An adult stories – A Love to Nurture by Minnie_La_La,Minnie_La_La We were both working in the pottery shop since it was Founder’s Day at the historical museum. Seeing someone creating 19th century style pottery on a kick wheel is such a treat for most people. I had never worked with Jake before since he was a new hire. But having seen his resume, I was impressed by his training.
The pottery shop was a relatively small shop that was created inside an old barn. Benches had been added so the public could sit and watch and rest from the day’s walking. I was prepping my wheel for the day when I turned and saw a tall burly figure in the doorway. He was lit from behind by the morning sun and it was hard to make out his features for a moment.
When my eyes adjusted, I saw a man in his mid-thirties with dark brown hair and striking blue eyes. I think that I was holding my breath from the sight. It was a moment before I realized that he had introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Jake. I hope that they told you I would be working with you today.”
I exhaled and tried to reply. “Umm. I’m Alex. Yes, I was expecting you.” A glance at the clock showed me that it was time to open the doors to the public.
We both moved to the wedging table to prepare our clay. The plastic bag of clay that was hidden by canvas for a more traditional effect, was to my right. I hadn’t realized that I was in Jake’s way until his forearm brushed my left breast. Immediately my nipple tightened and heightened. It was visibly poking at the broadcloth shirt I was wearing. Both of us realized the electric contact between us and stopped, frozen in the moment. I could see his eyes staring at my aroused nipple. I saw him lick his lips and then render a polite “I’m sorry…..close quarters.”
I backed away with my clay and retreated to my kick wheel. I felt his eyes follow me and saw an amused look on his face that mocked my overly prudish escape. A couple appeared at the door and seemed pleased with the display of pottery on the shelves. I started my repertoire. “Morning folks, we will be demonstrating and interpreting the pottery that would have been made on this site in 1830.” The woman immediately asked if there actually would have been women potters during that time period. Jake stepped in to answer as I started to center my clay.
“No mam, as beautiful and talented as Alex is, she would not have been the typical potter during this time.” I looked up at him as if to ask how he knew my skill level. He smiled and turned toward the display of pottery on the shelves. “But it is very difficult to find a potter of Alex’s caliber….so…” He turned back toward me and finished his statement as he perused my figure. “We take what we can get. And in this case, we get a lot of expertise in this lady.”
The couple was unaware of any undertones to his statement, but I wasn’t. I returned to the formation of my clay and the step of opening up the clay. I thought to myself “You won’t be taking or getting anything from me you arrogant man.”
A man and his young son walked into the shop and took their seats…I continued to start the pulling of the walls step. Jake interpreted the process of throwing a pot. “Our potter is now pulling up the walls of the pot. She keeps the clay wet so that it can smoothly slip through the gap between her inside fingers and her outside fingers. She slowly is stretching the clay and pulling it up into a tall cylinder.” Jake demonstrated the technique with his hands on an imaginary pot in the air.
The young boy asked his father “What is she making Daddy?”
Jake turned back to me and asked “Yes Alex. What are we making today?”
How did he manage to make that statement sound suggestive? I answered, “I’m making a jug that will be about 12″ tall.”
The boy piped up “A milk jug?”
I saw Jake’s eyes lower to my chest and linger there. Of course, both nipples responded to his examination. “It could be used for milk. But it could also be filled with vinegar or oil.” I answered.
The youngster definitively stated, “I like milk!”
Without missing a beat, Jake answered “So do I. So do I.” And then he chuckled to himself.
I finished making the pot without any further insinuations from my co-worker. The people left to go to their next destination. I decided that it was time for a little water break in the back room. As I dug my thermos out of my bag, I heard Jake enter the room. “What is your problem??” I asked.
“I’m sorry, Alex. I was just having a bit of fun. Don’t be angry with me.” He pleaded.
“Humph…fun for you.” I retorted.
Jake nodded and let his eyes roam over me again. He did this as I was taking a sip from my thermos. Of course, in my surprise, I opened my mouth before swallowing and dribbled some water down my chin. Jake’s eyes never left my wet lips. “Well, cool it. Will you?”
“Yes, honey.” He responded. I gave him a derisive look as I went back to the show room.
The rest of the morning proceeded with a truce of respectable behavior. The only awkward moment was when Jake leaned behind me to reach for a set of calipers and placed his warm hand on my shoulder. Does he do this on purpose? Touching and arousing me?? How would he like it if I did the same to him…I then realized that he would not mind that very much.
Toward the noon hour, when the pottery shop closed for lunch, one of the lady guides, Martha, in period dress appeared with a basket covered with a tea towel. “We made vegetable soup in the kitchen today and put in some Johnny cake bread as well. Hi Jake. Is Alex making you feel at home?”
Jakes responded with “Yes, she is. I love playing house with Alex.” I stuck my tongue out at him and took the basket out to the back steps to eat in the sun. After chatting a bit with Martha, Jake asked if I was sharing with him.
“Of course. It was probably made and brought down here for you anyway.” The ladies that worked in the houses were always eager to chat with any new, handsome young workers.
“Wow. That smells good. I seldom get home cooked meals.”
“Here’s a napkin you can set your bread on.” I said as I divvied up the goods. “Your wife or girlfriend doesn’t cook for you?”
“I don’t have either at the moment and my folks live a bit away. I was surprised by his statement of being unattached, but secretly was glad as well.
“Do you cook for your husband?”
“No. My husband died about 2.5 years ago. I don’t cook much since it’s just me.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
I nodded my head and thanked him for his condolence. We ate the remainder of our lunch in quiet thought. Jake wondered how my husband died. I wondered why he didn’t have a wife or girlfriend.
The day was warm and dry, so the pots from the morning were firm enough to have their handles made and attached. So, while Jake was throwing pottery on the wheel, I wedged some clay and grabbed a chunk that I rolled into a short carrot shape.
Standing at the table, with a bowl of water in front of me, I began to pull a handle. Holding the clay in my left had I gently but firmly pulled down on on it, slowly pulling and stretching the clay down into a long snake form. Jake’s eyes watched every inch that my hand pulled. I looked at him and held his gaze. He licked his lips in a nervous manner. I continued pulling the clay while maintaining eye contact. As I passed by him to hang the handle from the nearby shelf, I whispered “Two can play that game.”
I heard him chuckle at my back and whisper “Touche”.
The day was filled with small herds of people that came through the shop to watch us throw pottery and ask us questions about the process and the pots on the shelves. While the pots from the day were still leather hard, I needed to line the insides with the Albany glaze that would later turn to brown glass to seal the inside of the pot.
I struggled trying to move the crock of glaze onto the table.
Strong hands and arms came from nowhere to help me lift the crock. We were standing close to each other and I could see a light sheen of sweat on his face…Oh what a face. Sculpted by the gods: cheekbones that stood out high and proud, nose that was straight and perfect and lips that were full and soft and framed by a moustache and beard. God, I could run my fingers through that beard, hold his face in my hands and kiss those lips. He smirked at me with a twinkle in his eyes as if he could hear my thoughts. “Th-Thank you” I croaked.
“No problem. Anything you need Alex, just ask.”
