Addison often said that Tamara had been the caretaker in their friendship. If Addison had ever bothered to ask Tamara what she thought, Tamara would have told her that she saw things quite differently. Addison had taught Tamara to trust. Tamara trusted few people completely. Addison, in spite of the loss that had occurred in her life, remained open and trusting. Tamara admired that. Watching Addison’s life blossom gave Tamara hope, even if she enjoyed teasing her best friend relentlessly.
“I think you’re both nuts,” Tamara chuckled. “But, I also believe your kid will be lucky.”
Emma bit her bottom lip gently. She found it interesting that a similar painful alienation from family had made a drastically different impression on Tamara than it had on Addison. But, she had come to understand Tamara. She looked at Tamara and sighed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said. “We did talk about one thing,” Emma said. “We’d really like you two to be the baby’s godparents.”
Tamara’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?”
Addison smiled. “Why does that surprise you?” She was honestly surprised at the emotion she saw in Tamara’s eyes.
“Tam, you’re not just a friend. You’re part of our family. We just want to make that a little more official,” Emma explained.
Tamara nodded a bit dumbly. Christie beamed. “Well, I would be honored,” Christie said. Emma winked at her.
Tamara took a deep breath and turned to Christie. Christie noted the tears in Tamara’s eyes. “What is it, babe?” she asked. Tamara pursed her lips, nodded and got up from the couch where she was seated. “What just happened?” Christie looked at Emma and Addison. Addison was perplexed. She was about to get up and head after Tamara when Tamara walked back into the room. Tamara headed directly for Christie.
“I know I’m supposed to do something epic,” Tamara said. Christie looked at her curiously. “Well, Emma did say a glass of champagne was not the best idea unless I wanted to choke you.”
“What?” Christie shook her head in confusion.
Tamara pulled a ring from her pocket and held it out. “Seems like if we are going to be godparents together, we should make it official. I’m not sure it’s a rule or anything, but it probably should be.”
Christie smiled broadly. She imagined most people would find Tamara’s rambling less than romantic. To Christie, Tamara’s nervous reasoning was both endearing and amusing. It was Tamara, and Christie loved her. “Are you trying to ask me something?” Christie attempted to ask seriously.
Tamara sighed. “Yes…You…Well, I will understand if you don’t want to. Living with me is kind of a pain. I know that. Imagine doing it for the rest of your life,” Tamara said.
Christie smiled affectionately. “I do,” she said.
“You do? Wait. You do what?” Tamara asked, still holding the ring.
“Imagine spending the rest of my life with you,” Christie said. “Now, were you going to ask me something?”
Addison felt Emma beginning to lightly shake with laughter at the display unfolding before them. She briefly pondered that idea that it would make a fantastic scene for a romantic comedy before reminding herself that for Tamara this was eloquent.
“Okay,” Tamara took a deep breath. “I wanted to know since you think about it, would you maybe want to make it official?” Christie opened her eyes a bit wider and waited. Tamara nodded. “Christie? Would you want to marry me?”
“Yes, I would,” Christie said.
“I understand. I…Wait. You would?” Tamara asked.
Christie laughed. “Were you hoping for a refund on that ring or do I get to actually wear it?” Christie asked.
“Oh!” Tamara fumbled and put the ring on Christie’s finger.
Christie pulled her in for a tender kiss. “Whoever said you weren’t romantic?” Christie whispered.
Emma felt Addison squeeze her hand. “I can’t say I imagined this….exactly. Does that mean that you are willing to be a godparent, Tam” Addison asked.
“Well, yeah. I mean, I don’t have to do it alone!” Christie and Emma both burst out laughing. “What?” Tamara asked.
“You are one of a kind, babe,” Christie said. Tamara, realizing she was being teased pouted. “And, I love you,” Christie said.
Emma and Addison were both surprised when Tamara’s expression softened and she spoke to Christie. “I love you too. I really should tell you that more. I know that. I do,” Tamara said as her voice cracked with emotion.
