Chapter 32

Grandma and Grandpa Fuller. Phil Goodwyn. Abigail. Allison.

Jack tightened the knot on his tie as he thought of the people who never stopped believing in him. Each one did his or her part to bring him to this point. Sure, he had to change himself first before he could start on this path, but it would have been a lonely, virtually impossible journey without the people who cared about him.

Leaning closer to the bathroom mirror, he fixed his collar.

"Yummy," Allison said from the doorway of the bathroom. Jack smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing one of his t shirts, her hair wet from her recent shower. She stepped over to him and ran her hands up and down the starched broadcloth shirt that covered his back. "You are a gorgeous man, sweetie. And I'm so proud of you."

Jack turned and wrapped his arms around her trim waist, pulling her tight to him. "You're proud of me because I'm gorgeous?" he asked.

Allison pulled his arms from her waist as she stepped back. Then she attempted to brush out any wrinkles their embrace might have caused.

Jack chuckled. "Babe, I'm going to be under a graduation gown. I don't think the wrinkles are going to show."

"You won't be under the gown until you're standing in line. I want you to look the best you can."

"You just said I was gorgeous. What are a few wrinkles when you look like me?"

Allison glanced to his face and rolled her eyes. He loved teasing his girls, and he was feeling in a particularly jovial mood. He'd slept well once the emotional lovemaking of the previous night gave way to sleep. He was in such a good mood when he awoke that he roused Allison with his head between her legs. Her shuddering orgasm woke her enough that she agreed to get up and join him for their run.

When they returned, he convinced Allison to help wake his slumbering wife. Allison stripped off her sweaty clothes and quietly they moved onto the bed. Allison straddled Abigail's waist, facing her older sister's face. She grabbed Abigail's wrists and trapped them beneath her knees. Abigail jerked awake, but before she could say anything, her mouth was full of teenaged titflesh. Allison's position effectively blocked Abigail's view of anywhere else in the room.

She pulled her mouth off Allison's swaying breast and said, "You're sweaty!"

"You don't like?" Allison asked back.

"I didn't say that." She nipped at Allison nipples. "Where's Jaa ... Oooohiiieee!"

Just as she started to say his name, he shoved her legs apart and buried his face in her crotch, tonguing her to massive morning orgasm. And then just for good measure, he pulled Allison down to lay firmly on top of her sister, front to front, so he could alternate fucking each of them while they made out. After a short while of doing this, he thrust into Allison's hot pussy and began to tease the crinkled anal opening with his finger. That was something he'd never done with her before, and it sent her cresting to her second orgasm of the morning. Then while Allison masturbated Abigail to HER second orgasm, Jack fucked his older lover until he unloaded the contents of his balls into her wonderfully warm box.

What a morning it had been already!

"Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face, bucko," Allison warned in a voice that brought him out of his reverie and back to the present.

He looked down at his young lover. "I love you, Allie."

She smirked at him. "I see. And that sentiment has nothing to do with the fact that you are standing there remembering our carnal activities from earlier, does it?"

"What?" he said with feigned innocence. "Of course not."

Allison reached down and squeezed his growing erection twice. "Sure it isn't."

Abigail appeared in the doorway, her white cotton panties damp from pressing against her wet vulva. Jack's erection lengthened more at the sight. It was their combined orgasmic offerings that darkened the fabric of the panties, which happened to be the only stitch of clothing she was wearing. Her haphazard, morning hair obscured her eyes and cascaded down to the top of her large breasts.

"All right, you two," she said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She'd refused to get up after their morning fun and had fallen back asleep while her lovers prepared for the day. "It's my turn in the bathroom."

Jack watched as she peeled her panties off her hips and down her long legs. Her naked body never ceased to get his hormones raging, especially when she was in the act of either undressing or dressing that glorious body. For some reason her natural movements performing that particular mundane ritual were so damn sensual.

"I actually need to get out of here and get over to the arena," he finally said. "Technically, I'm supposed to be there by now."

Abigail stepped over to him and placed a hand on his chest. She tilted her head up, her eyes still obscured. He leaned down to give her a long, warm kiss. She smiled beneath her messy hair and purred a little.

