Chapter 58 - Chapter 58

Ed woke up in a hospital bed Christmas morning. Sunlight streamed in the window and he could see blue skies. He felt good. He felt really, really good! He looked around the room and it was a lovely room. There was a noise from the left so he looked and Mishka walked in with a smile on her face.

"Good morning Mishka. You look lovely as usual!" he said with a smile.

"I wish all my patients were so complimentary!" she beamed at him. She looked at his chart then walked up beside the bed and took his hand. "You were very, very lucky last night. Your heavy leather coat took most of the abuse so all you had were some shallow cuts, bruises and the one puncture on your calf. I took care of that last night. I was right, it missed anything important. You may have a little numbness there though. It might have cut a nerve," she explained.

"I feel good! Whatever drugs you have dripping into my arm are making me feel… happy!" Ed grinned and Mishka giggled at him. "What?"

"That's just a saline drip to keep you hydrated. The drugs we gave you wore off hours ago!" she said with a big smile. "No. I think what you have is a case of the 'Christmas Morning Jollies'."

Ed started to laugh. It felt so good!

When he settled down he noticed that Mishka had removed his I.V. "I'm discharging you now so Grace and the others can take you home. Heather and I will see you later this evening. I'd like you to take it easy on that leg. I'm prescribing you a cane to use for a week or two to take the stress off the leg when you walk. OK?" He nodded. "I'll have the nurse bring you the cane. After she does you can get dressed. Wait for the orderly with the wheelchair to take you out. Alright?" He nodded again. "See you later."

With that she left. Ten minutes later the nurse arrived with a black metal adjustable cane with a rubber handle and tip and brought him his clothes. He got dressed and only had to wait five minutes for the orderly to arrive. While he waited he tried out the cane and found his leg was a little weak from the injury.

He felt a little silly being pushed down the hallway in the wheelchair but all thoughts of embarrassment disappeared when he saw the smiling faces of the women he loved waiting for him. Their smiles warmed his heart. Once he stood Grace was in his arms and Rachel and Angie braced him. Everyone got a hug and he made it to the curb to climb into the passenger seat of Stephanie's truck. Grace and Carolyn climbed in the back. Angie drove Rachel and Zoe and followed them home in her Land Rover. After they pulled into Rachel's driveway Ed leaned over and gave Stephanie a kiss. She smiled dreamily at him afterwards.

"See you later," he said and she nodded.

Rachel and Carolyn got out and helped Ed out. Carolyn tilted her face up with a smile and Ed kissed her tenderly as well.

"See you at the party!" she said as she slid into the truck next to Stephanie who was still watching Ed. As she pulled out of the driveway Angie pulled further in to drop Rachel off. Ed walked up to her window and tapped on it with his cane. The window came down. Ed leaned his face in and kissed her tenderly as she held his face in her hands. "I'm so glad you were ok!"

"A mere scratch, milady!" he said with a bad attempt at a British accent. Her pained smile told him how well he did. "Fine! I'll leave the acting to the professionals," he sighed theatrically and she grinned as she pushed his face back out her window.

He made his way to Zoe's window and her eyes tracked him all the way. She leaned out the window and kissed him hard. He returned her passion with his hand in her hair. This time he didn't take a grip but instead he just ran his fingertips against her scalp. Ed pulled back from the kiss and she moaned. Angie had to pull her in the window so she could raise it. She waved at Ed while Zoe pressed her fingers against the inside of the window as she stared at his mouth.

Grace and Rachel walked him back to and inside the house. He took off his coat and noticed the little tears and dents in the leather. "This coat did a great job of protecting us last night!" he said.

Grace suddenly shoved him against the wall. She had tears in her eyes. "WHY DID YOU OPEN YOUR COAT LAST NIGHT! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" she raged as she shook with reaction.

Ed stared at her in surprise. "I- I wanted to make sure you were safe. You were safer inside my coat with me!" he gasped.

Grace was suddenly pressed against his chest crying her heart out. Ed looked at Rachel for help and she gave him a sad smile. She indicated to Ed that he should hold her tight. When his arms wrapped around her Grace tried to push away and beat on his chest. Ed held her tight with Rachel's hand on the outside of his arms, guiding him.

Grace cried and cried until her tears ran dry. Ed's right leg was beginning to cramp from holding both him and Grace up.

"Can- can I sit down now?" he murmured.

Grace pulled herself together and braced him as Rachel took his other side. They got to the living room and gently settled him on the couch.

Pulling the ottoman up to the couch Grace sat on it and held his hand.

Rachel suddenly noticed the ring on Grace's hand. She'd seen the band earlier but the stones must have been turned inwards then. "That's a lovely ring! Oh-"

Grace took in the troubled look on Rachel's face. "It's not an engagement ring, Rachel. It's just a lovely and thoughtful present from Ed so we could all have beautiful rings. I don't need to marry Ed."

Rachel looked embarrassed and Ed held out his hand. She knelt next to the sofa as she took his hand and he kissed her fingers. She gasped gently at the feel of his soft lips.

"I love you Rachel! I think next to Grace, I rely on you the most for helping me to understand how to get by day to day. All the stuff my brain isn't smart enough to help me with. Grace knows how I feel about her. I would gladly give my life to protect her- No more tears!" he said to prevent a relapse of crying.

"We survived the little accident last night pretty well. Minus my truck that is. Not a problem though, I can take the bus."

"We'll talk about that later." Rachel said.

Grace smiled at the stubborn look that surfaced in Ed's eyes. Poor man didn't know who he was dealing with.

"You rest here while I make some sandwiches for lunch. We are eating light as Dinner is going to be heavy at Angie's." Grace said as she stood and made her way to the kitchen.

Then it was just Grace and Ed.

"I didn't mean to make you sad Grace. I just needed to keep you safe. You seemed kinda out of it last night. Standing there as the big truck was sliding out of control," he said with concern.

"I was just stunned by how sudden it was and how we could have been in the pickup when it was crushed by the tanker truck. I saw us being killed before our lives together could actually begin. All of that was filling my head as I stood there…" Grace said quietly.

"All I had in my head was getting the building between you and the truck in case something bad happened. Once I got that done all I had in my head was getting you someplace safer, inside my coat with me between you and the building… in case something bad happened. I wasn't sure if something bad was going to happen but I'm glad my head was empty enough to let me think about it," Ed explained.

Grace smiled at him. "Me too."

Rachel brought Ed and Grace over to Angie's place a little early as she needed to help Angie with some of the prep.

Ed was wearing a pair of soft charcoal grey slacks, a crisp white dress shirt, a black tie, and a black cable knit sweater overtop. The black cane matched his outfit. Once they had him dressed Rachel and Grace stared at him with looks that said they wanted to rip it all off and devour him.

Rachel was wearing a stunning red dress with white sparkles that to Ed looked like snowflakes. He was mesmerized by the flurry of light surrounding her neckline. Or it could have been the amount of cleavage she was displaying. That was pretty spectacular too.

Grace was wearing a new dress she and Rachel had shopped for. It was black, Grace's favorite color, but it had iridescent sequins sewn in a sweeping pattern around her curvy body. She glowed with joy at his enraptured look.

Angie greeted them at the door in an amazing white and silver glittering dress that clung to her body, showing off her sleek shape and emphasizing her abundant bosom.

Angie's daughter Isabelle was there too wearing a cute Santa's helper costume. She announced that was her role for the evening and led Grace and Ed to the family room making sure they were comfortable and had drinks while Rachel went with Angie to help her.

"Are you going back to school?" Grace asked Isabelle.

"Yeah but I think I'm going to switch to teacher's college. I've discovered I enjoy working with kids." Isabelle said with a smile.

"Was that because of the babysitting you've been doing?" Ed asked in surprise.

Isabelle nodded. "Yes, something good came from mom's probation period. I found my true calling." She smiled at Ed's happy expression. When he pushed himself to his feet and pulled her into a big hug she squeaked.

The doorbell saved her as she had to go answer it but her face was as red as her costume. Grace stood as well and gave him a grin as she shook her head.

Isabelle returned with Dale and Tristan Grant who both smiled widely when they saw Ed and Grace. Their smiled turned to dismay as they saw the cane.

"What happened to you?" Dale asked as he shook Ed's hand.

"We had a little car accident last night," Ed replied.

Grace snorted as she finished hugging Tristan. "Little car accident he says."

Ed pulled Tristan to him in a tight hug. When he pulled back he looked at her in concern as she'd trembled a little in his arms. She just smiled and moved over to take Dales arm. "There's more to this story?" she asked him to deflect his attention.

