by E. M. Sadler
Mrs. Dalton, I learned, and Dale's mom Pam have been best friends since grade school. Back when they were younger, they had attended the same cotillion and debutant classes together, which included the art of floral arrangement. Though Dale's mom Pam was a decent arranger, Laura had excelled to the point of countywide recognition and had even worked at a florist shop through college.
After becoming a teacher, she chose to quite the floral shop but continued to fulfill requests for weddings and events until she finally had to stop to save her sanity.
"You see dear; I have only done family events since, and of course events for extremely close friends. Luckily, Pam is my best friend in the whole world, so I am here to discuss your flowers." And discuss we did until 10:00 pm that evening.
While Dale put the kids to bed so that Laura Dalton and I could put the finishing touches on the after Christmas wedding, she was pleased to discover that my Aunt Shawn used the same decorations every year. Since I was able to pull up pictures of the farm at previous Christmases, Laura was able to piggyback off the design and utilize resources.
Thanks to Laura, things were finally falling back into place.
It was decided that Laura would obtain red roses from her contacts in the "biz," and use the greenery put up at the farm as a base for the wedding decorations. In contrast, my flowers would be a stunning combination of white and red roses surrounded by dark greenery.
Knowing that a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders, I said my goodbyes to Mrs. Dalton, with many promises to volunteer for any future field trips she needed over the next ten years.
"It's my pleasure, dear! And hopefully, I'll be long retired by then," she said kissing Dale on the cheek.
"Don't say that, Mrs. Dalton! It would take two teachers to cover all of the extra duties you perform."
"Stop, or I'll get a complex. Inviting me to the wedding will be reward enough."
As we closed the door and she drove away, Dale turned to me and said, "Seriously, if she retires Danville Elementary is so screwed."
With the kids tucked in bed, it didn't take long for Dale to chase me up the stairs to make sweet love to me.
"Well, after tonight, I think you deserve a prize," I declared still feeling the effects of our lovemaking vibrate through every nerve in my body.
Leaving the warmth of his embrace, I walked over to my purse, pulled an envelope out that had arrived at my mother's house earlier that day, and said, "Merry Christmas."
"But Christmas isn't for 13 days," he said with a smirk.
Looking at me with humorous pleasure, he opened the letter and sat stunned staring at the letter, before turning to me and kissing me with complete immeasurable passion.
Pulling me down onto the bed, Dale had me under him in less than a minute and seated himself deep inside of me. Without moving, he planked his body above mine and stared into my eyes with complete and utter devotion. I wanted him to move, so my hips began to urge him on by pressing harder into his pelvis until he had no other option but to start thrusting. Without breaking eye contact, we moved as if in slow motion, until finally, our bodies began demanding release.
Spurred by our need for each other's orgasm, we thrust into each other faster and faster until finally, our bodies began to vibrate like a tuning fork, ending in a complete mind-numbing explosion of relief that could only ever be found with each other.
Once we had caught our breath, Dale picked up the piece of paper that had inspired our recent lovemaking and said, "According to the state Mrs. Wilson, we are officially man and wife." The piece of paper in question was the welcome to marriage letter sent by the state of Maryland confirming receipt of our original license.
"Was there anything else in the envelope?" I asked realizing now that he hadn't actually received his Christmas present after all.
Picking up the envelope, Dale pulled out a small rectangular card that read, “Kelly I. Wilson,” along with the nine-digit number that identified me to the US government.
"We received the official letter last Thursday," I explained. "So, when my final application for Open Enrollment was submitted on Friday, I ran over the Social Security Office and had my name legally changed. I didn't expect the card for another two weeks, so when mom told me it had come in the mail today, I ran over there and grabbed it. Then I went and had my driver's license changed as well."
Looking thoroughly pleased and spent, my husband declared, "Best. Christmas. Present. Ever."
