by Lydia Rose
“Yes, but I love hearing you say it.” Kelly leaned over and kissed Kate’s mouth. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I thank the gods every day.”
****
Kate and Kelly were on the way to pick up Kate’s parents for their trip to New York.
“Are you sure your family wasn’t upset that you won’t be with them for Thanksgiving?” Kate asked for the third time since this trip was planned.
“Kate, I’ve told you they understand how important this is to your mother. I stopped by their house yesterday after work,” Kelly explained.
“My mom has been baking for a week. She’s got three pies and several side dishes that she’s bringing with us.”
“Are you nervous about meeting Lucy and Alison?” Kelly asked.
“I think I’m more excited than nervous. Those two women gave up a lot to be together. If it wasn’t for the strength of the past generation, it wouldn’t be easier for this generation. Do you think we should invite them to our wedding?” Kate asked, letting her mind drift to the day she would legally be part of Kelly’s life.
“The trip might be too much for them. See how this weekend goes and if they are open to coming, invite them. The more people the merrier.” Kelly reached for Kate’s hand as they pulled into her parent’s driveway. She raised the hand to her lips and kissed it gently. “I’m going to miss touching you for the next three days,” Kelly said with a sigh.
“Oh, I think you’ll find a way to do that without being obvious,” Kate said with a laugh as she opened the car door.”
The trip to New York took two and half hours and when they reached Lucy’s driveway they saw they were the first to arrive. Rachel and her family were coming up in their own car and would be leaving Friday morning. The rest of the group would be staying until Sunday morning. As the car came to a stop, two women hurried out of the house and down the steps. One woman was a taller version of Kathy and the other woman was shorter and had beautiful white, short hair.
Kathy opened the car door and ran for her sister’s arms. “Kathy, I’m so happy to see you,” Lucy said, squeezing her sister tightly. “Look at you, you look wonderful.”
“Oh Lucy,” Kathy said, holding back the tears that she felt. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to come here.”
Lucy smiled as she watched the rest of the group approach. “Hello, everyone.” Lucy reached for Alison’s hand. “Kathy, you remember Alison?”
“Of course, I do.” Kathy hugged Alison as she had hugged her sister.
“Thank you for coming,” Alison said, happy for the joy of Lucy’s family being there. “Introduce us to your family,” Alison added.
“Lucy, Alison, this is my husband Steve and my daughter Kate.” Kathy reached for Kelly. “This is Kate’s partner, Kelly.”
Hugs were shared with the group.
Lucy looked at Kate. “You’ve grown into a beautiful woman. The last picture I had of you was at your college graduation,” she said with a wide smile. She looked at Kelly. “I understand you are going to marry my niece?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kelly said with a wide smile.
“Let’s get your things, and get out of this cold,” Alison said, moving the group toward the car.
Once in the house, Lucy said, “Honey, would you show our guests their rooms?”
“Kelly and Steve, would you take the bags upstairs? Kate and I will get these dishes heated up.”
“I see you are wearing a wedding ring,” Kate said to her aunt. “Did you and Alison get married?”
“As soon as the law changed, we went with friends to the courthouse and got married, she said with a smile. “It was about time I made an honest woman out of Alison,” Lucy said with a wink.
The doorbell rang a few minutes later announcing Rachel and her family’s arrival. Kathy made the introductions. The seven year old twin girls, Elizabeth and Jane were suddenly shy in the presence of a stranger. Kevin, Rachel’s husband made a beeline for the living room and football.
Alison and Kelly made their way down the stairs. As soon as the twins saw Kelly, their shyness was gone as they dashed toward her.
“How’re my two girls?” Kelly asked as she hugged the girls. “I’ve missed you two.”
“We missed you too,” they said in unison.
“Come meet your other aunt,” Kelly said, leading the girls with her hands on their backs to Alison. “Alison, this is Elizabeth and this is Jane. Girls, this is Aunt Alison,” Kelly said with a smile.
Alison looked at the girls who were now grasping Kelly’s arms shyly. “It’s nice to meet you both. I can see I’m going to have a hard time telling you two apart.”
The girls giggled, realizing that their favorite game was now in progress. Confusing strangers with which girl was which always made them laugh.
Steve came down the stairs and greeted his granddaughters.
“I can hear the TV, Steve. Why don’t you go watch football with Kevin?” Kelly said.
“Girls, do you want to join us?” Steve asked.
“Sure, Pop.”
Alison led them to the living room where she was introduced to Kevin.
“You and Lucy have a lovely home,” Kelly said to Alison.
“We hear you and Kate just bought a beach house?”
“Yes. Right now we’re updating it before the summer arrives.”
“Let’s go join the ladies in the kitchen,” Alison said, leading her to the back of the house.
“Hi, Rachel,” Kelly said, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Rachel, this is your Aunt Alison,” Kelly said, making the introduction.
Rachel hugged her new aunt who was surprised by all the warmth this family was showing her. “You all are so nice. You have shown us both such warmth. It touches my heart,” Alison said as Lucy reached for her hand.
“It touches both our hearts,” Lucy added.
