"I'm on my way to the shower, Mom." Tia grinned.
"Not before you kiss me, honey." Catherine slid her arms around Tia's neck.
Tia didn't have to be asked twice as she shared a deep kiss with Catherine. "I love you."
"I love you. Now, are you up to a weekend with Maddy and I?"
"I'm up to it." Tia grinned at her. Nothing could have kept her away from the two of them.
"Good." Catherine whispered hugging Tia tightly. "Now, go take your shower, honey."
The day was wonderful and all the three of them skated for several hours. "You are going to be sore tomorrow." Catherine said smiling at Tia.
"Very sore."
"We'll just have to make you as comfortable as possible." Catherine grinned rubbing Tia's shoulders.
"I'm counting on that."
"Jerry is picking Maddy up at five tonight, and will drop her off at school on Monday morning. I don't have to work until Monday night."
"Are we still on for our date tonight?"
"Of course, you promised me a real date."
"Good, because I have reservations for two at The Four Seasons and then we are going dancing."
"Dancing? We're going dancing." The look of joy on Catherine's face was priceless.
"As long as you want to."
"I can't wait. Maddy, finish your lunch, sweetie. We need to get home and get you ready for your dad."
"Okay, Mom."
Maddy concentrated on her hotdog and French fries while Catherine affectionately watched her. If Tia hadn't already fallen in love with Catherine and her daughter, at that moment she would have. Tears filled her eyes as she watched mother and daughter. Catherine glanced up at Tia and caught her breath. The look on Tia's face was pure unencumbered love, and Catherine knew at that moment she had found her soul mate.
"Tia, Maddy and I love you."
"I love you both." Tia struggled with her emotions.
"Come on, girls. Let's get some skating in on the way back to the car."
"Tia isn't a very good skater, Mom."
"Maddy, Tia is learning." Catherine scolded her daughter.
"That's all right, I'm a rotten skater."
"You just need practice."
"Let's hope I get better fast." Tia's face showed her comical frustration as she barely kept her balance. "Otherwise, you and Maddy are going to have to hold me up."
"I can help you." Maddy volunteered, grabbing on to Tia's leg almost dumping her on to the ground.
"Why, thank you, Miss Maddy."
The three of them slowly headed back to the parked car with lots of laughter and fun. They were back at the apartment within the hour.
"Maddy, you have fun at your dad's. I'll see you Monday."
"Okay Tia, love you."
"I love you, Miss Maddy." Tia hugged the tiny little girl.
"I'll see you at six-fifteen." Catherine reminded her.
"I'll be here."
"Come on, pip squeak. Let's get you cleaned up before your dad gets here."
"Okay, Mom, bye Tia."
"See you later, doll." Tia waved at her two favorite people as the elevator door closed. She had a couple of hours before she and Catherine headed out and she needed to get some chores done. She couldn't very well let Catherine see how messy she was. She needed to dig her apartment out of all the clutter. Catherine would find out eventually but Tia still needed to make a good impression. She groaned as she entered her place. It would take her all afternoon to make it presentable.
Right at six-fifteen, Tia knocked on Catherine's door. She was wearing a navy blue dress and she ran her hands over it nervously as she waited for Catherine to come to the door. She had changed several times until she was satisfied. Her stomach jumped and she caught her breath as the door opened.
"Hello beautiful." Catherine whispered as she opened the door.
"Wow, you look fantastic." Tia grinned at Catherine as she entered the apartment. Catherine was wearing a black, strapless dress, her shiny blond hair pinned in an elegant bun on the back of her head. The smile on her face showed her appreciation of Tia's dress.
"You look wonderful."
"Are you sure you want to go out? We could stay here for the evening." Tia teased as her arms went around Catherine, holding her tightly. Catherine looked very sexy and all Tia wanted to do was get her out of her dress.
"We're going out on a date and I'm going to dance with you tonight." Catherine kissed Tia passionately. "And then we're going to make love all night."
"Sounds perfect, I'm crazy about you, Catherine."
"I'm crazy about you. I can't tell you how much you mean to me. I want to be with you in every way. What I found with you is so perfect. You told me I had to wait one week to marry you. Did you mean it?"
"I meant every word of what I said. I feel the same way." They shared a full passionate kiss.
"So one week from today will you ask me to marry you?"
"I will. I promise." Tia pledged her love and her heart to the beautiful woman standing in her arms.
"Good. Now, are you taking me to dinner?"
"I am, follow me."
Catherine and Tia first real date was romantic and wonderful. Their dinner was delicious, and dancing together was sexy and perfect. The Four Seasons restaurant was known for its romantic ambience. It frustrated both women that they had to keep their affection to a minimum in public, as they shared a delicious meal. Looks of promise and love were traded as they whispered softly to each other. But later at the gay bar while they danced, nothing could have separated them. It didn't matter that the place was packed with other men and women, they didn't notice. They clung tightly to one another, happily in love, as they danced the night away. Neither woman had ever had a more romantic evening.
