“Have you told him yet?” Bailey asked her childhood friend Autumn. Autumn was just twenty-two years old and married just slightly over a year when she found out.

Autumn reached in her purse and pulled out a scrunchie that she always carried with her. With both hands, she pulled her natural platinum blonde hair from off her back and shoulders and wrapped the scrunchie around it forming a ponytail that made her look sixteen again. Taking a sip of the decaf she had ordered, she looked at Bailey and answered, “Not yet, I am waiting for the right moment. I want to see the surprise in his eyes.”

“And do you think he will be surprised?” Bailey questioned.

“Well, he better be. If he isn’t, I’ll just have to make him surprised.” Autumn answered and smiled covertly. Bailey read between the lines in that smile of Autumn’s, and she knew that her friend meant business. She knew that if anyone could make Grainger feel surprised, it was Autumn.

Grainger and Autumn were high school sweethearts. Autumn was a freshman when she first laid eyes on Grainger, a senior, that first day of her high school year. Grainger was the all around jock, being the best athlete in every sport in which the Westview Rangers participated. He was the star quarterback for the football team, the star guard for the basketball team, and the star pitcher for the baseball team. It was safe to say that if Grainger had played any other sport, if Westview would have had another, he would have been the star of that one too. It was no wonder that Grainger stood out, standing six-foot five and weighing two hundred and thirty pounds, Grainger undoubtedly depicted the perfect jock. To Autumn, he also depicted the perfect boyfriend.

What Autumn did not know at that time, was that Grainger also noticed her on the first day of high school that year. He could not help but notice her. When Autumn walked into the upper school building, it was her natural platinum blonde hair draped in waves along her shoulders that highlighted the natural tan of her face that caught Grainger’s eye. To Grainger, Autumn was the perfect woman. Petite, Autumn only stood five foot one and could blow away in a strong wind, but that did not bother Grainger none. He loved the fact that he could tower over her in more ways than one.

Within a week, Grainger and Autumn became the talk of the high school. The jock had made his move on a fresh young teenager and Autumn fell right into his hands. The age difference between them did not seem to bother them, and not any others for that matter. It was definitely love at first sight as cupid shot his arrow and hit Grainger and Autumn both in the hearts. From there, the love between them grew and they became the sweethearts of Westview High. A romance that lasted well after they graduated. A romance that Autumn had learned to live with.

Now, Autumn sat with her friend Bailey discussing the times that have changed since then. Over lunch, Bailey quizzed her friend like she was a psychologist.

“Autumn, do you think that Grainger is going to accept this?”

“He better, he has no choice. It happened and that is all there is to it. I can’t change things now.” Autumn said. There was both delight and somewhat anguish in her voice. It was over thinking what Grainger was going to do when she told him.

“Well, darling,” Bailey spoke, since high school, she had always referred to Autumn as darling, “You know that I am here for you. I always will be here for you. You know where to find me.”

“I sure do. And just knowing that makes all the difference in the world. You know that I will be talking to you again. If a girl can’t depend on her best friend, she can’t depend on anyone.” Autumn said and hugged her best friend. That was all the comfort she needed and sometimes it was more comfort than she ever got from Grainger.

Autumn and Bailey exited the small café and Autumn diligently walked to her car parked on the curb in front. She got in and started the engine, but before she drove off, she leaned back in the seat and sighed heavily, patting her stomach gently. She thought of how Grainger was going to take the news, but when she did, it just made her uneasy, and uneasy was not the way she wanted to feel right now. Although Autumn knew that she was going to have to face him with what she found out eventually.

Autumn rubbed her eyes gently, bringing them back to life, and then grabbed the gear shift and jammed it into drive and pulled out into the traffic. Her little red Honda was on its way to her and Grainger’s apartment where she knew that she would break the news to him. Just how she was going to do it, she had not thought of yet. She figured it would be easy, but it was harder than she considered it to be.

