Chapter 12

For the next couple of weeks, Lindsey seemed on a mission. She had a new boyfriend, and she made it a point to leave Jen and I alone as much as possible. Jen must have realized something had changed, because she started snuggling more, kissing me goodnight when she left. The kisses got longer, there was even a hint of tongue in the last few, and she seemed surprised at my enthusiasm. I was trying to figure a way to sound out her feelings towards me, when she took charge.

“My family is coming in two weeks, so we need to air out the bedrooms. I never told them we broke up, in fact, I told them our feelings were getting stronger. It wasn’t a lie, at least on my part. When they get here, my things will be in OUR bedroom, and they won’t just be window dressing. I’m moving in, tonight, into a full blown relationship with you. I’ve loved you forever, and I can’t take it anymore. The choice is yours. Love me, or I’ll move out tomorrow. I’ve had a really good offer from a station three states away. If you don’t want me, I’ll be gone in two weeks. Time to decide.”

She was quivering, tears threatening to spill out, as she waited for my answer. I tried to look as serious as I could. “I have conditions. I’m not sleeping with a bunch of stuffed animals. You need to pick a bedroom out after your folks leave, and decorate it for a little girl, and put them on her bed. I think our first daughter will really enjoy them, knowing her Mom had them when she was her age. And on the subject of children, I think three is a good number. I don’t care if they’re all girls or all boys. And we need to start in another year, I’m not getting any younger here. And we’re keeping Lindsey for as long as we can, that way we’ll have a built in baby sitter. What do you think?”

Her mouth quivered and the tears overflowed. When she finally found her voice, she said “I think ... I think...” and fainted dead away. I picked her up off the sofa, carried her over to my big rocker, and rocked her, caressing her hair and cheeks, until she woke with a start. She looked confused until she saw me, than started crying again, soft little sobs as she held me like I might disappear. When she finally was able to speak, she whispered in a small voice. “Do you really mean it?”

“Yes, baby I do. I think I loved you from the first time I laid eyes on you, I just tried to fight it. I didn’t think I was very good marriage material. But I can’t deny my feelings for you. I want to marry you, have kids, celebrate our fiftieth anniversary together surrounded by our children and grandchildren, with maybe a great grandchild thrown in for good measure. So Jennifer Michelle Conlin, will you marry me? If you’ll get off my lap, I’ll get down on a knee for you.”

She gripped me tighter. “I like where I am just fine. And the answer is YES! I loved you as long as you’ve loved me, maybe longer. I think I’ve been searching for you my whole life. One thing though, I’m not sure about the kids. I’m kind of superstitious of odd numbers, so if it all right if we have four?”

We were both a little hesitant at first, but got over it pretty quickly. Her body was lean, with just enought curves to make you realize she was a woman. Her breasts were small, but perfectly proportioned to her body, and I learned her nipples were really sensitive. I’m not going to go into the positions we used or the passion we had, suffice to say we did everything a man and woman in love could do for each other, as many times as possible. When we finally stopped, exhausted, we heard a giggle coming from the vents.

“MOM! You perv, were you watching?” We felt the gentle caress on both our cheeks, and the same thought popped into our mind. Engagement ring. The covers flew off us, and I knew what the venerable lady wanted. I tugged Jen up. “Come with me. Mom wants to give us an engagement gift.”

We went, naked, into the attic, where I pulled the box down off the beam, opening it. I dropped to one knee. “I know I don’t have to ask again, but I’m doing it right this time. Jennifer, will you marry me?” I slipped the engagement ring on her finger, not the least surprised that it fit like it was made for her. The diamond was large, and it looked enormous on her finger. She looked down and started shaking. “I can’t ... it’s too much...”