Lessons From the Professor

Tears filled Sutton’s eyes as she basked in the feeling of joy. She had not envisioned their conversation anything even remotely like this. For once, it was nice to be wrong. They pulled apart a few moments later. A comfortable silence filled the room as they wiped away their tears and gathered their emotions.

“We should head out there before your brothers come in and demand food.”

She nodded and laughed. “So true, Mom. What do you want me to take out first?”

“Grab the salad, and I’ll get the rolls.”

Sutton nodded, grabbing the giant wooden bowl full of mixed greens, eggs, and cherry tomatoes out of the fridge, and headed outside.

****

Sidney felt the tension rise in his body as time ticked by and Sutton and her mother remained in the house. While he was sure Ida meant well, her meddling and flippant attitude towards Sutton’s goals angered him. Sutton was an amazing woman. Passionate, genuine and intelligent, she’d given him the boost he needed to put his heart back on the line. The day she’d agreed to marry him was probably the happiest moment of his life. He looked forward to a lifetime of happiness and pleasure. He fought down a smirk as he thought about the other changes that had taken place in their relationship.

They’d expanded their play and had fallen into a niche that was comfortable and enjoyable for them both. His gaze locked with Sutton as she emerged with a wooden bowl full of salad. She flashed him a smile, and he relaxed. Whatever had been said inside had gone over well. He stood to pull out her chair and wrapped an arm around her once they were seated.

“Are you okay?” he asked. His voice lowered as he whispered into her ear.

“Better than okay.”

“Good.” He tilted her face up and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I love you.”

“And I love you.” He saw her smile as she glanced back at her family. “You probably have another five minutes before my sister notices the rock you put on my hand.”

“Then I better enjoy the blissful silence now.”

“She’s grown on you.”

“Like a fungus.”

“Sid!”

He chuckled when she nudged him with her elbow. Carissa let out a screech to his left. It looked their secret was out. His life would never be the quiet existence it was before, but life had a funny way of giving you exactly what you needed. Life with his woman would never be boring, and that was a part of the excitement. Sidney swore mentally. He owed Leigh. That debt repayment would end up leading to an adventure in itself. He smiled down at his beaming fiancée and knew whatever Leigh demanded, it would be worth it.

The End