99: Graduation

I had a short whispered conversation with Whitney Wednesday night.

"Happy birthday, my love," I said.

"Thank you, Brian. You are my very first and my very only lover."

"Oh, Whitney, I miss you so much."

"Can you come out for Memorial Day?"

"I planned to. It's your graduation, isn't it? I can bring you home for leave?"

"Well, yes and no. It's officially my graduation, but I'm being deployed on a training mission the day after Memorial Day. I won't be able to come home until July for my leave. But I'll have two weeks. I want to spend every minute with you."

"Oh, no. Why are they deploying you for a month before they let you come home?"

"I can't really talk about it, but I have an incredible opportunity. This is like a final test before they make the offer. It's really important."

"I'll be there for your graduation and I'll be waiting with fireworks when you get home. I love you, Whitney."

I didn't travel the first week of May. Not too far. Our shows for the month were mostly in high schools and with various clubs. The Boy Scouts snubbed us, but we had an entire week of Girl Scout events. Fortunately, I could drive to each one in the morning. The events were all right after school and, of course, April and her crew were on the road the entire time.

Saturday, we went to support our cousins in the stadium as they were herded in for commencement. Mary, George, Addison, and Rachel had all made it through. When we found them after the ceremony, we took them back to the studio kitchen and had a huge party. Mary's brother Bill and her mother were there. Her parents had divorced soon after high school graduation and Mary never heard from her father. Mary was happy that she'd be working full time on Young Cooking, though she had planned her career to work with me on the show. She got along well with Rees, though, and the buying processes for food at the ranch in general had been vastly improved. One of the new rooms in the basement of the Big House was actually a huge walk-in freezer.

Of course the McCalls were there to congratulate George. George had finally settled on a psychology degree and planned to continue on for his master's. His grandparents attended and had never been to the ranch before. They were a little overwhelmed, but his grandfather thawed quickly with a couple shots of Triple Crown. He thought Dolly and Debbie were a hoot. He made a comment about double vision that got him a sound punch from his wife. When Dani planted a big kiss on me and handed me our daughter, the old guy was a little confused.

Rachel, sporting her rounded tummy at nineteen weeks, had the five-year architecture degree in hand. Just getting a BS in architecture doesn't make you an architect, I guess. The national board only recognizes a master's degree and the program she was on went straight through. Of course, now that she had the degree like she promised her parents, she planned to settle down to being a mother. That was funny. Between Ron Filmore and Nappanee Manufactured Homes, Rachel had a backlog of customization work already. She was going to be plenty busy. Doug's parents were there to support their future daughter-in-law. Doug and Rachel would be married on Sunday.

And finally, there was Addison. Her parents, her brother and my sister, and the two little ones had all flown in for Addison's graduation. She had her degree in International Business and would be flying back to Seattle with her parents to start an internship in Jordan's company. Ever since the April eighteen shooting, Addison had been a little sad and withdrawn. With my travel schedule the past several weeks, we hadn't connected as much as we had before. I realized I was going to miss her when she returned to Seattle.

Sunday morning, we gathered at the fire at dawn. Not everyone on the ranch showed up. It was early, but that was the way Doug and Rachel wanted it for their simple wedding. Their parents were there and stood with Sheriff Donaldson as Rose first wrapped a thread around the wrists of Sandy, Doug, Rachel, and Doreen. Then Matthew stepped up to give the rings to Rose. I'd held onto them until it was time for him to present them. Doug and Rachel quietly said their vows and Rose pronounced them husband and wife. After they'd kissed, I had Matthew hand them the second set of rings. Doug turned to Sandy and placed a ring on her finger as Rachel did the same for Doreen. More kisses and we all went to breakfast in the big house.

I'd been sleeping in the master suite the past week since I was traveling each day and didn't want to disturb anyone with my odd schedule and prep work. I was never alone. One or two of my cónyuge were always in bed with me and it was loving. I was surprised Sunday night when I found Addison in my room.