The dinner was filled with friendly conversation and it continued through coffee and dessert.
Kelly looked at Kate and said, “Would you like to take a walk around the property?”
Kate nodded with a smile, suspecting what Kelly had in mind.
As Kate stood up, Kelly turned to the girls. “Would you like to take a walk with us?”
The girls screamed in glee and reached for their coats. Once outside, Kelly reached for Kate’s hand, as the girls ran into the yard.
“I thought you wanted to be alone with me?” Kate asked.
“I do, and I’ll have plenty of time to do this,” she said as she reached for Kate’s mouth. They followed the girls into the back yard and toward a barn that sat on the property. “It’s nice out here, isn’t it?”
“It is, but no more houses,” Kate said firmly.
“Ah, why not?” Kelly asked teasing.
“I think they are wonderful and I wish I had gotten to meet them earlier in my life. They would have shown me that a loving relationship with a woman was possible.”
“I know I’m being selfish, but I’m glad they weren’t around.” Kelly grinned. “Otherwise, you’d be shacked up with some other girl.”
“Shacked up, huh? Is that what you’re calling our relationship?” Kate hit her on the arm.
Kelly pulled away. “I’m only teasing you.”
Kate took Kelly’s hand again. “I wish I had met you when I was eighteen like Alison and Lucy.”
“I wish that too, honey,” Kate said, squeezing Kelly’s hand.
Kate and Kelly sat in the living room with Lucy and Alison. The rest of their group had gone off to bed.
“So, where did you two meet each other?” Alison asked.
Kate smiled at Kelly and began, “We met over a year ago through friends, but we only spent a few minutes together. Then our friends invited us for a week down to the shore together.” Kate looked at Kelly remembering. “Our friend, Meredith made sure Kelly and I spent a good part of our time alone.”
“How long did it take you to realize you had feelings for each other?” Luc
y asked.
Kelly continued the story. “I think it took me longer because I thought Kate was straight. It was our new friend, Jennifer that kept telling me that Kate had feelings for me.”
“She did?” Kate asked surprised.
Kelly nodded.
“How did she know I had feelings for you?” Kate asked.
“She said it was the way you looked at me, and,” Kelly reached for Kate, “you kept touching me.” Kelly’s voice lowered and became serious. “I enjoyed spending time with Kate, but a relationship with Kate seemed impossible to me.” Kelly began to laugh. “Kate even pushed me into a date while we were at the shore.”
Alison and Lucy laughed along with Kelly.
“If you saw the way she looked at that woman, you would have done the same. I didn’t think Kelly was interested in me at all. I was sick when she went on that date.” Kate smiled. “Luckily for me, Kelly wasn’t really interested in this woman and she came home to me.”
“When did all this happen?” Lucy asked.
“July,” Kelly said. “It wasn’t until we were back home and each in our own homes that I realized how much I missed Kate.” She shook her head. “I ached for her.”
“So Kelly invited me to her house for dinner,” she rested her hand on Kelly’s thigh. “Then she asked if she could kiss me and that was it.”
“You both seem very happy and suited for each other,” Lucy offered quietly.
“I only wish I had met Kelly sooner,” Kate moaned.
“You might not have been ready for each other sooner,” Alison said.
“Obviously, you were fighting your natural instincts for a long time,” Lucy added.
“Yes, and Kelly was busy chasing women,” Kate said with a laugh.
“Hey,” Kelly objected. “I was just killing time until you came into my life,” she said, stealing a kiss.
“Aren’t they sweet? New love is so wonderful,” Lucy commented.
“Well, this new love is beat,” Kelly said, standing. “It was so nice meeting you both.”
“I’ve admired your artwork while walking around the house. Kathy tells me you’re an artist,” Kelly said.
“I am lucky enough to make a living in doing something that I love to do,” Lucy said with a smile. “Alison makes pottery and she is very talented. Her pottery does even better than my artwork.”
“That means you can travel when you want to,” Kate grinned. “I mean that you don’t have a boss to answer to. I think we’re going to turn in.” Kate hugged her aunts. “We are so happy to be here. Good night.”
“Good night, girls.”
Kelly and Kate fell into bed exhausted from the excitement of the day. “I really want to make love to you,” Kelly said. “But I might fall asleep.”
“I know what you mean.” She kissed Kelly deeply. “Good night, Sweetheart.”
“Good night, Kate.”
Sunday morning, everyone was sitting at the table enjoying breakfast, but knowing that the time together had run short.
Kathy began to tear up as she began to speak. “We all want to thank you and Alison for sharing your house with us on Thanksgiving. We have all enjoyed our stay with you and hope you can visit us soon. We would love to have you both at Christmas. You don’t have to give us an answer now, but please think about it.”
“We will, Kathy. Alison and I have enjoyed meeting your family, and I missed you Kathy, more than words can express.”
The group left teary eyed, but thankful for the time they spent together.
CHAPTER 19
Late in the day, Kelly received a text from Jennifer. It said, “It’s a girl. Elizabeth Carol Connelly.
“We’ll have to call them and find out when we can go down and see the baby,” Kate said, happy for the couple.