By the end of the day, I was hot, sweaty and turned on. I closed the plastic clay bag and covered it with the canvas. I washed my tools and placed them by the sink for tomorrow. I went to the back room to drink some water and gather my things. Pulling my hair up I wetted my hand and tried to transfer the water to my neck and cleavage. I turned around to a stunned Jake.
Dumbstruck, he couldn’t take his eyes from my cleavage. “That was a long hot day, huh? Do you want to go somewhere to cool off?”
“Is he asking me out in my Amish clothing that is covered in clay” I thought to myself.
He saw me look down and realized the problem that was left unspoken. “Don’t worry about your clothes. Where we are going there is no dress code”.
“Wow, sounds really nice. Some dive in the valley?” I said while picturing a dark seedy bar
.
“You could say that. Come on, it will be just what you need.”
I followed him in my car as we drove north from the museum. He signaled to turn right into a lane that was barely visible from the main road. We drove down the overgrown lane for about a half a mile. I stopped and parked beside him when he stopped. I looked around but could see nothing of any importance that would bring us to the middle of the woods. “Great” I thought. “He’s a murderer and this will be my final resting place”. I saw Jake draw towels from the trunk and a basket. “Can I help?” I asked.
“No, we have everything we need. Follow me.”
I followed his slim figure and broad shoulders onto a narrow foot path. “It’s not far from here. Just wait. You will love it.”
“Okay” I thought, “this is an interesting date if indeed it is a date”. Jake set the basket and towels down on a picnic table that had been placed along side of a stone quarry that had filled with water.
“The water is so clean and clear and refreshing here. You will love it!”
In a panicked moment I said, “But I don’t have a swimsuit!”
He shook his head. “Wear your bra and underwear if you want. It doesn’t matter. But I personally like to feel the water all over my body.”
“Okay, okay. Just turn around while I undress and get in.” I said in a weakened voice.
“Not a problem” he shouted as he pulled off his clothes and strode into the water.
God, he was beautiful. Those back muscles, that butt…Easy girl, you are in way over your head here.
Treading water and facing the other direction, he shouted “Are you coming in or not? You are safe with me. Nothing is going to happen here other than what you want. Okay?”
I thought to myself, “Okay, so he was going to let me control the situation. Okay, I can do this.” And I just so happen to love skinny dipping. I quickly pulled off my clothes and scurried into the water. The water quenched my burning skin. It was so cool and sensual on my naked body. Wow, it felt so good.
“Oh, my, this is wonderful. Great idea. I didn’t even know this place existed.”
“Yes not many do. My uncle’s farm is about a mile down the road. We used to come here as kids for a month in the summer. It was our own private swimming hole.”
“And you shared it with me? Aren’t you afraid the secret will get out?”
Jake looked at me seriously and said “No, I trust you. You can always trust a potter.”
“Really?” I replied.
“Yes, and you can trust me too Alex. I’ve been on simmer all day. Being close to you, but not close enough. It was driving me crazy.” With that comment, we both stopped and gazed at each other. The water was so clear you could make out most of our bodies. I didn’t care. Not when he looked at me that way. This was no pick up line.
This was the real deal. I knew it because he had made himself vulnerable for me to see his true feelings. Not knowing what to say, I stepped forward at the same time he did. Our bodies were touching, but not enough. Jake put his arms around me. I hadn’t been so close to a man since Ben died. I thought it was a thought, but I had said it out loud.
Jake kissed my temple and said, “Do you want to talk about it? I’m a good listener.”
Immediately I teared up. How is this possible? I never let anyone see my grief. But this man, this perfect stranger had a window to my soul. “It was January 15, 2019. It was a typical morning where we were both scurrying around to get to work on time. We kissed (just a peck) and he said “I’ll see you later.” That was the last time I saw him alive. Before I even left the house, the highway patrol was knocking on my door, asking if I was Ben Sedgwick’s wife. They came in and sat with me at the kitchen table…I knew something was horribly wrong with Ben, but I didn’t think he was dead. I couldn’t.”
That was all I could share. I started to cry. Not a pretty crying either. An all-out gut wrenching sobbing. Jake held me, hugged me closer and whispered “It’s okay, baby. Let it out. It’s okay.” I don’t know how long this went on. Well, until I couldn’t cry anymore.
When I stopped crying there were a few hiccups through which Jake started placing small kisses across my forehead. It was so sweet. He then started placing them down my nose. By the time he got to my mouth, I was hungry for an all-out no holds barred kiss. Jake accepted that that was what I needed. And he gave me a kiss to end all kisses. I finally had to come up for air.
“I… You… We can’t do this!” I said irrationally.
“We can and we did. It’s okay Alex. Any man who loved you would want you to go on living. He would want you to be happy.”
I closed my eyes and remembered a conversation in which Ben and I had talked about the “what if” scenario. Ben, had said the exact same thing in the exact same words. At the time, I just set the subject aside because it was too horrible to think about. But now, it was as if he was speaking through Jake.
I shook my head trying to figure out what was real. And then the reality of me being in Jake’s arms naked in a pond struck me as being very real. I could feel his warmth and his acceptance of whatever feelings I had. This was incredible. Could God give me two good men in one lifetime? I didn’t know. But I sure wanted to find out.
Jake walked us to the edge of the pond. He hurried out first to hold a towel up for me. Well, it was more the size of a small blanket. I felt secure and taken care of. After toweling himself off and wrapping the towel around his waist Jake sat at the picnic table and started to pull out a feast. I hadn’t even realized I was so hungry. There was wine and cheese and crackers and two wrapped sandwiches and grapes and brownies.
“Where did you get this?” I asked.
“I had the museum kitchen staff make it up for me.”
Wearily, I asked “Were you so sure I would come with you?”
“No. But I had hoped.” Was his reply.
“Why? You don’t even know me.”
“That’s not true, Alex. I’ve been following your career as one of the up-and- coming ceramic artists. It’s no accident that I took the job at the museum.” I looked at him perplexed. “I saw a picture of you in Ceramic Art of your Nashville exhibition. I knew I had to meet you. It was the strangest thing. I had already fallen for your art. But then I fell in love with that picture. If they hadn’t hired me for the pottery position, I would be volunteering my time just to get close to you.”
I remembered that photo. It was two months after Ben had died. My hair was pulled back in a severe style and my clothing was all black accept for a silk dyed scarf I wore around my neck. Those were dark days for me. “That was over two years ago.”
He nodded. “I knew that you had lost your husband. It was in the article. I couldn’t intrude on your grief. I knew you needed time. I kept track of you through Marcia in admissions. She said you two were friends and I would inquire about you every now and then”.
Things were starting to fit together. Marcia had said that there was someone she wanted me to meet when I was ready to move on. I had told Marcia about a couple of absolutely horrible dates I had had, so she knew I was trying to get on with my life. Marcia, you are sly, and a very good friend to me.
In response to his admiration of me, I confessed to having followed his work as well, although I had never seen a photo of him. “I love your black and white glaze phase. It was so chic and modern. That is why I couldn’t believe that you wanted to spend your summer throwing traditional pottery for a historical museum!”
“I did. And I do. I’d do anything to be close to you, to get to know you, to try to see if you could possibly develop feelings for me.”
