“Oh, God, I can’t believe you just said that.”

“It’s the truth. You don’t know. She could—”

“Stop it,” she said. “Please don’t say something you’re going to regret.”

“Regret?”

“Yes. Because Jordan and I are—”

She stopped when the door opened, relieved to see Jordan there. Jordan paused when she saw her mother, but Annie waved her in.

“Hello, Mrs. Thomas,” Jordan said with a smile. “Glad you could make it by.” If Jordan noticed the tension between them, she didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, she handed Annie a plastic wrapper. “Cookie,” she said.

“Thank you.” Annie looked up at her mother, seeing the scorn on her face as she avoided looking at Jordan. Annie had had enough. She took Jordan’s hand and smiled as Jordan’s eyebrows shot up. “As I was saying, Mom…Jordan and I are more than friends.” Her mother looked at her sharply. “I love her.”

Her mother gasped and held a hand to her chest. Her eyes went between them, landing on their clasped hands. Annie was shocked by the rage she saw on her face. Her mother turned to Jordan.

“What have you done to her?”

Jordan’s expression softened, and she smiled slightly. “I fell in love with her. That’s all.”

Her mother shook her head violently. “No! No. This is outrageous.” She turned to Annie. “You will come home with me. I won’t have you—”

“Mom, stop.” Annie held her hand up. “I’m happy. For the first time in my life, I’m happy with someone. This is who I am.”

“No! This is not who you are. Not ever, do you hear me?”

“I’m sorry,” Annie said. “But yes, this is me.”

Their loud voices apparently roused Jacob from his sleep and his face turned red before he let out a cry. Jordan scooped him up and held him for a moment, then gently handed him over to her.

“He’s hungry,” Annie said. She unbuttoned her gown and her mother turned away from the sight of her breasts.

“Mrs. Thomas, I’m sorry that you don’t understand this love between us,” Jordan said. “But it’s real. I love your daughter very much and I only want to make her happy. That’s my goal. To love her and make her happy.”

“You can’t possibly know—”

“I know I love her. I know she loves me. Nothing else matters.”

Annie watched Jacob suckle her breast while she listened to their exchange. She was surprised her mother hadn’t already walked out.

“What about him?” her mother asked, pointing at Jacob.

“We’re a family now,” Jordan said. “He will have plenty of love.”

“He needs a father.”

“Well, he’ll have two moms instead,” Jordan said. “And I hear Derrick has offered to teach him how to play baseball,” she said, surprising Annie. “I happen to have taught Matt how to play, so I’m pretty good myself. And then there’s Brandon. He’s our water expert. Swimming and sailboarding are already on his list.” Jordan shrugged. “My father, of course, plans to be very active in his life. He’ll have plenty of male role models.”

Annie watched her mother closely, reading her expression. She knew exactly what her mother’s next words were going to be.

“So…Derrick will be involved?”

“She said Derrick has offered his baseball expertise, that’s all,” Annie corrected. “Please don’t take that to mean Derrick and I will be involved.”

“And does he know about…well, this change in you?”

Annie smiled. “No. I haven’t seen him in a while. I hear he’s got a girlfriend.”

“Really? But I thought—”

“He’s not holding out for me, Mom. I told you, Derrick and I talked.”

Her mother rubbed her forehead. “I don’t understand all of this.” She looked at Jordan. “I knew she shouldn’t have ever moved in with you in the first place. Then this wouldn’t have happened. I tried to warn her.”

“It still would have happened,” Annie said. “I love her, Mom. I want you and Dad to be a part of my life, a part of Jacob’s life. But just know that Jordan is a part of that too.”

“You think I can accept this? Accept that my daughter is having an affair with a woman?”

“It’s not an affair,” Jordan said.

“And what do your parents think about this?”

Jordan shrugged. “My parents love me, they love Annie. They don’t try to interfere.”

Her mother shook her head. “It’s just such a shock. First, the pregnancy. Now this? It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”

“Then get to know me, Mom. Once we’re settled, come by the house. Loraine is going to stay with us for a few days, until I’m comfortable with him on my own.”

“She is?”

“Yes. I’d like for you and Loraine to get to know each other better too. She’s a wonderful person, Mom.”

Her mother hesitated a moment. “I suppose I could come by. Your father will want to see Jacob, of course.”

Annie nodded. “Good. I’d like that.”

Her mother cleared her throat. “Well, I should probably get going.” She walked over to the bed and touched Jacob’s head. “Looks like he took to breast-feeding easily.”

“Yes.” Annie grabbed her mother’s hand. “Thank you for coming by.”

Her mother nodded. “I’ll…I’ll call you in a few days. We’ll come by to see you.” Her mother turned to Jordan. “And we’ll see you too, of course.”

Jordan smiled. “Looking forward to it.”



Chapter Forty-Five

Jordan turned as Annie came out on the deck. She was carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“Escaped, did you?” Jordan asked.

“He’s in good hands, I think.”

“Are they arguing over who gets to feed him?”

Annie smiled. “They’re telling stories about when we were babies.” She poured wine into the glasses. “I’m glad I’m not breast-feeding anymore. That pump was a bitch.”

Jordan laughed. “Thankful for small breasts after all, huh?”

“Oh, I’m glad I got to experience breast-feeding, but I’m not that disappointed that I couldn’t produce enough milk for him.” She held her glass up and touched Jordan’s. “Besides, now you don’t have to drink alone.”

Jordan moved away from the railing and into the shadows, pulling Annie with her. She leaned closer, kissing her lightly. “While I’m glad our mothers are getting along, I miss us.”

“Yes, it seems that one or the other is always here.”

