Maggie and Tess stood, looking down at their wet clothing. They turned and started down the trail.
Addison heard Maggie in her mind. And with that, I guess it’s time for us to be gettin’ home and bakin’ some pies. As Addison watched, Maggie turned and whistled for the dog. She grinned when Baxter flipped upright, leapt to his feet, and ran to her. Her smile filled Addison with longing for what she very well might have lost.
A light breeze stirred the treetops and wisped through Addison’s hair. She froze as Baxter stopped, sniffed the air, and turned his head in her direction. He seemed to be looking right at her. How would she explain her presence after sitting here spying on Maggie for the past hour? By telling the truth—that she wanted to come home but was afraid to ask?
“Baxter. Here, laddie,” Maggie called over her shoulder as she walked.
With only the slightest hesitation, he ran after her.
After they’d gone, Addison sat at the base of the tree for a while. She wanted to be certain she didn’t follow them back to the parking lot too closely. She’d taken a lot of precautions to make sure Maggie didn’t know she’d come up here today just to be close to her. She’d left at six in the morning to get here early and killed time for an hour and a half. She’d searched out the perfect spot from which to watch. She’d even rented a car so Maggie wouldn’t recognize the Explorer.
Now, as she waited to head back down, she thought about what she needed to do. After her epiphany from watching Maggie all morning, she knew without a doubt she could never sleep with Victoria again, that it was truly over. With the realization that she wanted to go home, she could make, and keep, that promise Maggie had asked of her.
Victoria had been in the Bay Area the past few days and was due back that night. Addison knew she’d been with her family for Thanksgiving. Addison knew she had a family in spite of what Victoria had initially told her. The phone in Victoria’s room had rung early one morning while she was in the shower, and Addison had taken the call, thinking it might be something important about one of the restaurants
“I’m sorry, she’s in the shower,” Addison had said. “May I tell her who’s calling?”
“Oh? Are you a friend of hers?” the caller asked, sounding curious.
She supposed—a friend who’s in her bed at six in the morning. “Yes. My name’s Addison.”
“Oh. Hello, Addison. This is Beverly Fontaine, Victoria’s mother. Would you please tell her I called and would like her to call me back as soon as she gets a chance? Let her know it’s about her sister’s wedding.”
Mother? Sister? Addison had hung up, astounded. What happened to the mother who’d died when Victoria was young, the father she hadn’t seen since he’d beaten her for being gay? Then there were the two brothers she hadn’t spoken to since she’d run away from home. She’d wondered what other lies Victoria had told.
Victoria had come back into the room wrapped in a towel. “You’re awake.” She sat on the edge of the bed.
Did it really matter that she’d lied, or why? The truth was, Addison had always known deep down that Victoria wasn’t who or what she claimed to be. Very early, she’d done some research on Fontaine’s in San Francisco for the Los Angeles ad campaign and found out it’d been in business for four years. How does a fifteen-year-old runaway from Utah make her way to northern California, finish high school, put herself through college, and have the money to open a restaurant by the age of twenty-two? “I am,” Addison had said and pulled away the towel.
She never mentioned the call from Victoria’s mom, nor did Victoria. If Beverly Fontaine ever asked about a woman named Addison who’d answered Victoria’s phone, it was clear Victoria didn’t want to talk about it.
As Addison started back to her car, she knew what she needed to do.
*
Addison pushed the button on the panel, buzzing Victoria’s room. She heard the door open and waited.
To her surprise, a tall woman with spiked, blond hair opened the gate. The fit of her black leather vest and faded jeans accentuated her muscular frame. She was the poster child for butch. “Hey there,” the woman said. “I’m Roni.”
“Hi.” Addison waited, not sure what else to say.
“Victoria’s inside.” Roni eased back and gestured for Addison to go ahead of her.
“Hi, lover,” Victoria said as Addison stepped into the sitting area.
Roni moved into the room behind her.
Victoria hung a blouse in the closet, then turned to face them. “Look at the two of you,” she said in a sultry voice. “Mm, mm, mm.”