I took a sip of wine and let his words sink into my brain. This is not possible. There is nothing extraordinary about me to warrant such attention from a stranger. “Why me??”
Jake took my face into his hands, and touched his forehead to mine. “You don’t know, do you? You don’t know how spectacular you are!” he said incredulously. I shook my head…that had to be some mistake. “In time, I will have you believing it…you’ll see.” And then he kissed me long and tenderly. “Come on, Alex, eat up. We had a long hard day. Let’s eat something and relax.”
After eating, we laid side by side at the base of the tree near the picnic table. We talked and talked. We talked about everything and about nothing. There were no awkward silences. Only silence when we would absorb what the other had said.
In the midst of the conversation, we had snuggled up under the same blanket. It didn’t feel strange to be so close to a relative stranger. It wasn’t strange to be naked with this naked man. It felt right. I felt his heartbeat under my ear. It’s as if my own heart had started to beat again. We laughed and teased and wondered at how perfectly our humor fit together.
During one of the comfortable silences, I looked up at him and moved his hand to my breast. He looked at me as if to say “Are you sure?” I silenced the question with a kiss. I pulled him down to me and ran my fingers through his hair. He cupped my breast and pinched my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. It hit me hard…I held my breath.
He lowered his lips to my left nipple, licked it, sucked it and proceeded to suckle on it as if he was a baby at his mother’s breast. He positioned my nipple pointing to the roof on his mouth, sealed his lips on my breast and worked his tongue as if to move milk from the breast to the nipple. It was very pleasant at first and then the more he suckled and the harder he suckled, I became more and more aroused. I couldn’t stop the moans that were escaping from my mouth. It became more and more erotic. I started to shudder and climaxed there in his arms. He released my nipple, looked up at me and smiled.
“Oh my God Jake, what was that?”
“I was suckling you. I take it from your reaction that you liked it?”
I stuttered, “You know I did! My God, I came from nipple stimulation!”
He chuckled and said, “I know, I was here for it. And it was incredible from my point of view as well.” A tear trickled down my cheek and he caught it with his finger. “Oh baby, what’s wrong? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No Jake, you didn’t. You just added color to a black and white world.”
“Oh is that all?” he said. “You looked so beautiful as you came in my arms. I will always remember the way you looked. Your nipples are very responsive and sensitive.”
“I guess so” I said. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
“Here baby, just relax in my arms. Once you’ve got your bearings, we need to go before it gets dark and the mosquitoes come out.” I lay there in a daze of wonderment. I never knew I could feel this way. Jake, you are amazing, I thought.
Jake walked me to my car. I turned to tell him goodnight. He caught my lips in the most intense kiss. I was literally breathless. He lifted my hand to his lips. He brushed my knuckles back and forth across his lips. He said in a low, intense voice, “I don’t want this night to end, but I won’t push you. I want to give you as much time and space as you need.” I searched his eyes wondering if I should invite him home with me.
He shook his head. “No baby, if I go home with you, neither of us will make it to work tomorrow. You go now and get a good night’s sleep.” I kissed him once more and drove away.
Sunday morning was a later start time at the museum. So, I tidied the house a little, humming to myself the whole while. I couldn’t get him out of my mind. “So, maybe I am supposed to go on living” I thought. After Ben died I certainly didn’t want to. One moment, he was there, and the next he was gone. I just wanted to continue to be with him. He was my husband. We weren’t meant to be separated. But time made me realize that I could not change those deadly moments on the highway. I had no other choice, but to accept the reality and keep living.
I pulled into the parking lot of the museum and saw Jake pacing back and forth. He came over to my car as I was getting out. “Well, hello there” I said. He looked a little worse for the wear. “Didn’t you sleep well?” I asked with a grin.
“No, I didn’t sleep well. For God’s sake, why didn’t I get your number before you left? I wanted to talk to you before I could sleep. And I woke up thinking about you and didn’t know how to reach out to you. You must think I’m an idiot” he said sheepishly.
“Poor baby. Give me your phone.” Without question, he handed it to me. I put my name and number and my address in his contacts. “There, you will know how to reach me from now on.”
“God, I just want to kiss you. But I don’t think the other workers and the boss would feel too kindly about that”
“I know”, I said. Let’s go to the shop where we can have a little privacy at least for a few minutes.”
I unlocked the shop to be swept up and pushed against the closed door with a very hard, large body. “I want you so badly.” He said before he kissed the breath out of me.
“Me too.” I said as I returned his ardor. I hugged him close as I felt him shudder.
“Alex, I don’t know what I’m doing. I just want you so bad.”
“Shhhhhh, it’s okay. You have me. I didn’t like being alone last night either, but it gave me time to miss you.” I glanced at the clock and saw that it was time to open. Hopefully it would be a slow day that would give us a chance to talk more. But it was not to be.
The beautiful weather had beckoned families from far and near to come to the museum and pester the two sexually frustrated potters that worked there. There were moments of smoldering looks and “accidental” touches. The crowds continued to flow through the shop and we had to hide our wants and desires.
It wasn’t until closing time when I locked the door and went to the back room that I was able to hug Jake and give him the kiss I had been keeping for him all day.
“Mmmmm, Alex, you taste so good. And you smell good too.”
“That my friend, is a lie. I smell like sweat and you know it!” I exclaimed.
“Well, I like the smell of your sweat.” He proceeded to nuzzle my neck and lick a trail with his tongue from my collar bone to my ear lobe, which he began to suck.
“Jake, we have to go before they close the gates and we are stuck here all night. Come on, love.”
“Ooo, I like the way you say that. It holds such promise.” I gave him one last sensual look before we had to put on our masks for the other workers. Jake walked me to the car and told me to go home and get cleaned up because he was taking me out.
“You don’t have to do that. I can see that you are tired from the lack of sleep last night.”
“Shut up woman. I know what I’m doing. Pick you up around 6:30?”
“Sure,” I replied. “See you then.”
I wasn’t sure of how to dress since Jake hadn’t said what he had in mind. So I donned a light weight sun dress and sandals. I was just adding a pair of hoop earrings when I heard his car and then a knock on the door. “It’s open. Let yourself in. I’ll be right out.” I quickly added some blush and lip gloss. Looking in the mirror, I couldn’t believe the smiling, happy woman looking back…Please God, don’t let him break my heart.
“Hi! I hope that this is okay. I wasn’t sure how to dress.” Jake looked at me with hunger in his eyes. I felt the same way.
“What you have on is great. Are you ready to go?”
As we walked to the car I noticed he had on a pair of khaki color jeans and a white botton down shirt with boat shoes and no socks…..”He knows how to dress, that is for sure” I thought to myself. He opened the door for me and I let my eyes take in his total appearance as he walked around the car. My heart was racing when I said “You look very handsome.” He didn’t respond. “Jake, is something wrong?”
“No, honey. I’m just trying to get out of here before I take you back inside and show you how much I want to be with you.”
“Oh” I said. “We don’t have to go out. I could cook us a meal.” “No, dammit, we are going out.”
