Chapter 7: Wedding, secrets revealed, and honeymoon

April whispered to me, "Ask her the question you've been thinking about for months. Go on. Do it. You know you've been dying to say something."

I turned to April's naked body and looked at her in the dim light. She had a smile a mile wide. We'd never discussed this, but some days she knew me better than even I knew myself. We were that close.

April kissed my shoulder, and gave me a little nudge towards Megan.

Megan looked up at me with large doe eyes, apparently not sure what was being talked about.

Beyond April, I could see Mary and Serena watching me, but purposefully remaining as quiet as they could. Serena smiled too, nodded, and made a little motion with her fingers towards her mother that signaled 'Get to it.'

I turned back to Megan and kissed her. She actually purred. She'd nearly been oblivious to the subtle communications from her daughters, partly because of what I was doing below her waist. I knew what they wanted, and I realized I'd wanted the same thing for months.

I spoke with Megan in a low tone trying to make my voice sound as romantic as I could. "Megan, I've made some big mistakes in my life. Leaving you was the biggest of them. Would you ever consider being married to me again? I am asking you to marry me."

Megan frantically pushed away from me about a foot, and rapidly rotated her body so she could look at me face-to-face, "Oh, my God. You're serious?"

"Very."

She started to cry. First, she clenched her mouth shut, and then her lips trembled, and her jaw and then entire face scrunched up as she shook. After one vocal sob came from deep inside her, she said, "Oh, God, yes. YES. YES."

I gathered Megan back in my arms, and she cried against my chest for a couple of minutes as I hugged her. As she did I told her how happy she was making me, and how much I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

Eventually, Megan got her emotions under control. She said from her position cuddled against me, "We aren't going to go back to an exclusive monogamous relationship, are we?"

I turned the question back to her, "Is that what you want?" In her asking, I knew that we'd need some kind of novel arrangement to sustain us. The old rules hadn't worked back when, and they surely wouldn't work now.

She shook her head. "No. I don't think that'll work for either of us, plus you have special relationships with other people now – the other women in this bed to name only a few."

"And you have some friends too," I teased.

She admitted, "Yes, I'd like to not have to end my friendships and experiences with them." She looked up at me, "Many of them are sexual, you know?"

"I know, and that's fine with me. I think we can work around the 'others' who'll be in our lives." I turned towards Mary, "For instance, I want Mary in our lives ... in a physical and loving way."

Megan extended a hand to Mary, and said, "Oh, without doubt."

Mary sniffed, "I'm going to cry."

April said, "I'm really happy for you – for all of us. This works in so many ways."

I said, "We'll have to figure out a lot of details."

Megan kissed me and said, "Tomorrow."

On that note we drifted off to sleep.

I found Megan and Mary talking in the kitchen when I got up. They were both wearing gossamer robes that revealed more than they hid. Wilkins was wearing plaid boxers and puttering around the counter serving them coffee and scrambled eggs. I indicated I'd like some of the same. I got a big smile from him.

Both women welcomed me with huge kisses and hugs. I responded to both of them, and I greeted Megan with the words, "Good morning, fiancée."

She laughed, "Oh, I love hearing you say that. I'm so happy for us – for all of us."

I asked, "Is it all right if I give you back the same engagement ring I did twenty six years ago? I still have it in my dresser drawer. I will gladly get you another if..."

Megan interrupted, "You bet it is. I'll wear a ring from a Cracker Jack box, if that's any easier."

I left the kitchen for a moment and returned with the ring in my hand. I kneeled beside Megan and took her left hand in mine; "Miss Manning, will you do me the honor of becoming my bride – again."

"Yes, Mr. Worthington, you bet your sweet ass I will." She laughed, leaned forward, and kissed my forehead.

I slid the ring on her finger and then kissed the palm of her hand and wrapped the kiss inside it.

Mary said with a laugh, "You are going to quench a lot of rumors in the office by doing this."

I asked, "What do you mean?"

"Duh. Boss, you have two of the hottest women on the planet working on your private staff, AND they live with you. By now, everyone also knows they're your daughters, BUT I think they also believe that you are fucking the daylights out of them."

I smiled, "Well, I am."

Mary continued, "Ah, but you've just created a fiancée and eventually a wife, and you'll start living together again I presume. This step will squash the rumors. It signals that the rumors were mistaken. You've actually been making whoopee with their mother, and so they'll all realize they've had it wrong. The specter of incestuous relationships will vanish."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I think the rumor mill constantly discussed the possibility that you were messing around in my pants, and it'll likely continue to enjoy those fantasies. I can't say I really mind either."

"But now I am 'messing around in your pants' as you put it."

"Well you told me not to wear any panties, so I can understand your request better now, and I am enjoying all you do and sure don't want you to stop. Of course, I'm messing in Megan, April, and Serena's pants too, just to mention a few."

"We are a lusty bunch, and most of you don't wear panties."

Megan asked of Mary in a serious tone, "So you think it would help things if I moved in right away?"

Mary said, "Definitely. We'll make it very public too."

Megan turned to me, "Is that all right? I don't want to start off on the wrong foot by doing something that violates some boundary you might have."

"I would love it if you'd move in with us."

"So, I should sell my condo?"

"Yes, unless you want to sublet, or think you need a pied-à-terre in town."

We both turned to Mary who looked happy. Megan said gaily, "I think Mary ought to move in with us too."

Mary looked startled. "I ... I'm ... really?"

I nodded, "I agree. Mary, we've both come to love you."

She laughed, "Now, that would really do things to the rumor mill if I did that, and people will know. Because of that, I think I should 'officially' live in the condo I have now, but that shouldn't stop me from having many sleepovers with you." She sounded hopeful on her last point.

Wilkins slid a plate of eggs in front of me. He coaxed, "Mary, think about it again. What if you let it be known that you had a relationship with me?"

"And how would I do that?"

Wilkins said, "Oh, I could start to make short trips on flimsy excuses up to the executive suite where I would flirt outrageously with you, bring you flowers and Valentine's candy, and otherwise shower you with attention that signals my love for you. I've been thinking about doing things like that anyway, you should know. I'm quite taken with you and would love to have you around me more."

Mary got thoughtful about that and asked him, "So, I'd move in with you?"

Wilkins said, "You saw I have a nice apartment, and that I'm not a real slob about how I live. I have extra space. I'd be honored if you if you came and lived here. I think the boss might lend us an extra bedroom if you needed some alone time. He has me spending more time with the family as you know, and I'm certain they'd all want you around too."