“Reina!” She pleaded, arching against Reina’s mouth and explod¨ing. Payton’s body jerked as Reina’s fingers joined her mouth and she created a riot of feelings that overwhelmed Payton. She pulled Reina up into her arms as they shared kiss after kiss. Payton’s craving for Reina was not satisfied, and she again covered Reina’s body with her mouth and touch. Payton loved the taste and the fragrance of her lover, and she showed Reina in the most perfect way how much she loved her body. As she made love to her she shared her feelings out loud, and this, more than anything brought tears to Reina’s eyes.
They lay quietly in each other’s arms, overwhelmed and full of awe at the intensity of their love. The house was quiet for the longest time until Melinda’s fussing told them she was hungry.
“I’ll go get her,” Payton volunteered. She pulled on her nightshirt and went to get a clean washcloth. “Let’s check your diaper, little girl. Are you hungry? You are such a good little girl.”
Reina smiled as she watched Payton change Melinda’s diaper, talk¨ing to her the whole time. “Okay missy, let’s take you to your beauti¨ful mother.”
Reina kissed Payton and she took the fussing baby in her arms. Melinda immediately rooted around, until she found her mother’s nipple and began to nurse. “She’s such a little pig.” Payton laughed as she kissed Melinda on the head.
“She has a healthy appetite.” Reina laughed with her and kissed Payton slowly.
Payton couldn’t resist the urge to kiss Reina’s breast right above the nursing child. “You both are so beautiful.”
“Payton,” Reina whispered. “Hold me while I nurse Melinda.”
Payton slid under the covers next to Reina and wrapped her arms around Reina and Melinda. Reina leaned her head back against Pay-ton and they both watched the baby nurse. It was an overwhelming love that both Payton and Reina felt at that moment.
“Reina, will you marry me?”
“Honey, I already did.”
“I know but I want to marry you again.”
“I’d love to, Payton. I’ll marry you as many times as you want.”
“I just feel so damn lucky.” Payton’s voice cracked.
“I know. I feel the same way.”
CHAPTER 14
“Payton, I have the diaper bag,” Reina announced.
“Great. Max and Molly, do you have your packs?”
“Yes, Payton.”
“Okay. Ms. Melinda, do you have your bathing suit?” Melinda gurgled in response as Max and Molly giggled.
“She said yes, Payton.”
“I heard her.” Payton carried Melinda in her baby carrier, as they headed for Lindy and Tamara’s door. They were attending a bar-beque to celebrate Lindy and Tamara’s commitment ceremony a year earlier. It was also Reina and Payton’s anniversary. Melinda was dressed in her party hat and shorts, having turned into a very stylish five-month old.
“Hi guys, come on in,” Lindy called from the open door. “Max and Molly come here and give me a kiss.”
Max ran to Lindy and planted a kiss on her cheek, and Molly hugged her happily. They both liked Lindy very much.
“Happy Anniversary.” Reina joined her children as she hugged Lindy.
“Same to you, doll.” Lindy grinned. “Payton, bring my god child here!” She demanded.
Payton just grinned in return as she handed Melinda to Lindy. “Don’t spoil her.”
“Of course I’ll spoil her. Come here you. Don’t you look cute.” Lindy kissed the happy little girl. “I can’t believe how fast she’s grow-ing.
“Here, let me take her out of her carrier.” Payton took Melinda back.
“Come on in, everyone is in the backyard. Molly, Max, the kids are in the pool. Why don’t you go join them? Tamara is in the pool with them.”
“Lindy, Melinda can swim, too.”
“She can?”
“Yep, she’s been taking swim lessons with Max and me.”
“Well, we have to see this little fish do her thing.”
Payton and Reina had decided that if they were going to have little children around their pool, all three would learn to swim. It was actually amazing that all three of them loved the water and took to their swimming lessons like little ducks. Their instructor called them all water babies.
“She has a bikini and everything.”
“I can’t wait to see this.” Lindy laughed as they all joined the crowd and exchanged greetings. Many of Payton and Reina’s friends were there.
“Honey, I’m going to swim with the kids before dinner.” Payton announced.
“Okay, sweetie. Payton, could you come here a minute?” Reina crooked her finger at Payton. Yes.
“Have I told you how sexy you look?” Reina whispered.
“You look pretty luscious yourself, and I plan to have a private anniversary celebration later.”