"Bye, stud. We'll be there before it starts. Just look for the girls with the biggest smiles."

Jack smiled and swatted her bare ass as she stepped over the edge of the tub. Then he turned to Allison, giving her a warm kiss as well, and left them to their own devices.

Abigail and Allison moved slowly with the line of humanity as they made their way further up into the rows of seats. Both girls were searching the crowd to find their "crew". Abigail felt Allison touch her shoulder.

"Brianna and Tammy are over there!" Allison said loudly so she could be heard over the din of the crowd.

Abigail followed her sister's outstretched arm to her right and across two sections of the arena to see the other pair of sisters. Tammy caught sight of the Garner girls at the same time. She smiled and waved. Abigail returned the gesture and continued her slow movement up the steps. They could cross over to that section when they got to the top of the lower arena.

"Abigail! Allison!"

Abigail suddenly felt her heart leap into her throat. She whipped her head around towards the sound of the very familiar voice.

Sharon Garner was quickly moving in their direction down the row of seats. The sight of her mother anxiously moving towards them almost made Abigail burst into tears. Almost the moment she heard her voice, Abigail felt an emptiness and pang of sadness inside. She wanted so desperately to throw her arms around her mother and make things right between them. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Allison actually move forward.

When their mother made it out of her row, Allison hungrily wrapped her arms around her. Abigail was afraid Allison was going to burst into tears, but the younger girl kept the emotions at bay. No one but their small little group knew of the rift in the Garner family, and part of the agreement with Ted was that they wouldn't publicize the family split. Any overactive display of emotions might raise a few eyebrows.

Allison whispered something fervently into their mother's ear before pulling away. Sharon blinked a few times, a telltale sign that she was on the verge of tears.

Sharon looked from Allison to Abigail, her expression expectant and hopeful. Abigail was torn. Part of her wanted to empathize with her mother. She could only imagine the difficult position she had been placed in, a position that set her between them and their father. She wanted to assure her mother that things would work out. Those emotions were somewhat tempered by the disappointment she felt towards her mother for being too weak to stand up to their father.

Sharon broke the awkward silence. "It's so good to see you girls," she said, her voice taking on that confident air she used in public. "How's Jack feeling this morning?"

Abigail opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it when she realized she likely couldn't put on a false front very convincingly. Not now, not with the emotions still so high.

Allison waited another second for Abigail to speak, then turned to her mother. "He, uh, he's good. Excited actually. I can't remember when I've seen him so playful." Abigail glanced at her sister, who was blushing when she realized how her statement could easily be misconstrued.

If Sharon noted the potential sexual nature of the comment, she didn't let it show. "Oh, I'm sure, what with the stress of school off him now." She took both girls' hands into her own. "Why don't you come sit with us?" She nodded towards the row she had just exited.

Abigail looked down the row and saw her father and Ben. Ben was standing facing them, an unhappy look on his face. Her father was in conversation with someone she didn't recognize, but several times he glanced their way. His expression could freeze fire. It actually made Abigail's stomach lurch, causing her to fight off a wave of nausea. She decided to focus back on Ben, who she'd not seen for several months. He was such a handsome guy, with a wonderful personality to boot. In a lot of ways Ben actually reminded her of Jack.

She smiled sincerely and gave him a little wave. He answered her with a huge grin and waved back, then glanced nervously to their father, as if he was afraid of being seen.

Abigail's attention was brought back to her sister, who was telling their mother that they had promised to sit with friends and that maybe they could connect after the ceremony.

For the first time, Sharon's façade cracked. "Oh, yes. Of course, of course." The look on her face was one of dejection. "Yes, we'll come down to the floor to congratulate Jack and we can chat then." Sharon stood up tall and the façade was back. "I think the ceremony will be starting shortly. I'll let you go and get settled into your seats."

Abigail and Allison slowly moved back into line and continued on their way to their friends. The older girl glanced back down the steps and saw her mother watching them leave, a look of ... longing, maybe ... on her face. Then she turned and headed back to her seat.

"Diane S. Thomas, Art ... Gregory Robert Thompson, Communications..."