They didn't get home until after one in the morning, but their evening wasn't over. After romantically dancing together for several hours, they had headed for home. Both women ached to touch each other, wanting to make love. Holding hands tightly, they rode the elevator up to Tia's place. Their eyes silently spoke to each other, passion swirling about the two of them. Not only had Tia cleaned her home from top to bottom, she had prepared it for a night of romance. Her bedroom was full of candles, and after she lit them the room flickered romantically as she slowly removed Catherine's dress. Their lovemaking was slow and deliberate as they removed each other's clothes and worshiped each other's body. Their words of love and passion were interspersed with cries and moans of pleasure. Tia's heart pounded in her chest as her fingers slid into Catherine, her mouth teasing and tasting, as Catherine's hips arched in Tia's hands.
"Tia, oh my God!" Catherine's words were broken up, her breath coming in gasps as she shook on the bed.
Tia felt Catherine's body responding and increased her attentions until Catherine cried out with her orgasm, her hands clenched in the sheet. Tia's lovemaking drove Catherine crazy as her body twisted and turned on the bed.
"Please hold me." Catherine's voice was hoarse with pleasure.
"I love you."
"I love what you do to me."
"My pleasure." Tia smiled as she held Catherine tightly in her arms.
"I find everything about you so wonderful, and so sexy. I can't get enough of you."
"That's how you are supposed to feel. I'm supposed to make you nuts with my lovemaking." Tia said with a slight smile.
"You do that and more, now it's my turn to drive you crazy." Catherine's hands were already creating heat that just kept on building. Her hands stroked Tia's body as her lips covered her breasts. Within minutes, Tia's body was burning as Catherine's lovemaking made her shiver. Catherine's mouth between her legs was her undoing as she cried out loud. Wave after wave rippled through her body as she dissolved with Catherine's attentions.
Tia pulled Catherine up in her arms and held her tightly as her body trembled. Catherine whispered her love for Tia and her feelings for her. The combined affect of her words and her lovemaking was too much for Tia an
d she started to cry.
"Honey, what's wrong. Why are you crying?"
"It's so overwhelming, I can't believe that in such a short space in time I feel so much for you."
"I love you, Tia. I feel the same way. I want to be with you. I know it won't be easy, especially since I am a single mother."
"Catherine, I love the fact that you have Maddy. And if you choose to be with me I am going to convince you to have another baby with me."
"Seriously?" Catherine watched Tia closely. She wanted another child very badly.
"Very serious."
"I would love to have another baby with you." Catherine kissed Tia slowly, overwhelmed that her dreams were coming true. Who would have known that this would have been the direction her life would take.
"Good, then it's settled. We're going to get married, and have another baby."
"Can we get married?" Catherine knew everything was happening too quickly. But she had been waiting all her life to find the passion she found with Tia. She wanted that commitment. She needed to know that she and Tia would be a couple, a family. She knew Tia was the one person who could make her life perfect. It could have been hours, not days, and she would still want to be with her. She just knew deep down in heart that this was meant to be.
"Not legally in Washington, but we can have a commitment ceremony."
"What about legally, can we be each other's legal partner?"
"We can in most ways, financially, and emotionally. We just can't be married."
"But that's so wrong."
"Catherine, we'll be married in our eyes." Tia hugged her. "What about your family and Maddy's father?"
"My parents are both gone and Jerry's Maddy's only living relative besides his parents."
"Not for long. My parents have always wanted grandchildren and they'll love her to death."
"Maddy has always wanted more grandparents."
"Perfect. What about Jerry?"
"I'm going to talk to Jerry next weekend. I need to tell him in person. But I want him to know about us." Catherine watched Tia as she spoke. "Everything is going to be fine."
Tia couldn't keep the tiny bit of fear from entering her heart. "I love you."
"I love you."
They slid into sleep, arms around each other, happy, and very content with their love for each other. Neither one saw any obstacles in their way. Life would be perfect.
Chapter Nineteen
By week's end both Tia and Catherine were committed to each other and making plans. Catherine agreed with Tia that they needed to move into a house. They were planning to start looking with Maddy right away. It was important she be included. They were going to be a family. Choosing a home for the three of them was a family thing to do. Saturday morning the three of them were giggling over breakfast at Tia's place. Catherine was meeting Jerry at noon to talk to him while Tia and Maddy spent the day together. Tia was extremely nervous about telling Jerry, and she was trying very hard to keep her feelings hidden from both Catherine and Maddy.