“I know you do,” Christie said.
“All right! Champagne?” Emma suggested.
“Uh…Ginger ale,” Addison corrected.
Emma laughed. She had consumed more ginger ale and saltines in the past few weeks than she ever cared to again. “Anything but ginger ale.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be drinking milk all the time or something? And water?” Tamara asked innocently. Addison gloated. “Right? I’m right. Right? No coffee. No alcohol. No lunch meats. No sushi…”
“No dinner if you don’t be quiet now,” Emma interrupted her friend.
“What have you been binge reading on thebump.com all week or something?” Addison asked her best friend.
“No! The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy,” Tamara answered without missing a beat.
“What?” Emma and Addison asked in unison.
“What?” Tamara snapped back. Christie put her face in her hands and laughed. Tamara got up, left the room, and returned to give the book to Addison. “Figured you could use all the help you could get,” Tamara said.
Emma rolled her eyes and looked at Christie. “How about we leave the Dr. Spock want to bes here and find some acceptable beverage?” she suggested.
“What’s that mean?” Addison asked Emma.
Emma shook her head. She walked a few feet to a small table that sat beside the couch. She opened the top and retrieved a stack of books. Addison blushed slightly. Emma had found Addison’s stash over a week ago. “Dr. Spock’s Baby and Childcare, Dr. Spock, The First Two Years, Dr. Spock on Parenting,” Emma read the titles. “I guess that would make you Captain Kirk?” Emma asked Tamara.
“Ha! See, I am the captain!” Tamara grinned.
Addison wrinkled her nose and looked at Emma. “That was Mister Spock. He was a Vulcan, Em, not a doctor.”
Emma nodded. “I stand corrected.” She handed Addison the books. “Christie and I will be in the kitchen when you are done planning my diet and our child’s college education,” she said as she placed a kiss on Addison’s cheek.
Addison watched her leave and shook her head. She looked at Tamara. “Did that book actually say she’s supposed to drink milk and water all the time?”
“Yep!” Tamara said, pulling Addison to the couch. “See…right here…page 62, I think.”
“Oh, boy,” Emma laughed in the distance. “Why do I have a feeling I will be eating leaves and bark until this baby is born?”
“Well, at least if you give birth to a tree you’ll know why,” Christie joked.
Emma snorted. “Now, that would be a story for the tabloids. I can see it now—Emma Bronson from lesbian to tree hugger, the real story.” Emma looked back toward the living room and shook her head. For the first time since she found out she was pregnant she mentally addressed her child. I promise, no bark. Crazy aunts and mommies? That, I am afraid is a given, Sprout. Emma smiled. You could do a lot worse.
Chapter Eight
“Emma, are you sure this is what you want to do?” Sherry asked her daughter.
Emma smiled at her mother genuinely. “It’s what I need to do, Mom.”
Sherry Bronson frowned. The last couple of weeks had been stressful for Emma and Addison. Rumors galore ran rampant. Some claimed Emma was pregnant. Others that Addison was. Once a tidbit made its way into the world, it seemed to grow into an uncontrollable vine that spread in every imaginable direction. Doug Miller apparently did not care about any gag order his attorney gave him. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, making t
he rounds on various entertainment shows and giving interviews to several magazines. He’d speculated everything from the possibility that Emma and Addison’s marriage was a publicity stunt and Emma was really involved with Dan Starr, to the idea that the entire set was a love fest. He’d called Dan a host of names, made the statement that Addison was the most domineering producer he’d ever met, but Emma had received the worst of his vile criticisms and remarks. Emma, Miller said, was not only one of the least talented people he had ever worked with, she was a phony. “Emma Bronson is, how should I say it? I would say diva, but that is a compliment compared to what she is. Whiny, needy, and likes to play the hero, clearly. Everyone feeds that, you know? She’s the star. She rules the roost. If she and Addison Blake really are a pair, I can almost understand Blake’s attitude. If I had to live with her majesty every day, my knees would be sore too,” he told one magazine.
