Erica watched Leslie. “Would you like to come over and do the honor of the bedtime story?” Leslie hadn’t been around at bedtime all week, because, Erica knew, she hadn’t felt welcome.
Leslie arched an eyebrow. “Really?”
Erica gave her a small, sheepish smile. “Really.”
Siena dropped off quickly—no surprise—and Erica was grateful. She had a lot of making up to do to Leslie and some important things to say. It was time to take that risk.
“Would you like something to drink?” Erica asked, when they were downstairs.
“No, that’s okay,” Leslie said. “I should probably get home.” She held Erica’s gaze a little longer than was necessary for an exit.
“I—” Erica faltered. She cleared her throat. “I have some things I want to say to you. Would you stay?”
“Okay,” Leslie said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
“First of all, thank you so much for that party. I know it was all you. And for going to all the trouble of getting Giordono’s pizza. My God, that was such a treat.”
“It was no trouble,” Leslie said. “And you’re welcome.”
They stared at each other.
Emotion threatened Erica’s composure. “And for that song.” She teared up all over again.
“The song was Siena’s idea,” Leslie said, breaking in. “I just helped out with rehearsal space and a little on choreography.” Humor danced in Leslie’s eyes, putting Erica more at ease.
Erica laughed softly. “Well, thank you.” She turned and studied a picture of Siena on the wall. “Did you know she’s never said I love you to me before? To anyone, that I know of.”
“That’s because she didn’t know what love felt like, so she didn’t know if she did.” Leslie’s voice held a resonance Erica hadn’t noticed before, like the quality of truth one might hear in a prayer.
Erica turned to her. “How do you know that?”
“She told me,” Leslie said simply. “And now that she knows, she’s said it to you and Gus.” The spark was back.
“And you helped her know what love feels like?”
“Well.” Leslie shrugged. “We talked about it, and the different ways you can tell. Like when someone makes you your favorite meal and you feel special. Or how when you love someone, seeing them smile makes you happy.”
A sudden realization struck Erica, but she couldn’t say it. Not yet. She turned away again, not to look at the picture this time, but to avoid Leslie’s scrutiny when she asked what she knew had to come next. “Becky says I have to let you finish.”
“Finish what?” Leslie asked.
“Do you remember when we were dancing at the fundraiser last weekend?” Erica closed her arms around herself, recalling the feel of being in Leslie’s embrace.
“I remember it very well.” The tremor in Leslie’s voice revealed her memory of that moment as well.
“I told you I liked seeing that new side of you with the patrons of the center. That I’d seen you as a friend, and a neighbor, and how wonderful you are with Siena. And I know you now as a lover and how incredible that is.”
“I remember.” Leslie sounded closer. “You said I was quite a package.” She repeated the phrase with a hint of swagger.
A tiny, silent laugh rippled through Erica. “You are quite a package.”
“What do you want me to finish, Erica?” Closer still.
“You said you didn’t want to be my…and then Paula stopped you.” Erica steadied herself. “I need you to finish what you were going to say. I need to know. You don’t want to be my what?”
Leslie was silent for so long, Erica didn’t think she was going to answer. She wondered how a moment like this ended without some kind of response. Would they stay suspended in time for eternity? Then she felt Leslie’s hands moving up her arms to her shoulders. Leslie’s warm breath feathered across her neck.
Leslie eased Erica back against her. “I don’t want to be your friend with benefits, Erica,” she whispered into her ear.
A shiver ran down Erica’s spine.
“I want more than that. I want it all.”
Erica closed her eyes and leaned her head against Leslie’s shoulder, letting the words caress her soul. “You’ve helped me know what love feels like, too.” She turned in Leslie’s arms. “I’m in love with you.”
Leslie smoothed her thumb over Erica’s lips. Then she leaned in and kissed her.
It was gentle and hot and passionate and loving all at once. It made Erica burn with desire, ache with need, and hunger for more, at the same time it made her feel warm and safe and loved. This was it, what Leslie had said she wanted. I want it all, she’d said. And here she was, giving it all.
