Once each of them started college, they gradually began to spend less and less time in my bed as they met (and became intimate with) guys from school. They were adamant that any guy they were thinking of being with should be subjected to my scrutiny — usually several times -
before they actually became involved with him.
Shortly after they'd each graduated, they got jobs and moved out to be on their own, though they were careful to keep in touch.
While all of that was happening, Andrea was getting the therapy and help she needed and wanted. She and the girls stayed in contact with weekly phone calls and frequent letters; the first summer after she left, Andrea invited them to come and stay with her during her two-week vacation. They did, and I was actually surprised at how happy they were to get home with me.
Emma explained it to me by saying "Now that we've been away from her for a while, and with you, Gail and I can both see what she's like better than we could before. She's still our Mom, and we love her, and she's better than we remember — but we can see that there's still stuff bothering her, too. It was actually kind of a relief to leave, so we could get back here."
They went each time she invited them, and each time they got back, they'd tell me that she was better — and a little less relieved about leaving her. The summer before Emma graduated, they told me that she was down to once a month sessions with her therapist, and that they were actually sorry when they had to leave. When Thanksgiving came, Andrea invited ALL of us to come spend it with her; I only had to know that the girls were okay with it to let Andrea know that I'd be glad to accept, too.
When I got there, I found a much different woman than the one that had asked me to finish raising her daughters. The different hairstyle and clothes didn't completely explain that she even looked different, somehow. After Gail and Emma had gone to bed, Andrea and I stayed up and talked almost the entire night; most of it was her telling me all that she'd been through, and the help she'd gotten that had let her start dealing with all the assorted issues left over from her own childhood. Before all of us left to come home again, I'd seen and heard enough of Andrea to start believing that she really had begun to rid herself of her demons. After that, she'd sometimes call just to talk to ME, and I began calling HER. After Gail graduated college and moved out, Andrea asked if I'd like to come visit during her vacation. After a bit of thought, I agreed — and had a splendid time. Andrea and I began alternating long-weekend visits to each other; she'd come up to stay with me during her vacation one year, and surprised the hell out of me when the two of us not only started necking, but went on to get into a damn passionate session of "69" — my surprise came afterwards, when I remembered that she'd once told me that she hadn't been able to do such things with her ex-husband Bill.
When I discreetly inquired about it, she readily admitted that that was the first time she'd actually sucked a guy's cock — but that it didn't bother her, and that she'd found the taste of my semen perfectly acceptable. She then volunteered that before then, she'd had some passing experiences with other women. She wasn't a lesbian, but simply found sex with another woman better than no sex at all; she preferred guys, but considered another woman to be a perfectly acceptable substitute.
I'd already found Andrea's personality and character to be as pleasant and enjoyable as I could have wanted; it had already crossed my mind that she might make a good wife, but not knowing if she'd gotten her sexual hang-ups worked out still concerned me. Learning that not only had she gotten rid of any foibles about guys, but was comfortable about being with a woman removed my remaining worries. A couple of months later, I asked her if she would be agreeable to marrying me. She was, and Emma and Gail both attended our informal wedding. Andrea was perfectly happy with her job, and there wasn't anything about MY work that necessitated me staying where I was, so I packed up my stuff and sold the house to go live with Andrea. We found a small house that we liked, and soon had a very happy life together — one that was accentuated by Andrea's former female lovers joining us a for a night or weekend. A couple of them were only interested in other women, and I respected their wishes by limiting my attentions to Andrea. Others were more like Andrea, and were quite willing to accept my involvement with them, too. Either way, such times were thoroughly enjoyed by all of us.
That was a number of years ago. Andrea and I are still married, though we're old enough now that we don't have quite as much fun with her friends quite as often.
If Andrea ever learned how involved I was with Emma and Gail, she never said anything to me; both of them have gone on to find husbands, and start having kids of their own — which Andrea and I spoil mercilessly.