by Robin Roseau
Ember enjoyed her dates with Monique. True to my recommendation, Monique was cycling through many of the students, rarely bringing the same date two weeks in a row. They also had homework dates and going running dates and photography dates. Ember wasn't dating anywhere near as often, and when she asked permission to go out on a date, Monique's name came up the most often. But she'd also gone out with a few others, both boys and girls, and she'd said she'd had a nice time after each.
Of the girls, Cassie, Iris, Evangeline, and, of course, Kaylee and Ember were there for Christmas. The guys were Layton, Cornelius, and both of the enforcer students, Shelton and Nash.
Michaela, as always, organized everything, and she made an effort to ensure I was welcome to enjoy all the activities. My performance cross-country skiing was laughable, so after the first day, I begged off from that. And, of course, I didn't ice fish.
Christmas morning came. All the families gathered in the lodge, each making their own little space, separated from each other. We had a place near the windows, and we sat and watched the gently falling snow.
It was a beautiful day for Christmas.
There wasn't a Christmas tree. Instead, there was a sculpture placed to one side of the fireplace, and there had been a growing pile of presents placed around the sculpture. Michaela drafted Angel and Scarlett to organize the dispersal of the presents, and they in turn drafted all of the kids. Angel and Scarlett went through the presents, finding the tags, and then handing them to one of the kids with directions for what to do with them. And so, piled near Portia and me, were the presents I'd bought for my family as well as two presents each for Portia and me from Ember. I didn't see anything for me from Portia, which puzzled me. If she forgot me, she was going to hear about it.
Most of the presents were passed out; there was a lingering pile near the sculpture, which I would learn were from the alphas.
Ember joined Portia and me, sitting on the floor and wedging herself between my legs and Portia's. She'd been doing that for months, even when there were other places to sit. She leaned against each of us for a moment, then she realized she couldn't watch us that way, so she shifted around.
"Moms," she said. "Open the ones from me first!" She passed two beautifully wrapped boxes to each of us.
"We'll each open one first," Portia declared. "Then it is your turn."
"Yes, Mom. The big ones first then."
We'd had our ceremony on Thanksgiving Day. Portia had originally planned a three-month trial, but she'd caught me managing Ember one day, saw the girl accept my dominance in the house, and decided there was no reason to wait.
Ember started calling us "Mom" or sometimes "Zoe Mom" and "Portia Mom". For the next few weeks, I had teared up every time she did it.
"You first," Portia said to me.
"In my family, we had a tradition," I said. "The giver would say something about why she had picked out a particular present. We wouldn't do it for every gift, but we'd do it for some of them." I picked up the larger box. I was pretty sure it was clothing; I was also pretty sure I would love it. Portia had taken to inviting Ember when we went clothes shopping for me, and the girl had shown very good taste.
"What am I supposed to say?" Ember asked.
"Anything. You can give a hint. You can be enigmatic."
"What does that mean?"
"Cryptic," I clarified.
She smiled. "You don't have your own fur."
I frowned. If she had gotten me fur, I didn't think I could be gracious, as much as I might try, and I would certainly never wear it. But the girl was smiling, and she knew my limitations.
I opened it with a certain amount of trepidation. Lifting the cover, I caught a hint of hunter green hiding behind tissue paper. I set the box aside and pulled out the garment.
It was a big, soft, fluffy sweater, and at least a size too big.
"I got it extra big because then you kind of snuggle in it," she said. "It's a little like snuggling with Portia. And it's not wool. I know it's weird, but it's bamboo and cotton, and it's from a place that says they use environmentally conscious bamboo sources. No panda bears lost their habitat for this sweater."
I stared at her. "Oh honey, I love it!"
I pulled off the sweater I was wearing, made sure there weren't any tags to poke me, and pulled on the new one. She was right. It was very cuddly to wear, and I knew it would be warm besides.
"You look cute," Portia said with a smile. "Good gift, Ember." She reached over and high-fived the girl.
Ember grinned in pleasure. "I was sure you would like it."
I thought perhaps she wasn't so sure, but she should have been. It was perfect.
"Now yours, Portia!" She paused. "Karen helped me pick this, and it's for Zoe as much as for you."
That left Portia puzzled. When she opened it, she found a blouse and with it, a camisole. Portia didn't have any. "You like when Zoe dresses like that, and I thought she'd like it if you did. Karen went with me, and she looked really good, so I thought you would, too."
I smiled. Portia looked a little unsure, but then she smiled. "I never buy myself clothes like this because I've just never thought of it. Thank you, Ember. It's perfect. I'll put it on later."
Ember's pile of presents was huge. Most of them were clothes, and I made her open those first. She expressed pleasure with each gift.
I hadn't known what to get Portia. Eventually I had written a lengthy letter telling her what she meant to me, and then I had bought a new coat for her. Her old one had been getting ratty. I didn't think the coat was very romantic, but I thought the letter might make up for it. She found the letter first, but I told her to read it later. She said she loved the coat, and she held it tightly to herself for a while, so I thought perhaps she did.
Then Ember insisted we open our other present from hers. "You should open them at the same time," she said. "Monique helped me."
