It was almost one in the morning when Tim rejoined the party. Several of the revelers had gone home and the few that remained were gathering around the hall tree for their coats. They all expressed their thanks to Elenore for another fantastic party and the best for the New Year.

“Are you driving back to Medford now? It’s very late and bitter cold.” Pat didn’t want him to leave.

“No, I was hoping to start the new year with my bride-to-be.” Tim smiled at Pat.

They were walking down the hall when Pat turned to Tim. “Should I mess up my hair?” She giggled.

“No, let me do it my way.” Tim patted her on her ass.

They undressed each other, taking their time. They stopped to kiss and wrap their tongues together. Tim ran his hand up and down Pat’s back, Pat caressed his ass and pulled him to her. She felt his cock growing and she moaned and whispered in his ear.

“Make love to me, Tim. Take me for your own.” Pat’s eyes had a look of love and desire.

Tim laid her on the bed and then lay next to her. They kissed tenderly and fondled one another. Pat put her arm around Tim’s waist, wanting him on top of her. He rolled between her outstretched legs, and the head of his cock parted her pussy lips.

He slowly entered Pat, and as he did, she moaned and arched her back welcoming his thick cock. They lay together physically locked together as they continued to fondle each other. Their kisses grew more intense, their tongues slowed, and they could feel their lust grow.

Tim’s cock slowly stroked Pat’s pussy lips and massaged her pussy walls. She was dripping with her lust, which made it easy for Tim to glide in and out of the grasp of her vaginal muscles. Tim grabbed her hair, pulled her head back, and passionately kissed Pat’s neck and shoulder. She had a firm grip on his ass and moved with each stroke of his cock.

Pat was panting heavily. She broke from his kiss and stared into his eyes.

“Now,” she panted, “cum in me now.” Pat’s orgasm flooded from deep inside of her.

When Tim felt her sex juice on his balls, he erupted in a stream of cum. With each shot from his throbbing cock, Pat mewed and whimpered for more. They used every part of their body to arouse the other.

Pat’s arms and legs dropped to the bed from exhaustion. After a few more strokes, Tim had no choice but to lower himself on top of her. He was barely touching her when she pulled him down and their bodies made full contact.

Tim stroked Pat’s hair and looked into her eyes. She could feel the love from inside of him. Tim held her in his arms and kissed her softly. When they parted lips, Pat slowly traced her lips with her tongue and Tim accepted the invitation.

“What a wonderful way to begin a new year, and a new life. Making love to my bride. I can’t wait until we can make it legal. But as far as I’m concerned, Pat, I AM married to you now.”

“I feel the same way. I almost called you my husband a couple of times tonight. Some wouldn’t notice, or care, others would start the gossip wagon at first light,” then Pat yawned.

“Happy dreams, lover,” Tim said to Pat.

She cuddled up to him and they fell asleep together.

Pat woke up to the sounds of Elenore in the kitchen, and the smell of coffee. She looked over and Tim was awake. He smiled at her.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” Pat whispered.

“It felt too good feeling your body rise and fall with your breathing. And I was enjoying holding your breast in my hand.”

“Let me sneak a peek to see what the dress of the day will be,” Pat giggled.

She snuck over to the door and cracked it just enough to get a peek at a naked Elenore in the kitchen. When she turned around, Tim was staring at her.

“Well, we’re dressed for the day and what were you staring at?” Pat acted as though she was demanding an answer.

“I’m glad to know I am ready to greet the day, and I was watching that sweet hot ass of yours. Next question, my love?”

Pat went into the bathroom to fix her hair and do what the ladies do. When she came out, Tim hugged her and kissed her. As he went into the bathroom, he gave Pat a teasing swat on her butt.

When Tim finished, they walked into the kitchen, Elenore was pouring their coffee. They all sat down and let the first few sips wake them up. Tim was stifling a yawn, as was Elenore.

“First of all, Happy New Year. I’m sorry I left the party so early. I was getting very tired. Were you up late last night?”

Pat pointed to Tim, “He was up late, I just enjoyed it.” Elenore laughed out loud.

