Chapter 13

The winter months descended and made life move a bit more slowly in the mountain valley. Regular snowfall kept a blanket of powdery white across the region, forcing most activity indoors. Obviously, there were some chores that had to be done outside, as well as wintery fun to be had. Bundled up against the cold, Sherry, Shawna, Angel and I spent many of those snowy afternoons outside as a family, building armies of snowmen, attacking one another in snowball fights or precariously sledding between the tall trees. Gladys, well into her third trimester, would supervise from her rocking chair on the porch, giving directions or mocking us in her good-natured manner. But generally, we preferred the warmth of the fire in the family room. I began ferrying the girls to and from school when the weather dictated it, but as a rule, my routine stayed the same as it had been.

Just before Christmas, Shawna asked us to gather in the family room so she could inform us that she’d met a guy and wanted to date him. In what was apparently an age-old custom, she asked for Sherry’s permission – which was easily given, then Sherry told her she’d still need to get my approval.

Baffled, I asked, “Why would your daughter need my permission to date anyone?”

“Yer th’ man o’ th’ house”, Sherry answered, as if speaking to a child.

When it was clear that I still didn’t understand, Gladys explained. “Th’ man o’ th’ house has the final say-so on any kinda decision ‘at might affect ever-body at once. It’s th’ way we was all raised up from when we was kids. An’ when a girl or boy wants t’ start seein’ somebody, they gotta git permission from the man o’ th’ house, ‘cause if’n they run off’n git married, that’ll mean less hands to hep around th’ place. So it’s up to th’ man t’ make ‘at kinda decision.”

While I understood the logic, that didn’t mean I fully agreed with such an antiquated custom. Regardless, before I launched into a short mental list of questions, I asked Shawna to sit across from me so I could better gauge her answers. She answered each one directly, without hesitation or shame.

“What’s this boy’s name?”

“Danny Richmond”

“How old is he?”

“He’s 19.”

“What about school? Did he graduate or did he drop out?”

“He graduated las’ year.”

“What’s he been doing since then?”

“He started out workin’ in th’ sawmill. But now he’s got a job drivin’ trucks fer the minin’ comp’ny.”

“What about his parents? Are they from this area? What do they do?”

“He said his Dad run off a long time ago, but ‘is Momma still lives down th’ road a piece. She’s a seamstress ... ya’ know fer dresses an’ stuff? But Danny heps her pay fer ever-thang.”

I thought, “So, the boy graduated, has a full-time job and helps his family – good start.”

Sensing where the conversation was headed, Shawna preemptively offered, “We ain’t had sex ‘r nothin’, Unca Jim, I promise. I mean, we been kissin’, an’ he played wi’ my titties some an’ I jerked on his pecker fer a while – but I promise we didn’ do nothin’ else.”

Sherry offered a shrug, showing her lack of surprise at this news. Voluntarily eschewing intercourse seemed out of character for the Shawna I knew, but I chose not to press on that topic.

“Where did you meet Danny?” I asked.

“We met at the church a couple weeks ago”, Shawna answered. “He said ‘is Momma still goes t’ church ever-single Sundee mornin’, Sundee night and Wend’sdee night. Can yew b’lieve ‘at?”

“I forgot you’d been going to church occasionally”, I said. “That might explain why she and Danny are taking it slow”, I thought to myself.

“I jus’ started goin’ ‘cause I don’ know too many folks my age”, Shawna explained. “In school, they’s only 14 people in my whole class, an’ I don’ even like mos’ o’ them. An’ I don’ never git t’ talk wi’ nobody else.”

Because of my past dealings with hypocritical church-goers, I hadn’t considered church a social gathering place. To me, they were just a bunch of busy-bodied, holier-than-thou assholes. But Shawna’s desire to be around more people in her own age group – and her logical choice to meet with the church’s youth group - made sense, so I nodded my understanding.