Jack stepped one step forward, so close to fulfilling this dream of crossing that stage. Light applause could be heard around the arena as family and friends acknowledged the accomplishments of their particular graduate.

"Brian M. Valle, Political Science ... Heidi van Waggoner, Art..."

One of the benefits about a university this size was that the commencement ceremony was university wide and not just by college, and the graduates still got to walk across the stage, greeting their college's dean and getting a rolled up piece of paper that represented their recently acquired diploma. A hearty handshake by the university president followed and then they moved back to their seats to await the ending of the ceremony. It made for a fairly tedious few hours, but the whole process seemed to add to the sense of accomplishment.

"Darrin Thomas Vincent, Education ... Tiffany Leann Waddy, Music..."

Only a few more names and Jack would have public recognition for all his hard work and all the pain and suffering his loved ones had to endure on his behalf.

"Ruth Suki Wan, Biology ... June Marie Watterson, Environmental Science..."

Jack wondered momentarily if Ted was really somewhere in the stand witnessing this event, witnessing Jack receiving his college degree. With Honors. Jack shoved that thought from his mind. He definitely didn't want his lasts thoughts before hearing his name called to be those of Ted Garner. Instead, he let images of Abigail and Allison enter his mind. This was their day, and nothing his father-in-law said or did changed that. The thoughts of his lovers threatened to turn risqué, but the thought of tented graduation gown while he crossed the stage sobered him.

"Lauren Dee White, Communications..."

Jack took a deep breath and handed his name card to the reader.

"Jackson Lee Williams, Business Administration..."

"WE LOVE YOU, JACK!!!" came a chorus of feminine voices from up in the stands, followed by cheering from that direction and other smaller pockets of applause and laughter from around the arena. Jack smiled.

He strode purposefully up the ramp and across the stage. The cheering continued loudly as he took his rolled parchment in hand and shook hands with the dean and the president. Only then did he look up into the stands in front of him to acknowledge his "fans". Abigail and Allison were standing about two thirds of the way up the lower arena, surrounded by a group of their friends. Some he recognized—Brianna, Tammy and her husband Dex, Dana, Philip—and some he didn't. A large hand-drawn poster that read "Congrats, Jack!" was being held by an attractive redhead he'd never seen before.

As he reached the end of the stage, Allison blew him a kiss. Abigail just held her clasped hands to her chest, her cheeks shiny, likely with tears. He acknowledged his friends and family by raising his hand into the air, his fingers forming the well-known sign for 'I love you'. He turned and headed down the ramp at this end of the stage before realizing that there was another Jack Williams fan waiting at the bottom.

Phil Goodwyn was dressed in his commencement regalia, as professors often are, waiting for his young friend. Jack's face split into a smile when he saw the older man practically bouncing from one foot to the other. His face mirrored Jack's. Jack couldn't recall ever seeing a more emotional reaction from the normally staid man.

When Jack got to the bottom of the ramp he held his hand out to Phil. Phil took it and shook it vigorously.

"To hell with that," Phil muttered under his breath. He pulled hard on Jack's arm and wrapped him in a firm embrace, clapping Jack heartily on the back. "Congratulations, Son. Congratulations. Your grandparents are surely partying in heaven today, Boy."

Then just that quickly he released Jack and pushed him on his way. Jack just shook his head in amusement. Why he EVER felt he was alone while he toiled through life was beyond him.

Sharon stood quietly between Ted and Ben while her husband congratulated some of his interns or the children or grandchildren of his acquaintances and business associates. She responded appropriately whenever she was approached or introduced, but her eyes kept going back across the arena floor to the mob of people surrounding her son-in-law. Abigail and Allison stood proudly on either side of him, each with an arm around his waist and his around theirs. They chatted happily with various well-wishers. She longed to be there with them, to revel in the light that seemed to radiate from them.

When it appeared Ted's greetings were slowing down, she laid a hand on his arm and leaned towards him.

"Dear, we need to congratulate Jack," she said quietly.

He stiffened and his expression hardened. She watched him glance over towards Jack and then around the large hall. He took a deep breath.

"Yes, I suppose we should," he said icily. He took her elbow in his hand and began to guide her towards their daughters. Ben followed a step or two behind.