Addison tried to smile, not comprehending. She glanced over her shoulder.
Roni just smiled back at her, her expression revealing some understanding.
Addison felt like there was a joke she wasn’t getting. It didn’t matter. She was here for only one reason, to have a conversation with Victoria. She cleared her throat. “Can we talk a second?”
“Sure, we can talk as long as you want,” Victoria said.
Roni walked around Addison and sat on the edge of the bed.
“There’s something I want to talk to you about, too,” Victoria said. “Did Roni introduce herself?”
“Uh. Well, yes.” Addison wanted to stay on point, but she was curious as to who this woman was and why she was here. “I mean, she told me her name.”
Victoria frowned. “She’s my…” She looked at Roni again and raised an eyebrow. “Partner? Maybe?”
Roni shrugged. “Sure,” she said as though this were being decided right at that moment. Knowing Victoria, that could very well be.
Addison felt as though she’d gone down the rabbit hole. She remembered wondering earlier what else Victoria had lied about. Here was something. She’d said there was no one special in her life. Again though, it didn’t matter. None of this mattered. “Okay,” she said, shifting her glance between them. “So…what? Are you here to kill me?” she asked Roni. She laughed but felt a little uneasy. She wondered what Dusty would do in this moment. She was sure something like this must’ve happened to Dusty, at least once or twice.
“Of course she isn’t,” Victoria said. “In fact, just the opposite.”
What’s the opposite of being killed?
“It’s simple, really. I fuck Roni.” Victoria tilted her head in that way Addison liked so much. “And I fuck you.” She stopped as though no further enlightenment were necessary.
Maybe not for someone else, but Addison was more lost than ever.
Victoria sidled up to her and slipped her arms around her. “Now, I want you both,” she whispered.
Addison waited, still unclear. Then it hit her. “At the same time?”
Roni chuckled.
Addison looked at her.
“Yes, lover.” Victoria pressed her fingertips to Addison’s cheek, redirecting her attention. “At the same time.” She kissed her. “I want you both in my bed. Together.”
Addison stared at her.
“You are so cute.” Victoria giggled. “You’ve liked everything else we’ve done. You’ll like this, too. I promise.”
Addison looked again at Roni. She was hardly her type. It would be like sleeping with Dusty—on steroids. She shook the thought. “Look,” she said, turning back to Victoria. “I came by tonight to tell you something.”
“No,” Victoria said. “You came by tonight because I told you to. And I told you to so that I could feel both my lovers’ mouths and hands on me at the same time, both their cocks fucking me.”
In that moment, Addison realized that’s how it’d been from the start—Victoria wanted something, and Addison did it for her. She assumed the same was true for Roni. And if one was going to be someone’s plaything, Victoria was certainly an excellent choice. If she hadn’t already decided to go home, she might’ve done this just for Victoria. She could understand—maybe—the desire to sleep with two people together who you enjoyed separately, and she’d liked making Victoria happy. But not as much as I want to make Maggie happy.
“Victoria, I’m going home.”
“No, you’re not.” Victoria kissed her again, this time more deeply. She rubbed her thigh between Addison’s just the way Addison liked.
Addison wrapped her arms around Victoria and returned the kiss. She let herself sink into it, knowing it would be the last.
Victoria moaned and pressed against her. “That’s it, lover. Come on.” She eased away and took Addison’s hand. She started to lead her toward the bed.
“That was good-bye, Victoria,” Addison said, her tone gentle. She liked Victoria. She’d had fun with her and had learned a lot about herself and her life through this experience, but this wasn’t what she wanted. Even if Maggie didn’t take her back, she knew she was done here. “Thank you for everything.”
Victoria stopped. “Thank you?” She echoed. Her hands went to her hips. “You can’t just say thank you and leave me. People don’t leave me.” Her voice rose on the last words.
“I can’t leave you,” Addison said. “I was never with you. We were just enjoying each other. Isn’t that what you said?”
