Tess smiled. “One. God, I hope it’s only one.”
“No double trouble?”
“Love, we have quadruple trouble already.”
Brooke laughed. “That’s an understatement.”
“What about you?” Tess asked.
“Uh… Well, we already have the double 0’s and the 7. I think I could take a 1 and be okay with that.”
Tess rolled her eyes. “I meant what do you think about everything I said? You must have things that you would like to do too?”
“I’m doing what I want to do. Tess, I had my college days and I had years when I was single and able to do whatever struck my fancy.”
“Or whoever?” Tess teased.
Brooke groaned. “Don’t get any ideas, Diana.”
“You have nothing to worry about, love.”
“Good. All I’m saying is that you’ve been taking care of everybody your whole life—almost anyway. I think you’ve always put everyone’s needs and even who they thought you should be before yours. I love my career. I love my family. I love this house,” Brooke said. “More than all of it, I love you. I hope that this is where you will always want to ‘land,’ as you put it. I want you to fly. You have so much to give. More than you realize sometimes. I understand. Eight or nine years from now you’ll still be young enough to start something completely new and have plenty of time to unravel it. I get it.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m not sure what you are thanking me for. I get the easy road this time.”
“Is that what you think?”
“Yeah. I don’t have to line up buckets between the bed and the bathroom or the office and the parking lot.”
Tess shook her head. “I hope I can avoid that.”
Ethan squirmed to get out of the position he was in and Tess laughed.
“He’s not going to slow down now, is he?” Brooke guessed.
“Don’t think so.”
“And, you’re sure you want to do this?”
“Scared of two in the house?” Tess asked playfully.
“Me?”
Tess lifted her brow in challenge.
“Maybe a little,” Brooke confessed.
Tess erupted in laughter. “At least, you’re honest.”
Brooke grew serious. “I love you, Tess.”
Tess searched Brooke’s eyes, surprised to see an emotional wave rolling through them. “Brooke?”
“I don’t deserve you, you know?”
“I think we deserve each other,” Tess said. “I love you too, so much it hurts sometimes. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“I won’t.” Brooke picked up Ethan. “What do you think?”
“Bbbb.. Ummm.”
“Bum? What is it with bums?” Brooke chuckled. She hopped off the bed with Ethan in her arms.
“Where are you going?” Tess wondered.
“To put the little man down for the night. I need some rest to prepare for the Justice League.”
Tess chuckled. Oh, Brooke, you are priceless.
***
TWO MONTHS LATER
Davey ran off the field toward his parents.
“Great game,” Brooke praised him.
“Thanks!” Davey said excitedly. He turned his attention to Tess.
Tess smiled at her son. “Congratulations,” she said.
Davey smiled. “I might get to pitch in the championship game next week.”
Tess was incredibly proud of Davey. He had been determined to improve and learn. He had even asked her to catch for him a few times, and she had been surprised at the strength he possessed. It seemed to Tess that Davey had found his niche. He loved baseball. And, she knew that his love of the sport wasn’t just about winning. He liked being part of the team. In fact, he thrived in the environment. It had translated to everything in his life. Davey was learning the piano, and while he struggled at times, he seemed to be less frustrated. He’d grown. Tess had little doubt that baseball would be part of the entire family’s life for many years to come, and she was looking forward to the ride.
Davey beamed. “If not, coach says I can play first base.” He looked at Brooke. “The team is going to Jerry’s for ice cream. Can I go too? Justin said his dad would drop me off after.”
Brooke looked at Tess and received a wink in reply. She reached into her pocket and retrieved a twenty-dollar bill.
“I’ll bring back the change,” Davey promised.
Brooke grinned. “You keep it.”
Davey’s eyes flew open.
Tess winked at Brooke again and then looked at Davey. “You earned it,” she said. “We’ll see you at home later.” She was shocked when Davey threw his arms around her and hugged her.
“Thanks, Mom.” He looked at Brooke again and hugged her. “Thanks, Mom,” he said softly.
“You’re welcome. See you later,” Brooke said.