Sharon watched Ted's expression as he worked his way through the crowd, the looks of disapproval and disgust changing with each step. It scared her how easily he shifted personas. She could do it, as well, just not as adeptly as him. She'd picked up the practice from him, after all. He was a master.

Her heart started to beat faster the closer they drew to their children. The sea of people just seemed to part for them and before she knew it they were standing before Jack, Abigail and Allison. Sharon quickly took in the initial reaction of each of the young people standing opposite of them. Like Ted, Jack's expression was amiable but unreadable. Abigail seemed to recoil momentarily before forcing a smile to her face. Allison's expression was hard, and it didn't change.

"Jack, my good man," Ted said warmly, extending his hand. "Congratulations on your work."

Jack accepted the proffered hand. "Thank you, sir," he responded with equal warmth.

"I see you graduated with honors. Magna cum laude. I expected nothing less from you."

Sharon felt nauseous. How easy it was for Ted to lie, right in public, right to someone's face. If she hadn't known his true feelings she'd never have guessed his words were anything but sincere. She wondered how often he had successfully deceived her.

Ben moved forward to shake Jack's hand. "Congrats, Jack," the younger boy said, somewhat nervously.

Jack smiled. "Get over here, punk," he teased. He released the girls and bear-hugged his brother-in-law. Then he ruffled Ben's hair, an affectionate gesture Jack had been doing since before he and Abigail had gotten married.

Ben then turned to Abigail. "Hey, Abbie," he said quietly. Sharon saw his lower lip begin to quiver. All the turmoil, all the angst, had kept the two siblings apart for far too long. Abigail, being the oldest, had assumed the role of a second mother for Ben.

Abigail hugged him tightly. "Hey, Ben." Sharon barely heard her daughter's next words. "I love you," Abigail whispered into his ear. Sharon instantly felt bad about eavesdropping on the private moment.

Ben turned to greet Allison, and at the same time a tall, distinguished looking man stepped up next to Abigail. Sharon vaguely recognized him. His short salt and pepper hair was somewhat unruly, giving him a little of the crazy professor look, especially with his square eyeglasses and academic robes. His eyes conveyed a deep intelligence, as well as something deeper. It was as if he was constantly assessing and reassessing the scenes in front of him.

His smile was disarming, however, and his rich baritone voice, when he spoke, was almost melodic.

"Mr. and Mrs. Garner, so nice to see you again." He reached a hand to Ted.

Ted took the hand. "Thank you, Mr..."

"Phil Goodwyn. Dr. Phil Goodwyn. We met at Jack and Abigail's wedding. I was a longtime neighbor and friend of Jack's grandparents."

Ted smiled. "Oh, yes. Please excuse me, Dr. Goodwyn. My memory seems to be slipping as the years of life pile on me."

"Quite alright, sir." Dr. Goodwyn turned his attention to Sharon. He offered his hand to her, which she politely accepted. "Mrs. Garner, as lovely as always." She blushed as he held her hand instead of shaking it. His eyes held hers, just as his hand held hers, and he seemed to be searching for something deep inside her. She began to fidget in discomfort and glanced away, unable to meet his gaze. Slowly he released her hand, but didn't take his eyes off her. "Mr. Garner, you are a lucky man."

Sharon felt Ted's grip on her arm tighten. "How so?" he said, his amiable voice just a little tighter than before.

"Surrounded by such beautiful young ladies." Sharon glanced at Dr. Goodwyn, who indicated her and then her daughters with nods of his head.

Ted laughed cordially. "Yes, well, I like to think so."

Movement off to Ted's right caught everyone's attention. John Merrill stepped into their circle to offer congratulations to Jack.

"Well done, Mr. Williams," he said with a smile. This time Allison seemed to recoil momentarily; Ben grabbed her hand in response. Abigail's expression tightened and she seemed to pull up taller, a move almost defensive in nature. Jack retained his warm, unreadable expression.

"Thank you, Mr. Merrill."

John turned to Ted. The two men held a silent, brief conversation with their eyes, and then John motioned across the arena floor. "Ted, I have some folks I'd like you to meet." Sharon could almost imagine the two associates rehearsing the obviously planned interaction.

