The following morning found me crawling out of bed at ten o’clock. Man, did I sleep in; it felt good. I checked on Cynthia, well on the top of Cynthia’s head. The blanket moved a little. This was getting to be a fun ritual.
“Jack?” she yawned. “Are you getting up?” A little more movement.
“Yes, I am going to start the coffee. I’ll bring yours in when it’s ready.”
“Is it cold up there?” The little voice yawned.
“No, not really, but I can turn the heat up for you.”
“Thank you, that would be nice. Are you naked?” The little voice giggled.
“You will have to come out to find out,” This was getting to be fun.
“Why don’t you come under here and show me?” More giggling.
“How are we going to drink our coffee under there?”
“If you come under here, we won’t be drinking coffee, oh, damn it.” The little voice changed.
“What’s wrong, Baby?”
“You might as well start the coffee. I have to get up and Don’t Tickle Me!” I just laughed and headed for the kitchen.
I passed by the thermostat and boosted it up a couple of degrees, then woke the coffee maker up. I started thinking back over the last eight months. I have never been naked this much since the day I was born.
The coffee maker sounded its little beep, bringing me back to reality. I poured our coffee and went back to the bedroom. Cynthia was sitting up, and the covers were over her tits. I handed a cup to her and frowned.
“As soon as the coffee warms me, you can play with my boobies and anything else you want.” Cynthia teased.
I crawled back into bed next to Cynthia, “Honey, how will you tell the girls about your ring? I wonder what their reaction will be.” I took a careful sip of the steaming brew.
“I don’t know. I want to be as discreet as I can. It’s a beautiful ring, Jack, and I am so proud to wear it. I want to shout it out the window, so I must control my emotions. Not easy around you.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“Did you ever feel bad that they were married and you aren’t, yet?”
“Yes, in a way, I did, Jack. But that lessened when you hired me. I pretended we were married. I was living here, and taking care of your house. There wasn’t a lot of difference. I did envy their being in love, but that has all changed as of eight months ago.”
“I sure feel like my life is complete. You have made me very happy.”
Before we knew it, it was after twelve. We are supposed to meet them at two. When I told Cynthia, she gave me a loving look. We kissed softly and held each other for a minute or two; then, she went to the bathroom to get ready.
I took our coffee cups into the kitchen. I smiled to myself seeing the cups sitting side by side in front of the coffee maker. For so long, there was only one cup there. Looking around the apartment, there was a touch of Cynthia everywhere.
Before I knew it, Cynthia came into the kitchen. She wore a skirt and a button-up blouse, and her face was still radiant. The newness was still there. She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me.
“What were you thinking about Jack?”
“The two cups in front of the coffee maker instead of one. The pretty pictures on the walls. There’s a little bit of you in every part of our apartment. You‘ve made it home.” I kissed her, cautious of the new lipstick.
“I put some clothes out for you. You can get something different if you want. Then we better get a move on.” She was right.
The nice jeans and polo shirt were perfect. I put them on realizing now how much she has been doing all of this time. I had a new appreciation for Cynthia.
We arrived at the Kopper Kettle and found a parking spot right at the entrance. I opened Cynthia’s door and stopped her when she got out. I just looked at her, smiling.
“My man is happy, isn’t he?” Cynthia whispered and touched my face.
“Yes, more than I can tell you, Cynthia. I hope I can always make you happy.” We held hands and walked to the entrance.
Emily saw us and approached us with a big smile. “It’s good to see you again. You have some friends waiting for you. Follow me, please.”
Emily escorted us to the back of the restaurant, waiting there were our friends and a decorated table. Cynthia gasped, and Emily giggled. I had no idea what was going on. They stood up and started clapping. Cynthia started to tear up, and so did Emily.
“CONGRATULATIONS! They said in unison. Stacy and Allison hugged Cynthia and demanded to see the ring. Tommy and Andrew came over and shook my hand. I was still speechless.
“How in the hell did you find out?” I asked, still in shock.
Allison confessed, “My neighbor’s son busses tables at Isabella’s. She has been at the house when Cynthia would visit before she met you. He came home and told her, she told me, and here we are celebrating your engagement. This is so exciting.” Allison was bubbling all over.
“Allison, what other covert operations have you done?” I asked. They all laughed.
We sat down, and George, the owner, brought a bottle of champagne for us. He congratulated us and said the bottle was an engagement gift from the Kopper Kettle. Andrew ordered two sampler plates.
The girls had to see Cynthia’s ring again. She was blushing and giggling. The three had been close friends at the maid service. Stacy and Cynthia were there when Allison joined. Having the girls do this meant so much to Cynthia.
“Oh, Cynthia, I almost forgot,” Stacy interrupted their conversation. “We are having a Halloween party at the warehouse. Mrs. Jacobs wanted me to give you an invitation. Here.”
“It’s a week before Halloween, on Saturday afternoon,” Allison added. Cynthia looked at me.
“Go, Baby. You’ll have a great time. You’ll get to see the old gang.”
“Hey, Jack, it’s for us too. Andrew and I are going. You have to go, man. You’re part of the gang now.”
“Cool, I’m in. I have the perfect costumes for us. We could go as...”
Cynthia interrupted me. “Jack Langdon, I know you. We are not going as Adam and Eve. If that is your idea, we will stay home and raise “Cain” as long as we’re “Able.” They all started laughing.
“I was thinking of a maid and butler combination,” I said, trying to defend myself.
“The upstairs maid who is sneaking around with the butler,” Tommy added. There was no rescuing the conversation after that. We were all in stitches.
Tommy ordered another bottle of champagne and another platter of appetizers. The conversation was light-hearted and constant. There wasn’t a dull moment. Emily came over to check on us occasionally, and George stopped by the table as he was leaving.