She continued. “I jus’ seen ‘im ‘fore th’ services an’ my tummy got all fluttery ... I thought he was s’ handsome! He’s got ‘ese real purty blue eyes jus’ like yers, Unca Jim, an’ he’s kinda tall an’ he’s real nice ... an’ ... I don’ know ... I jus’ like ‘im.” She looked to me, hopefully.

“There’s one more thing you need to consider, honey”, I said. “When you do start dating someone, then either you’ll have to tell him we’re having sex – or we’ll need to stop. It wouldn’t be right for you to cheat on somebody.”

“Yew mean we can still have playtime if I brang ‘im wi’ me?!” Shawna excitedly asked.

“NOPE!” I answered definitively. “I have a strict one-cock-rule. Mine. I know all men have a dick - I just don’t wanna see them. Especially not when I’m enjoying the company of a naked woman.”

“But this part is important, sweetie”, I said, taking her hands in mine and looking directly in her eyes, “I want you to know that I’m very happy for you Shawna. It’s a wonderful thing to meet someone special and feel those emotions of puppy love that you hope will turn into something more – and I wouldn’t want you to miss out on that. But you need to remember that making a grown-up decision means considering all possible ramifications. Okay, sweetie?”

Shawna’s eyes dropped to her lap for a moment, then she asked, “Unca Jim, ‘re yew gonna be mad at me if’n I wanna go wi’ Danny instead o’ havin’ sex wi’ yew?”

I pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in a warm hug. “No, sweetie. I won’t be mad at you for doing what your heart says is right. Remember that I love you, no matter what.”

Shawna sniffled a couple times and wiped her nose on my shirt before smiling up at me.

Finally, I said, “Why don’t you invite him over for a meal, Shawna? Maybe after church this Sunday, Danny and his mom could come over for lunch. We could get to know each other a bit. How’s that sound?”

Shawna pulled me closer into her embrace. “Thank yew, Unca Jim! I’m gonna see ‘im t’morrow an’ I’ll ask ‘im.”

Sherry nodded, “That’s a great idea, Jim! But ya’ll ‘re gonna hafta hep me remember keep m’ clothes on Sundee ... reckon ever-body should, huh?” she asked with a guffaw. “We’ll all meet this fella an’ his maw, then Jim can make ‘is decision.” With that, Sherry proclaimed the matter closed for the evening.

Shawna returned to her seat and looked like she was puzzling over something.

“What’s got yew stewin’, princess?” Sherry asked.

“Well ... I mean ... if yew ain’t decided yet ... does ‘at mean we can still have sex, Unca Jim?”

I thought about it for a moment. “I can’t think of a reason not to. Until you and I have decided ‘for sure’ about Danny, I’m happy to enjoy your body.”

“YAY!” Shawna jumped from her chair and leapt into my lap, her naked body molding itself to my clothed form while she rained kisses over my face. “I got me a pow’rful itch right now, Unca Jim. Will yew put yer dick inside o’ me?”

“Happily”, I responded. “But you’ll have to let me get undressed first, sweetie.”

“Oh yeah!” Shawna looked down, only then noticing that I was still wearing jeans and a button down shirt. She began with my shirt buttons and eventually worked her way down to my pants, pulling away the layers of garb to leave me bare before she hopped back into my lap, grinding her vulva against my rapidly inflating cock.

Sherry looked to Gladys and asked, “D’yew need me t’ hep yew wi’ ‘em swole-up tits o’ yers?”

“Only all th’ time!” Gladys replied. “Seems like m’ boobs are a might too anxious gettin’ ready t’ feed ‘is kid in my belly. I feel like they ‘splode ‘bout half th’ time.”

“Well, git comf’terble an’ I’ll suck on ‘em fer a while. Angel, d’yew wanna hep suck out yer Aint Glady’s milk? We’ll let Jim an’ Shawna love on each other fer a bit.”

“Okay, Momma”, Angel happily agreed.

Before long, Shawna was skewered on my pole and riding noisily while Sherry used her mouth on Gladys’ leaking tits and Angel rubbed her own tits on Gladys’ dripping slit. Cacophonous moans filled the room until we’d each found the bliss of orgasm.