With a laugh, I said, "Challenge accepted!" in my best impersonation of Barney Stinson. "And on that note, I still need to shower." Kissing him on the forehead while moving to exit our love nest. I could hear the sweet sounds of his snores before I reached our bathroom door.
Chapter 56 – Dale
Thankfully, Thursday's appointments were the last of our major wedding meetings.
Earlier that day, Aunt Shawn came to town to prep for the Sadler family's annual cookie baking marathon. Thus, when Joan and Shawn graciously offered to take all four kids so that we could get through our last scheduled meetings, we didn't hesitate to take them up on their offer.
Our first appointment was a follow-up with the photographer my mother had hired for our original ceremony, Seth Wallace. He was currently home on a two-month leave and was hoping to establish a local reputation for when he retired from the military. Though he was two years behind me in school, we had always hung in similar circles and genuinely enjoyed our camaraderie.
Though I knew he was a decorated war photographer and cameraman, I didn’t know what to expect when we met with him at 5:30 pm that night. However, he sealed our good favor immediately by presenting us with a flash drive and small scrapbook commemorating our original ceremony the week after Thanksgiving. We were so impressed by the way he was able to capture our love in less than 10 minutes of photographs, that we signed his client contract and promised to exclusively use his photography services anytime he was in town.
Our second appointment of the evening was a local printing company that agreed to print our invitations with short notice. Once Kelly and I had decided on a green, and white filigree lined invite, we were able to finally take a breath. Especially since the printer also agreed to mail out our invites for only a slight upcharge.
"I can't believe that we were able to get this all planned in just four days!" Kelly said beaming at me while we loaded into our van.
"Now all we have left is the final fittings for our wedding clothes, and we can just sit and relax," I replied while stealing a glance at my bride sitting beside me.
"I'm just grateful that Aunt Shawn offered to cook the food. Most of my first wedding’s budget went to the reception hall."
"How much have we spent so far?" I asked knowing that we were trying to stay within a budget of five thousand dollars.
"We've done well. So far, we are at three thousand dollars spent. That gives each of us five hundred dollars for incidentals, two hundred for aunt Shawn to buy the food, one hundred for the kids’ wedding gifts... Oh, and I hope you don't mind, I asked Aunt Shawn if we could stay at the lean-to for our weekend getaway?" She asked, looking at me as I nodded in approval. "Great! So now we have seven hundred left. I'm budgeting two hundred for alterations, one hundred for the girls to have their spa day, two hundred for the guys to all go golfing, and two hundred for hair and makeup."
"Well, we worked that out perfectly! But go ahead and take three hundred from my incidental fund and use it towards your spa day with Joanie and Rane. Kevin, John, and I just have to shower and dress."
Quiet for a long time, Kelly finally said, "Dale, I love you."
"Well, I'm glad, because you're stuck with me!"
"It's not just the sex and companionship either. I feel like I can ramble on about anything, and you won't get irritated."
"Kelly, I like your rambling. The cadence soothes me," I said genuinely meaning every word.
"You're just saying that."
"I promise you that I'm not."
>
Friday morning when I woke, Kelly was in the shower, which was unusual since she liked to shower at night and was usually the type to hit the snooze button at least 15 times. When I stepped into the shower to surprise her, I was shocked to find her leaning with her head against the tile.
Immediately alerted, I asked, "Kelly? What's wrong sweetheart?"
"Oh, I'm sorry Dale, just a little nauseous," she said touching my face tenderly.
Seeing the look of concern etched across my face, Kelly added, "When I get overly nervous, I tend to get sick to my stomach. I'll be fine after some Coke and toast."
Still not seeing my features ease, Kelly pulled me into an embrace and said, "Don't worry, my love. I'm just worried about meeting all of your colleagues at the brunch today and then dropping the girls off with Geoff for the first overnight without me."
Sighing, I wrapped my arms around her and planted small kisses in the area around her collarbone. "Would it be easier if I came with you to drop the kids off?"
