The Mountains Trilogy (Boxed Set)

by Phoebe Alexander

  I don't know whether to laugh or cry! James debated as he grew ever closer to the waiting arms of his loved ones, consumed with emotion and tears stinging at his eyes. He'd never imagined that the surprise would be Maggie bringing his entire family from Ohio to Maryland to celebrate his return. Once he got within a few feet he was suddenly swarmed from every direction by Maggie and all the McAllisters who couldn't wait to touch him and make absolute certain their brother, son, uncle, fiancé was actually standing before them on U.S. soil completely whole and unscathed.

  His mother and sisters were crying, his nieces and nephews were cheering and his dad and brothers-in-law were back-patting and firmly locking their faces with pleased grins to avoid losing control of their emotions. And Maggie was glowing, absolutely glowing, as James took her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "I'm home."

  ***

  Sarah knew the best way to de-stress before the conference began was to drive her little silver rental car right down the highway to Garden of the Gods. She couldn't fathom going back to her Homeland and not spending some time in one of her favorite places on earth. Despite the fact that the park held both happy and painful memories for her, it would always be a place where her soul walked among angels. As soon as Kissing Camels came into view, she felt the overwhelming sensation of I’m home enveloping her in peace. Her phone began buzzing in her pocket as she hiked up through the canyon toward another grand vista, but she ignored it. I'm sure the world can do without being able to reach me for a couple of hours.

  It was much colder than the previous spring when Sarah had hiked the trails with James. There was a trace of snow blanketing the ground but the sun was steadily climbing and bearing down on the red rocks, warming the air and canyon. Sarah wanted to trek to the spot where Rachel's wedding had taken place the previous June, which was also the place where she and James had first exchanged "I love yous." There was something magical about that place where the formations parted and a perfect panorama of Pikes Peak rose majestically into the clouds. Chills raced up Sarah’s spine as she remembered the supernatural experience that had gripped her during the wedding. It was as if Mother Nature orchestrated a symphony of hope and peace that resonated from every fathomable point. The sun, clouds, rocks, even the red earth beneath her feet rose up together in a chorus that infiltrated every cell in her body, saturating the very core of her being and imploring her to not give up on James.

  It had been a long nine months since that day. A pregnancy. A deployment. A summer, a play, and a full semester ago, she enumerated all the different ways to measure the elapsed time. Sarah sometimes wondered if even a tiny molecule of that hope still persisted anywhere inside her, if any of it was clinging to a cell or two, hanging by a thread. Once she’d gotten back to Maryland, driven by his house and saw his betrothed mowing the lawn, she’d looked back on that moment in the mountains and wondered how the voice of the mother goddess could have been so mistaken. But then she’d see his blue eyes light up across the webcam when her face appeared and those angel voices crying out from Garden of the Gods faintly whispered again in her ear, barely audible.

  Maybe that’s why I refuse to see him, Sarah considered. Maybe it’s because if I saw him in person, I’d know instantaneously if there was still something there, if he still cares for me. And maybe I’m just as afraid of one answer as I am the other.

  When she stopped for lunch an hour later, she glanced at her phone. Her heart trembled as she realized the missed call was from James. He didn’t leave a voice mail but he did send a text that simply said, “I’m home.”

  ***

  James couldn’t prevent his eyes from welling up with tears as they made their way down the street leading to his house. The trees were bedecked with huge yellow ribbons with smaller ribbons adorning his mailbox, the tree in his front yard, and the railings of his porch. Across the porch a banner stretched reading, “Welcome home, James! We’re proud of you!” Maggie led him directly through the house and to the deck where a hoard of people waited to greet him including many of Maggie’s co-workers, their neighbors and of course, his family, easily totaling a crowd of 30 or 40 people.

  He gripped his fiancée’s hand and managed to mouth the words “Thank you,” but he was so overcome with love and gratitude that he wasn’t able to produce any sound. He looked from face to face, even the ones of strangers, and he was completely astounded by how happy they were to see him and how appreciative they were of his service.