She had given us framed pictures. Mine was of her and Portia playing together in fur. Portia's was of Ember and Monique taking me for a run. We were all clearly laughing. "We had Cassie wait for us," Ember said, "to take the picture."
Portia stared at the photo and then leaned over and kissed Ember on the top of her head.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, Mom," Ember said, pleased with the reaction to the gifts.
A short while later, we got down to Ember's last gift. I had packaged everything together, carefully boxed for protection, and I had marked it, "fragile" besides.
Ember picked it up. "It's heavy."
"A little," I said. "You can handle it." I paused. "This is for together time with your mom."
She offered a puzzled expression.
Portia offered me a quizzical look. I hadn't told her I was doing this, so she had no idea what was in the box.
Ember opened it carefully, pulling out the bag. She studied it. "Is it a backpack?"
"Not exactly. There are different configurations of the straps, so you can carry it over your shoulder or as a fanny or tummy pack."
"Fanny pack? It would look like a caboose!"
"It would," I agreed. "The bag isn't empty, Ember."
She eyed it. "There are so many zippers."
I leaned forward and touched one of the zippers. "This one. Don't dump the contents out when you open it."
She unzipped the bag carefully, and then she stared, and stared, and stared. Then she looked up at me. "Is this..."
I nodded.
"For me?"
I nodded.
She began squealing. "It's a camera! It's a camera!" She pulled it out. "It's the same one as Portia Mom's!"
She already knew how to use it. She pulled off the lens cap, flipped it on, and pointed it at me, snapping several pictures. Portia was next. Then she reviewed them on the screen.
"There are two lenses," I said. "A couple of filters and a spare battery. We don't do a lot of tripod work, so for that portion of my class, you may borrow one of mine."
"I-"
She paused. "I didn't sign up for your class."
"Your mother signed you up for you," I said with a smile. "I hope that's okay."
"Yes!" she said. "Thank you, Zoe Mom!" From her knees, she delivered a crushing hug. "Thank you, Portia Mom!" Another crushing hug.
She poked through the bag, taking mental inventory, clearly quite pleased. She turned to me. "Can we go take photos later?"
"I think that would be lovely," I said. "And I think I see a few more students with new cameras, so I suspect I'm going to be asked to give an impromptu class. I hope you don't mind sharing me."
She sighed dramatically. "If I have to..."
She played with the camera for another minute, then she turned back to us. "Portia, where's your present for Zoe Mom?"
"She gets to see it last," Portia said.
"This is last," Ember said.
"Not quite." She gestured with her nose. Michaela and Lara were making a tour of the room, passing out presents. "Why don't you go see what Cassie got, then come back when the alphas get to us."
The girl scampered off in search of her friend. I turned to Portia. "I hope you don't mind. I paid for it myself. I didn't ask you."
"It's an excellent present," she said. "She could have borrowed mine."
"You know how you once told me you decide to act as if things will turn out the way you want?" She nodded. "Well, I decided she is going to enjoy photography, and I planned accordingly. If she borrows yours, she always has to ask. If she has her own, she doesn't."
Portia nodded.
"So, my present is a secret, hmm?"
"Yep."
"Where is it?" I asked. "Am I supposed to find it?" I moved towards her, climbing up her body. We kissed, and I began patting her down, but she immediately captured my fingers.
"Behave."
"I want my present," I said.
"You will wait," she said.
I put on a mock pout, but she pulled me to her and nipped my pouting lip.
"Hey!" I complained. Then I smiled. "You have to wait for that kind of behavior."
She laughed then pulled me around so we were cuddled together. "Happy?" she asked into my ear.
I nodded. "You're going to look great in that blouse and camisole."
It was another fifteen minutes until Michaela and Lara made their way to us, and it felt like they brought half the pack with them. I had small presents for each of them, and we did exchanges. I had presents for the pups, too, but they had already opened them. Portia and I received our thanks for the kids, and everyone expressed appreciation for her gift.
"Well," Michaela said. "Portia, is that the coat Zoe gave you?"
"Yes," Portia said. "I love it."
"Zoe, what did Portia give you?"
"I don't know," I said. "She's holding out on me. I think she forgot it at home." I didn't, but I was teasing.
"I didn't forget it at home," Portia said. She sat me back on the sofa, then moved to kneel in front of me. Lara moved behind her, and I saw her slip something into Portia's hand, but I didn't get to see what it was.
But you could have heard a pin drop.
"Zoe Everest Young," Portia said. Then she pulled her hand from behind her back and opened a black ring box. "We have only known each other for six months, and in the human way of doing things, this is far too soon. But we are mated, I love you with my entire heart, and I do not want to wait. Zoe Everest Young, will you marry me and be my wife?"
I stared at her.
No one said a word.
Michaela was standing behind me, and eventually she reached forward and nudged my shoulder. I glanced backwards at her for a moment, then back to Portia, waiting patiently with the ring held up to me.
I couldn't think. Well, I could partially think. I wanted my words to be elegant, the words we would remember forever. But I couldn't think. I thought she might ask me eventually, but I had never given a thought to how I would answer her.