“Emmie…”
“Mom, it’s okay,” Emma promised. “It’s not my ideal. It is what it is.”
“That lawsuit will never hold water,” Sherry said angrily.
Emma smiled. Her mother’s protective streak had surfaced the moment Emma called home to tell her what she and Addison were planning. Tidbits and rumors were flying about Emma’s pregnancy, but so far she and Addison remained silent. They allowed Doug Miller center stage. Emma had suggested that they offer the chance for a television interview to be taped at her parents’ home a couple of days before Christmas. It would air on Christmas Eve. They would not discuss any pending litigation. They would talk about the show and their relationship more candidly than they had to date.
“It’s okay, Mom,” Emma repeated. “It really is. I’m not worried about the lawsuit at all. To be honest, I’m not worried about anything Doug Miller says. Or anyone else for that matter.”
“Why? Why do this interview?” Sherry wondered.
“Because it’s time. We don’t have anything to hide. Why bother trying to hide it? You know as well as I do that we will never be able to be completely private. It’s not the way it is. This,” Emma gestured to the house. “This is part of my life. Part of it. There are other parts.”
“I know that, Emmie. I don’t like anyone pushing you into…”
“It was my idea,” Emma said. “I won’t lie to you. This one I will enjoy.” Sherry was visibly surprised by Emma’s admission and Emma giggled. “One, I will enjoy watching him get annihilated in the press.”
“And?”
“And, I don’t know, I sort of want to shout it from the rooftops now. Maybe it’s the holidays. Maybe it was having the ultrasound this week. I don’t know. It’s just finally…”
“Real?” Sherry guessed.
“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong. It’s always been…”
“I understand,” Sherry said.
“Hey,” Addison called into the room. “The crew is here, Em.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Everything okay in here?” Addison asked. Emma nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Emma turned back to her mother. “Thanks, Mom.”
“For what?” Sherry wondered.
“For wanting to protect me,” Emma said.
“That will never change, Emmie,” Sherry said assuredly.
“Yeah, somehow I am starting to get that,” Emma told her mother. Sherry nodded. “I don’t think I would appreciate anyone messing with the sprout.”
“The sprout?” Sherry giggled. “Is that what you are naming my grandchild? L.A. has gone to your brain.”
Emma laughed. “No. I promise. No children named Kale, Tofu or Lentil.”
Sherry shook her head. “Get out of my kitchen.”
Emma kissed her mother on the cheek. “If you keep feeding Addy the way you do, I can’t promise she won’t name the sprout Barbeque Bronson Blake.”
Sherry threw a dishtowel at her daughter. “Get out of here,” she laughed.
“What was that all about?” Tom asked as he passed Emma.
“Sprouts,” Sherry chuckled.
***
“So, Emma and Addison,” Dana Markly began. “It’s been an interesting month for you two.”
Addison smiled and Emma chuckled. “I guess interesting is a good adjective,” Addison commented.
“Here we are,” Dana said. “In your childhood home, Emma. Quite different from life in Hollywood.”
Emma smiled at the woman seated before them. “Well, we don’t actually live in Hollywood,” she bantered playfully. “But, yes, the scenery is a bit different here.”
“Do you miss it?” Dana asked.
“Kansas?” Emma asked for clarification.
Dana nodded. “Home,” she said.
“Sometimes. Home isn’t really a house though or even a state. I am as much at home in California as I am here. It’s wherever my family is. My family happens to be in more than one place,” Emma said.
“You both come from small towns, quiet backgrounds,” Dana began.
Addison laughed. “No one has ever called the Bronson family quiet,” she teased.
Emma laughed along with her. “True.”
“Different, perhaps is a better word,” Dana said.
“Private is the word you are looking for, I think,” Emma said.
“Not an easy thing for you, I would imagine,” Dana said.
“No, it’s not,” Addison agreed.
