by Jae
“What?” several family members shouted at once.
Andy waved her hand. “It was no big deal. So I slept with a woman once. That doesn’t make me a lesbian or even bi, but it took me some time to figure that out.”
Eliza’s jaw worked. She needed a few seconds before she could form intelligible speech. “You slept with a woman?”
“Yep.”
Great. Everyone seemed to have some experience in that area; she was the only one who didn’t. Eliza couldn’t stop staring or keep herself from asking. “But it wasn’t your cup of tea?”
Andy’s gaze went to the twins. She walked over and covered Piper’s ears with her hands, nodding at Britt to do the same to Polly, despite the twins’ protests. “It was a good experience. Okay, to be honest, it was amazing. A woman really knows how to make another woman—”
“Lalalala,” their mother said loudly. “I think I need my ears covered too. There are things a mother doesn’t need to know about her offspring.”
Eliza laughed along with her sister, and her tension eased.
“Okay, Mom, I’ll stick to the PG part,” Andy said. She took her hands off Piper’s ears while Britt released Polly. “It was good, but there was something missing. That tug wasn’t there.”
“Tug?” Eliza asked.
“Yeah. That emotional pull. That I-want-to-share-everything-with-you, can’t-spend-another-minute-without-you feeling.” Andy shrugged. “In the end, it only confirmed that I’m straight.”
“What makes you think it’s the same for me?” Eliza asked. “That there isn’t a tug for me either?”
Andy ran her gaze over her as if she were a patient whose symptoms she was trying to figure out. “Is there?”
Eliza gulped. “Yes,” she managed to get out past the thickness in her throat. “I think there is. Remember what we talked about when I started to work for Feathered Friends?”
Andy nodded. “You said you felt like you’d finally found your place after struggling to find the perfect fit for so long.”
“It’s the same with my relationships,” Eliza continued. “You’ve met my boyfriends. They were all great guys, and I was happy enough with them. But I never felt like: this is it. It never hurt to think I might not get to spend the rest of my life with them.”
For the second time in as long as she could remember, her entire family was silent. Everyone stared at her until she squirmed beneath the attention.
“So…” Andy drew out the syllable as if she needed time to think. “This mysterious girlfriend of yours, she makes you feel like that?”
Eliza’s mouth was so dry that she had to unglue her tongue before she could answer. “She does. I’ve been waiting for that deep connection all these years. I never expected to feel it with a woman, but I do.” She swayed as she brushed aside the last layer of doubt and no longer held anything back, not even from herself. “I think I love her.”
Her gaze darted from Andy to her parents, and she wasn’t sure if she was waiting for them to confirm her feelings or tell her it couldn’t be. She didn’t even know which option would soothe the sudden spike of anxiety. For a few seconds, her family looked as shocked as Eliza felt. How on earth had love snuck up on her so fast? But now that she’d said it out loud, she knew it was true.
“Aww, honey.” Her mother was the first one to rush over and engulf her in a warm hug. “I’m so happy for you. It’s your friend Denny, isn’t it? Why didn’t you tell us sooner? I told you we’d be fine with it if you ended up with a woman.”
Britt sent Eliza a commiserating smile. “God, don’t you just hate it when Mom turns out to be right?”
“Whoa!” Andy raised both hands. “Mom, you knew about this?”
One arm still wrapped around Eliza, their mother turned toward Andy. “I caught them exchanging, um, sexy texts after Eliza had the accident.”
“Mom! We weren’t doing that! It was autocorrect!” God, could the floor please open up and swallow her whole? At least Denny wasn’t there. She probably wouldn’t have stopped blushing for the next three years if she’d heard that.
Their father chuckled. “Is that what they call it nowadays? Autocorrect?”
“No, really! Back then, there was nothing…” Eliza cut herself off before she could say nothing between us because that didn’t feel right. There had been a lot between them from the very first message. “I had no idea I could feel that way about a woman—about anyone—back then.”
