Chapter 23

Lying in bed after making love to Kelly, Ed held her in his arms. She rested her head on his chest and had one leg covering his legs. With his free arm, he traced little lines up and down her forearms. This was happiness, the close sharing after making love with one that you loved.

Continuing to trace a path up and down her arm with his free hand, he lay there thinking about how his life had changed. He had been such a miserable bastard that took pleasure from tormenting the people around him and called that strength. Confronted with true strength, he had discovered that in reality he was weak. It was hard to be strong, and he felt that only time would tell if he had been successful in becoming strong.

Kelly stirred and asked, “What are you thinking?”

In a whisper, Ed answered, “I was thinking how much I loved being your companion, friend, lover, and husband.”

Not wanting to be serious, Kelly asked, “And how much is that?”

Chuckling, Ed answered, “More than I know how to put into words.”

Touched more than she wanted to let on, Kelly replied, “That is so sweet.”

Sighing, Ed said, “I remember the day I met you. I was really amazed that a beautiful woman like you would actually want me to call her. You really threw me for a loop when you brought up the group marriage. I was so lucky that you caught me at the time you did, otherwise I would have missed all of this.”

Kelly decided that now was a very good time to be quiet. Listening to Ed and John talk, she had learned their rhythm. Absently, she traced the scar on his chest with a finger. She wished she knew the full story behind it, but that would never come from Ed.

After a long moment of silence, Ed said, “The first time that I slept with you I was so scared. I had never had sex where the woman wasn’t drunk to the point where she was about to pass out. For that matter, I had never had sex unless I was drunk, too.”

This was something Kelly had never realized. She moved a little and then said, “You did a great job.”

“It was the first time I ever went down on a woman,” said Ed. After a laugh that was more like a short bark, he added, “I had no idea what I was doing.”

Kelly moved to look at him in the face in wonder. She said, “Really? I couldn’t tell at all.”

“Really.”

As she settled back on his chest, she said, “Wow.”

He could understand her wonder. In a very real way, he had been very inexperienced with women until after that day. It was the first time he had made love rather than just fuck. When he had seen the two women making love to each other, it had blown his mind. How many men could make love with two such beautiful women at the same time? Many may dream about it, but few could do it. She had offered him that and more.

And the cost for him to receive her love, the love of Beth, and the love of John? All he had to do was love them back. There wasn’t a man alive that could turn down such an exchange. He said, “There was no way that I thought Beth could love me. As far as I was concerned, that was the most unlikely thing that could have happened to me.”

Kelly sat up and looked at Ed curious how he could have doubted that Beth would fall in love with him. The month in which he had cared for her would have captured the heart of any woman. She said, “You looked after her for a month when she was ill. Your treatment of her was one of respect, caring, and love. You never took advantage of her weakened state. How could she help but fall in love with you?”

Smiling at Kelly, he answered, “You take care of patients all the time. Do they all fall in love with you?”

Laughing as she realized that he had a point, she teased, “Yes, they do.”

He shook his head at her answer as she lay down beside him and looked up at the ceiling. With a low rumbling sound, his stomach announced its hunger. Kelly burst out laughing and said, “Sounds like Rover is back.”

“I’m afraid that I’m very hungry,” said Ed.

“Let’s get dressed and get something to eat,” said Kelly. Even as she made the suggestion, she stood and went to where she had dropped her clothes. He took a moment to examine her body as she bent over to pick up her clothes from the floor. Even though he had finished making love with her just a little while ago, the sight of her ass and cunt was enough to excite him again. She was half dressed before Ed even stood up from the bed.

As Ed dressed, he watched Kelly as she moved around. She took her time buttoning her shirt knowing that Ed and John both enjoyed the view of her breasts hidden by an unbuttoned shirt. Finished dressing, both of them left her room with him tickling her as they stepped through the door.

She screamed, “I’m going to get you Ed Biggers!”

“You have to catch me first!” shouted Ed, as he ran towards the dining room. Flexing her hands like she was tickling him back, Kelly was hot on his heels.

As he ran by the pool room, Beth shouted out, “Catch him, Kelly!”

When he stopped in the dining room, Kelly almost ran over him. She grabbed him and started tickling. Within minutes they were wrestling on the floor, each tickling the other and laughing. Marguerite came out of the kitchen and watched the two of them rolling around the floor. Putting her hands on her hip, Marguerite said, “Children, stop that fighting!”

Still laughing, Ed and Kelly broke apart and lay on the floor looking up at Marguerite. She was looking down on them like a mother telling her teenage daughter that she had to clean her room. When she noticed the pair glance at each other with smiles on their face, she realized that she was the next target. She backed up shouting, “Don’t you dare!”

As they started to stand while making tickling motions, she backed into the kitchen. They stopped at the door and waited for her to relax. Ed asked, “What’s for lunch?”

Marguerite stood there looking at the two of them trying to decide if this was a trick. It took her a minute to realize that they were serious before she answered, “What would you like?”

Kelly answered, “I’d like a soup and a sandwich.”

Shrugging, Ed said, “That doesn’t sound bad. I’ll take the same.”

“Soup?” asked Marguerite knowing that soup from scratch would take more than the fifteen minutes that they would wait. Seeing the mischievous look on Ed’s face, she asked, “That canned stuff, right?”

Ed smiled and nodded his head, knowing that she would be upset. He said, “Yes, maybe that vegetable soup with the alphabet noodles in it.”

Of all the soups that he could have asked for, that was the one that drove her craziest. It was for little kids and not adults. She shook her head as she went to the pantry to get the cans of soup and, in disgust, said, “Barbarians. I work for Barbarians.”

