Love Born in Florence, Ch. 04

Please read chapters 1-3 before this,

To those who reach for the stars

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We were driving home from our weekend at the lake. Paige had dressed in a pair of loose-fitting cotton shorts, because they were comfortable for driving.

I found they were comfortable for me fingering her, an activity that woke her up. She moaned and her eyes were closed and she held my arm as she came. A few minutes later, she knelt on the seat so she could reach over the console of my Civic and kiss me on the cheek.

"You're a naughty boy, taking advantage of me that way. Please do it anytime you want."

When we entered the house, Mom and Dad were sitting in the living room, reading.

"We have something to tell you."

Paige walked over and showed them her ring. Mom screamed and stood and hugged Paige.

"I had a hunch that might happen this weekend. Welcome to the family, Paige."

They hugged again. There was going to be a lot of that. Dad shook my hand. Then he hugged Paige.

"When are you getting married?"

"I'm glad you asked. We've been looking at the calendar."

We talked them through the dates we had looked at and together we decided to shoot for a wedding on Saturday, August 9th. Mom called a friend who owned a reception center and that date was open, so we booked it on her assurance it was nice. Mom's know those things.

"Ok, guys, we're behind the 8-ball on this. Today is June 22nd, so we have 7 weeks--actually 48 days--to plan this."

Mom is an organizer, and immediately she and Paige were at the dining table making decisions about what to do and when.

Dad smiled and motioned for me to sit down.

"I've learned when the women start planning, I just shut up and appreciate it. Congratulations, son. Paige is a wonderful girl. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate you and Mom opening your home to her this summer."

"It's been wonderful to get to know her."

The next day, I asked Mom whether they would mind if Paige and I occupied the same room.

"If you can promise not to wake us up at odd hours of the night with all of her moaning and screaming."

I had to quote her to Paige because it was classic Mom.

Paige moved into my room that night and we slept together from then on. I can only think of one night when we disturbed their sleep, but the only way we knew that was a few minutes later when Mom screamed.

I had to hold my hand over Paige's mouth to stifle her laughter.

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One night, Paige wanted to talk about money.

"I've told you a little about my family's money and the money I got from my grandfather. You and I are getting married, so I've been thinking about how to handle that. I got that money five years ago and hardly touched it until my trip to Europe, and even that wasn't much.

"Most of my money is invested, but I have about $25,000 in checking and $125,000 in savings. My investment portfolio has grown to a little over $1.1 million.

"Here's what I'd like to do, and I want your thoughts about this. Right after we get married, I want us to open a joint checking account and a savings account as well. I want to transfer $10,000 into the joint checking and $25,000 into our joint savings.

"I think it makes sense for the rest of the money to remain in my name, but I want to do two things. First, I'll continue to transfer money to our joint accounts as you and I need it. Second, I'm going to add a transfer-on-death provision so the investment money would all transfer to you if I die.

"What do you think?"

"I love you, and one of the reasons is how kind you are. I think what you decide is your business. I know you're committed to us. That's all that matters."

Paige's eyes filled with tears.

"I love you so much, Logan. Your total support means so much to me. There's something else you need to know. Actually two things. At some point in the future, I'll probably inherit a lot more money. You probably knew that already, but I often wonder whether you and I will end up wanting to move there and live in that home once my parents are gone."

"Of course, that might be in our retirement years."

"Sure, or even early retirement for us. I just want to make sure we're on the same page of awareness. My second thing is about the costs of our wedding. Tradition helps here, because my parents have talked with yours several times and they're going to pay most of the wedding costs. That works out perfectly. They don't want your parents to incur a huge cost that's difficult for them. I guess there's another related thing.

"They want to us to have a nice honeymoon of our choice and will transfer $10,000 to my account soon so we can do that. So, where do you want to go?"

"Our first night needs to be here in Spokane, at a nice hotel. Are you thinking Florence or Vienna?"

"Oh, Logan, both of those places meant so much to us. I was in Florence in December, of course, so I'd pick Vienna, but either works for me. What do you want?"

"I say Vienna. It will be over two years since we made love that last night there."

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A thousand details later, only a few of which I had to deal with directly, it was our wedding day, It was August 9th, 2014.

Paige and I woke early, knowing it would be a long day. We had a reservation that night at the Davenport Hotel, for a junior suite, and planned to stay one night, then catch our 11 am flight to Vienna the next morning. We had our bags packed for Vienna and were sending our wedding clothes home with my mother.

