Soon enough though, Amy had the pants fully pinned and the moment passed. I changed back into my jeans and gave her the prepped pants to finish later.
This was such an insignificant moment that I wouldn’t have given it a second thought, except I was already primed to appreciate all interactions with Amy. And so this encounter only heightened my focus further. I had the bold thought that if I did some real flirting with Amy in my current state, I could get enough fantasy-material to last me for months. Besides, what was the harm? Husbands compliment their mothers-in-law all the time. I didn’t think Amy would give it a second thought.
The rest of the morning and afternoon went by quickly. True to my plan, I did flirt with Amy in small ways, telling her I thought her jeans looked good on her, saying that I hoped Susanne aged as well as she had, and—my personal favorite—giving her a quick neck massage after I helped her clean up lunch. Amy was a good sport about all of this, even flirting a little back, saying that she could tell I’d been working out and Susanne was lucky to have a guy like me.
Amy had never been so openly nice to me before. I should have started this years ago, I thought. Who knew some light flirting was the missing piece to getting along?
Eventually, though, it was time for Susanne and Carl to leave for their father-daughter date. They hugged Amy and me goodbye, Susanne reminding me that I had a job to do keeping her mom entertained in the meantime. I assured her I would, and then they were gone.
Amy and I were now alone.
“Whelp, time for us to figure out dinner for ourselves. You mind frozen pizza?” Amy asked.
I shook my head, so Amy went to start the oven. I followed her into the kitchen as she prepped the pizza, casually observing her movements. She was very mobile for her age, and I enjoyed watching her bustle around. Once she had the pizza cooking, she turned to me.
“You want a beer or something? I’m about to pour myself some wine, if you’d prefer that.”
“A beer’s fine,” I said, as Amy pulled one from the fridge and tossed it to me. I cracked it open and sipped the foam that released.
We began to make small talk as Amy poured herself a rather large glass of Cabernet and began sipping from it. We stayed in the kitchen as the pizza cooked, chatting about our lives, our work, our friends, and so on. I don’t know if it was my own perception of Amy that had changed or if she’d warmed to me a bit more, but I was really enjoying myself. I’d never seen Amy so engaging. In fact, she reminded me a lot of Susanne back when we’d first started dating.
The pizza was done a short time later, but we didn’t even leave the kitchen to eat it, as we were still engrossed in our conversation. Only once we’d finished our alcohol and food did we finally break our connection to clean up.
“Well, we still probably have another few hours to kill. I’m gonna grab some more wine, and then maybe we can watch some TV?” Amy suggested.
“Sounds good to me. I’ll take another beer too, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. I’ll grab it for you and meet you on the couch.” Amy smiled.
I retreated to the living room and plopped onto the large couch in front of the TV. Amy joined me a minute later, wine in one hand, beer in the other. I took the beer.
“Anything you want to watch?” Amy asked me, offering me the remote.
“You pick. I’m the one who’s supposed to entertain you,” I pointed out.
Amy put on a comedy show, which we watched silently for ten minutes or so, sipping on our alcohol. About this time, Amy’s dog, Bella, made her way up to the couch and jumped into the open spot between us. I began to pet Bella absentmindedly, but then she rolled to her side, inviting me to pet her belly. A sucker for dogs, I turned my full attention to Bella and gave her the belly rub she was waiting for.
Amy noticed my distraction. “Bella’s got you wrapped around her paw, I see.”
“I couldn’t say no to this,” I looked at Amy and gestured at Bella flipped next to me. “She asked me so nicely.”
“Well, she’s definitely enjoying it,” Amy said, while giving me an appraising look. “You’re good with your hands.”
“I just let them go where they feel like they’re needed,” I shrugged.
“Well, my neck muscles can vouch for your instincts. Even in that short time you worked on me, I feel a lot less tension.”
“Happy to help,” I said, smiling as I continued to pet Bella.
Amy watched me for a few seconds before smiling back. “Bella says ‘thanks, Ryan! I don’t get as much attention as I used to! Your hands feel great!'”
I played along. “Oh, you’re welcome, Bella! I’m happy to give you all the attention you need!” I switched my gentler belly rubs to more vigorous pats.
Amy continued miming for Bella. “Ohh, that’s the spot, Ryan. I like it a bit rough like that.”