We arrived at Umberto’s, a casual restaurant in the valley that offered live entertainment on the weekends. From the sound of it, the band was on the back patio. “How did you know that I like jazz?” We looked at each other, and at the same time said, “Marcia!”
Jake inquired, “Do you want to sit inside or outside?”
“Either is fine with me. You pick”. When the hostess asked, Jake said we would like a table inside, a booth preferably. Seated at a horseshoe booth I scooted around to the inside. Jake did the same on the other side and we met in the middle.
“I thought this would be cozier and we can still hear the band through the open doors.”
“Yes, this is great.”
We both ordered pasta and salad. And Jake ordered a bottle of red wine. I sipped my wine, detecting flavors of grape, cherry and raspberry. “Wow, that tastes great.”
“Yes, I like it. For a house wine, it is terrific. I have to confess, this is one of my favorite places that I have found since moving here for the summer.” The atmosphere was dark, tasteful and quiet. The jazz was easy to hear from the short distance to the patio.
“I love it. It’s perfect.” At that moment it was the most logical thing in the world, to kiss him and caress his cheek. He responded warmly to my gesture. And then he took my hand in his and entwined our fingers. So, lovely. This is so lovely. I thought of all the lonely days and nights I had spent grieving for Ben. All so I could get to a place in which moving on felt right. “I love you Ben. But I am here and you are there. We both have to get on with it, darling” I thought to myself
.
The food was delicious. We shoved our plates away when we finished and cuddled together while listening to the music. I couldn’t even remember my day at this point. It was so removed from this moment. The melodious tones of the saxophone drew me into the web it was weaving. I gladly surrendered to it. I might have even dozed off for a couple seconds. After the third time that I jerked awake, Jake said “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you home to bed.”
“Are you sure? I ‘m fine, really.” I hated for this evening to end. Jake gave me a look that convinced me that there was no use arguing.
There was no question that I wanted to spend the night with Jake. Back at my place, I led him to my bedroom. He helped me take my clothes off and asked me what I wore to bed. I pointed at the nightshirt on the chair and lifted my arms so he could easily put it on me. At this point, he began tucking me in to bed. “Wait! Jake. I’m not ready for this night to end.”
Jake looked at me and said, “It’s not ending darling. It’s just going to take a break for some much-needed sleep. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” I watched him take his clothes off, all but his underwear. He got into bed and pulled me close. I kissed him and he kissed me and the earth shifted from under my bed. “Alex, can you sleep?”
“Maybe if you did that thing that you did the other night. Maybe then I could sleep.” He looked at me doubtfully, but proceeded to pull my nightshirt up over my breast. He then began to suckle me slowly and gently. After a while, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Hours later, I woke to a wet warm feeling on my nipple. There was Jake, licking, sucking and suckling my nipple. This suckling was not to put me to sleep. This was waking me in the most pleasurable, erotic manner. I let out a moan and Jake knew I was awake. He looked up at me with my nipple still in his mouth and communicated the most loving expression in his eyes. I smiled back and nudged my breast harder against him. He opened his mouth and took more of my areola into it and began to suckle in earnest again. All that suction bringing blood to my nipple was very exciting. His hand drifted down to gently rub my clit. “Oh God” I thought. It doesn’t get any better than this.
But it did. The more Jake suckled me, the harder I wanted him to. Understanding my urgency, he suckled harder and teased my clit even more. Once his fingers were wet from my juices, he began to stroke my slit. And then deeper and deeper he stroked until finally he put two fingers into me to simulate his cock.
He coordinated the rhythm of the suckling to the movement of his fingers. I started to come apart. Deeper and harder, I came again and again. I looked up to see if he was alright. Satisfied with his work, he lay down next to me to go to sleep.
“Hey, what are you doing? I want to give you pleasure!”
He looked at me and said, “I’m not going anywhere, baby. Come on, back to sleep you go. I’ll still be here when you wake.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise.”
I woke before Jake. My nipple was a little sore, but not too bad. I looked over at this large, capable man and thought about how he took care of me last night in so many ways. It opened my heart even further. “I want to do something for him” I thought. He was so generous in his lovemaking last night. I slowly moved down the bed and uncovered his torso. Dammit, his underwear was still on!
Not knowing how heavily he slept, I attempted to slide his underwear down without him waking up. I glanced up to ensure that Jake was still asleep. So, I continued on my mission.
What a lovely manhood. Where shall I start? I kissed the tip of the head and licked the underside of it. I took the tip into my mouth and started to suck. I heard a moan from above and looked to find Jake wide awake with brow furled in passion. I let him slip from my mouth and exclaimed, “You’re awake!”
“I’ve been awake this whole time, honey. I just wanted to see how you were going to get my underwear off me.”
“You turkey! You could have helped!!”
Jake responded, “What’s the fun in that?”
We both laughed. “Well, please don’t interrupt. I’m very busy” I said as I took him back into my mouth and sucked up and down his shaft. I opened my mouth so I could lick from bottom to top and then swirl my tongue around his head. I took his head back into my mouth and sucked as if I was sucking the straw in a thick milkshake. Another groan from above. With hand around his cock, I continued to slide my mouth up and down his cock. Careful to cover my teeth in front, I concentrated on the head again. His cock had grown very hard and very large. It was beautiful. Before I could resume my work, I was hauled up to face him.
“Come here gorgeous. I can’t wait any longer. I want you.” I was more than agreeable. I kissed him with all the passion I felt for him. Pushing me to my back, Jake worked his way down my body with sweet little kisses. When he reached my lips, He opened his mouth to give my clit a loving suck and kiss. He continued to nip and suck up and down my lips. And then, he plunged his tongue into me. I had never felt anything like it before.
“Darling, I want you inside of me…Please!”
Jake worked his way back up my body, stopping at my breasts to suck and nibble my breasts. Face to face, we gazed into each other’s eyes. In the midst of that gaze I wrapped my legs around him so he had easier access to me. He entered me slowly and gloriously. I held my breath and released it slowly. “Breathe baby, don’t pass out on me now! I need you conscious.” I giggled at the absurdity of his comment.
That is when he thrust into me hard, fast and deep. I let out a high pitched keen. He hammered into me to my shrieks and moans. It felt so very good to be making love again. I had missed this so much. “Yes, yes, yes, Jake…..Oh my God. Yes!” He was pistoning me now and I could barely breathe. “Oh, oh, Jake….Oh” My body started to convulse and jerk. He continued his barrage of thrusts. Something let loose. I could feel my canal squeeze and spasm, but I also felt a release of liquid.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
Jake briefly stopped to say “Baby, you didn’t pee, you just squirted.” With a smile on his face Jake continued pumping into me until he came too.
He dropped down on top of me with his elbows on either side of me supporting his weight. With our breathing hard and fast, we both lay there in the moment, feeling incredibly light and good. I spoke first, “Jake, that was amazing!! I don’t even know how to describe what I felt.”
He chuckled a little. “For me, too, baby.”
We held each other just trying to regain our breath and composure. Eventually Jake rolled off to the side. I turned on my side to lay my head in the crook of his arm. He kissed my forehead. I lifted my face up to him and we shared an incredibly tender kiss.
“You know, going to work today is optional for all the craftsmen.”