Two weeks later, they were on their way to the shore.
As they walked into the front door of Jennifer and Reese’s house, they walked over to Reese, who was holding the baby.
Kate and Kelly peered down into the baby’s face. “Oh, she is beautiful,” Kate said, touching the soft face.
As Kate touched her face, the baby’s eyes opened. “She’s got your eyes, Jen and your hair.”
Reese laughed. “Yes, she came out of me, but her looks are all Jen’s.”
“Hey, what can I say?” Jennifer said chuckling. “So have you two planned a date for the wedding?”
“July 11th. That was the date Kelly changed my life,” she said with a wide smile.
“So are you two going to have one of these?” Jennifer asked, pointing at the baby.
The two women just laughed.
EPILOGUE
“This was a dumb idea. Why did Kate have to sleep across the street anyway? I barely got any sleep last night.” Kelly began pacing around the newly remodeled kitchen.
“Kelly, its tradition. The bride never sees, I guess in your case, the bride, until the ceremony,” her mother insisted.
“It’s still a dumb idea.”
The yard was decorated for the ceremony and tables were set up for the party. A small dance floor sat in the middle of the yard. Thankfully, the party was being catered and no one had to worry about cooking.
Alison walked across the street to check on the other bride. “Hi, Sharon,” Alison said to Kelly’s mother. “How’s the bride holding up?”
“Not well,” Sharon said with a laugh. “She wants to see Kate.”
“We’re having the same problem over there,” Alison pointed to the house across the street.
“It’s as if we’re torturing them.” Sharon smiled at Alison. “See if you can sneak Kate out of the house. We will give the two of them five minutes together.”
Alison went back across the street and whispered into Kate’s ear. “You’ve got five minutes across the street.”
Kate ran for the back door while the rest of the women were talking in the living room and fussing over the baby.
Sharon opened the front door. “Five minutes.”
Kate nodded in agreement.
“She’s in the kitchen.”
Kate walked into the kitchen and saw Kelly staring into the back yard. “How does it look?”
Kelly turned around smiling. “What are you doing here?”
“We’ve got five minutes and I don’t want to spend that time talking,” Kate said reaching for Kelly.
They kissed until both women were breathless. “I missed you last night. I couldn’t sleep without you at my side.”
“Me, either,” Kate admitted. “We should have arranged to meet while everyone was sleeping.” Kate laughed. “The next time we get married, I’m not leaving you.”
“Next time?” Kelly asked chuckling.
“You know when we renew our vows in 50 years.”
They were kissing again when Sharon walked into the kitchen. “Sorry to break this up, girls,” she said smiling.
“Thanks, Mom,” Kelly said, taking Kate’s hand to walk her to the front door.
“Thank you, Sharon. This meant so much to us to have this time.”
“I know it was important. Now get across the street before they miss you.”
Kate walked in the back door and ran right into Jennifer.
“Couldn’t stay away from Casanova, could you?”
“No,” Kate said, sticking out her tongue.
“Reese and I didn’t follow that tradition. I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight. Her mother put up a small argument, but we won in the end.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this last night when they were coming up with this stupid idea?”
“It was funny to watch your faces as they explained that you two would have to sleep in separate houses. It was priceless,” Jennifer said laughing.
“Oh, there you two are,” Reese said, coming into the kitchen. “I think we should all start getting dressed.”
Lucy and Alison were using Mary and Meredith’s house to get ready for the ceremony. Alison walked into the kitchen. “We�
�re going next door to get ready,” she said to Kate.
Kate mouthed to Alison, thank you.
Alison nodded and said, “See you in a bit.”
The time had finally arrived. Everyone was dressed and across the street waiting for the bride to make her entrance. Kate came down the steps wearing an off-white, knee length dress. The dress was sleeveless and had a ribbon around her waist in deep blue color to match the blouse that Kelly would be wearing. There was no way that anyone was going to get Kelly into a dress. She chose an off-white pair of slacks to match Kate’s dress and a blue silk blouse.
“You look beautiful,” her dad said when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Thank you, Daddy. I guess I‘m ready.” Kate picked up her bouquet and they walked out the front door to the driveway across the street.
Jennifer was waiting for them as they arrived in the driveway. She signaled for the wedding march. Kate put her arm through her father’s arm and they walked into the back yard. Kate didn’t see anyone else except for the woman who was waiting for her. Their eyes never left each other’s faces as she marched down the aisle. As soon as Kate was at Kelly’s side, they kissed.
They turned and looked at the chuckling justice of the peace. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” Kelly said, with a shrug of her shoulders.
“I understand,” she said to the smiling brides.
Kelly had spent hours searching for the perfect song for their first dance. It had been her mother who gave her the suggestion that would fit perfectly. The song was a surprise to Kate. They stood in the middle of the dance floor as the song began.
Kelly took Kate’s hand and held it against her chest. ”Kate rested her head on Kelly’s shoulder.
“What song did you end up choosing?” Kate asked before the music began.
“What are you doing the rest of your life,” Kelly said as the music began.