Chapter 3: Promises

THE LETTER CAME, addressed to Erin, a little over a year after Sophie died. It was from Sawyer, our attorney. Sophie’s family’s attorney, actually.

When she arrived in answer to my phone call, I handed Erin the envelope.

Interesting that he had sent it here, to the house, rather than to Erin and Mark’s home.

“I’m going outside to read it. Is that OK, Dad?”

“Sure, Erin.”

I tried not to look, but I couldn’t help myself. I saw Erin startle, then laugh, then cry. I left her alone.

When Erin came back in she’d dried her tears, but her smile was a little crooked even so. She walked up to me and into my arms and kissed me lightly on the mouth. She nestled against me for a moment, enough so I knew I was holding a real live warm woman.

Not that I’d had any serious doubt about that, not for a long time.

“What is it, Erin?”

She grinned.

“Private, Dad. A note from Mom. I’ll tell you later. Maybe.”

And then she was off home.

I was up late that night thinking about Sophie and how good it felt to have grown-up Erin in my arms.

Love and pain and laughter brought Erin and me especially close together over the following month or so. Then a relaxed warm evening, a glass or two of wine, tears, more laughter, a hug and a back rub that led almost seamlessly into warm skin-on-skin and urgency and tension and relief, followed by a long comfortable doze in each other’s arms.

Visits by Erin that often ended in bed or outside in the garden on warm nights became a pattern. I wondered at how seamless it had been. One evening I had to ask. I figured Erin would answer me, if she wanted to, or she would tell me to mind my own business.

“Erin, does Mark know?”

She smiled and reached for me. I turned a little and half-covered her. My cock stirred, and I began thinking about a second round.

“Dad, we don’t have very many secrets between us. I’ll tell him when it’s the right time.”

She grinned.

“What about Diana?”

As the year following Sophie’s death neared its end, Diana and I had started to see a lot of each other. We weren’t in a rush to live together or formalize things and I’m not sure we ever would, but we were friends from so long ago and now lovers once more, and I was pretty sure we were going to stay that way for a long time to come.

“I love her, sweetie. Next to your mother, she’s one of my oldest and best friends. She was one of your mom’s closest friends, too.”

I kissed Erin on the mouth and on her ear.