrong at school."

He paused to catch his breath and then continued, "They don't call you Aunt Steph and they never call Dad; they always call her, and you know what? She is always here for me. I don't remember my mother, but Lindsay loves me just like she is my mother. Why are you trying to keep her away from me by keeping her away from Dad? They haven't done anything except fall in love with each other. I've already lost one mom, why are you trying to take Lindsay away too?"

Lindsay's hands flew to her mouth and she sobbed as the tears began streaming down her cheeks. Pulling David in close to her she looked up at the ceiling, trying to calm herself enough to speak, then looking back down at him, she lost it again and the tears kept flowing.

I had never been so proud of my son as I was at that moment. In less than ten seconds he had silenced every heated exchange that had happened or was about to happen. Words that might have irreparably broken two families apart had been stopped with the honesty and innocence of a child's love for his, well, for his mom.

Once he finished speaking, David paused for a moment and then he turned and fled the room crying; with Lyndsay right on his heels.

I paused for a split second and then turned to her parents and my sister and brother-in-law and said, "I don't often lose my temper because what is said in anger is impossible to take back. So, I am asking as nicely as I can; do the four of you want to stay long enough to apologize to her or do I start tossing you out of my home now? I can live without any one of you, but I am not, and I can't stress this enough; I am not going to live my life any longer without Lindsay as a part of it. End. Of. Discussion."

She stormed back into the room a few minutes later and pointing toward the second floor said, "There is a very scared, very confused, very upset little boy up there." Then with her eyes turning as cold as ice she added, "I'm not going to allow any of you to terrify that child any more than he already is; I don't care who you are."

"Linds." her father said quietly, "I owe you, Mitch and David an apology. Your mother and I both do. It's just really difficult to watch your little girl go from being a little girl to a grown woman overnight and all of this is going to take some adjustment time for everyone." Courtney nodded but remained silent.

"Thank you, Daddy." she said softly.

Stephane spoke next. "Look, I don't know how this got so out of hand, but I want you both to know that I am sorry for some of the things I said earlier. I do think that Mitch,"

"Oh, for Christ's sake Steph, shut up!" James interrupted her, causing Stephanie to sit back in her seat in shock. "Mitch, Lindsay, I'm happy for both of you. Seriously, I really am. I've been setting here thinking that between the two of you, you have both managed to raise a well-adjusted little boy who isn't afraid to stand up for himself or for the people he loves. I promise you both that we will start becoming a bigger part of his life again."