Erica twined her arms around Leslie’s neck and pulled her closer. She deepened the kiss, probed her mouth, sucked her lower lip between her teeth.
Leslie moaned, sliding her hands beneath Erica’s shirt, setting Erica’s skin aflame under her touch.
Erica broke the kiss. “Come to bed with me,” she said in a hoarse whisper.
Leslie eased back. “Are you sure?” Her eyes were hooded and filled with lust. “What about Siena?”
Erica smiled her best lascivious smile. “I guess you’ll have to be quiet.”
In her bedroom, they undressed each other, slowly, lingering in the moment.
Leslie trailed her fingers over Erica’s nipples, cupped her breasts, sank to her knees, and kissed a languid path over her stomach and abdomen. She slipped her hand between Erica’s thighs.
Erica gasped at the brush of Leslie’s fingers over her clit and grabbed her shoulders for support. Just when she thought Leslie’s tongue might find her throbbing center, Leslie rose and eased her down onto the bed. She lowered herself on top of her. The solid feel of Leslie’s body, the press of her weight, anchored Erica like a ship in a safe harbor. The light brush of Leslie’s lips on her neck and the caress of Leslie’s hands along her sides made Erica feel like she was being lifted into the heavens. She was dizzy with the contrast, delirious with all the sensations.
When Leslie moved off of her, Erica cried out in disappointment. But she wasn’t disappointed for long.
“Let me inside you,” Leslie whispered, teasing Erica open.
Erica did, drawing up one knee.
Leslie’s fingers slipped in. Her touch was so tender, her strokes so gentle, none of it felt as though it could possibly satisfy Erica’s need. Until it did. Erica’s arousal rose with each pass, with every graze. She shifted to her side and reached for Leslie in kind.
Leslie smiled and granted Erica entrance.
Together, they touched, and stroked, and fondled, and caressed, then rubbed and thrust and pumped, until finally, they both came in the exquisite intimacy of love.
When they crawled under the covers to hold each other through the night, Leslie nestled Erica against her and pressed her lips to her forehead. “I love you, Erica. And I’ll always be right at your side. You’ll never have to handle anything on your own again. I want you and Siena, and I’ll do everything in my power to take care of you both.”
Erica felt each word deep in her core and knew the truth of them. More importantly, though, she could trust Leslie to hold to them. She let her mind flash on moments she’d already seen that—that very first day when she’d seen Leslie light a spark of joy in Siena’s eyes; her clean kitchen that night when Siena had that meltdown and Leslie had done the dinner dishes; that god-awful morning when she’d realized she was half naked, upchucking in the toilet, and it was Leslie standing behind her. And there was so much more: the babysitting, the jungle, the hospital…The night she’d asked Leslie to stay with her and hold her while they slept, and Leslie had done it, no questions asked.
No, Erica had no doubt at all that she’d never have to face anything on her own again.
Epilogue
Leslie sank into the comfort of the patio swing and slipped her hand over Erica’s thigh. She shifted her gaze bet
ween Erica’s mingled expression of amusement, pride, and pure love to the scene of Siena, blindfolded and swinging a baseball bat at a fat, arm-shaped piñata. One of the techs at Siena’s ortho doctor’s office had made it out of casting materials, constructing it thinly enough to break open more easily, especially for Siena’s I’m-Out-of-My-Cast party. A cluster of kids from the support group and their siblings gathered around, cheering and waiting for either their turns to swing or to dive for the prizes and candy that spilled out. Parents mingled close by, chatting and monitoring behaviors, while Gus crouched just out of stomping range of Siena’s feet, barking as though his role was paramount in the activity.
Leslie chuckled at Trent adeptly hopping out of the way of Siena’s wild swing as he held the piñata steady by the rope it hung from, allowing Siena a more solid strike. “It’s a good thing he’s agile.”
Erica laughed.
“He’s sure come a long way with Siena in the months since he and Cynthia have been here,” Paula said from a nearby chair. “He’s hardly recognizable from how he was before.”
“Yeah.” Becky sighed, sounding almost regretful. “I guess I should stop calling him dickwad.”