Victoria studied her. “You’re going back to Maggie.” She almost spat the words. “After me, you’re going back to that…” She let out a laugh filled with disdain. “Fine, go ahead, but you’ll regret it. After a couple weeks of being back in that boredom, you’ll regret it.”
Addison smiled at the thought of the boredom of sharing morning coffee with Maggie, watching a movie cuddled up on the couch together, laughing at all their funny memories and creating new ones, trying all the things with Maggie that she’d said no to before. She now realized that she’d been the boring one. “No,” she said. “I won’t regret it. I need it. It’s where I belong. But I don’t regret this either. I needed this, too.”
“What do I care? I was about done with you anyway.” Victoria strode to the bed and sat on Roni’s lap. “This is where I belong. You were just an amusement.”
Roni slipped her arms around Victoria’s waist.
Addison smiled. She was glad Victoria had someone, whatever the two of them had. “Be happy. Both of you.”
Victoria glared at her.
“Thanks,” Roni said. Something about her expression suggested she understood more than she was going to voice.
Addison nodded and let herself out into the cool night air. As she started her engine, she couldn’t stop grinning. She was going home. Whether or not Maggie would take her back right away, no matter what she had to do to make that happen, she was going home.
*
Addison stepped up into the illuminated pool cast by the porch light and reached for the doorbell. She stopped herself. Maggie had said this was still her home. If there was ever a time to take her at her word, this was it. She adjusted the strap of her duffle bag on her shoulder and took a deep breath. She turned the knob and stepped inside.
The smell of pumpkin and pecan pies caressed her senses. It was the scent of every winter holiday since she’d met Maggie thirteen years earlier. It was a scent that encapsulated everything it meant to be a part of Maggie’s life. It was a scent that strengthened Addison’s resolve to make a place for herself there once more. She crossed the foyer into the living room doorway.
Baxter met her, carrying his ball. His whole back end wagged.
Maggie and Tess sat hunched over the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle spread out on the coffee table.
“Eve says you’d best have your side of the bathroom cleaned up before Sammi comes over tomorrow,” Maggie said without looking up.
Addison smiled. That bathroom. She scratched Baxter’s ear. “I’ll get right on it,” she said, her tone less confident than she’d have liked.
Maggie spun around in her chair. She stared at Addison. Her lips parted, but she made no sound. “I thought you were Dusty,” she said.
Addison shifted her weight. “I hope so,” she teased her. “I’m not really here for the housekeeping job.”
A dozen questions drifted through Maggie’s pale blue eyes like white, puffy clouds on water-colored sky. She dropped her gaze to the bag then brought it back to Addison. “Are you home?” Her voice held a slight tremor.
Addison’s throat closed. Her chest tightened. This was it. “If you’ll have me,” she answered. She choked back unshed tears.
Maggie rose. “Are you sure, dawtie?”
The endearment stole her breath. She nodded.
Maggie took a step, then paused. The corners of her mouth lifted almost imperceptibly and the playful glint Addison loved so much flashed in her eyes. “What makes you think I haven’t rented out your spot?”
Addison grinned. “My parking space was empty.”
Maggie laughed and threw herself into Addison’s arms. “I’ve missed you so much.” Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Addison held her tightly, soaking in the wonder of such a perfect fit, of the familiarity, of the possibilities for the future, but mostly of the flawlessness of that specific moment. In that moment, she knew they’d always been together and would always be. She eased Maggie back and covered her mouth with her own. She kissed her long and slow and deep. She didn’t even remember the last time they’d kissed that way. Feeling the moisture on Maggie’s face, on her own, she didn’t know whose tears they were, and she didn’t care. “Thank you for loving me,” she whispered.
Maggie cried harder and buried her face in Addison’s neck. “Thank you for coming home.”
They held each other for a long time.
Addison breathed in the fragrance of the cocoa butter cream Maggie used on her skin, the milk and honey shampoo she used in her hair, the rich, sweet scent of Maggie herself.
They parted at the sounds of movement and pans clattering in the kitchen. Their eyes met and held. They were both grinning like children on Christmas morning.
