Incest/Taboo Family Ties That Bind

She noticed, I guess, and once when we were cuddled in the bed just talking, she brought me back to earth. "Ben, you're going to meet a woman and fall in love, and she will be the luckiest woman on earth. I'm not her, Honey. I love you and I've loved our time, but keep your focus." Then she laughed. "I hope there will be other times, too, OK?"

That was what I needed. Our talks got more and more intimate and finally she really opened up. "You all think I'm a bitch, don't you? Your Mother hates me, doesn't she?" She started crying, and explained. She was a rich girl who married a rich man. She never had to prove herself, so she never knew what she could have done. She didn't even like her name, but it had been her grandmother's name, so she got it. She didn't want to pass it on to Ruthie, but her father insisted. Ah, the cost of being in the rich class.

"I'm so glad you're following your passion with chemistry," she said. "I always wanted to be a lawyer."

I was taken aback. How could such a rich woman be dissatisfied, but she was clearly disappointed with her life. As the kids grew up and moved away, she confided that she was afraid she would be lonely and end up a bitter woman, disappointed in what she never did. I learned a lot about her, and also about myself. I had been bitter, maybe, about the disparity in our family incomes. Now I knew that money and status don't buy happiness. Love gives happiness. In the end, we're all just struggling through life looking for it.

I wasn't going to have her self-doubts, not in this beautiful and sweet (yes, sweet) woman. I knew her better now than anyone else in the family knew her, and I loved her. "Ruth, you just never give anyone a chance to know how wonderful you are. You think people around here just take your money you give to your projects, and maybe they do. But if you let them know you, they'll love you. Hell, I didn't love you when I came up here. I didn't even like you. I love you now, because I know you now. Before I left to come here, Mom told me to be extra nice to you because she thought you were making a gesture. Give her a chance, and she'll love you." I paused and got a little grin. "Have I been extra nice to you, Aunt Ruth?"

She hugged me and then reached for my dick. "Oh, you've been a nice little boy and I'll be sure to tell your Mother."

Then we got to it again. And again. And again.

Before either of us knew it, my time with her was up and we were saying goodbye in the circular driveway. My thoughts were full of her as I drove home. Mom met me at the door, gave me one of her hugs, and suddenly my thoughts were somewhere else. If Ruth was so hungry for sex, what about Mom? I can't say I ever heard her and Dad going at it anymore, so maybe she yearned for more. "Hmmm," I thought. "That bears more thinking."

Mom and Dad were eager to hear about Ruth and how we had gotten on. I told them that she had been cool and aloof at first, but that after awhile she had warmed up and we had gotten along very well. That night, Ruth called Mom. I don't think she had ever called Mom before, and you could see the shock on Mom's face when she realized who was on the line. I was listening eagerly to Mom's side of the conversation, and it was clear Ruth was bragging about how hard I had worked and what a nice young man I was. Mom was practically crying, hearing something like that from bitchy Aunt Ruth. She shooed me and Dad away, and they must have been on the telephone for an hour. I could hear Mom in the kitchen, and she was chatting away like she was talking with her best friend.

After the call ended, Mom came into the den where Dad, Joanie, Heather, and I were sitting. "You won't believe it. Ruth wants us to come again for Labor Day. Can you imagine? Ben, you must have drugged her or something. She was honestly sweet."

So we went for Labor Day, and it was a blast. Ruth was practically bubbly, and even her own family noticed. She and Mom were like best friends, spending hours talking about everything. Ruth and I got one afternoon together on Saturday, when she borrowed me for a trip to the nursery to look at some plants she wanted. Yeah, right. We drove to the park, found a secluded spot, and got right back to where we had left off. Rich Ruth, the Ice Queen, gave me a blowjob in the back seat of the car.

I saw Ruthie, but only for part of a day. She had a project at school she had to finish, so she left early. She pulled me aside Saturday night while everyone was clustered in the cinema room - yes, they had a cinema room - and kissed me. "Thanks, Benny. I don't know what you did with my Mother, but I've never seen her like this. We've always known her coldness with everyone but us was an act, and I'm glad she's finally letting her hair down. You gonna tell me what happened?"

