Author's note: Serious two to three alarm STEAM ALERT. The section is marked
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Chapter 378 – Afternoon Fun in Minnesota
After they were done eating, Elizabeth went over to Jack and ran her fingers through his hair.
"I know that you are upset and sad." Elizabeth said. "But can we try to enjoy our last day here?"
"I am sorry." Jack said. "I will try."
"What can I do to help you feel better?" Elizabeth asked.
Jack smiled at her.
"Play?" Jack asked.
"Of course." Elizabeth said. "I will even put on the lacy little number that you like."
"Sweet." Jack said, grinning.
"You put the dishes in the sink while I go change." Elizabeth said.
"Okay." Jack said.
Elizabeth ran her fingers through Jack's hair one more time before she gave him a quick kiss and headed to the bedroom. She grabbed the lacy nightgown and headed to the bathroom. She splashed some water on her body and rinsed out her mouth. Elizabeth stood in the bathroom for a moment and heard Jack come in.
"Where is my beautiful wife?" Jack asked.
"Lay back and relax." Elizabeth said. "I will be out in a minute."
Jack shed his shorts and laid back on the bed to wait for his wife.
… … … …Steam Alert… … … …
… … … …Steam Alert… … … …
… … … …Steam Alert… … … …
Jack was not disappointed, Elizabeth appeared in the bathroom doorway a moment later wearing just the lacy number that he liked. She stood there for a moment just looking at Jack. Jack smiled at her and she slowly walked over to the bed and crawled on top of Jack, straddling his legs. She put her hands on his hips and slowly ran them up his body, finally ending by cupping his face and kissing him, hard. She felt Jack react as she touched and kissed him.
"Relax, husband." Elizabeth said.
"Okay." Jack moaned, as Elizabeth teased his nipples.
Jack put his hands behind his head after Elizabeth lightly swatted his hands.
"No touching yet." Elizabeth teased. "I am going to pleasure you."
"Yes, ma'am." Jack said, smirking.
Elizabeth continued to pleasure her husband. She rubbed his torso and teased his nipples. As she felt him get harder and harder, she slowly worked her hands down his body. She eventually danced her fingers around his manhood, causing Jack to squirm and moan under her touch. She would barely touch it and Jack would hiss.
"You okay?" Elizabeth asked.
"It just feels like electricity through my whole body when you touch it." Jack said.
"So if I did this." Elizabeth teased, as she lightly brushed her knuckles across the tip.
Jack hissed and squirmed.
"Keep that up and I will roll you over and take you." Jack moaned.
"If you think you can." Elizabeth said, running her finger around the tip again.
Jack let her tease him for a few more moments, before he rolled her over and entered his wife in one swift moment. Elizabeth arched her back as Jack filled her. It only took a few thrusts and Jack exploded inside of Elizabeth and drove her over the edge again. Jack rolled off Elizabeth and laid next to her, trying to recover as he came down. Elizabeth laid next to his her, eyes still closed.
… … … …End of Steam… … … …
"Thank you." Jack said, as he regained control of his breathing.
"You are welcome." Elizabeth said. "Do you feel better?"
"Much." Jack sighed.
As Elizabeth calmed down, she rolled up on her side.
"You know that we are going to have to purposely make time to be together when we get back to the city." Elizabeth said.
"I know." Jack said, turning to face Elizabeth. "We might not have as much time like we do now, but we will have time together."
"There is a part of me that is a bit scared to go back to the city." Elizabeth said.
"Why?" Jack asked, putting his hand on Elizabeth's hip.
"Charlie, his frat brothers, Rosie, everything." Elizabeth said.
Jack scooted a bit closer to Elizabeth.
"Charlie is not going to be a problem." Jack said. "Both Charlie and Lucas have been suspended from Columbia or are taking a year off, however they want to spin it. Either way, neither of them are going to be there. The frat has also been warned that they need to clean up their act or risk losing their charter. So I think they are going to behave because they know that their house is going to be under the microscope this year and for the next few years.
As far as Rosie goes, well you are just going to have to see how things go. You have set a boundary and if she doesn't respect it, then there are things we can do. But I have a feeling that she has been punished plenty and her father will be keeping her on a short leash. You are free to talk to her if you want, but it is completely up to you. The same goes for your family and mine. You don't have to talk to or deal with anyone that you don't want to. That is the best part of living in a secure building. If you don't want someone to be allowed in, you don't have to.