When she pulled into her normal parking space to the apartment, she pulled in right beside Grainger’s truck. She was not expecting him to be home when she came back and she was wondering why he was not at work. “Oh well,” she thought to herself, as she knew that she was just going to have to deal with him being there. But she also knew that it was not the right time to tell him what she had to tell him.

Grainger met her with the door open. “Hi honey, been out shopping?” Grainger asked like he really was concerned about her shopping.

“No, I met Bailey at the cafe this morning. She had the day off and called and asked if I would like to have coffee with her this morning, so I accepted. Why are you home? Did something happen at work?” Autumn asked, not really wanting to know the answer anyway.

“Yes, something did happen at work. I began missing you, so I came home. I can come home and see my wife, can’t I?” Grainger asked.

Autumn thought for a moment and then finally had the answer of how to disclose the information she had him. She would pamper him like she always did, but just a little bit more than normal. Grainger would never know the difference. “Awwwww, honey, you are the best. How did I ever end up with you?” Autumn finally answered, sugar coating her tone as she hugged him and then kissed him on the cheek, and then began thinking again. Autumn thought about taking it as far as the bed tonight, but given the condition she was in, she thought that was not the best thing to do. Then she thought again, she would take it as far as the bed, even as far as taking her clothes off, but as soon as he was ready to pounce on her, she would pull away from him and then tell him her news. That was the best way to surprise him.

Grainger walked Autumn in the apartment with his arm around her. As they neared the hanger she always hung her purse on, he looked at her and said, “I just started lunch, it will take a few minutes to get done.”

“That’s okay sweetie. We’ll just sit on the couch until it gets done.” Autumn announced and pulled Grainger over to the couch with her. Like a teenage girl, she sat upon it, slipped her shoes off, and pulled her legs up under her. She put her arm around Grainger and he reached for the remote control to try and find something on the television. As he flipped channels, Autumn lowered her head to his shoulder and gently placed her free hand to his chest and rubbed.

Sighing softly, Autumn said quietly as they cuddled, “I sure am glad you came home. It’s not often that we get to do lunch together. We only get to see each other in the evenings when you come home, and sometimes, at least for me, that is not enough.”

“Well, Autumn, my little season, I will just have to start doing this more often! I like it when you are happy.” Just as he finished saying that, the timer went off and indicated that lunch was done, or it was supposed to be anyway.

“Honey, I hate to get up, but if you want to eat, I have to check lunch.”

“Well, while you are doing that, I am going to change into something a little more comfortable.”

“Okay. It will be sitting on the table when you come back.”

Autumn hauled herself upstairs and down the hall to the bedroom. She sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over and pulled her socks off. When she leaned back up, she meditated for a moment to herself, again. She thought of tonight. If she did not tell Grainger tonight, she may not have another perfect opportunity to do so. She could see that he was in a good mood, and she knew why.

Autumn stood up and unbuttoned the tan blouse she was wearing then slipped off her black silky slacks. She stood there in her undergarments for a moment before she found the shorts and tee shirt she was looking for to put on. Then she thought of tonight with Grainger and how much he was going to enjoy getting them off her just to have her draw away as he was ready to make his move. She just started laughing to herself.

Autumn finally made her way to the kitchen and like he said, Grainger had lunch on the table. He even had glasses full of wine next to them. Wining and dining her was never one of the things Grainger had done for her, so she knew that something was up, but she had never been treated like this by him before, so she enjoyed every minute of it. She knew it was going to be easy tonight.

Grainger pulled the chair that Autumn always sat in out so she could sit, and when she had, he pushed her in under the table so that she was comfortable. She was comfortable, and she was growing even more comfortable with tonight, especially since Grainger did not know anything about it yet. She knew that he was going to be surprised.

Grainger took his glass of wine and said, “Here’s to us, Autumn. It’s been one great year and a half, and it’s going to be another great year and a half and many many more. Baby, I love you so much.”

