Dallas, Texas

October 1977

Waiting through pre-dinner drinks, dinner, and coffee in the living room, Sue Ellen excused herself as soon as it was polite, giving JR's hand a squeeze to signal she wanted him to join her.

"I'm telling you, he says my boy like it's his son," Sue Ellen said.

In their bedroom, with the door firmly closed, she explained herself, pouring out her feelings. JR needed to hear what she had to say about his daddy, and if he were any man at all, he'd be as upset as she was by Jock's behaviour.

"He's just keen," JR replied, trying to sound nonchalant but failing.

"Too keen," Sue Ellen countered.

Bringing up the issue, she wasn't sure she expected anything more than a lukewarm defence of his daddy, that was JR's typical response to her initial complaints.

"You think?"

"JR, just watch next time he lays his hands on me."

"Next time he does what?"

Now that she had his attention, it didn't escape her notice that he hadn't been too concerned until she reworded her complaint, making it sound vague enough to suggest something improper.

"JR, have you not been listening to me at all? He walked up to me and wrapped his arm around my waist like this."

She moved behind JR, curving her arm around his torso as well as she could in her current state, to demonstrate just how intimate the gesture had been.

"And then rubbed his hand over me like this."

Slowly, she touched JR's stomach. The awkwardness of the gesture was obvious. They were no strangers to running their hands over each other, they liked it, enjoyed it, but that intimacy was meant for them alone, not for anyone else.

"He commented on his boy getting bigger and kept talking about how he was sure it was a boy because his intuition had always been right."

Maintaining contact, she deliberately increased his discomfort, hoping the tension in his muscles meant he understood her point better now. Taking her hand, he moved away, much like she had when Jock touched her.

"What did you say?"

"What could I say? I was polite, reminded him it could be a girl, and left as quickly as I could."

"Hm."

Taken aback by his murmuring, she pressed him.

"What does that mean?"

"I was just thinking, maybe he was flustered by you. Sometimes men get like that."

She couldn't believe he was making excuses for Jock's behaviour. If anyone else had touched her like that, JR would have confronted them immediately. But his daddy had a hold on him like no other, leaving JR second-guessing whether there might be a reasonable explanation for his otherwise inappropriate behaviour.

"JR, if anything I was flustered by him. I froze in discomfort. He wasn't confused; it wasn't a lapse in judgment. He knew exactly what he was doing."

"You've invited him to feel the baby before. He's probably just remembering how he did it with Mama and her sons. Maybe he didn't realise he needed to wait for an invitation each time."

Jock couldn't plead ignorance, she knew him too well, and JR ought to too.

"JR, your daddy is a grown man with a wife of his own. Don't tell me he didn't know what is and isn't appropriate. If he wouldn't have liked someone doing it to your mama, then he shouldn't do it to me."

Standing her ground, her strong words finally seemed to get through to JR.

"That's fair. I'll speak to him."

With a knot in his stomach and no spring in his step, JR waited until his mama and Lucy had gone upstairs before returning to the living room. He nodded at his daddy, made himself a drink at the bar, and then turned to address him.

"Daddy, Sue Ellen told me something earlier, and I wanted to hear your side before I say what I'm thinking."

If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have bothered asking for an explanation before issuing a warning, but this was his daddy. He owed him a level of respect he didn't extend to other men.

"What is it?"

"It's about you laying your hands on her."

Saying it aloud, he half-expected a denial. Instead, Jock redirected.

"On John Ross, you mean."

"That's a separate subject. Let's leave it for now. We're referring to the baby as 'baby' rather than 'him' or 'her' in conversation."

"It'll be a boy."

Hearing his daddy's tone, JR understood now what Sue Ellen had meant about Jock's single-mindedness.

"I hope it is, but we don't know. That uncertainty makes Sue Ellen nervous. She doesn't want to disappoint anyone."

"There's no disappointment coming."

"I'm glad you're so certain."

"You should be too."

The refusal to even consider the possibility of welcoming a girl unsettled JR, but that wasn't the main issue he needed to address.

"About touching Sue Ellen…"

"What about it?"

"It's always appreciated if you ask first."

Phrasing it as gently as he could, he wondered if this was what parenting was like, breaking life lessons down into small, palatable pieces.

"What did she say?"

"She said she wasn't expecting it when you wrapped your arm around her and rubbed her belly."

"You make it sound untoward."

JR stayed quiet, contemplating how to respond, but his daddy spoke again before he could.

"Are you telling me I can't take an interest in the baby?"

The sour tone and deliberate use of the phrasing he had mentioned earlier made it clear that Jock was being snide.

"No. I'm asking you to consider my wife's feelings before you act on your interest."

Irritated, he grew more annoyed when his daddy rolled his eyes and muttered, "women."

"Yes, which is why I'm asking you to do this. You might not think much of it, but Sue Ellen does."

He loved his wife and, right now, liked her a hell of a lot more than he liked his daddy.

"Enough about this."

Jock dropped his glass onto the table, stood up, and walked away, leaving JR alone in the living room, unsure if anything had actually been resolved.

The upside of JR's outburst was that his son seemed less focused on insurance bills and mystery callers. The downside was that JR clearly believed Sue Ellen had felt uncomfortable, and now he'd be watching more closely to make sure she didn't feel that way again.

On one hand, JR's protectiveness was fitting for a husband, he ought to care for his wife and put her first. But on the other hand, it made things more complicated.

He could do without JR being so concerned about Sue Ellen's every breath and thought. He could do too without Sue Ellen being so sensitive, especially when it came to him. Maybe he had come on too strong in her eyes, but any slower or softer might not have gotten him anywhere. He'd taken the opportunities as they presented themselves, but perhaps he'd skipped a step and spooked her.

Still, what he had gained from the experience more than made up for JR's disapproval. His imagination could only take him so far; Sue Ellen was a sight, but nothing beat the real touch.