by Ruth Diaz
TJ frowned, caught between heartache at the misery in Annmarie’s voice and simple confusion. “You don’t want to be a superhero?”
Annmarie leaned toward her, scowling. “Are you kidding? I’ve spent my whole life wanting not to be.”
But…they needed superheroes so badly. “Why? There’s so much that needs doing, and you’re so good at being kind…”
“Then let somebody else do it.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Jesus, TJ. I told you some of what it was like growing up in a world where the people I should have mattered to didn’t have the time of day for me, because they had to go off and save the world. I work with kids so I can be part of the solution. Why would I want to become part of the problem?”
TJ swallowed hard, wondering if that was how Annmarie really saw her. “We’re not all like that. Maybe you won’t believe it, but the way you talked about them, I can’t help thinking your parents were just bad at being parents. That might’ve been true whether they were superheroes or not.” Annmarie started to pull away, and TJ squeezed her hand. “So you know what you don’t want. Okay, what do you want?”
She blinked, and her resistance vanished. Her shoulders slumped a little as she said, “You know what? I don’t think anybody’s ever asked me that.”
TJ smiled. “Then it’s about time someone did.”
Annmarie’s gaze went distant, looking past TJ into empty space. “I want to take care of people. I want to work with kids. Families. I want to make sure everybody gets breakfast and help people in hard circumstances. I don’t want to save the world.” Her voice broke a little, and she focused on TJ again. “I just want to save you.”
TJ hooked her free hand around the back of Annmarie’s head, bridging the space between them. Their kiss was deep and soft and seemed to go on forever, and TJ couldn’t think of any place she’d rather be. When it eventually drew to a close, she asked, “Can I take you on a date? A real date, with fancy dresses and dinner and everything?”
Annmarie chuckled. “As soon as they let you out of here. Except you might want to lower your standards—I don’t think we’ll fit in at a place that requires fancy dresses with the kids.”
TJ laughed. “We’ll hire a sitter.”
Epilogue
Dinner was amazing—four courses designed to be beautiful as well as tasty, with flowers and candles on the table and velvet draperies around the booth. TJ’s strapless red satin gown showed off her skin and hair to best advantage, and black heels made her curves even more pronounced. Annmarie had a new little black dress for the occasion—the kind with a plunging neckline that anybody who was bigger up top could never get away with. It didn’t go unnoticed, and every time TJ’s gaze strayed there, Annmarie felt warm to the tips of her toes.
After dinner they went back to TJ’s place. TJ tipped the babysitter, and Annmarie wasn’t sure they’d have made it all the way to the bedroom if it weren’t for the possibility that the kids might walk in on them if they fell all over each other on the sofa. TJ stumbled in her heels, and they almost ripped Annmarie’s new dress getting it off, but it would totally have been worth mending the seam.
And falling asleep in TJ’s arms?
That was worth anything.
Annmarie didn’t think they’d been asleep more than an hour or two when the phone rang. She sleepily identified it as one of TJ’s, not hers, and drifted contentedly half-awake while TJ said, “Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I know. Of course I sound grumpy, it’s three in the morning. No, I’ll be there.” She put the phone down. “This sucks.”
“Red phone?” Annmarie asked, opening one eye.
She could barely see TJ nod in the cityshine coming through the window shade. “Sorry.”
Annmarie kissed her. “Don’t be.”
TJ got out of bed and crossed to the bathroom. The bathroom light blazed bright for a moment before she shut the door, just long enough for Annmarie to admire the fall of her hair and the swell of her backside. She smiled to herself in the dark and then had a thought. She turned on the bedside lamp, putting her glasses on while her eyes adjusted, and went rummaging through TJ’s drawers.
When TJ came out of the bathroom, her eyes fastened on her Dynama costume. The bright yellow fabric stood out in sharp contrast to the new blue comforter where Annmarie had laid it out on the bed. “Annmarie, I can’t—”
Annmarie shook her head. “You’re not alone anymore, hon. You don’t have to stop being super just because you’re also Mama.”
TJ walked over to the bed, playing one of the costume’s cuffs between her fingers and wearing a torn expression.
Annmarie stepped up behind her, arms encircling TJ’s bare waist. “Go be Dynama. Go save the world.”
She turned in the embrace, arms going around Annmarie. “I love you,” she said softly.
Annmarie kissed her, not feeling fluttery this time, not nervous, just…warm. Happy. “I love you too.”
* * * * *
About the Author
Ruth Diaz chooses to spend her life walking between worlds. With one foot in the fantastic and one foot in the sensual, she enjoys writing people to destinations they might never have reached on their own.
When she’s not creating space station-shaped castles in the air and crafting unearthly love stories, she works as a freelance editor and reads in her spare time. A misplaced Arizonan, she and her husband are currently stranded in upstate New York. For more information, please visit ruthdiazwrites.wordpress.com.
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ISBN: 978-14268-9425-1
Copyright © 2012 by Ruth Diaz
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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