Elenore asked them what their plans were. Pat reluctantly said she was going to do more packing. Elenore told her she should bring whatever she wanted to the house. Elenore was just going to do what she does every day. Read her book and watch her shows on the television.

Tim decided he was going to go back to Medford and at least make an appearance. He would decide what he was going to move and what he would keep at his shop. They had more coffee and some coffee cake that Elenore made. It was around eleven when Tim put on his coat.

Tim hugged and kissed Elenore. She looked at Tim and whispered, “Thank you for making me happy.” Then she gave him a huge hug.

Pat threw her coat over her shoulders and walked down to the garage with Tim. The garage was heated, but not like the house. When they got to his car, Tim held her close to him.

“I want to cry, but I can’t. I know this isn’t goodbye, but I don’t want you to go, I love you so.” Pat was tearing up.

“Baby let’s make a vow now, our first wedding vow. We will never say goodbye, instead, we will say I love you. How does that sound?” Tim was comforting Pat.

“Oh, I like that. I like that a lot. I promise I will never say goodbye.” Pat jumped into his arms and crushed her lips against his.

Tim told Pat to go upstairs as he opened the garage door to the bitter cold. He backed out, then pulled to the front of the house. In the window, he saw his two loves waving. He blew the horn a couple of short notes, then drove down the driveway and onto the street. He was in no hurry to get home.

When he got home, he let the car run. He went into the shed and plugged in the warmer for the engine. That done, he turned the car off and locked it. He grabbed his suitcase from the trunk and rushed into the house. He had turned the heat down since he wouldn’t be home, but it felt very warm from the bitter cold. He left the thermostat where it was.

Tim sat at his workbench thinking, this was like many New Year’s Days. Sitting alone in his apartment. Wishing for the third when he would go back to work. Now he was at work, but there were no other employees, just him. His mood worsened when he started thinking about Pat. Ninety minutes ago, she was in his arms, and now his arms were empty.

He looked at the calendar, it was still December, but he was in January. He decided his mood wasn’t getting anything packed. He packed what he could, but left two of what they may need when Pat came to Medford. Then his phone rang, it was the Sheriff.

“Sheriff, Happy New Year,” Tim tried to sound happy. “What can I do for you?”

“Tim, I’m just checking on people. With this bitter cold, water lines are freezing and bursting, some homes are without heat. We’ve set up shelters in the school gym and the Church. Just wanted to check on you. I know you have been closed for a few days. Not much business in this weather, I’m sure.”

“Yeah, Sheriff, it gets very slow after the holidays. If you need any help with anything, I’m available. I’ll do whatever I can, just call.”

“I know you will. Thanks, Tim. Stay warm and stay indoors.” The call ended.

Tim went to the fridge to rescue a beer from the cold. He went into the living room and turned on the television. There was nothing of interest on television, so he decided to do some surfing. He decided to see what he could find out about Arthur Trenton.

To his surprise quite a bit. Pat’s soon-to-be former husband was very busy. He was arrested with over five hundred thousand dollars’ worth of stolen jewels. The woman he was with was known for shoplifting, prostitution, and receiving stolen merchandise. A lovely couple to be acquainted with.

He put a box dinner in the microwave, then went on another rescue mission from the fridge. The romantic ding of the microwave beckoned him to dinner. He took it to the computer and continued his search. Dear Arthur had his hands in several illegal deals. It seemed as though nothing was too low for him. One thing disturbed Tim. Arthur’s house was heavily mortgaged. Pat would strangle him when she found out.

Tim grew weary of Arthur and went to bed. He would let the law inform Pat about the mortgage. He turned on his little heater in his bathroom and sat on the edge of his bed. It made him remember the time he and Pat made love in his bed.

The memory made him smile. He laid down, and when he put his head on the pillow, the fragrance from Pat’s undies drifted into his nose. He let that memory rock him to sleep.

It felt as though he had just dozed off when his phone rang. It was Jack, Elenore’s lawyer.

