No Expectations

by Morgan Thomas

  “One!? Bahahahahah. Have you met your girlfriend? The woman won’t be happy until she’s swimming in babies.” He grinned at Courtney’s pale face when she took the box and shook his head in amusement. “One? That’s cute. You’re cute”

  Courtney stood, rooted on the porch with the box in her hand and thought about her pocket. She smiled, We’ll get there, she thought, brushing the thoughts aside. She made her way to Ali’s room with the box and stopped in the doorway when she heard the little girl talking and saw her sitting on the floor with a ball of fur in her lap and Jasper sitting in front of her.

  “You are going to have to get along, because families have to get along.” Ali directed her voice at the chunky dog sitting in front of her. “Your mom and my mom don’t think you’re going to get along, but you have to because Snickers sleeps in my bed, so if you want to sleep in my bed too, you’re going to have to be nice to Snickers.”

  Courtney opened her mouth to stop the little girl when she held the small ball of fur up for Jasper to sniff and the dog growled, but closed it again when Ali was quick to correct the dog.

  “Quit that or our moms are going to make you sleep in the garage.”

  Courtney grinned when the dog put his ears back and tipped his head down as if he were ashamed of himself. She watched in awe as Ali held the cat up towards the dog again and he sniffed it obediently before laying down and resting his head in Ali’s lap. The little girl giggled and laid the cat on the floor next to the dog, watching as the cat stretched and curled itself into Jasper’s fur.

  Courtney shook her head, amused at the determination on the little girl’s face. Between you and your mother, I may be in trouble. She set the box on the bedroom floor and leaned down to kiss Ali on top of the head. “You tell them how it is, squirt.”

  “What’s that?” Ali bounced up and lifted the lid on the box Courtney had brought into her bedroom and started squealing at what she found inside. “Panda’s! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  Courtney chuckled at the girl’s squeals and made her way to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. When she saw Tess’s mom and sister in front of the stove, she pivoted and tried to make a quick escape, but wasn’t quick enough.

  “Courtney! My new favorite sister, come in here!”

  Courtney winced and prayed that they were not going to ask her to cook something.

  “I resent that.”

  Tess was leaning against the counter making faces at the baby in her arms when Courtney walked through the doorway. Courtney grinned at her and threw an arm around Breanne, before turning her attention to Tess to whisper loud enough for the room to hear, “Your sister wants me.”

  “I do,” Breanne confirmed and kissed Courtney sloppily on the cheek before turning to stir the vegetables in the bowl behind her. “So tell me, how is this whole no-strings-attached thing working out for the two of you?”

  Courtney raised her eyes in Tess’s direction, noting that the woman was avoiding eye contact. “Wow, you really do tell each other everything,” she laughed.

  “Judging from the boxes in the living room, I’d say it’s working out just fine, Breanne. Leave your sister alone.” Janie turned her attention away from the stove to shoot her daughter a pointed stare. “You two are ridiculous.”

  ~~

  Several hours later, after everyone had gone, Courtney and Tess stood in the same kitchen. Tess was rinsing dishes and handing them to Courtney, who was putting them in the dishwasher, one at a time.

  “So you’re one of these people, huh?” Courtney rolled her eyes as Tess rinsed another dish and handed it to her.

  “One of what people?”

  Courtney held up the dish. “You wash the dishes, before you put them in the… dishwasher.” She shook her head, putting the dish in the dishwasher and listening to Tess ramble on about how she wasn’t washing the dishes, she was just rinsing the chunks off, and if Courtney read directions, she would know that you are supposed to rinse dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. Tess finally stopped talking when Courtney laughed again, louder.

  “Did you just say you read the directions? To the dishwasher?” Courtney laughed again, hard enough that she wrapped her arms around her stomach, “Oh, sweetie, that is adorable. Do you read the instructions on the toilet paper package too?”

  Tess finished wiping off the counter and threw the dishtowel at Courtney, laughing with the woman. “I knew how to work it, I just like to read things!”

  “Mom, I’m ready!”

  Tess glanced in the direction of the bedroom. “I’m going to read to Ali. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Courtney shook her head. “No way, it’s my turn. She likes my voices better anyways, yours are boring.” She slipped past Tess and they raced to the bedroom where Ali was laying in her bed, a tiny ball of fur curled under one arm, and a chunky dog laying across her feet at the end of the bed. She giggled while she watched the two woman struggle to get through the doorway, each determined to get there before the other did, both pulling each other backwards. Finally, Ali spoke up, “You aren’t being nice! Everyone gets a turn,” she giggled, covering her mouth.

  “Courtney read to you last night, it’s my turn tonight, right?” Tess asked her daughter, turning slightly to stick her tongue out at Courtney.

  “Mom!” Ali giggled hysterically, “That wasn’t nice, now Courtney gets to read to me!”

  Courtney walked past Tess, deliberately bumping into her shoulder and throwing her a ha ha look on her way through.

  “Fine.” Tess sat on the opposite edge of the bed, pretending to pout, and started running her fingers up and down Ali’s back while Courtney read her one of her favorite books. Before Courtney was finished, Ali was drooling on her pillow, her eyelids closed and breathing heavily. “See, you bored her to sleep,” Tess whispered, grinning at Courtney. She leaned down to kiss Ali’s forehead before getting up to follow Courtney into the bedroom.

  She smiled when she saw the flowers on the stand next to the bed. “Are those for me?”

  Courtney rolled her eyes, “No, I bought them for myself.”

  “Selfish.” Tess frowned, trying to keep a straight face.

  Courtney laughed, “Well wasn’t that part of the deal?” When Tess looked at Courtney questioningly, Courtney chuckled. “Flowers and love notes? Remember?”

  Tess grinned, “I don’t see any love notes… and aren’t you supposed to tell me you love me too?”

  “Hey now, one thing at a time. If I do it all at once, you’ll expect too much. Besides, you are getting all that, what am I getting out of the deal?”

  Tess grinned and took Courtney’s hand to pull her close. “You get me. I love you.” She kissed Courtney lightly and leaned to nibble the hollow under her ear.

  “You do?”

  “I do.”

  Courtney grinned. “You’re right, that sounds pretty good coming out of your mouth too.”

  Tess stopped fanning kisses down Courtney’s cheek bone and pulled her face back to meet Courtney’s eyes directly. “You like that, hmm?” She felt Courtney taking her hand and she smiled, meeting the mischievous twinkle in Courtney’s eyes. Just as she was about to lift Courtney’s hand and kiss it, she gasped, feeling the ring slip onto her finger.

  Courtney watched Tess’s eyes widen as she took a step back, a smile spreading across her face as she watched the mess of emotions that ran across Tess’s.

  “What is this?” Tess lifted her hand to study the ring that Courtney had slipped on her finger, which contained a very large diamond, her birth stone, as well as Courtney and Ali’s, and the breath rushed out of her lungs. “It’s beautiful.”

  Courtney reached over and pulled the woman close. She kissed her deeply before pulling her face back and resting her forehead on Tess’s, smiling. “I have expectations too.”

 

 

&n
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