  Maggie introduced him to five or six nurses who had voluntarily taken charge of the food: huge pots of steamed crabs with an entire table of homemade sides and desserts that would have put any church pitch-in to shame. “Oh, yes, I nearly forgot we’re in Maryland!” his father had joked. “We don’t know anything about crabs in the Midwest.” Everyone laughed.

  Maggie had set up a makeshift DJ booth which James’s brother-in-law volunteered to operate. His other brother-in-law was playing bartender. One of the neighbors, an amateur photographer, ran around the yard capturing both candid and posed shots and even offered to shoot an engagement photo for the couple. James’s mother mingled with the crowd, introducing his sisters and all the kids to the neighbors and the nurses. He was so relieved to see she was radiant and healthy-looking despite the cancer. Later, when the feasting commenced, the locals taught the Ohioans how to pick crabs. His entire backyard was a symphony of laughter and joyful fellowship rising toward the heavens.

  This may be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, James thought as he circulated through the crowd, smiling more than he’d smiled in months and trying to shake hands but being pulled into warm embraces instead. He remembered the e-book reader Sarah had loaded with dozens of titles as a going away present and realized that had probably been the second nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. Speaking of Sarah...I wonder if she got my message. It was hard to be in the midst of celebrating his return and not have her joining in. He half expected Sarah, Abby and Owen to wander out from the row of pine trees that separated his yard from the neighbors but, he thought wistfully, of course that’s not going to happen.

  He shook off that thought as soon as he caught a glimpse of Maggie heading toward him. She was still carrying around his niece and he got a very clear vision of her holding their own baby. The lurking thoughts of Sarah dissolved. The day belonged to him and Maggie.

  ***

  Sarah entered the convention center in Denver with the same nervous, but not unwelcome excitement she always harbored before a big presentation. It fueled her. It was not unlike the butterflies she had experienced on opening night of South Pacific. It’s good to get that adrenaline pumping, she thought as she surveyed the signs and corridors, trying to remember which room she was presenting in. She glanced down at her conference badge lanyard which had some notes she’d scribbled on an index card and found the room number.

  As she looked up again she found herself headed for a collision with a tall, elegant lady with silver-streaked hair. “Oh, Gwen!” Sarah exclaimed, a flash of recognition firing across her synapses.

  “Sarah!” came the woman’s satiny smooth voice followed by the requisite collegial embrace.

  Sarah couldn’t believe how much her grad school chum had aged in the five years since they’d seen each other. Gwen and Sarah had met as graduate teaching assistants for a huge section of Sociology 101. They bounced ideas off each other for their discussion groups and regularly met for coffee where they’d lament about how slow going their dissertation research was. Gwen’s eyes were creased with crow’s feet and her previously raven hair was partially gray. Still, it gave her a seasoned, wise look, and with her long graceful limbs only seemed to enhance the self-assured way she carried her tall frame.

  “I’m getting ready to present in a few minutes!” Sarah warned her. “So I don’t have much time. I’d love to catch up with you though! Do you think we could have dinner tonight?”

  “Oh, that would be wonderful! I have plans with a couple other
colleagues from my university but please join us! I’d love to catch up!” Gwen answered, still touching Sarah’s wrist.

  “Perfect!” Sarah exclaimed, handing her a card with her cell phone number on the back. “Call or text me the details. Can’t wait!”

  “Good luck with your presentation!” she offered and rushed to her meeting in a different room.

  Sarah’s presentation about college students’ views on sexuality and the increasing participation in alternative lifestyles and activities was not only the perfect way to plug her upcoming book, but truly engaged the audience as well. She wasn’t sure what to expect attendance-wise but the old adage “Sex Sells” definitely seemed to apply, she noted as she scanned the full auditorium. Nearly 200 people sat attentively taking notes as Sarah proceeded through her findings, and at the end, there were so many questions that she ran out of time to address them all.