Shawna joined Gladys in the shower, happy to spend some gentle time alone with her aunt. Sherry chose to shower by herself, taking along a very large cucumber for company. Angel joined me in the shower, allowing me to paw and lick her wide, puffy areolas before she sucked another load from me.

Once everyone was bathed, we shared a simple meal before Sherry declared it was bedtime. It was a school night, after all. Another snowfall had just begun, which meant I’d need to be up early with the girls in order to drive them to school on time.

Just a couple weeks later, before the New Year dropped, Shawna began exhibiting signs of morning sickness. Sherry and I took her to Doc’s office and allowed him to run tests which confirmed Shawna’s new pregnant status. The combined joy exhibited by Shawna and Sherry could not be fully described or contained.

Since introducing us to her new boyfriend, Danny, Shawna and I had not touched each other except for daily hugs or friendly kisses. Though it wouldn’t change the way I felt about Shawna, I naturally had my questions as to who the father may be. I chose not to ask right away, thankfully, for as soon as we were back in the truck, homebound, Sherry broached the subject with Shawna and didn’t relent during the entire drive.

The volume of their bickering increased so much, I was thrilled to reach the house and get out of the confined truck cab when we reached the house. Inside, Sherry tried one more time to dislodge a straight answer from Shawna.

“Honey, it’s alright if yew been havin’ sex wi’ Danny. Yew had permission t’ date ‘im from me an’ Jim. Jus’ tell us th’ truth, okay?”

Shawna was getting defensive and a little perturbed that her mother didn’t seem to believe her. “Momma, I’m tellin’ yew fer th’ las’ time – I ain’t been havin’ sex wi’ Danny. Well ... not the kind o’ sex t’ make a baby anyways. I been horny enough, b’lieve you me! But he said he’s tryin’ t’ be a gentleman an’ we don’ hafta rush it none. So we been ... y’know ... doin’ other stuff. Like ... mouth stuff?”

I interjected, “Shawna, are you saying I’m the father of your baby?”

“Yes sir, you are. I ain’t had sex with nobody else ever. ‘Least not yet. I promise.”

I’d already put a baby into Gladys, whose due date was slowly but surely approaching, another in Tami, and it looked like the next would be borne by the lovely Shawna.

“Have you talked with Danny about this yet? How do you think he’s gonna react to the big news?” I asked Shawna.

“Not yet. But I been thankin’ ‘bout it, Unca Jim an’ I got me an idea. I reckon if I can git Danny t’ finally have sex wi’ me, I can wait a couple weeks an’ tell ‘im the baby’s his. Is ‘at too sneaky?”

Sherry frowned and shook her head. When she didn’t speak up right away, I answered, “You should think about that some more, sweetie. You don’t want to make a decision now that will hurt Danny more when he finds out the truth later. Either way, I hope you know that I’ll be there for you and the baby, no matter what.”

“Yer right”, Shawna agreed. “I’ll thank ‘bout it s’more. But even though this-un’s yers, I still want Danny t’ sex me up real good. Since yew an’ me stopped doin’ it, I got me a pow’rful itch an’ rubbin’ on mysef don’ hep none.”

I held up my hands to indicate surrender. “You don’t need to tell me any more about that, sweetie. I’m not the jealous type, but I don’t want to hear the details of you trying to fuck your boyfriend”, I chuckled. “But you have three gorgeous women in the house who have ‘itches’ of their own. Why don’t you ask one of them to help you?”

“Trus’ me. I’m gonna”, she replied with certainty.

A few days later, Danny drove Shawna home from church, and I invited him to join me on the front porch while I had a smoke. He did so but seemed a little nervous to talk until finally blurting out “I know you had sex with Shawna and she’s carrying your baby!” his face turning beet red.

I looked his way and tried to assess his mood. He didn’t seem upset. It was almost as if he’d been trying to stay silent, but the words had simply burst out.

