Happily Ever After

by Jae

  “You better not call her that to her face,” Kade said. She knew Del was only teasing. They were taking it slowly and were nowhere near the level of commitment that would make Sophie Del’s mother-in-law.

  When Del strode to the door, Kade enjoyed the confident gait and the play of lithe muscles under the black slacks. An unexpected wave of emotion rushed over her. “Del?” she called.

  “Yeah?” Del turned back around and looked at her expectantly.

  Kade bit her lip. “Um…thank you.” It wasn’t what she had wanted to say, but since she couldn’t find the words, it would have to do.

  Del smiled—not the polite smile that Kade saw all day from assistants, defense lawyers, and acquaintances, but an affectionate grin that lit up Del’s face and made her dark eyes sparkle. “You’re welcome,” Del said warmly. With another smile, she turned back around and reached the door in two more steps.

  “Del!” Kade called at the very last moment before Del could open the door and leave.

  Del chuckled. “You don’t want to let me go, do you?”

  “Not without this.” Kade hurried around her desk and wrapped her arms around Del, pressing their bodies together as she gave her a quick kiss.

  “Mm-hm.” Del hummed in appreciation as the kiss ended and Kade stepped back. “I thought you said no hanky-panky in the office.”

  Kade tried to look indignant but couldn’t pull it off. “I couldn’t let you go without a thank-you for picking up my mother.”

  “If that’s how you thank me for spending time with your mother, she might become my new best friend,” Del said.

  A knock on the door made them jump apart. Del moved away from the door as Kade reached to open it.

  “See you later,” Del said and stepped past Kade’s assistant into the hallway.

  Del had secretly hoped that Sophie’s flight would be delayed, reducing the time she’d have to spend alone with Kade’s mother, but, of course, fate had other ideas. The flight arrival monitor announced that the plane had landed right on time.

  Del craned her neck, trying to pick Sophie out of the crowd of travelers outside the security checkpoint. She couldn’t just stay back and wait until Sophie found her, because Sophie was expecting Kade, not her. Two businessmen hurried past her, and a noisy family with three kids followed, but there was no trace of Sophie Matheson.

  Jesus, don’t miss her! Kade wouldn’t be happy if she lost her mother at the airport.

  Finally, as the very last traveler to leave the plane, Sophie appeared. She stopped abruptly when she saw Del.

  “Kade is stuck at a motion hearing, so I’m here to pick you up. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Oh, yes, of course,” Sophie said with the automatic politeness she had drilled into Kade.

  Del knew this could mean either I’m pleased to see you; lead the way or Go to hell, you stupid bitch; I won’t go anywhere with you. She decided to go with the first interpretation and led Sophie over to the baggage claim area. “Which one is it?” she asked, pointing at the suitcases on the baggage carousel.

  With a diamond-ringed finger, Sophie pointed at a black suitcase. “This one. And the red one.”

  Del tried hard not to stare. Two big suitcases just for staying over the weekend? She said nothing and dutifully piled the suitcases onto a baggage cart.

  Without even having touched one of the suitcases, Sophie followed her to the short-term parking garage.

  Del steered the cart toward her SUV and watched Sophie take in her mode of transportation. She gave a self-mocking grin behind Sophie’s back. Great. Now Kade’s mother would think the stereotype that every lesbian drove an SUV was true. Well, at least there was no baseball bat in the back of her car.

  While Del loaded the suitcases into the back, Sophie stalked over to the passenger side.

  Del followed and opened the door for her, suppressing a smile as she watched Sophie climb in. Del’s vehicle was clearly not the stylish luxury car Sophie had expected.

  Del settled behind the wheel and started the engine.

  Awkward silence ensued for several minutes.

  Del was almost tempted to turn on the blue emergency light on her dashboard. “So,” she finally said, “how was your flight?”

  “It was pleasant, thank you,” Sophie answered.

  Silence again.

  Del glanced with dread at the slow-moving traffic ahead of them. Oh, Kade, you owe me more than one kiss for this. “Are you hungry?”

