Mathew scratched his head and let out a sigh. He wasn't going to argue with his wife tonight.
They had enough arguments and stress. And he knew better than to keep pressing the issue; after all, she was right.
He didn't think that Jessica would turn out to be like that either.
He thought she would become more self-confident and assertive in her career, but instead he inadvertently gave his daughter license to be free sexually.
"Look, I know things turned out differently than either one of us expected. And I'm sorry," Mathew said with a sigh. "I'm really sorry."
June kept glaring at her husband. She wasn't satisfied with his answer at all.
After all, it was because of his leniency toward Jessica's choices that things ended up like this.
And while she knew he was sincere, she also knew that if she didn't set the record straight now, he would do it again, and that would lead to worse problems down the road.
"Fine. Apology accepted," June said at last as she gave up on her anger towards her husband, who just took everything she said to heart and accepted the blame without defending himself.
Then she added, "But from now on, you are NOT allowed to argue with me on matters concerning Andrew and Jessica's behavior. Ever. I will not let you ruin their lives anymore."
"Ruin their lives? But June, how could..."
June cut him off before he could finish speaking, "No! Don't talk back to me anymore. Just do what I say for once! Is that clear?"
Mathew sighed once more as he nodded in agreement.
"Alright, fine. I promise."
He didn't think he'd ruined anything, but maybe she had a point.
After all, he was always too lenient towards his children and didn't want to limit their freedom to make mistakes or bad choices.
And the reason behind all of this was because he didn't want them to turn out like he did when he was their age.
He had regrets. He had wishes he could undo. He wanted a second chance.
But those were thoughts for another time.
With June's ultimatum firmly set, he turned and made his way to the master bedroom to start getting ready for bed, as she watched him disappear around the corner.
With Mathew now gone, June turned to her son and noticed how distraught he still appeared.
She immediately moved to him and took a seat on the sofa, taking his hand in hers.
She loved Andrew more than anything and hated to see him so upset.
"Sweetie, are you okay?" June asked him softly. "You look like you could use some motherly love."
Andrew was still so caught up in what happened with Jessica that he didn't expect to see his parents come home so soon.
The way Jessica talked to him, the way she looked at him, and the way she touched him made him feel things he'd never felt before.
It was intense and amazing at the same time, but terrifying in a way as well.
He knew he shouldn't be feeling any of these things for his own sister, even if she was very attractive and seductive.
As he sat there on the sofa while listening to their voices, he tried his best not to think of Jessica at all and attempted to forget what just happened between the two of them.
Then when he felt his mother's hand squeezing his, Andrew couldn't help but turn his gaze towards her.
"Uh, yeah. It's nothing." Andrew shook his head. There was no way he could tell his mother what really happened.
"If that's the case, I'm glad," June replied with a smile. "Anyway, I hope you and Jessica weren't doing anything...weird just now," she continued with a serious look as she emphasized the word 'weird'.
Andrew swallowed hard. Of course they had been doing something weird, or at least that's what would have happened if his father and mother had not arrived so soon.
His mother would probably lose her mind if they had actually engaged in any sort of incestuous activity.
And it was a miracle that Andrew hadn't taken the opportunity to indulge in his urges as well.
"Yeah, we weren't. I swear," Andrew answered, avoiding eye contact.
It felt wrong to lie, yet it wasn't really lying. He didn't do anything, and that was the truth.
His sister was the one who seduced him. He never once initiated anything.
June had always been a bit protective of her children, especially Andrew.
After all, he was her first child, and she loved him more than anyone in the world.
But she was also a little bit jealous of his closeness with Jessica.
"Good. I'm glad to hear that. You two are siblings, after all. It's not good to cross that line."
June hugged Andrew tight, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close to her chest.
"Mom wants to protect her little boy, always," she said quietly as she rested her chin on the top of Andrew's head, smiling warmly and stroking his hair lovingly.
Andrew remained silent for a moment, taking in the scent of his mother's perfume and enjoying the warmth of her embrace as he allowed his body to relax in her arms.
"Yeah, Mom. I know."
When they had their moment, she pushed herself away a bit and cupped his face in her hands, gently stroking his cheeks with her thumbs while gazing lovingly at his handsome face.
"Now then, I'm sure you're tired as well, right? Let's get some sleep for the night."
"Ok," Andrew said as he got up and made his way to his room. "Good night, Mom."
Once inside his room, he closed the door behind him and sat down on his bed.
He let out a long sigh and slumped backwards onto the mattress.
The feelings Jessica had ignited in him lingered, and he couldn't calm down.
"Dammit...I really am a freak..." Andrew cursed himself under his breath and closed his eyes to rest.