“Did she tell you that, Danny?”

He nodded, “Yes sir.” Then, with one breath, “She told me she loved me and she was scared I would reject her but that we shouldn’t have secrets from each other and then she said she was pregnant and you’re the father.” His nervous habit of allowing run-on sentences to explode from within showed no signs of abating.

“I see”, I replied calmly. “Do you love her?”

“Yes sir. No doubt in my mind.”

“That’s good to hear”, I answered.

He seemed to relax a little bit, catching his breath for a moment. “I’d never shared this with anyone before, but I was holdin’ onto a secret too. After I saw how brave Shawna was, I told her the truth – me and my Momma ‘ave been havin’ sex since I was 14.”

Knowing it would look hypocritical, I tried not to let my reaction show.

He continued, “She got real lonely when my daddy ran off. An’ I guess, after a while, we jus’ ended up comforting each other, y’know? One thang led to another an’ ... well ... you’ve been around ... I’ll bet you understand.”

It wasn’t difficult to imagine a teenage boy, or any man, being attracted to Danny’s mother, Loretta. Probably in her late 30’s, her face didn’t show the hardship she’d endured. Instead, she almost always had an impish twinkle in her eyes and her smiles were easily offered. Generally clad in a modest, high-collar country dress, she carried herself with dignity but without snooty airs. She’d kept her physique slender and her down-home country girl charm didn’t hurt either. Unsurprisingly, Loretta had not been spared from the local boob growth epidemic and it showed. She was stacked, though not as dramatically as Gladys, Sherry, Angel or even Shawna. As a matter of fact, Loretta reminded me a bit of Gladys – but with darker hair and a less intimidating bustline.

Letting Danny’s admission soak in, I asked, “Does your mom know you’ve shared this with Shawna?”

“Yes sir. Right after I dropped Shawna off that night, I went home an’ told her. She was plenty mad, I’ll tell you what. But she calmed down when I explained it the same way Shawna had to me – that we love each other and there shouldn’t be secrets between us. And she got real happy when I told her about my ... uhm ... that uhm ... Mr. Jim, I need t’ ask you a question. Is ‘at alright?”

Confused by his sudden change of topic and not sure where this was headed, I nodded.

He drew in a large single breath to calm himself and said, “I wanna ask Shawna to marry me. I’d like to know if I have your blessing.”

I wouldn’t say I was shocked - any man who met Shawna would have considered marriage. But she wasn’t my daughter, so it took me a minute to figure out why he was asking for my blessing. Then I remembered the whole ‘man of the house’ thing.

“Danny, I appreciate you taking the initiative and asking me, man to man. And for the record, you have my blessing. But you’ll still have to convince Shawna’s mom. That will likely be a tougher conversation for you, buddy”, I chuckled.

A wide grin crossed his face as he rose and began shaking my hand. “Thank you, sir. I’ll make sure you never regret this decision. I learned from my Daddy how NOT to treat a woman and Shawna will never want for anything as long as I’m around. I guarantee you that.”

I told Danny, “I’d like to invite you inside, but I need to check something before you can come in. I know it’s pretty cold out here, so you can wait in your car if you want – but just give me just a minute ... I’ll be right back, okay?” He just shrugged and said, “Okay.”

Entering the house, I told each of the ladies to put on some clothes because I was going to invite Danny in. Gladys chose to retire to the bedroom instead. Angel tagged along with her. Sherry grumbled but did as I asked. Shawna had yet to disrobe, having only removed her snowy boots by the door.

Stepping onto the porch, I found Danny still standing where I’d left him, shivering a bit, but none the worse for wear. “C’mon inside and get yourself warm, Danny.” He followed me into the house, where I asked Sherry and Shawna to sit on the sofa together.

“Danny and I were talking, and he has a question for you, Sherry”, I announced.

The young man looked to be gathering all of his will to look Sherry in the eyes and show his unwavering grit. Finally, he said, “Miss Sherry, I want to ask Shawna to marry me and I’d like your blessing.”