Tess chuckled when Davey started to run off and swiftly turned back to hand her his baseball glove.
“He’s not too excited,” Brooke said.
“Not at all,” Tess laughed.
Brooke slipped her hand around Tess’s waist. “So, we are kidless for a little while.”
Tess smirked. She patted Brooke’s chest. “Easy does it, Dr. Banner. It doesn’t take eleven-year-olds very long to eat ice cream.”
“Well? Pick up the pace then!”
Tess laughed. “How much sugar have you had?”
“Ha-ha. Maybe I would just like to be alone with you.”
“We’re going away this weekend,” Tess reminded Brooke.
“Another three days! I’d like to take you away before that,” Brooke flirted.
Tess took Brooke’s hand. “You do remember that Dani and Ethan will be home in about an hour from your parents’ house?”
“Hey, I can fit a lot into an hour.”
“Good.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. You can help me put away the laundry our children seem to conveniently forget about.”
“Laundry?”
“Not what you had in mind?”
Brooke shrugged. “You get Davey’s room.”
“Why?”
“It smells as bad as Ethan’s diapers.”
Tess roared with laughter.
Brooke opened the car door for Tess. “Do you think they’re all like that?”
“Who?”
“Boys,” Brooke said.
“Like what?” Tess asked.
“Stinky.”
“I think it’s a phase.” Tess slid into her seat.
Brooke closed the car door and wrinkled her nose. She hopped into the driver’s seat and looked at Tess seriously. “If it’s a phase, it’s a long one. Ever smell my dad’s socks? No wonder I’m a lesbian.”
Tess shook her head. “You are too much sometimes.”
Brooke grinned. “Still want to do laundry?”
“Nice try, love.”
“I thought so. No laundry this weekend, unless the cabin has a washer with a heavy-duty spin cycle.”
“Why? You have some strange laundry room fantasy I don’t know about?”
Brooke wiggled her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t mind taking you for a spin in the laundry room.”
Tess rolled her eyes. “Drive.”
“What, Diana? I told the truth.”
“I’ll make a note,” Tess promised.
I love you, Tess.
***
SATURDAY
Tess closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh air. She felt a weight beside her gently rock the front porch swing. Brooke had gone all out for their weekend getaway. Tess felt more relaxed than she could recall in recent memory. There were no drums being banged, no diapers to be changed, no piano keys clinking, and no laundry to be put away. They had arrived late the previous afternoon and enjoyed a light dinner and a bottle of wine before making love, cuddling, and repeating the cycle a few times.
“Tired?” Brooke asked.
“Relaxed,” Tess said. “And, en
joying this wine while I can.”
Brooke took a deep breath and looked out at the tree-lined hills in the distance. They were about to embark on another journey. Brooke was excited, but also nervous. She looked forward to the day that Tess conceived. It was in Brooke’s nature to worry. What if it didn’t happen? What if there was a problem? What if… What if… What if?
Tess took hold of Brooke’s hand. “Stop worrying, love.”
“I’m not worried.”
Tess opened her eyes and looked at Brooke. “You are a terrible liar. I managed two—at once,” Tess reminded Brooke.
“I know.”
“Second thoughts?”
“About you getting pregnant?” Brooke asked.
Tess nodded.
“Not a one.”
“Good.”
“Are you really thinking about psychology?” Brooke asked.
Tess had chosen two classes for the fall semester at the local state college. She had been grateful to learn that nearly all her credits, although twelve-years-old had transferred. She would only need to complete seven courses to finish her bachelor’s. She’d been giving a great deal of thought to what she might want to do one day. She’d confided in Brooke the previous night over dinner that she was leaning toward psychology.
“I always thought I wanted to be a pediatrician,” Tess said.
“I know.”
“But, I don’t know, Brooke. There are so many ways a person can break. Sometimes, I think the cracks that you can’t see are felt the longest.”
Brooke agreed. Loss, abuse, neglect—those experiences left scars that people often didn’t take the time to see, and that required just as much attention as broken bones, cuts or even cancer. “I think you would be terrific.”