Rolling his eyes, Ed described the events of the night before as Dale and Tristan looked back in shock. Grace finished the story, giving her side from the time Ed was taken away in the ambulance when the police and firetrucks arrived and moved them all farther away from the burning truck. The driver of the semi was the only fatality in the accident.

"It was a damn good thing the truck's heater was broken!" Dale said when the story was finished.

"That's what I said!" Grace agreed.

"Well, more than the heater's busted now. I'll be taking the bus for a little while." Ed shrugged.

"No Edward, next week we're going shopping for a new truck!" Rachel said walking into the room with a tray of fancy snacks which she set down on the coffee table.

Ed was trying to protest but his tongue got tangled as he got an eyeful of the tops of Rachel's lush breasts.

"It will be fun picking out the features in the dealership with Ed," Angie agreed as she too carried in a tray and leaned over to place the tray on the table.

Ed got a few sounds of protest out but nothing coherent as his eyes took in Angie's soft expanse of rounded flesh.

Zoe entered next and Ed's mouth just hung open as he took in her gold sheath dress with the plunging neckline, the gold chains tangling between her breasts and her demure but deeply satisfied smile. She set the tray she was carrying on the table and Ed's mouth snapped shut.

Dale started to laugh as he saw the young man completely outclassed in this battle.

The doorbell rang again and shortly the sound of kid's giggles filled the outer hall as Stephanie's kids came running.

Ed's face lit up as the four kids entered the room and he bent down to give each of them a hug. They asked him curiously about his cane so he gathered them close on the other side of the couch and told them the tale of the mad Christmas Pirate who destroyed his truck in a fiery explosion. The kid's eyes were wide with excitement and they all wanted to see his stitches so he lifted his pant leg and they squealed in horrified excitement.

"ED!" Stephanie's voice rang out. His head popped up over the top of the couch.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to hide her grin.

Ed came around the couch using his cane and her smile fell away. She rushed over to him and touched his chest. "WHAT HAPPENED?" she squeaked.

Stephanie's kids all swarmed around her to fill her in on the dread Christmas Pirate who attacked Ed and Grace and how Ed got them to safety with only a small wound to his leg though his truck was destroyed.

She looked at Ed and he nodded with a fake grim look on his face. "It's true. My truck is no more."

Ed looked closer and his face lit up in a smile. "Breakfast at Tiffany's!"

Stephanie was wearing black satin gloves that went all the way up to her toned biceps. The black satin dress was a reproduction of the Givenchy dress that Audrey Hepburn wore in that famous movie. It was one of Shirley's favorite movies. He ignored the sadness that tugged at him when he thought of Grace's mom. "You look amazing!" he purred and her face lit up with her own shy smile. He took in the glittering tiara she wore in her black hair and the oversized pearl necklace. It looked like she stepped from the movie screen. Her big blue eyes were sparkling with joy at his recognition of her dress and his appreciative looks.

Dale and Tristan came over to say hello and Ed looked up to see Carolyn walk in with her kids. He walked over to meet them and they all looked at his cane. He knew these kids wouldn't appreciate an imaginative story so he just gave them the facts.

"Hit a patch of ice driving home last night and my truck slid off the road and got stuck in the snow. I carried Grace to safety but a truck pulling a tanker of gas also slid on the ice and crashed into my truck. Both trucks blew up. I was hit in the leg by a piece of metal ripped from a building we were hiding behind.

"Did you get stitches?" Gregory asked with an excited voice.

"Yup," Ed replied.

"Can we see them?" Amelia asked, equally excited but maybe a little nervous.

Ed raised his eyebrows at Carolyn who was grinning at her kid's enthusiasm. She nodded. Ed pulled up his pant leg and the two kids squealed in horrified excitement. As Ed dropped his pant leg the four other kids raced up and grabbed their friend's hands and they ran for the basement stairs. The playroom had been set up for the kids to play before dinner. Isabelle followed them down.

He turned to Carolyn who looked breathtaking in a deep green dress that left her arms and her back exposed. She came forward to hug him and Ed touched the tattoo on her back, running his fingers over the raised scars. Scars he now knew were music. She clung tighter to him as his fingers caressed her back.

They parted and she looked up at him with such a look of love it took his breath away.

"I will never be able to express how grateful I am that you found the music hidden in the tattoo. I presented my initial findings and I have two offers for publishing the completed work. Very generous offers! We were going to be able to live comfortably before. Now our futures are set!"

"That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" Ed said and pulled her in for another hug. She held him tight as well.

"Someone seems pretty happy!" Stephanie grinned as she came to see her friend.

Ed turned to explain and Carolyn put a finger over his mouth. "I'm saving it for later," she said and Ed nodded with a big smile. Stephanie pouted but Carolyn just gave her friend a hug.

They walked back into the family room to talk with the others. Ed's leg was tired so he sat on the couch. Grace sat down next to him and held his hand.

"How's the leg?" she asked.

"It's ok. I'm just giving it a rest. I don't think I'll be doing any dancing tonight," he sighed.

The doorbell rang again and Isabelle guided Mishka and Heather inside. The dark beauty was wearing a royal blue ankle length dress with slits to allow her legs to show as she walked. Ed noted she had very nice legs. Heather came in wearing a black knee length dress with blue lace at the shoulders and sleeves. The blue matched Mishka's dress and she looked stunning in it!

Ed made to stand but Mishka held up a hand to stop him. "Doctor's orders! Rest!" she said with a smile and he gratefully slumped back. Grace got up to give her a kiss and tight hug and Mishka blushed at Grace's enthusiasm.

"Thank you for taking such good care of Ed!" Grace exclaimed.

"It was my pleasure!" Mishka replied.

"Hey! Choo tryin' to steal my girl meng?" Heather said with an accent Ed just could not recognize. Mishka rolled her eyes with amusement as Heather threw some gang signs at Grace who started acting like a gang thug back at her friend. This soon dissolved into laughter.

Zoe took this opportunity to sit next to Ed and snuggled in close.

"Hi."

"Hi yourself," Ed replied. The heat from her soft body ignited… something in him. "You look… delicious."

"Save your appetite for dinner," she said but her eyes were saying something completely different.

He leaned in to talk quietly. "I want to free that chain from between your breasts… with my teeth."

She trembled with desire. Maybe it wasn't such a smart thing to sit so close to Ed before dinner. She went to stand up but his hand was in her hair and his lips were on hers and she was lost to his kiss.

When Ed pulled back from her soft lips he gasped softly. He blinked as he became aware of his surroundings again. He looked up and saw Grace and Mishka looking at him in surprise. Heather's expression was closer to awe. Conversation in the room had come to a halt.

Angie and Rachel helped Zoe up from the couch and took her with them to the kitchen. She looked back at him as they left the room. Ed's face went crimson and he didn't know where to look.

Grace sat down beside him and took his hand. "It's ok Ed."

He finally looked at her and she saw the confusion in his eyes. He really looked lost. Her heart went out to him but she didn't know how to help him with this. Except to be there for him. She felt his grip tighten and he leaned on her a little taking comfort from her.

Mishka was watching his reaction to his own behavior. She found it fascinating! She glanced at Heather and saw she was still staring at Ed. Mishka moved closer and bumped her with her hip. Heather started and blushed as she looked at her lover. She took Mishka's arm and they walked over to the bar. She leaned in closer to speak quietly. "Fuck! That was really hot! I've never seen Ed act so aggressive!"

"I don't think Ed is used to it either." Mishka mused and Heather looked back and saw Ed trying to get his equilibrium back.

The doorbell rang again and Ed looked up. There was only one more outstanding guest so he struggled to his feet and Grace let him go on his own. He met Isabelle at the door and indicated that he'd answer it.

When he opened the door he saw the back of a fur coat walking away from the door.

"Victoria?"

The figure stopped then slowly turned. Nervous hazel eyes looked back at him and he smiled.

"Come in please! It's cold out there!"

Victoria walked back and stepped into the warmth of the house while Ed closed the door. She noticed he was using a cane and her timid smile was replaced with a look of concern.

"What happened Edward?" she asked, touching his arm.

Ed shrugged. "Just a little accident in my truck last night. I need to keep all my weight off my leg for a bit. Nothing major. Can I get your coat?"

She nodded and undid the buttons slipping it from her shoulders. Ed hung it in the closet by the door and turned to face her again. She was wearing a lovely black lace blouse with a gold underlay, a charcoal skirt to mid-calf and red pumps. Very chic and stylish.

As promised she hadn't gone to a salon to have them airbrush away her natural beauty. She'd done her own make-up and kept it subtle… except for her bold red lipstick but that was her trademark so it was expected. Her hair still shone like gold but its style was more casual and loose.