I wanted to be supportive in any way possible, even if it meant meeting Geoff and suppressing my inner cave man.
"No, I think it might aggravate him if you were there. Plus, I'm hoping that once you drop off the twins at Maggie's you'll have a chance to run to the Cheesecake Factory for some takeout," she said waggling her eyebrows. "We'll need the extra calories for what I have planned tonight."
Chuckling I kissed her and asked, "Today you're coming to my work?"
"Yessss?"
"Since neither of us has taken off our wedding bands, does that mean that we can start sharing our good news?"
"I was just talking with Joanie about this last night."
"And what did Ms. Joanie have to say about the subject?" I asked, hoping that her friend was in my court.
"She said that any friend worth having, won't hold a grudge if I snap you up. After all, you have not given any of them the impression that you're open to a relationship and we ARE legally married..."
Immediately aroused by the reminder of her Christmas present, it took a full five minutes of kissing before Kelly was able to continue with her line of questioning.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Wilson, what were you saying before I rudely interrupted you?"
"Oh, I was going to say that I'm ready for you to let the cat out of the bag. With that said, I do believe we have 20 minutes before we need to wake the kids, and I know of one thing that will help relieve some of my stress. After all, I've been dying to try out this giant ledge in our shower."
And on that day, morning shower sex became my favorite morning activity.
Chapter 57 – Kelly
My interlude with Dale in the shower started out slightly painful, though I didn't want to say anything. Thankfully, my omission was rewarded when the pain dispersed into a body shattering orgasm that seemed to satisfy not only my body but also the angry pain gnawing at my side.
Between my pain from the probable UTI and stress-induced nausea, I needed to feel good this morning. Geoff would say hurtful things today, which I was used to, but I was deeply concerned at the impact his words would have on how our girls viewed Dale.
Please, God don't let Geoff hurt my girls' relationship with Dale.
After all, in many ways, Dale was already a steadier father to them than Geoff ever was.
Kissing Dale one last time, I lifted myself from his lap so that I could go and get the kids ready while he finished showering.
"I love you, Dale Wilson!" I said hoping that my love was radiating off of me.
Caressing my thigh with loving strokes, Dale melted my heart by saying, "You are the love of my life, Kelly Wilson."
"And you are mine. Now hop to it, Mr. Wilson. The faster we move, the sooner we'll get to tonight."
After dropping my girls at my mom's while Dale took the twins to Maggie's parents, I headed over to the elementary school to help Polly and Trish set up for the teachers' brunch set for later this morning.
"Hiya, Kelly!" Polly said, with genuine pleasure at my presence.
"Hey, Polly! Where would you like me to start? When you texted last night, you mentioned needing to cart a bunch of food from your van, but your van wasn't by the entrance."
"That's because I was able to talk Nate into stopping by before work. He owed me for volunteering to drop off our kids this morning at Tom and Sarah's," she said with a shiver.
"Wait, were you and Nate married?" I was thrown entirely off since every time I had seen them at school; they had appeared more like friends than exes.
"Oh, I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget that you're not from around here. Long story short: Nate is mine and my brother's best friend and has always been like a big brother to me. I married Tom back in 2004 and Nate married Sarah back in 2008. By 2010 we were next-door neighbors and best couple friends. That is until two years ago when Nate walked in on Tom and Sarah doing the dirty, and now our kids have the same step-parents."
"Wow, that's a pretty efficient and unemotional description of a sucky situation," I said without thinking and covering my mouth in horror at my admission.
Covering my wrist with her hand before I could apologize Polly graciously said, "Seriously, it's okay. It was way suckier when it happened, but in Danville, it's better to say how it is instead of trying to hide from the truth. Gotta love small town America."
I sincerely hoped that Polly turned out to be a real friend after Dale announced our marriage today.
"But enough about me, help me by check on the chafers while I go check on the moms cooking in the kitchen. Then, when I get back, maybe you can tell me about that pretty new ring on your finger," she said with a wink.
