Erin smiled “the fame is just a byproduct of my work. You are in your own way famous.”
Kate shook her head. She was not recognizable. Except for a few book signings no one knew what she looked like. “Funny that you should give me a promise ring, I’ve been wanting to make a gesture for a long time.” Kate leaned over to their toy drawer and drew out a jewelry box and handed it to Erin. Inside was an equally beautiful ring that Erin immediately put on. The diamonds were interspersed with blue topaz stones, the effect in the light was incredible. Erin started to cry harder. Kate gathered her into her arms holding her close.
Erin sobbed looking at the ring she was holding out “when did you buy this?”
“About two months ago but I was afraid, too much too soon.” Kate was laughing at themselves. Both of them just chickens at this sort of thing.
“I guess you and I have a lot more in common than I thought. I bought yours about a month and a half ago. I wanted to give it to you then but since our birthdays were so close I thought I should wait.” Erin confessed.
They both were able to laugh at each other and themselves. The rings though only symbolic changed their relationship. If anything it made things better. They were girlfriends, lovers, and partners. It gave them both a confidence that they had needed. It opened avenues of thought and allowed them to talk on subjects they had both shied away from. They even allowed past relationships to come up in conversations, an unspoken taboo in the past. Kate stopped being so careful about everything around Erin. Erin allowed herself to be even more affectionate even in front of the boys. Although neither wanted PDA’s or Public Displays of Affection, they sometimes caught themselves from accidentally kissing or holding hands in public. Either of them would casually stop the other from the impulse. They had to be constantly aware of people taking pictures of Erin in public. They couldn’t afford to be casual about it and not be constantly on the alert. They had their times though at Kate’s estate or Erin’s house that allowed them to relax and be themselves with each other. It was difficult to be constantly vigilant, it was trying, and it was vexing. Erin felt it was insulting to Kate that she was shunted aside or hidden. That really bothered her, more than she let on. Kate though seemed to understand that they must be discrete at all times. She seemed more ardent about protecting Erin’s reputation than Erin was.
Kate flew back to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. She wore her ring proudly but wouldn’t explain to anyone what its significance was. She enjoyed seeing her boys and her siblings at the traditional dinner. Each of her siblings rotated who’s turn it was to host the party. This year it was in Milwaukee at her brother Mark’s house. Her nephews and nieces were a blast and her one niece had a couple dozen Macc Katell novels for her to sign for her friends. Kate was a big celebrity to those kids. Several times her sister in law had to shoo kids away from the door while Kate was there because they wanted to gawk at the star. Kate laughed to herself if they only knew what a real star was.
She enjoyed spending time with her brothers and their families. It was nice to catch up. She only saw them once or twice a year anymore. Her boys she spoke to once or twice a week but seeing them was so much better. She gave them and their girlfriend’s tickets to Santa Barbara for Christmas as had become a tradition the last couple of years. There was an open invitation for her siblings and their families to visit but none had come to take her up on the offer.
Kate missed Erin horribly and could only spend a few minutes here and there talking to her the whole weekend she was away. She had to keep her phone on silence because of the text messages they exchanged. Everyone knew something was up with Kate, between the gorgeous ring, the quiet phone conversations, texting, her hidden excitement that gave her a glow they were all curious and despite repeated questions she kept mum about who was in her life, she really felt she had no choice. It didn’t stop the speculation between her family members; she was the subject of many discreet conversations.
Erin spent the weekend with the boys as much as possible. She cooked a traditional turkey for them and her sister’s family. Her sister saw the ring immediately and having heard all about Kate from the boys knew immediately that something was up. Erin confided with Ceci about everything. Ceci was amazed. She knew Sandy and everything that had happened in that relationship. She had even known about Erin cheating on Sandy. After that fiasco though she was surprised that Erin would take this chance again and so fast in the relationship, but it was time she moved on. She had heard from the boys how terrific Kate was but to hear Erin talk about this woman was an entirely different thing. Erin had been in love before but even then she had never spoken about another human being like she was about this Kate. Ceci decided she would have to read this woman’s books and find out what she could about her before she met her. She was determined to meet her too. It wasn’t like Erin to keep someone under wraps like this for all these months. She wasn’t ashamed of her but Ceci certainly understood why she was so discrete. Between her lack of privacy and her own shy nature she didn’t want the paparazzi destroying what little she did have to call her own.