“Well, you might not have known, but I did,” their mother said. “That’s why I wore this.” She stepped back to present her T-shirt. It said, Proud mom, and the second o was represented by a rainbow heart.
“I thought that was for Heather because we kind of adopted her,” Andy said.
“Well, it’s for Heather too. I figured it could be for Heather alone until your sister was ready to tell us about her lady love.”
Okay, even for her family, this was starting to feel surreal. She just hoped Denny wouldn’t freak when she saw her mom’s T-shirt.
“Um, speaking of…” Their father tapped his wristwatch. “I think we should go, or she’ll think we stood her up.”
As they all trooped to the door, Eliza shook herself out of her shock and caught Andy’s arm. “Please be nice to Denny and don’t try to intimidate her with your big-sister routine. I know you think you need to protect me, but I’m not a teenager anymore.” Even though being around Denny made her feel like one.
“I know you’re an adult.” It was the first time Andy had said that so clearly. With a smile, she added, “But you’re still my baby sister.”
“Younger sister,” Eliza said.
“All right. Younger sister. And that means Denny will get the ‘I’m an EMT, so if you hurt her, I know how to kill you and make it look like an accident’ speech, just like your boyfriends did.”
“Yeah, because nothing says ‘welcome to the family’ better than being threatened with murder,” Tony said. “She did it to me too.”
“And to me,” Nichole called over to them.
Andy shrugged. “Didn’t chase either of you off, did it?”
Eliza could only hope it wouldn’t chase Denny off either.
Denny bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet, barely resisting the urge to jump so she could see above the crowd. The person in front of them blocked her view with their rainbow top hat. She bit back a curse.
She, Salem, Matt, and Bella had arrived early to secure spots at the North Park Blocks, close to the start of the parade, but there was still no sign of Eliza and her family.
Where were they? Eliza hadn’t changed her mind, had she?
Denny dismissed the thought. But what if Eliza’s parents had found out their daughter was dating a woman, and now they were freaking out?
“Hey, what’s with the sourpuss face, sis?” Salem poked her arm with the rainbow flag she was waving even though the parade hadn’t started yet. “It’s Pride! You should be beaming!”
“I will,” Denny said, still scanning the crowd, “as soon as Eliza gets here, and her family doesn’t immediately dislike me.”
“Dislike you?” Salem echoed. “Why would they?”
Denny couldn’t name a reason, other than what she looked like. But Eliza’s family went to Pride to support Heather, so surely they wouldn’t care that she didn’t fit society’s view of what a woman was supposed to look like. Still, meeting Eliza’s family felt like a huge step, and she couldn’t help worrying.
Then her gaze zeroed in on a familiar face in the crowd, like a searchlight honing in. All the worries that had plagued her fell away, and she couldn’t help the cheesy smile that formed on her lips at the sight of Eliza walking toward her.
God, she looked incredible. Even in the mass of people surrounding her, she stood out. In jean shorts, a red tank top with spaghetti straps, and sandals, she showed off more bare skin than Denny had seen on her before.
Don’t ogle her, she firmly told herself. Whatever you do, don’t ogle
her in front of her family! She forced herself to focus on Eliza’s ponytail that bounced with every step, instead of letting herself admire the slender legs and the nearly bare shoulders on display.
Eliza showed less restraint. She let her gaze roam over every inch of Denny, from her trekking sandals and her khaki shorts to her navy button-up with little rainbows all over it and her sunglasses, which she had hooked to the front of her shirt.
Denny’s skin heated, and it wasn’t from the sun beating down on them.
Good thing Eliza’s family followed behind her and couldn’t see the expression on Eliza’s face, or their just-friends cover would have been blown.
A rush of excitement blasted through her as Eliza returned her smile. They had seen each other last night, but even that felt like too much time apart. Their gazes never left each other until Eliza was right in front of her.
“Hi,” Eliza said. Despite all the people surrounding them, there was something intimate about her greeting and the way she looked at Denny, as if Eliza saw only her. “Happy Pride!”
