Romance The Good Neighbor

I decided to give you your space. I am not going to come between you and your daughters. I just hope that what I said to them hasn't ruined any chance of them seeing you. Maybe I went too far in what I said, I don't know. It obviously upset you. Then again maybe we shouldn't have fallen in love, but we did. But if that love drives a wedge between you and your daughters, I couldn't live with myself. So please, reconcile with them and don't let the last words you spoke to them be in anger. Family is far too important.

I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I'll be unreachable. You still have the key to my house. I know I don't have the right to ask, but please keep an eye on things for me. I hope to be back eventually.

All my love,

Joseph

Ashley dropped to her knees and started crying. Her own stubbornness prevented her from reaching out to Joseph, her embarrassment in how her daughters reacted and treated her overwhelmed her. Why didn't I call him? Why? she thought. She read his note a dozen more times before finally going back to her house with tears in her eyes and a heaviness in her heart.

2 and half months later...

It wasn't easy for Ashley to move on with her life, but move on she did. Every time she looked at the empty house next to hers, her heart broke a little more each day until it didn't. Now all she feels is just a deep sadness of what was and what could've been. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, she was planning the meal as she was hosting this year. The arguments and nastiness with her daughters mostly resolved, though some of the pain and resentment was still there in what they said. Regardless, she was looking forward to spending time with her family once again.

Being the planner that she was, she always double and triple checked everything. In doing so, she realized she'd need to make one more trip to the store to pick up a few items. She was not looking forward to going since it was the Saturday before the holiday, especially a Saturday night.

Thankfully, the trip wasn't as bad as she expected it to be and she was home quickly. As she pulled up to her house, she noticed that there were lights on in Joseph's house. He's home! she thought. She hurriedly parked her car, took in the groceries, putting away all the perishables, before rushing out to go next door.

As she got to his door, all of a sudden she got very nervous. She wondered what he'd say, or how he'd react, or would he slam the door in her face. Despite it all, she pushed the doorbell and waited anxiously. When it opened, there stood a woman she had never seen before. Confused, she was about to apologize and leave, before the woman said, "Oh. You must be Ashley. Please, come in."

With great difficulty, she walked in and the woman closed the door behind her. The woman finally said, "Please, sit down. Oh, where are my manners. I'm Kate, Joe's sister."

The look on Ashley's face was a mix of confusion and relief. Joseph's sister! Eventually Ashley found the words and asked, "How...? Where's Joseph?"

Sitting down next to Ashley on the couch, Kate said, "Joe's fine. He's currently in Fairbanks, Alaska working. It was a job he kept turning down until.... Well, until, you know."

Ashley nodded and asked, "So why are you here?"

"Joe wanted me to come by and check in on the place, plus he wanted his big heavy winter coat. I should've been here a month ago, but the cruise line kept me on an extra month."

"Oh. So... he's not coming back?"

Kate gave a big sigh and said, "I don't know. Maybe? Maybe not? I haven't seen him like this since... well since Joan. His ex."

"He never really spoke of her. I always figured he'd eventually tell me, but obviously he never got around to it. He always got a deep sadness in his eyes when he mentioned his ex wife. I didn't even know her name until now. I know it's really none of my business, but are you willing to tell me what happened?"

"You mean what happened with him and Joan? Oh that's easy, she cheated on him and tried to steal his company. He tried to reach out to her many times, but she gave him the cold shoulder and never said a word to him. She was always good at giving him the silent treatment throughout their marriage, but she eventually learned the hard way that going silent on him was not the way to go. He finally had to sue for divorce and to get back his company. In the end, he got he got control of his company again and brought in a partner to run things with the understanding they'd never work with Joan. She's also an architect and a real piece of sh... um, work. In the end, all she got out of the marriage was their condo on the lake front and no alimony. He then disappeared for a couple of years in South America designing and building houses and schools, building communities down there, and just being an all-around good guy. I was surprised when he told me he had moved back to the States, especially here. He was never a suburbs guy, he loved the excitement of downtown."

Ashley sat there and finally began to understand what had happened. Like his ex, Ashley ignored him and didn't speak to him. No wonder he acted the way he did. She felt like such a fool. She then said, "Could you please tell me how to reach him??"

Kate smiled wanly and said, "I'm sorry, I can't. He made me promise. Actually, I wasn't even supposed to tell you where he was, but I let that slip by accident. I can tell you that he's doing very well though."

She could tell that Kate wasn't going to say much more and her eyes began to fill with tears. "Thank you for that at least. I...I... oh. P-please let him know I'm also fine and things with m-my daughters are better. I...I know he'd w-want to know that." And with that she broke down. Kate reach over and placed her hand on Ashley's shoulder and tried her best to console her, but she didn't really know what to do.