  By dinner she was radiant with professional satisfaction. So many conference-goers had stopped her throughout the day to say that her session was the best one they had attended thus far. Gwen’s colleague John had been present and was so intrigued by Sarah’s research that he brought a list of questions and comments he’d jotted down to discuss at dinner. Sarah laughed. I’d hoped we could catch up on our personal lives, she thought but humored John anyway, always finding it hard to resist talking about her research.

  Finally Sarah had a chance to find out what was new with Gwen. She’d gotten remarried, after being divorced several years prior to graduate school. Her children were in college and she and her new husband were loving their empty nest and planning to travel abroad. “Actually, I just got a research fellowship in Prague,” she shared. “And since Alan is retired, he’s just packing up and coming with me! We leave in August.”

  Research fellowship, Sarah thought, rolling the idea around in her mind like fresh dough, kneading it and pressing it out against the flat counter top. She remembered Pawel’s visiting professorship at her university. I wonder if there are any opportunities like that at his school. I could take the kids to Poland for a year. Hmmm...I will definitely have to check into that.

  The entire table was staring at her expectantly, and she knew it was her turn to give an update, but she struggled with what to share. She talked about her position at Maryland, the courses she was teaching, the childbirth project her Human Sexuality students had done. She brought them up to speed about Abby and Owen. Of course she mentioned her book was due out soon. She opted to leave out any details about her romantic pursuits, which was naturally the first question Gwen posed.

  “Please don’t feel obligated to share if you don’t want to,” Gwen qualified her request, “but I know you and Daniel’s divorce was final toward the end of grad school. So...you haven’t dated anyone? Just concentrating on work for now?”

  Sarah sighed. Might as well give her something to chew on. “I have been dating,” she admitted sheepishly. “I’m seeing a PhD student at Johns Hopkins.”

  After a bit more prodding, Sarah confessed that Garrett was only 27. Gwen nearly choked on her wine. “My, you must like them young!” She winked and giggled, the wine swirling in her glass as she returned it to the table. “Good for you, my friend, good for you! All this sex research must fill your head with all sorts of ideas! I clearly chose the wrong field of study.”

  “What?” John teased, “Studying genocide in Eastern Europe doesn’t do it for you?” Soon the entire table was picking apart their research interests trying to determine if there was anything more than intellectually stimulating about them.

  It was a reaction Sarah was used to getting from her colleagues. “Oh, of course you’d want to study sex. I mean, who wouldn’t?” they’d brush her off.

  Maybe that’s why I have always felt so motivated to achieve. Writing articles and making presentations wasn’t enough. I had to write a book, and well before I go up for tenure, too. I may study sex, but I take it very seriously, Sarah thought. I can’t help it if my work is also fascinating to the general population.

  A long time ago her mother had told her to find something she loved and then figure out how to make money at it. Sarah loved teaching and she was enthralled by sex. Seems like a winning combination to me! Sarah mused. Meeting Rachel and learning about open relationships and alternative lifestyles really opened a lot of doors. She got to experience the community as an insider which helped immensely when it came time to do research. It’s like everything just fell into place exactly the way it needed to, she thought. It’s amazing how that works. You just have to trust the universe to put the pieces in place.

  ***

  James was exhausted and feeling the jet lag overtake both his body and mind as he climbed into bed that night after all their guests had left the party. Despite his fatigue, he was too excited to finally be reunited with his bride-to-be to let it dissuade him from making love to her. She surprised him again by slipping on the little crimson velvet chemise she’d bought for their Christmas Skype session and slinked through the bedroom door wearing a mischievous grin, her eyes glinting with desire. Who knew Maggie had such a vixen inside her? he thought happily.

  Seeing her in the red nightie was all it took for him to feel his body respond. It’s been so long...nine months... He reflected back on other post-deployment encounters he’d had, but none would be like this, with the woman he loved and wanted to marry. He pulled back the sheet and beckoned his tall blonde goddess into bed, smelling the sweetness of her hair as her curls brushed against his cheek.

