Bk 2, Chapter 4: The Carriage

“Ryan!” Aunt Lora called. I turned, faking a smile.

“What’s up?” I asked. She touched my arm.

“Can we talk in your room privately?” she asked. I nodded, and my aunt and I stepped into the room.

“So. I heard your mother’s being courted. By Micah.” Aunt Lora wrinkled her nose.

“Yeah.” I grumbled. Aunt Lora took my hands.

“You’re jealous of Micah, aren’t you?” Aunt Lora asked gently and non-accusatorily. I considered that. I’d thought the ball of emotions I was feeling was just hatred that my mother was moving on with some perv. But...

“I guess I am.” I blinked, surprised. Then, I flushed.

“Hey, hey. Ryan, it’s not wrong to be in love with your mother.” Aunt Lora assured me, slipping her arms around my neck to hug me. I gazed down at her.

“I happen to disagree.” I said, and walked over to my bed.

“Your father loved his sister in ways he shouldn’t have. But they waited too long, and your father was imprisoned beyond the peaks before their relationship could grow.” Aunt Lora confessed. I went wide-eyed.

“What? Does Mom know?” I asked. Aunt Lora shook her head slowly.

“No. She has no idea. And you better not tell her. Don’t tarnish her memories of him. But I agree with you, in that Micah is not the guy my sister should be with.” Aunt Lora said, giving me a meaningful look.

“Me?” I gasped.

“Yes, of course, you. You’ve spent years with your mother. Alone. I’d argue you know her better than anyone, save maybe Selena.” Aunt Lora pointed out.

“Yeah, speaking of, Selena was helping Micah seduce Mom.” I recounted. Aunt Lora’s eyes widened.

“That sneaky bitch. She wants Micah and Jess to work. Of course she does. Whatever her baby boy wants and all that shit.” Aunt Lora huffed.

“So... if Selena is actively keeping Mom interested in Micah, and Mom is now into Micah, how do we fix that?” I asked.

“We pull the same trick. But it might take a while. She won’t be as receptive as if we did it a week ago. I’ll have to take it slow. And I’d wager Micah, who’s had a crush on your mom his whole life, will not be taking things slow with her.” Aunt Lora said.

“You’ll help me?” I asked, relieved.

“Yes. I want my sister to be happy, and I want my nephew to be happy. And I know that they make each other happy. Jess just needs to realize that.” Aunt Lora mused. She looked at me.

“Alright, here’s your role. Compliment your mother generously. Don’t lay it on too thick, but just make sure you don’t use familial compliments. Use the ones you’d use on a potential wife.” Aunt Lora advised. I nodded.

“Alright. Good. You look very handsome in your suit, by the way.” Aunt Lora winked. I looked down at myself. I did look pretty good in this suit, huh?

I adjusted my appearance a little bit, tousling my honey blond hair a little for style, and then I headed downstairs. Gabby had already gone on ahead with her friends to reach the party beforehand. Mom was standing there in a breath-taking silver gown. It perfectly accentuated her sizable bust, showing off generous amounts of clevage. Her honey blond hair flowed down like a golden waterfall, and the areas around her eyes were painted silver like the dress.

“You look gorgeous, Mom.” I smiled warmly.

“Aw, thanks, honey. You look handsome, as always.” Mom smiled. A knock on the door interrupted us. Mom went to open it, and I saw Micah standing on the other side. I was shocked when Micah stepped in close, grabbed Mom’s face and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Mom seemed stunned at first, but then she wrapped her arms tightly around Micah and kissed back.

Unable to watch, I left quickly, fleeing back upstairs. Sitting on the landing, I cast Listen again, and heard their lips smacking together as they kissed fiercely. Finally those noises abated.

“You said be decisive. And I want you, Jess. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything.” Micah’s voice came.

“Wow. I didn’t expect something so... blunt. But I liked it.” I heard Mom say, and then the sound of them kissing again. With a disgusted sigh, I dropped the spell. I walked dejectedly to my room, and flopped onto the bed, gazing sadly up at the ceiling.

Aunt Lora had helped me recognize how much I loved Mom. And now, seeing Micah all over her made my heart ache and my chest burn with rage.

“Lora! Ryan! It’s time to go!” Mom called and I sighed. I emerged from my room to find Aunt Lora fixing her honey blond hair hurriedly. I chuckled. She wore a tight violet dress that showed off the petite body she sported, and my eyes were drawn to the cleavage her small breasts were forming. I slid an arm around Aunt Lora, and she was breathing hard.

“No, no, no. I’m helping you get your... screw it.” Aunt Lora said and then she was kissing me fiercely. I kissed back aggressively, and she gasped as I pulled her body flush to mine. My hands roved along her body as the kiss deepened.

“Ryan! Lora!” Mom called again. I pushed off of Aunt Lora, panting hard. She was flushed and her dress was messed up and her hair undone.

“Tell your mother I’ll be running late.” Aunt Lora giggled. I adjusted my suit and went down the steps to find Mom waiting.

“Where’s Lora?” she asked.

“Not ready yet.” I rolled my eyes in pretend exasperation. Mom laughed and I offered her my arm. She took it without a thought and I felt a small burst of triumph. Micah was standing on the road by a carriage. He frowned at my arm linked with my mother’s.

Mom climbed into the carriage, then Micah, with a glare at me, then me climbing in last. I checked to see if Lora was here yet, but she wasn’t. I looked away from the couple opposite me as Micah pulled Mom in for a kiss.

“Micah, ahhhh, stop!” she laughed as Micah kissed her neck.

“Ryan’s right there, stop it!” Mom giggled. Micah glanced at me, and I saw his eyes were burning with the same hate I felt for him, and he kissed my mother purposefully. Heartbreakingly, Mom kissed back eagerly. She really did like Micah, I guess, then. But hopefully, with Aunt Lora’s help, she’d end up liking me more.