Laughing Ed and Kelly went to the dining table and waited. It wasn’t long before John and Beth joined them. Curious, Beth asked, “What are your plans after you defend your dissertation?”

Excited about the opportunity that was being provided to him, he said, “Well, I applied for and received a research affiliate position at the university. I’ve got some major research projects that I want to pursue and will use that position to do the work.”

Smiling at his excitement, John wanted to remind him that there were other things in life that were also important. He said, “Make sure that you balance that with other areas of life.”

Raising an eyebrow and understanding what John was suggesting, Ed replied, “Don’t worry, that is a part time activity. I’ve got the IRS, the Fusion Foundation, and my consulting to fill the rest of my work day.”

Frowning at his focus on work, Kelly said, “I don’t think that is what he meant.”

Laughing at her concerns, Ed said, “I know that, Kelly. I was going to add that I wasn’t going to work evenings or weekends any more. I plan to spend a lot more time with you and my friends.”

“That’s good. I must admit that I’ve let my life get a little too hectic. I should follow my own advice and cut back some on my work,” replied John. He was so busy that he spent most evenings out rather than at home with his wife and husband. That was something he was desperate to change.

Sighing, Kelly said, “That would be great. I’d love to have you guys around the house more. I’ve really missed sitting on the steps and listening to you talk.”

Looking at Kelly with a puzzled expression, Beth asked, “You like listening to them?”

“Yes, I do. After a while, I finally figured it out and now when I hear them talking like that it calms me down. Nothing is rushed when they talk. They think and say a little. It makes me feel safe,” replied Kelly.

Surprised, Ed and John looked at each other wondering when Kelly had changed. There was one thing bothering Ed and he was having a difficult time identifying it. Suddenly, he realized that he felt a hole in his life. Ed said, “I hate to say this, but I think something is missing in our home, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

Licking her lips out of nervousness, Beth said, “I agree.”

Sitting back in his chair, John looked around the table and said, “I think that I know what is missing.”

Not feeling a hole in her life, Kelly asked, “What? I haven’t noticed anything missing.”

With a great deal of hesitation and nervousness, Beth said, “I want a baby. I’m approaching forty and if I don’t do it soon, then I won’t ever have one.”

“That’s what is missing in this house. The pitter pat of little feet,” said Ed. As soon as Beth had mentioned a baby, he knew that the missing part had been identified.

John asked, “So which of us would you like to be the father?”

Thinking about who would be the better sire for the baby, Beth didn’t really know. John and Ed were both outstanding human beings. She suggested, “We could let nature make the choice as to whose sperm reaches the egg first. Personally, I want you both to be the father to the child.”

Surprised that Beth could even think that either man wouldn’t be a father to the child, Kelly said, “You know that both men will take care of the child and raise it with their values.”

Beth said, “I didn’t mean that they wouldn’t be good parents. I just meant that I couldn’t choose between them.”

John and Ed looked at each other for a second and then Ed said, “We know that you love us both, Beth. We will take care of any child in this house with the love and care that all children deserve. I’ll teach the child how to ride, hunt rocks, and appreciate the desert.”

Winking at Ed, John said, “I’ll teach the child how hike, appreciate nature, and drive their mothers crazy.”

“Oh, no you won’t!” cried Beth. She had pictures of John, Ed, and kids running around the house, wrecking havoc with water balloon fights and who knew what other kinds of games.

Laughing Kelly said, “Water balloons lobbed across the atrium. Paper airplanes flying through the air. Practical jokes with whoopee-cushions. Yes, life will definitely get interesting around here.”

“Maybe I don’t want a baby,” said Beth as she put the back of her hand to her forehead like an actress in a silent film overacting to convey her misery.

The entire table broke up in laughter. When things had calmed down a little, Ed asked, “So when were you thinking about getting pregnant?”

Since Beth had only wanted a child, but had never thought to ask about having one, she didn’t really know. Thinking it through, she said, “Well, I would like to get off the pill for at least two months before attempting to get pregnant. I have the medical conference in three months, so I guess I would like to start when I get back from there.”

Making the same gesture in putting the back of his hand to his forehead, Ed asked, “So does that mean we have to abstain for three whole months?”

“Like that is ever going to happen. I get horny after a day without,” replied Beth. She had gotten used to having at least one of her husbands visit her everyday. She added, “From now on, you guys are going to be wearing rubbers when you are with me!”

Faking a puzzled expression, John asked, “What have rain shoes got to do with having sex? Is this a new fetish?”

It took Ed a moment to figure out what John meant and then he burst out laughing. After a glance at John, he knew that in a couple of days they would both be showing up at her bedroom wearing nothing but rain shoes. The look he got from Kelly suggested that she was thinking the same thing. Now that would be funny.

Giggling at the mental image that flashed through her mind, Beth said, “If all three of you show up in rain shoes, I’m going to have Bob impregnate me.”

“She’s no fun at all,” said Kelly with a pout.

“She’s a real grump,” said John while holding his hands up in the air.

“She said all three. I guess that means that two of us can show up wearing rain shoes,” suggested Ed.

Marguerite brought out lunch for everyone. With care, she set down a plate of submarine sandwiches on homemade bread filled with thin sliced roast beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Without the same degree of care, she came back with a large tureen of soup and put it on the table. Staring at Ed, she said, “I hope it gives you gas.”

The entire table cracked up as Ed asked, “I bet this is your best dish. I hope that it wasn’t too difficult to make”

“Barbarian!” screamed Marguerite as she stomped out of the room.