Eventually, Ashley stood up, wiped away her tears, and said, "I'm sorry for that. I'll let you get back to what you were doing. Thank you again for explaining things to me. It helps to explain a lot. Have a good Thanksgiving. Good bye." And with that, Ashley headed on home.

Once alone, Kate took out of her cellphone and made a call. Once the other side picked up, she said, "You know what, you're a real fucking asshole! Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't fucking tell me that! Yeah, I talked with.... No I didn't tell her anything. I... shut up. Listen to me. This woman still loves you and you better get your damn stupid ass back home. Yeah, I'm playing the big sister card, mister! Dammit, Joe, I'm.... Don't you dare hang up on me! Don't you da... Goddamn him."

Meanwhile, in Fairbanks, Joseph leaned back in his chair in front of the fireplace, turning off his phone. He knew his sister was probably right, but he dealt with being given the silent treatment before by Joan too many times to count, he wasn't going to deal with it again with Ashley. If he was going to have silence in his life, it might as well be in Alaska. He took a sip of his bourbon and he thought that he'd eventually figure things out. If not, well, he still had his bourbon and a nice roaring fire.

Ashley did her best to have a happy Thanksgiving with her family, but everyone knew she was still missing Joseph. No one said a word though, especially not Mae because she was silently happy with it. If her mother never saw Joseph again, that was fine by her. Mae put on the happy face and just kept it all to herself!

As Thanksgiving faded into the background, Christmas came into focus. Ashley seemed to be doing better. Christmas was always Ashley's favorite holiday, so that may have helped her outlook on things. Despite her daughters being adults now, she still had fond memories of them running down the stairs in their jammies to see what presents Santa left them. And while she has a smaller, artificial tree now, she still fully decorated her house. Normally, since she did Thanksgiving, one of her daughters would have Christmas, but not this year. This year they were coming over for Christmas Eve while her daughters were each spending Christmas at their respective in-laws. She understood completely.

And just like with Thanksgiving, Ashley was once again having to go back to the grocery store the Saturday before the holiday. Unlike the last time, there was no light on in Joseph's house. She was silently hoping for a Christmas miracle that apparently wasn't meant to be.

Unlike Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve didn't go as planned. Mae had a bit too much to drink and said more than she intended to say. "Look, momma, you're mush better off withoush him! That'sh all I'm shayin'! He was waaay too young for you and..."

Anger flared in her eyes and Ashley yelled, "You. Do. NOT. Tell. Me. IF. I'm. Better. Off!!! I'm NOT! Because of you and her!" Said as she pointed towards Carrie. "The two of you destroyed something beautiful! You refused to even give him a chance... And I... Oh God... I made it worse... so much worse..." And Ashley broke into tears once more.

No one knew what to say, but one of Ashley's grandson said, "Gran'ma, please don't cry. I still love you." And upon hearing that, she pulled him into for a hug. Then the rest of the children joined in, only the adults stayed back.

Once they separated from the hug, Ashley stood up, collected herself and said, "Carrie, Mae, I love you both very much, but right now I do not like either of you. I am kindly asking you to leave my house until you can accept how I live MY life. I wish you both a very Merry Christmas, please leave. Now."

They tried to protest, but she then turned, walked upstairs, and slammed her bedroom door behind her. She waited until she heard them leave her house before exiting her room. Thankfully everyone had gone, but there was a note:

Mom,

We're sorry. We'll try to do better.

~C & M

Ashley snorted and half laughed at the poor attempt at an apology. She enter the kitchen to see that, of course, no one had done anything. Food was still out, but the pies were gone. Typical, she thought. After an hour, she had everything put away and the dishes were being done thanks to her dishwasher. She then grabbed a bottle of wine and opened it, pouring herself a very healthy glassful.

She turned on her TV, turned to Pandora, and set it to play Christmas music. She eventually fell asleep on the couch in the middle of her third glass and listening to grandma getting run over by a reindeer.

The next day she awoke early with a very bad headache. She knew she needed to get up and do something, but she didn't want to. Hell, it was a holiday, so she guessed she deserved a day off. Unfortunately, it was a losing battle because her bladder made other plans. After relieving herself, she finally decided that today was a good day for an extended workout after all. She needed to sweat out all of this pain that she was feeling.

After an hour long workout, she entered her bathroom and got in the shower. She had the water as hot as she could handle and just let is cascade over her body until it began to turn cold. She shut it off and dried off, then opted to wear a pair of sweat pants and baggy sweater for the day. The heck with it, no one is going to see me, she thought.

Heading back downstairs, her stomach started to grumble. Remembering the half eaten ham from the night before, she was going to indulge in making a huge ham sandwich. Who was going to tell her no? No one else here but her anyway. Who cares any more? she thought.