  “I worked up an appetite,” Sophie said, although how she’d managed that while doing nothing was a mystery to Del. “The service is abysmal on airplanes. They are not even offering small morsels of food these days.”

  Had Sophie been this snobbish when they’d first met? Del tried to remember while she nodded politely. Or was she this formal because she now knew her daughter and Del were more than friends? “Then let’s have dinner. Kade can join us when the hearing is over. What are you in the mood for?”

  “Oh, I’ll let you make the decision,” Sophie said.

  Del was pretty sure Sophie wouldn’t like the beer and chicken wings in her favorite corner bar. Pizza was probably out too. For a few moments, she considered taking her to the expensive French restaurant where Kade had taken her for their first date but then decided against it. The restaurant was not really her style, and it held mixed memories for both Kade and her. “Have you ever tried Mexican food?”

  “Of course,” Sophie said.

  Del bit back a grin. This was exactly the tone of voice Kade always used when she didn’t want to admit that she had absolutely no clue about something. “Do you like it?”

  Sophie hesitated, but she had maneuvered herself into a corner. “As far as I remember.”

  “Great,” Del said with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Then let’s go to a Mexican restaurant. Kade loves Mexican food.”

  “She does?” Sophie clearly hadn’t known.

  Del nodded. “Nothing can be too hot for Kade.” She coughed when she realized her words could be interpreted in more than one way. “She likes spicy food,” she hurriedly added.

  “I see,” Sophie said.

  Kade waited until the door to Judge Linehan’s chamber had closed before she reached for her cell phone. She waved dismissively at the defense lawyer who had just wasted two hours of her time and pressed number one on her speed dial.

  “Vasquez,” Del answered, her voice barely audible over the noise in the background.

  Kade furrowed her brow. That didn’t sound like one of the sedate restaurants her mother usually preferred. “Where are you?” she asked without greeting.

  Del’s laugh filtered through the line. “We’re at a lively little Mexican restaurant. Your mother is having the time of her life. She’s drinking margaritas and singing karaoke, and if you don’t arrive soon, I’ll have to stop her from dancing on the table.”

  “You’re joking!” Kade had seen her mother sip expensive wine or a classic martini but couldn’t believe she would chug down margaritas and have a good time with the lowly guests of a simple Mexican restaurant.

  “Well, actually…” Del laughed. “I am. Your mother went to the restroom.”

  Kade’s world righted itself. “So where are you really?”

  “We really are at a small Mexican restaurant. No karaoke, though,” Del said with a chuckle.

  “How did you get her to go to a Mexican restaurant with you?” Kade asked. “Mother usually prefers French and Italian cuisine.”

  “She said she likes Mexican food.”

  Kade quickened her steps. “My mother has never tasted even a single crumb of a taco in her life!”

  “Maybe you’re not the only Matheson woman trying out new things,” Del said.

  “Give me the name of this restaurant. Leaving you alone with my mother is dangerous.”

  Del laughed and relayed the restaurant’s name.

  Del put her phone away just as Sophie returned from the restroom.

  Sophie settled s
tiffly into her chair and gave her a formal nod. “Was that Kadence?”

  “Yes. Kade just finished her motion hearing,” Del answered. She emphasized the shorter version of Kade’s first name, knowing Kade preferred it to being called Kadence.

  The waitress came by before the silence once again became awkward.

  Del ordered the pork burritos for herself and the chicken fajita for Kade and then waited with curiosity to see what Sophie would order from the menu she had eyed so skeptically.

  “The sea scallop tostada, please,” Sophie said.

  “Nothing else?” the waitress asked. “Tostadas are usually served as an appetizer.”

  “It will suffice,” Sophie told her.

  The waitress nodded. “What would you like to drink?”

  Del gave Sophie a smile. “I’ll defer to you. Kade always chooses the wine we have with dinner.”

  Sophie silently lifted one eyebrow, then smoothly ordered the most expensive bottle of wine on the menu. “So, you’re Mexican?” She gestured to the departing waitress, who had conversed with Del in Spanish.