Once he'd taken in her new look he gazed into her eyes and saw her desperate need for approval. Even he was able to recognize that look.

"You look so beautiful tonight, Victoria. Thank you for coming to the party!" he said and she bloomed. Her confidence and poise returned, perhaps not as strong as it had once been but it was good to see her brittle fear burned away by her happy smile.

Angie arrived with Rachel and Zoe. Ed glanced nervously at Zoe as Rachel stepped forward.

"Victoria! Welcome! This is Angie Spencer, our host for the party and Zoe Sandoval who owns the property next to yours. It's so wonderful you were able to join us today! Merry Christmas!"

Rachel then surprised Victoria by giving her a real hug, not the fake touchless greeting she'd received in the past. Angie did the same as did Zoe and by the end Ed could see Victoria was beginning to get a little overwhelmed with emotion. Her smile was in place but her eyes had become a little glassy.

"The others are in the family room and you can get a drink in there. We're just finishing up the dinner preparations." Angie said and the three headed back to the kitchen.

When they were alone Ed took Victoria's hands in his and she bit her trembling lip. "We're huggers. It's real and honest. You're part of our circle of friends now, ok? If you need help you can call on any of us, at any time. You aren't alone."

It was too much for Victoria and she began to cry. Ed pulled her against his chest and she clung to him as she cried. He held her until the fear and desperation were gone and she felt composed once more. She pulled back and took a tissue from her small gold clutch purse. She dabbed at her eyes and smiled shakily at Ed.

"Thank you so much Edward. I've never… had any real friends," she said sadly.

"Well now you have many!" he grinned. "Come on, let's go meet the rest."

Taking his arm in hers Ed led her down the hall into the family room. He felt her grip on his arm was a little tight as she was nervous.

He brought her to Grace first as she was closest to the door and his leg was beginning to ache.

Grace stood and met them as she saw the hint of pain in Ed's eyes. "Victoria! It's lovely to see you again!" she said as she gently embraced the woman. Ed took that opportunity to sit.

"Sorry, my leg needs a rest." Ed explained as Victoria looked at him in concern taking in the wince.

"Doctor's orders." Mishka said with a grin as she approached. "Hello, I'm Mishka Shyamalan and this is Heather Connors. I own the first home on the street and Heather is my fiancé."

"Congratulations!" Victoria said and stepped forward to give Mishka a hug. She wanted so much to be part of Ed's circle of friends. Mishka was a little surprised but embraced the woman in return. Heather enthusiastically came forward for a hug of her own and Victoria's smile was beaming as she stepped back. She loved this new level of intimacy. It warmed her to her toes.

As Mishka and Heather stepped back Carolyn and Stephanie approached.

"Is- is that a Givenchy?" Victoria asked in surprise as she took in Stephanie's dress.

The woman smiled in return. "I'm afraid it's only a poor copy but I love it just the same. I'm Stephanie. It's very nice to meet you Victoria!" They embraced and she stepped back to introduce her friend. "This is Carolyn. We own the two homes just north of Rachel's up the hill."

"Very nice to meet you! Welcome to the family!" Carolyn smiled, reading Victoria's happiness to be included as she stepped in for her own hug.

Victoria was looking a little misty eyed again as Dale and Tristan approached.

"We're the only ones in this 'family' who don't actually live in the neighborhood." Dale said with a grin. "I'm Dale Grant and this is my lovely wife Tristan."

Victoria recognized Dale's name and it showed in her surprised look. In the social circles she'd… once been in, the Grants were well respected and targets of opportunity. "My- husband spoke of you. He was highly jealous of your connections and influence."

Dale grimaced. "You are highly fortunate to be rid of that evil man."

"Dale!" Tristan gasped in horror at his coarse words.

Victoria smiled and pulled Dale into a tight hug. He was smiling when she stepped back. "Yes. Yes I am!" she said, her confidence getting yet another boost.

Tristan was still a little embarrassed but calmed when Victoria hugged her too.

"Dinner's served!" Angie called from the doorway and her guests made their way down the hall to the dining room.

The long table was beautifully set with tall slim candles in groups of three down its length. Platters of turkey, cranberry jelly and fresh cranberry sauce, turkey dressing, steaming bowls of vegetables, and baskets of fresh baked biscuits filled the surface of the table. Twelve place settings were arranged down the sides of the table, six on each side with a thirteenth at the top for Angie as the host. At the other end of the table was the kids table seating three per side.

When the kids came upstairs Stephanie made the introductions for Victoria who was delighted to see children at Christmas.

Ed caught a sad expression flit across her face. He moved next to her and gently bumped her shoulder with his. When she looked up at him he gave her a smile. "Family's worth fighting for," he said and she nodded firmly. He saw the resolve in her eyes as she thought of her daughters.

They looked to find their places at the table and saw beautifully hand written cards positioned before each place setting.

"This is exquisite calligraphy!" Victoria said admiring the script on the small white card. She was secretly thrilled to see she was sitting next to Ed.

Isabelle blushed. "Thank you! It's a hobby of mine."

"Are you an artist too? Such graceful control over a pen usually means you're equally skilled at other artistic pursuits," Victoria continued.

"I dabble," Isabelle admitted bashfully.

Angie snorted. "Dabble. She's a brilliant artist and I'm not saying that just because I'm her mother!"

"Mom!"

Angie grinned at her daughter's embarrassed smile.

"Take your seats everyone!"

With Angie at the top she'd placed Rachel at her right hand and Zoe at her left. Next to Rachel was Ed, then Victoria, Dale, Tristan, and Isabelle who could keep her eye on the kids. Sitting next to Zoe across from Ed was Grace then Stephanie, Carolyn, Mishka, and Heather.

Once everyone was seated Angie got everyone's attention. "Before we begin I'd like everyone to join hands please."

Victoria felt a thrill as she placed her left hand in Ed's large hand and took Dale's hand in her right. She looked up at her host with a smile as did the others.

"First I want to thank you all for coming to celebrate Christmas with us. It means so much to us that you joined us. Whether you celebrate the religious significance of Christmas or simply appreciate the traditions of the day, the most important purpose of the day is the gathering of friends and family to share the joy and love this celebration is built upon. I can think of no finer friends to share this day with."

"Amen!" Dale said a little louder than intended and chuckles erupted around the table.

Angie released her friend's hands and everyone began filling their plates. Platters and bowls were passed back and forth. Dale did the honors of opening two bottles of wine and these were passed around as well.

Soon everyone was enjoying the wonderful food and drink and conversation was light and fun.

Victoria was enjoying the wine and her relief at being accepted was so complete it made her almost giddy. She didn't need to pretend to be interested and friendly as it came naturally. Everyone was so genuine and open! For the first time in years she was able to relax with others. She struck up a fascinating conversation with Dale and his wife about their recent trip to Barbados, an island she'd always wanted to visit. Mishka and Heather joined in as they thought it might be a lovely place to go on their honeymoon. When Victoria heard that Edward and Rachel were there with the Grants the idea of traveling with the big man slipped into her mind and that fantasy distracted her for a bit.

Ed was trying to tell a joke and he was destroying it so badly that Stephanie couldn't stop giggling. On his third attempt Stephanie frantically waved at him to stop as she couldn't breathe. He finally gave up with a grin and pout. Carolyn was enjoying seeing Stephanie lose it. Grace was watching Ed with a grin and Zoe's eyes were twinkling with happiness.

Dessert was a choice of sticky toffee pudding cake, chocolate peppermint pie, ice cream and a variety of home baked cookies.

Ed sampled everything but the peppermint pie as he wasn't keen on that flavor.

Too soon the meal was over and the kids were tasked with taking all the dirty dishes to the kitchen before they were allowed to head downstairs to play. Angie and Isabelle moved the leftover food into the fridge while everyone moved back to the family room to relax.

Ed found a comfy spot on the sofa and eased himself down. His leg wasn't bothering him so much as he'd overeaten and was feeling a little sleepy from all the good food. Grace sat next to him and held his hand. Victoria walked in speaking with Dale and Tristan. Ed saw she was smiling and relaxed and he was glad that she was having a good time.

"Ed, can I fix you a scotch? I brought a bottle of the good stuff to share." Dale called out.

Ed grinned and nodded to the man and got a big smile in return.

Victoria looked around for Ed and spotted him sitting in the middle of a large comfortable couch. She'd had too much wine with dinner and her head was spinning a little so she carefully made her way towards the couch. She looked to Grace who saw how carefully she was moving and the young woman gave her a knowing smile.

"My goodness, I think I enjoyed myself a little too much at dinner. The wine was so good! May I join you before I fall down?" she said to the couple on the couch.