Leslie had to agree. He’d really stepped up, and he and Cynthia were an integral part of Siena’s life. A lot of it was due to their involvement with the support group and their decision to rent Leslie’s house, when Leslie moved in with Erica, in order to take part in Siena’s daily routine. Leslie played a role, too, though. She and Trent had formed an unexpected bond since that morning ten months earlier when he first came over to talk to her. Ever since, he consulted her on almost everything to do with Siena. She still thought it strange sometimes, until she remembered what he’d told her about why he didn’t want to ask Erica anything. I can’t stand seeing my failures in her eyes.
Initially, Leslie felt that was unfounded. Erica wouldn’t hold someone’s past against them. But when she considered the night Erica had stormed into Leslie’s kitchen, loaded for bear because Leslie had pulled away, or the moment in the hospital when she’d completely shut down, leaving Leslie to think her place in Erica and Siena’s life was gone forever, she could understand Trent’s trepidation. Erica was formidable on a normal day, but if she was scared or protecting Siena, woe be unto the one who crossed her. “Yeah, I think you should stop holding the past against him,” she said to Becky. “He’s doing great.”
Erica squeezed Leslie’s hand and rested her head on her shoulder. “This party was a wonderful idea. Thank you for thinking of it.”
“I just figured after two surgeries and nine months of having her arm casted, getting out of that itchy, hard, bumpy thing…” Leslie did her best impression of Siena’s whiney voice “is something to celebrate. Besides, every time we have a group of people over, Siena’s a little more comfortable with it.”
“Burgers, dogs, and veggie patties are done,” Nell called from the grill. She stood beside Jack, holding a fork like a weapon. “Is everything else ready?” She looked straight at Leslie.
Leslie smirked. “Yes, everything else is ready.” She, Erica, and Paula had set out all the sides, salads, buns, and condiments in the kitchen before they sat down. “You’re not the only one working. You’re just mad because you wanted to hit the piñata with all the other kids.”
As though on cue, there was a loud crack, followed by the squeal of children.
Nell’s crestfallen expression told Leslie she’d been right.
“I suppose we know what we’re doing for Nell’s birthday.” Paula laughed softly.
Rachel and Cynthia brought two big trays of cookies from next door, and the feast was on.
Leslie ate, chatted, and cleaned up, but mostly she simply enjoyed the comforting feeling of knowing she was exactly where she wanted to be. Had it only been eleven months ago that she’d returned to California with only Nell and Paula to call her own? And here she was with a family, an extended family, and a relatively large social group. She glanced down at Gus, then broke off a chunk of hotdog and fed it to him. And, of course, a faithful dog. She’d never be able to grasp how life worked.
She gazed across the patio at Erica—took in her long silvery hair, wisps blowing in the evening breeze, and the swell of her hips beneath the thin fabric of her sun dress—and she fell in love all over again. She couldn’t wait until they were alone in their bedroom. It’d taken a while to think of Erica’s room, her house, as theirs, but having things like the blue couch, the jungle, her Buddha’s, and the pictures of her parents and Elijah there had helped. Those were really the only things she cared about. Siena had been ecstatic to have all of her own stuff and all the cool stuff from Leslie’s in the same place.
Erica caught Leslie’s eye and winked. A sure sign they were on the same page for later.
When Nell and Paula had loaded up the extra tables they’d brought from the center and waved good-bye, there was still Siena’s bath and bedtime ritual to tackle, but that had been a part of the daily routine that Leslie had loved from the start. The three of them moved through it with practiced ease and a lot of laughter.
Finally, Siena raced into her room and jumped onto the bed, Gus at her heels as always. She bounced. “Today was so much fun.” She clapped her hands. “And I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“What’s tomorrow?” Leslie pulled back the covers and gestured for Siena to get in.
“Siena.” There was a warning tone in Erica’s voice.
“Mommy’s going to make macaroni and cheese, because that’s the first dinner we all had together…”
“Siena,” Erica said again, this time louder.