“Yes? What are you suggesting Ms. Sedgwick?”
“I’m suggesting that we never leave this bed!!” I exclaimed.
Jake burst out laughing…”If you insist.”
“Well, I do. I insist!”
The day seemed to fly by. And we did stay in bed. or there about, all day long. We shared our backgrounds with each other, our hopes and dreams and our greatest sorrows. We laughed at each other’s funny stories, cried with the other for their heart breaks and generally shared the manifest and the miniscule. Like me, Jake didn’t have just one favorite color. He too liked combinations of colors. We both adored black/tan/white. We both felt energized by periwinkle/lime green/navy and we both were fond of pink/peach and lavender ( Me because it was ultra feminine; him because it was the colors of breasts).
Jake was obsessed with my breasts and my nipples, in particular. He could play with them and pleasure them for hours. My nipples were destined to be in his mouth. He looked so angelic and peaceful when he suckled on them. And then, in an instant, he would be fiercely amorous with nibbles and bites and strong massage. My breasts loved all of his treatments. Through Jake, I gained a new appreciation for them and was proud to have him so enamored with them.
I loved everything about Jake’s body: his broad shoulders, his hairy chest, the creases at the corners of his eyes. I loved the way his hair had some body and wave to it. I loved the way his mouth always appeared to be in a bit of a smile. And I loved the way his lips kissed mine.
We decided to part after dinner on Monday night since work the following day was not optional. Jake called at 10:00 to wish me a good night. We talked for an hour which felt like a minute. At the end we both kissed into the phone and said goodnight.
Tuesday, began beautifully. The day was perfect with sunshine and a light breeze. I was in love or close to it with someone who seemed to reciprocate the feelings. Jake met me at my car and walked me to the pottery shop. Once we entered and closed the door behind us, we fell into each other’s arms. Kisses were breathed in as if they were air. I couldn’t get close enough to him and he apparently felt the same way as I realized he was pulling my suspenders to my pants down.
“Jake, no, we can’t.” It seemed to bring him out of a daze.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He heaved a sigh of frustration and went to the wedging table to prepare clay
.
I made sure that each wheel had the necessary tools and bowls of water. “Wow, those are some pretty big blocks of clay” I noticed.
“Yea, the cook needs a new butter churn and the gift shop clerk said that they were out and that they are big sellers.”
“Okay, I’ll let the big, muscular potter work on the big stuff while I concentrate on the smaller items today.”
It was about 11:30 when a runner from the admissions lodge came bursting in the door. “Hey, Mr. Thorpe! We got a phone call from your mother. She couldn’t get hold of you and she wants you to call.” Jake looked surprised and alarmed. He rushed to the back room to retrieve his cell phone.
“Great. I forgot to charge it. It’s dead.”
“Here use mine.”
“Thanks Alex” he said as he rushed out the back door to call his mother. I returned to the show room, to finish talking to the visitors who were sitting there. I hurriedly finished the pot I was working on to rush them along and out the door. I put the “Gone to Lunch” sign out and looked for Jake.
I stood in the doorway, anxiously awaiting some sort of sign as to what was wrong. “No, Mom, leave it. I’ll take care of it when I get there. Yes. I’ll call from the airport to let you know when I’ll be getting in. Can you ask Jayne to pick me up at the airport? Okay. Okay, I will. I will. I love you, Mom. Bye.” I walked around him to see his face. It was a tortured expression that I found.
“What is it. What’s wrong?”
Jake took a deep breath and said “My dad is dead. Without any prior symptoms he just died.”
I immediately went to him to hold him in my arms. He let me, but I could feel how tense his whole body was.
“Listen, Alex. I have to go home to pack and to book the first flight to Boston that I can.”
“Can I drive you to the airport?” I said, desperate to be of some sort of help.
“No, no. You stay here and finish the day.”
“No, Jake, let me come with you. I can help in little ways, I know I can.”
He looked at me and finally focused on my face. “I’m sorry baby. This hits us at the worst possible time.”
“No, Jake, it will be alright.”
He hesitated, but then asked, “If you can get the time off, can you come for the calling hours and the funeral?”
“Of course, I’ll be there. Promise to call me tonight? I don’t care how late it is.”
“Sure. Honey, of course. I hate to leave you, but I have to go.”
“Okay, Jake, will you take a taxi to the airport so you’re not driving?
”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” And with that he left in a hurry.
I was on pins and needles for the rest of the day. There were moments that I flashed back to my own tragedy of finding out about Ben’s death. So, there were also moments of fighting off tears. I thought to myself, “God, what if Jake gets into a car accident on the way to the airport? Jake is not Ben. Snap out of it will you? You have to be there for Jake. No self-pity!”
Once I got home that night, the house felt so empty. My dinner was tasteless and my favorite tv show failed to entertain. I checked my phone to make sure it was charged. I hoped he was okay. My heart broke for the pain he must be in. I decided to lay down since I had worked myself into a headache. I shut the lights off and closed the blinds and lay down with my phone beside me.
When I woke, I was still having the weirdest dream of my life. I was having breakfast with Ben. We were joking and laughing. And then instead of Ben, it was Jake kissing me goodbye. Part of me thought, No, don’t go. Don’t leave me! Please….you will die. Don’t go!
The phone rang and it was Jake. “Hi, how are you??”
“Hi Alex. I’m OK. My mom is a mess and my sister is not helping matters with her constant questions and wanting answers about how this could happen. My brother won’t get in for a couple days.”
I tried to assess his emotional state. “I’m so sorry honey. Are you eating? Did you get any rest on the plane?”
“No and no. But I’m fine, really. I’m going with Mom and Jayne tomorrow to the funeral home to make the arrangements. I’ll let you know as soon as I know what is going on. Jeez, I didn’t see this coming. Dad was always so active and he wasn’t sick.” There was a hitch in his voice.
“Jake, I know you want to be there for everyone else, but take some time for yourself.”
“I can’t Alex. I have to hold things together for everyone else. God I wish I could hold you.”
Aww, I felt so sorry for him. “Honey, I’ll come right away. You shouldn’t have to handle this alone.”
“No. Alex. Wait until I have more information. I don’t want you to miss more work than you have to.”
Frustrated, I said “The hell with work. You are more important.” There was a pause.
“Alex, I…..Alex, I need to go. I’ll see you the day of the calling hours if you can make it. Bye sweetheart.” And the call was ended. I stared at the phone wishing it back to life. Wishing I could hold him and comfort him. I was restless for a while, but I finally fell asleep.
At work the next day, I wanted to find some way to make a special contribution to the family’s honoring the death of Jake’s father. I looked at Jake’s pots on the shelf. I thought that if I could fire one of his large cylinders, it would make a lovely vase for flowers at the funeral home. So, I spent the day loading the kiln and I got permission to stay overnight to oversee the firing so I could throw the salt into the ports that would glaze the pots at the right temperature. I worked only the morning the following day and went home to sleep and to pack a back.
The following morning, I unloaded the kiln, packed a choice pot into my carryon and boarded a plane for Boston. I rented a car and found a quaint flower shop. The flower arranger was only too happy to work with me to arrange a beautiful array of blue and white flowers in the pot. I checked into my hotel and took a nap.