"Please do. I mean- please have a seat, not fall down." Ed blurted.

Victoria turned to sit but spun a little too quickly as the room kept spinning and she began to fall back. Then she felt a hand on her ass and one was on her side guiding her down. She felt the strength in his hands as he gently lowered her onto the couch beside him. When she was down he pulled his hand back but she leaned back and settled in under his arm. God his body felt good to lean against!

"So sorry. The room is spinning a little," she said as she blushed.

Dale carried over Ed's tumbler of scotch and saw Victoria's state. "Did I give you too much wine?" he asked gently.

Victoria smiled up at the gentleman. "Maybe just a touch but it was such a wonderful dinner. I wouldn't change a thing." She was feeling a definite glow at the moment and was becoming very sleepy. The security of Ed's arm around her and the heat of his body against hers after the ordeal she'd been through was completely relaxing her. She finally felt safe, like her troubles were over and she was free. Her eyes began to close.

Dale handed Ed the scotch and smiled at the woman who was obviously on her way to sleepy land. He raised a toast to the young man and they clinked glasses. He watched Ed sip the scotch and take in its flavors. Then the swallow with eyes closed to feel its heat sliding down his throat. When Ed's eyes reopened he smiled broadly.

"Oh that's good scotch! Really good!" Ed gushed.

"I knew you'd appreciate it!" Dale grinned as he took a sip from his own glass.

"There you go, corrupting Ed with your wicked hard liquor again!" Tristan teased her husband.

"Being introduced to the best things in life isn't corruption it's enlightenment!" he teased back. "That's how I felt when I met you!"

"Ooo! You're a smooth talker mister!" Tristan said batting her eyelashes at Dale.

"All the better to sweep you off your feet my love!" he said pulling her into a hug and planting a kiss on her happy lips. They moved to take a seat on the loveseat across from the couch.

Ed was grinning with joy and looked towards Grace. He saw she was watching him with love in her eyes. He tried to lean towards her to kiss her but he couldn't move. He looked to his left and saw Victoria was asleep on his left arm. He looked back at Grace in surprise and her lips were on his. Her wonderful soft lips. He could get lost in the bliss of her kiss! He put his tumbler between his knees then reached up with his freed hand to slide it into the hair on the back of her head so he could kiss her more deeply. She pushed back against his chest and pulled her lips from his causing him to moan a little. She lifted his arm over her and settled in under it.

His head was spinning from her kiss but he realized he no longer had a hand to lift his scotch with. "Uh Grace, could you get my scotch now that you have my arm?"

She chuckled and pulled it from between his knees and he was able to relax. She lifted it to his lips so he could take another sip.

Mishka and Heather were helping Isabelle, Stephanie, and Carolyn roll the three couches, the loveseat and two extra chairs in a square around the large coffee table. Angie, Rachel and Zoe carried in platters of cookies and cupcakes, and a tea and coffee service. All of this went onto the coffee table.

Soon everyone was relaxing and Rachel spotted Victoria snoring gently against Ed's shoulder. She smiled and shook her head. She understood how comforting it was to be in Ed's arms and couldn't begrudge the woman this simple pleasure after what she'd been through. She caught Ed's eyes on hers and saw his admiration and love in them. She felt a zing of joy shoot through her body from that.

Isabelle made herself busy as Santa's little helper by bringing the kids upstairs. They immediately headed for the cookies and cupcakes. Isabelle got them distributed amongst the couches squeezed in with the adults then collected the presents under the tree for them. Each child got one present to open and they tore into the wrappings with joy. They all discovered action figures from the latest movie release so squeals were heard and each of the kids rushed to give Angie a kiss then they raced downstairs to play with their new toys.

Victoria woke to the sounds of happy children and she smiled thinking it was her daughters. Then she recalled they were overseas and for a second despair almost overwhelmed her. Edward's words came to her then. Family was worth fighting for and she would not give up! She felt so warm and safe. Then she heard other voices. She cracked her eyes open and saw she was on the couch nestled in under Edward's arm up against his body. She saw Dale and Tristan sitting on the loveseat on the other side of the coffee table. They were watching her wake with gentle smiles on their faces.

That's when she noticed the drool.

She was mortified that she'd drooled on herself- on Edward too!

"Oh my god! Oh! I'm so sorry!" she muttered in absolute embarrassment and tried to move away from him but his strong arm wrapped around her holding her in place. A gentle hand dabbed her mouth and chin with a tissue. She timidly looked up into friendly eyes smiling down at her.

"Do you think you're the first to do that to me?" he said simply as he dabbed his sweater dry.

She blushed again and he gave her another hug then released her so she could sit up.

She looked down at her hands. "Thank you Edward for being so nice to me."

Ed looked at her in surprise. "Why wouldn't I be nice to you?"

Victoria shook her head and looked at the rest of the group. "I really want to thank everyone for being so welcoming and wonderful. Everyone I knew before… before I killed my husband…" she shook her head. "They've abandoned me. I'm a social pariah. I don't want any of you to suffer that fate for my sake."

"Victoria, anyone who would abandon you in your time of deepest desperation isn't worthy of your friendship. Ed brought us up to speed on your situation and on the measures you were forced to take to escape from your husband. I believe I can speak for all of us here that we don't give a rats ass what anyone thinks of us and we'd be damned if we let anyone's ignorance keep us from being your friend. You are one of us now. You're stuck with us." Dale said with a stubborn look.

The rest of the group nodded and smiled. Ed put his hand over hers and gave them a squeeze. Victoria's eyes were welling with tears. All she could manage was a squeaky 'thank you' as her throat closed up.

Isabelle returned from the basement. "Is it time to hand out the gifts to the adults now?" she said with a smile.

"What gifts are those? We didn't get gifts for each other." Angie asked.

Isabelle went to the tree and picked up a stack of small boxes roughly wrapped. Names were hand written on them. She began to hand them out and Ed began to squirm when he saw it was the gifts he'd picked up.

"Ed, stop worrying." Grace said patting his leg which was bouncing nervously.

He pushed himself to his feet. "I just want to apologize now before you open them. I had no time to Christmas shop this year so I picked up all my gifts at the airport in New York City on the way back from our visit. I thought these would be just a little fun thing and I'd get you all something better but…"

Stephanie got hers open first and pulled out a metal locket the size of her palm with an etching of the Statue of Liberty on it. She smiled at Ed and pressed the button on the side and the locket folded open. There was a mirror on one side and a 2"x3"picture on the other. Stephanie looked at the picture and froze. Her eyes went wide as she bit her lip and her face got all red as Ed watched her nervously. He was expecting her to laugh. He thought the gift was funny. Why wasn't she laughing?

Angie got a gold locket with a big red apple on the side. She opened hers and gaped at the picture she found inside. She looked over at Rachel and Zoe who were tearing into their packages after seeing the expressions on their friend's faces.

Rachel began to chuckle as she saw hers and Ed felt a little better but even her chuckle wasn't a laughter chuckle. He turned to Grace as she finally managed to get past the tape jail Ed had sealed her gift in. Wrapping presents was not his forte. Her locket was gold with a yellow cab in glittery stones. She popped it open and her eyes went wide when she saw the picture.

Ed leaned closer to whisper. "Why isn't anyone laughing? It's a gag gift! I thought everyone would think they were really funny!"

"Oh Ed! I love this!" Zoe purred as she devoured the picture in hers with her eyes.

"Oh my god! Are all the pictures different?!?" Carolyn gasped as she caught sight of the picture in Stephanie's locket which wasn't the same as hers. Suddenly the ladies were on their feet comparing pictures.

Ed looked at Victoria whose face was flushed. He thought he'd put a non-gag image in hers. He felt awful that he'd embarrassed her!

"I'm sorry they are dumb gifts! I'll take them back-"

"NO!" Victoria blurted loudly and the rest began to laugh. She looked around and saw they were laughing with her not at her so she gave them a shy smile and looked back at her locket with a grin.

"You can't have mine back either Ed!" Stephanie grinned wickedly. Soon all the women were jumping on that bandwagon and turned back to comparing the pictures.

Angie turned to Ed with an incredulous expression. "Wait a minute! You took these pictures in a photo booth at the airport?!? Ed, you're… naked in these pictures! You were naked in a photo booth in one of the busiest airports in the US? How on Earth did you manage not to get caught?

"When I was in the airport gift shop I saw so many gag gifts with shots of undressed male models posing in these… positions. I thought it would be funnier if I used pictures of myself in those same poses! And I'm not naked! I covered my important parts… mostly. I thought you would find them funny!" he said with a pout. "And the police lady thought they were pretty fun. She kept watch when I told her what I wanted to do."

