Chapter 11

I heard, "Aw, aren't they cute?" It was April's voice. They were standing by the bed. My eyes shot wide open as I woke startled.

"April, what are you doing? What time is it?"

"We are watching our Dad and Mom sleep together and it looks like you are both very happy. Your clock will go off in less than five minutes."

Laura purposively stretched and yawned. "Your father is a good man with who to sleep. I feel safe and warm.

"Now, we'll see you downstairs. Close the door behind you."

They grinned at us and left, closing the door behind them. Laura got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I enjoyed the lingering smell of her on the sheets for a few more moments before I got moving.

I came into the bathroom and started the water to let it warm. I got in the shower and stood under the spray to wake my body up. I felt the air change and then felt a warm body against mine! Two arms came around my neck and I felt Laura's body mold itself to mine. She whispered softly, "I needed a quick shower and thought we might save water." I pulled her tighter and we kissed. We slowly pulled apart. She wet her hair and poured shampoo and lathered it up. She rinsed it thoroughly and I began to soap her torso enjoying the feel of her delectable body. At one point, I realized that she shaved! I helped her rinse and then shampooed and rinsed. She soaped my body. I think she was enjoying touching me as I had her. As we got out and dried off, she said, "Once we're married, we can do that until you get tired of us showering together."

I grinned. "We'll save a lot of water over many, many years." We hadn't seen the other naked and we both seemed to like what we saw. I know I did. We dressed quickly and headed down the stairs laughing together. Our daughters were waiting in the kitchen with big grins on their faces.

They said together, "Good morning, parents. You looked so-o cute sleeping together this morning. We love you."

We grinned at them and gave each one a kiss and a hug from each of us. We sat at the kitchen table. We had coffee while the girls had milk. I was running waffles through the toaster with two for everyone. Soon, we were eating. Laura said, "Girls, me staying here has to be confidential. Your father and I are not having sex but other people wouldn't believe that. We will be married soon but, until then, the world can only be told that I'm staying in the spare bedroom or something that will keep me out of trouble."

I said, "Girls, you have to tell the truth but you need tell only part of it. If someone asks, admit she is staying here. If the questioning goes further, tell people that I leave the bedroom door open and you can see me from the hall but Laura always closes the door to the spare bedroom when she comes up. Laura, starting tonight, you will have to close that door nightly."

Laura laughed, "Now, I know you're a lawyer! As of this night, there will be nothing untrue in what people are told but it leads to a very untrue picture that people will paint from what they hear."

"Laura, we don't lie but we don't volunteer. I don't feel that nosey people are due the whole truth. People have to make their own assumptions and I owe them no duty to help them."

April and May nodded, grinning. April said, "Dad always says that we shouldn't lie but have no responsibility to answer questions that are not asked. He says it's up to the questioner to ask the right questions."

Laura said, "I will have to remember to make sure you answer with the 'whole' truth." She grinned. "Remember, we will be a little late tonight. We have to go by the counseling center so I can demonstrate to them that your father has cured me of my fears." She looked at me. "Paul, why don't we pick up Chinese on the way home. That way the girls can be sure to have finished their homework rather than cook. Maybe we can watch a movie tonight."

I nodded. We had all finished eating but still had a few minutes before needing to leave. Laura headed out and, ten minutes later, we left. I dropped May off at the elementary school and then left April at the middle school. I went into work and steadily worked through my projects for the day. One thing that I did was to call Pastor George and talk over with him appointments for Laura and I to meet with him. He gave me a few dates about a month out to consider for our wedding. I thanked him and we confirmed our first meeting for Thursday evening.

I talked to Laura on the phone after school. We would meet at the counseling center. I drove there and parked beside her Prius. We got out and went inside. As planned, we were five minutes early. Taking my hand, Laura walked into a room.

Everyone froze. Laura said loudly, "Good evening, I wanted you to meet my cure. This is my fiancé, Paul Sanderson." She held her left hand out and up. Her right hand had mine tightly in hers. She was smiling but was also nervous. A woman walked up to us and said, "Hello, Paul. I am Marie, the discussion leader. I'm sure Laura explained that you can't stay." I nodded.

Laura said, "Marie, I'm not staying either. I appreciate all the group has done for me but I am happy with Paul and his, soon to be our, daughters. He is a gentle and gentlemanly man. I love him. Everyone, please be happy for me."

I said, "I don't know any of you or what has been discussed in this room. I do know Laura's issue. I appreciate the caring that you have shown her. I look forward to spending many years doing my best to make her happy. Thank you."

The dam broke then. The women surrounded Laura to admire her ring and congratulate her. She had to release my hand. I stood there waiting and grinning. As soon as she could, she grabbed my hand again. A number of the ladies congratulated me and told me that she's a wonderful person. I said, "How well I know. She's lovely and I love her."

Marie came around and politely eased us out. Once we were out of the room, she closed the door. Laura still had my hand and pulled me out of the building to our cars. "Lead on to the Chinese place. We can order and wait. I want to sit and cuddle a moment." I smiled, got in my car, and drove the few blocks to the restaurant. We placed an order for takeout and sat down inside to wait at a small table.

"Laura, I made an appointment for Thursday evening with Pastor George for the first of his premarital meetings. I want to get that done. The first dates the church has available are in April and we need to talk about what date fits us best."

"That's easy. The first one available."

"That's good but that's also April's birthday. It would be nice to know when Spring Break is scheduled."

"I understand your point. We'll look at schedules. My time of month might be a consideration, too." She blushed. She suddenly looked very serious. "Should I go on the pill or something? I've never been on birth control before."

I smiled. "We need to talk." Our name had just been called. I went to the register and paid. We loaded the food in my car and drove home separately.

We pulled into the garage and carried the food into the kitchen where April and May waited for us with plates and bowls ready. We removed the packages from the bags and laid everything out with serving spoons. We prayed, served, and carried our plates into the dining room to eat.

I grabbed the wall calendar and brought it with me. I flipped it to the month of April. "We are talking about wedding dates. There are two available in April. I know those dates. There are two in May but I can't remember those but wrote them on a page of my notepad.

"Let's talk about April's dates before we look further out."

April said, "What's the first date?"

"Pastor George is assuming we would marry on a Saturday or a Sunday. The first weekend in April is available. Saturday is the fifth and Sunday is the sixth."