  Her body felt so soft and smooth against his skin, so yielding and eager to please him as she gently touched her lips to his. “This might look even better on the floor,” he theorized, tugging the chemise up and over her head, eliciting a giggle as her naked body was suddenly exposed to the cool air. “I just want to feel your skin against mine,” he whispered, pressing himself against her.

  He took her face into his hands and his hungry mouth began to devour her, his tongue tasting what was his, claiming her body with his lips and hands. She sighed, slowly beginning to blossom under his touch, her chest heaving and eagerly awaiting his mouth on her breasts. She pulled him on top of her, wanting to feel his weight against her, to run her fingers down the muscles of his back. She wrapped her sleek, long legs around his hips and arched her back as his mouth raked across her nipple. “I want you so bad,” she murmured into his ear, the sound of her voice making his cock throb against her thigh as he continued to tease her nipple to a perfect hardness.

  He slid down the length of her body to the space between her taut, spread thighs. A blonde triangle of curly hair crowned the entrance to her sex and growing closer, he could smell her desire intertwined with the golden spirals. He ran his fingertip up her tightly sealed lips, and she gasped at the sensation.

  Mmmm... This is almost like being with a virgin again, he smiled to himself remembering his very first time with Maggie when they were both sixteen. We lost our virginity to each other, he thought as he delved his tongue into her sex, parting her labia ever so slightly and tasting her honeyed sweetness as it melted against his lips. And here we are years later...it feels like we are losing our virginities to each other all over again.

  She was quivering and sighing beneath him as he worked his tongue deeper inside. He then turned his attentions to her clitoris, which was just beginning to swell enough that he could feel it under his lips. He gently consumed the hardening knob of flesh and began to suck slowly and gently as she moaned. He felt the vibration of her voice radiating down her body to his mouth, and he sent his own moan back up the same channel. “Oh, god, James,” she murmured breathily, her body twisting and squirming underneath him. “I want you inside me.”

  He kissed all the way up her torso, lingering around her breasts again and then planting soft kisses against her collarbone and behind her ear. She was trembling with desire, her body wanting nothing more than to receive him. He placed his swollen cock at the entrance to her sex, feeling the head throb against
her clit as she shifted her hips, aching from the anticipation of being filled by him.

  I’m going to have to go slowly, he thought to himself. So slow... He began to guide himself into her wetness, inch by inch, finding it resistant to his advancement despite her evident arousal. She was writhing in agony, needing him, nearly to the point of pleading with him to hurry and slide himself in.

  She was breathless as he worked his shaft inside her, her thighs wrapped around his hips so tightly he thought she might leave bruises. She clung to him, her fingernails digging into his flesh as if her very life depended on having every inch of his thick, pulsating cock inside of her. “God, Maggie, you feel so fucking good,” he said, struggling to adjust to the feeling of her pussy clenching around him for the first time in nine months. He was unable to move for a few moments, certain if he didn’t stop that he’d blow his load inside of her before he was ready. And he wanted to savor this moment of their long-awaited reunion.

  Her hips were moving against him, needing to feel him thrusting into her. He’d always found that it took her awhile to reach climax and he had to take his time getting her ready with his hands and mouth, but it was if the anticipation was so great for her that it had completely negated her usual requirements. “I want it to last,” James explained, trying to hold her hips still against him.

  “I don’t even care,” Maggie groaned, her hot, ragged breaths falling against his neck as she clung to him. “I want you to come inside me, James...I want it now.”

  He’d never heard her ask for it, nearly beg him for it, needing him so desperately. “Okay, baby,” he sighed, still pacing himself as he finally began to slide his cock half out and then plunge it back in so deep and fast that it took her breath away. “I want to give you exactly what you want,” he promised between slow, deliberate, consuming thrusts as Maggie began to buck beneath him, her pelvis rising to take each one, her sex swelling and dripping around him.