When I woke, I called Jake. “Alex, where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you. Are you okay?”
“Hi” I said nervously. My contact in the last day and a half had been spotty at best. “I’m here, in town.”
“What?? You’re in town? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have picked you up at the airport..”
“I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Bother me?? I was going crazy not being able to reach you! Where are you?”
“I’m at the Oceanside Hotel.”
“Stay put!! I’m coming to you.”
I opened the door to see that handsome face wearing a tired expression. Immediately, I threw myself into his arms. I felt him exhale deeply and relax. “Alex, don’t ever do that to me again. Do you hear me??” I started to tear up and explained what I had been doing the last two days. “You did that for me? For my family?”
“Yes, I was desperate to do something to help.”
Jake answered me with a very domineering kiss. We fell on the bed and immediately started to undress each other. We both just felt the need to touch and hold each other to ease the tension in the other. To sooth pain and apprehension away.
I sat up against pillows at the headboard. I beckoned Jake to my breast and he eagerly complied. Jack latched on to my breast as though he was a man dying from thirst and my breast held the only liquid on earth. At first it was gentle and slow suckling. I felt him relax in my arms.
After about a half hour, we switched breasts. Slowly, Jack built the intensity to the point of torture. Each strong pull on my nipple was like a direct lick to my clit. I started to undulate and moan and call out his name. “Jake!! Oh Jake. Oh God. Darling, I can’t take it anymore….I need you inside me. Please Jake.” Jake woke from a stupor and quickly ended my suffering with a hard thrust into me. I had been wet the entire time of the suckling, so Jake set a hard and fast pace for our lovemaking. I wanted to cover him in kisses, but all I could do was hang on to him and try to catch my breath. We came hard together as Jake collapsed on me, my hard pointed nipples poking into his chest.
“I’m sorry sweetheart…Did I hurt you? God I’m sorry. I just needed you so much.” I shook my head and assured him I needed him too. I had missed him so much even though it had only been two days. We lay in each others arms and dozed off and on for another hour.
“Baby, are you hungry? I hope so, because I am.”
“Yes, I am. Do you need to go back home?”
“Grrrr. I don’t want to, but I probably should go back. Do you want to meet them tonight?”
“I don’t know…I’m very tired. I want to make a good first impression.”
“Tomorrow it is then. I’ll take you to dinner, bring you back here and then go home.”
I was anxious about meeting Jake’s family under such circumstances. I had packed a black peplum jacket and pencil skirt combination with a tan and white scarf and black shoes. I picked up the supremely beautiful flower arrangement and headed to the funeral home. I arrived at the beginning of calling hours.
Jake saw me come in and rushed over to take the flowers. “Hun, I would have gotten those from the car for you. They are great by the way.” His sister Jayne came over and offered to find a place for the flowers. “Jayne, This is Alex. Alex, this is my big sister Jayne.”
She said that she had heard a lot about me from Jake and was pleased to meet me. I gave her the same sentiments. “Jayne, I’m so sorry for your loss.” I held her hand for a moment and she smiled faintly at me. Then, she rushed off to find the perfect place for the arrangement. Jake whispered in my ear that he was so glad I was there. I cupped his cheek in my hand and he kissed it.
Jake then led me over to a lovely lady in her late sixties…She was gorgeous. “Mom, this is Alex. See the arrangement that Jayne has? Alex made sure to fire one of my pots and took it to a local florist.”
“Oh my, you flew with the pottery? Bless you dear.”
“Mrs. Thorpe, I am so sorry for your loss.”
She hugged me and whispered in my ear “I know that you know what I’m going through. I’m so glad you are here for Jake.”
Jake then pulled me over to his younger brother James. “James, this is my girl, Alex.” James shook my hand and said that Jake always was the lucky one in love. I gave him my condolences and he said we would talk later.
Jake walked me over to the casket. In a low voice he said “Dad, this is Alex. I hate like hell that you didn’t get to meet her. But she is the potter I told you about a few years ago.” Then he told me that his father would have loved me. I teared up at this. “Baby, are you okay? This has to be bringing up bad memories for you. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine, really Jake. I want to be here with you.” I kissed him on the cheek and he took me over to stand by him with the family.
Obviously, Jake’s dad, Michael, was well liked. Crowds of people filtered through the funeral home. There was an endless stream of people paying their condolences.
“Alexandra Greene!! What are you doing here?”
“Mr. Anderson. How are you? Jake, this is the Department Chair of the ceramics department at The Ohio State University. Mr. Anderson, this is Jake Thorpe, illustrious potter.”
“Damn fine work you have. A pleasure to meet you.”
Jake replied “Thank you sir. If you don’t mind me asking, did you know my father?”
At that moment Jake’s mother interrupted “Larry, I’m so glad you could make it. Jake, your father and Larry were in the army together. He was in Boston and saw the obituary in the paper. I told him we all would be upset if he didn’t come.”
“Catherine….” Mr. Anderson moved on to talk with Mrs. Thorpe.
“Teacher’s pet, were you?”
“Stop…once you get to the graduate level, OSU is like a small town college.” Jake looked unconvinced.
The family and close friends went back to the Thorpe house for a buffet dinner. Jake was in the kitchen helping his mother with some bags of ice. Mr. Anderson came over to me and leaned against the door jamb effectively cutting off my view of the room. “Alex, the Ceramics Department has an opening. I hope we will see your application in the works.”
“I had heard of it. But my plans are uncertain at the moment.”
“I’ll try to make it worth your while Alex.”
“That is very kind of you sir. I will certainly think about it.”
At that moment Jake appeared and looked at me questioningly. “Did I miss something?”
Mr. Anderson responded “No, no. I was just telling Alex about my friendship with your father. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to say my goodnight to Catherine.”
Jake put his arm around me and asked if I was alright. I assured him that I was. “Come on, I’m taking you back to the hotel.”
“Jake, I have my rental here.” “I know, what do think I will be driving?”
“That doesn’t make sense Jake.
”
Jake put two fingers on my lips to hush me. “I’m taking my suit and staying the night if that is alright.”
I looked at him to see if he was serious. “You don’t need to stay here tonight?”
“No, everyone is beat and the church ladies will clean up the mess. So, I’m all yours, if you want me.”
“Of course, I want you. I always want you.” Jake chuckled and told me to give him a minute and disappeared upstairs to get his suit.
Back at the room, we lay on the bed and Jake suckled from me. It was so calming and relaxing. In fact, he fell asleep with my nipple in his mouth. When I moved to get ready for bed, Jake woke. “Sorry. I guess I was tired.”
“I’ll say. Honey, you are exhausted. Come on. Let’s get ready for bed.” We both knew that sleeping was the only thing happening in bed that night.
Back at the historical museum several days later, we arrived for work together. We were somehow less concerned about what other people thought of us. A death has a way of putting things in perspective. The days turned into weeks. And the two of us grew closer. Sometimes we would eat our lunch on the back steps of the shop and other times we would cuddle and suckle in the back room. We both enjoyed it so much.