“…then we’re going to ask you to marry us.” Siena finished with a huge smile.
“Siena!” Erica said with evident exasperation.
Siena clamped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide. She stopped bouncing and stared at Erica.
Erica stared back.
“The words wouldn’t stay in.” Siena looked stricken.
Leslie looked from one to the other. “Uh…”
Erica glanced at her, an apology in her eyes. She took a deep breath. “Okay, wait here.” She left the room.
Leslie and Siena exchanged glances.
“What do you think she’s going to do?” Siena whispered.
“I don’t know,” Leslie said. “But don’t worry. She loves you.” Leslie had to fight back her laughter.
Erica returned in only a moment with something in her hand. She stopped in front of Leslie and motioned to Siena. “All right, come on. Just like we practiced.”
Siena gasped. “Really?”
Erica nodded with a gentle smile on her lips.
Siena scurried off the bed and stood beside Erica, Gus next to her. Erica and Siena went to one knee.
Leslie’s throat closed with emotion. Her eyes stung with a sheen of tears.
“Go ahead,” Erica whispered.
“Leslie.” Siena wiggled in her spot. “You made me smile when you let me water that dry grass when you didn’t even know me. And you taught me how to wish on stars, so I could wish that we could keep Gus, and then we got to. Then when my mom was sick, I wished she’d get better, and she did. And you went away and I wished you’d come back, and you did. So now I know that if I wish for something really hard and wish it on a star, it can happen…even though Tim Davis didn’t move away.” She cocked her head. “He said his family only lives here so they won’t ever move away, and—”
Erica cleared her throat.
“Oh yeah,” Siena said, pursing her lips in thought. “And you always read to me and make the funny voices, and that makes me laugh and my tummy tingles. I didn’t think I have tingles in me, but sometimes I do with you. So all that means I love you.” She looked into Leslie’s eyes. “Right?”
Leslie bit hard into her lower lip to keep from crying, but she couldn’t stop the tears from streaking her cheeks. She nodded. “By our test, it certainly does.”
Siena grinned. “So I love you, a
nd I want you to be my other mom. But you have to marry my mom to do that, because we’re a package.” She finished in her imitation of Erica.
Leslie laughed, then sniffled. “Well, I guess—”
“No.” Siena held up her hand. “You have to wait because my mom has to por-poze you, too.”
Leslie smiled through her tears at the mispronunciation of the word. “Okay, I’ll wait.” She turned to Erica.
Erica gazed down at Siena another moment, her cheeks as wet as Leslie’s.
“How did I do?” Siena whispered, as though if she asked quietly enough, Leslie wouldn’t hear.
“You did beautifully,” Erica whispered back. Then she turned to Leslie.
When their gazes met, a jolt hit Leslie’s chest. She sank her teeth deeper into her bottom lip. She just wanted to blurt out Yes.
Erica drew in a long breath and visibly steadied. “Leslie,” she said, her eyes focused and serious. “You’ve taught me what love feels like. You’ve loved me like no one ever has, and with you, I know I’ll never have to face anything alone. I’ll have your strength. I’ll have your love. I’ll have your kind and gentle heart to come home to every night. You’ve changed me so deeply, and made me smile and tingle, too. I’m so in love with you. And I’m not making any sense. So…” She lifted her hand, then took Siena’s, and together they held out a ring. “Will you marry us?” they asked in unison.
Gus rose on his haunches and lifted his paws.
Everything in Leslie broke loose and she dropped to her knees. “Yes,” she said, gathering all three of them into a tight hug.
Siena’s eyes went wide, but she wrapped her arms around Leslie’s neck in return. Gus wriggled away. Erica molded into Leslie’s body and cried.
“Are these happy tears?” Siena asked, letting go of Leslie. “Like when my mom cried when I sang her my song?”
Leslie laughed. “Yes, definitely happy tears.”
“It’s kind of confusing.” Siena crinkled her forehead. “How do you know the difference?”
Erica straightened. “That, my sweet girl, is a conversation for another time. Let’s get you to bed.”
A Wish Upon a Star Page 27
