"Dad" Tim hissed as they walked into the hallway to fetch the family's coats "Do you have to wear your sleeves rolled up like that?". His son caught sight of the smattering of hair lining the forearm, lit by the warm glow from the light hung on the ceiling and shook his head.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" His father stared at his arms as he lifted the coats from the hooks and passed the smallest two to Tim, one for him and the other for Angela.
"Well...It's just that Mum goes..." Tim suddenly stopped talking and turned to his step-mother who had appeared with the youngest member of the family on her hips with her shoes already on her feet.
"Everybody ready?" She said, holding out Angela to Timothy while she got her coat on with the help of her husband. Twirling round in front of him as she put her arms into the sleeves allowed Patrick to have a good look at her appearance. On her feet she wore dainty cream heeled pumps, matched with her royal blue circle skirt and cream blouse with peter pan collar. How this woman had once been hidden under the layers of a habit and chose him, Patrick never knew. Looking into her eyes, he could see the beauty she beheld in only a tiny portion of her body, and what he would give to be seeing the other portions in the privacy of their bedroom instead.
On their short walk to the school, Patrick often looked over at Shelagh pushing the pram. Her knuckles, he noticed slowly turning white as she gripped the handle tightly with the building anxiety she felt. She had never been to a school event before, only her own when she was Tim's age.
"Here, I'll push" He gently took hold of the pram and set off again, feeling Shelagh snake her arm through his and visibly relax as they walked together. Tim, walking several meters in front, spun round to tell them to hurry up or they'd be late when he saw his mum smile brightly at his dad and whisper something into his ear in between their soft giggles. Immediately he huffed and turned back round, speeding up slightly.
"Mushy parents" He grumbled under his breath.
Looking round the spacious hall, Shelagh wondered how Patrick could have gone through this ordeal by himself, even if only once or twice. The hall was buzzing with married couples drift from one station to another, chatting away with the teacher sitting at the other side of each desk. Some parents had huge smiles on their faces, exchanges glances with each other and a clap on the back of their well behaved child. However, other adults sat up straight with their arms folded and warning glances thrown at their child each time the teacher spoke.
Shelagh knew Timothy was a bright child and did well at school, but she could feel the anxious bubbles in her stomach rise again nonetheless. Patrick saw her eyes scan the room and her brow deepened slightly. They hadn't been to many big events, so each one was still a milestone to her. Taking her hand and gently stroking her knuckles, Shelagh looked down and realized with a gulp and a delicate blush that Patrick had taken off his coat and hung it on the handle of the pram. His forearms would always catch Shelagh off guard especially when they were out and about, and once again it hadn't failed. She shyly caught his eyes as she lifted back up her head. She went to whisper something in his ear about the immodesty of showing such a piece of skin in public, but was interrupted by the calling of whom she assumed was one of Timothy's teachers and the whining of Angela in her pram. Letting go of her hand, Patrick went to see the woman while Shelagh picked up Angela and began to rock her gently to settle her again.
"Doctor Turner? How lovely it is to see you again!" The older woman reached out to tap Patrick on the shoulder "How are you?" She asked, sincere but eyeing him in the most peculiar way for a teacher supposedly talking about their child's school life, as far as Shelagh was concerned. She could see the woman inch closer and closer to Patrick. Mentally she shook herself, a minute ago her husband was holding her hand and caressing it gently. Besides Patrick was very handsome so no doubt he got female attention, but she knew he would only show his full attention to her, and her alone. She had no need to be worried. Tim noted Shelagh's long glance towards the pair of them; Mrs Thompson really was standing far too close for his liking, and obviously Shelagh's too. Even his Dad was leaning away from his teacher and avoiding as much eye contact as possible. Now it was clear why she often asked how his father was, but never spoke about Shelagh. He decided to take charge and push the pram in their direction, waving for his Mum to follow him. Upon arriving at his Dad's side, he could see Mrs Thompson huff under her breath and shifted her glance behind him to look at Shelagh. Standing up taller, she continued talking to him and he noticed she was laughing just a touch louder.
On her way over to the two of them, Shelagh could hear hints of her husbands words.
"Yes, a beautiful baby girl..." A laugh, and then "Yes! No sleep for us, for now!" Angela wasn't the only reason for the lack of sleep, she thought, feeling a hot blush creep onto her cheeks. Shaking her head from her wandering thoughts, she walked over and sat on the chairs set up for the parents, linking her hand with Patrick as she bounced a babbling Angela on her knee. Mrs Thompson told them both how Timothy was exceeding in his English and Literacy and Mathematics, even how he seemed to enjoy more Home Economics recently. Tim smiled at Shelagh, the cookery lessons and tips on sewing buttons and hemming his trousers at home had helped. In fact, although his Dad had tried, he was always too busy to help him with his work. But when Shelagh joined their family, she made sure she spent even a few minutes with him after school before she had to prepare the evening dinner. He didn't mind. Shelagh was more help than his Dad anyway, and she never got annoyed at him for getting something wrong, she merely helped him through the calculation again.
By the end of the evening they had seen all of Timothy's teachers, and aside from the odd comment about less talking to his friends in class, they all showered him in praise and said how he was a delight to teach. But Tim still couldn't help but notice the mushy glances the two of his parents were exchanging with each other all night. When he told them on the way home, they answered that it was only because they were so proud of him, but he saw Shelagh blush and her eyes were suddenly concentrating on the cobble stones as they walked along them. Clearly that's not all there was to the looks.
With Tim tucked up and sound asleep and Angela curled up under the knitted blankets in her cot, Patrick and Shelagh sat together on the sofa. He discarded his tie as soon as they sat down, and she rested her legs up on his lap. Patrick noticed how her skirt inched up, showing more of her knees and a hint of thigh.
Shelagh couldn't help but think back to the way Mrs Thompson was behaving when she was alone with Patrick. She was alone in her actions, and Patrick hadn't encouraged her, but there was still a niggling thought in the back of her mind.
"Patrick?" His hand was curled around her ankle and stroking the soft skin he found there, slowly making his way up her leg.
"Hmm?" He answered gently in his state of content
"That woman today, Mrs Thompson, did she...did you..?" She didn't know what to say, or how to sort out the muddle in her mind.
"My love," He lifted Shelagh's legs off his lap and turned to face her "Mrs Thompson has been like that with me since Tim started at the school. I know you were worried about that. You are the only woman for me, I promise you"
Settled with his answer, she lent back on the sofa cushion and closed her eyes, picturing his forearms.
"Are you planning on joining me in another certain room Mrs Turner? Or do I have to carry you?" With that she felt his arms underneath and lift her into the air and towards the bedroom. "I was thinking I could show you how much I will never want another woman when I have you"