Grace started to laugh and hugged Ed who just looked at her in surprise.

Mishka saw a close up of Ed's friendly smile inside her locket. She turned it around to show the others. "Mine seems tame enough."

Heather's had a similar smiling face picture and she showed it as well.

"Ah Heather, I mixed yours and Victoria's up," Ed said.

"I have to see it at least!" Heather bounced up to her feet and walked over to Victoria's side.

Victoria popped the locket open and showed it to Heather whose jaw dropped.

"Aw man! I want one of those too!" Heather moaned.

Isabelle was standing next to Heather with wide eyes. She looked at Ed and licked her lips nervously. "You know, if we mounted these images all side by side and scanned them we could make a really awesome collage."

"YES!" Angie cheered. "That's my daughter's artistic genius at work! How large would the final piece be?"

"Well, each is 2"x3" and there are how many images? Nine?" Isabelle said as she counted the lockets.

"Ten," Tristan said turning the locket she had which contained one of the beefcake pictures as well.

Ed hung his head then looked up at Tristan and Dale. "I'm so sorry! I thought I used one of the happy face images in yours. I must have gotten it mixed up with the outtakes."

The women went quiet and looked his way. "You have more of these?" Rachel asked with a happy grin.

"Just the bad ones."

"How many," Rachel pushed.

"About twenty. I spent a lot of money on that stupid booth as it kept taking pictures too quickly, catching me between poses. The police lady said she had to confiscate some as they were too risqué." Rachel exchanged excited looks with her friends and they all looked to Grace.

"We'll take a look at the pictures when we get home." Grace said as she gave them an amused grin.

"So… they aren't bad presents?" Ed asked Grace.

"No Ed, they're a big hit!" Grace said with a gentle smile which he returned.

"I like my gift very much too Ed, thank you!" Dale said holding up the package of whisky stones.

Ed saw them in the gadget shop in the airport and the salesman explained they were stones you froze and put in your scotch to chill it without watering down your drink. He thought they were perfect for Dale. He gave the man a happy nod.

Angie came over to kneel down before Ed and took his hands. "It was really sweet of you to get us all presents but you really didn't need to do that."

"You have all been so amazing to me and Grace this year I wanted to do something to show my appreciation." He caught the eyes of each of the women in his life now. "You've been so generous to me and I've done nothing in return," Ed said sadly.

"OH MY GOD ED! How could you think that?" Angie gasped in shock. "You came with me to New York to that award show! You protected me from Greg!"

Stephanie was next to chime in. "You showed up at our house dressed as Santa. You absolutely made Christmas for my kids that night! Then after a long day of work you came over to my place to assemble my new bedroom furniture." She bit her lip and looked at Ed with a sly smile as she remembered what else they'd done. Ed blushed as he remembered too.

"Ed discovered the secret to unlocking the language of my lost tribe!" Carolyn said and shocked faces swung in her direction. "I've been able to translate the tattoo based on the songs I recorded from them and the scarring in my tattoo. Ed discovered the pattern in the raised surfaces was music. He unlocked the tattoo and now I have two major publishing houses bidding on the rights to publish the new language with a world tour museum circuit, conferences, and interviews! There is significant money on the table and finally some recognition for the tribe!"

Carolyn received hugs from some of the ladies and congratulations from the others.

Rachel returned to her seat and looked over at Ed. "Edward, don't forget that you took me to the gala dinner with Dale and Tristan and you used a week of your vacation time to go to Barbados with me! That's a week I will never forget! Even if you can't remember parts of it!" Rachel grinned.

"Some memories surfaced." Ed grinned back at Rachel and turned his gaze to Tristan who froze like a deer in the headlights.

"I won that drinking competition on the party boat!" he cheered and Tristan burst into nervous giggles. She calmed when Dale took her hand in his. Grace wondered at her odd reaction.

On her way back to her seat from hugging Carolyn Zoe stopped in front of Ed. "You brought my daughter back to me. We have a long way to go but when she broke down in the prison I reached her. For the first time in years we connected. I will be forever grateful for that. On that very same night you saved my life. Luis Ramos was going to rape and kill me. Make no mistake that was his intent the moment he saw me. He'd raped me twice in the past and I barely managed to survive the beatings he gave me afterwards. If you had not done what you did that night, I would be dead today. The fact that you punished him so severely for his evil brings my soul a level of peace I never thought I would have. Again, I cannot thank you enough."

Ed was blushing and squirming but Grace had a hold on his arm.

"What… what did Edward do?" Victoria gasped breathlessly.

With a glance at Ed to receive permission she faced Victoria when he nodded slightly.

"Ed pulled his arms off."

Grace rubbed his back as he shuddered hearing the words again.

The room went silent as everyone absorbed that fact. It was the first time many had heard the story.

Dale watched Ed's reaction to the words and his eyes widened. It wasn't an exaggeration? He'd have to ask Zoe for details when Ed wasn't around.

Mishka also wanted details because questions were filling her mind. Mostly revolving around the exact nature of the injury and how it was treated.

Heather's, Victoria's, Stephanie's and Carolyn's reaction were far more instinctive. They wanted to get closer to Ed. Only Victoria could as she was sitting next to him. She subconsciously leaned in against his side. Ed smiled at her thinking she was just lending him her support.

"I have another reason to thank Ed and this time it is far less grim. The seasoning he provided for the steaks we serve in my restaurant has helped to boost our revenue thirty percent. It would have been higher but we don't have the space for more customers at our location. We're booked solid for months in advance now! We've been getting rave revues by all the food critics and everyone at the restaurant got a lovely bonus this Christmas because of Ed. You are a hero to the entire staff! My accountant worked out your share for this quarter, based on Rachel's brutal negotiations." She smiled back at the red head and handed Ed an envelope before sitting back down next to Rachel who gave her a hug.

Ed's eyes bugged out when he saw the amount on the cheque. This would go quite a ways towards finishing Grace's schooling!

"That's just for this quarter Ed. I'm also in negotiations with a major food distributor to bottle your steak seasoning and french fry seasoning for retail sales. That would mean quite a bit more money for you!" Zoe smiled and Grace gave Ed a big hug.

Rachel leaned forward to catch Ed's eye. "Edward, you give us the most valuable gift of all, your time. Without complaint or question, you are always there for us. Always ready to lend a hand or step in to make things right. I know we can be pretty demanding but you're always so patient and giving. Please don't think we haven't noticed! We love you!"

Ed was blushing but he held Rachel's eyes with his so she could see his love for her.

"On the message of love I have one more gift to give Ed." Grace said with a nervous smile.

Grace pulled an envelope out of her purse and unfolded it. She handed it to Ed biting her lower lip.

Ed grinned at Grace and opened the envelope. There was a folded piece of paper inside which he took out and unfolded. Grace's name was at the top of the paper and there was a black and white image printed on the page. He looked at the image and it didn't register. He just couldn't tell what he was looking at. His mind kept trying to see patterns in it but he couldn't. He looked blankly at Grace.

Victoria saw the image and made a squeaking noise before she slapped her hands over her mouth. Ed glanced at her in confusion then looked back to Grace.

"What is it?"

"It's an ultrasound of our babies."

"You're having a baby? My baby?" Ed said quietly as his ears filled with a rushing noise.

"Babies, Ed. Twins!" She was waiting for Ed's reaction and knew she'd have to give him a moment.

Squealing erupted from their audience and Rachel rushed over to hug Grace. She was followed closely by the others as everyone wanted to congratulate her and give her hugs.

Ed looked at the picture and tried to see the babies. The roaring was very loud in his head now and distracting but he did his best to ignore it. Now that he knew what to look for the picture snapped into sharp focus. "Wait! Did you say twins?" Ed blinked.

Grace had tears of happiness from the kisses and hugs from everyone. Everyone but Ed. Still she waited. Angie began to get frustrated with Ed's behavior but Grace just held up her hand to let her know they had to be patient. She nodded to Ed.

"I- I see- I see the… babies." He turned his head to Grace and tears of joy were running down his cheeks. "You're having my babies?"

Grace smiled and nodded. Ed took her in his arms and cried. He was thrilled! He was terrified! He didn't know how to react. He just held her and rocked back and forth.

Finally Grace pushed him back so she could look him in the eye. She lifted his chin and she saw fear there but he had a hard time looking her in the eye.

"Ed, talk to me. What's wrong? Aren't you happy?" Grace asked gently.

"Oh Grace, I'm so happy I don't know what to do with myself!" he replied quietly.

"But…"

Ed's chest was tight but he couldn't deny her. "I pray the triplets will have your smarts and not be simple headed like me!"

