BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (146 page)

"Is that the only dog you would suggest?"

"There's also the Cane Corso Mastiff. When it comes to a dog with no grooming needed, this is the dog for you. And, no slobbering. Thing about this one, he's all muscle, ugly as hell, but handsome and masculine as they come. I have plans for one, but I'm a bit too busy for one now, living where I do. But a Cane, is a man's dog, and like the Great Pyrenees, they will guard you, the family with their life. It wouldn't hurt to do some research on both, and make your decision. Either choice is good. I will admit, you have to be careful with who you get your Great Pyrenees from, because they have a tendency towards hip dysplasia - but for your family, in my opinion, that's the one. Grooming it would be bonding time for it and the children, and it's a very independent breed used to thinking for itself once trained. Do your research."

Shawn sat, thinking about it, nodding his head; once more, he turned to look up at his wife, "Still for it?"

"Absolutely, I feel safer already - we'll do the research like he said, read up on them both, and then decide which."

"When you decide, let me know - I'll cover the expense for that as well, the animal and training." Deidre spoke up right away.

Shawn immediately tensed, running out of patience with biting his lip, "Deidre - I can afford to buy the dogs."

"If you're going to have top bred stock, it'll cost you, and I mean up there." She pointed out.

"Did you hear what I just said?" He bit out.

"Shawn, god, there's no need to be rude about it! I'm only trying to help. I don't want to cause you any extra expense due to this. She's my daughter too."

"Look, you already know how I feel about-..."

Sylvia stroked his back with a firm squeeze at the back of his neck, invisible to Jeremiah and Deidre, but clear to him, a quiet signal to chill. Shawn immediately clamped his mouth shut, running his hand over his face as if to reset himself.

"Look you guys, we really appreciate everything; Deidre, especially for the offer. However, this time, I'm going to carry the expense, okay? I'll pay for the dogs."

"Just so you know it, a champion sired Cane Corso, runs about $2500 or more, and a Great Pyrenees, champion sired, $1600 or more. Vet bills, training, it adds up." Jeremiah wanted her to know.

"My husbands building the home, Deidre is covering the security, and I - will cover the dogs. This is for my family's safety and we all have to do our part. I'm taking that one, I'll just have to think of ways of making extra money to replace the cost, I like a challenge."

"You got one, being married to him." Deidre couldn't resist it.

Sylvia had to bite into her lip not to laugh out loud, but a snicker escaped anyway, especially when Shawn turned to glare up at her, then at his ex-wife. Who leaned towards Jeremiah, putting her arm through his, who also sighed, looking at her, whispering, "Behave, don't provoke him."

She looked back at Shawn, stuck her tongue out at him and turned up her nose. Once more, Sylvia fought laughing out loud, making him lean to look up at her, "I'll be taking revenge for this later."

Very sexily, she shivered, "Oooh, promise?"

"Yep, I think that's a signal for us to get going." Jeremiah grinned.

Deidre came to her feet, "I'll be right back, let me go say goodbye to Angela." She alerted them making her way towards the family room, very familiar with the condo. As she drew closer, down the hall heading for the kitchen that was connected to the family-room, she could hear their laughter, but mostly her daughter's laughter. She found herself stopped out of sight, watching them. They were all dancing together, Shawn's son had Isaac, Crystal had her son Darren, and Angela was dancing with Mundo. Deidre smiled, she could tell he was the family's laughter and certainly, he had her daughter weak with it. He was showing her a dance move and then making fun of her when she did it in some odd way that wasn't quite right, making her drop to the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Pulling her back to her feet, pretending impatience, to show her again. And to Deidre's surprise, her daughter had been playing her own little game with him, because suddenly, she went immediately into the move, dancing in a way that she never knew she could. She'd never seen her daughter dance, in fact, had no idea that she could, and certainly not the way she was seeing her move. She watched them go from teacher, student to a dance off, because Mundo teased that she was showing off, and would have to put her in her place. A few of their antics made even her start to laugh; she quickly covered her mouth not to be discovered observing them. She didn't realize how long she stood there, just watching them. However, it was there, that let her see, the difference in her daughter's life with her father and Sylvia, as opposed to with her. There was no one to make her laugh. No one to challenge her in this sort of dance. No siblings to look up to, the way she was looking up to Crystal right now, who was whispering something in her ear, making her laugh out, and then nod. They of course were up to something.