"No," I replied, blushing.

"Well, I owe you one," and she kissed me again. It was a damned good kiss.

This time for the photo shoot, Mom scooted to my side and I put my arm around her. As Trey lined up the shot I had a flashback to what I had done with Ruth, and as we waited for the shutter to click, I slid my hand down to Mom's butt and gave a little squeeze. Jeez, it felt good. I was just being devilish, but imagine my surprise when Mom did the same thing Ruth had done. She put her hand over mine and held it on her butt. Holy Mackerel. Did women get lessons on that? What were the chances she would do the same thing Ruth had done? Did it carry the same message? Well, there were several shots and I kept my hand on Mom's butt the whole time, gently rubbing my fingers down her crack.

When the photo was done, Mom gave me one of her Mom hugs. With everyone else behind us and occupied with their own chattering, I slid my hand down to her ass and pulled her onto my dick. There was no doubt she knew it was there. She kissed me lightly on the lips, and said, "You are something. What am I going to do with you?"

I said, "I know what I wish you'd do with me," and laughed to ease the tension. She just smiled, and walked over to talk with Ruth. I glanced around, and Joanie was watching me. She mouthed, "You perv," and laughed.

Now what happened then is a story for another day. This story is about we kids, so I'll let you wait for Mom.

After that, our families got closer, yet we kids drew farther apart. Mom and Ruth were pretty tight, and Ruth would even come to our place with Uncle Trey on the farm visits, which got pretty frequent. Trey liked the farm, and even talked of buying one himself. Ruth seemed to have needed a friend, and Mom became that for her. I almost cracked up when Mom recounted how Ruth had even gone with her to the chicken coop to get fresh eggs. I could imagine her getting poop on her expensive shoes. But we kids had gone our separate ways, it seemed, and were scattered around the country. Time passed. I finished my doctorate in chemistry, which was a slog, and Ruthie had passed the bar exam and was an attorney. Mom kept me caught up on what all Ruth's kids were doing and, I have to say, Joanie, Heather, and I had pretty much matched or bettered them.

I had gotten a position in a large chemical corporation and had my first project. To be honest, I was totally focused on it, day and night, and if Mom gave me details over the telephone about Ruthie, I missed them. But one night I had hit my limit and decided to stop at the local watering hole. I wanted a couple of drinks, and I wanted some action. The drinks were easy. The action was not. I had not gotten laid for a long time, and I wondered if I had lost my touch. So, I just watched the football game on the big screen and enjoyed the chattering crowd around me.

Across the bar I saw a young woman, dressed in a business suit, with dark hair. Her hair looked like a mink's fur, which I had always liked in Ruth's and Ruthie's hair. You know what I'm talking about - shiny, silky, and dark with a hint of red to it in the right light. I thought, "Wow, she looks like Ruthie a little bit." It couldn't be Ruthie, though. She had long hair, and this woman's was cut in a kind of bob just below her ears. She turned around and I could see her face. As I said, Ruthie was always the preppie sort and I don't know if I had ever seen her in makeup. This woman was made up to the nines and was a knock out. And then it hit me. It was Ruthie, and at that moment our eyes met.

While hopes of scoring still were in my mind, they were pushed to the side by the joy of seeing her. We got a small table and when my tiredness hit me and I looked at my iPhone to check the time, four hours had passed. We were closing the damned place. Ruthie was working at a law firm, and her hours were as bad as mine. We went out to the sidewalk, kissed in a family sort of way, and agreed to meet for dinner that weekend.

That started it. My social life became Ruthie. We never did anything sexual - we were beyond that and I didn't want to offend her - but I thoroughly enjoyed her company and I think she enjoyed mine. You know the "first date jitters?" Well, I never had that with Ruthie. We weren't dating, we were family. We were comfortable together. She told me she hated the name "Ruthie," and made me promise to always call her Ruth when we were around her friends. She explained the same thing Ruth had told me about the name, and I acted surprised. Old money, it seems, like to use old names. I guess they think it sets them apart, like their family line is so important, or something. We laughed about it, Ruthie and I. You'll never meet an old money girl with a trendy, modern name, so I would laughingly call her, "Wendy," or "Brandy," or other modern names. She'd always laugh and stop me. "No, with you, I'm always just plain old Ruthie, nothing more." And she was. We started meeting a couple of times a week. Our conversations at the start were about family and our memories, but soon progressed to the point that we shared everything. Ruthie had had a disastrous relationship in law school with a professor, and said she felt pretty burned with men.