The realization of what was happening slowly dawned on Sherry, her face showing every degree of elation until she burst into gleeful tears and pulled Shawna into a bear hug. “Oh, sugar! I’m s’ happy fer yew!”

Danny looked at me, unsure of what to do next. “I think that means she’s agreed”, I told him.

He showed wisdom beyond his years by not putting himself in the middle of their moment - simply waiting for mother and daughter to complete their initial celebration and allowing Shawna to come to him and hug him close. She pulled back for an instant to look him in the eyes and tearfully said, “Yes”, before hugging him closely again. While Shawna and Danny kissed and hugged, Sherry took the good news to Gladys and Angel. I heard squeals of delight from the bedroom, followed by Sherry’s yelling “Nuh-uh, missy! Yew stop right now. Yew ain’t gonna go out like ‘at!” She was still scolding Angel for something. Though I couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, it was easy to guess.

When Sherry returned, she went to Shawna and told her “Yer sister an’ Aint Gladys are thrilled, baby. They tol’ me t’ tell yew they’re gonna hep yew celebrate later, okay honey?”

Sherry then looked at me and surreptitiously motioned like she was wiping her brow while rolling her eyes. She whispered, “I almos’ couldn’ stop ‘em from comin’ out here nekkid”. She and I shared a sneaky giggle.

Having already given her approval for marriage, it took almost an hour for Sherry to outline her questions and demands for Danny.

“They’s a few thangs I insist on”, she told Danny and Shawna, “First thang is yew ain’t allowed t’ smack my little girl around none, yew hear me? They’s a lotsa men ‘round ‘ese parts that thank they can beat on a woman if she don’ act the way he likes. If my girl has one bruise on ‘er, yer gonna hafta deal wi’ Jim. An’ if ‘at don’ scare ya, then me an’ my shotgun’ll come find ya’.”

Danny spent a moment explaining to Sherry the abuse he’d seen his own mother endure and that he’d rather walk away from Shawna than put her through what his mother experienced.

“Good boy”, Sherry continued. “Second thing that’s gotta happen is she’s gonna graduate from high school. Period. I don’ care if she’s married already – I’m still ‘er Momma an’ I’ll come drag ‘er by the ears t’ school if’n I hafta. She’s only got a year an’ a half left, so they ain’t gonna be no excuses.”

They both agreed that this was their plan.

“Now then – where ya’ll plannin’ t’ live?” Sherry asked the young couple.

I suddenly felt stupid. This was an obvious question I should have asked, but it hadn’t even crossed my mind in the moment.

Danny spoke first, “I’ve talked with my Momma an’ she said we could live there, with her.”

“Does she already know that Shawna’s pregnant?” I had to know.

“No sir, she doesn’t. T’ be honest, I don’t think I wanna tell her until after the wedding. She’s a real Bible thumper an’ I’m afraid it’d break her heart. I was hopin’ Shawna and I could get married in the next few weeks, then I’d tell ‘er Shawna’s gonna have a baby. That way, she’ll think I put the baby there after the wedding and she won’t think less of Shawna because of it.”

It seemed supernaturally paradoxical that Loretta would have sex with her own son and also have a religious-based aversion to pre-marital sex. But, as I was continuingly learning, the people of this little town were ... odd.

Shaking that thought from my head, I had to speak up, “Danny, I understand what you’re saying, but you and Shawna need to think about this very, very carefully. You’re essentially making a vow to never tell your mother the truth about her grandchild. That’s a decision you and Shawna need to make together and I’ll support you either way. But you need to be really careful about this.”

Shawna suddenly interjected, “Yes sir, but we don’ know if Danny can even make babies on ‘is own yet - ‘is sperms might be jus’ th’ same as all the other fellas ‘round here.”

That hadn’t occurred to me. “You might want to have Doc check that for you, Danny.” He nodded his understanding.

