Courage and Comfort Read Online Free PDF Page A

holding Edmund’s cock in
one hand and his hips in the other.
    More seed jetted from both
their cocks until, finally, they both stopped. As his cock slid from Edmund’s
body, Utah kissed Edmund’s neck. “Thank you, lover, for a hell of a ride.”
    Edmund twisted round to face
Utah. “It’s not you, and it’s not me. It’s us. When we’re together, it’s—I don’t
know—special somehow.”
    “Absolutely. I
was just thinking that. We belong together.”
    They hugged briefly, and then
Utah pulled away from Edmund. “Oh man, we really need a shower now.”
     
    ****
     
    They wandered hand-in-hand
along the main street of Rocky
Point Beach. Supposedly they were choosing a place to eat supper, but really
they were just enjoying the release of the tension after finding the
aquamarine. They stopped in some of the stores and poked through the goods on
display, laughing at the slogans on T-shirts, trying on flip-flops and beach
sandals, and shaking their heads at some of the tacky pictures on postcards.
    One store had stone paperweights, and Utah wandered over to them, picked
them up, and looked at them. Edmund stood by and watched, then found his hand
reaching out all by itself for a pale blue one that reminded him of the
aquamarine. Utah picked up a green one that was almost exactly the same shape
and texture, just with the different color. “Why don’t we get one of these each for Mavis and AJ? Kind of like a memento of this
trip?”
    “Yes, good idea. Do you think we should get a gift for the baby as
well? I guess, by the next time we go on vacation, he’ll be old enough we
should bring him a present.”
    “Sure, but what do you buy a baby? It’s not like he’s old enough for a
bucket and spade to dig in the sand.”
    Holding the two paperweights, they walked over to a rack of children’s
toys. Slowly, they walked down the aisle, looking at everything, until right in
the corner Edmund saw one of those stretchy things parents hung across a crib
for a baby to play with. This one had hollow balls of different colors,
including one of palest blue and another of deep green. Without a word he
picked it up and showed Utah.
    Utah nodded. “Perfect.”
    Happy with their purchases, they walked on through the town, stopping
at last at a pizza and pasta restaurant where they enjoyed their meal and
relaxed before finally returning to their room to make long, slow love in bed.
     
    ****
     
    Packing their luggage didn’t
take long, and they were on the road heading home before nine the next morning.
Mostly they traveled in companionable silence, but every now and then Edmund
would stroke the aquamarine in his pocket, and Utah, who was driving, would
look across at him and smile.
    “The whole thing still seems
weird and almost unbelievable, but we did it,” Edmund said.
    “Yes, I know. I find the
whole paranormal situation way out of left field, but it did call to you and it
does seem right.”
    “Do you think it wanted us to
buy those paperweights as well? I felt drawn to them too, and even to that baby
toy.”
    “I don’t know. But right now
I’m not prepared to discard any possibility.”
    “Hell
no. Me either. So how do we give it to Mavis? Just hand it over
and say ‘Now you’ll be fine’? That seems callous.” Edmund stared at Utah’s
face, but Utah was concentrating on the road.
    “Didn’t AJ say she was
meditating on it or planning a ceremony or something? I expect she’ll have
thought through all that. AJ’s a mighty-smart woman and knows her stuff. She
also seems to understand your sister too.”
    “Oh yes, that’s true. I’d
forgotten. I’m happy to leave the program to her. I’m just so pleased we found
it. And I bet our e-mail boxes are full and Jayne will have a list of jobs for
us to do that’ll keep us busy for the rest of the week.”
    Edmund relaxed into his seat
as they talked idly about their business, their jobs, and their family as the
miles rolled past them and they headed