It was a long day, but the moment neither of us will ever forget--a moment that in many ways felt almost surreal--was when the minister pronounced us husband and wife.

We kissed but then hugged each other. Paige whispered in my ear: "It's you and me, Babe. For the rest of our lives."

We endured the reception that followed. A friend once told me when he got married he realized the reception is for the mothers. He was right, but he failed to add they earned it.

We had a special moment when Amanda approached. She introduced herself and hugged Paige. "Paige, Logan told me you made him wait until after Christmas to tell me. That was kind of you. I can see why he loves you. Best wishes to you, Paige and Logan." She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek.

Paige and I were exhausted when we changed into our travel clothes at about 8. I ordered an Uber, and we left for the Davenport.

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When we reached the room, I opened the door and propped it open with my bag, so I could scoop Paige up and carry her into the room. We stood and kissed passionately.

I brought in both bags and she opened hers and handed me a present. Inside was a pair of black silk boxers. Nude in bed was out as my instruction.

Paige had taken her bag with her into the bathroom, so I got busy preparing the room and getting properly dressed, or rather, undressed.

She had hinted she had something special to wear on our wedding night, but I was more than surprised. She had not been a big one for lingerie. Bra and thong was her normal thing, but on our wedding night she came out wearing something truly special.

Black garter belt and stockings. No bra or panty of any kind. Over that she wore a sheer black peignoir. Her nipples were clearly visible, as was her pussy, only now it was shaved bare.

"Do you like what you see, Babe?"

"Almost too sexy to remove."

"I doubt that."

"I said 'almost.'"

I kissed her neck and moved behind her to kiss the back of her neck, causing her to shiver.

As I slowly pulled the peignoir down below her shoulders, I kissed her shoulders and back. I lowered the peignoir below her breasts, and reached from behind to cup them, holding each nipple between two fingers.

She was panting and slowly leaned her head back. I released a breast and pulled her head to the side by her chin and kissed her neck and sucked on an earlobe.

"You are the sexiest woman I've ever known," I whispered in her ear.

She was moaning and quivering, and her moans got louder as I squeezed her nipple.

Standing in front of her again, I kissed her. Our tongues explored as I held a breast in each hand. She reached down to cup my balls and then rubbed me through the silk.

The peignoir was now at her waist, and I continued pushing it down past her hips until it dropped to the floor. I knelt to help her step out of the peignoir, and when I looked up I was staring at her bald pussy. She was wet.

I stood and hugged her and then picked her up and carried her to the bed.

What followed that night was joyous and unhurried. She made love to my cock and swallowed my first load. I went down on her and listened to her moans as she came twice.

I was deep inside her for a long time as I gradually brought her to another orgasm. When I exploded, her legs were over my shoulders and I had folded her in half as I pounded.

We showered together and carefully washed each other, with due attention to sensitive parts, and that got our juices flowing again. Paige put her arms around my neck and pulled me with her as she backed against the wall of the shower.

"Do me here, babe. Pile-drive into me."

I picked her up by her ass and she wrapped her legs around me. She clung to my neck and wailed each time I pounded her against the wall.

We dried off and slept through the night, naked. My sweet wife snuggled against me.

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As soon as we got off the plane in Vienna, we checked into our hotel. No budget hostel-like place this time. We were traveling a la Paige. This time it was a beautiful boutique hotel in a quiet neighborhood just a couple hundred yards from St. Stephen's: the Hotel König von Ungarn (King of Hungary).

"Logan, this is beautiful. I'm so happy to be back here with you. A year ago I thought I would never see you again, but today I'm your wife--and we've consummated our marriage, which was wonderful. Now we're back where we made love two years ago. Our first time together."

"Shall we make sure it was consummated properly?"

"Yes, but I'm hungry. How about if we walk over to Figlmüller and have some Wienerschnitzel."

"Too bad they don't have Bistecca Fiorentino here."

After we got our fix of one of our favorite local dishes, we walked slowly towards our hotel, loving the warm evening and the strains of music in the distance. We walked up to Stephansplatz and listened to a violinist. Around the corner a cellist was playing.

Paige turned to me and we kissed.

"This is about as romantic as anything I've ever experienced. Take me back to our hotel and make love to me, Logan."

When we got to our room, we simply undressed each other and stood, naked, holding each other so our bodies were pressed together. I loved holding Paige next to me that way, with her warm breasts against me as I held her ass in my hands.