“Let me help Tess real quick,” Maggie said.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Addison ran a finger over Maggie’s lips. “Ever again.”
Tess looked up when they walked into the kitchen. She smiled. “Welcome home, Addison. I missed you.”
Addison closed the distance between them in three strides and scooped Tess into a huge hug. “I missed you, too.” She spun her around.
Laughing, Tess embraced her and kissed her on the cheek.
Addison set her on her feet again and turned back to Maggie. “Where’s Dusty?”
“I don’t know.” She looked at Tess. “Do you?”
Tess shook her head.
“She hasn’t been around much lately,” Maggie said. “It seems she’s gone back to a bit of her old ways. She should be here tomorrow for dinner, though.”
“Okay,” Addison said. “I’ll see her then.” Her gaze held Maggie’s with the question Maggie had always been able to read.
Maggie smiled and arched an eyebrow. “I’ll be up in a—”
“Oh, no. You two go.” Tess grinned and turned her back. “I’ll clean up down here.”
“Thank you, darlin’,” Maggie said, her eyes never leaving Addison.
In their room, Addison dropped her bag on the floor and pulled Maggie to the bed. “I want to show you something,” she said, her desire igniting. “I saw you this morning.” She tugged Maggie’s T-shirt out from the denim waistband.
“This mornin’?” Maggie looked confused.
“At the waterfall.” Addison coaxed Maggie’s arms over her head and stripped off the shirt. “I just wanted to be close to you today, but I was afraid you’d say no if I asked to be with you.” She unfastened Maggie’s jeans and slid them down over her hips.
Maggie encircled Addison’s neck. “Dawtie, I wouldn’t have said no.” Her breath came faster.
Addison quickly dispensed with her own clothes. “That doesn’t matter now,” she said, taking Maggie in her arms. She unhooked her bra, freeing her breasts, and stepped back. Her breath stopped at the sight. It seemed forever since she’d seen the woman she loved naked. “What matters is this.” She eased Maggie onto the bed. “When you l
aid back on the ground with your arms over your head…” She grasped Maggie’s wrists, pinning them to the mattress, duplicating the exact position from that morning. “All I could think of was this.” She took Maggie’s mouth in a fervent kiss. Her need flared as she lowered the full length of her body onto Maggie’s.
Maggie gasped and arched against her. Her lips parted, and she met Addison’s tongue with her own, but she let Addison take her.
And Addison did. She kissed Maggie hard and deep then gently bit her lower lip as she thrust her mound against her.
Maggie moaned. “Oh, dawtie.”
Addison shifted. She teased one of Maggie’s nipples with the tip of her tongue.
Maggie let out a low groan.
Addison circled the hardening flesh, enjoying the feel of it growing with pleasure when she grazed it with her teeth. Her own body responded as though she were on the receiving end.
Maggie shuddered and tried to press it into Addison’s mouth.
Addison struggled to hold off, but she couldn’t. There would be plenty of time for teasing later. She sucked the nipple in fully, massaging it with her lips.
Maggie gasped and moved her hips. She tried to pull her hands free, but Addison held them firmly.
As the images from the waterfall returned to Addison’s mind—Maggie lying just like this, naked beneath her, Addison kissing her, sucking her, filling her—she nudged her knee between Maggie’s legs and opened her. She sucked the other nipple.
Maggie’s moans grew louder. She tried to squeeze her thighs together, but Addison held them apart with her leg.
As she kept a grip on Maggie’s wrists with one hand, she trailed the other down Maggie’s body until her fingers dipped into Maggie’s wet folds.
Maggie cried out and lifted her hips, opening herself more.
Addison waited, savoring the moment. She was home with Maggie, in their bed, making love to the only woman she would ever want again. Tears filled her eyes as she released her own moan. She sucked harder on Maggie’s nipple and eased two fingers deep into her center.
Maggie’s whole body tightened and she clamped down around Addison. “Yes, dawtie, yes.”
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