One night we were talking about relationships and how bogus it all was. "If only I could find someone as nice as you, Ben," she said, and started to say something else when she stopped. "What's wrong? You look sad. Are you tired?"

I was exhausted from work and I guess she caught me in a vulnerable moment, so I blurted the truth. "Ruthie, I've never told you this, but I've always loved you. Goddammit, I wouldn't have a chance with you for a bunch of reasons, and it breaks my heart. So, that's why I look so sad."

She reached across the table and took my hand. "Ben, oh, Ben. Do you think I don't feel the same way about you?"

"What way? Say it, Ruthie. Am I just the nice guy, or is there more?"

She started crying. "It's you, Ben. I've loved you as long as I can remember. I always told Mother that I wanted to find someone like you, when what I really wanted was you. You're the first boy I kissed." Then she leaned forward and whispered. "And yours were the first lips on my breast."

And that started it. We went slowly and carefully, treading on eggshells, but from that moment, we were in love. Oh, believe me, we researched everything we could find about laws regarding cousins marrying. Ruthie was a bulldog lawyer, and she even prepared a brief on her research. The bottom line, as she saw it, was that there was no state in the union where we couldn't marry. The only sensitive part was that we shared the same last name, but we figured that would be pretty funny, after all. She could be Ruth Nelson Nelson.

We had some fun with that. If we were out with people, Ruthie would introduce me as Ben Nelson. They would always remark, "But that's your name, isn't it?" Ruthie would kiss me in a suggestive way and say something like, "Oh, yeah. He's my brother." They'd be shocked, of course. Then we'd crack up as we explained we were only distant cousins, if that.

I was elated - we finally were talking about getting married, but there was the real hurdle. Our families. I thought mine would be okay with it, but what about Ruth and Trey. I mean, Ruthie had been a damned debutante. They expected her to marry money and status. Unless my patents came through on the results of my research, I'd never have a lot of money. You don't see a lot of chemists on the list of rich people. Ruthie didn't care about money. She was on the track for partnership and would make plenty of money. But Uncle Trey and Aunt Ruth would care.

Add to that the fact that I had fucked her Mother. I still fucked her Mother every chance I got, and it was glorious. Ruth would hit the roof. You remember that movie? The Graduate? The one with Dustin Hoffman where he screwed his girlfriend's Mother. Yeah. Ruth would hit the roof. Besides, Ruthie and I were honest with each other about previous relationships, except for that one. How could I tell her? Should I tell her?

We had, by this time, moved in together. I'm not going to relate details about our sex life, because I loved Ruthie, but I will say that the nut didn't fall far from the tree. Take Ruth's natural hunger and add a truly adventurous spirit, and that was Ruthie. There were times when I thought I wouldn't be able to walk, she fucked me so hard. The first time we had sex, we cried in each other's arms.

It was kind of funny, our living together. We used our cellphones so when our parents called they had no idea we were together. We'd shush each other to make sure they never knew that when they were talking with one of us, the other was right there. I still remember, and laugh at, the time Ruthie was talking with her Mom while I was eating Ruthie's pussy. If only Ruth knew how I was applying the lessons she taught me.

They knew we had met each other at a bar, and occasionally we would mention the other while talking with our families. Our plan was to build it gradually, and then when we dropped it on them it wouldn't be so monumental. The only one who suspected anything was Joanie. She called me one night and, out of the blue, said, "So, is Ruthie there? Can I talk to her?" I stammered and stuttered, and finally Joan rescued me by laughing. "Ben, you've always had a thing for Ruthie. I would be shocked if you hadn't tried to fuck her out there. So, have you?" I couldn't get off the phone fast enough, but I guess my reaction told Joanie the truth.