And so, simply, all I could think of was, "Yes."
I didn't realize until later that I had started crying the moment she fell to her knees in front of me.
While the wolves cheered and howled around us, Portia took the ring from the box and slipped it over my finger. Then she leaned up and kissed me deeply, then kissed my salty eyes.
I threw myself into her arms and held tightly.
"When?" I asked.
"I want our wedding night to be the first night in our new home," she said. "Do you mind waiting that long?"
"No."
* * * *
I did, indeed, get drafted to teach impromptu photography classes. All the kids wanted to know how to use their new cameras, and a number of parents were also interested. Michaela had her own equipment and she knew perfectly well how to use it, but she and Lara attended the classes with us.
"Zoe," Michaela said near the end of the first class. "I believe perhaps we should discuss evening adult classes."
I laughed. "Do you think I could get through the first term with the kids before we expand the program that hasn't even started yet."
"It looks to me like it has started out just fine," she countered. "Wednesday nights work for me."
I laughed. "And do I get paid?"
"Of course."
"When do I start?"
"I believe we can give you a short time to get used to it. So rather than the first Tuesday in January, perhaps the second one is a good start."
I sighed. "Yes, Alpha." But secretly, I was pleased, and I think she knew it.
* * * *
"Mom?"
I tingled. Every time, I tingled.
I turned to the office doorway. Ember was standing there.
"I was wondering if there was a time we could go over the pictures I took?" She was holding her camera's SD card.
"Of course, honey. Come on in."
She stepped into the room and looked around. "When I asked Michaela if I could live with you, I didn't think about where you would work."
"Portia Mom made a good space for me."
She had, too. It was roomy, and while it was a dark basement, there was a full eight feet to the suspended ceiling over my head. We both had desks, and there was a table set up for framing. There was even a sofa.
Once Portia had made the space, I had done my part. A foot from the ceiling, I had mounted a wooden, well, not quite a frame. It was like a T sitting on its side, the base of the T mounted securely to the wall and the top of the T pointed into the room. Inside the T, out of sight behind the arms, were LED rope lights. I could light the lights in different configurations to control the brightness of the room. The result was indirect lighting that bounced off the ceiling, giving the entire room a warm glow. It wasn't daylight, but it was inviting and lovely.
And around all the walls hung my photos printed on large, life-size canvas. I had Portia in fur on one and Ember on another. The alphas and their pups took up one wall. And I had a nature triptych on another.
The end result pleased me to no end, and I'd never had so much space. I loved it. Portia didn't use a home office the way I did, but from time to time, we shared the room. And if I was working when Ember needed to study, she tended to study at Portia's desk.
I loved the quiet company.
Ember and I moved to Portia's computer. I let Ember drive. She loaded the pictures from the SD card, and after a few minutes, we were going through them together.
"You have a good eye," I told her.
"What do you think of this one?" she asked. It was Portia and I standing together outside. She was wearing her new coat and had just kissed me. My hand was on her cheek, my new ring obvious. Our love was just as obvious as we gazed at each other.
I hadn't known she had taken it. Those were usually the best.
"This is good, honey," I said.
"Good enough to print?"
"Definitely."
"Would you, you know, fix it for me first?"
"Fix it."
"Photoshop it."
"Ah. There isn't much to do."
I brought it into Photoshop then looked at it. She had framed it well, but I recropped it just slightly. I played with the color balance just a little and then -- vainly -- fixed a few blemishes in my skin.
"I wish you wouldn't," Ember said quietly.
"It looks better this way."
"It looks like you the other way. You're beautiful, Mom. Please don't make it artificial."
So I undid that change.
"Thank you."
I did make a few more tweaks, which she allowed.
"Now what?" she asked when I was done.
"Now we ship it to the printer, and we pick it up on Friday."
She laid her head on my shoulder. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, Ember."
Part Two
Friendships
Shortly after returning from Bayfield, Michaela stopped by the house, her security detail remaining outside. I found it amusing that her security detail was half filled by my mate and the owner of the house.
I offered Michaela tea, which she declined, and she said, "I'm just here for a few minutes. I want you to come to lunch with me on Sunday."
"All right. That sounds like fun. Who else is coming?"
"Michele and Hadley," she replied. "No spouses."
"Well, except mine will be on security."
She smiled. "Then she's an enforcer, not your mate."
We met Michele and Hadley at The Green Room. We had a lovely meal. There didn't appear to be any sort of agenda. We did the things friends do when they get together. We had lunch, we drank a modest amount of alcohol, and we talked about our weeks. Michele asked me how it was being a mom, and I talked about it for the next ten minutes while they all smiled at me.
"I'm sorry," I said eventually. "Um."
"So it's going well," Hadley said. "Good. Michaela became an instant mother in a fashion not all that different from how you did. She made several phone calls to me the first day, half in a panic with questions." She smiled at Michaela.
"Really?"
"Yes. It was cute. I had been incredibly rude to her just a few days previously, and I was quite unsure about trusting my daughter to her. My concerns proved to be unfounded, and my daughter had the best experience I could possibly have given to her."