  Was she making polite conversation, or was she really interested in learning more about her? “No,” Del answered. “My parents came from Puerto Rico, but I was born in Sacramento. Puerto Rican Spanish is different from the Spanish that is spoken in Mexico, but it’s still similar enough for me to order the food and exchange a few pleasantries.”

  Thankfully, it wasn’t very long until the waitress returned with their wine and then the food. She set down two plates on Del’s side of the table.

  “It seems you worked up quite an appetite carrying my suitcases,” Sophie said.

  Del knew the women in the Matheson family were encouraged to eat only dainty morsels, and in her opinion, it had pushed Kade dangerously close to having an eating disorder. “I’m pretty hungry.” She pulled over the plate with the burritos. “But even I couldn’t eat both of these, especially since I plan on having their to-die-for caramel flan for dessert. The fajita is for Kade. The courthouse is just five minutes from here, so she’ll be here any minute.”

  “Very considerate of you,” Sophie said.

  Del couldn’t tell if this was a compliment or criticism. While she had learned to read between the lines with Kade, Sophie had perfected the polite mask over the years.

  Kade rushed into the restaurant, making a few heads turn—Del’s included. “Hello, Mother,” she said, bending down to peck her mother’s cheek.

  Del was used to the warm interaction between Dawn and her mother, so this formal greeting made her sad for both of them.

  “So, Mother, how was your flight?” Kade asked as she sat down next to Del.

  Del moved the plate of fajitas in front of her. Kade’s stomach growled in appreciation, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten all day. “Thank you.” She wanted to say so much more, wanted to kiss Del hello, but under the watchful eyes of her mother, she settled for giving Del’s thigh a soft squeeze under the table.

  Del’s fingers covered hers and squeezed back, starting a silent conversation of squeezes and gentle caresses while Kade made small talk with her mother.

  “Dessert?” Del finally asked when the waitress returned to collect their empty plates.

  “No, thank you.” Kade almost never ordered dessert but for the past few months had always ended up sharing Del’s.

  When the waitress set down the caramel flan in front of Del a few minutes later, Kade’s mother critically appraised the dessert.

  Del either didn’t notice or didn’t care. She unabashedly put a large spoonful of caramel-covered custard into her mouth.

  For a moment, Kade envied her.

  Del looked up and met her gaze. “Want some? It’s really good.”

  Kade knew that, in the privacy of their apartments, Del would have offered her a bite of the flan by holding the spoon to her lips. Then she would have kissed off all the imaginary traces of caramel. In more public settings, Del always respected Kade’s unease with open displays of affection. It wasn’t only that Kade was still getting used to being in a lesbian relationship and working on being more open about it, but also that she had never been a fan of public displays of affection, even when she had dated men. “No, thanks,” she said. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, it was hard not to seek her mother’s approval even in her eating habits.

  “So,” her mother finally said, “I thought we could visit the Portland Art Museum tomorrow and PICA on Saturday before I fly back on Sunday.”

  “Saturday?” Kade exchanged a glance with Del. “We already have other plans on Saturday.”

  “Certainly nothing that couldn’t be postponed,” her mother said with determination.

  Kade allowed her anger to surface a little. “We promised to help two friends move into a new apartment. I don’t think they want to postpone moving just because you decided to visit earlier than planned.”

  Her mother set down her wineglass. “I came all the way from Ashland, and now you don’t even want to take the time to spend a few hours with me?”

  “I would have taken the time. I cleared my schedule to spend time with you—next week, when you said you would visit.” Kade tried hard to keep her voice low and calm. “Now you’re here a week early, and you just expect me to cancel all my plans? I have other obligations too, Mother!” She hated the way her mother still tried to control her life and her time.

  “Other obligations? Does that mean you consider spending time with your mother an obligation?”

  Kade swallowed an angry yes with a gulp of too expensive wine and just glared at her mother.

  Del placed her hand on Kade’s leg and rubbed soothingly. “Why don’t you come with us on Saturday? I know Kade would love to introduce you to her friends.”