Sherry then wanted to know how Danny would treat the baby currently developing in Shawna. “I know mos’ fellas’d rather make their own kid – yew sure yer gonna be able t’ take care o’ my gran-baby like it deserves?”

Danny handled it masterfully. He took one of Sherry hands and answered, “I’ve been thinking about that, Miss Sherry. I reckon it’s the same as me dating and marrying a single mom. The only difference is that she hasn’t had the baby yet. And this way, I’ll get to be the Dad starting from day one! The only thing I ain’t fig’r’d out yet is how we’ll tell the kid the truth, down the road...” he trailed off, losing himself in momentary doubt.

“I reckon yew got time t’ deal wi’ ‘at part later, sugar”, Sherry replied. “It’ll be a while ‘fore ‘at young-un’s old enough t’ unnerstan’ anyways.” She rose, then stooped to give Danny a hug around his seated form.

The conversation was then steered headlong into bridal plans, for which I had no input nor desire to involve myself. So, I simply grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat on the hearth, enjoying another smoke while tuning their conversation out.

After a while, Danny said he had work early the next morning and should be heading home. He and Shawna shared a loving, but very brief, make-out session on the wintery front porch before he motored away for the night.

“When yew gonna make an hones’ woman out o’ my sister anyway, Jim?” Sherry wanted to know.

“I’ve thought a lot about it, Sherry”, I answered. “I’m hoping we can make it official after the baby is born. I assume she’ll prefer to not be pregnant in the wedding photos. And I have this sneaking suspicion that she won’t want a wedding gown big enough to cover her belly the way it is now”, I smiled.

Sherry chuckled, “Yer prob’ly right about ‘at.”

The wedding planning efforts jumped into a hectic ‘three-ring-circus-mode’ starting the next morning. Though I did my best to stay completely out of the process, it turned out there were things for which I was needed and they all revolved around one thing: Money.

Shawna was very good about trying to keep her marital ceremony and surrounding events quite modest. I never had to remind her who was paying for the dress, the service, the flowers, the catering, the limosine rental or their honeymoon in the Bahamas. On the other hand, Sherry wanted everything to be magical for her eldest’s big day, constantly urging me to spend more and more even when Shawna had already made a decision for a less pricey option. Case in point; Shawna and Danny decided to honeymoon for a few days at a mountain retreat just a few hours away, but Sherry pushed them until they agreed to ask me to pay for the week-long Bahamas trip.

Soon enough, the big day came and was roundly celebrated by all. After the reception, Shawna and Danny got in the limo and drove toward the small, regional airport (an hour away). And just like that, she began her new life with Danny, my baby growing in her belly.

After their honeymoon, Shawna informed me that they’d decided to tell Danny’s mother about the baby. Turns out, the woman had taken it as a given that Danny wasn’t the father, surprising both of them. And if they were surprised, I was fully gob-smacked. But apparently, Shawna’s suspicion about Danny’s “sperms” was also held by his mother. Since she and Danny had been enjoying each other for some time and she’d never missed her period, she assumed he was as sterile as everyone else in town. She also grew up in the area and wasn’t surprised at all by the quasi-incestuous coupling of Shawna and I.

So, in the end, Danny’s mother was just thrilled to have a grandchild on the way and daughter-in-law to worry over. While I was endlessly grateful that my worst fears had not come to fruition.

Aside from Shawna moving out, the only change in our house was that I had to have a phone line installed. This was done under the guise that it would allow Sherry to check in with Shawna regularly (though we only lived 3 miles from her). The primary reason I had for installing the phone was simply to ensure Shawna could and would call ahead and let us know to get clothed if she and Danny were gonna visit – mostly Danny though. “Family or not, you need to remember my one-cock-rule, Shawna”, I warned her.

It was still wintertime when Gladys informed me that she could no longer comfortably enjoy vaginal sex. “I’m gonna hafta close up shop ‘til after th’ baby comes, Jim”, she told me. “I don’ know if it’s the baby hersef pushin’ on me, ‘r if it’s sump’n else inside tryin’ t’ make room fer th’ little bugger, but it hurts when yew put yer big dick inside o’ me even a little bit. I’m sorry, honey.”

