Claire looked around her hospital room. She felt a bit silly being there but because of her age, her doctor had her admitted as soon as the baby dropped rather than wait for contractions to start. He had originally wanted to take the baby surgically, but she would have none of that.

There had been a steady stream of visitors, including her sons, then Ray and Sharone with her husband Roy and of course, John. Even Sharone’s swinger friends stopped by briefly. Everyone was excited when her water broke and contractions started.

Soon they would all know. It was the culmination of eight months of speculation, recriminations, separations and reconciliations. Claire had not wanted to know if the baby was a boy or girl, and its race could not be determined in utero.

Claire carelessly confided to a nurse that the paternity was in doubt, and now everyone knew. She was a bit of a celebrity on the floor but after the ordeals she had endured for the last several months, she had lost her inhibitions.

The long, quiet nights after visiting hours afforded her ample time to review the past year. She decided that her episode with Robert had not brought her much in the way of satisfaction and was a serious misdeed on her part.

Her involvement with Sharone’s family had forced John to face some realities about their sex life that she had never felt comfortable to address with him.

Lying there her mind went back to the conversation she and John had after their threesome with Ray.

For a few days, they had enjoyed spending time together, not doing anything special, just reconnecting. Then one evening, after dinner, John asked Claire to sit beside him on the sofa.

He began, “I have spent a lot of time thinking about the personal side of our future plans, trying to imagine a scenario that allows you the freedom to satisfy your sexual needs without making me crazy with jealousy.

“It’s clear that I haven’t the drive nor the equipment to keep you completely happy.”

Claire interrupted. “John, you have been a wonderful husband, don’t think I feel otherwise.”

He held up his hand to stop her. “Let me continue before I come to my senses. I do not feel inadequate; I have concluded that you are experiencing a phase related to your hormonal state that won’t last forever.

“Given that we can come to a workable arrangement, I am willing to wait it out. Now, your turn. Have you thought about what you would like to happen going forward?”

Claire realized that this was the moment to come clean about the possible pregnancy, but she still hoped that she was not. “No, not really, I have been waiting to hear from you. I am focussed on repairing our partnership. I know you; you are a planner so you must have a suggestion.”

“Yes, could you be happy in the near term to limit your playing to Ray? I kind of liked him, if one can like a man who has fucked his wife. He is known for his integrity generally, and has no desire to marry you.

“There would be other conditions as well, but that is the principal matter that concerns me. From my observation, you two have excellent chemistry in bed which I imagine you could explore for the nonce, at least. I saw you go into another universe under him, from the one I inhabit.”

Claire was having trouble following him, but it appeared he was giving her some sort of hall pass. She remained quiet.

“I am very concerned that you be discrete, so no eating, drinking or dancing in public establishments without me present. For now, no overnight stays, I dread sitting at home alone imagining what you are up to. You may meet him here, even if I am at home, in fact at some time I might want to join you or at least watch you.”

Claire hugged and kissed her husband. “You are amazing, you know that? A woman couldn’t have a better husband and lover.” Her gaze dropped to John’s lap which, to her delight, had a bulge. “Take me to bed and fuck me, then let’s watch some Jeopardy together.”

When a month had passed and still no menstruation, Claire made a doctor’s appointment where she heard the dreaded word, pregnant. A test confirmed the diagnosis. Claire’s world came crashing down.

“This must be God’s punishment for my earlier transgressions. I can’t avoid it forever, I’ll have to tell John.” She dreaded his reaction to the news, even though they were separated when she hooked up with brothers Ron and Ray.

They had survived the threesome pretty well. But she doubted that John had even considered the possibility of pregnancy; he had been snipped years ago so it was a non-issue for them. This might be the final blow to their marriage.

She imagined herself married to Ray. He was a few years younger than her and a successful businessman. But he had remained a bachelor until now for a reason. “He is not husband material,” she decided.

When she first met him he was impregnating his infertile twin brother’s wife. It was possible that he knocked up Claire that same night. It was all a bit foggy in her memory.

Well, she wouldn’t show for several weeks, so she could pick and choose when to inform John. Meanwhile, plans were progressing for their new, smaller home which would be a bit cramped with a child.

She vividly recalled the day she decided that she must tell Ray that he may have fathered another child and later tellingJohn:

In the end, she couldn’t keep such a potentially explosive situation a secret. She wanted to tell someone. She had not seen Ray since the threesome.

She texted him: LUNCH HERE TOMORROW?

OK, came back the response almost immediately.

She awoke the next morning with John’s hard cock pressing into her thigh. She rolled onto her side and began playing with it. After a few minutes, he said, “I have an early meeting today. Can we have a quicky?”

Though her bladder felt full, she opened her legs and let him slip in. John had never quite gotten the hang of slow, deliberate foreplay, to him sex was kiss kiss, then penis in vagina ASAP.

That was probably what intimidated him when he watched Claire and Ray explore each other’s bodies with their eyes, and their mouths and tongues, tasting their essences, licking sex organs; taking their time to reach their goal.

Boy, did it feel good to pee after. No time to shower, she put on one of his work shirts from the laundry hamper and stepped into her briefs, then went to make breakfast.

Claire was still in his shirt, barefoot, cleaning up the breakfast mess when the doorbell rang. Thinking it was the paper boy, she opened the door. The shirt tails reached to her thighs, making it appear she had no other clothes on, but they covered the essentials. It was not the paper boy.

Ray stood there admiring the view for a moment, then he grabbed her and kissed her hard, backing her into the room, closing the door with his foot. Of course he assumed she wanted sex, because John had talked to him about sharing her and he had been waiting for her call.

