Author's note: This is Chapter 3 of Second Year After, the continuation of First Year After, which started after the death of our narrator's father. I highly recommend reading the preceding chapters first.
Disclaimer: All sexual activity described here is between fictional characters over the age of 18.
~~~~~
March 15, 2014
We finally got to meet Jason! Amber and Sandy left the house half an hour before he arrived, to avoid any questions, and Toni walked him over at 8:15. We said quick hellos, then got into two cars to go to a Mexican breakfast place that his cousin ran. Apparently, Jason was Hispanic on his Mom's side, and he was the 4rd generation born in Texas, but I couldn't see it in his appearance, his hair being a light brown and his eyes green, and he had a typical Dallas accent.
I ordered the huevos rancheros. Just as I got the first forkful into my mouth, Jason asked, "So, Drew, why are you getting married now, instead of after graduation?"
I chewed, then answered, "Well, we got engaged during last year's Spring Break, March 9th, to be precise, and we didn't want a long engagement, but summer was too soon to get everything arranged, and Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks were out because the hotels fill up and Holiday parties fill the ballrooms. So, it was either try to fit it in right after graduation, before we start our first jobs, or during Spring Break. We're taking a trip to Maine after graduation, so that made holding the wedding then even harder. Dallas isn't much of a Spring Break destination, so our parents were able to make the arrangements, pretty easily."
He nodded and said, "It's just that my CPA practice is really busy this time of year, and I won't be able to make it. I'm sorry."
We talked for quite a while about his business. I find Accounting pretty boring, but he actually made it sound interesting. I'll spare you my efforts to do the same.
As we finished eating, his cell phone beeped, and as he looked at it, he muttered what I assume were some choice Mexican expletives. "Damn," he said to the rest of us. "I've got to go into work today after all."
We hurried back, and dropped him right at his car, and Toni got out at the same time.
Shortly after, she came in through our back door, saying, "I'm sorry about Jason. He gets so busy, I only get to see him once or twice a month, and then stuff like that happens. Really, he's married to his job, and I'm just the mistress."
In the afternoon, Toni accompanied Mom, Patti and Patti's Mom Carrie for final fittings for their dresses for the wedding, and I spent the afternoon with Duke and Kenny, getting fitted for our matching suits. I brought them up to date on Patti going off birth control, and they wished us luck. Duke said Jean was arriving on Thursday, and would finally meet his family. Then we'd see them Friday morning, at the hotel.
I got back home, only to find that Patti had gone home with her mother, who had demanded some "home time". I was going to be so glad when we were married and her parents would finally have to acknowledge that her home was with me (and Mom).
I was eating dinner with Mom and Toni when Jason texted, promising her his Sunday. I made love to both of them, but Toni headed home instead of sleeping the night.
~~~~~
March 16, 2014
Patti was still spending time at her parents', Mom was working a Sunday shift as part of a swap to let her have the next weekend off, and I headed to the gym in the afternoon. I got back to Mom's house around 4:20, and saw Toni and Jason's cars in the driveway next door. I had almost gotten to house #1's front door, when Jason burst out of house #2, screamed, "Don't call me, you disgusting slut!", then slammed the door behind him. He got into his car, and backed out so quickly he left tire marks on the driveway and street, then sped off just as recklessly.
I ran over, and opened the door, to find Toni sitting on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chin, her arms wrapped around them, and wracked by sobs. I moved over to sit beside her, and before I could reach the couch, she realized I was there and threw herself onto me like she had in Galveston, and cried even harder.
I picked her up, and sat on the couch with her in my lap. I just held her and let her soak my shirt. Questions could wait. I was afraid I already knew the answers.
It took several minutes, but she calmed down enough to whisper, "This feels like Galveston, all over again."
I pushed some hair out of her eyes, and looked right into them. I softly said, "I saw Jason leave, so I can guess some of what happened, but not the why."
She let out a big sigh, then slowly said, "My incest bit me in the fucking ass again. We'd been having a pretty good day, when the subject of kids came up, and I brought up wanting to find my niece once she turns 18 and DCFS finally can't stop it, and I decided to let the whole story out, how she's also my little sister, and everything that happened to my Dad and Mona. He asked me point blank if I had also had sex with my Dad, and when I admitted it, he flipped out, worse than Dave did when I told him I'm bi. If you saw him leave, that was just the end of it. He said stuff about me I'd rather not repeat."
"I'm so sorry, Aunt Toni."
She gave me a light kiss on my cheek, then snuggled her face into my neck before saying, "I know you are, Drew. But why do I wind up with all the negative consequences? You and Tina, Henry and his girls, you find people who are accepting, nobody has tried to hurt you after finding out, while I lose my whole family within days of the secret being revealed, and can't find a guy who won't run from me if I dare bring it up. Jason's hardly the first. At least I knew better than to try with Dave. Saying I was bi was enough for him."
I wanted to take her pain away, but knew it was impossible. "I don't know what to say. What happened to your family wasn't fair, and by comparison we and the Kilsons may just be enjoying good luck and someday that will run out on us. But you have to know you now have two families right here who accept you and that past, and will stand by you forever. Even if you still want to keep looking for a boyfriend who will accept you, we are your backup, you'll always have a place in our lives, our hearts, our beds."
"MMmmmm," she said, pulling back to look me in the eyes. "I like being in your beds. Maybe that's where I truly belong, and all this was to get me to see it. Drew... would... would you marry me?"
I cupped her face in my hands, and said, "Toni, this isn't the day to ask me that question, not less than an hour after Jason hurt you so badly. Why don't you wait a bit, let your emotions settle down and if you ask me again, I think I'd say yes." And I kissed her lips, then let her hug me again.