“Have you told Allie?” Ceci asked, referring to their other sister who lived in France.
Erin shook her head. “I think she’s guessed something has been going on. I think she figured I was just involved in work.”
Ceci knew that Allie didn’t think it was work, she herself had been ordered to find out what was going on. Erin kept in fairly regular contact with both of her sisters. They were the three amigos, the three musketeers. It was them against the world all their lives. Mom had never understood but she had accepted the close bond between the sister’s. Erin’s career had supported all of them providing luxuries that they could never have had otherwise including private schools. Mom had been accused of being a stage mother but she had loved all of her girls equally and Erin’s talent in acting couldn’t be denied. Ceci and Allie’s lives went in very different directions than Erin’s.
Ceci watched as her husband played with her son and daughter as well as his nephews on the living room floor. A dog and a cat played also. D.O.G. and C.A.T. were spending the weekend with Erin who was watching them or rather the boys were while Kate was out of town. Ceci was amazed. Erin didn’t like cats and had repeatedly insisted that she was too busy for pets and now look at her. This Kate must really be something to affect this change in her proud and beautiful sister. Erin was beautiful, that Ceci could admit that without any envy. Her high cheekbones, petite nose, and strong jaw line had been commented on forever. She had no lips but a smile that melted a million hearts. Known as one of the most beautiful women in the world, her life wasn’t easy. Ceci didn’t envy her sister her life she instead was proud of her, her work, and happy for her. She was thrilled to find that someone loved her and was willing to put up with some of her insane habits that had come about over the years as well as her lifestyle. Erin had been stalked a couple of times. It was one of the many reasons she was so insistent about her privacy. She never attended even red carpet events without bodyguards. Paparazzi weren’t allowed past the gates of her posh neighborhood. For her to have let her guard down amazed Ceci. This Kate really must be something and she looked forward to meeting her.
Kate got to meet Ceci two weeks later. Erin met Kate at a cafe in Santa Monica and they both waited as Ceci walked in. Kate was amazed. The facial features were similar but other than that they looked nothing alike. Erin was short and perfectly fit. Ceci was tall and while not overweight she was robust. To Ceci’s amazement Kate was not anything at all like she expected. Erin usual taste was in blondes. Kate had blonde streaks in her hair but also red and the undertone was a beautiful shade of brown. The nose ring was discrete but also a surprise. It enhanced Kate’s looks but it was so not Erin’s style. The boys had even mentioned a tattoo! In the past Erin had been drawn to women who were of similar body style but Kate, while slim and healthy had broad shoulders and was muscular but very feminine. Ceci found Kate to be everything the boys and
Erin had described in personality. They had a delightful lunch together and Kate invited Ceci and her family for an after Christmas get together at her estate in Santa Barbara.
Christmas was celebrated in Santa Barbara. Erin and the boys brought the tree with them attached to the roof of her wagon and they set it up in a corner of the living room. C.A.T. brought it down in one bound from the cat tree. She seemed to think they had brought her another tree to climb. The tree soon had to be tied to a wall over by the patio so C.A.T. could not leap on it but she did try to climb it and they all laughed as Kate shooed her away repeatedly. Erin had brought some of their favorite decorations from home and Kate dug out all of hers, the combination a delight to the eye when they finished the tree. The boys had a blast helping Kate decorate inside and out. They had never decorated the outside of a house before because Erin never had done so. Erin wouldn’t let the boys help though as Kate outlined the lighthouse with Christmas lights. The combination of the heights and the ladder and the tiles on the roof made Erin very nervous, she couldn’t even watch as she waited for Kate to finish. She was so relieved when she was back safe on the ground. They all enjoyed the effect as they stood at the bottom of the hill that night and gazed up at the house. They decided to decorate each of the topiary trees but would have to go shopping tomorrow to buy more lights. Kate wanted to get a type of light she had heard about that was like netting to go over the various animal shapes. That way the topiary trees wouldn’t get damaged, or so she hoped.