Autumn smiled her girlish smile, picked up her glass of wine, and just like she toasted with Grainger on their wedding day, she entwined her arm with his, and they sipped from the glasses. However, Autumn did not take any in. She only made it look like she did. Grainger did not know what really was in that smile of Autumn’s, but she knew. It was withholding information at the moment, but it would not be for long. Tonight, that surprise was going to come out.

It was a quiet lunch. One of those lunches where neither one had a clue of what was going on. Well, Autumn knew, but Grainger sure didn’t. Autumn thought of telling him while they ate, but she knew that would spoil all the fun of tonight.

They finished and Grainger grabbed the plates on the table and put them in the sink. After walking back to the table and taking the last gulp of his wine, he took Autumn into his arms and holding her said, “Baby, I’ve got to get back to work. I will see you soon. I promise, we are going to do this more often.” He never even noticed that Autumn did not drink her wine.

“That will be nice, honey. Hurry back. You know that I miss you when you are gone.” Autumn said, and planted a soft kiss upon his lips. One to last forever.

Autumn saw him to the door and watched as he slipped in the driver’s seat of his truck to travel to his welding duties for the company his dad had founded. After he had left, Autumn decided to draw a nice warm bath for herself because she felt the need to relieve the tension that was built up inside her whole body.

Walking upstairs, Autumn pulled the scrunchie from her hair and let her long light blonde hair fall in waves along her shoulders and back the way she usually wore it in the first place. As she shook her head, loosening it a bit, she entered the master bathroom and cut the water on and felt it for her preference. When it was to her liking, she moved the lever down to engage the plug, and then grabbed her lavender scented bath oil and poured a hefty amount under the falling water. Immediately, the suds formed and the light scent began to fill the air of the bathroom with warmth. While the bathtub filled up, Autumn withdrew to her bedroom and began removing her clothes. One by one, she let each item hit the floor. She owed it to herself to feel like a teenager again, and like she did so many times when she was a teenager, she let the items she was wearing stay on the floor and did not bother picking them up. Now naked, she walked in the bathroom and cut the running water off and felt the bubbles. Before she got in, she stood in front of the full size mirror, and looked at her body. She turned from side to side and saw the many changes that her body had endured since being a teenager, but she knew that the biggest change was yet to come.

Slowly, she stepped inside the bathtub then gently lowered herself, letting the bubbles caress her as she slipped down into them. Closing her eyes, she just felt the warmth surround her body and smelled the soft scent that was in the air. She was letting herself go like she had never let herself go before.

For just a little over one hour, Autumn let her body soak, letting the warmth sooth her young tired body and the scent take her to places that she had always imagined she had been before. When she stepped out of the bathtub, she snatched the yellow towel that she had placed on the rack and began drying off. As she did, she felt the small ripples in her skin that form from sitting in water for too long, but she did not care. The warm bath felt like heaven to her. Autumn then dropped the towel into the hamper and did not even bother reaching for her robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Like when she entered the bathroom to take her bath, she exited it, and walked out, naked into her room. She knew that she had clothes waiting on the floor for her there.

Upon entering her room, like she did in the bathroom, she stood in front of her sliding mirrored closet doors and just looked at her body. She looked at it for many reasons, but she was mainly looking at just for one big reason. With a sigh, she sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the tee shirt and shorts she had left on the floor and put them on. They would not come off again until tonight she thought.

Autumn decided to make it special for Grainger for when he came home. She had made her mind up to cook him his favorite dinner, which was not hard she thought since that was simply homemade macaroni and cheese with homemade biscuits on the side. She knew that was an odd combination, but if she wanted tonight to go well, she needed to be prepared the best way possible. Instead of having his usual beer though, Autumn did choose to have her favorite bottle of champagne with it. Although, Autumn would not be drinking any. She could cover it like she did during lunch. Grainger would never know the difference. But, she knew that would get Grainger going more than anything. By the time the front door opened signaling that Grainger was finally home from work, she had it ready. He just did not know it yet. Autumn had it hidden inside the oven keeping it warm.