Deidre was snapped out of her trance by a hand on her arm, she straightened from the wall she was peering around to look into Sylvia's eyes, whispering right away, "She is, so happy here. I can see it, I can feel it. You were right, she does belong here."

"Doesn't mean she don't love you, because she is happy here." She spoke low back to her.

"I suppose, but - I can't match this, even with all my money, I can't give her, what she has here. She's having so much fun, I hate to disturb her, will you tell her I said-..."

"What she's doing is not more important than coming over here to say goodbye to her mother," Sylvia stopped her before she said anymore, and then, "Angela! Your mother's leaving, come and say goodbye! Give her a big hug and kiss, so she knows you love her." Sylvia went on. Angela immediately stopped what she was doing, running to them, her face beaming brightly, ponytail flying out behind her. She ran straight to her mother and wrapped her arms around her tightly, hugging her with her head pressed to her breasts. Sylvia went back to where she'd come from to let Jeremiah know, she was still saying her goodbyes.

"Goodbye mother, I do love you." Angela swore, still holding her tightly. Deidre, smiled, felt a catch in her throat and the prick of tears behind her eyes. She pulled her arms free to kneel before her, looking up into her eyes. "I just want you to know, before I go, before you all leave; that - I'm sorry for not understanding better, how - well to make you as happy, as you are now. I love you Angela, I do, with all my heart I do."

"I know you do, I love you too. And - I'm sorry I said that I hated you - I don't - I just-..."

"You don't have to say that."

"I know but, I want to. I promise to come back and see you all the time, and you're coming to Wisconsin right?"

"Yes I am, so we can make that house nice and safe for everyone, yes, I'll be there."

"It's almost like, we're one great big family. Only, you don't live with us, but - you're still part of the family."

Deidre smiled, "Thank you for that, I think you're right - we are - one great big family, one that takes care of each other, right?"

"Right!"

"Okay, give me a kiss, and a great big hug."

Angela did so, right away. When her mother rose to her feet, she walked with her to the door with the other adults, looked up to Jeremiah and surprised them all saying, "Nice to meet you Jeremiah, sorry for being a brat. I'm not really like that, it was just stress."

They all burst into laughter, Shawn roaring with it, he lifted his daughter off the floor, hugging her. "You're somethin' else pum'kin'!"

She turned back to Jeremiah, held up in her father's arms as if she were Isaac or Darren, her hand out to Jeremiah to shake his, which he accommodated by shaking hers back, "Nice meeting you as well, all is forgiven."

"Take good care of my mother and we'll see you guys in Wisconsin, okay?"

"Yes ma'am you will! That's a promise!" He smiled, watching Shawn, hold onto his daughter, gazing into her young beautiful face, holding her up as if she were a five year old. Yes, he was sure, this was right - the child belonged with her father and stepmother. He looked to Deidre then, "Happy now, everything okay?"

"Yes, happy," She looked at Shawn then, "Happy?"

He smiled at her, gathered Sylvia under his right arm, with Angela up on his left arm, "Yeah, as happy as a man can be."

*

Wisconsin

Paul kept his eyes on the road, on the semi before him that his father drove; his mind deep in thought. The further away he got from her, Jackie, the harder it was for him not to think of her. Twice, he'd been tempted to call her; both times he'd resisted. He wasn't sure if she wanted him calling her, most likely, no - she wanted a clean break. Yet, more miles that were traveled the more he fought; he wasn't sure how much longer he could do so. They'd just gone through the last toll way leaving Illinois, which meant they were officially out of it and in the state of Wisconsin.

He was changed.

He could feel that he was not the same person that he was just two weeks ago, nor a week ago.