Kate picked her boys up at the Santa Barbara Airport. It was funny in this day and age that they still had to walk off the plane and onto the tarmac the airport was so small. Sean was 6’2” with short blonde hair and a flat top, his bright blue eyes sparkled as he caught sight of his Mom, his girlfriend Jill came to his shoulder and complimented him nicely with her brown hair and brown eyes and tall physique. Brad was 6’3” and had dishwater blonde hair, it was shaggy and long, with his goatee it made him look like a sixties reject. His girlfriend Lana was long legged and also had brown hair and eyes but she was definitely the pretty one of the bunch. Kate had rented a van for the week. With these four and Erin’s two they didn’t need to be taking two or three cars if they wanted to go anywhere. Besides, she would only let the boys use her Rover. The T-Rex and the Mercedes were strictly off limits. She had let Erin drive the Mercedes but as she didn’t have a motorcycle license, yet, only Kate drove the T-Rex. As they were loading their luggage for the week and a half they were to be there she casually mentioned that she already had guests. The boys and their girlfriends who were close to Kate teased her all the way back to the house. As their teasing was about a possible boyfriend, they had all noticed the ring, and except for a “no, no, it’s not a boyfriend” Kate kept quiet. She pulled around to the back of the house and parked in front of the garage where the T-Rex and the quadracycle were kept. Erin’s Mercedes station wagon was parked inside the fourth garage. Leaving the luggage until later they all went inside. The boys stopped in their tracks seeing Erin Ingram standing in their living room.
Kate hurried to make introductions. “Sean, Brad” she said pointing to each of them for clarification “this is my girlfriend Erin Ingram, Erin these are my sons and their girlfriends Jill and Lana” she pointed them out to Erin.
Erin came up the steps from the living room and held out her hand to shake each of the boy’s hands who greeted her quietly, absolutely in awe as she greeted each of the girls as well. Kate and Erin exchanged a look. Erin turned and pointed to her son’s introducing Peter and Elijah.
Kate thought she could detect disappoint on the faces of Peter and Elijah that her sons were so ‘old’ to them. It didn’t help that they had brought girlfriends. Her son’s though figured out that Erin was more than just a friend. They weren’t stupid by any stretch of the imagination. They saw a ring on Erin’s finger as well. That spoke volumes. Kate explained the sleeping arrangements. Each of the boys had their old rooms with their girlfriends. Erin’s two boys were in the spare bedroom together. Erin was in with her. Anyone who had a problem could sleep on the daybed in the study or out here on the couch. Thoroughly embarrassed by this Kate wasn’t sure what to do. She had never openly come out to her son’s. It had always been a case of don’t ask don’t tell with them. Although they had to of suspected, after all she had been involved with one woman for four years and the woman had slept in her room supposedly on a spare bed, again she had never been out of the closet with them. It had been a quiet little secret. Although she was now embarrassed she bravely faced them. They chose to laugh it off, saying nothing openly and decided to get the luggage out of the van, their girlfriends hurrying to help. Kate looked at Erin sadly and followed them.
Kate was just in time to hear her Brad say “guess Mom’s gay eh?” laughing at the little rhyme he had put together.
Sean answered a bit angrily “just shut up okay?”
Kate turned and went back in the house disappointed. She hadn’t been sure of their reactions but this wasn’t it.
Erin hadn’t been sure what to do. They had been there a few days when the boys were due. She wasn’t going to hide from them. That wasn’t fair to anyone involved. She felt though that Kate should have discussed things a long time ago with them, at least prepared them. She figured brazing it out would be the best bet at this point. Kate’s sons weren’t like anything she was expecting but then again, what had she been expecting? She had heard all about them from Kate and nothing had been spared in the telling. She was naturally proud of her sons and knew all their foibles. She also knew this would be a shock for them. Not only the fact that their Mom was with a woman but that that woman was someone as famous as Erin Ingram.