We made love that night as though it had been our first time. She cried out as I entered her. I watched her face as I thrust in and out. She was smiling, but her eyes were closed. With each impact into her I heard a cry escape her lips.

She wrapped her legs around me and pulled with her arms.

"You feel so good."

My pace hadn't changed yet, but I was getting close to my climax, so I sped up and thrust harder. Paige was moaning louder with each impact.

I pushed deep and filled her.

Later as we lay naked in bed, we talked about a future family.

"I know we both want children, but when?"

"I have one more year of law school, but you have two. I really think you should get your law degree and pass the bar, at a minimum."

"You want to wait for at least two years before we have a baby?"

"What do you think?"

"Your reasons make sense, so I think two years, but I'm uncertain about practicing law."

"Why is that?"

"In the short term, we don't need the money. My portfolio is generating $30,000 to $60,000 a year in income or growth, so we can easily take care of ourselves until you are out and working for a law firm. Of course, that means a firm in Seattle, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I had always pictured myself in Spokane, but I also know at some point in our lives we may end up living on the estate in Connecticut."

"That could be far in the future. Mom's only 46, and she'll probably provide for Dad to live there with a life estate. It could easily be 40 years in the future, a place for us to retire."

"Don't you think if they passed away sooner, you would still want to leave Washington behind and live there?"

"You're right, I would, but we would be incredibly wealthy as well."

"Paige, how many children do you imagine having?"

"At least three. What about you?"

"Three or four. We'll be able to afford raising children. You're an only child, and the only cousins you have are on your dad's side. My brother and my sisters are still squeezing out babies, though, so our kids will have cousins."

"Is your heart set on practicing in Spokane?"

"It is. I've never had a desire to practice in Seattle."

"What if you could get a judicial clerkship in Seattle? Then we would be free to move to Spokane a year later."

"I hadn't thought of that, but my grades are certainly good enough. I co-authored a Law Review article with one of the professors last year. Instead of footnoting me, he insisted on listing me as a co-author. That will help a lot finding a judicial job."

"Talk to your career advisement people about timing, ok? However, I think you're correct I should graduate and pass the bar. It's fine with me if I'm pregnant when I graduate and due after the bar exam. Like maybe getting pregnant about February and being due in November. That means pregnancy about 18 months from now."

"You're excited to be a mother, aren't you?"

"I am. I can hardly wait, but I will."

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We had a wonderful week in Vienna. One day we took a train to Melk to see the huge Abbey there, perched above the Danube. Then we caught a boat downstream to Vienna.

On our last night, we made love, but this time it was Paige in charge, a cowgirl riding me violently and bringing us both to our climaxes at the end. We fell asleep with her on top of me.

We showered together the next morning and made love again, looking into each other's eyes.

We flew to Amsterdam, then non-stop to Seattle, then a regional jet east to Spokane.

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We were back in Spokane for two days. We found a letter to Paige, forwarded from Connecticut. The look on her face alarmed me.

"Who is it from?"

"Matt."

"Are you going to read it?"

"I think I should."

I stood behind her and held her as she read out loud.

Paige:

I heard from a mutual friend you and Logan got married a few days ago. I am sincerely thrilled for you and wish the two of you all the best.

I needed to write to tell you how sorry I am for what I did to you. Mr. Hamilton shocked me and forced me to take accountability. I spent months in counseling and never want to make those mistakes again. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

With warm regards,

Matt

Paige was crying as she turned to me and I held her tightly.

I realized he was fundamentally a good guy, but if he had been a better man back then, Paige would have married him. Mixed feelings on my end!

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We drove to Seattle with our car jam-packed, including the back seat. We had purchased bedding, and the owners had made sure the utilities were already on. We packed our car with dishware, cookware, and everything else we could think of.

Within a couple of days, we were moved in and unpacked. We had opened our bank accounts, and Paige transferred money. The following Monday I was a 3L and Paige a 2L, third-year and second-year law students.

It was fun to see Paige around the law school. Personal study space was assigned by the school, and hers was distant from mine, but we rode the bus to and from the law school together and often met for lunch.

We made love often in our new apartment. It was fun to be fellow students in law school, discussing cases we were reading, and preparing for finals together.

I got word in November that one of the federal district court judges in Seattle wanted to interview me. Paige was at least as excited as I was, so she checked my suit closely for lint before clearing me to leave.