I never did have a chance to tell Polly about my ring.
As Polly was exiting the kitchen with all of the plates and utensils a few minutes later, Trish entered the room looking like she had just come from tea with the queen. Intercepting Polly and shoving cutlery into my hands for organizing, Trish dragged poor Polly over to the corner and began giving her a lecture like a wayward child.
"Polly, I told you that this meal was supposed to be special. Why are the PTA moms cooking breakfast instead of the caterer I recommended? You know how important this brunch is for Dale and me."
Unable to resist eavesdropping on the delusional rantings of Trish Samson, I spent longer than necessary opening the bags of silverware and placing them in their corresponding mason jars.
"Trish, I refuse to waste our PTA funds on catering when the owner of the Danville Café offered to help cook for free," Polly said with surprising sass to Trish. In my brief interactions, I have never seen her stand up to Trish like this. "And furthermore, Trish Samson, I think it's time you realize that Dale is not interested in a relationship with you. In fact, according to my sources, he may already be remarried, and since I do not see a ring on your finger, I'm going to assume that it's not to you."
Completely shocked by Polly's knowledge of Dale's marital status, I didn't even realize I was staring at them in shock when Trish turned on her heels in a complete tizzy and slammed her eyes into mine with bitter disgust.
"I'm so done with the PTA anyway, have fun pining after a married man, bitches. What are you looking at Kelly? " she asked with obvious projection before walking to pass me in a huff.
Surprised by my sudden gumption, I stepped in front of Trish and said, "We'll get along just fine without you Trish."
Laughing like a loon, Trish said, "At least when this wife doesn't work out, I'll still be around. After all, our parents are practically inseparable."
"I hate to burst your bubble Trish, but considering as of two Wednesdays ago, I'm the one married to Dale Wilson, I can confidently say that you will NEVER be an option for my husband."
And that's when every person in the cafeteria froze in shock. But no one was more so than Trish Samson who looked like I had killed her very last dream, before running out of the room.
After the most awkward silence of my existence, Polly walked up to me, gave me a warm hug
and said, "Well congratulations, Kelly! Now let's finish setting up."
Over the next hour, Polly and I worked diligently bringing food in and out of the kitchen under the curious stares of the many moms who were preparing food on the grill.
Periodically, and only when we were out of earshot of others, Polly inquired after Dale and I. If anyone else in the PTA but Polly had asked me the questions of Who, What, Why, When and Where, it would have brought up a warning sign. However, with Polly, they were presented as if a lifelong friend asked them instead of a woman I'd only known for three months.
Polly, I learned, had already heard that Dale and I had been married from her brother, who just happened to be our photographer.
"When I saw those pictures Kelly, my heart jumped for joy."
Confused I asked, "But I thought you told Trish you were interested in Dale? I figured you'd be angry at me."
"Nah, Dale Wilson is a handsome guy, and I've known him most of my life, but there's never been anything but friendship between us. Plus, he's never looked at anyone like he looks at you, including Maggie."
"I didn't realize you knew Maggie."
"She and I were workout buddies for years till I realized that she was using me as a beard for her affair with John. Unfortunately, I was front and center for that soap opera. I'm just thankful he's found someone who doesn't parade him around like a prized poodle," she said before adding, "That's why Trish's been acting so crazy, by the way. She thought if she acted like the perfect country club wife as Maggie did, he'd fall for her. What she didn't notice was that every time Maggie treated Dale like a trophy, he would wince slightly."
"Are you saying that Trish isn't normally this hateful?" I asked, disbelieving her complete innocence.
"Oh, she's always been hateful. She's just never been hateful to people's faces before," Polly admitted with a sigh.
"Why do you stay friends with her, Polly?" I knew it was rude to ask, but I couldn't figure out how someone as sweet as Polly had become friends with such a snake.
