Chapter 42: Pete and Melanie

June, 1984, Milford, Ohio

On Thursday morning, Bethany and I picked up Stephanie and went to breakfast at Bill Knapp's. I decided that it was in my best interest to avoid my mom, and thus spare my dad the pain of having to deal with her reactions to me. Stephanie confirmed that she was on the warpath about me and my 'degenerate friends', but that Dad was trying to get her to calm down before the wedding and reception, and to not create a scene.

"She wanted to call Mrs. Spencer and demand that you be kicked off the wedding party and that Jennifer and Josie not be allowed to attend. Dad pointed out that Mrs. Spencer had no say and that if she tried to call Melanie, there was a strong likelihood that Melanie would simply tell her off and dis-invite her."

"Mom STILL doesn't realize that I selected my High School friends because they're people I like and who have somewhat similar worldviews," I said. "The new friends I have in Chicago are different, like Anala, Dave, Jamal, and Jorge, but they are all pretty open-minded."

"And hers is like a steel trap that's rusted shut!" Stephanie laughed.

After we ate a big breakfast, I dropped Stephanie at home, then dropped Bethany at her house and drove over to Kara's. She and her mom had coffee waiting, and we sat in the kitchen together.

"Kara tells me that you agreed to let her live with you in Chicago," Nancy said.

"I invited her, Nancy. I wouldn't have it any other way. She's going to share a room with Elyse. I have the bed and some furniture ready for her."

"It's still very nice of you, especially given everything that's happened."

"I still love Kara very much and I only want the best for her. I want her to be safe and happy, and if she's going to be in Chicago, having her in the house is the best way to do that. Did you decide for sure when you're coming to Chicago, Kara?"

"August 1st makes sense; you'll be back from the race in Georgia and I want a few weeks to get settled. It also makes it easier for work; my last day will be July 31st."

"You know, with you coming early, I should ask if you would you like to go to the race in Michigan with me, Dave and Julia?"

"I've never been to a car race. Is it fun?"

"Well, they do go around in circles for about three hours, but I think it's fun. Plus, you'll get to meet Bill Elliott, one of the top drivers on the circuit, and maybe a few others. I have pit passes, which let you get into the garage area where they prepare the cars."

"Then, yes, I'd like to go!"

"Great! Nancy, I hear that you're seeing someone from work," I grinned.

She laughed, "Yes, I am. I decided that I'm too young to be a widow for the rest of my life. He's a nice man, Steve. I hope that you'll like him when you meet him."

"If you like him, and Kara doesn't object to him, I'm sure that I will."

"Are you seeing anyone now?" Nancy asked casually.

"Mom!" Kara protested.

I chuckled, "No, I'm not; at least in the way you mean. I've dated some since Stephie moved back to Georgia, but I'm not seeing anyone seriously right now. After what happened with Kara, and what happened with Stephie, and some really serious thinking, I decided not to have a steady girlfriend before I graduate next year."

Nancy nodded and smiled, "You and Kara do make a cute couple."

"Mom!" Kara protested, harsher this time.

"Oh stop, honey," Nancy said with a smile. "You know my opinion on that. I always hoped that you two would end up together, even before you made love the first time. I wouldn't be a mom if I didn't try to nudge things in the way I want them to go!"

"I don't interfere with YOUR love life!" Kara shot back.

"No, you don't. But I'm a mom and we have our prerogatives. One of them is encouraging our daughters to select good mates. Steve would be a very good choice. Now, I've said my piece and I'll leave you two to talk!" she grinned.

Nancy got up, winked at me when she was behind Kara, and left the kitchen. I heard her go upstairs, understanding that she intended to give us some privacy.

"Sorry," Kara said, slumping in her chair.

"About what? That your mom thinks we belong together? That's no crime! And not news! That she said something about it? That isn't a crime either, even if it embarrasses you. You told me that's what you want. Heck, you said that you'd be my lover if I let you!"

"Kara and Steve bare together!" she giggled.

"Exactly! So why object to your mom saying what she thinks? It doesn't bother me."

"So how about it?" Kara said invitingly. "Kara and Steve bare together?"

"Right here? On the kitchen table?" I grinned.

"No!" she laughed, blushing. "I think that might be too much for my mom to handle."

"How about we talk it through when you come to Chicago?"

"So long as I can cum while I'm in Chicago!" she giggled.

"Kara Anne Blanchard!" I said, trying to make it a reprimand, but I couldn't hold back the laughter.

"Seriously, can I ask you a few things?" she said.

"Sure. What do you want to know?"

"First, how are things with Jennifer? I guess I'll see her at the wedding tomorrow."

"And you'll see her girlfriend. The one she wants for her life partner."

"Oh!" she said, blushing. "So, what does that mean for you?"

"Jen and Josie want me to be the father of their baby that Jennifer will have. But otherwise, they're a couple, not me and Jen."

"That's certainly not how you expected things to turn out. So, does that mean you and Bethany are planning to get married?"

