She just wanted to talk with him and reason things out but he was not in kind of reasoning frame of mind. She said she would think about that course of action.
Faith and Claudette came by. We shared a light dinner, then sat in the great room and talked. Everyone was very supportive of Amber. She had begun to worry that Jeff would start telling stories about her and get her in trouble with the church. That, of course, was his leverage with her if it got down to a scorched earth, all-out war. Claudette played the devil’s advocate. Jeff was blown away. His whole sense of self worth with regard to the marriage had been negated and he had been shoved aside. He was angry and hurt. That he was at fault for what had happened was not relevant. He was hurt. We talked and talked until we were all tired. We broke up the meeting and three of us headed for bed. Amber asked to sleep with me. I was not about to say no. She came into my room after taking her evening pills and brushing her hair and teeth. She closed the door, came over to the bed, and undid the kimono. Underneath she was naked. She crawled into bed with me and told me to lose the boxers. I was happy to do so. We cuddled. I asked her if she felt anything, any physical change at all. She said she had been so caught up in what was going on that she hadn’t really paid much attention. After a few minutes of conversation, she turned away and spooned with me. I put my arm around her and kissed her bare shoulder. We settled in and had a wonderful night’s sleep.
Stephanie woke us up the next morning and served breakfast in bed. It wasn’t extravagant but it was fun. Amber tried to tuck the covers around her to keep herself covered, then gave up and ate bare breasted. Stephanie came back in with coffee and whistled. “You are beautiful!” she said to Amber. We all took showers and got dressed. Amber called the police non-emergency number and asked what to do. The police told her they could escort her there to get her things but that they couldn’t step into who was entitled to stay in the house. She and Stephanie went to the police station to work on that. The police called Jeff and told him they were coming over and that Amber would be getting her clothes. He promised to be there and stay out of the way. They said he would be asked to leave the house until they were finished. He could either go somewhere or sit outside. She and Stephanie went to the house and packed up many of her clothes and other things. The police escorted them back to my house and then drove away. We moved her things into the bedroom she had chosen as hers. I told them to put some of her things in the master closet, I hardly used any of it for my clothes. They looked at each other, then moved armfuls of clothing to the master closet. I told Stephanie to do the same if her closet was overcrowded.
Dinner was pizza and red wine, eaten on the patio. We watched a movie, then headed for bed. Amber again slept with me. About six in the morning Stephanie came in, dropped her robe and crawled in behind me.
“I’m so jealous I can’t stand it. Move over you two.” We spooned, then we lay on our backs and talked. I was comfortable with both of them. It felt more like a sleepover than anything else. It wasn’t at all sexual, just three adults having a conversation while naked in bed. Maybe that’s weird.
We talked about everything and nothing. Stephanie wondered about her future, Amber reiterated her concerns about Jeff interfering with her work. I largely listened. Both had legitimate concerns. Not many people are going to fully listen to Amber as she explained her decisions. Their minds would already be made up. Stephanie would come out of the divorce with a comfortable nest egg but she talked about the tick tock in the back of her mind. She wanted to find a more compatible husband but she didn’t want to rush in to a relationship just to have security and the opportunity to start a family. It was a conundrum.
We got dressed, had some breakfast and did some cleaning. The house was already pretty well clean but we went through it again, straightening and cleaning. The women headed off to do some shopping. I worked on the backyard, then took a chaise lounge into the shade and sat down. I was really attracted to Amber. On some levels we clicked, but we were very different in others. I hadn’t thought it through when we started all of this. It’s impossible to have zero feelings in such an intimate setting. I had substantial feelings and they were growing with each passing day. I still thought Jeff was a fool. Yes, it would take time and imagination to get through this with Amber, but if he loved her he should try to find a way. But I had no control. I was trying just to keep my own emotions in check and understand what I was doing and why. I was sleeping with a beautiful, desirable woman with whom I had shared wonderful moments. We had tried together to have a child. It was an intriguing time. I wasn’t quite sure where all of this would lead.
Stephanie and Amber returned, chattering away as they pulled bags out of the car and brought them in. We shared a light dinner, then talked on the patio until it was time to go to bed. Amber said she wanted to sleep alone and headed off to her room. I said goodnight to Stephanie and went to my room. Tomorrow was Sunday, the day of rest.
Amber was up and out early. I took Stephanie to brunch. Over mimosas and omelets we talked about the other members of the group. I hadn’t kept up with them and the meeting schedule had gone down in flames. The group was evolving, change was in the air. Two members had changed households, one due to divorce and one to distress. The others were pretty much going their own way. Claudette and Faith seemed the most unaffected by what had transpired. Sheila voiced her concerns about her future very clearly. Amber, Sheila and Stephanie were becoming a subset of the larger group as they dealt with their desires to have a family. The group might hold together but in the meantime these three were dealing with issues that largely bypassed the other two. Meanwhile, I was living with two wonderful women in some fashion.
Stephanie turned to me and said, “You know, I don’t really need a husband to have a child.”
“That’s true. It’s untraditional, but it’s true. Of course, we seem to live in untraditional times. Gay and lesbian couples adopt children, a growing group of accomplished women are having children on their own, men are raising children without a female helper. What’s your point?”
“I’m just musing here. Maybe I’ve got this backwards. I’m all worried I won’t find the right man to marry, or I find the right one and he’s not ready for kids, or it all works out perfectly and we then find somebody’s got plumbing problems that preclude children. I’m stressing on this stuff. Maybe I should just have the child and worry about the husband later.”
“Can you wait six months? If Amber conceives, you could help her and visa versa.”
“I’m not thinking about today or tomorrow, just musing for the moment. I need to get the divorce finalized and get settled before even thinking about the next step.”