"Addy, are you here to stay the night?" I asked. She nodded. I slipped into bed with her. Her soft skin pressed up against me and she hugged me. It was a big occasion for her. She was leaving in the morning and none of us knew if or when she'd be back.

"I love you, Brian," she whispered. "Not like a husband, but more than as a brother-in-law. I need to go for a while. And I don't mean just to Seattle. My internship there is only two months. In the middle of July, I'll be leaving for Japan."

"Japan? Addy, why didn't we know about this?"

"It was just going to be a short-term thing as part of my internship."

"Was? It's changed?"

"I was accepted on a master's program at Narita. I'll probably be there for two years," she said.

"Wow," I breathed. This was really like goodbye.

"You can come and visit, you know," she laughed. It was a sad sound. "Brian, Ray was a really good guy. We might not have married, but I loved him. I never quite got over it. I need something radically different to get me moving again. Like I did when I came here to the ranch. I needed out of the environment where I was an underachieving bitch and I got what I needed here at the ranch. Now I need to put distance between myself and what might have been."

"But to Japan? Won't you feel a little strange there?"

"Why? Because I'm three inches taller than the average man and am white? I know I'm just a Gai-jin woman and I'll have a tough time, but I can do this. And I'm going to be in a position to help Leonard. He and Susan are planning to visit next fall. I expect we'll have both buying of material and, eventually, a manufacturing operation over there."

"I'm going to miss you, Addy."

"I'll miss you, too. Now make love to me, please."

"You know I don't believe in goodbye fucks," I said sadly.

"Good. Then you know this is just to last us until the next time. It could be a while, so make it good."

I was in Cincinnati for the next week, and Fort Wayne the week after that. Cassie and I drove the 130 miles to Cincinnati and since it was Mary's first week after graduation, she got to come with us. She said everything was set for Young Cooking for the week and Rees wouldn't need her. It was great to have both my cónyuge with me, but I was a little sad that Josh couldn't come with us. He'd taken time off for Spring Break and didn't have another vacation week he could take to tag along with us. We were beginning to see some of the really hard part of being adults. My job forced me to travel. Josh's job forced him to stay home. At least I knew Rose, Jennifer, Courtney, and Liz wouldn't let him get too lonely at night.

Still, having Cassie and Mary to myself for a week was pretty damned nice.

I took Liz and Doreen with me to Fort Wayne. It was farther away than Cinn City. Doreen used vacation time that she wouldn't earn for another two months, but felt that she wanted to be with just Liz and me. Doreen was the one woman other than Dani who could hold Liz intimately for an extended period of time. Liz didn't shy away from being touched by other women, especially when we were making love. She often held hands with Nicki, who was unquestionably her best friend. But to simply lie naked and be held and cuddled by another woman, only Doreen and Dani could be there. I wondered if it had to do with the fact they were already mothers of my children. And for the first time, C-Rae did not travel with her mother. My daughter was thirteen months old now—I was told I couldn't use years until she was two—and weaned from Doreen's tit. Rachel was soaking up pending motherhood by taking care of C-Rae and Matthew. Of course, I knew she had a lot of afternoon help from La Madrina. It wouldn't surprise me if Rhonda was staying with Casa del Agua for the week. Lucky Elaine was doing her shows from the studio at the ranch.

"Come and lean back against me, sweetheart," Doreen said to Liz on Wednesday night after dinner. Doreen sat naked on the bed with a pile of pillows behind her. Her legs were spread and Liz edged her naked butt between Doreen's thighs and leaned back against her big soft breasts. Doreen wrapped her arms around my redhead and put her hands on Liz's tummy. "Mmm. Twenty-three years old tomorrow and six months pregnant. What is your mommy going to say?"

"We'll find out tomorrow," Liz giggled. "I'd guess she'll check out the size of my tits and tell me my baby will starve."

"Your tits are beautiful," Dor cooed. She let her hands slide up to cup Liz's breasts. I moved between her legs to lick up the inside of her thighs toward her sex. Liz moaned. "You'll love the feeling of your baby latching onto a nipple and sucking nourishment out of your body."