Grainger did his ritual when he came home from work. He immediately went upstairs and drew his shower. Autumn waited on the couch, listening to the sounds of the radio playing in the background while reading a book. She was used to him taking at least thirty minutes to take his shower. If there was one thing, Grainger always had to be clean to eat.

Autumn looked up from her book and to the clock on the wall and saw that it was just about time that Grainger was going to make his entrance, so she headed to the kitchen. Autumn grabbed two plates and two champagne glasses and placed them on the table. She was waiting for him to come down to serve the plates.

As she was leaning over into the oven, checking on the warmness of the dish, Grainger came into the kitchen and smiled. Autumn heard his footsteps on the floor and immediately closed the oven door and turned to face him. She hung the kitchen towel on the oven door before he made his way to her. When she heard his footsteps toward her, Autumn walked towards him and enveloped her arms around him and kissed him like she was his teenage girlfriend again. She knew that would really get him in the gut more than anything. Then, like Grainger had done with her at lunch, Autumn treated him like a king. She really wanted to make him ready. She knew that he was going to be.

When they were through eating and the last sip of drink had been consumed by him, Autumn made her move. With that puppy dog smile on her face, she took Grainger by the arm and without hesitation, he followed her. He followed her like a little puppy just knowing he was going to get a treat, and a treat was what Autumn had intended for him.

Just like on their honeymoon, Autumn let him take control, but not for long. She let him do what a man is supposed to do. She let him take the clothes off her, caress her body in places that were meant to be caressed, and even let him get a substantial taste of her. She wanted to make sure that he was hungry, yearning for her. Just when she knew he was, Autumn took over.

She petted him like he had never been petted. She consumed his fire with her touch and made him beg for more. He was more than ready and Autumn knew it, so she made one last move, making him think that it was the big one, but she stopped short, and watched the expression on his face. Autumn did not say a word; she just waited for his response.

“Autumn, why are you stopping?”

“Because, I have something to tell you.”

“Couldn’t it wait, baby. I mean, we were in the middle of something.”

“Yes, Grainger we were, which is precisely why I can’t go through with it.” Autumn said, smiling. It was a smile of surprise.

Autumn just looked at him and shook her head to herself. She knew that she could not hold it in any longer, what she had to tell him. She had worked herself up for it and she was ready, although she knew he was not ready for it. He was just going to have to deal with it.

“Grainger, honey, I can’t keep this to myself any longer.” Autumn said, as she stood up and retrieved her clothes that were once again on the floor. Autumn slipped the shorts on as she continued, “Grainger, I have thought long and hard of how I was going to tell you,” she grumbled then she slipped the tee shirt on over her head. Once she had done that, she began again. “There really is no other way than to just come out and tell you.”

Grainger was looking at her eagerly. He wanted to get on with the act that they had started. He was oblivious to the fact that she was now clothed. Grainger went to say something, but Autumn stopped him.

“No, Grainger, don’t interrupt me, let me go on, just let me finish. Grainger, I-I-I,” Autumn stumbled on purpose, “I am pr-”

“Pregnant?” Grainger said, and with that, Autumn had him convinced that was what she was going to say. Her plan worked, and now she had all the ammunition she needed to continue.

“No, you little two-timing bastard. I am not pregnant. I wouldn’t carry your child even if you asked me. Why should I when you have been in someone else's bed for the last two months!” Autumn announced harshly, and saw how her husband look at her. She knew that look too. It was the look that he had used many times on her and she believed that look many times. Not this time, though, Autumn thought to herself, she had something to prove it.

“Here,” Autumn said and threw a big brown envelope his way. Up until now, Autumn was the only person who knew the contents of that envelope. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have somewhere to go. Grainger, it’s been fun, a real joyride, but the next time I see you, it will be in court!” Autumn said and laughed furtively.

Autumn did not even give Grainger time to get up and try to say anything. She was already out the door and into her already packed car and heading out the apartment building’s parking lot. Destination—Bailey’s. Autumn had another big brown envelope to deliver.