“Your mother has actually been civil to me,” she said.

“I noticed that. She also saw us kissing and didn’t freak out.”

Jordan nodded. “My mother kinda had a talk with her,” she admitted.

Annie pulled back. “Really? Giving her advice on having a lesbian daughter?”

Jordan laughed. “Something like that.” She kissed her again. “So can I be rude and tell them not to come over every day?”

Annie nodded. “Yes. I think three weeks is long enough. But maybe you should let me tell them.”

“Here’s an idea. Let’s have everyone over for dinner Sunday. We’ll tell them how grateful we are for their support and assistance, but that we’re ready to be on our own. Short, sweet and to the point.”

Annie set her glass on the railing and looped her arms around Jordan’s neck. “Sounds like a plan. Because I miss you sleeping naked.”

Jordan smiled against her lips. “Oh, honey, there’s a whole bunch of things I miss.”

Annie pulled back, her expression turning serious. “I love you, Jordan.”

“I love you too. We’re going to have a great little family.”

“Yes, we are.”

Annie leaned in to kiss her, their playfulness of earlier vanishing as their kiss deepened. Jordan pulled her closer, relishing the full-body contact that had become impossible while she was pregnant.

“Oh…my.”

They pulled apart guiltily at the sound of Annie’s mother’s voice. Neither of them had heard the door open. Annie squeezed Jordan’s hand briefly.

“Is he sleeping already?”

“Yes. I was about to head out. I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to—”

“Mom, it’s okay. We just haven’t had much alone time.” Annie headed to the door. “I’ll see if Loraine needs any help.”

Jordan nearly panicked as Annie left her alone with her mother. Not freaking out when seeing them share a tiny kiss was not the same thing as seeing them in a passionate embrace. Annie’s mother was the first to break the silence.

“Loraine told me that you and Annie…well, that your relationship was like any other. I still had a hard time comprehending it though.”

Jordan walked closer. “I’m sorry. We should have been more considerate of you.”

“No. This is your home,” she said, surprising her. “Seeing you like that,” she said, motioning to the shadows where they’d been, “makes me realize that you really are in love with each other.”

“Yes, we are.”

“I always knew Annie was never really happy with Derrick. I think I knew before they even got married. I should have said something to her, but…well, I thought Derrick would be good for her.” She turned to face Jordan. “I see now that she is truly happy…with you. I’m sorry for the way I acted.”

Jordan shrugged. “I appreciate that. But you should apologize to Annie, not to me.”

She nodded. “Yes. I should.” She moved away. “Well, I need to get going.”

“Thank you for your help, Mrs. Thomas. It means a lot to Annie.”

She paused at the door. “Jordan…please call me Clara.”

Jordan smiled. “Thank you. I will.”

* * *

“He looks just like Jordan.”

Annie smiled. “Loraine, he looks like Matt.”

Loraine laughed. “Well, Matt and Jordan looked alike.”

Annie went over and hugged her. “It’s okay to say he looks like Matt.”

Loraine sighed. “I miss him so much sometimes.”

“I know.”

Loraine sighed again. “Well, this little fella is going to be spoiled rotten, I can assure you that.”

“I have no doubt,” she said with a laugh.

“Where’s Jordan?”

Annie laughed. “I left her out on the deck with my mother. She caught us kissing.”

“Oh, poor Jordan.”

“Poor Jordan what?” Jordan asked as she came into the room.

“I was telling her my mom caught us kissing.”

“Yeah, thanks for leaving me out there,” she said.

“What did she say?”

“She said she could tell that we were in love.”

Annie’s eyes widened. “She said that? My mother?”

Loraine laughed. “Not to embarrass you, but she did ask me how you…well, managed things.”

“Things? Oh my God. Like sex?”

“Yes.”

Annie covered her face with her hands. “Please say the two of you are not discussing our sex life.”

Jordan laughed. “How could you possibly explain it to her? Do you even know?”

Annie held up both hands. “Stop it. Both of you. We’re not having this discussion. Ever.”

“Well, it wasn’t like I went into details,” Loraine said. Then she winked at Jordan. “Much.”

Annie pointed at the door. “Out. Both of you.”

Jordan laughed. “Come on, Mom. How about a glass of wine?”

“Sure. And I should call your father.”

Jordan turned back around, a smile still on her face. “Come join us?”

Annie nodded. She took one last look at Jacob, then linked her arm with Jordan. “I adore your mother, you know. But I’d really like it if she and my mom would not discuss lesbian sex.”

Jordan leaned closer and kissed her cheek. “You said you wanted your mother involved in your life.”

“Funny,” she said dryly.

“By the way, your mother said I could call her Clara.”

“Oh, my God. What has happened to her? It’s almost as if she likes you.”

Jordan nodded. “I told you she’d come around.”

Annie stopped. “Yeah, you did, didn’t you?” She leaned closer and kissed her. “Thank you. You always make everything okay.”

“I didn’t do anything, Annie. Your mother knows you’re happy. She can tell. Despite everything, that’s all any mother wants, isn’t it? For their kids to be happy?”

Annie met Jordan’s gaze. “Yes. It just took her a long time to realize that.” Annie kissed her again. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Jordan. I love you so much.”

Jordan didn’t say anything as she pulled her into a tight hug. They stood that way for a long minute, holding each other, talking without words. It was new to Annie—being able to communicate with someone this way. Then Jordan loosened her grip and Annie pulled away.

“Just so you know,” Jordan said. “I never thought I could be in love like this. I sometimes wonder if I’m not dreaming all of this.”

Annie smiled. “If it’s a dream, then please don’t wake me up.”


 

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