"Was it better than having Brian or Doug suck you?" Liz asked. She put her hands on top of Doreen's and held them on her breasts.

"It was ... stimulating. It's not like I got turned on every time I nursed ... exactly. But nursing time was bonding time with my children. Having Brian or Doug suck on me—or Rachel or Sandy—was bonding in a very different way. Even when they sucked milk out. Don't worry. Brian isn't going to stop making love to your nipples just because there's competition for them," Doreen said as she held Liz. I didn't say anything. Frankly, my mouth was full and as Doreen talked, Liz was releasing copious amounts of fluid for me to lap up. "Lift up and sit on top of my thighs instead of trying to get between them. I love your butt against my pussy, but this will give Brian easier access. Maybe he can even access me!"

"Oh," Liz gasped when she'd settled and I started flicking her clit with my tongue. "Why am I comfortable with you touching my breasts and no other women, Dor? I mean except Danielle, but that's so different. I mean, I know girls give me little kisses and sometimes pinch a nipple while I'm with a guy, but I never think about them being girls then."

"I don't know, honey. Do you think of me being a girl?"

"With those girls I'm leaning back against as pillows, it's kind of hard not to think of you as a girl," Liz giggled and then gasped again as I slid a finger up into her. "I don't think I'd want you to do what Brian is doing, but holding and being held by you is really nice. Maybe even, since his mouth is busy, you could kiss me a little."

I don't think Liz had ever kissed a girl. Doreen didn't press things. There was no deep throat tongue action, though their tongues might have touched. I was looking up at them over the slight mound of Liz's tummy. But Liz relaxed back against Doreen and gave herself over to the sensations of her first orgasm of the night. When she settled down a little, I moved forward and positioned my cock to slide into her red thatch. We were soon on our way to her second and third.

We were home by ten Friday night. My show had just finished and everyone was moving toward bed. It was wonderful to settle into the nest in the big bedroom with all my cónyuge around and on top of me. There were a lot of easy insertions into very willing and ready pussies, but it was more a time of just connecting with each other and affirming that we still fit together. The surprise was having Nicki settle on me and slide back and forth with a contented sigh.

"Nicki? We don't have protection, honey, and I'm getting close." We never made love without a condom and just the realization that I was buried naked in her hot, wet pussy was enough to drive me to the precipice.

"I have my diaphragm in and enough spermicide to stop an army. Plus, I've already begun cramping for my period. This is such a good way to cure PMS. I want to feel it, Brian. I want to feel you. In me. While I come ... and you ... come." There was no question about coming. I sent an army to test her theory while she clamped and shuddered her release.

Saturday morning, after I'd worked out and run, I walked over to Joanne's mansion. I was truly amazed at how big a place she had buried behind a fairly standard looking façade. Lupe let me in and I took baby Maria from her before I went to see Joanne.

"Goodness, how big you've grown, Maria." She was a little more than three months old. I'm sure my women would tell me I should counting weeks and not months. "Has La Madrina been to see you?"

"Almost every day," Lupe laughed. "I don't know how she keeps up with all her babies and works full time, too. I just know she never misses an opportunity to hold and cuddle a baby."

"The toddlers love her, too," I said. "I'm sure she's hoping you'll have a dozen."

"Mio Dios! I'm Hispanic, but I'm not Catholic. I promised Jose two. My teats will sag to my knees when this one is done."

"May I take breakfast to Joanne?"

"I was waiting for you. Let me poach her egg while you entertain Maria." It wasn't hard to entertain the baby. I started dancing and she went to sleep. That's what an exciting two-stepper I am. Lupe took the baby and I took the serving tray to Joanne's room. I pushed the door open without knocking.

"Happy birthday to you," I sang as I entered.

"Oh! Yes!" Joanne gasped. She looked at me as she plunged a good-sized dildo into herself and orgasmed.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to walk in on you when you were..."