“Good morning, Tim, I hope you had a fun time for New Year’s. The reason I’m calling is I would appreciate it if you could be back at Elenore’s this afternoon around three. Is that a possibility?”

“Well, sure, but is Elenore all right?” Tim’s voice sounded worried.

“Elenore is fine. There is a small item we need to take care of and Elenore would like to get it taken care of today. So, you can be there at three?” Jack wanted a firm commitment from Tim.

“Yes, sir. I will be there by three, this afternoon.”

“Great. Thank you for your cooperation. See you then.” Jack ended the call.

Tim looked at his phone, puzzled. What time is it? Holy crap it was nine-thirty. He had slept over twelve hours. How could that happen? He felt as though he was in the twilight zone.

At one-fifteen, Tim started his car and let her run for a minute just to wake her up. He headed for The Heights confused. But he would find out at three.

As Tim turned off the main road onto Elenore’s street, a moving van was leaving from the direction of Elenore’s house. He knew she was moving to a retirement village, so he didn’t think much about it.

Tim turned into the driveway, and as if by magic, the door opened. When he went to shut the door, he saw Pat running from her house. As soon as she was clear he shut the door. The wind had calmed from yesterday, but the cold did not leave. As soon as he could he grabbed Pat and kissed her.

“Pat, I have just spent the worst night of my life. God, I have missed you.”

“I didn’t sleep at all, I don’t think. I seemed as though I couldn’t sleep unless you were holding me.” They kissed again.

When they walked upstairs, Jack was waiting for them in the kitchen. He had the table decorated with all types of legal documents. Jack stood as they walked into the kitchen.

“Thank you both for rearranging your schedules. Shall we get down to business?”

“Wait”, Tim stopped him, “where’s Elenore? Shouldn’t she be here?”

“Well, no,” was Jack’s simple reply. “You will understand as we go through all of this, but Elenore is perfectly fine. Believe me.”

“Let me start with Pat. I’ve talked with your lawyer. You will be returning to your maiden name. There is an issue with the house that is being corrected. Your prenup is in tack, and you will get half of the sale and anything in the house that you want. Do you have any questions?”

“No, that’s everything I want. That’s wonderful,” Pat was happy and smiling.

“Now, Tim, you are free of any leans or encumbrances. You are paying a small mortgage on the home in Medford that you use for your business. That loan is satisfied.” Jack looked at Tim who sat there in shock.

“Now, these are the papers for Elenore’s estate. These papers cover what expenses are paid from the accounts that have been set up, taxes, and such. These papers transfer three million dollars to an account that has been set up for each of you separately. You can access those accounts as soon as tomorrow afternoon.

Pat and Tim sat speechless as Jack continued with all of the other legal business.

Tim spoke up, ”Jack, where is Elenore, is she aware of all of this? You’re telling us she just gave us three million dollars each. Elenore should be here for this. How can we be sure that - -“ Pat touched Tim’s arm and he sat down.

“Tim, Elenore didn’t want to be here. That’s why all along she said we would have the house on the fifth. That gave her time to move her things. She and Jack have been working on these details for a long, long time. Elenore didn’t want to be here. It would be too emotional for her. Pat was wiping tears from her cheeks as she tried to calm Tim. Jack sat back and let Pat finish.

Jack leaned forward in his chair, ”Tim, Pat is right. Elenore had to take time during our meetings to regain her composure. Seeing you two getting the keys to what she treasured most would have been too hard for her heart. Elenore loves you two more than you know.

Jack finished up a few minor details, put the papers in his briefcase, and stood up.

“My business is finished here. If either of you have any questions, I am here for you just as I have been for the past twenty-three years with Elenore. Good luck to both of you. I hope you have a wonderful life together.

They walked Jack down to the garage. Thanked him and shook his hand. They closed the door after he pulled out. They went upstairs to the living room window. Jack was sitting in his car waving to them.

As he drove off Pat looked at the tag on the keys. To the home of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Ouster.

Pat looked at Tim with tears in her eyes. It was not only the beginning of a new year but the beginning of a new life for Tim and Pat.

The End