In that time period, he and Jackie had talked a lot. Worked within the same household together, her doing the things she set out to do and him doing the things he set out to do. Sometimes, he helped her - sometimes, she helped him. What he couldn't get over was how well they worked together. How much they had in common, how at ease they had been with one another. So peaceful, calm, gentle and kind. He liked that. He liked it a lot. And when they'd gone to bed together, it had been all of that, and then, not so calm, not always so gentle, but stirring, electrifying, invigorating, like getting your levels topped up and your battery recharged, like being reborn, renewed.

He liked that.

He liked it a lot.

Even when she called him, "Boy!" She didn't look at him as if he were a boy. Nor had she treated him like a boy. She listened to him, took the directions he gave on certain things, trusting that he might know what he was talking about. After all, she let him go through her home, on his own, working on the very structure of it, with confidence in his abilities. Was it because of her needs? Or because something in him told her, it would be okay in his hands? He wasn't sure which it had been, but he liked the idea that she trusted him.

He liked it a lot.

Although he'd never touched a woman intimately before her, he couldn't imagine another woman's skin, feeling quite the same as hers. He liked the feel of her skin. He missed it; along with the thought, the tips of his fingers actually tingled, causing him to rub them against one another to sooth the sensation. The truck was equipped with a hands free phone jack. He couldn't stand it a moment longer, he put his phone into it. Then stopped himself.

"Come on Paul, it's over. Just walk away. Keep driving - away - and let it die." He worked to convince himself.

A moment later, "Oh Jackie... I don't want it to die, I don't want it to. How can you just end it like that, how?"

He looked to the clock on the dash, it was 11:30 and they were yet even further away now. He couldn't do it.

With his eyes flicking back and forth from the road to the phone, he down arrowed to her name, which was the second in line on the numbers most recently used, and pressed the dial button, listening to the phone ring; she answered it on the second ring, her voice filled the truck.

"Hello?"

"It's Paul." He answered right away. He figured she was in bed, the phone in her bedroom didn't have caller id - she wouldn't know that it was him, or would she?

"I thought so, no one else would call me this time of night. What are you doing? Are you okay?"

"I'm heading the opposite direction to where you are ....... no, I'm not - okay. How can you just ignore the way things were between us? How can you not see, how right we fit, in everything we did, everything - and you know it Jackie, you know it!"

"Oh Paul, I'm married." She tried to explain again, her heart going out to him.

"You don't love him! You're getting a divorce remember? Look what he put you through? Stephanie, and Ronnie - I would never put you through anything that would harm you, them, your home. It's not natural, to - to just take something so natural, so right and just - throw it away, it's not natural."

"It's should have never happened Paul."

"Well it did! It did happen! You wanted it to happen, and so did I! So forget that argument, it happened, I can't forget that it happened, it's all I think about now."

"You just need some time at home, back with your family, and soon, you'll forget-..."

"I will not! No I won't! Don't tell me I'll forget, because I'm not made that way, that I'd forget. And, you - well, you're not going to forget me either - know why? Because I'm just what you need, you know I am - come on Jackie, at least, let me come back and see about you."

"No! Paul, I'm old enough to be your mother!"

"At 13!? I don't think so!"

She actually laughed, shaking her head, "You need to stop this, okay, maybe not old enough to be your mother, but - too old for you."

"Says who?"

"Says I!" She returned.

"Jackie-e-e."

"No, and you're driving aren't you?"

He didn't answer right away.

"Paul!? Are you driving?"

"Yeah."

"Get off this phone."

"Can I call you when we make it home?"

"Paul!"

"Please, just so you know we made it okay, don't you care if I'm all right? What if I wrecked and died, you wouldn't wanna know?"

"Boy!"

"Huh Jackie, you wouldn't wanna know?"

"Doggone you Paul, okay boy! When you get home, you call me, but after that, no more, you hear me?"

Paul smiled.

"Don't be smilin', I know you smilin'!"

"See how well you know me already? You make me smile, all deep inside."

"Lo-o-ord, what am I gonna do with you. Get off the phone Paul."

"Okay, I'll call you soon as we get there. Well, soon as I get a private moment."

"Off the phone!"