  That earned Del an appreciative nod. “At least your friend has the manners not to expect me to spend the day on my own.”

  My friend? Del is much more than my friend, and you know it! Kade bit back the words. After a day of nerve-racking arguments and legal fights, she wanted to enjoy a quiet evening and not start World War III with her mother.

  “So you’ll come with us?” Del asked. How she managed to sound so sincerely pleased was beyond Kade.

  Kade’s mother blinked, clearly caught off guard by Del’s enthusiasm. Finally, she lifted her chin. “I’ll come with you.”

  Great. Kade took another sip of wine. U-hauling a lesbian couple… Mother is going to love it!

  “Just a little to the right. Use the other hand too,” Dawn said. “Yes, yes, that’s good.”

  “There?” Aiden asked.

  Dawn pressed closer against her. “That’s it. Just a little more…yes! There!”

  “What are you doing in there, girls?” Dawn’s mother called from the hallway.

  At the unexpected interruption, Aiden hit her head.

  Dawn chuckled and peered over Aiden’s shoulder.

  The cat moved even deeper under the bed.

  “Still trying to get Kia into her transport box,” Dawn called back. “Aiden is trying now because she has longer arms, but so far, Kia has managed to outsmart us both.”

  Aiden turned around in the cramped space halfway under the bed. “Your mother probably thinks I’m in here having my way with you,” she whispered and nipped Dawn’s ear.

  Pleasant shudders raced up and down Dawn’s body. “She’s thinking no such thing.”

  “No?” Aiden trailed a line of openmouthed kisses down Dawn’s jaw and neck. “You mean she won’t suspect a thing if I actually do?”

  “Hey, you two!” Dawn’s mother called through the closed door. “Get a move on! Cal will be here any minute with the moving van. You can make out later.”

  Aiden jerked back, making Dawn laugh. “No, honey,” Dawn said, patting Aiden’s cheek. “I’m sure she won’t suspect a thing.”

  When Dawn finally carried the transport box with its loudly complaining inhabitant out of the bedroom, her mother was just saying hello to Laurie a
nd Evan. “Hi,” Dawn said, “Good to see you.”

  Laurie, Kade’s sixteen-year-old niece, came over to give her a hug, and Dawn embraced Evan too, despite her halfhearted protests. “I really appreciate you taking the time to come and help us move.”

  “I only do it because I’m bored,” Evan said. “There’s nothing on TV…”

  “…and you ran out of weed?” Dawn finished what Evan had told her four months ago, when she had still been the teenager’s therapist.

  “Well, I gave that up. Maybe that’s why I’m so bored that carrying moving boxes all day sounds like a nice change of pace.” Evan grinned, never one to admit that she had volunteered to help just for the sake of helping someone she liked.

  Laurie casually hooked her fingers through the belt loops of Evan’s jeans, obviously at ease with that little sign of belonging together now that it was just Dawn watching them. “I thought Aiden said she’d move in with you.”

  Dawn looked around her little apartment. She had moved here only nine months before, so she had been reluctant to give it up, but she knew getting a new apartment together would make both of them feel more at home. “We talked about that, but we finally decided that a bigger apartment would be better.” Aiden needed a room of her own where she could retreat whenever she needed a little time to herself. “It’ll be nice to have an extra room, and if we decide to have a baby one day, my little apartment would be too small.”

  Evan groaned at the word baby.

  Dawn gave her a gentle nudge. “No groaning about your future niece or nephew, please. Once you’re an aunt, your days of boredom will be over.” While growing up in foster care, Evan had twice been replaced by a baby that was born into the foster family, so Dawn wanted to let her know right away that any future family plans also included her.

  Aiden came out of the bedroom, carrying a large moving box. “Who’s bored?”

  “No one,” Evan answered a little too quickly.

  “Come on,” Aiden said. “You can help me dismantle the bed.”

  “I said I wasn’t bored,” Evan protested, but followed Aiden into the bedroom.