“Happy Pride.” Denny realized she was leaning forward, her body pulled in by Eliza’s closeness. Not sure how to greet her in front of her family, she searched Eliza’s face for guidance. Was a hug okay?
Eliza took another step toward her, then one more, right into her personal space. She leaned in as if to kiss her.
Denny froze. She tried to signal with her eyes, but Eliza moved closer anyway. Had she forgotten her family was watching? What—?
Eliza slid one hand onto her waist. Then her lips—so incredibly soft and tasting faintly of vanilla ChapStick—were on hers. It was only a peck, but it lingered a few seconds too long to be a greeting between two friends.
Almost without conscious thought, Denny’s arms came up, and she rested one hand at the dip of her spine. The gesture was much too familiar, but she couldn’t help herself. Shit. We’re totally failing at this just-friends thing. When she finally let go, she expected to be faced with disapproving or confused expressions.
Instead, a slim woman in her early sixties who could only be Eliza’s mother walked toward her with a welcoming expression on her face. “Hello. You must be Denny. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Denny somehow managed not to let her mouth gape open. Had Eliza’s mom missed their greeting? “Yes, I am. Nice to meet you too.”
“Oh, in case there’s any doubt, I’m Kathleen, Eliza’s mom.” She pointed at her T-shirt.
Denny had only a moment to stare at the proud mom slogan and the little rainbow heart before Kathleen pulled her into a hug.
Over Kathleen’s shoulder, Denny sought Eliza’s eyes. What the hell was going on?
Eliza answered with a shrug and an adorable smile.
When Denny escaped Kathleen’s embrace, she numbly shook the hand of Eliza’s father, who wore a Hate less, love more T-shirt.
The next to greet her was Heather.
Denny wasn’t sure how to act around her. Would things be awkward between them now that she was dating Eliza, especially after Heather had walked in on their make-out session last night? But Heather bent and hugged her as if they were old friends.
Denny found herself clinging to her for a second, thankful to see her familiar face in this sea of strangers.
“Relax,” Heather whispered into her ear. “The Harrisons are really cool. No one’s going to come after you with a shotgun or threaten you with a Bible.”
Then Heather let go, and the rest of Eliza’s family descended on Denny. With each sibling, husband, and girlfriend she was introduced to, her confusion grew. What was going on? Eliza’s family acted as if they knew she and Eliza were dating!
“If you hurt her, you answer to me.” The last sister—a taller, older, more athletic version of Eliza—gave Denny’s hand a firm shake and pierced her with a glare that would have made a mafia boss proud. “I’m Andy, by the way. Welcome to the family.”
All Denny could do was stare at her.
Eliza turned toward Salem. “May I?” Without waiting for a reply, she took the rainbow flag from Salem’s hand and whacked Andy’s shoulder. “I told you not to do that!”
Andy’s features relaxed into a grin. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”
Salem turned toward Denny. “Is this my cue to tell Eliza if she hurts you, she’ll have to deal with me and my big, burly boyfriend?”
Gamely, Matt flexed his biceps. With the rainbow suspenders he wore, he didn’t manage to make it appear threatening at all.
“And me!” Bella called.
Eliza waved the flag to get everyone’s attention. “Guys, stop it. No one is going to hurt anyone, okay?”
Dazed, Denny watched as their families introduced themselves to each other. It was surreal to see Salem hug Heather, Eliza’s mom, and even the slightly intimidating Andy.
With their families distracted, Eliza finally joined Denny. She leaned against her shoulder and wrapped one hand around her upper arm. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to spring this—them—on you without warning, but…”
Denny moved her shoulder against Eliza’s in a discreet caress. “It’s okay.”
Eliza searched her face. “Is it really?”
“Yes, of course. I just didn’t think you were ready to tell them about us.”
Eliza’s laughter vibrated through them both. “I didn’t think so either, but then Andy found the T-shirt—the one Heather gave me—and I realized I didn’t want to lie. I’m proud of you…of us.”