“Not now Ray, we need to talk.” She tried to push his hands away, but he was persistent.

“Sex now, talk later is my mantra,” he had her shirt half unbuttoned already. “You have the most luscious titties; you should never wear a bra,” and soon, her shirt was off and he was licking and sucking her nipples. That pleasant ache in her abdomen was removing the last of her resistance.

“Oh damn Ray, you’ve got me all wet again, and look, your cock is about to burst through your pant leg. Did you come here commando?” He lifted his lips from her nipple, picked her up and sat her on the kitchen counter.

“I didn’t want any unnecessary barriers; I’ve been dreaming about this since John gave us his blessings.” His hand found her damp panty gusset. He pulled it to one side.

When he put a finger in her pussy she was toast; her defenses crumbled as she knew they would, but when he went to lick her pussy she stopped him, aware that John’s cum was still there.

“Let’s move somewhere comfortable,” she suggested. They kissed their way into the den where he stopped and undid his jeans.

Sure enough, no underwear impeded his cock from springing into her hand. Before she could decide whether to get on her knees, he beat her to it, pulling her panties down as he went.

“Mmmm,” he held her panties to his nose and breathed her essence in. Then he nudged her legs apart, making room for him to taste her pussy. Claire’s knees went weak. She didn’t try to stop him this time.

After assuring himself that she was wet enough, he lay on his back on the carpet and guided her on top.

“I’ll support you, don’t worry. You have more control this way, and I want to watch your face when you cum on my cock. I am not prone to argue,” he said with a wicked grin.

With John’s lubrication, she slid easily down until he was fully in her, then he reached for her breasts, letting her set the pace. She found that a small rocking motion of her pelvis sent waves of sensation deep into her womb.

Ray was thinking how beautiful Claire looked as she approached her orgasm. This position gave him more freedom to pinch and lick her nipples, heightening the sensations for her and squeezing his glans in a delightful way.

Claire’s orgasm approached rapidly, and as she peaked she yelled, “I’m pregnant!” then collapsed on his chest, breathing heavily. Nobody moved for several minutes.

When they had caught their breath Ray asked, “Who’s the papa?”

Claire answered with certainty, “It must be you, John is clipped.” Another prolonged silence followed that assertion.

“Does John know?”

“Not yet. I am trying to decide how to tell him. I need for you to keep it quiet. I shouldn’t have blurted it out just now, but I needed to tell someone and you got in my crosshairs at the wrong moment.”

“Well, lucky us, we can fuck away without worrying about that at least. Now where were we?” He rolled them over and proceeded to finish what John had started.

Three months later, John commented that she seemed to be gaining weight. The eleventh hour had arrived.

“John, I’m pregnant.” No preamble, no touchy-feely, a straight shot, then silence.

“Do you know who the father is?” Claire’s heart sank; apparently, John assumed that she had been fooling around behind his back again.

“There are only two possibilities, Ray or you. I have been faithful to you since we got back together.”

“Well we know it isn’t me.” John didn’t know what to do now. “Is Ray willing to marry you?”

“Good god no! And I am not interested in him as either a husband or father of my child.”

“Does that mean you plan to keep the child?” Claire was flabbergasted that he would imagine anything else, she didn’t even answer him. She came and knelt in front of John.

“John, I know I have been a terrible wife this last year. You are well justified to kick me out and never speak to me again. But I swear to you that, other than Ray, I have not been near another man. And I truly do love you only.

“I will ask you one last favor; will you please have a fertility test to reconfirm that you cannot father a child? I pray to God that you have, I don’t want to lose you.”

Without responding, John packed some clothes and left, saying, "I can’t be around you right now.” They were right back where the had been before, he was leaving his only home to his cheating wife.

Except for essential business, John had no contact with his estranged wife. He took a sublease on a furnished room. A week went by, then another. Finally he decided to be tested for sperm count. That would put the matter directly on her and Ray. His doctor was skeptical but he sent a sample to the lab.

To everyone’s chagrin, except John’s, he was producing viable sperm, not vigorous, but motile. His vasectomy had failed and his vas deferens had reconnected. “It happens sometimes,” his physician admitted.

But that didn’t guarantee his paternity. It was more likely that Ray was the father. He decided not to reveal the result to Claire just yet.

Fortunately for John his development project was moving along well. He could busy himself with that, and it might be finished in the fall. Of course, they would probably have to sell it.

For Claire the time passed glacially, she moped around the apartment, spurning Ray’s overtures and waiting for John’s sense of fair play to bring him back. Her doctor loaded her up with dietary supplements and mood enhancers to counter her depression.

She enrolled in a Lamaze program with Sharone who was heavy with her own baby, until she went into labor. Then Ray took over, and was the first man to feel the baby kick.

Finally, John’s conscience got the better of him; he called her and confessed that he could possibly be the child’s father, however unlikely. Ray had been keeping him abreast of developments at home.

He would not move back home but he and Claire did have some meals together. Neither would admit that they were heartsick at not spending their nights wrapped in the other’s arms.

At times, seeing her with a big belly, heavy with someone’s child was gut-wrenching for John, but it also brought back fond memories of how happy they were when she was carrying his sons. He gave no hint to the boys that their new sibling may arrive brown.

Her labor went on longer than the doctors thought good. She was given drugs to speed things up. When she went into the delivery room, the nurses were not sure who should go in with her, her Lamaze partner or her husband.

In the end, both men accompanied her and watched as she delivered a beautiful baby girl, the image of Claire, with her fair complexion. Ray breathed a sigh of relief and left to spread the news.

John hugged his wife and they cried together in celebration of their new life together.

The End