Page 27 of Allison

“That’s good to hear,” Aunt Jenny pats her hand. “Well, don’t just stand there, have a seat.” She gestures to an empty chair that’s appeared between her and Aunt Lettie.

“We haven’t had a chance to catch up, yet,” Aunt Lettie adds. “You haven’t been home since Emma’s unfortunate incident. What is keeping you way out there away from your family?” This is the last conversation she wants to be having, but she won’t be rude.

Reluctantly, she takes a seat between the two older women. “Work keeps me busy,” Allison answers.

Aunt Jenny scoffs. “Work,” she says derisively. “You should be working at home, raising up the next generation. I know you modern women think you need to have a career and be important out in the world, but being a wife and mother are the most important jobs you can ever have.”

“I have plenty of time to get married and have children,” Allison argues. “I just haven’t met anyone I would want to settle down with.”

“You won’t find a good man in a bar, young lady,” Aunt Lettie counsels. “Church! That’s where you’ll find a respectable man to father your children.” Allison resists the urge to argue and tell her all about the ‘good men’ she’d met at church before leaving for college. She’d lost her virginity at bible camp the summer she turned seventeen to a twenty-five year-old youth pastor who, once he’d gotten what he wanted, dropped her like a hot potato. But telling them her story would only backfire on her. They would blame her for ‘giving it up’, not the older man who should have known better.

“Yes, ma’am,” Allison says instead.

“Allison!” Emma calls, “We need you to come over here, please.” Allison suppresses a grin. Em has always had her back, rescuing her from bad situations.

“Good talk,” Allison says, not keeping the sarcasm out of her voice, knowing it’s lost on them anyway. She heads over to join Emma and the others in the hot tub. “Thanks for the save,” she tells Emma as she eases down into the hot, bubbling water.

“I could tell they were in full on lecture mode,” Emma informs her. “They’ve been on a roll all afternoon. I’ve been told how fortunate I am that Curtis still wants to marry me. You know since I’ve been living in sin with him and after everything that happened, not to mention me being so overweight.”

Allison feels like her eyes are going to bug out of her head. “They didn’t!”

“Oh, hell yes, they did,” Susie Beth joins in, a fierce expression on her face. Emma reaches over to pat Susie Beth’s shoulder.

“Calm down,” Emma urges. “You’re more worked up about it than I am.” Susie Beth gives her a side-eye, her jaws clenched tight.

“I can’t stand them talking to you like that.”

“I know. I appreciate you defending me, but you’re just wasting your breath. They’re never going to agree with our life choices. I made peace with it when they blamed me for being raped all those years ago.” Allison gives Emma a stricken look.

“You knew?” she whispers the question. Emma nods.

“Yeah, just because I wasn’t talking to anyone didn’t mean I couldn’t hear.” The bitterness easy to hear in her voice. “I blamed myself for a long time. It took a lot of therapy to understand nothing I did caused what happened. All of it was on Iceman, not me, and not you.” Emma looks over at Susie Beth who has tears in her eyes.

“If we’d left when you wanted to—” Susie Beth breaks off and looks away.

“Stop!” Emma demands. “We’ve talked about this. It was not your fault.” Susie Beth doesn’t look convinced, but she nods. “I mean it. Not. Your. Fault.”

“How about we talk about the dresses?” Lisa interjects to change the topic.

“I haven’t even tried mine on yet,” Allison admits. “God! I hope it fits. What will we do if it doesn’t?”

“Mom brought her sewing machine, much to Dad’s dismay,” Emma laughs.

“Your mom and dad are here?” Allison questions.

“Yes, she and dad are staying on the floor below ours. Mom said she didn’t want to intrude but wanted to be close in case we needed to do any alterations.” Allison feels marginally better, but she isn’t worried about it being too big, but too little. She hopes they have extra fabric.

“We should go up to my room so you can try it on.” The other women are nodding agreement. They all rise and begin to get out of the hot tub one at a time, grabbing towels from the nearby table.

In Emma’s suite, Allison slips into the large bathroom, strips off her bathing suit, and pulls the silky dress over her head. She turns to the side with a frown. The burgundy-colored dress is gorgeous, but it’s a bit tight around her hips and breasts. Shockingly, she looks better in it than she’d expected, but she can’t keep from noticing her flaws.

Her breasts have never been perky. She’d gone from a flat chest to DD overnight it had seemed. Using both hands she pushes them up trying to remember if she brought her strapless bra. “Did you fall in?” Susie Beth yells through the door.

Allison jerks the door open. “No, you dork! I wasn’t using the bathroom. I’m trying on the dress.” Susie Beth eyes her up and down.

“Dammit! You look better than all of us,” Susie Beth whines, reaching out to adjust the neckline for her. “And for the record, I knew you weren’t on the pot, but you were taking way too long to try it on.”

“I was trying to decide if I wanted you all to see me in it,” Allison admits. “My ass is too wide and my tits are sagging.” She turns sideways to the women so they can see what she means. “But if they weren’t, the dress would be popping at the seams.” Susie Beth glares at her.

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