Epilogue

Two months have passed since the Wilkins and friends left Whispering Pines and returned home.

North Carolina – October 2006

New Beginnings

Rachel wore light makeup and had her curly hair up, showing off the diamond studs in her ears. She held her new book up for the dozen people crowded into the Wilkins’s’ living room to see. “Thank you all for coming out tonight to support the launch of my new book,” she said.

Bob stood in the kitchen listening, holding a cold pilsner. Rachel was nude, just like everyone else here tonight, and she’d lost a little weight around the hips since their trip to Whispering Pines. Bob looked down at the softcover book on the countertop—a group of attractive naked people on the cover walking in a forest, mostly backsides but a couple of side boobs, enough to catch a shopper’s eye yet still pass Amazon’s censors. A simple, straightforward title: A Practical Guide to Home Nudity and Loving Your Family. He flipped it over to read the back. It ran 210 pages across eleven chapters. He scanned the author profile:

Miriam Cohen is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) and certified sexologist practicing in the southeastern United States. She writes under a pseudonym to protect her family’s privacy while raising her young son and daughter with her husband, a physician. A military veteran, Miriam specializes in family systems, intimacy, and trauma-informed care.

Miriam was her fake author name, and Bob knew the truth about the unconventional side of her life. He’d read most of the book, and it was good—far better than Dr. Levenson’s Casual Home Nudity. Rachel’s book was grounded in case studies and reality in a way the other book wasn’t. Down the hall, the bathroom had its door again.

He liked the way her full breasts moved when she talked, and those tasty, wide, perky nipples.

Katie Nelson half-raised her hand like a schoolgirl. “I love how you organized the chapters and the case studies and talked about the special relationships parents might have with their kids,” she said.

Rachel smiled. “Thank you, Katie. If you mean incest—yes, as you know, it’s a very touchy subject. I had to choose my words and case studies carefully. For publishing reasons, I had to hint and talk around the question of incest, since I don’t take a strong position against it. I’ll save those discussions for counseling or in settings like these with trusted friends.”

Bob took a pig in a blanket from his plate and took a bite of the pastry. This was the right crowd. Nancy and her granddaughter Cassandra were on the couch with Caroline. Like Rachel, they wore makeup, painted their nails, and all that for an evening out. Most of their close home-nudity friends were here for Rachel’s book launch. Doug’s mom and Jackie Jimenez sat at the other end of the couch, while the vivacious Grace Sinclair had the armchair, her youngest, Kaitlin, sitting on the floor with the twins, Jenny and Lynn.

Those who were invited had bought advance copies from Sarah, who sat at a card table with a stack of books and a cash box. Jenny, Lynn, Olivia Nelson, and Kaitlin Sinclair sat on the floor, sodas in hand and a bowl of popcorn between them, whispering comments and conspiring like well-adjusted teenage girls do, completely comfortable without clothes.

Bob thought Katie was interesting, she held lots of opinions, most of which he agreed with. She had a great body, heavy breasts, and a kinky side; she liked the butt stuff, anal beads, and younger penises. He and JoAnn had swapped with the Nelsons in September, with a twist—Kristy and Olivia had been willing participants, going with their moms.

Caroline spoke up. “I really like this book. I think anyone interested in trying out nudism at home or visiting a club will find this book helpful. Chapter Six on navigating natural curiosity and those awkward moments would have been helpful when we jumped into this a year ago,” she said. The women around her nodded in agreement.

Bob laughed to himself—more like stripped naked and pushed into home nudity. He drank.

He smiled. His oldest had become one of Rachel’s top case studies and was mentioned in a couple of places—not by name, of course.

Kevin came out of the den where he was playing a computer game and walked toward the kitchen. “Dad, your pager has been buzzing,” he said, handing Bob the small black device that came with his new Special Forces liaison job.

“Thanks,” Bob said. The pager was a newer two-way type. He looked at the message and the number, noting a 202 Washington, D.C. area code. “I’ll need the office for a bit, so hang out with your sisters,” he said.

Kristy stood in front of everyone, the center of attention, opened a bookmarked copy of Home Nudity and Loving Your Family, and took a sip of Diet Coke.

As hostess, JoAnn was making sure drinks were refilled and the snack table stayed stocked. Bob and Kevin had already grazed on the pigs in a blanket—hot dogs wrapped in flaky pastry and baked. It was mostly a women’s party, so there were veggie and cheese trays along with open bottles of good wine. Rachel’s book was going live for sale on Amazon on Tuesday. The book was good; the Wilkins’s had found it easier to model their family rules based on Rachel’s sound advice and what they’d learned in the last year.

Pouring herself a glass of Cabernet, JoAnn stopped to listen to Kristy read a passage.

Rachel said, “I chose this passage from Chapter Four, ‘Consensual Family Intimacy,’ for her to read.”

Kristy lifted the book. “Many families discover that crossing traditional boundaries in private, consensual ways can deepen love and trust. This chapter, using case studies and practical guidance, explores the experiences of family members who have chosen this path, the psychological benefits, and practical considerations for maintaining healthy dynamics. When all parties feel safe, heard, and respected, such intimacy can strengthen emotional bonds and reduce shame around the body,” she said, then glanced at Rachel.