“Lots of speculation out there about you both and your relationship,” Dana said. “Care to put any of the rumors to rest?”
Emma looked at Addison. Addison took her hand and smiled as Emma turned to Dana. “Rumors are just part of the package,” Emma said. “Addy told me a long time ago that people will see what they want to see,” Emma remarked. “She was right. Some things rumors can’t change.”
“What kind of things?” Dana asked.
Addison shrugged. “Rumors don’t alter what really matters. We’ve learned that. Em and I have too much to look forward to for rumors to derail us.”
“Care to share?” Dana asked with a grin.
“Well, you have heard that little buzz going around,” Emma snickered. “Sometimes there is a nugget of truth. Addison and I had hoped to keep our news under wraps until after the first of the year. In the spirit of Christmas we figured we would share our gift.”
Addison beamed. “Seems there will be a new addition to our house early this summer,” Addison said.
Dana nodded. “One of you is expecting?” She looked between the pair.
“That would be me,” Emma told the woman.
“Excited?” Dana asked.
“Elated,” Emma said honestly.
“That will affect the show, won’t it?” Dana inquired.
“Ah, that you won’t get out of us,” Addison teased. “Rest assured Genevieve will remain the focus of Off Screen.”
“You know, Doug Miller has made a lot of accusations against you both.”
Addison shrugged. “People see what they want to see.”
“He claims he was abused,” Dana says. “That Emma is a diva and everyone caters to her on the set.”
Emma laughed. “I’ve been called worse by better,” she said honestly.
Dana couldn’t help but chuckle. “Are you nervous that this will change things in your career? Maybe even change the public perception of you both?”
“You mean what Mr. Miller has to say or do you mean our baby?” Addison asked.
“Either. Both.”
Emma answered before Addison had a chance. “Mr. Miller has changed nothing as far as I can tell. The sprout will change everything,” she gleamed.
“The sprout?” Dana asked playfully.
“Um-hum,” Emma said. “Better than “the baby”, or “it”, or “him”, or “her” since we don’t know if it will be a him or her.”
“You know, people will wonder about the father,” Dana interjected.
“There is one,” Emma laughed. “But, not the old fashioned kind. That is
one thing that will remain private. This baby is part of Addy and me in every way that matters.”
“Some people might disagree with that,” Dana said.
“Well, that’s their problem,” Emma said.
“You two are already the poster children for many lesbians out there. Is this pregnancy a statement about your rights?”
“Our family isn’t a statement,” Addison said. “It’s an expression of us. We’ve both always wanted children. Always. Being together didn’t change that. If anything, it made us want a family of our own more.”
“Do you have anything you wish to say to those people who have jumped on the bandwagon to sink Off Screen? People opposed to the relationship between Genevieve and Jack or your own? People who think all of it is just a publicity ploy?”
Emma felt the tension in Addison as Addison was about to answer. She squeezed Addison’s hand gently and stepped in. “Believe me, Dana, there are easier ways to get publicity, and more comfortable ones,” she said. “Having a child is a lifelong commitment. A T.V. show? If you are lucky, that lasts a few years. No one is going to sink us,” she said assuredly.
“Off Screen is your show, Addison. You invented it. You are not worried at all? Some people might think there is a reason you kept Emma’s pregnancy so quiet.”
“There is. It’s her first. While we had no reason to think she was at any risk, we wanted to wait a while before making it public knowledge. We only told our closest friends a couple of weeks ago,” Addison said. “As far as the show?” Addison looked to Emma, who was smiling in encouragement. “I’ll tell you what I told Emma when we decided we wanted to start our family. If it came down to choosing between a family with Em and Off Screen?”
“Yes?” Dana urged.
“I would end the show tomorrow without a moment’s hesitation or an ounce of regret. I love it. Emma loves it. We love what we do. We love the people we do it with. It wouldn’t be worth the paper it’s printed on or the screens it rolls across without each other. Lots of things will change. That won’t,” Addison said.
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