"I have no plans to marry anyone at this point. Bethany and I are best friends, and will be forever. What happens beyond that, I can't say right now. And before you ask, that's true about Sofia, Tatyana, or any other girl."

"What about Karin?"

"She and I will have a long talk, or maybe a very short one. I think she and I are done. It was an unsustainable fantasy. Even our attempt to start over just doesn't seem to have changed things for me."

"You don't have to answer, but who are you intimate with?"

"Bethany, obviously; Jennifer and Josie; Anala; Penny; Tatyana; and Sofia. I don't know if Karin and I will make love when I'm there or not. Honestly, until Jennifer and Josie showed up, I pretty much stopped being with anyone but Penny, with one exception, one time. And I liked that."

"So why start up with the others again?" she asked.

"I never stopped, really. Remember, none of the girls I named except Penny and Anala were there in Chicago. It was the other girls I cut out."

"And when you come back?"

"Is there a reason for the interrogation?" I asked with a smile.

"Is that how you feel? That it's an interrogation?"

"No, that was just a turn of a phrase, I guess. What's bugging you, Honey?" I asked gently.

"It's not that it's bugging me, I'm just thinking about how I fit in. Or how you'll fit in — me!" she giggled.

I dropped my voice to a whisper, "Oh, it fits very nicely in your tight little pussy, your sexy mouth, and your cute little ass!"

Kara giggled, "I'm glad you feel comfortable talking to me like that, Steve. It makes me feel like there's a real chance we can be together, at least at some level. But like you said, we can worry about it when I come to Chicago."

"Yes, we can. Are you bringing a date to the wedding tomorrow?"

"No. Who would I go with? You asked Bethany and I am not dating anyone now, and don't want to. And don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm hung up on you. Well, I am, but I'm not comfortable dating. You're special."

"OK. I was just curious. I need to get going. I'll see you at the wedding and I'd love to have a dance, if you're willing."

"Are you kidding?" she asked with a smile. "You know what dancing leads to!"

"Sex!" I chuckled.

"Why don't Baptists have sex standing up?" she asked with a smirk.

"Stephie told me that one! Because it might lead to dancing!"

We both laughed. We finished our coffee, and she walked me to the door. We hugged, and I went to give Kara a chaste kiss, but she had other ideas. The French kiss was smoking hot and electrified every nerve in my body. She let me go and smiled at me.

"See you in Chicago!" she said in a tone that implied we'd do much more than talk.

I smiled, turned and walked to my car. I pulled out of the driveway, waved goodbye, and headed to Bethany's house. Bethany and I decided to just hang out at her house for the day, and that evening, she and I would go to her dad's club for dinner, as we'd done several times since that very first date for Homecoming over seven years ago. The afternoon and the evening were peaceful and enjoyable, with Bethany and I spending time together. She really appreciated the attention, and I was happy to be with her.

That evening, in bed, Bethany and I made love and then cuddled. Unlike the night before, neither of us wanted a marathon session, but we did want to talk.

"Have you heard anything from Joyce?" Bethany asked.

"Nothing yet. Well, I've talked to her, but it's too soon to know what the result of the procedure was. I hope that's the end of it."

"It has to be pretty scary. I'd hate to go through something like that."

"I hate going through it from my side. I can't imagine what it's like for her. You're OK with her request if the abnormal cells do come back?"

Bethany laughed, "Oh, hell, why not? You're already going to have a kid with Jennifer and Josie and one or two with Elyse. Why the heck not? I only want two, so that would give you six, possibly."

"You only want two? Aren't we getting a bit ahead of ourselves?" I asked with a smile.

She fingered her pendant, "Are we?"

"One more year, Sweetheart, at least for me. Three more for you. Unless you're going to transfer to a school in Chicago."

She reached over and opened the drawer on her nightstand. She took out an envelope and handed it to me.

"Loyola?" I asked.

She nodded, "Open it."

I opened the envelope and removed the single sheet of letterhead paper and unfolded it. The letter was an acknowledgment of receipt of her application to the PhD program in Clinical Psychology. It set forth the requirements necessary to be accepted, all of which needed to be completed by January 1st.

"What about UW?" I asked.

"The department head is quite unhappy with me, but I decided that I need to be with you, no matter what happens in the long run. Our lives have always been best when we're together, even if we aren't a couple. Even if we end up marrying other people, I never, ever want to be far from you. I hope you feel the same."

"I do. You're my best friend and you'll always be my Sweetheart, no matter what."

"I assume we can sort out rooms?"

"Well, Elyse and Sofia are sharing, and so are Josie and Jennifer. We have to sort out you, Kara, and Stephanie."

"I can room with Kara. I can't imagine that either of us is going to need to bring a guy back to our rooms! That'll give your sister the privacy she needs. She absolutely deserves her own room."

"I might have to find a new place to live!" I chuckled. "All the girls who seem to think they have a good chance, except Tatyana. If she decides to move to Chicago, I'm going to lose my mind!"

"So being in a group relationship isn't so attractive anymore?" she giggled.