Once made, she poured another glass of wine (it's 5 o'clock somewhere, she thought) and went into the living room see what interested her on TV. Maybe should could find a movie that piqued her interest. She started flipping through streaming services, figuring she'd find something, and then the doorbell rang. With it being Christmas day, she had no idea who it could be. She checked her doorbell camera, but the man standing out there had his back to it.

She opened the door a crack and said, "Hello, can I help you?"

When the man turned around, he said, "Hi. Merry Christmas."

"Joseph? JOSEPH!!!"

She flung the door open and nearly leapt out at Joseph, hugging him tightly as she cried. He held her tightly and didn't say a word. Finally he said, "Mind if we go inside? It's a little chilly out here."

Collecting herself, she grabbed his hand and almost pulled him inside. He shut the door behind him and once again she was on him, hugging him tightly. She kept saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Finally they separated and she said, "Please tell me I'm not dreaming!"

He chuckled and said, "No, not a dream."

"Oh, thank goodness! I like the beard by the way."

"Yeah? I wasn't sure if I was going to shave it off or not, but I haven't been home just yet. I came directly here from the airport."

Stunned, Ashley said, "The air... You mean, I was first stop?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah, so I better bring in my bags, they're still on your porch."

After bringing the bags inside, they both sat down on the couch for a long talk. Joseph went into how he felt in not hearing from her for days and how it brought back toxic memories of his marriage and ex-wife. Ashley let him know that Kate did tell her what had happened. In the end, they both realized that they had each made a horrible mistake.

Joseph said, "I'm so sorry that I was such an idiot for letting my past affect our present, but I'm back now and I'm not going anywhere, unless you kick my ass out."

She smiled and said, "No, not kicking you out. Never. I've missed you. I've missed our conversations. I've missed your beautiful eyes. I've missed your kisses. And, yes, I've missed the sex. God how I've missed the sex. But, most of all, I missed US. Being together. I promise to never go silent on you again and, if I do, tell me!"

"I promise." And he leaned in and kissed her. A kiss she hungrily returned. A kiss that turned into making out, that turned into clothes being removed, that turned into her riding him while on the couch, that turned into them both orgasming together. After a few moments of rest, they then raced up to her bedroom...

An hour or so later, they both laid exhausted in her bed. She said, "Oh yeah, I really missed the sex."

The next morning he headed back to his house to drop off his bags and check in on things there. He also called Kate to let her know what was going on. She lovingly called him an asshole, but was glad that he finally got his act together. A short while later, Ashley came over and they talked. A LOT. They both decided that, regardless of how her daughters felt, they were going to continue their relationship. They also decided to go together and visit them to talk it out with them and the let the chips fall where they may.

2 quick phone calls later, Ashley said that her daughters were expecting her later that evening, but they don't know that Joseph will be along with her. She kept the little tidbit to herself.

At 5:00 Ashley was knocking on Carrie's door, with Joseph at her side. When Mae answered, her first reaction was, "What the fuck is he doing here?"

Ashley looked at her daughter, looked at Joseph, and said, "Ok, good bye. That was your one chance. I'm done here. Tell your sister why I left."

Mae started screaming at her mother to come back, to stop being a baby, to grow up, and then she called her a fucking bitch. Joseph had had enough. He turned around and walked right up to her and said, "Get your head out of your ass. I love your mother, she loves me. And for some un-fucking-known reason, she still loves you. But you will never again disrespect that woman over there. Next time, I won't be a gentleman. Next time, I'll put you over my Goddamn knee and spank the living shit out of you. Got it?"

Mae tried to slap him, but he caught it and he pushed her to the ground. "Y'know, forget it, you're not worth the trouble. How such a wonderful woman has a bitch of a daughter like you is beyond me. Stay out of our lives until you grow the fuck up and can respect us."

He then turned around and got in the car. He looked at Ashley and said, "I'm sorry, but I had to." She nodded and said that she agreed with what he did. They then headed home.

On New Year's Eve, Joseph proposed to Ashley and she happily accepted. They both agreed that they didn't want a huge wedding, just close friends and family. Though in Ashley's case, she suspected she'd have no family show up. They also didn't want to wait a long time to get married, so they focused on Valentine's Day as their wedding date.

Invitations went out the next day via email, including to her daughters. As expected, they never responded. It broke her heart, but she still hoped that they'd be more accepting at some point. She put it out of her mind as they prepared for the wedding. A lot of planning needed to done in a very short amount of time since they had just over 6 weeks to get it done. Fortunately, between the two of them, they had enough connections to get the venue they wanted for the wedding and reception. It's amazing how many of her former students were willing to help to make sure she'd get the wedding she wanted.

Throughout the entire planning process, Kate was also invaluable as her job for the cruise line also included being a wedding planner. And even though she was on land on not on a ship, she still had her own connections. What could've been a very stressful time for Ashley, it was quite the opposite thanks to Kate.