“You do?”
Brooke nodded. “Without a doubt. Any idea what you might want to do?”
“All I know is that I want to work with children. I don’t know what that will look like. Maybe in a school or maybe in an office. I can’t explain it. I know that we’re not perfect parents. I certainly am not. I do think our kids feel loved and safe. I hope they know they can come to us about anything. I never felt that, Brooke—not after David. If I can help some kid like me, like Gary was—maybe even a family; I don’t know, I feel like it’s what I am supposed to do. Maybe that’s why it’s all happened the way it has—losing David, my mom, having the twins so young, even us. Maybe it all happened so I could see.”
Brooke smiled. Tess amazed her. She put her arm around Tess and rocked the swing gently. No, no one was a perfect parent. No one was perfect at anything. Brooke knew that. Tess was an incredible mother. Brooke continually marveled at the way Tess could be firm and nurturing even when she knew Tess’s frustration was running high. Tess understood people. Brooke suspected that the talent Tess had for connecting to people, her patient and compassionate manner were something she had always possessed, much like Brooke’s aptitude for music. Tess had come to believe that the events in her life had shaped her abilities and personality. There was no doubt in Brooke’s mind that Tess’s assessment was true. It ran deeper than that. Brooke knew that too.
“Just don’t start analyzing my love of the laundry room.”
“I’ll stick to trying to understand your obsession with nuclear waste.”
“My Gatorade is not nuclear.”
“No?”
“Nope. Hey, we might have two doctors in the family one day,” Brooke said.
“We already have three, love.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Tess giggled and let her head fall onto Brooke’s shoulder and closed her eyes in contentment.
“Do you want to go inside?” Brooke asked.
“No.”
Brooke closed her eyes too. She didn’t care if they fell asleep on the swing. It was quiet. Tess was next to her. Life was taking another series of turns. She took a deep breath. Finding time for each other was never easy. When Tess had made the appointment for their first attempt to conceive, she had told Tess that they needed to make time to be alone no matter who else came into their lives.
“If we are going to do this, we need to agree that we will make a point to take time for us,” Brooke said.
“I agree. You also need time for you, Brooke. I mean it. Not just what I need, not just what the kids need. I want you to take that. Spend some time with your mom. Go fishing for a weekend with your dad.”
“You know, sometimes I like to spend my time at home.”
“Me too. You made me promise that I would keep taking a class. The same goes for you. I know how crazy it gets—not every week, maybe not even every month, but we both need that.”
“I promise,” Brooke said. “As long as you promise we get to try that spin cycle thing,” Brooke teased.
“You are really hung up on that.”
“Hey, you said I should spend time doing something for me.”
“I’m sure we can find a way to kill two birds with one stone. I’ll save the laundry for your day off every once in a while.”
“Oooh. Efficiency, I like it. You know what they call that at work?”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“Best practices.”
Tess laughed and kissed Brooke soundly. “There’s a load in the basket right now. Want to test the theory?”
Brooke grabbed Tess’s hand and led a laughing Tess away to test the theory.
Brooke smiled as she recalled the conversation with Tess. She was positive that she had a new affinity for laundry. She couldn’t imagine anyone else putting up with her crazy schedule and her silly antics. Tess loved Brooke exactly as she was. And, Brooke delighted in the teasing she endured about her love of all things green, her new found love of housework, and her occasional clumsiness. Tess made even the most difficult days bearable, and loving Tess made the future something Brooke looked forward to immensely.
“I can’t wait for all of it,” Brooke said.
“I can. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s to enjoy this moment. The next will bring whatever it chooses. As long as you’re there, I know it’ll be worthwhile.”
“I love you,” Brooke said.
Tess smiled and wrapped her arm around Brooke’s. “I love you too, Brooke—even more now that you’ve discovered the joy of laundry.”
Brooke chuckled. You have no idea.
THE END
To be continued in
MAKING ROUNDS
Best Practice (Special Delivery Book 5) Page 12