"Who the hell knows? You're really serious about this?"

"Yes. I'd have preferred that you said I could share YOUR room, but I am serious. It makes sense. If I stay in Madison, I lose. This way, I see you every single day."

"It's going to be interesting!" I grinned.

On Friday morning, Bethany and I took Stephanie out to breakfast as we had the day before, and dropped her at home after we'd eaten. She told me that she and Josie had found identical dresses, and I let her know that Pete had agreed to the gag. Bethany and I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon at her house. Just after 3:00pm we got dressed for the wedding and went to pick up Jennifer and Josie.

Jennifer was dressed in a gorgeous pale yellow bridesmaid dress which matched the color of the cummerbund of my grey groomsman's tuxedo. Pete had gone all out, and I had a top hat as well. It wasn't my choice of hats — I preferred fedoras — but Bethany had said it looked quite stylish. Josie had on a cute pink dress, while Bethany had a lavender-colored one. We arrived at St. Andrew's an hour before the wedding, because Jennifer and I had to be there early.

We left Bethany and Josie together and went to find Melanie and Pete. Melanie was in the same room where I'd been with Jennie McGrath before I'd walked her down the aisle. After greeting me with a relatively chaste — for her — French kiss, to the titters of some of her bridesmaids, Melanie handed me a slip of paper with some ideas for my toast at the reception. I laughed because it was classic Melanie. I left Jennifer with her, then went to the room where the altar boys' robes were, which was used for the groom. I shook hands with Pete and he handed me a box with the wedding rings.

"Any last words from the condemned man?" I chuckled.

"This is exactly where I want to be, Steve," Pete said with conviction. "You, of all people, should know that. I wouldn't trade Melanie for anything in the world, and I know that if I hadn't come along, you wouldn't have, either. It's funny that she ended up with me when she had you, and then spent years trying to get you again."

"Pete, forget all of that. Melanie and I were not cut out for each other, no matter how much we loved and still love each other. You two belong together!"

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you're a stand-up guy, Steve. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"Just don't ever do anything to hurt her, Pete. If you do, you'll answer to me and I won't let you bounce me off the hood of your car in that event."

"Don't worry! You know me well enough. I've never even looked at another girl since Melanie and I got back together. Why would I?" he asked with a grin.

"It also may have something to do with the fact that she'd cut your balls off!" I laughed. "Anything you want me to say when I give the toast at the reception?"

"Nothing in particular. Just keep it PG, please. My grandparents will be there!"

"I guess I'll throw away the note Melanie just slipped me!"

"Oh Lord!" he said, shaking his head. "Let me see!"

"You know she'll kill me for letting you see this, right?" I asked with a grin while handing him the note.

He looked it over, shaking his head as he read.

"She never stops, does she?" he chuckled, handing me the paper.

I made a show of tearing it into eight pieces and dropping it in the trashcan.

"There was NO WAY I was using any of those innuendos or double-entendres. The least outrageous one was the one about you giving up the free milk by buying the cow. She's nuts, Pete!"

"That does have its advantages!" he chuckled.

"She's been able to get you to step outside your comfort zone?" I asked.

"Just a bit. I'm not you and can't be you. But that's OK."

The other groomsmen showed up a few minutes later — Pete's brother, his cousin, a friend from Ohio State and a new NIS agent who he'd bonded with at training. Melanie's other bridesmaids were her cousin Michelle, who I hadn't seen for years, Mary Harrison, and two friends from college. One of the St. Andrew's ushers came in and went over the service with us and then led Pete and the rest of us to the steps at the foot of the altar. We turned and faced the back of the church and waited for Melanie and her bridesmaids.

St. Andrew's generally had the priest and altar boys enter from the sacristy at the left side of the altar as the congregation would view it, and they conformed to that practice, coming to the front of the altar. The organist played the traditional processional, and the bridesmaids were escorted by ushers to the altar, and then Melanie, escorted by Frank, walked down the aisle to the altar. Frank kissed her on the forehead and took Pete's and Melanie's hands, and put them together, then stepped away to go to the pew where Trudy was standing.

We all turned to face the altar, and the service started with prayers, followed by readings from the Old and New Testaments, and then the Gospel. Father Buschmiller gave a brief homily, and then began the rite of marriage by asking if Pete and Melanie had come freely, were not bound by any impediment, and would 'freely accept' children as a gift of God. I suppressed a smirk because I knew they used birth control 'religiously', in direct contravention of the teachings of the Catholic Church. They answered affirmatively, and it wouldn't have surprised me if Melanie had her fingers crossed.

Melanie and Pete had opted for the traditional vows, as read by the priest in question-and-answer form, responding 'I do' to each question. Father Buschmiller then called for the rings, and I handed them to him. He proclaimed a blessing on them, and then Pete and Melanie exchanged rings with the traditional vow. After a litany of intercessions, Father Buschmiller prayed over Pete and Melanie, the congregation said the Lord's Prayer and then Father Buschmiller prayed the dismissal prayer.