As August neared, I thought about my future and the OSU opening. Mr. Anderson made it sound as if it were mine for the taking. I was starting to get anxious. I needed to make a decision. All I cared about was being with Jake. But he made no mention of the future. I thought we wanted the same thing, but I guess I was wrong. As time crept forward, I became a little sensitive around Jake. I started to withdraw so that our separation at the end of summer wouldn’t devastate me.
One Sunday night we were quibbling about nothing. Jake shouted at me. “Alex, what is wrong? You’ve been different since we got back from the funeral. Did something happen?”
Did something happen? I thought. “No, Jake, nothing has happened.”
“Something happened damn it. What is it? That guy Anderson? Did he come on to you? What is it? Do you want out of this?”
He was so clueless that I didn’t even know what to say. I just started to tear up. This just made him angrier. “What did that son of a bitch do?”
Now, I got angry. “That son of a bitch offered me a job at OSU!!”
He looked dumbstruck. “Are you going to take it?” I literally started to cry. If this didn’t bring about some sort of declaration of love, what would? “Baby, don’t cry. Why are you crying?” He held me in his arms and I cried all the more thinking it would be one of the last times I would feel this. “Tell me. What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong is that I just figured out that you don’t care what I do.”
“Alex, whatever you decide to do, is alright with me.”
I started to get angry again. “Of course, it will be all right with you. You don’t care what I do just as long as you are free of me!”
“What??” he said a little louder.
“You heard me. As long as you get to go back to your studio and chalk this up to a nice summer fling, you don’t care what I do!”
“A summer fling? Is that what you think this is?” He looked beyond angry.
“No, that’s what you think this is if you can walk away from me without a word.”
Jake stood perfectly still and silent as if I had slapped him across the face. Now, I was beginning to get uncomfortable. “Say something, damn I” I thought. What are you angry about? His eyes never blinked, but just bore into me.
I suddenly felt afraid. I turned to leave and put some space between us. Jake put his arm around me from behind, effectively stopping my retreat. “Jake, let me go!!”
“No, I’m not letting you go! You’re not going anywhere without me!!” Those words stopped my struggle to leave. He turned me around and I saw tears in his eyes. “I said”, he said slowly and deliberately, “you’re not going anywhere without me.”
“I don’t understand…. Jake you were going to go back to your studio without a word to me.”
“No, sweetheart. Not true. I guess I thought we were on the same page. It never occurred to me that you would think I could just return to my life before you! If you take the job in Columbus, I go with you and create a studio there.” I started to tear up again, but this time it was for the relief I felt.
Jake enfolded me in his arms and said “I love you, damn it. I was afraid to say it, because you hadn’t said it. And, I didn’t want to scare you off.”
“Jake, I love you too, damn it!!” I reached up, took his face in my hands and kissed his beautiful mouth.
From there it was a sprint to see who could show their love more. No more words were said. Words were useless at this point. Only lovemaking would satisfy at this point. We slowly undressed each other. I was already beyond excitement and we had only disrobed. Jake put his hand over my heart and held it there. He shook his head back and forth and put my hand over his heart. It was like some sort of ancient ritual of love. We stood like that long enough that I started to cry out of sheer happiness. Jake took my face between his hands and yelled “UGHHHH!” He swept me up into his arms and headed for the bedroom. On the way there I started to giggle. By the time he put me down, we were both laughing.
Eventually the laughing stopped and long, langorous love making began. He kissed me so deeply. I sucked his tongue as some sort of mating that replicated intercourse. Jake then kissed and licked his way down my neck to the crevice of the collar bone. He worked his way lower, only stopping long enough at my breasts to kiss around my areolas and suck my nipples. Oh, bliss.
But then he continued on, further and further down until he was kissing my other lips and penetrating me with his tongue. I moaned so loud that I was afraid the neighbors would hear. Replacing his tongue with two fingers, he beckoned those fingers across my g spot again and again and again. I was jerking and spasming and finally a gush of liquid spurted from me. Jake had to have gotten some in his mouth. Oh God, I was so embarrassed. But Jake smiled at me, licked his lips and came back up to me and kissed me. I could taste myself on him and the whole act was very intimate.
Jake parted my legs further with his knees. Ever so slowly, he entered me with his rock hard cock. I wanted him to go faster, but I was in too much of a daze to say or do anything. Jake continued the slow torture. He thrust so slowly that I was able to clench my walls around his shaft. He shuddered for a moment, but went on with the torture.
As he slowly thrust into me, our eyes locked and were sealing the pact that our bodies were making. I met his every thrust, trying to hurry him on, but he was not to be hurried. There was nothing for me to do but to enjoy each and every inch that penetrated and withdrew from my body. As if Jake was a master carver, a masterpiece was being created. Slow shudders racked my body, but still he continued on, ever so slowly.
I came again and he paused a second to let me catch my breath, but then continued his slow thrusting movements. Eventually I came again. After my convulsions stopped, he continued on. I kissed him ever so slowly and bit his lip and would not let go. He started to laugh, but continued on, slowly driving me crazy. Finally, his thrusts became a little more demanding. “Yes, yes, yes,” I crooned. “Oh God, Jake. I love you so much.”
He chuckled and increased the speed a little bit more. “How much do you love me?” he asked.
“So much that I’m never going to let you go.”
“Finally!” he said and pounded into me so hard that I thought my body would shatter. We came relatively close together. Jake collapsed on me and then rolled us both over with him on the bottom. He held my head to his chest and rumbled, “Don’t…Ever…Do That Again.”
A tear trickled down my cheek and onto his chest. I answered, “Yes, love.”
I decided against the OSU position. Jake’s studio was in Franconia, New Hampshire. With his family in Boston and my family in Burlington, Vermont, it made the most sense to go back to his home. So I was packing to move and putting my house up for sale. Jake was ecstatic to be going back home with me in tow. He promised that we could change the house to suit both of us and that I would have ample space in the studio. It was really true. We were going to make a life together.
My little house sold quickly, so we were packed and ready to go. At the beginning of September. I was taking only my clothes, my tools and my personal belongings. Everything else was either sold or given away. Franconia was half way up the state. It was in the mountains and Jake’s house was a beautiful mid century home with a wooden barn for the studio. It was more than I could have imagined.
By the end of September, we had painted a few rooms in the house, changed some window treatments and taken carpet up in the living area to expose beautiful wood floors. Jake promised we could remodel the kitchen at some future date. In shades of white, sage and grey, we updated the look of his home without too much expense
.
As the leaves in the surrounding forest turned, there was a cacophony of autumn colors. Jake started chopping wood for the winter and together we bought food items that would keep in the pantry. One day a truck stopped at the house. The driver, Matt, had boards that Jake had ordered from the lumber mill. We both went out to greet him. Jake helped the man take the boards into the studio.
In the back of the truck sat a little boy with a box of puppies. They were German Shepherd puppies. I sat with the little boy and oohed and ahhed over each one. The boy told me that he could only keep one and that they had to find homes for the others. I was holding a handsome boy puppy when Jake came over to me.
He watched me cradle and coo at the puppy as it tried to bite my hair or anything else it could get in its mouth. When I looked up at Jake, he was smiling and asked the father how much for the puppy in my arms. They agreed on a price and the puppy was our baby from then on.
