Chapter 2: Middle

Our wedding day was literally the happiest day of my life. Even with the stress, the last minute cold feet, the hang over from a bachelor party no one remembered, and the last minute rain storm.

We got married in West Virginia, in April right around Spring Break so that we didn't miss any classes for it. We could have waited until after graduation but I wanted to get married and to my utter joy, Gwen didn't want to wait either. I wanted to do it in Reedville, so that my whole family — 25 of them at last count — didn't have to make a four hour drive — but Gwen wanted it to be close to her mother, so I conceded. And we wound up with a very small wedding party — one attendant each so Robert wasn't a groom's man after all. But Gwen was radiant in white and when she looked me in the eyes and said 'I do' I honestly felt my heart stop for a moment.

Our reception was a short, formal affair very different from that chaos that usually reigns at McElroy family events. Gwen's parents were reserved especially in comparison to mine. My Dad and his brothers quickly got on Gwen's Father's bad side and Robert and Alex spent part of their day keeping the two sides apart. Not that they made a scene — no one did anything to ruin Gwen's day — but I'm glad Robert recognized distant storm clouds when he saw them.

Frankly, the whole thing, as wonderful as it was, took too long. If it had been up to me, I would have taken Gwen to the hotel across from the chapel as soon as the minister pronounced us wed. Waiting until the reception finished was torment. Getting through the airport and onto our flight, further tested my patience. Hawaii. My bride wanted Hawaii, I took her to the island for two weeks. We had a limo from the airport to the resort. We had the bridal suite at the resort. Our first night we had a private, sunset candle-lit dinner for two on the beach. That was the last time we left our room for two days.

I told her over dinner that I wanted her pregnant before we got home. "Give it your best shot." She smiled over her champagne.

I started stripping her in the elevator. We found my tie neatly hung on the doorknob outside a couple days later. We fucked, hard and fast and without any pretense of romance. It was raw, it was hot and it was loud enough that we got complaints from management. We did not stop.

The next morning when we woke, I found my bride sitting on our private balcony overlooking the empty beach. We made love right there, softly, slowly, sweetly. When I started hearing voices on the beach, I picked her up — still embedded in her — and carried her to the bed. I wasn't in any rush to cum and I was enjoying feeling her. She told me years later that that morning was the most erotic thing that had ever happened to her. I did, of course, finally cum and as we faded to sleep, we promised each other that we'd get up, get dressed and see the island.

I came to half consciousness to the wonderful feeling of someone blowing me. I lay there and mentally thanked Ug the Patron Goddess of Blowjobs. This is one of those fleeting moments in my life that I have always faced with both joy and dread. Joy because I love the feeling. Dread because I've had some nasty surprises as to who was doing the blowing. Once it was my sister. Once it was Alex — but the girl I was with at the time wasn't expecting that. As full consciousness washed over me, I realized that it was Gwen. Then it hit me: it would always be Gwen. No more waking up and being afraid of who my eyes would see or trying to remember her — or his — name. No more wondering if I was going to be alone for the rest of my life. It was Gwen giving me that intense pleasure. It was Gwen I was waking up with. I opened my eyes a slit just to be sure then pulled her up to me to kiss her soundly.

"What about my snack?" she pouted.

"Order room service." I suggested. We did somehow order it. I don't know when the food arrived. I know she nearly screamed when I finished eating her.

Eventually, even we had to stop, shower and eat a real meal. We toured the resort before going back to our room and making love again.

The whole trip was like that. Two days in bed for every one seeing the sights. I used a very simple rule: if it took longer than an hour for me to get it up again, then it must be time to get out of bed.

We were on the plane back when she took my hand. "Peter? I have to tell you something. Promise you won't get mad."

"Of course not." But you know it won't be good when they start it like that.

"You remember that I was going to make a gyno appointment before we left?"

To have her IUD removed. We didn't need now. I wanted as many children as she could safely have. "I remember."

"I didn't make it." She told me she had. She lied to me the day before our wedding. "I'm sorry. I just knew it was so important to you and I didn't want to ruin everything for you and I was afraid you'd be upset..."

"Stop!" I snapped then stopped myself and kissed her hand. "You couldn't get in ta see 'em. It was kinda last minute, I know. It's ok." I forced myself to smile at her. "I guess we just gonna have ta keep tryin' at home." There were worse thing that could happen.

"Peter, I..." She took a deep breath. "I didn't call them. I didn't try to make an appointment." I think we both must have looked wrecked. "I'm sorry but I'm just not ready for a baby yet." Her eyes began to tear up. "I'm barely ready for you. I just can't believe you love me — still — and we're not even finished with school! And what if we can't find jobs or if things change or —"

She was panicking which I guess was somewhat reasonable. It all was moving a bit fast. I was ok with it because I knew we were set — we had two months until graduation, the McElroy Family Trust paid for our house, and we both had jobs if we wanted them at the Fishery. If all she wanted to do the rest of her life was watch TV and have babies, I was good with that. But I knew these things to be fact; for Gwen, this was all theory. I let go of her hands and held her face gently. Once again, I marveled at how delicate and pale she was even after two weeks on an island. "Honey, hush." I kissed her. "We got our whole lives ahead." I kissed her again. "I can wait. You don't even need ta tell me. When you ready, you just remove it. You don't need ta ask, ain't no need for worry. I love you. 'K?"

A few tears spilled down her cheeks. "Ok." She leaned into my chest. "Oh Peter! I'm so sorry!" She sobbed for a few minutes and I got the chair arm out of our way and just held her for a while. I waved off the stewardess when she stopped to see if she could help.

We dozed off like that and didn't wake until the stewardess woke us to say we'd be landing in Richmond soon.

"Richmond?" Gwen nearly burst. "Why Richmond? Is there a problem?"

The woman gave her a funny look. "No. We're coming in as scheduled." She moved on and Gwen looked at me.

"Why are we coming in to Richmond?"

I shrugged. "I wanted our first night back ta be in our home."

"But Richmond is a four hour drive! Why aren't we at Dulles?"

"Richmond four hours from school; it's only 'bout two from the house."

"Peter!" She sighed deeply. "Please don't tell me we are staying with your Mother."

I had to laugh. "Our house, not Ma's." She tilted her head waiting for a clarification. "In Reedville proper. It ain't big — only three bedrooms but the basement's finished and Bill's agreed ta move out..."

"Wait. What?"

"Bill. Works for the Fishery. He been rentin' the place from the family for years. He agreed ta move out..."

"For us? You're kicking him out for us?"

I have to laugh outright. "Mike been lookin' for an excuse ta move Bill in with him for years! They figured this was a good excuse ta Committee to each other. So while we were sayin' 'I Do' in Winchester, they were havin' a much smaller event on the dock." She made a face and I curbed my response to it. "They been friends uh my family for longer than I been alive an' we didn't even attend their weddin'. Whatever you thinkin', don't say it. They picked that day for you — so they wouldn't spoil your weddin'. Hear me?"