"Of course, John," Ted said and then turned towards Jack, ready to make his escape. If he left, he'd expect Sharon to do the same. She felt a sudden panic as she realized her reunion with her daughters was going to end before she was ready.

So she acted by instinct and without much conscious thought. "Jack, let us take you and the girls out for dinner tonight," she offered. Ted's hand clamped down so tight on Sharon's elbow she almost flinched.

Jack looked from Sharon to Ted and back to Sharon. She saw it. Right there, in her son-in-law's eyes. Understanding. He understood what was going on inside her. Jack's smile widened. "That's an offer I just wouldn't want to turn down," he said. "We'd love to go."

"It was all I could do not to punch that fucking bastard," Jack growled as he shifted gears in his sedan.

Allison sat quietly beside him with Abigail behind her. Abigail was reaching forward and gently rubbing her sister's arm. The visits with their parents had been emotionally taxing on each of them; that much was now obvious. The appearance of John Merrill, however, had been almost disastrous. Abigail noticed Allison practically shrink when the man stepped into their group, almost as if she was afraid that his presence meant Tyson would be right there, too. Even now, away from Mr. Merrill and in the safety of their car, Allison was still shaken up.

Jack had appeared oblivious about the whole exchange at the time, but apparently he was just "acting". Now as he voiced his feelings, Abigail sensed the seething fury that her big husband kept just under the surface. It was amazing the way he could cloak the emotion.

"He would have deserved it," Abigail finally said. "But I'm glad you didn't. It might have been kind of messy."

"It's OK, you two," Allison said, the slight quiver in her voice still obvious. "I'm OK. I just wasn't expecting to see Mr. Merrill, and when I did I kind of flashed back to ... well, to that night. I guess seeing him just really reminded me of Tyson."

Abigail rubbed Allison's arm with more pressure when her sister took a deep breath and sighed. Then she turned to her husband who had just whipped around and passed a slower-moving car.

"You know, killing us isn't really going to do anyone any good, Jack." Jack looked at her through the rearview mirror. Confusion clouded his angry expression. Abigail smiled. "You don't have to drive so aggressively, sweetheart," she said sweetly as she nodded towards his white knuckled hands on the steering wheel.

Jack blinked twice and then gave a sheepish look. "Sorry. I just got kind of riled up." He let off the accelerator and Abigail could see the tension just melt from his body.

"Thanks, baby," she replied, then shifted her own mental gears. "So, why did you accept having dinner with my parents?"

Allison answered for him. "Didn't you notice Mom, Abbie? She was almost panicked when Dad started to take her away. She so desperately didn't want to leave."

Now it was Abigail's turn to be confused. "She did? How did you notice that? I mean, I wasn't sure you were even emotionally with us, you know?"

"Actually, if it wasn't for Mom right in my line of sight, I might have shut down emotionally. She gave me such a warm, reassuring smile. I just grasped hold of that and held tight."

Abigail was quiet for a moment before jumping back to the topic. "Jack, did you notice Mom's reaction, too?"

Jack nodded. "She's hurting, Abbie. I could see it. She blames herself for everything that's happened in her family. A part of me feels really bad for your mom. I think she wants to try to make amends. You can tell she just doesn't how to go about it, especially with your dad present."

Abigail felt a little better knowing that Jack and Allison had similar feelings towards her mother. Once again she marveled that Jack had the wherewithal to read her mother's emotions and act so quickly. She realized she actually excited to have some moments with their mother, even if they were likely to be brief and superficial.

They pulled into the parking lot of the Max & Erma's. Abigail saw Phil stepping out of his car. Ted dealt with the shock of Sharon's request nicely by expanding the invitation to the professor, John Merrill and his wife, and Brianna and her friend. Tammy and Dex begged off because they needed to get home to their children.

While Jack found a parking space, Abigail leaned forward and gave Allison a soft kiss on the cheek. "I'll put myself between you and Mr. Merrill. If he gets aggressive, I'll claw his eyes out." She waved her hand, which wielded her long fingernails.

Allison smiled for the first time since the approach of Mr. Merrill. A minor victory, at least.