Christmas came, and Ruthie was crashing on a case so she couldn't go home. I went to see Mom and Dad and, one afternoon, called Ruth. "Can I come see you? I want to ask you something."

Ruth was no fool. She thought I wanted to fuck her, but this time she was wrong. I had decided I would ask Ruth's advice. She would blow up, probably, but I knew I had to do it. If she was adamantly opposed to our getting together, I'd somehow tell Ruthie and we'd work it out. I figured if that happened, my chances were fifty-fifty. I got up early in the morning, telling Mom I was going to just drive around and maybe hike a bit and not to be concerned if I was way late getting home. She looked puzzled but didn't protest, so I was off for the six hour drive to see Ruth.

When I got there, Donna opened the door for me and, again, escorted me to see Ruth in the sitting room. All the times I had been there over the years, and Donna still felt like she had to escort me through the house. Sigh. Yeah, I might have pocketed a priceless piece, or something. Ruth stood up to greet me and we hugged chastely until Donna left the room, then Ruth gave me a deep kiss. Normally my hands would have gone right to her ass, but this time I just held her around the waist. She noticed.

"What's this about?," she asked me.

I knew there was no way to pussy foot around it, if you'll allow that phrase. "Ruth, there's something I want to ask you."

"Oh, God. I thought we were through this. I'm not going to run away and marry you, Ben." She laughed, but she was serious.

I took a deep breath and reached for her hand. "There's no easy way to say this, Ruth. Ruthie and I have been dating a little."

"Oh," she said softly. That was it. Just "Oh."

"And I love her, Ruth. I love her more than I thought I could ever love anyone."

Again, "Oh." She was showing no emotion. This was not going as I thought it would. I had rehearsed all sorts of reactions to bring her off the ceiling, but so far she had not reacted.

"Ruth, I want to ask her to marry me. Now, before you blow up, I've got several patents pending for things I've been working on and, if they pan out, I'll share the proceeds with the corporation. Money won't be a problem."

She started crying. I had not expected that, not from Aunt Ruth. I expected her to turn into a banshee and attack me. I didn't know how to react to tears, so I said nothing.

"So what do you want from me?," she asked, softly. "You want my blessing? My God, Ben."

"Yes, that's exactly what I want, your blessing. I love you, you know that. I love Ruthie, and maybe it's because she's a part of you, but dammit, now I realize I've always loved her." I was on a roll, so I kept going. "I know you and Uncle Trey have dreams of her marrying in society and money, and all, but..."

She sighed, and I stopped in mid-sentence. "Ben, I have to tell you, if you had told me this fifteen years ago I would have had you arrested and escorted off the property. Yes, we want the best for Ruthie and we've had several prospects in mind. She has never been interested in any of them. I think it's because she's always loved you. You think we're blind? We've seen you two looking at each other over the years. We've seen you sneaking away to the pool house. I thought it was a phase she was going through, but now... Have you two talked about this?"

"Yep. She doesn't know I'm here. I wanted to talk to you first."

"What if I say no? What if I forbid it?"

"I don't know, Ruth. I just hope you won't."

"Ben, Ben. As I said, fifteen years ago I would have said no. Now, I just don't know. I have realized how important love is in a marriage. I guess I always resented your Mother because she was in a marriage of love. I was in a marriage of money and social status. You know, you're the best thing that has happened to me, in a way, because I realized that I could love and, you know what? Trey and I have realized that we have grown to love each other over the years. I think that's because of you and what you have given me." She giggled. "Trey even got a prescription for those little blue pills."

She paused. "Ben, if you two are in love, then I'll support it. But what about the legality? You are related, you know."

I laughed, both out of relief and because this was the easiest roadblock she could have presented me. "Your daughter is a cracker jack lawyer. She researched this to the nth degree. We are so distantly related that there is absolutely no problem." I cleared my throat. "She researched the legal, and I researched the scientific. There will be no problems genetically, either."