"The twins will be beautiful and a perfect mix of both of us," Grace said happily.

Ed held up the print. "I've never read one of these before but I see three babies."

"Wait, didn't you say you were on the pill?" Rachel blurted.

Grace bit her lip and gave Rachel a guilty smile as she took the print from Ed's hand to show him the twins. Rachel grinned and shook her finger at Grace.

"Here's the head of the first baby and here's the head of the second," Grace pointed out to Ed.

"And I think these could be the feet of a third baby," Ed said pointing to a dim part of the image.

Grace looked closer and the shape did look like feet. Feet that couldn't belong to the other two. Why hadn't she seen this before? "We'll have to ask the doctor to do another ultrasound. He was sure it was twins!"

"Do multiple births run in your family?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes, Shirley's mom was a twin." Grace said distractedly as she turned her eyes back to the picture.

"When are you due?" Angie asked.

"Sometime in June." Grace mumbled unable to look away from the possible little feet. She shook her head and tried to put the idea of triplets out of her head until they knew for sure. She'd barely prepared herself for twins. Her confidence broke. "How am I going to manage triplets and a career?" Grace blurted. "I don't know how to be a mother? Look at my own example!"

Rachel knelt by her feet and took Grace's hands in hers. "You are not alone in this! We will be there for you and Ed and the children!" She reached over and pulled Ed's hand on top of Grace's and wrapped them both in hers. "These children will be loved like no others. You have all of us for support."

Grace reached out and pulled Rachel into a hug and Ed hugged them both. When they pulled back eyes were dabbed to dry the happy tears.

Rachel was so excited! Having babies in her home was a dream come true! She knew she could rely on Angie and Zoe to help guide her in taking care of them. She was already envisioning the three of them going for walks with three strollers. She couldn't stop grinning and Grace looked so happy and relieved.

"I'm going to be a Dad!" Ed mumbled as the concept slowly seeped into his brain. He pulled Grace's hand to his lips and kissed her palm tenderly as he looked into her eyes. "I don't have an example of how to be one but I'll try to be the best Dad I can be." Grace pulled his hand to her tummy and his eyes followed.

"Just be who you are Ed. That's the best person a Dad could be." Grace smiled with tears in her eyes.

"Well this has officially become the best Christmas party I've ever been to!" Dale said with a wide smile and laughter broke out. He hugged his wife who was sharing a special smile with him as she held his hand over her own tummy.

The party went on for quite some time as conversation centered on parenting and childhood experiences. The cookies and cupcakes slowly disappeared as the tea and coffee was sipped.

Soon everyone was yawning but reluctant to leave. The desire to stay in the comfort of being with good friends was almost overpowering. They finally promised to get together for another party to celebrate New Years and the party began to break up. Isabelle went to collect Stephanie's kids as Stephanie hugged Grace and Ed walked her to the front door.

She looked up and saw someone had hung a garland of mistletoe on the hall light. Ed spotted it too and pulled Stephanie against his body with a grin. Her eyes widened and she giggled nervously. He took a kiss slowly and sensually from her mouth and she moaned gently as his lips caressed hers.

"Merry Christmas Stephanie," he said when he pulled back.

"Merry Christmas…Ed," she breathed as her whole body tingled.

He got her coat from the closet and helped her put it on as four sleepy kids trudged up the stairs with Isabelle. Ed gave them hugs before they followed their mom outside to drive home.

Arms wrapped around Ed from behind. He looked over his shoulder and saw it was Carolyn pressed up against his back. He turned and she looked up at him with a smile. He gave her a tender kiss and she melted in his arms. Afterwards she rested her cheek against his chest until her kids pulled her away from him when Isabelle brought them upstairs.

"We're tired and we want to go home Mom," Gregory said.

Ed just smiled at Carolyn's pout as he helped her on with her coat. He kissed her on the nose as he buttoned up her top button and that got her to smile. Ed hugged her kids with an exchange of Merry Christmases and off they went.

His leg was tired so he made his way back to the family room and met Dale and Tristan on their way out. Dale reached out to shake his hand.

"Merry Christmas Ed and congratulations on your family to be!" Dale beamed as he shook Ed's hand firmly.

"Merry Christmas to you both," Ed said with a big smile.

Tristan pulled Ed into a tight hug. Ed looked at Dale in surprise as he hugged her. Dale just smiled fondly at his wife.

She pulled back and Ed saw she was blushing and had tears in her eyes. "Are you ok?" he asked her in concern but she just nodded and kissed his cheek.

Dale gathered his wife up under his arm and led her to the front door where Isabelle was waiting with their coats. Ed made it to the Family room where Mishka took one look at him and directed him to a couch. He sank down into the cushions with a sigh and she sat down on the edge of the couch facing him.

"You need to stay off your feet for a day or so. That will give your leg time to get its healing underway. Then you can walk a little more." Mishka said.

"I go back to work on Tuesday."

Mishka smiled. "That should be fine but take it slow and rest when you need to."

Heather came up to stand before them. She looked at Mishka. "He hurt his calf, right?"

When Mishka nodded Heather quickly slid her ass onto Ed's lap as she beamed down at him. Mishka squeaked in protest.

"Relax! I just have a favor to ask Ed… for us." Heather smiled at her lover. She turned her face to Ed who was looking up at her in surprise.

"We will likely want to have a family of our own one day. I'd like you to be the donor." Heather smiled.

Mishka was about to protest once more but the image of having a family with Heather suddenly filled her mind and she realized she did want that. Very much! She reached out to take her fiancé's hand gently and pulled it to her lips.

Heather smiled tenderly at Mishka then her eye's widened as she felt something large pressing and moving against her ass. "Ooo! I think Ed likes that idea too." She rubbed her ass against him, feeling his cock growing and throbbing and her face became a little flushed.

"Babe, can you take me home now?" Heather said with a quiet voice.

Mishka grinned at Heather and nodded. She leaned forward and kissed Ed's cheek and Heather moaned as Ed throbbed under her.

"Mishka, please!" Heather's voice sounded a little desperate.

"Merry Christmas Ed and thank you," Mishka said as she stood and pulled Heather to her feet. Heather clung to her side but looked down at the bulge in Ed's pant leg. She pressed herself against Mishka and trembled.

Mishka finally managed to get them moving to the front door and Ed watched them go.

Victoria sat down gently next to Ed and smiled timidly at him. Then her eyes caught the shape of Ed's cock against the tight fabric of his pants. Her face froze as she realized his size. God, she wanted to see it, to touch it skin to skin… to taste it! She felt so wicked and… alive for the first time since Ed visited her house.

"You- you never finished your house call that day," she said quietly.

Ed looked at her and saw she was looking at his lap. She wasn't disgusted or fearful so he relaxed a little. "You're right. I should finish that this week," he replied.

"I'd like that." Her eyes came up to meet his.

Ed really did think she was so much prettier now that her make-up didn't make her look like a doll. Her hair shone in the light and his fingers were gently pushing it back from her forehead so he could see her face.

Victoria's eyes closed as she felt his hand touching her hair. She smiled at his gentleness and squeaked when his lips touched hers. He began to pull back but she pushed forward to capture his lips with hers. She took his face between her hands and kissed him deeply, her tongue slipped into his mouth and it was Ed's turn to squeak.

Her desperate need for him drove her on and her passion was everything.

Ed took a grip on her shoulders and pushed her back, stopping the kiss abruptly.

Victoria's eyes snapped open and she saw Ed's surprised expression. She felt something break inside. She looked around the room and saw shocked expressions on a number of faces. Her embarrassment was complete. She'd made a fool of herself.

She leapt to her feet and ran from the room ignoring Ed's shout for her to stop. She made it to the front door and tried not to look at Isabelle's concerned expression as she was handed her coat. She quickly pulled it on and grabbed the door handle.

An arm went over her shoulder and a large hand pushed the door closed. She felt her body being spun around and pushed back against the door.

Ed took her chin in his hand and gently lifted her face until he could see her eyes. She finally looked at him and she gasped.

Victoria was expecting to see rage or disgust but Ed was looking at her with compassion and more than a little lust. There was something… primal in his eyes.

"That was a very good kiss. You just surprised me," Ed said quietly, his voice deep with his need.

She trembled in his grip. He was so strong and she needed him so badly.

Ed could see the desperation in her eyes. He wasn't sure why she felt that way but it triggered something in him. He leaned in and kissed her hard, his tongue stroking hers, his body pressing her against the door. She was so soft and willing, she was his to take and his lust surged.