We started him in the studio to house train him. After a few days, we sat down as new parents and tried to decide on a name. Arthur, Mack, Chase, Jasper and Winston were all considered. However, when Tristan was considered, we both nodded and agreed on it. I said to Jake that Tristan was our baby. Jake’s response was that if we had a baby, then we should be married so that he wasn’t a bastard. I looked at him sort of puzzled since we had never talked about it before.
“And while we’re at it, perhaps we should discuss the number of babies you would like to have.” I had come from a small family and so I said I would be happy with 2. Jake wanted 4, so we settled on 3. Was this really happening?
One day in November Jake took me north to a remote town with an isolated church on a mountain top. The church was so simple in design that it looked like it had stepped out of another century. White walls inside stood in contrast to the cherry wood that trimmed the white pews. Jake asked “Do you like it??” I said that I had never felt closer to God. The minister walked in and we sat down to discuss what we wanted for a marriage ceremony. No guests, no electric lights.
We wanted to choose a moonlit evening that had fresh fallen snow. We agreed to bring candle lanterns and one photographer. The paperwork would be done in advance so that we could pick the evening that was brightly lit with fresh snow. I decided on a simple white dress of satin and a diadem of pearls and rhinestones. Jake would wear his black tux. We were very proud of ourselves for not caving into the whole wedding craze that made a mockery of the actual marriage. We were so excited.
For Thanksgiving, we went to the Thorpe’s since they were still grieving. We stayed in Jake’s old room and helped with the cooking. Catherine was very accepting of me and grateful for the place I had in Jake’s life. Jayne brought a boyfriend and James showed up half hung over.
The day and the meal were lovely. As we sat around the table afterward, the family started to share stores of Michael Thorpe, beloved father and husband. There was laughter and tears from everyone. At a pause in the conversation, Jake tapped his knife against his water glass. “I have an announcement to make! Alex and I are going to be married.” There was hurrahs and well wishes from around the table.
“When, darling?” Catherine asked.
“Well, Mom. This will be hard to hear, but we just want to run off and do the deed one day.”
James piped up “You’ve already done the deed. When are you getting married?”
“We don’t know. On that day, we will both feel it and go get married. It’s not that we don’t love you all. It’s just that it is a private moment between Alex and me and we don’t feel the need for an audience.”
Jayne responded with “Well, brother. You’ve always done things your own special way. Why should this be any different?”
Catherine pleaded, “Darlings, we want to celebrate the marriage. Can’t we throw a small get together afterward?”
Jake replied, “Maybe something really casual in the summer in the backyard. Okay, Mum?”
“Yes, alright. But we want to be told about it with all the details right away, Please?”
I said “Of course!”
James asked me “Alex is this really what you want?”
“Yes, it is. We’ve talked about it and we have a special plan.”
My own parents took the news a little harder. I argued with my mother. “Mom, I’ve already had the big wedding and it was beautiful. This time, I want it to be with just Jake and me and the minister of course.” My sister Ellen called me later after my mother had lamented to her. “Ellen, do you think that you could convince Mom to just let this be? I don’t ever intend to do this again, so this time is for me and Jake.”
“Alright, if you are sure that is what you want.”
“It is. I just want Jake. That is more than enough.” We laughed and signed off.
As December reached its midpoint, it snowed lightly one night. Jake looked at me to make sure I didn’t want to go ahead tonight. “No honey, we wanted the ground and trees fully covered. Remember?”
“Sure I remember, but if this is a lame winter, we’ll just fly to Las Vegas and do it.”
I laughed and hugged him. “It will snow, you’ll see.” Each night, we watched light fluffy flakes come down to hardly any accumulation. As Christmas drew nearer I was happy to do a little decorating around the house. We brought in a tree from the woods and decorated it with white lights and red bows. It was so beautiful. We would lay on the sofa together and just stare at the lights and dream of our future together.
We watched the weather forecast. We were to get snow for the next five days. After two days, everything was covered in white. Jake called the minister and told him that tonight was the night. There would be a full moon and it was December 21, Winter Solstice. It was perfect. He made a few more calls that I was not to hear. I boxed the lanterns up for easy transport. I checked my garment bag and makeup bag to make sure everything was there.
We pulled up to the church in a cloud of nerves. There was an office in the basement that was used as a bride’s room on such occasions. I pulled my hair up into a chignon and put the rhinestone comb in, to hold it in place. I touched up my makeup and applied a mauve pink lip color. Now for the dress. It was white satin with a high neck that was trimmed in white rabbit fur. The bust was open as an upside down heart and the ends of the long sleeves were trimmed in the white fur as well. The waistline was dropped to the hips with the bottom flaring out from there. I placed the pearl and rhinestone diadem on my head. It came to a point on my forehead and looked rather regal. Instead of flowers, I placed my hands in a white rabbit fur muff.
The photographer got a few shots of me outside in the moonlight. The minister’s wife came out to get us. She looked me up and down and said “Oh my, you look like a snow princess. I’m so glad to be here for this very special night.”
“Thank you, Mary. Thank you for everything!”
.
“Alex, when you get to the end of the aisle, I will stop playing and come take the muff. Okay you two. Wait for your cue.” The photographer took some more pictures and then we both recognized the cue.
I entered the small sanctuary. It was stunning in its simplicity. The aisle was lined with the candle lit lanterns with red bows. Jake was standing at the altar waiting for me. He was so handsome in his black tux, silver waistcoat and black tie. He had a white rose in his lapel. I had never seen anything as beautiful as the look he gave me as I walked toward him. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling the whole way. As I faced Jake, the music stopped. Mary came to get the muff and sat down in the first pew.
Minister Adams started the ceremony. “Tonight, Alexandra and Jacob come together to profess their love and devotion to each other in front of God. Like the pure white snow that covers the earth and the trees, their love is pure, young and strong. But tonight’s vows on not meant just for beautiful times such as this. They are a promise of steadfast love; endurance through life’s challenges, cooperation in life’s tasks, and devotion to each other’s happiness for the rest of their lives.
“Jacob, repeat after me. As I take this vow today…..I will be changed forever….And I take if gladly…..and without reservation……I promise to honor you….Believe in you…..Protect you…..and do everything in my power…..to make your life happy and fulfilled….This is my vow.”
“Alexandra, repeat after me. As I take this vow today…..I will be changed forever….And I take if gladly…..and without reservation……I promise to honor you….Believe in you…..Protect you…..and do everything in my power…..to make your life happy and fulfilled….This is my vow.”
“With the authority vested in me by the state of New Hampshire, I profess you to be man and wife…You may now kiss your bride”. Jake slowly lowered his lips to mine taking in every aspect of my face and my joy. The kiss was sweet and appropriate for a church with the promise of more to come.
“With hands held together, go forth to your new life with joy in your hearts” chimed the minister. Mrs. Adams handed me my muff and scurried to the piano to play the recessional music.
Jake and I were both so happy and excited. We literally rushed out of the church into the snow-white wonderland around us. I threw my arms around Jake as we laughed and kissed in our joy. This night, neither of us would ever forget.