The next couple of weeks were a bit of a whirlwind. Of course, everything dad said about the divorce papers was a lie. No such clause existed, he was bluffing. The copy mom had was exactly what had been filed with the court. I guess he thought the gun would scare me into giving him money. Susie also was able to find out, through some of her sources, that dad was in some really deep trouble. Not just with the law, but he apparently was deep in debt to the wrong people. It's so cliché to say it, but he'll be better off in going to jail. At least there he might be safe.
So with all the evidence against him, not just the video, but with what the police also found in his apartment, dad gave up completely and pleaded guilty to all charges in hopes of mercy. He got none. Mom, Susie, and I made sure of that. With everything he got caught doing, he was looking at consecutive 2-3 year sentences with each crime, with a possible total of up to 15 years in prison. He was hoping for concurrent sentences, but the judge wasn't hearing of it. To make matters worse, the gun he used was linked to a murder in Nevada, so he also needed to face that charge and a possible death penalty. I should care, but I don't. Good riddance to bad rubbish. All I cared about is knowing that we were safe from him now.
Detective Ashe kept in contact with us throughout the entire ordeal and we all became very friendly with her. During that time she urged us to start calling her by her first name, Terri. Her and mom definitely hit it off very well and I think a good friendship had begun out of a horrible experience.
With all the turmoil past us now, we tried to get life back to normal, albeit with no Mia. We all still continued to talk with her daily, but I could already tell that the communications were beginning to slow down slightly as the days wore on. I think we'll need to plan a trip to China to see her at some point, but for now her focus should rightfully be on her grandmother and her family.
So as Thanksgiving came upon us quickly, we were excited to have a major holiday together for the first time as a family. I invited Laura and her daughter over as well, since it was just the two of them. I also promised her nothing of a sexual nature would happen with her, though I must admit I was very interested in seeing Alyssa. I can only imagine what she looks like! I left all the planning to the ladies and, by the looks of it, the menu they were planning would feed a college football team. As long as I had sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, I was happy.
When the big day arrived, the house was buzzing with activity. This was probably the one day of the year where I was not the Master of the household, but merely "staff". I was fine with that, I wasn't a good cook anyway. Cooking was mom's perview, along with Andrea. I have to admit that Delia surprised me with her baking skills though. The pies she had been making the last couple of days smelled awesome. And Keegan was eager to see what we thought of the breads and rolls she was making. I was looking forward to the potato rolls, which she said was her grandmother's recipe. With all this cooking going on, investing in two ovens for the kitchen was looking more and more like a very smart decision.
At noon Laura and Alyssa arrived and I greeted them. Laura hugged me and asked how I was doing after everything that happened. After saying I was fine, I turned to face Alyssa. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but the woman who stood in front of me was quite possibly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life. She shared her mother's milk chocolate skin tone, but that's where the similarity ended. Laura was taller, but Alyssa was about 5'5", shapely but not busty, definitely a runner's body. Her eyes were dark brown, almost black, and somewhat almond shaped. And her hair was curly and cut in a short, pixie-ish style. VERY cute.
I stammered a hello to her and invited them both in. I hung up their coats as the ladies exited the kitchen to say hello them. I just could not take my eyes off of Alyssa. I knew then that this was the woman I was going to marry. I had all these wonderful ladies in my life, but this is the woman I wanted as my wife, my life partner. Just as long as I didn't fuck it up and force things.
I let all the ladies work in the kitchen and I returned to the football game that I had been barely paying attention to prior to Laura and Alyssa's arrival, but the Lions were already losing soundly and it was only the second quarter. That was enjoyable at least. Then I heard a voice behind me.
"Who are you rooting for?"
I turned around and saw Alyssa standing there.
I barely choked out an answer and said, "Um, no one really."
Smiling she said, "Just staying out of the way, I take it?"
I returned the smile and said, "Yeah, that sums it up. Me vs. 5, well 6 now, women in a kitchen is a disaster waiting to happen."
Her smile grew broader and she said, "I'm with you. Mom is the chef in our house, but I do dabble here and there. At school it's mainly take out, cafeteria or whatever is in the tiny frig I have. The delivery apps have been a Godsend!"
"So where do you go to school?"
"Notre Dame!"
"Thank God! If you said Michigan I would have kicked you out."
"Michigan? Ew. Go blue? More like go blow!"
We both cracked up at her joke. And for the couple of hours we talked about everything and the game was completely forgotten. I discovered she was in the undergraduate program for architecture at ND, which impressed the hell out of me. We also liked a lot of the same things in music, reading, movies and the like. Most important of all, I found out she did not have a boyfriend. And never once did I try to influence her with my pheromones.
When dinner was over, Alyssa offered to do dishes. Of course we all said she didn't need to, but she insisted. So I took the opportunity to help, which shocked all the ladies, especially mom who made a wisecrack. I gave her a look that told her that she'd be punished later, but I gave her a wink to let her know that I knew she was teasing.
As we carried dishes into the kitchen from the dining room, we continued to talk. Never once was there an awkwardness between us. 12 months ago I never would have had the nerve to say hello to her, but today it was the most natural thing in the world.
Once all the dishes were in the kitchen, we took to loading both dishwashers. The larger pots and pans we'd need to do by hand. In about 30 minutes we were done. I've never had a more enjoyable time in doing dishes. As we started to head into the living room, she tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around. Before I could react, she pulled me in for a kiss. I was stunned for a second, but then I kissed her back passionately. After a few minutes we broke apart, somewhat breathless. I had to do the best I could to hide my erection.
She said, "Wow. I've never been kissed like that before. It was like... wow... like we connected on a profound level."
Looking deeply into her eyes I said, "Am I crazy or was I the only one who's been wanting to kiss since the moment I saw you?"
She shook her head no and leaned in for another kiss.
"No, you're not crazy. I saw you and I felt sparks. And, wow, does that sound weird to say out loud."
I laughed and said, "No, I understand. When I saw you I was awestruck. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. Halle Berry has nothing on you."
"So I'm better looking than a 50 year old woman?"
The look I gave her when she said got her to laugh out loud.
