by Nance Sparks
Andrea looked like she was going to burst with happiness. She looked around the large open floor plan. “This is going to make a beautiful studio. The tall ceilings are perfect. But, sweetheart, if you move up here full-time, you’re never sleeping here!”
“I love the sound of that.” Riley wrapped her arms around Andrea. They continued the tour around the lower level of the building. “I know that moving up here doesn’t change my travel schedule. But I’ve hired a couple of new photographers to distribute the workload, and that way, maybe all of us can have a chance at a somewhat normal life. Jodie’s on board with all of this. We’ll train the newbies and shoot side by side for a while until we can get a feel for their perspective. My goal is to eventually travel less and run much of the business behind the scenes. There’s plenty to do without getting on a plane two or three times a week.”
“It’s like a dream come true.”
Riley took a deep breath and leaned in closer to Andrea. “My sweet Andi, I have no ties to Illinois, it’s just where I landed after an internship, and there’s nothing keeping me there. Nothing keeping any of us there. I also understand that everything is keeping you here. I’m excited to see how it could all come together. It all started to fall into place after Syd’s night at the airport, when I randomly started looking for something in this area. I wanted to see what you thought of the idea before I put in an offer.”
“You’d really move up here to be with me, with us?” Andrea’s eyes sparkled. The smile on her face said everything Riley needed to know.
“Yes, without a doubt.” Riley nodded.
“Are we really going to get a chance at being a couple?” Andrea leaned over and cupped Riley’s face in her hands. “Yes, please, put in an offer. I want more of everything with you.”
Riley pulled her in close. “I’ve listened, too, babe. I get that you want time for everyone to adjust to a new normal. I get the need to make sure we’re going to work out before the girls get too attached. I realize it’s about more than just you and me. I respect that. I need a studio, either way. We can take it slowly until everything is settled.”
“The girls are already attached. They’ve each asked if you could move in with us, so we don’t have to do that drive to Illinois ever again. They hated that car ride but loved seeing you.” Andrea laughed. “This was some date night. I don’t know how you plan to top this.”
“I think someone was interested in a second dessert.” Riley leaned down and kissed Andrea with all the passion that their two weeks apart had created. Their future was calling, and she intended to answer in the best possible way.
Chapter Thirty-four
After four long months and countless delays, the renovations on the new studio and apartments were finally complete. The new display walls were painted in a variety of bright and bold colors, selected specifically to enhance the elements of the prints hung as the foreground. Riley took one final lap around and checked on the lighting for each and every print on the walls. Everything was perfect. She heard the bell jingle above the lobby door and caught a whiff of Andrea’s perfume. Riley inhaled deeply and turned around.
“Wow.”
It was the only word that Riley could come up with. Andrea looked absolutely stunning. She’d seen the red dress on the hanger in the closet, though it looked much more incredible on Andrea’s curvy frame. She wore her hair down and the choker from Sara’s wedding. Riley’s mouth was dry, and she found it difficult to swallow. The click of Andrea’s heels on the stained concrete floor was mesmerizing as she walked across the room with that sexy swagger.
“Everything looks amazing!”
“Thanks, I’m happy with the result.”
“Where’s Jodie and Cloe and the new additions?”
“They’re upstairs, they’ll be down in a bit,” Riley said. “My parents will be here in about an hour or so. My mom can’t wait to see you again. She really missed you.”
“Could I have a tour before the guests start to arrive?”
Riley lifted her suit jacket off the back of a chair and slid her arms into the sleeves. She picked up the two rocks glasses that she’d prepared and handed one to Andrea.
“To us.” Riley held up her glass.
“Hmmm, to us.” Andrea tapped her glass against Riley’s.
The whiskey was warm on her throat and seemed to steady her nerves. She set down the glass on the table and reached for Andrea’s hand. It was time for the tour. She’d been a bundle of nerves all day in anticipation of this moment. They had about a half an hour before the guests began to arrive.
She walked with Andrea from section to section. There were a few prints from the studio in Illinois, but the majority of the prints were newer shots from more recent events. Each of the four photographers had a pod of their favorites and the lobby was filled with a variety of portraits and one-off shots. Miss Charlotte, their wonderful contact from the sex shop they’d popped into on their road trip, was larger than life on the wall before Riley’s pod. It was a great shot with Times Square in the background. Her space was twice the size of the other photographers, mostly because she couldn’t narrow down the prints that she wanted to display. She figured it was owner’s prerogative.
Riley stopped outside of the pod and reached her free hand into her suit jacket pocket. It was still there. She drew in a deep breath and clicked on the lights before walking with Andrea through the doorway. She smiled when she heard Andrea’s breath catch. She turned in time to see the surprise in her eyes and her hand instinctively come up to cover her mouth.
Two of the walls in the pod were covered with a variety of shots from their time together along with the inside wall around the entrance into the pod. There were a couple of the shots from their high school days, a shot of their tree, and then so many more shots of their trip to Alaska. Riley could spend all day in this pod staring at these walls. She loved each and every print.