Victoria wanted to rip off her thick coat and her dress underneath so she could feel Ed's body but he had her pinned against the door. He was being so rough! He wanted her so badly! She was so wet and she was tingling like mad between her legs!

Ed felt a sharp pain in his calf and it broke the spell. His mind began to come back to him. Before it did completely he slid his hand inside her coat and ran his fingers over her fabric covered pussy.

Victoria gasped and clung to him as he took her body and mind completely over the top. An intense burst of pleasure rocked through her and she whimpered against his shoulder as she shook through her release.

Ed pulled his hand away and took her face between them again. He tenderly kissed her lips as she slowly came back to Earth.

"I will see you this week. Be good until then," he rumbled quietly. She bit her lip and nodded to him.

He pulled back and Victoria pulled her coat closed and smiled up at him. She could see he still wanted her and that filled her being with warmth that would stay with her until they could be together again. With another happy smile she slipped out the front door and was gone.

Ed leaned back against the door and winced. His calf was throbbing painfully. When he opened his eyes he saw Isabelle standing in the foyer, her face flushed. She was breathing hard, looking back at him with wide eyes.

"I need my cane," Ed said. In his haste to catch Victoria at the door he'd left it behind.

"GRACE! ED NEEDS HIS CANE!" Isabelle called out, unable to move.

Moments later Grace rushed into the foyer with the cane. She was followed by the others. Everyone took in Ed slumping back against the door, the pain in his eyes, his obvious physical excitement and Isabelle's state. Grace moved to his side.

"What happened? Is Victoria ok?" she asked with concern.

"He took her! Against the door!" Isabelle blurted.

Ed blushed and nodded. "She was ok when she left but… we need to talk," he said quietly. "I need to sit down."

Grace handed him his cane and helped him back to the family room. Angie grilled Isabelle for her eye witness account and the young woman squirmed as she recounted it to her mother.

Ed sank back against the cushions and Rachel gently rested his left leg up on an ottoman. He smiled gratefully at her then his eyes were trapped by her cleavage as she was leaning forward over his leg. He felt himself throb in his pants. She smiled up at him.

Zoe sat opposite him on the loveseat and Angie returned to the family room to sit next to Zoe. Isabelle had gone upstairs to her room to… be alone with her thoughts.

Ed's brows drew together as he struggled to put his words together. He looked Grace in the eye. "You know I'm not very good at reading people so I may be way off base. I need you or Rachel to speak with Victoria to find out if I'm right." Rachel nodded to him and he sighed with relief. "When I spoke with her that time I serviced her house she wanted me to kiss her. When I refused she got kinda desperate. I guess that was because of her husband's abuse. I don't know what damage he'd done to her. When I spoke with her at the prison she was so lost. I think she's a very lonely person. She told me tonight this was the first time she's had real friends. I'm worried about her. I think she really needs us." He looked at the others and saw them smiling back at him and nodding.

"Ed, you have such a good heart! You're going to be the best dad!" Grace said and hugged him.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight against his body, burying his face in her soft, sweet smelling hair.

"I hope I'll be a good dad! I have no example to follow." Ed said quietly.

Grace pulled back and took his face in her hands. "You just have to be yourself Ed. You know right from wrong and you know the strength of compassion. You're an excellent listener. When you don't know something you aren't afraid to ask. That's a great head start!"

Ed looked at Grace with love in his eyes and he lifted her hands to kiss them.

"We should get you home," she said.

Rachel nodded and with Grace's help they pulled Ed to his feet. When he got there he discovered he couldn't put any weight on his leg without a lot of pain. They eased him back down onto the couch.

"I guess I must have strained it when I ran after Victoria." Ed said with a wince.

"Ed can stay in the guest room tonight and you can pick him up in the morning," Angie said.

"I thought Zoe was staying in the guest room." Rachel said.

"She can stay with me in my room tonight." Angie clarified and Rachel nodded. Zoe opened her mouth to protest but the other two pinned her with their eyes and she wisely remained silent.

Grace watched the exchange with a knowing smile. "Let's get him to the guest room."

Once more she and Rachel got him to his feet but he had to lean on Grace to take the weight off his left leg. They made their way down the hall, moving slowly.

"Geez Ed, you need to go on a diet!" she groaned under his weight.

"I'm sorry Grace, I can put more weight on my leg," he said contritely.

"No, sorry I was just teasing. We're almost there," Grace apologized.

Zoe went in the room first and turned down the sheets. She gathered a few items as Grace and Rachel got Ed to the edge of the bed. Grace pulled his sweater up and over his head and Rachel removed his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt.

Ed gently took Rachel's hands in his and looked at her with a crooked smile. "You know, I know how to undress myself for bed."

Rachel leaned down and kissed Ed sweetly. She felt him straining to keep her lips against his as she pulled back and that sent a thrill through her body. "I love you Ed. You sleep well and we'll pick you up in the morning." She stepped back and Grace came forward.

She took his face in her hands and kissed him. When his hands touched her body she pushed back as he was just too tempting. She could easily see herself climbing onto his body to… no, better keep those thoughts away.

Angie leaned his cane against the end table in case he needed it and gave him a kiss good night. Ed got an eyeful of her cleavage and he tried to look elsewhere but Zoe was there looking so…

Zoe kissed him quickly and followed Angie from the room with her items in her hands.

Ed undid his pants and slid them off. He tugged his socks off and winced as his injured calf gave him another spike of pain. He pulled himself under the covers and tried to get some rest.

Angie and Zoe helped Rachel and Grace with their coats and gave them hugs.

"Come for breakfast tomorrow!" Angie said with a big smile.

"Sounds lovely!" Rachel said and they stepped outside into the snow.

Angie locked up and turned to head upstairs. She looked back and saw Zoe looking down the hall towards the guest room. "Zoe."

The woman jumped and turned to follow. They went to the master and took turns getting ready for bed. Zoe slipped under the sheets and Angie turned off the lights.

"Good night Angie. It was a lovely party!" Zoe said quietly.

"Thanks! Good night Zoe."

They were both quiet for a while though neither seemed to be falling asleep.

"Do- do you think Ed is alright down there?" Zoe asked.

Angie had been thinking the same thing but she knew what would happen if Zoe went to check. Ed needed to rest. They'd just have to be strong. "Ed is fine. Go to sleep."

Zoe pouted and flipped onto her side facing away from Angie. She'd wait until Angie was asleep then she'd check on Ed just to make sure.

Angie turned onto her side away from Zoe and listened for her friend to fall asleep so she could slip downstairs to check on him herself.

Isabelle made her way to the kitchen to get a chilled bottle of water. Her 'alone time' had been lovely but she needed a drink before she went to bed and liked to have a bottle of water on her night table. She heard a noise down the hall and stopped. It didn't sound like Zoe. She walked to the guest room door and listened. She heard a painful hiss and opened the door stepping inside.

"ED?" she squeaked.

He was standing in the middle of the floor wobbling a little with a death grip on his cane. He looked at her a little desperately.

"I need to use the washroom but it hurts too much to walk. Now I'm stuck." Ed gritted out between his teeth.

"Where's Zoe?" Isabelle asked as she put her shoulder under Ed's left arm and took his weight off his leg. She heard him sigh with relief.

"She's upstairs with Angie." Ed said as Isabelle slowly helped him over to the bathroom.

She got him positioned in front of the toilet and lifted the lid and seat for him. He still had his arm around her so she couldn't move away.

"Uh, could you… maybe just stand there while I do this so I don't fall down?" Ed asked, embarrassed. "You can close your eyes."

Not trusting her voice she nodded and closed her eyes. She felt him struggling to push his boxers down so she pulled the elastic down on her side. Her eyes opened automatically and she saw his heavy cock swing free. She froze as she watched Ed take his thick member in his hand and point it at the bowl. A stream of urine was soon rushing into the bowl and Isabelle watched in fascination. She'd never seen a man pee before. She grabbed a wad of toilet paper in preparation as the roll was on her side.

When Ed was finished squeezing out the last drops she handed him the paper and watched him dry himself off. She flushed and they moved to the sink to wash their hands. She helped him back to the bed and tried to ease him down on it but his leg gave and they both fell back onto the mattress. She banged her head on Ed's chin clocking him good.

They lay there for a bit just moaning.

"Ow." Ed said as he gingerly touched his chin.

"Geez! Are you made of stone?" Isabelle winced as she touched the sore spot on her head.

"Not entirely," he managed to say and she snorted in amusement.

She slid off the bed onto her feet and helped lift his legs under the covers. That placed her face right above his groin and she looked down at the bulge in his boxers. She froze. It was right there.

"Ed? I need to see it."

"What?" he asked nervously as he watched her leaning over his body.