Amy spoke so casually that I almost didn’t notice the potential double meaning behind her words. If it had come from any other woman, I would have thought she was coming on to me. But this was Amy—my mother-in-law that I’d known for years. Surely, it was a coincidence, right?
“Oh yeah, you like it a bit rough, Bella?” I tested, continuing my pats along her belly.
“I do,” Amy said in her Bella-voice. “Not too rough, though. Just enough to remind me there’s a man in the house who can take care of me.”
Holy shit! Could Amy really be doing this? I tested further. “Aw, poor Bella. Does Carl not give you enough attention?”
Amy fake-pouted. “No, he doesn’t. I’ve been so lonely, just waiting for a man to love me again.”
My mind was reeling by this point, but I didn’t get the chance to test more. Bella, apparently tired of my pats, slid off the couch and walked away, back to her crate in the storage room.
I laughed and directed myself back at Amy. “I guess she decided she had enough attention after all.”
Amy shrugged, the game over. “Who knows with Bella. Maybe she just got sleepy again.”
Silence hung in the air for a moment, and so we looked back to the TV. But I was no longer paying attention to it, my brain replaying the last few minutes. Flirting was one thing, but Amy was doing more than some innocent flirting. Assuming she’d been doing it on purpose, of course. But the fact was I couldn’t tell. I didn’t know if she’d been coming on to me or if she thought it was just more innocent flirting or if it was all a coincidence and Amy really had just been acting as Bella. I just didn’t know.
It didn’t really matter, because it’s not like I was going to try anything, but the uncertainty still tugged at me.
“Thanks for agreeing to keep me company tonight,” Amy said, turning her attention away from the TV. “I know you have other things you’d rather be doing than hanging out with your old mother-in-law.”
“It’s no trouble at all! You’re far from old, and besides, I’m having fun,” I replied, and I meant it.
“That’s sweet, Ryan. And I’m having fun too.” Amy smiled. “So, since it’s just the two of us, I’ve got a question I’d like to ask.”
My heart picked up its pace. Surely not, I thought, but I just nodded for her to continue.
“You and Susanne have been together for a while now. Should I be expecting grandkids at some point?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Not the question I’d been expecting. Amy misinterpreted my laughter, because she quickly followed with, “I understand if it’s none of my business. I just couldn’t resist asking. Blame the wine.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” I reassured her. “You just caught me off-guard. But yes, you can expect grandkids. Susanne and I have been talking about trying soon, in fact.”
Amy’s face lit up, like I’d let her in on a big secret. “Ryan! That’s so exciting! I’ll admit I was a little worried that you guys might not want kids. Or at least not Susanne—I know she’s told me in the past that she’s not always been thrilled about the sex part of making babies.”
I blushed at that. I didn’t realize Susanne talked about her sex life with her mom.
“I mean, I think we’re both on board with the idea of kids. I can’t speak to the rest though,” I replied awkwardly.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Ryan. You know Susanne and I have always been close,” Amy said, brushing off my discomfort. “Are you guys doing okay though? Sex is a healthy part of marriage. When libidos are mismatched, that can cause all sorts of other problems in the relationship. I just want to make sure my daughter isn’t causing needless frustration. I want the best for both of you.”
Even as much as I’d been connecting with Amy this evening, I wasn’t ready for this conversation. Sure, maybe Susanne wasn’t as into sex as she’d once been, but I didn’t think that was any of Amy’s business. “Susanne and I are doing great. I appreciate the concern though,” I responded dismissively.
Amy looked at me pointedly. “We don’t have to talk about it, but I do want you to understand that if either of you are frustrated, ignoring it won’t help anyone. I apologize if this is too personal, but Carl and I went through something similar, except I was the one with the higher drive. Carl just thought I cared more for physical intimacy than emotional intimacy, but he didn’t realize that for me physical intimacy IS emotional intimacy. Still, I let it go, and there’s been a distance between us ever since. I wish I’d addressed this decades ago, but now it feels too late.”
I was becoming more uncomfortable now. If this had been one of my fantasies, I would have said something about how maybe I could help us both out. But this wasn’t a fantasy. Here in the real world, I thought there’s no way such a clumsy come-on would lead to anything but regret and shame. And besides, fantasizing about Amy was one thing. Acting it out was another step entirely, and one that I wasn’t sure I’d want to take—if I even could.
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