"Honey, don't worry." Catherine hugged her tightly. Catherine could read her like a book. She knew exactly how Tia was feeling. "Now, you and Maddy are doing the grocery shopping, so here's the list, and don't forget to drop off the cleaning."
"We won't forget, and then we're going skating right, Miss Maddy."
"Yep, Tia needs practice."
"Well then young lady, we'd better go home and get cleaned up."
"Okay, Mom."
"Maddy, I'll pick you up in an hour."
"Okay Tia, love you." Maddy hugged Tia quickly.
"Love you, too."
"What about me?" Catherine hugged Tia quickly.
"I love you, too."
"I crazy about you and I will see you in an hour."
"I'll be there."
Tia was cleaned up and on time to pick up Maddy. They both waved as Catherine drove away before the two of them left to do their chores. Tia pushed the sense of foreboding away as she and Maddy headed for the crosswalk. "Where to next Maddy?" Tia held tightly to the little girl's hand as they crossed the street. They were busily taking care of all the things on their list so I hey could start skating.
"The cleaners."
"Okay, let's find the cleaners."
A half-hour later found Tia and Maddy skating in the park, laughing, and giggling. They held hands and moved slowly along the skate trail. For two hours, they skated and visited, then stopped for a hotdog and a coke. They'd just finished eating when Tia's cell phone rang.
"Hello."
"Tia, can you and Maddy meet me at home?" Catherine's voice sounded very strained.
"Of course we can, honey. Is everything okay?"
"Yes honey. Please, hurry home."
"We're on our way."
Tia bundled Maddy up and headed back. Something was terribly wrong. She could here it in Catherine's voice. It made her heart pound and her stomach churn. She began to feel physically ill as she thought of what might have happened. Maybe Catherine had changed her mind after talking to Jerry? She didn't want to be with Tia anymore.
"Catherine?" Tia and Maddy burst through the apartment door to find Catherine seated at the dining room table.
"Hey Maddy, Tia, how was skating?" Catherine was pale and drawn, something was very wrong.
"Good Mom. Here are the groceries."
"Thanks honey. Do you think you could do me a favor and go color in your room for awhile? I need to talk with Tia." Catherine hugged her tiny daughter.
"Okay Mom." Maddy ran to her bedroom. Tia began unpacking the groceries to hide her nerves.
"Tia, come here, please?" Catherine gazed sadly at Tia.
"What's going on, Catherine?" Tia sat down next to her afraid to touch her.
"Jerry is going to sue me for custody of Maddy. He thinks our relationship is sick and wants Maddy taken away from us." Catherine looked shocked and grief stricken as she blurted out the words.
"Oh Catherine, I am so sorry." Tia couldn't keep the horrible feeling from invading her body. She had known something was going to happen. In the back of her mind she had known.
"Tia, I couldn't believe what he said. It was awful."
"Catherine, I am so sorry honey." Tia held her distraught girlfriend. "What do you want to do?"
"I don't know what to do?" Catherine started to cry. "I love you so much, and I don't know what to do." She began to sob.
"Catherine, I think we need to quit seeing each other. I won't put your relationship with Maddy and her father in jeopardy. I love you, but I won't let that happen."
"Tia." Catherine's face was wet with tears as she held on to her. "I can't believe this is happening. I don't know what to do."
"Catherine, it's best this way. You can tell Jerry it's over. Maybe he'll give up trying for custody." Tia felt numb. She needed to get out of the apartment and away from Catherine and Maddy before she crumbled. She couldn't breathe, her chest hurt so much. She had to leave.
"Tia, I love you."
"I love you, Catherine. I will always love you, but I can't let this happen." Tia hugged Catherine tightly, tears streaming down her face, and then pulled away from her. "I can't let anything happen to you and Maddy. I'm so sorry, Catherine." Tia gazed sadly at her before slipping out the front door.
"Tia, don't go." Catherine cried out as Tia ran down the hall.
"I have to, Catherine." Tia responded, looking back at her. Catherine's tear stained face broke Tia's heart.
Tia kept herself from crying again until she was in her own place. Once her door closed she burst into tears. She was heartbroken and devastated. What could she do? She couldn't put Maddy and Catherine in jeopardy. She needed to get away. She would go to Anna's. She couldn't stay at home, with Catherine and Maddy one floor below. Grabbing her keys and her wallet, she ran down the stairs to her car. She knew Anna was at home for the day. She was painting her living room.
Tia burst in to Anna's living room crying hysterically, her words coming out in b
its and pieces.
"Tia, what's wrong?" Anna looked at Tia, unable to understand a word she was saying, her paintbrush still in her hand.
"Anna, it's over, completely over."
"What's over, honey?"
"Catherine and Maddy, it's over."
Love Times Four Page 19