I thought the interview went well. One of my challenges was simple. This was an activist judge, more apt to re-imagine the Constitution than apply it. I was surprised when he said he felt I was more conservative than him--that was an understatement, I thought--but that's why he wanted me as one of his clerks.

That made no sense to me. Washington and a bunch of other western states, including California, are in the 9th circuit--the most overturned circuit in the nation. It's a bunch of judges who have raised ignoring Supreme Court precedent to an art form.

"I want you precisely because you will understand better than a more liberal clerk the tension between strict construction and what I often feel is more correct for the problems we face today. Can you deal with liberal wackos like me?"

He smiled as he said that, so I came right back at him. "If you can deal with someone who's actually read the Constitution."

He laughed hard over that and held out his hand. "The position is yours if you want it. I think we'll manage to get along well."

I thought he was one of the most charming and disarming men I had ever met. And often thoroughly wrong on the law. He loved the Constitution until a case dealt with one of his leftist hot buttons. Then he ignored it.

However, since the majority of cases are more clear cut and aren't hot topic agenda items, I knew most of the cases were consistent with the Constitution and would not generate a successful appeal at the Supreme Court.

After a year of working for him, we were good friends, but that was much later. For now, Paige and I were both thrilled with the news. We could stay in this apartment, while I clerked for a year, and she finished her third year of law school.

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We spent Christmas with my parents. Paige and I had agreed on a single present we would give to each other. It was our favorite engagement photo, framed 16 X 20 and with a small printed card in the corner: "August 9, 2014." We opened it together, which was good, since we wrapped it together.

Dad handed me a small present at the end. Totally out of order. I opened it and there was a Toyota key fob inside. One of those for keyless entry.

I looked at Dad and he told me to follow him to the window.

"See that car parked in front of Jasperson's house. Push the button to unlock the car."

I did, and the car's lights flashed.

Paige was already standing by the house door. She opened it and we ran there together. It was a brand new 2015 model, a black Camry. Loaded. Not a base model.

We jumped in and drove over to my parents' driveway.

"Paige, tell me everything you know about this."

"Ok, I went to your father and we worked out a deal. You will sign over the title to your Honda to him, and he will sell it and recoup part of his contribution."

"And the rest came from you?"

"I played a role. That's as much as you will ever know. I love you. Logan, and I'm so proud of you for being down to one semester and having a judicial clerkship in your pocket."

"Shall we go for a drive?"

"Let's go."

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My last semester flew by. I finished in the top 10% of my class, which would help somewhat in recruiting.

Paige was just a shade behind that in her class, about top 15%. I was convinced she was not going to practice law, a decision I would support, so long as she passed the bar exam.

She had also nailed down a clerk position with one of the big law firms in Seattle, so we would have a busy year. I would have the next couple of months to prepare for the bar exam, and then would start work with the judge immediately after that.

I walked out of my last final on the day of commencement. Mom and Dad were there, sitting with Paige and yelling for me when my name was read.

Paige made me wear my graduation cap to make love that night.

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By June, I was sick of preparing for the bar exam, but I still had a list of topics to cover. Paige was loving her clerk experience. She came home every night and cooked dinner. That surprised me, but she was also collecting new recipes and having fun learning how to cook better.

The bar exam is a two-day affair, held in July in Tacoma, and also in Lynnwood, north of Seattle. I opted for Lynnwood. There are few things as stressful as that exam, but I felt great when the second day ended.

That night Paige surprised me. It was a Friday night and she sat beside me on the sofa.

"Babe, there's something I want to do in bed tonight. Last summer you mentioned anal sex, and I'm ready to try it and have your hard cock in my ass. Do you want to?"

"Do you know what we need to do?"

"I do. I've been researching it--here at home--there's no way I wanted that on our firm's search history! I'll tell you everything and then you tell me if you want to try."

For the next several minutes she explained and I asked questions. When she finished, I was hard, and she noticed. She reached out to rub me.

"That looks like a vote for taking my anal virginity."

We undressed each other and got warmed up, meaning a climax to relax her. She had prepped already to clean her colon, so my task was to dilate her sphincter. We took our time and used a couple different toys she had bought. I was soon using the largest in her and she was comfortable with me pushing that in and out.

She spent a couple of minutes with me in her mouth to make sure I was hard and told me she was ready.

I was worried about her. From my first entry, her soft cries signaled pain.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"It's good, just intense. You can go a little deeper."

