"It won't always be good, Gretchen."
She looked into Carrie's tear streaked face. "It'll be worth it." Carrie pulled her closer and their lips met in a promise.
"Marry me," Carrie whispered into her mouth.
Tears spilled out of Gretchen's eyes. They blurred her vision, but she was no longer looking with her eyes. She was seeing through her heart.
Forty-two Weeks Later
Carrie awoke, feeling rested and eager to start the day. Putting her arms above her head, she stretched to get all the kinks out. Her feet could feel pressure on the blankets and she opened her eyes expecting to see Rupert beside her on the bed. It was Gretchen. She was sitting cross-legged in her birthday suit, staring. Carrie smiled uncertainly. "Good morning."
"You're still here."
Carrie glanced around the room for a clue, but none were obvious. "Shouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. Are you happy?"
Carrie began to understand. She let a genuine, languid smile bloom on her face before answering. "I did not know that it was possible to be as happy as I am. I'm not leaving, baby. Not ever."
Gretchen's smile came with tears and she crawled over to lay on Carrie, small hands framing the angular face. "You're still here," she repeated in wonder.
Carrie ran her hands down the length of smooth back above her and rested them on Gretchen's ass. "I love you desperately. You'll need a court order to get rid of me."
After a long, slow, loving kiss, Gretchen folded her arms across Carrie's chest and put her chin on them. "Since you're going to stay, there's a couple of things I want to run by you."
Carrie ran her fingers through the long blonde hair and shifted her head so she could look into blue eyes. "I'm ready. Let's hear it."
"First, I want to spend all day in bed with you to celebrate my longest relationship ever."
Carrie pretended to think it over. "I suppose I could live with that."
Gretchen grinned. "Good answer."
"Next?"
"Okay." Gretchen's eyes began to glitter with excitement. "I have this idea. You know that Janelle wants me to make her and Jerry a complete set of dinnerware for their wedding."
The pottery class had been a lot of fun, but it was Gretchen who had turned out to have a knack for it. Actually, it was far more than a knack. She had a real gift and had been taking more classes and working with professional potters ever since. Carrie's favorite piece was the large bowl on the coffee table that held all of the river stones Gretchen had left for her almost a year before. "I remember."
"Well, Maureen and Shine called me the other day and they want a set, too."
Carrie grinned for her lover. "That's great, honey."
"They want to pay me."
"That's a good thing, right?"
"Yeah." Gretchen became serious. "My idea is that I'm thinking about doing it full-time. I think I can make a living at it. Maybe."
Carrie thought it over quickly. They didn't really need Gretchen's income. Between the two of them, they were saving almost as much as Gretchen made towards the buying of a house. If Gretchen quit working, their savings wouldn't grow as fast unless Gretchen did well with the pottery. Considering how good she was, it seemed like a good bet. Even if she didn't, they could live well enough without the second income. It might take a little longer to save up the house money, but Carrie wasn't in a real hurry for it anyway. "Where will you sell it?"
"There are a lot of craft stores around here. I could start there. I could even do some of the craft fairs and see how that works out. I'd need to get a kiln and a place to work of my own. It means quitting my job though. You'd have to support us until I get on my feet."
Carrie nodded sagely. She wasn't really seeing a down side to any of this.
"We might have to use some of the house money to get me started."
"Okay."
Gretchen looked surprised. "Okay? Just like that?"
Carrie grinned. "Just like that."
"You don't even want to argue about it first?"
"Nope. I know how good a potter you are. In a couple of years I'll be able to retire and lay around eating bon bons and getting fat. Would you still love me if I were fat?"
"Sure. Would you love me if I were fat?"
Carrie squeezed the round globes of Gretchen's ass with a salacious leer. "Oh, yeah."
"Good. Because I want to have a baby with you."
"You do, huh?"
"Yes," Gretchen nodded smugly. "Now."
Carrie froze. "Now? But...how? Who?"
"Don't worry," Gretchen laughed. "Your mother is handling it."
"My mother?" She heard the screech in her voice and could do nothing to stop it.
Gretchen scooted up and placed a kiss on Carrie's shocked lips. "Don't worry about a thing, sweetie. Your mother and I have it all worked out."
Carrie sputtered for a moment and then took a deep calming breath. She had always wanted children and Gretchen would be a great mother. That was not an issue. It was the fact that it was being decided without her input. She looked into Gretchen's eyes and saw the hope and fear there. Suddenly she understood. She had a choice. Just not the control. This must be what it had been like for her brothers. Everything going along just fine and then suddenly there was going to be a baby. Whether it was true or not, they must have felt that they didn't have any control either. Especially once their mother got involved. She realized that she didn't have to be in control to be happy about it.
Carrie rolled Gretchen over and leaned down to lay her head on the flat belly. A sense of wonder began to invade her. "We're going to have a baby. I'm going to be a mommy."
Small hands began combing through Carrie's hair and she smiled in perfect contentment. "We're going to be a family."
THE END
Hearts Renewed Page 20