I hugged her close. “You shouldn’t be sorry at all, babe. I’ve always asked you to be open and honest with me about what feels good and what doesn’t. I’m glad you said something to me instead of trying to tough it out just for me. We can still have fun, honey. It’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I s’pose yer right”, she said. “‘Sides, yew’n Angel can still love on each other - I know how much yew like ‘at. An’ Sherry still loves yer dick too ... she’ll let yew shoot a load in ‘er mouth ‘r butt anytime yew want.”

“True.”

“An’ I won’t be outta commision fer too long, sugar. Jus’ ‘til after th’ baby’s born an’ I heal up some. Then, I’m gonna need yer fat cock up inside o’ me even more”, she grinned and grabbed my half-hard dong. Her fingers helped my erection slowly grow more turgid before she took me in her mouth and sucked me until I emptied my cum into her greedy maw.

The next morning started slowly, since it wasn’t a school day. After I’d reluctantly hauled myself out of bed and made breakfast for us, we gathered at the table. Once the meal was complete, Sherry announced that she’d made a decision.

“Jim, ‘fore yew start hittin’ me wi’ all yer questions, I want yew t’ know I’ve thought about it a bunch an’ I’ve decided if yew wanna cum inside o’ Angel, ‘at’s b’tween yew an’ her.”

Angel’s eyes lit up as her jaw dropped. “Really Momma?”

When Sherry nodded, Angel leapt from her chair and dropped into her mother’s lap, hugging her closely. “Thank yew. Thank yew. Thank yew...” she murmured.

Sherry rolled her eyes briefly, then returned her daughter’s embrace. “I know how excited yew been ‘bout it, sugar. Hell, yew ain’t let me go one day wi’out badgerin’ me ‘bout it ever since I give Jim permission t’ put ‘is dick inside ya”, she shook her head. “But yew been real good about listenin’ t’ me an’ yer Aint Gladys when we talked wi’ Shawna ‘bout what it means t’ be ready t’ have young-uns. An’ yer a smart girl – I trust yew, an’ I trust Jim.”

There were two reasons I was thankful that I’d been able to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. The first was that I was tired of looking like a water-less fish every time someone said something that surprised me. The second was that I had a mouthful of hot coffee at the time, and I was happy to not have it dribbling into my lap. I swallowed and set the cup down before my shaking hands could betray me.

“Angel, sweetie”, I began, “your mom is saying some really important things right now. You need to keep them in mind. Just because we CAN do it, doesn’t necessarily mean we HAVE to do it. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir, I unnerstan’. Ya’ll ‘re still worried I’m too young t’ make a baby an’ take care of it. But I know diff’r’nt. An’ I wanna try t’ make a baby of my own.”

“Yew still gotta finish school, no matter what”, Sherry reminded her.

“Yes ma’am, I ‘member.”

“An’ yer still gonna hafta do yer chores an’ hep ‘round here”, Sherry added.

“Yes ma’am.”

Sherry then looked across the table to me and said, “Jim, I love yew more’n yew’ll ever know. An’ I’m trustin’ yew wi’ Angel same as I did wi’ Shawna. Yew unnerstan’ what I’m sayin’?”

“Yes, Sherry. I understand what you’re saying”, I replied while returning her stare.

“Well then, I know this one ain’t gonna wanna wait no more”, she patted Angel’s bare little bottom. “So why don’ ya’ll go on ahead an’ git th’ firs’ one outta yer system. Me an’ Gladys’ll clean up in here.”

Angel jumped from her mom’s lap and raced to me. “Can we do it in my bedroom? Please?” she pleaded.

“That’s fine with me, sugar butt”, I happily replied.

“C’mon”, she pulled on one of my arms. “Let’s go ... I been waitin’ s’long to feel yew squirt inside o’ me, I’m ‘fraid I’m gonna bust.”