If people didn’t know Reina had recently had a baby, looking at her they would never know. She had lost all of her weight and had worked very hard to get back into flying shape. She was back at work and all three children were being taken care of by a wonderful older woman they had hired as a nanny. Her name was Lucille Minor and she was a dear. She loved the children and they loved her. It had worked out very well.
“Come on, Payton,” Max yelled, his snorkel hanging off his neck. Both Max and Molly had snorkel sets. They were getting the hang of them before their vacation in October. They were all going to Hawaii with Grandma and Grandpa, and Payton’s brother Ed, his wife Eva, and their children. Two weeks of sun, surf, and family. It was Reina and Payton’s anniversary gift to themselves and their children.
“Okay, honey. I’ll continue this later,” Payton promised, kissing Reina slowly. She loved kissing her. Reina watched Payton and the three children head to the pool.
“You look very happy, Reina.”
“I am beyond happy, Lindy. I never knew I could be this happy.”
“Payton feels the same way.”
“Look at her, Lindy. She loves those children so much, and they love her. She makes a wonderful parent.”
“Who wouldn’t love her? She is as special as you are.”
“Thanks, Lindy. We are taking lessons from you and Tamara. I never would have taken the chance if it wasn’t for the two of you.”
“I think Payton had a lot to do with your taking that chance.”
“Boy, I can’t believe you just had a baby,” Tamara grumbled as she joined the two of them, a dripping Banta standing next to her. “How do you do it?”
Reina laughed and hugged a bathing suit clad Tamara. “You look pretty good in that bikini.”
“I didn’t just have my third child. It must be all that extra-curricu¨lar activity.” She teased.
“Like you don’t get enough activity of your own,” Reina retorted, calming Lindy to blush.
“Isn’t she cute.” Tamara hugged her embarrassed girlfriend. “She blushes whenever I mention the word sex, but let me tell you the first night I made love with Lindy she amazed me.”
“Tamara,” Lindy groaned.
“Lindy, you’re my partner and I love everything about you, espe¨cially the fact that you love making love with me.”
“I do enjoy that.” Lindy grinned.
“The fact that you are insatiable is just an added blessing.”
“Tamara,” Lindy glared, as Tamara and Reina laughed.
“Come on, Banta, let’s go check on the food so we can go swim¨ming again.” Tamara and her young son left her irritated girlfriend, grinning.
Lindy watched Tamara and Banta enter the house. “She drives me crazy, but I love her to death.”
“I believe the feeling is mutual,” Reina responded. “Now tell me, is it the water that makes all the women in Seattle insatiable?” She teased.
“I’m not going to answer that.” Lindy grinned. “Come on, let’s go watch Melinda swim.”
Payton had removed her shorts and tee shirt and was in the shal¨low end of the pool with Max and
Molly, Melinda in her arms. Melinda wore a miniature bikini. She loved the water and was busily slapping her arms, splashing in it.
“Okay, water baby, let’s see you swim.” Payton lowered Melinda into the water like she had learned at the swim lessons. Melinda gur¨gled and grinned, floating on her back and kicking her feet.
“Look at that bathing suit! Where did you find it?”
“Payton found it.”
“I can’t believe Melinda can swim.”
“She loves the water.”
“They are awfully cute, she and Payton.”
“She and Payton have a special relationship. She looks like Pay-ton.”
“She does.”
“It’s almost like Payton and I had her together.”
“You did.”
“You’re right, we did.” Reina smiled. “I love how Payton is with the kids. She just loves them unconditionally.”
“Just like you.”
“Yes, she does love me unconditionally. She also has this capacity to make you the center of her world, like nothing else matters.”
“You are the center of her world, Reina. She loves the children because they are a part of you. Why do you think she loves you?”
“Well, I know she is attracted to me, I make her laugh, and I love her.”
“Reina, you know why she loves you. You make her the center of your world. Even with three children to take care of, you take time for her. You shared your children and your life with her, but most of all you had a child with her, and my friend, that meant more to her than any words of love. You can see it in the photographs she took of you when you were pregnant. They are the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen, because she took them with such love in her heart.”
“They show me when I was at my worst.”
“Reina, have you really looked at those pictures? Payton didn’t see you at your worst, she saw a very sexy beautiful mother-to-be and lover.” Lindy hugged her. “Take a real good look at those pictures. No words could express her love for you as well as those pictures. Do you remember how worried you were to tell her you were pregnant, and how you feared she wouldn’t find you sexy?”