Ruth laughed, and I sighed with relief. "You mean, no three-eyed babies?," she said. Then she laughed again. "I don't know if I'm ready to be a grandmother, but here it comes, I guess."

I leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. "So, you're okay with it? How do you think Uncle Trey will take it?"

"He'll take it the way I tell him to take it, Ben. You know that."

I paused. "But there's something else."

"Yes," she said. "There is, isn't there?"

"Ruth, I love you, you know that, and I love, well, I love fucking you." I could tell her that, in that way, because I had learned that Ruth liked dirty talk. In fact, she could be quite a little potty mouth when in the throes of passion. "Ruthie doesn't know, of course, and I don't know if I should tell her. And I don't know if I'll be able to give you up, if that's what you want."

"You're not going to have to give me up unless you want to, but we'll have to work that out later. Sleeping with both your wife and her Mother? That may be just a bit too much. On that, we'll just have to see. I admit, I was hoping you were coming for that today, but now, we'll see."

My dick, ever the single-minded soul, was as hard as a rock, and Ruth noticed. She put her hand on it and squeezed lightly. She whispered, "We'll have to see."

"Should I tell her? I don't want to start a marriage with secrets."

She laughed. "I think Ruthie has suspected something for awhile. That summer when you came and stayed with me while she was in Europe, well, she's pretty alert, you know. She noticed a change in me when she got home and even asked what had gone on between you and me. I think she was jealous. Of course, I told her to get her mind out of the gutter. But I have to tell you, Ruthie is not a saint, by a long shot. She's been a handful over the years. We even had to move hers and Quad's rooms to opposite ends of the house."

Well, that shocked me. What was she saying? My sweet little Ruthie had fucked her brother? My mouth hung open.

Ruth laughed. "Oh, come on, Ben. Don't act so shocked. Brothers and sisters, almost the same age, cousins, the same age." She chuckled. "Quasi-aunts and nephews?" Then she whispered, "Mothers and Sons?"

Whew, this was getting out of hand, and I was hard as a rock, again. How much did Ruth know? But that didn't answer the question. "So, should I tell her?"

Ruth proved the wisdom of age. "No, neither of us should tell her. Just let it be. She might suspect or even know, but let's not rub her nose in it. If she asks you directly, tell her the truth and tell her about this conversation. If she asks me, I'll do the same. I'll tell her the truth, and tell her what you and I have decided, right now and in this moment. But I tell you again, you may have her on a pedestal and that's the way it should be. But don't ever let your love for her depend on some notion that she's something she's not. She's a passionate young woman and always has been. Everyone has secrets. Enjoy her for what she is, not for what you think she should be."

And that was that. I had to get on the road back home. We stood and kissed, deeply, and my hands went to that still tight ass. Ruth ground against my dick. "We'll see, Ben. We'll see."

The drive home was over in a flash. I was on cloud nine. I had gotten over the biggest hurdle, and now I could tell Mom and Dad. When I got home, they were in the den and I went right in. Dad got up to use the bathroom, leaving just Mom and me.

"How did your hiking go?," Mom asked. "You didn't even dress for hiking, you know."

"I didn't go hiking. I went to see Aunt Ruth."

Mom looked shocked, like she was expecting the axe to fall. I continued, "There's something I have to tell you."

I was sitting beside Mom, and she put a cautionary hand on my leg. "Now, Honey, there are some things that are better left unsaid. Let's just watch our program. You don't want to upset your Dad."

That made me stop and think a minute. What was she saying? Did she suspect what Ruth and I had been up to? Did she know? Even more, if she suspected, was she okay with it? I chuckled, and at that moment Dad walked in and sat in his chair, then turned toward us to say something.

I didn't let him. "No, no, Mom. It's not that." Dad looked a little confused because he didn't know what we had been talking about.

"It's not what?," he asked.

"I want to tell you two something, and all I ask is that you keep an open mind."

"Oh, boy," Dad said. "That's usually not good. What is it? Are you gay? We've talked about it, you know, since you haven't seemed to be dating anyone for a long time. We're perfectly okay with it, Ben. You are who you are, and we don't care."