The hundreds of people surrounding them seemed to disappear as they looked into each other’s eyes.
Giddiness bubbled up inside of Denny, and she felt as if she had drunk a bottle of champagne all by herself. Apparently, she’d been more worried about how Eliza’s family would react than she had realized. She’d secretly been afraid that coming out as a woman who was dating another woman would be a big struggle for Eliza.
With that huge obstacle out of the way, she felt as if she could hug the entire world.
She sensed more than saw Eliza grin next to her.
“What?”
“You’re beaming,” Eliza said. “It seems you really love Pride.”
I love you. Denny bit back the words at the last moment. Oh my God! Had she really just thought that—and nearly said it? It was much too soon to feel like this, wasn’t it? She had always been more reserved with her feelings and never risked her heart so quickly. But Eliza had been the exception to so many rules for her from the very start. As scary as it was, she was all in, with no regrets and no holding back.
But she had to, at least for now. It was too soon to say it. She didn’t want to overwhelm Eliza and pressure her into saying it back before she was ready…if she indeed felt the same.
Luckily, several of Heather’s friends—some with trans flags around their shoulders and one who had died her hair blue, pink, and white—came over, setting off another round of introductions and distracting Denny.
She watched as Eliza greeted them all as if she knew them well. One of them, a redhead whose T-shirt declared them to be a Nonbinary Badass, said something that made Eliza laugh.
“Yes, this is her.” Eliza looked at Denny with a fond smile. “KC, this is Denny, my…” She hesitated and dug her teeth into her bottom lip while her gaze searched Denny’s.
Denny held her breath. Was she about to say…?
“Girlfriend,” Eliza finished. Her voice went up, making it sound like a question.
Denny felt as if someone had handed her an award. “Yeah, that’s me. Eliza’s girlfriend.” She snapped her mouth shut and held out her hand instead. “Hi, KC. Nice to meet you.”
Heather’s friends crowded around her to introduce themselves, and Denny’s head spun as she tried to remember all the new names and faces.
Just when it became too overwhelming, Eliza pointed to the other side of the intersection, distracting everyone’s attention away from Denny. “Look! I think they’re about to—”
&nbs
p; Her last word was cut off by the roar of engines as the Dykes on Bikes revved their motorcycles, ready to kick off the parade.
The sound reverberated off the buildings around them, making the windows shake. Even through her thick-soled trekking sandals, the vibrations sent a tingle through Denny’s feet.
A current of excitement swept through her, raising goose bumps all along her skin.
Eliza shivered as if she felt it too, and they exchanged a long look. Getting to share this experience with Eliza made it even more special.
The rider in the front pumped her fist in the air.
Then, with a blast of their horns, they were off.
The crowd around them hollered, whistled, and cheered as the riders roared past. There were dozens of them, some leather-clad, some in bikini tops, and others bare-breasted.
“Aunt Denny, look!” Bella had to yell to be heard. Laughing, she pointed at a goggles-wearing dog riding in a rainbow-colored sidecar.
Pride offered a lot to see. After the Dykes on Bikes had passed, the first floats rounded the corner. Drag queens strutted down the street in high heels, burly guys showed off their rainbow tutus, and people in unicorn costumes waved at the crowd.
Blasting music and someone yelling through a megaphone made conversation nearly impossible, but Denny didn’t need words to enjoy the experience.
Eliza squeezed her arm with every new group as she pointed out cute dogs with rainbow collars and strollers draped with love wins flags.
At the end of the day, Denny’s arm might be bruised, but she didn’t care. Pride had never been so much fun. With Eliza at her side, she didn’t mind being trapped in the middle of a huge crowd, surrounded by a big group of new people.
The best part was seeing how comfortable Eliza seemed amid all the LGBT+ people. While she might still not know where exactly she fit into the community, she appeared at home in it. She cheered, danced, and sometimes sang along without the slightest fear of judgment—and nobody was judging. Her family seemed to be a lot like Eliza, accepting everyone the way they were.