A half-inch at a time, I got deeper inside her. We paused when the pain was sharp, and frequently added more lube. Finally, my balls were against her ass. After a few more minutes, as she was panting and whimpering, I was able to thrust in and out freely.

"Go for it, baby. I can take it."

I didn't last long. The pressure on me was amazing and felt great, but it brought on a quicker release than normal.

"I'm really close."

"Go ahead. Cum inside me."

I truly exploded inside her, and the throbbing continued for what seemed a long time. I lay on her back, still deep in her ass.

We had a couple of wash cloths nearby, so I pulled out and cleaned myself and her. Then we showered together.

"Thanks for doing that. I noticed women often describe it as 'intense,' and it was all of that, but I loved it. Thanks for being so careful with me. Did you enjoy it?"

"It was incredible. The pressure on me was unlike anything else."

"I definitely want to do that more, maybe once a month. I know my ass will hurt for a couple of days."

Paige's sense of adventure and willingness to explore is great. I had no idea we would have so much fun together.

The next month I received notification I had passed the bar exam, and a month later I was sworn in as a member of the bar, fully licensed to practice law.

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We got to Christmas break, both for Paige in school and for me at the court, so we drove to Spokane. Over the next two days, I had appointments with two law firms I was interested in and had good interviews with both.

I gave Paige a set of diamond earrings and she gave me a beautiful set of sheet music for many of Chopin's works. I played some of them on my parents' piano for Paige to hear.

The holidays were soon over and we were back, Paige for her final semester and me back to the court.

I received an offer from one of the firms in Spokane. The money was better than I expected and I had hoped for an offer from this firm. I called the next day and accepted verbally, with my signed acceptance going in the mail.

A couple of weeks later, we made a momentous decision.

"Logan, we talked last year about when to get pregnant. Are you ok with my idea of getting pregnant next month? My due date would be at least three months after the bar exam."

"I'm excited by that. A year from now we could be holding our baby that is a couple of months old."

"I'm so excited to be a mother. Next week I'll stop taking the pill. Then it's up to you to knock me up."

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I walked in the door from work one day in March, and Paige met me with a big smile.

"Come sit in this chair.... Now close your eyes."

She stood behind me and put her arms around me and kissed my cheek.

"Ok, you can look."

She was holding a home pregnancy test showing positive.

I jumped up and hugged her, then I lifted her in the air and spun around.

It was suddenly real. We were going to have a baby we made.

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Roger and Elaine flew out from Connecticut, and my parents came as well. We sat together at commencement and cheered for Paige.

She got busy studying for the bar exam. I was more confident than she that she would pass. She did, but before she was sworn in we moved to Spokane, into an apartment we had rented.

We drove back to Tacoma for her swearing in. I hugged her for a long time.

I started work at the law firm and soon found ways to bring in clients. I was loving practicing law, meeting clients and gaining their confidence. And making money. The court position was decent for pay, but this was far better.

Paige was getting larger, and our lovemaking had to accommodate that. Missionary was out. She loved cowgirl, because she could control my depth. Side-by-side, never a favorite before, was good now.

As she got closer and more uncomfortable, I watched a couple of YouTube videos and learned some tips on giving her massages. She especially liked the ones with happy endings.

Her due date was November 12th, and we had prepared "the bag," the one to be grabbed on our way out the door.

That day came on November 10th, when her water broke as we were getting ready for bed.

It was just before midnight when we welcomed Jacob Roger Parker as the new member of our family. He cried wonderfully, and once they cleaned him up, the nurse brought him for Paige to hold. I've seen Paige with a lot of happy faces, but this surpassed them all.

A nurse came in and showed her how to nurse Jake properly, and I had to face the fact that nothing I do will ever produce on her face the joy and love of that moment.

Paige was moved into her own room, and Mom and Dad were soon standing with us. I was wiping away a lot of tears realizing I was a father.

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In the years that followed, we had three more children after Jake: Olivia, Maya, and Grayson. We bought our first home in 2018, when Jake was about 2 and right after Olivia was born. It was a four-bedroom home on a third of an acre.

I became a partner in our law firm, so my income increased and we were living comfortably. Paige's investment portfolio was now about 1.4 million.

In 2022, Paige's parents called and asked her to fly to Connecticut to meet with them. She returned a few days later with sad news: her mother was terminally ill with cancer. Clara was 57, and Spencer was only 60.

A few years earlier, they started talking about building a home on the land, a discreet distance away from the main home, where the two of them could live comfortably. That had not made much sense to us. Why not remain in the big home? After all, they had a housekeeper.