Dinner was stilted. Kate had ordered pizza’s at the boys request. She ate a fruit salad and Erin having sampled a piece of pizza ate a salad. She got along fine with the girl’s but the boys seemed to keep quiet. She didn’t know if they were angry, intimidated, or what. After dinner Kate disappeared. Erin found her in the lighthouse gazing out over the city.
“Are you okay?” she asked hesitantly. In all their time together she had never seen Kate angry. Rarely down she could see Kate was not handling her son’s freezing her out very well. What had she expected? She had just come out of the closet to them. They hadn’t been prepared. Merry Christmas, your mother is gay.
Sniffing as though she had been crying Kate didn’t turn around and just nodded.
Erin didn’t believe that. She knew her better than that. She tried to take Kate in her arms but Kate froze up. Alarmed and hurt Erin backed away. The hurt though gave her strength in anger “what did you expect?” she asked.
“Not this. They have always supported me in anything I’ve done. From the writing to the move. They knew I wanted out of Wisconsin in the worst way. When my Mom died and left me all this money I jumped at the chance. They backed me up despite my brother’s downing the idea, critiquing any move I made, the investments that I chose. Even my writing they poo pooed for years. Last year the boys came at Christmas and celebrated my new life, the house I built, the grounds. They appreciated the hard work I had done since I left.”
“Last year you weren’t openly gay to them” Erin pointed out to her.
Annoyed and still sniffing Kate looked at her instead of the city. The tears had wiped any makeup from her beautiful eyes. Having to concede the point didn’t help her disposition. “They should be happy for me. I am happy, you’ve made me happy. Why can’t they see that?” she asked.
“Perhaps they just need time. They can’t see your happy after the long face you’ve pulled all evening. Maybe you just need to ignore their attitudes until it passes.”
Sighing heavily Kate pulled Erin into an embrace. “I’m sorry, I’m going to ruin everyone’s Christmas aren’t I?”
Laughing Erin had to disagree “Christmas is still two days away. Relax. They’ll come around. After everything you have ever told me about them they will come around” she patted Kate’s back, held
her close, and consoled her.
That night the boys stayed up late playing Guitar Hero with Erin’s boys. The girlfriends and then Erin and finally Kate all went to bed as the boys continued to play. At least they were getting along thought Kate as she joined Erin in bed. Erin caressed her in a non-arousing way until she relaxed enough to fall asleep. She was so grateful that Erin was being this understanding. She knew she had screwed up, she knew she should have told the boys sooner or at least prepared them for her announcement somehow.
“Oh, I should have had that one!” Elijah exclaimed in surprise.
“No, you blew it” Peter teased.
“I think you just need to relax” Sean noted.
“You should see how my mom plays this, she’s awesome!” Elijah bragged.
Sean looked at the boy in surprise “your MOM plays guitar hero?”
Peter answered “yeah, she’s pretty good too.” He chuckled.
Sean and Brad exchanged a look of surprise. Elijah got up to get some snacks. He apparently knew the kitchen pretty well and knew where to go. Both of the young men noted how comfortable the other two boys were in this house. They were obviously familiar with where things went. Both men were also surprised to find snacks like this in the house, knowing their mother’s penchant for everything healthy. There seemed to be a lot of surprises this trip.
Brad leaned over and said quietly to Peter “don’t you mind about your mom and my mom?” He looked a little uncomfortable and added “you know?”
Peter looked at Brad in surprise “your mom is so cool, she gets things ya know, really gets them. It’s probably why she’s so good at writing those Macc Katell books. All my friends love them and can’t wait to read the next ones. I wish I could tell them all I know Macc Katell and had an inside look when Kate lets me read some of the next one.” He smiled remembering her sharing it with him. “Some of them know who she is and think its way cool that’s she is friends with my mom.”
To Love a Shooting Star Page 8