6 days before the wedding, her daughters reached out to Ashley. At first she wanted to say no, but with Joseph's urging she reluctantly agreed to meet with them both, in public and only if Joseph was with her. They initially said yes to the first, but no to the second. So Ashley said, "Then no. Good bye." Suffice it to say, they acquiesced and agreed to what Ashley wanted, but only in hopes of trying to convince their mother that she was making a huge mistake.

So here it was 4 days before their wedding, Joseph and Ashley were about to meet her daughters in hopes of mending fences. Joseph promised to remain mum throughout, but only if they were respectful towards his bride-to-be. As they entered the restaurant, they saw that only her daughters were there. Both of them had hoped that their husbands would be there as well, as sort of a buffer, but it wasn't meant to be.

As they sat down, Ashley said, "A few ground rules. You will speak to me and only me. Any disrespect, we leave. Any name calling, we leave. Any grand acts of bitchiness, we leave. Joseph is here for support and won't say anything. Agreed?"

Mae sighed and rolled her eyes and then Ashley said, "Ok, so that's a no. We're leaving."

They got up to leave and Carrie said, "NO! Please. Don't go. Ignore Mae."

"What do you mean, 'ignore me'?" Mae said. "I didn't say anything!"

Carrie said, "You know what you did! You keep wanting to make this worse by acting like you're 2 years old instead of 36!! Now, for God's sake, SHUT UP and let's listen!!"

Rolling her eyes again, Mae said, "Fine."

Ashley looked at Joseph and he said, "It's up to you. We can stay or leave. Your choice."

She said, "Let's sit. I do want to clear the air."

For the next 2 hours the three women hashed everything out. In the end, Mae would not be moved, but Carrie was willing. When she heard that, she called Carrie a turncoat, and a few names, before storming out. After another 30 minutes, Carrie fully understood the love her mother had for Joseph. Without Mae there clouding her judgment, it was clear just how deeply they loved one another. In the end, Carrie and her husband, along with both kids, were formally invited to their wedding. Ashley was all smiles, even knowing that Mae would never understand.

The day of the wedding didn't start well. Joseph's alarm didn't go off, but he still got up in plenty of time. He just felt rushed most of the morning. Then Kate called him to let him know that not all the flowers were going to make it, but Ashley would still have her bouquet. But, then, the "bomb" hit. Mae called him and threatened to storm the wedding to make sure it never happened. He was expecting this though. He asked that she reconsider it and not cause a scene as it would not end well for her. She told him to fuck off and hung up on him. Then he made a call...

1 hour before the wedding, Kate softly knocked on Ashley's door. As promised, Kate had her bouquet.

45 minutes before the wedding, Joseph was a nervous wreck. Pacing back and forth, his best man tried his best to calm him down, but it wasn't working. Finally, his best man handed him a cellphone and it was Ashley on the other side. He needed to hear her voice one more time before seeing her walk down the aisle.

15 minutes before the wedding, the venue filled up with about 30 people, including Carrie, her husband, and their two children.

The wedding. Ashley was absolutely stunning in her cream colored off the shoulder dress, its length was just below her knees. Simple, yet elegant. The pillbox hat with veil set everything off. When they joined hands at the altar, they were both lost within the moment. When the pastor finally said that they were husband and wife, a cheer filled venue as they passionately kissed.

As for Mae, she never got close to causing any issues. Her husband made sure of it thanks to Carrie cluing him in after receiving a call from Joseph. She remained tied to the bed throughout the day to make sure nothing would go wrong. Her husband would probably pay for it in the end, but he, too, enjoyed a bit of quietness after he gagged her.

At the reception, Joseph and Ashley only had eyes for one another. As they shared their first dance together, they missed that the song had stopped and yet continued to dance. The guests applauded and cheered them on.

The day ended perfectly as he carried her over the threshold of his, now their, home.

One year later....

Feeling the gentle rocking of the cruise ship, Joseph woke up and rolled over to see his wife sleeping peacefully. He never tired of seeing her. He leaned over to softly kiss her forehead. "Happy anniversary, Mrs. Stuart."

She stirred and said, "Mmmm, good morning and happy anniversary, Mr. Stuart," she then kissed him deeply.

Joseph said, "Y'know, I never did like Valentine's Day all that much, but now that it's my wedding anniversary, I think it's the best day of the year!"

Laughing, Ashley said, "I always loved it. All the love, etc. It's extra special now."

"Oh I agree... Hmmm, we have a bit of time before we really need to be at breakfast, are you ready for... you know? While we're on this cruise, I want to make love to you every day!"

"All 45 days of it? Oh my... Please do..."

Pulling her closer to him, he said, "I love you so much, Ashley."

"I love you, too, Joseph. And Happy Valentine's Day."​