Mom laughed. "Oh, he's not gay, Charlie. I can assure you of that." She paused and looked at me expectantly, with her eyebrows raised in a kind of warning look. There were lots of things she didn't want me to blurt out.

"Well, I have been dating, but we've kept it from you. I went to see Aunt Ruth today because I wanted her blessing to marry Ruthie." That was it. The cat was out of the bag. I waited for their response.

Dad jumped up and clapped his hands. Mom smiled broadly, and said, "That is the happiest news I've heard. I always wondered about you two. I could always tell you loved each other, and I could always tell that neither of you realized it. What good news! You found each other, after all. How did it happen? Tell us everything."

Of course I couldn't tell them "everything," but I did tell them how we discovered each other in the bar that night, and how it had progressed.

Mom stopped me after awhile. "So, how did Ruth react?"

I told them exactly what she had told me, omitting the critical part, of course. I told them what she had said about how she would have reacted fifteen years ago, and that she was okay with it now if that's what Ruthie really wanted. Dad looked surprised, but Mom didn't, saying, "She has changed over the years, hasn't she?"

Dad nodded. "Yeah, I've never understood that. It's like a different person inhabited her body. Why do you think that was?"

Mom looked at me and laughed. "I don't know if we'll ever know what got into her, but I'm glad it did. She's one of my best friends now, and I never thought that would happen. So now we're going to be family and family? Kind of family, squared?" Mom was a math teacher, after all.

And that was that. I returned after the holidays and told Ruthie about almost everything that had happened in the conversation with her Mom. She was a little mad that I had talked to Aunt Ruth without clearing it with her, but she was elated with the results. She even made a comment that it might have been better, after all since I was closer to Ruth than she was. A couple of weekends later we travelled to Ruthie's home where we had kind of a family meeting between us and the two sets of parents. It could not have gone better. Even Uncle Trey seemed happy at the news. The whole weekend was a hug fest.

So we got married, Ruthie and I, and we've been happy ever since. Ruthie has never asked about her Mom and me, and we've never told her. When we visit, which is frequently, she always has a shopping trip or something, to allow some "Mother-in-law bonding time," and Ruth and I always take advantage of it. I suspect Ruthie knows, but it's something that we never mention. I always allow the same "Brother bonding time" when we get together with Quad and his wife. My Ruthie. Not a saint, by a long shot, but a hot, passionate woman.

Ruth, by the way, was named Woman Of The Year by her city, for all her charitable work. Ruthie and I went home for the ceremony, and the affection of all the important people there for her was obvious. She had learned, I guess, to let people in and to shed her facade of Ice Queen.

Oh, and there's a little more of a complication, as if it couldn't be strange enough. You know how weddings are. Hookups everywhere. Well, Quad was a groomsman and Joanie was a bridesmaid. You can guess what happened, but now we're a family, cubed, as Mom put it when Joanie and Quad told her. Ruthie teased Joanie mercilessly, telling her we would have the first boy and name him Bartholomew. We had a girl, of course, and named her Mary Ruth, after our two Moms.

It's weird, I know. Steven and Heather are dating, too, but no one is supposed to know. I'm expecting their announcement any day.

So, we're a family of secrets, and now you know some of them. Ruth and me. Ruthie and Quad. Me and Joanie. Ruthie and Steven. Heather and me. Mom. Lots of secrets and lots of things that everyone might suspect, but no one discusses. We're a happy family and closer than any family I know so, so far, it's working out better than I could have ever imagined.

I've thought about it. Many marriages end because someone had an affair and either fell in love with the other person, got caught, or both. All our marriages are strong, but I guess there is that yen, sometimes, for the excitement of just getting a little extra on the side. That's the beauty of our family. Everyone may know what's going on, but it's never acknowledged. Ruthie loves her brothers but she's not in love with them and she's not going to leave me to marry one of them. But if that's what they're doing, and again, I don't know for sure, then the extra spice of the forbidden keeps her from looking for it somewhere else. Same with me. I love my Sisters and Mother, and Mother-in-Law, but I'm not going to leave Ruthie to marry one of them.

They're just the family ties that bind.
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