“I was scared.”
“Reina, honey, Payton made love to you every time she took your photograph.”
Reina was overwhelmed by Lindy’s speech. “Thank you, Lindy.”
“Don’t thank me, honey. I think all four of us found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”
“We did love, we did.”
“Look Mom, Melinda’s swimming!” Max yelled. He had become a very proud older brother and loved to point out Melinda’s talents.
“I see that.” Reina laughed. “She’s a mermaid just like Molly.”
“Maybe she’s a frog!” Banta yelled.
Payton grinned at Reina, holding Melinda while she splashed in the pool. “She’s a duck,” Payton admitted.
The afternoon was a lot of fun. The kids laughed and played while Reina and Payton visited and caught up with friends. Melinda went to sleep in Tamara and Lindy’s bedroom after Reina fed her. It was a happy but tired group that made the trip home later that evening.
“Reina, I’ll put Max and Molly to bed, if you want to take Melinda and put her to bed.”
“Okay, honey. I’ll come in and kiss them goodnight in a minute.”
“All right little man, mermaid girl, let’s go to bed.” The tired trio headed for the children’s bedrooms, and quickly put on their paja¨mas and crawled in bed.
“Goodnight, Max. I love you gobs.”
Max kissed and hugged Payton goodnight. ‘"Night.”
Payton went to Molly and kissed her goodnight, then turned out the light as she left the room. She met Reina in the hallway. “Is Melinda sleep?”
“Out like a light.”
“Max and Molly are waiting for you.”
“Okay, honey. Could you do me a favor?”
“Sure?”
“Meet me in the office.”
“Okay.” Payton wasn’t sure why but she headed for the office any¨way. She sat in her chair at her desk and waited. She had no clue what Reina was up to, and usually she knew.
Reina entered the office moments later. “I want to look at the pho¨tographs you took of me when I was pregnant.”
“Okay. They’re in the photo album. Here.”
Reina pulled up a chair next to Payton and opened the book. Pay-ton was still uncertain why Reina was looking at the pictures at that particular moment. She had already seen all of them. Payton watched her closely for some indication of what she was thinking or feeling.
Reina started at the front of the book and saw photographs of her and the kids before she and Payton had moved in together. As she turned the pages, she saw herself and the children through Payton’s eyes, and she melted. Lindy was right. Payton did make love to her every time she took her picture. One photograph brought tears to her eyes as she gazed at it. It was a picture of the two of them.
“Tamara took that picture.”
It was shortly before Reina had delivered Melinda and she was very large. The two of them were standing in each other’s arms, Reina leaning back against Payton. Payton’s arms were around Reina resting on her stomach with Reina’s hands clasped in her own. Reina’s head was resting on Payton’s shoulder, and she was laughing while Payton grinned at her. Reina stared for the longest while at that picture as her eyes blurred with tears. She turned to the next page and found a picture of herself standing in front of their bedroom window. Her long blond hair was loose and hanging down the mid¨dle of her back. Her nightgown was unbuttoned in order to nurse Melinda, who was cradled in her arms. She was turned toward the camera smiling as Melinda suckled. Reina’s breath caught in her throat.
“You take beautiful pictures of our family.” Reina turned to Pay-ton.
“I have a beautiful family.” Payton smiled.
“Payton, I love you.”
“I love you.”
“Happy Anniversary.”
“One year since you married me.”
“And you married me. Payton, I want at least fifty more.” Reina kissed her slowly.
“Fifty at least,” Payton promised as they kissed again.
“Let’s go to bed.” As they walked down the hall, Melinda began to cry.
“Our daughter needs us.” Reina clasped Payton’s hand in her own.
“Isn’t that a perfect anniversary?” Payton smiled. “Friends and family.”
Reina picked up her unhappy daughter from the nursery and walked over to Payton. “Hold us, Payton.”
Payton drew them both into her arms. Melinda was content to be held between them.
“Melinda, do you know how much I love Payton? She is as much your mother as I am. She loves you and me so much. We are so lucky.” Payton and Reina kissed as they held their little daughter. “And you look just like her. You’re very beautiful.”
“I love you,” Payton whispered. “Happy Anniversary.” 1 love you.
Neither one could have asked for a more perfect day, or a more perfect life.
The End
Family Love Page 32