Having a happy life with his mother

That was when the last piece clicked into place in Liam’s head. If she wouldn’t let him touch her while she thought she was him, he just had to change who she thought she was.

He smiled, easy, and let her pull the dress on.

“Yeah,” he said. “You’re right. Bad idea.”

Liam knew what came next. Everything before this, lamp, guitar, fan, Batman, monkey, mop, even the version of her that thought she was him, had just been testing the edges. The real plan had been sitting in his head since the first time she looked at him and didn’t see her son.

They returned to the living room as he left her on the couch with the game and went to her room.

The photo was easy to find: Veronica at twenty, only a few months into dating his father. Soft smile. Bright eyes. The girl everyone said he’d inherited his face from. He took her wedding ring out of the jewellery box while he was there.

Back in the living room he transferred the picture onto the device, selected it, and aimed the phone at her. He wasn’t sure the aiming mattered. He did it anyway.

She blinked mid-game. The cocky, bro-version of her drained out of her face. What settled there instead was younger, lighter, open.

“George?”

Her voice had gone soft. Excited. A little lost.

She looked around the room like she was seeing it for the first time. “What are we doing here? I thought we were going out tonight.”

Liam’s heart kicked. It worked. Mentally she was twenty again, and she thought he was his father.

“Change of plans, sweet cheeks.” He put on the easy, playful tone he’d heard in old stories about dad. “Thought we’d stay in. Have some fun here instead.”

Her face lit up. “Oh, George, you always have the best ideas.”

Then she giggled. An actual giggle. His mother had never made that sound in front of him in his life.

They played the game for a while because she asked, clumsy and laughing, climbing into his space like it belonged to her. Halfway through a match she got bored of the controller and climbed into his lap instead, dress riding up her thighs, mouth finding his like she’d been waiting all night to do it.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” she whispered against his lips. “Is that bad?”

“No.” He slid his hands up under the dress. “Do it more.”

She was eager and a little clumsy with it, the way a twenty-year-old in love would be. She let him pull the dress off. Let him take the bra off the same tits he’d already used every other way tonight. When he put his mouth on her she gasped like it was new.

“George… wait– that’s–”

He sucked harder. She forgot whatever she was going to say and pushed her chest into his face.

He got her on her back on the couch, pizza boxes shoved to the floor, and pushed into her slowly. She was wet and tight and she clung to him like she was afraid he’d stop. Every thrust she said his father’s name. Soft at first. Then broken. Then filthy in that sweet, inexperienced way, like she couldn’t believe she was allowed to want it this much.

“George. God. Fill me up. Please. I want it– I want you to–”

He did. Buried himself and came inside her while she shook under him, still calling him by his father’s name, still looking at him like he was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

They didn’t really sleep. She woke him up twice more before morning, climbing on top, biting her lip, asking if it was okay if she wanted it again. He let her ride him until she came, then flipped her and fucked another load into her while she laughed and moaned into the cushion.

Near dawn, with junk-food wrappers everywhere and her wearing nothing but the towel she’d had in her hair earlier, he did the last part.

“Veronica.”

She turned, eyes bright. “Yes, George?”

“I’ve been thinking about our future. About us.”

She leaned in, hanging on it. “What is it?”

He pulled the ring out of his pocket…her own wedding ring and held it up.

“Will you marry me?”

Tears hit her eyes immediately. “Oh, George. Yes. Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”

He slid it onto her finger. She kissed him like she’d just been given the whole world. He fucked her again after that, slower, with the ring cold against the back of his neck while she held onto him.