"Your cock. I need to see it. Up close."

"Uh, I don't think that's a good ideaAHHHH!" he yelped as her hands were suddenly sliding over his boxers.

She tugged them down just enough to free the beast. Her eyes widened as she admired his thickening length. Her mind went back to the day she'd tried to take him inside her. That memory was stuck in her mind. The intense fullness, the paralysis of her fear, the pleasure and pain mixing and confusing her brain. She'd only managed to get just the tip of his cock inside her and all she could recall was the intensity. She had to try again!

She leaned over to open the night table drawer and pulled out the lube she'd left there when she was dating her last boyfriend Jeffery.

"Isabelle, what are you doing?" Ed said trying to reach down to pull up his boxers.

She pushed him back down and squirted the lube onto his cock.

"AAAHHH! THAT'S COLD!" he yelled.

Isabelle dropped the tube on the bed and grabbed his cock in both hands, lifting it vertical and rubbing the lube over his skin.

Ed pushed his head back into the pillows as Isabelle's stroking felt very good.

She saw he was getting really hard so she stood up on the mattress, pulled off her panties, and pulled her nightie up and over her head. She stood over Ed naked and rubbed her lube covered hand over her wet pussy. Fuck that felt good! She sank down to her knees straddling his body and rubbed her pussy up and down his length. Geezus! She was so fucking wet! She wanted Ed so much but she was also terrified of what she was about to attempt to do. She savagely pushed that fear aside and lifted Ed's cock up to meet her pussy.

"Isabelle, would you just wait-"

NO! She pushed back hard and Ed's well lubed cock forced its way inside her pussy four inches before she locked up once more. The intensity she'd experienced before paled to the sensations ripping through her mind this time. FUCK! She felt so incredibly full! FUCK! His hot cock felt like it was on fire! FUCK! Little barbs of pain from being stretched so wide blended with a delicious tingle! FUCK! The roaring in her ears was back and it was sweeping her mind away. It was too much!

She screamed.

Angie was getting frustrated as she waited for the sound of Zoe sleeping.

Zoe was feeling the same frustration as she waited for Angie to fall asleep.

When they heard the scream they were both on their feet running for the door before they realized why.

"Was that Isabelle?" Zoe asked as they rushed down the stairs.

"I think so!" Angie replied.

They pushed open the door to the guest room and stopped just inside.

Isabelle was straddling Ed's body but was slumped forward over him, unconscious. Ed was struggling under her to lift her up and off of his cock but her head was already touching the headboard. His leg prevented him from moving them down the mattress.

"Help me!" Ed called out.

This broke their paralysis. Angie and Zoe moved forward and lifted Isabelle's limp body from Ed's. When they pulled her off of his cock Angie looked for signs of bleeding but there was no blood present on Ed's cock nor was any dripping from her daughter. That was a good sign.

"Let's put Isabelle to bed," her mother said.

Angie and Zoe carried Isabelle upstairs and they placed the young woman on her bed. Angie pulled the sheet up over her body and kissed her forehead. Looking down at the girl she shook her head. She had to realize by now Ed was too big for her. She turned to say as much to Zoe but saw she was alone. That SNEAK!

Zoe walked over to the side of Ed's bed and looked at his slick and throbbing cock. A tremor went through her body. She looked into Ed's eyes and the hunger in them sent a thrill through her. He gestured for her to get onto the other side of the bed so she walked around the bottom.

Angie burst into the room, slightly out of breath from her run. She opened her mouth to tell Zoe to come back upstairs so Ed could rest.

"Come here, please."

Angie found herself moving to the side of the bed. Ed's eyes were on hers and he gestured for her to move closer. She wanted to tell him to rest, to let himself heal but instead she leaned over him and his fingers slid into her silky hair. She trembled then his lips were on hers and nothing else existed in the world. His mouth was soft but demanding and she whimpered with need as his tongue gently touched and caressed hers. She sucked on the tip of his tongue then gasped as his hand moved to cup and squeeze her heavy tit, tugging gently on her stiff nipple.

Zoe slipped off her panties and added a little more lube to Ed's cock. She swung her leg over his body and rubbed the slick head against her pussy lips pushing it in a little deeper with each pass.

Ed moaned into Angie's mouth as he felt his cock slide into Zoe's heat. He had to let Zoe set the pace as his leg was throbbing. He kissed Angie more aggressively and she moaned with desire. He pulled her face back and looked into her eyes.

"Please let me use my mouth on you," he rasped.

Angie felt a zing go through her body when Ed begged to eat her pussy. That was so fucking hot!

She pulled her damp panties off and quickly climbed onto the bed to carefully straddle his head. She lowered her pussy towards his mouth and his tongue found its mark. Angie threw back her head and cried out as she grabbed the headboard. Fuck, he was good at this!

"Ooo, Ed! That's so good!" she moaned.

Ed's hands found their way to Zoe's big tits and he gave them a squeeze. His thumbs found her stiff nipples and nipple rings and added more pleasure to her as she drove his cock deep inside her body. She was making little mews of pleasure but these turned to gasps and cries as one of his hands landed on her clit. She began to drive herself harder on his cock as her climax raced up on her. With Ed's thick, hot cock stretching her open, his fingers squeezing and tugging a nipple and his other fingers busy strumming her clit she was quickly losing control. She struggled to set a steady pace of bouncing on his cock but her body was beginning to demand more, faster, and harder. She gave it what it wanted.

Angie was sailing through one beautiful, gentle orgasm after another. Her mind was floating slightly above her body and she felt so desired, beautiful and sexy. She trembled and shook holding tight to the headboard as Ed's tongue and lips brought her to the pinnacle of another release.

Ed's hand moved faster against Zoe's clit and that was the final straw.

"YES! ED! OH FUCK! CUMMMMMMINNNGGG! FUCK!"

She wailed and ground down against him, feeling his hard cock buried deep inside her. She leaned forward against his hand squeezing her tit and rocked through her release. When she began to get too sensitive she pulled herself free and rolled onto her back next to Ed. She lay there gasping while she watched him.

Though the intermittent pain he was getting from his leg was holding him back, his cock was still aching for his own release so he lifted Angie's ass and moved her down his body. She squealed when she went airborne and squealed again when he set her down on his cock.

"Geezus Ed! You're still so hard!" she gasped.

He pulled her pussy back and forth against him and she moaned. She reached down and lifted his cock, guiding it to her pussy.

Ed grabbed her hips and drove her down over his cock until their bodies slapped together. Angie cried out in bliss from feeling his heat reaching so deep inside her. He lifted and slammed her down on him to pump his cock in and out of her. Angie's eyes squeezed closed as it was so much more intense than the gentle pleasure he'd given her earlier. She was lost in the roughness of his passion and all she could do was hang on for dear life.

He growled loudly as his long awaited climax finally began to crest. Angie's body reacted to his primal roar by taking her through a hard and fast release of her own.

"FUCK! OH FUCK! FUUUUUUUUCCCKK!!! I'MMM CUMMMMING!!!!"

Ed grabbed her big tits and squeezed them in his big hands and Angie shook harder. He lowered her against his chest and they relaxed that way, breathing hard.

Angie felt his softening cock slip from her pussy and sighed contentedly.

Finally she pushed herself up and off of him. Zoe moved in with a warm damp facecloth and wiped Ed's face clean. Then she moved to wash his cock and balls but stopped when she felt new life begin to twitch in his cock.

Ed gestured for Zoe to join him on the bed and pulled her against his body when she did. He kissed her tenderly and she smiled blissfully as she rested against his chest.

He turned and pulled Angie to him for a kiss as well. Her lips were so soft. She snuggled in on his other side and soon both women were snoring gently.

Ed was tired as well but his scattered thoughts kept him awake. It had been an eventful week.

Work was good, he loved his job, and it looked like he would get to do some more interesting tasks. He was also getting excellent pay.

With the extra income from Zoe's restaurant he was no longer worried about Grace's education fund!

His stupid Christmas gifts turned out to not be funny at all but were surprisingly well received just the same. Weird!

Victoria was back and part of their family.

But the most incredible news was that he was going to be a Dad! He was excited and worried at the same time which was so confusing! He was so glad that Grace and Rachel would be there to help him.

He loved hanging out with Stephanie's kids and even Carolyn's though he had to think hard about what might interest them, their reactions were so different from his!

He really thought he'd neglected his friends considering all the wonderful things they did for him and Grace. But they all disagreed. Each was grateful for how he shared his life with them. He found that odd because he was grateful for being allowed to share theirs. Rachel's words came back to him and he had to agree with her.

Time really was the most valuable gift of all.

End of Volume 1