Paige now had some answers.

"They completed that house they told us about. It's a two-bedroom home with a beautiful master suite and kitchen. Here's the surprise: Mom and Dad are going to move into it now. It's on one level, so there are no stairs. To drive to it, you just drive around the big house, the way we get to the stables, the ground keeper's house and the maintenance yard. Just farther away, with a really nice view."

"What's happening to the big house?"

Paige's eyes were full of tears.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"They're asking us to move into the big house. I'm their only child, and they're worried about Dad living alone on that big property. Not so much now, but over time, it's a big worry.

"Mom told me something else. She has her lifetime exemption from the gift tax intact and plans to transfer $12 million to me soon. They want us to understand we will not be hurting for money. She also told me she has amended her trust so on her death, $50 million comes to me and the balance to Dad. When he dies, it all comes to me. Land, investments, both houses and money. Everything."

"They really want us there, don't they?"

"They need us there, Logan."

"I understand. I know the Connecticut bar has reciprocity with Washington, so I can be admitted on motion. I could look for a job with an existing firm, or just rent an office and hang out my shingle.

"Look, Paige, I'm really ok with this, but I think we need to explain this to my parents. They're going to feel abandoned. I'm the only one of four children living within two hours of them, and we're 20 minutes away.

"However, I want you to think of something else. Our kids will love growing up in that house and getting to know the land, and we can teach them to ride."

"We'll have to buy a couple of horses, maybe a few sheep, too."

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A year later, we were living in Connecticut. In the big house. Clara's funeral was about six months after we moved. Spencer was loving the new home with no stairs. It turned out he had a knee that would eventually need replacement.

One day, soon after we moved, Paige told me to get in the car and drove me to a piano store in New London. She asked me to look at the inventory of used grand pianos and play a couple I liked. We bought a used Steinway Model M for about $30,000, delivered. I was able to play a little everyday, much to Paige's delight.

Brown Beauty, the horse I rode almost ten years earlier had to be put down a couple of years before Clara died, but at that time Clara still felt well, so she bought another horse, Cinnamon.

Paige was now driving Clara's Range Rover, and drove to a big farm about 40 miles away to look at a horse. She took photos and came back to talk to me before making a decision. Like I could advise her about a horse!

"What are they asking for the horse, and what's the horse's name?"

"They call her Mocha, because she's a dark chocolate color. Really a pretty horse. She's three years old and they're asking $3,000."

"Since I don't know anything about horses, is that a fair price?"

"I think it is."

"Do you have a horse trailer."

"We used to, but Dad doesn't know what happened to it. I'm worried about his memory, Logan. That's not something he would have lost track of in the past."

"Will they bring her here for a couple hundred bucks?"

"I'll ask. Are you ok with buying her?"

"Absolutely. Only three years old. The photos are beautiful. Did you ride her?"

"Yeah, she's well-trained. Easy to ride."

"Do it."

At least Paige and I were able to ride. Spencer started coming up to spend a couple hours with the kids while Paige and I rode.

One evening, Paige threw on a pair of saddlebags and stuffed a blanket in one and a bottle of wine in the other. It was a warm evening and we rode down by the stream.

Paige dismounted and spread the blanket on the ground and undressed. I took my cue from her and was soon deep inside her, causing her to wail softly with each thrust.

I pulled out and rolled her onto her tummy.

"Lift your ass a little and spread your legs."

I entered her quickly, balls deep. She screamed and I kissed her shoulders. She moaned loudly and I was sure she had climaxed, so I waited for her to come down and then pounded her until I came inside her.

We lay together on the blanket, holding each other.

"Remember the night we met in the hostel in Florence?"

"I do, but I've never asked why you came and sat next to me and introduced yourself."

"That was the only open spot."

"That's not true. I remember there were two or three seats open around the room."

"Ok, I thought you were the cutest guy I'd ever seen.

"Can you believe the path we've followed to reach this point?"

"I can't. I never would have predicted that night that you would be the great love of my life, that you and I would marry and have four wonderful children. Or that I would have over $60 million and be living back here where I grew up."

"It's been something of a fairy tale."

"Not entirely. We've had our sad moments. I miss Mom, and I almost missed out on this wonderful life with you."

"Amanda would have been happy."

Paige hit me, then kissed me for a long time. We didn't drink the wine until later that night, sitting in back of the house looking up at the stars, wondering what more surprises were in our future.