Ted looked around the tables at the people who made up their dinner party. What an interesting mix. He mused silently that if Jesus could eat with sinners, than perhaps he could do the same. On the side of the table with him were his wife, Abigail, Allison, the Rawlings girl and Ben. Across from Ted sat John Merrill, then his wife, Phil Goodwyn, Jack, and a redheaded girl he did not know.

Ted had tried to monitor all the conversations, especially the one between his wife and their daughters, which was quietly spoken but fairly animated. Jack was engaged in an inane conversation with the other three teenagers, so that dialog warranted little of Ted's attention. The other conversation, however, kept drawing his attention. Goodwyn and John were discussing the legal aspects of holding companies and conflicts of interest with shareholders in said companies. Flora Merrill sat quietly between the two men, listening with faked interest to the dialogue. On the surface the dialogue seemed nothing more than casual. Yet there was something in the way that Goodwyn probed that made Ted wonder if there was a more ... interested purpose in the questions.

Some activity to Ted's down the table caught his eye. The teenagers at the other end of the table were all laughing at some juvenile banter between Allison and Ben. Jack interjected some comment that made them laugh again and Allison blush. The next action made Ted's blood boil. Jack reached out across the table and grasped Allison's hand. She demurely averted her eyes and tucked her hair behind her ears. Then looking back at Jack, she squeezed his and they released. It was only a brief interchange, one likely lost on most everyone else in the restaurant. To Ted, however, it was a blatant public display of their forbidden relationship. There was sensuality in their action and lust in their eyes. He couldn't have been more enraged if they'd fornicated right there on the table top. The act was a blatant attempt to flaunt their wickedness before Ted.

Ted bit back his rage, but silently sat smoldering as the two threw furtive glances at each other even while engaging in open dialogue with others. Sharon shifted a little and Ted glanced at her. She was still talking with Abigail. What he saw again almost sent his rage to another level. Behind the table, hidden from view, the two sisters' clasped hands rested in Allison's lap. With every ounce of effort he could muster, Ted tore his eyes away from the deviants that he used to call his daughters. Unable to expel the offensive image from his head, he called to the waiter. He needed another drink.

Jack fell back into observation mode, just listening to the teenaged banter between the four friends. Occasionally, he glanced at Abigail and Sharon. They huddled closely together, their words just low enough that he couldn't hear. He figured by the intensity of their expressions that the conversation was serious. He also figured that if Abigail wanted him to know what was said, she'd tell him. Otherwise, he just hoped that whatever was said would begin the healing that the two women needed.

"Jack?"

Jack turned his head and looked behind him. He was keenly aware that most of the talking at the table died down at the arrival of this visitor. Jack was almost too stunned to move, but quickly rallied.

"Mariah," he said casually while he stood in acknowledgement of the girl. "It's nice to see you. What are you doing here?"

Mariah's eyes darted from Jack to Abigail and back again. "I, uh, was sitting across the room with some friends and saw you. I wanted to come over and congratulate you on your graduation."

"Well, uh, thanks," Jack responded. Seeing Mariah reminded Jack of their last interaction: the night when Jack had repelled her sexual advance. Things hadn't gone well, and he was unsure now of where they stood. What would she say? What would she do? He realized the eyes on them were expectant. He placed a hand gently on Mariah's back and turned back to the group. "Um, everyone, this is Mariah. We grew up together. She was my best friend's little sister."

Phil stood next to Jack. "Mariah Carter? Why, it's been a long time! How are your parents?" Mariah had lived just down the street from Jack and Phil.

Mariah, ever the social butterfly, beamed at the recognition. "They're fine, Dr. Goodwyn. Thank you for asking."

Jack went around the table to make the other introductions. He wasn't really all that surprised by anyone's reactions to the beautiful blonde by his side. Mrs. Merrill was cordial. Mr. Merrill quickly scanned down Mariah's body, his eyes holding a sign of approval. Ted put on his façade of cordiality. Sharon smiled warmly. Abigail smiled, as well, but Jack noted that the smile didn't reach her eyes. Allison also smiled, but hers was more genuine than his wife's. He shook the thought from his head as he finished the introductions.