You also remember that you will have a full time security with you during the day, like Nathan will be with me. She will be going to classes with you and in your study group. She is to be treated like another student, but she is there to protect you. I am not sure who it is yet, but Devin promised me that she is great and knows what she is doing. She will walk you to class from the apartment every day if that is what you want. She can walk you back. I suggest that you take time to get to really know her. She will have been briefed on our background, like Nathan had been before he started. I truly hope that she will become a good friend to you. You are also free to make other friends. I don't want you to think that you can't have friends. While I might be cautious, I want you to be happy."
"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "I forgot about the person going with me to class like Nathan will be with you. You don't happen to know her name do you?"
"Not off the top of my head." Jack said. "I can look later, I know that Devin sent me an email about it."
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "And you sure that Charlie and the frat brothers are not going to be a problem."
"Charlie will not be there." Jack said. "If we have a problem with the frat, Devin said he would deal with it."
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "Thank you for keeping me safe and loving me."
"Forever and always." Jack said.
Elizabeth put her hand on Jack's torso, right over his heart. She drummed her fingers for a moment and then ran her fingers down his body and back. They built the fire between themselves again and came together twice more before they both fell asleep for a nap before supper.
… … … …
Frank and Nathan played in the water with Donnie and Mattie for over an hour before they left the two boys in shallow water to sit on the dock for a bit. Nathan ran his fingers through his hair and flipped it back, wiped the excess water off his body and hopped up on the dock. Frank did the same. As they sat there, Frank looked over at Nathan.
"Want to talk about it?" Frank asked.
"Not really." Nathan said. "I screwed up and I don't know how to fix it. Everything is such a jumble right now."
"It can't be that bad." Frank said.
"She is talking about marriage and I slammed the brakes on things." Nathan said. "I told her that while I wanted a future with her, things were moving too fast for me."
"Sounds reasonable to me." Frank said. "Given everything that you have been through, I am glad that you are slowing down and thinking things through logically. It is easy to get caught up in emotions and the feelings that she evokes in you, but if you take the time to really make a connection. Then you are much more likely to have a successful relationship. Don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything that can come between Jack and Elizabeth, but not everyone is like that. It takes time and work. You have to build a foundation of a friendship to have a successful romantic relationship."
"I understand." Nathan said. "Which is why I asked for time to sort things though in my head. I don't think she understands. I told her I only had one serious relationship and it ended badly, but I didn't tell her exactly what happened."
"If you want a future." Frank said. "You are going to have to talk to her about what happened."
"I know." Nathan said. "But it is so hard. We have known each other for twenty-four hours. And while we talked a lot this morning, I still feel like we just both need some time. She is twenty-three and has an almost three year old. While I love Cassie, I am not ready to jump into being a full-time father right now. There is so much other stuff that I need to deal with first."
"Maybe tell her that." Frank said. "I can see how much you love her and also love Cassie, but you are right to take a bit to get things sorted in your own life before jumping into being a family man."
"How do I tell her that without hurting her?" Nathan said. "I have never been the greatest with words."
"Tell her that." Frank said. "Then explain that you have had a lot of changes in your life and you feel unprepared at the moment to immediately jump into a family situation. While you want to spend time with her and get to know her better, you need some time. I don't know if you want to put a timeline on things, but at least give yourself a month after you get back to the city."
Nathan nodded. He was still a jumble of emotions and stuff, but at least what Frank was saying was making sense. They sat there for a bit longer watching the boys splash in the shallow water.
"I need to go shower and change." Nathan said. "I need some time to think."
"Okay." Frank said. "Maybe call Father Mark. I am not sure what his schedule is, but it might be worth it. He has been great at helping you sort through things this summer."
"I might do that." Nathan said.
Nathan jumped back into the water, went over to Donnie and Mattie and told them that he needed to leave, but Frank was still there and they were free to play, but needed to check in with Kayla or their parents before they did anything else. Donnie promised they would. Nathan ruffled their hair and then headed to his own cabin.
Nathan went to the cabin and immediately went to his room. He grabbed his phone and sank to the floor. He sent a quick text and then started praying, hoping that his phone would ring. Nathan was excited, happy, sad, anxious and scared all at once. There was also something else that Nathan couldn't describe. He tried to find the words and failed to adequately describe what he was feeling. He could call it a warm feeling that radiated through his body, but even that wasn't enough. Whatever the feeling was, it scared Nathan because he had never felt it before. Then there was the electricity that shot through his body whenever Kayla touched him. He had heard of that before, but never felt it. He had honestly thought that people made it up or it was just static electricity. He could now say that wasn't the case as he had felt it while standing on grass.