“Riley, this is incredible.” She wrapped an arm around Riley’s waist.
“The shot of you in bed will move into our room after tonight.” Riley smiled.
“It’s a little weird that my image is plastered all over the walls in this area. At least you have a few of us together.” Andrea turned to take it all in.
“Most of these will move up to the apartment or to your place after tonight.” Riley had staged this pod for one very specific purpose.
“You have so many other incredible shots that you’ve taken. Why is this wall on the left still blank? I find it hard to believe you couldn’t pick something to hang there.”
“Oh, I know exactly what’s going to hang in that spot. I have a photoshop mockup if you’d like to see it?” Riley raised her eyebrows. She knew she was blushing.
“Based on the look on your face, I’m a little scared to see it.”
“Stay right here.”
Riley jogged into the back office and grabbed the poster-sized printout of her creation.
“Close your eyes.” Riley walked back into the pod and hung the print up on the wall. It was corny but she couldn’t resist. She stood next to Andrea and pulled the small box from her suit jacket pocket. She opened the lid and drew in a deep breath. “Okay, open your eyes.”
Andrea opened her eyes. She looked at the print on the wall. Riley looked, too. She’d cropped in pictures of the four of them. Riley and Andrea decked out for a wedding in the back, Sydney and Oliva in the front in their best dress clothes. The lighting was a little off, but the gist of the shot still shined through.
“How on earth? What is this?” Andrea stepped closer to the print. “I just bought the girls these outfits for the school dance.”
“Like I said, a mockup. I’m hoping to replace it with our real wedding photo.” Riley swallowed. Her mouth was suddenly so dry.
Andrea slowly turned back to Riley and then finally looked down to the box in her hand. She squeal
ed and covered her mouth with her hand. Riley couldn’t stop smiling.
“My sweet Andi, I love you with all of my being. I’ve loved you my whole life, and I’ll love you till the end of time. So, with Sydney and Olivia’s permission, I wonder, would you marry me?”
“You asked the girls for their permission?” Andrea kept looking from the ring up to Riley’s eyes and then back to the ring.
“I did,” Riley said. She lifted the ring out of the box. “What do you say? Would you marry me?”
Andrea rushed into Riley’s arms. “Yes, a thousand times yes! I love you too! Yes!”
She cupped Riley’s face in her hands and kissed her. When she pulled back, Riley accepted her left hand and slid the ring in place. It fit perfectly and seemed to sparkle even brighter on Andrea’s hand.
“Yes?” Riley smiled.
“Yes!” Andrea held her hand out and stared at the ring. She stepped into Riley’s arms and kissed her again.
“Can we have a big wedding with the dress and everything?” Andrea asked. Her eyes were sparkling brighter than the diamond on her hand.
“Absolutely! The whole thing. I might know some photographers.” Riley smiled.
“Would it be crazy if we honeymooned in Alaska? Maybe a September wedding and an Alaskan honeymoon in the hot springs?”
“Babe, I’d love nothing more. Our little oasis is perfect for our honeymoon!”
The bell above the door jingled. Voices echoed back to them. Everyone must have arrived at once.
“Andi, Riley, where are you? Get your clothes back on and get your asses out here! This place looks awesome.” Sara’s voice called out.
“Oh my God, I can’t wait to show Sara!” Andrea said. She held out her hand again and then leaned in for another kiss. “I love you, Riley.”
“I love you, too.”
Riley turned back to the photographs in her pod, allowing herself to be in the moment. An image of Andrea turning away from the bar at the welcome party in Alaska caught her eye. It was still unbelievable that a fluke encounter could give her a second chance at a life with her soul mate. She’d spent so long convinced she couldn’t have it all, but she was about to have exactly that. Love, a family, and work she loved, but on a more practical level. There were still bucket list places to tick off, but now she’d have her best friend and soul mate beside her to capture every special moment. Their lives would truly be picture perfect.
About the Author
A vivid imagination spurred Nance Sparks’s desire to write lesbian romance. Nance lives in south central Wisconsin with her spouse. Her passion for photography, homesteading, hiking, gardening, and most anything outdoors comes through in her stories. When the sun is out and the sky is blue, especially during the golden hour, Nance can be found on the Wisconsin River with a camera in hand capturing shots of large birds in flight.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
A Convenient Arrangement by Aurora Rey and Jaime Clevenger. Cuffing season has come for lesbians, and for Jess Archer and Cody Dawson, their convenient arrangement becomes anything but. (978-1-63555-818-0)
An Alaskan Wedding by Nance Sparks. The last thing either Andrea or Riley expects is to bump into the one who broke her heart fifteen years ago, but when they meet at the welcome party, their feelings come rushing back. (978-1-63679-053-4)
Beulah Lodge by Cathy Dunnell. It’s 1874, and newly engaged Ruth Mallowes is set on marriage and life as a missionary…until she falls in love with the housemaid at Beulah Lodge. (978-1-63679-007-7)
Gia’s Gems by Toni Logan. When Lindsey Speyer discovers that popular travel columnist Gia Williams is a complete fake and threatens to expose her, blackmail has never been so sexy. (978-1-63555-917-0)
Holiday Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses by M. Ullrich. Four holidays, four couples, four chances to make their wishes come true. (978-1-63555-760-2)
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Marry Me by Melissa Brayden. Allison Hale attempts to plan the wedding of the century to a man who could save her family’s business, if only she wasn’t falling for her wedding planner, Megan Kinkaid. (978-1-63555-932-3)
Pathway to Love by Radclyffe. Courtney Valentine is looking for a woman exactly like Ben—smart, sexy, and not in the market for anything serious. All she has to do is convince Ben that sex-without-strings is the perfect pathway to pleasure. (978-1-63679-110-4)
Sweet Surprise by Jenny Frame. Flora and Mac never thought they’d ever see each other again, but when Mac opens up her barber shop right next to Flora’s sweet shop, their connection comes roaring back. (978-1-63679-001-5)
The Edge of Yesterday by CJ Birch. Easton Gray is sent from the future to save humanity from technological disaster. When she’s forced to target the woman she’s falling in love with, can Easton do what’s needed to save humanity? (978-1-63679-025-1)
The Scout and the Scoundrel by Barbara Ann Wright. With unexpected danger surrounding them, Zara and Roni are stuck between duty and survival, with little room for exploring their feelings, especially love. (978-1-63555-978-1)
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Can’t Leave Love by Kimberly Cooper Griffin. Sophia and Pru have no intention of falling in love, but sometimes love happens when and where you least expect it. (978-1-636790041-1)
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Love’s Compromise by Cass Sellars. For Piper Holthaus and Brook Myers, will professional dreams and past baggage stop two hearts from realizing they are meant for each other? (978-1-63555-942-2)
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Protecting the Lady by Amanda Radley. If Eve Webb had known she’d be protecting royalty, she’d never have taken the job as bodyguard, but as the threat to Lady Katherine’s life draws closer, she’ll do whatever it takes to save her, and may just lose her heart in the process. (978-1-63679-003-9)
The Secrets of Willowra by Kadyan. A family saga of three women, their homestead called Willowra in the Australian outback, and the secrets that link them all. (978-1-63679-064-0)
Trial by Fire by Carsen Taite. When prosecutor Lennox Roy and public defender Wren Bishop become fierce adversaries in a headline-grabbing arson case, their attraction ignites a passion that leads them both to question their assumptions about the law, the truth, and each other. (978-1-63555-860-9)
Turbulent Waves by Ali Vali. Kai Merlin and Vivien Palmer plan their future together as hostile forces make their own plans to destroy what they have, as well as all those they love. (978-1-63679-011-4)
Unbreakable by Cari Hunter. When Dr. Grace Kendal is forced at gunpoint to help an injured woman, she is dragged into a nightmare where nothing is quite as it seems, and their lives aren’t the only ones on the line. (978-1-63555-961-3)
Veterinary Surgeon by Nancy Wheelton. When dangerous drugs are stolen from the veterinary clinic, Mitch investigates and Kay becomes a suspect. As pride and professions clash, love seems impossible. (978-1-63679-043-5)
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All That Remains by Sheri Lewis Wohl. Johnnie and Shantel might have to risk their lives—and their love—to stop a werewolf intent on killing. (978-1-63555-949-1)
Beginner’s Bet by Fiona Riley. Phenom luxury Realtor Ellison Gamble has everything, except a family to share it with, so when a mix-up brings youthful Katie Crawford into her life, she bets the house on love. (978-1-63555-733-6)
Dangerous Without You by Lexus Grey. Throughout their senior year in high school, Aspen, Remington, Denna, and Raleigh face challenges in life and romance that they never expect. (978-1-63555-947-7)
Desiring More by Raven Sky. In this collection of steamy stories, a rich variety of lovers find themselves desiring more, more from a lover, more from themselves, and more from life. (978-1-63679-037-4)
Jordan’s Kiss by Nanisi Barrett D’Arnuck. After losing everything in a fire, Jordan Phelps joins a small lounge band and meets pianist Morgan Sparks, who lights another blaze, this time in Jordan’s heart. (978-1-63555-980-4)
Late City Summer by Jeanette Bears. Forced together for her wedding, Emily Stanton and Kate Alessi navigate their lingering passion for one another against the backdrop of New York City and World War II, and a summer romance they left behind. (978-1-63555-968-2)
Love and Lotus Blossoms by Anne Shade. On her path to self-acceptance and true passion, Janesse will risk everything—and possibly everyone—she loves. (978-1-63555-985-9)