As Nathan was trying to sort through his emotions, he phone beeped and he ignored it as it was Kayla and he didn't know what to say to her. When the phone rang, Nathan looked and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw it was who he wanted/needed to talk to.
"Hello." Nathan said.
("I got your text message." Father Mark said. What is going on?")
Nathan explained everything that had happened in the last thirty-six hours. Nathan started crying as he was talking to Father Mark.
("Slow down and take a couple of deep breaths for me." Father Mark said.)
Nathan did as Father Mark asked and was able to calm down enough to talk.
("Okay, now that you can talk again." Father Mark said. "Can you answer some questions for me?")
"Okay." Nathan said.
("Do you honestly want to try and pursue a relationship with this woman?" Father Mark asked.)
"Yes." Nathan said. "But at the same time, that thought scares me because of my past and what happened last time I liked a woman."
("That is an honest answer." Father Mark said. "And I understand why you are scared, but that can be worked through. You were right in stepping back and saying you needed to process things. My next question, I want you to really think about it before answering. So if you seriously pursue a relationship with Kayla, are you ready to step into the role as father for Cassie? Because that is essentially what you are going to be. Are you willing to be responsible for her, up to and including adopting her if that was what Kayla wanted. I mean are you ready to be morally, legally and financially responsible for Cassie. Because if you want a future with Kayla, you need to be ready for that. Are you understanding me?")
Nathan swallowed hard and let out a harsh breath. He had thought about it, but when Father Mark laid it out like that, it really hit home.
"It sounds scary." Nathan said. "But I think so. I have essentially been playing that role for Allie for the last couple of years."
("Okay, fair enough." Father Mark said. "You understand why I needed to make sure?")
"Yes." Nathan said.
("You also understand this relationship can and probably will change your role with Jack?" Father Mark asked. "So you are going to have to talk to Jack about things. I am not saying that conversation needs to happen today or even next week. But when you are ready to make a commitment, it is something that needs to happen. It is also something that you need to consider, how will Kayla react to everything. I love Jack, but our family can be a lot. Being around Jack, is not always an easy choice.")
"I understand." Nathan said. "So how do I move forward with Kayla at this point?"
("Sit and have an honest conversation." Father Mark said. "Tell her why you are scared. Be honest and let her know that you are working through some childhood trauma and what happened last time. You don't have to go into detail, but maybe a little about breaking up and how you were going to propose. Let her know that you really want to try and make things work, but you need some time. If you need, maybe have Frank help moderate the conversation.")
"Okay." Nathan said.
("I would suggest that before you have that conversation." Father Mark said. "That you think about reasonable timelines and boundaries.")
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.
("So in your mind." Father Mark said. "What is an acceptable time frame for a couple to be together before talk of marriage and future is appropriate?")
"At least a couple of months." Nathan said.
("So do you think it would be unreasonable to ask Kayla to hold off on any more talk about marriage until after, say Halloween?" Father Mark said. "Stuff like that. Also think about what is acceptable for physical contact and where your boundaries are.")
"And if she doesn't agree?" Nathan asked.
("Then as hard as it might be." Father Mark said. "You need to walk away. If she truly loves you, then she will respect your boundaries. Just as you respect hers.")
"Okay." Nathan said. "Thank you again for being there for me."
("Always." Father Mark said. "How about we say a prayer and then I will let you go. I will be around if you need to talk.")
"Thank you." Nathan said.
("In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Father Mark prayed. "Lord God, please be with Nathan as he sorts through his feelings and emotions over what has happened. Show him the path You want him to be on. Give him the words he needs to speak to be able to talk to Kayla. We also ask that You be with Kayla. If this is what You want for these two young people, show them how to walk the path You have for them. Help them to be open and understanding with each other. Please be with Kayla and give her understanding that Nathan just needs time. Show these two young people what You want for them and help to guide them. We ask these things in Your Most Holy Name. Amen.")
"Amen." Nathan said. "Thank you so much, I already feel better. With the intense feelings and the actual physical desire I have been feeling over the last day, it has made me feel like things are spinning out of control."
("Very understandable." Father Mark said. "It never hurts to take a step back and work through things logically with another person.")
"Thank you." Nathan said. "I will talk to you later."
("I will say some extra prayer." Father Mark said. "Call or text if you need later, or anytime really. I moved my flights around and won't leave for Rome until Monday. I am still in Saratoga."
"Okay, I will." Nathan said.
Nathan hung up the phone and went to take a quick shower so he could get ready for the evening.
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