It had been almost exactly two years since the day she and Jennifer had broken it off, the Christian girl claiming that it was best for them to take a break so she could get her religion-crazy mother to get on her side and believe in their relationship.
That didn't happen.
But because a relationship that didn't work out between the two of them did not mean that they couldn't still remain friends, and even though they knew it would take a while to get to that stage where they were comfortable enough to be next to one another and not jump all over each other, they knew that that was where they wanted to be.
She looked up from the itinerary that the principal and teachers had been handing out to everyone that came to the graduation that day, her doe eyes casting up towards the stage to see her ex making her way up the steps. "Woo! Go Jen!"
Jennifer turned her head at the familiar voice and gave a small wave, a smile spreading over her face as she took the diploma from the principal and shook his hand. "Thank you so much, sir," she grinned, quickly making her way over to the end of the stage and giving her family and ex girlfriend a big thumbs up.
Emily laughed, her body slumping back in her seat as she shook with laughter.
"I'm glad you could make it, pumpkin."
The now twenty-year old girl turned her head as she felt a hand capture hers. "I wouldn't miss it," Emily grinned, her hand squeezing that of the man who had taken over a father role for her the time she had stayed with his family in Pennsylvania.
James leaned over and pressed a big kiss to her cheek. "I know Rosie loves that you're here for her." Amielle had never shown up, not even coming to give her good luck wishes or say that she loved her.
The father of five and the last three chickens in the coop had moved to another house two roads away from the home they had grown up in, Amielle never once trying to accept the woman that Jennifer was growing up to be and the so-called hellseeker that her mother had labeled her. Then a few months later both Julia and Richard had gone off to college and Jennifer was the last one to stay and actually make that new house a home for her and her father.
And now she was leaving just like the rest did.
Emily shared a smile with the older man before letting go of his hands so she could pick up the water bottle by her feet. "You ok with this?" she smirked, nudging her second father with her elbow. "The last one flying from the nest?"
The father of five rolled his eyes, letting out a smile at the sound of his fifth child's harmonious laughter filling the air around him. "It's so nice to have your teasing back in my life, do you know that?"
"Of course I know," she nodded. "That's why I'm here." She took a glance to her right and shared a smirk with her brother at her side. "Miss me?"
"Sure."
Emily moved her wavy hair from her eyes and looked back towards the stage, her eyes moving from the blond that was sitting herself back down in the seat that she had been assigned to the beautiful brunette that was walking across the stage. "Yeah Sage! Congratulations baby!"
Sage's head spun and blew a quick kiss to her girlfriend sitting in the crowd, her steely eyes smiling to the older girl before she shook her principal's hand and accepted the diploma. "Thank you, sir."
"Congratulations Ms. Michaels."
The teenager practically ran down the stage steps and made a quick detour to the row where her girlfriend sat to share a kiss with her. "Love you," she grinned.
Emily pulled the younger girl back down for one more kiss before she ran back towards her seat. "Love you!" Feeling a slap to her shoulder, the twenty year old sent a wink to the boy at her side. "She looks sexy in her robe, doesn't she?"
Julia laughed at the grimace her brother gave, her hand reaching behind his chair and high fiving the brunette girl.
After she sat herself back in her seat, Sage reached forward and touched the back of the teen that sat in the row before her. "Congratulations JJ," she smiled.
"You too," the Christian girl nodded, sending a real smile to the other teen. She couldn't not be happy in that moment, it was their graduation.
Emily stood from her chair at the end of the ceremony, slinging her purse over her shoulder so she could step out of her row and onto the grass. "Hey," she grinned, a laugh escaping her chest as she took her girlfriend into a bear hug. "You looked so great up there." Pressing a kiss to her dark hair, Emily pulled back. "Here, let me take the robe for you."
Sage let the older girl take the golden robe from her hand so she could wipe away the wrinkles in her designer navy dress.
"You look beautiful."
Emily grinned at the voice, watching Sage jump into her mother's arms and then her dad's. "Hi," she chuckled, letting them both take her into a hug after they had let their daughter go.
Joyce tapped the twenty year old's shoulder, smiling down to the brunette. "You know, I made that dress just for her. One of a kind."
"And I wear it pretty damn well," the eighteen year old laughed, letting her girlfriend wrap her arms around her torso. She looked over her shoulder and frowned at the unfamiliar man staring at them from a row away. "Em, who is that?"
The chocolate eyed girl turned, gesturing for the tall man to join them. "This is Todd, he's my new bodyguard." Seeing Richard's eyes grow wide from the sidelines, she quickly shook her head. "Just precautions. My mom got some death threats, blah blah blah."
"If you need someone to protect your family you can always call on Richie, what with his super powers and all."
Emily looked to the younger girl who spoke, and she quickly took her ex into a hug. "You did so great," she said as she smiled into that blond hair, her arms wrapping as tight as they could around her slim shoulders. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Jennifer smiled, pulling back to get a look at the older girl. "Wow look at you," she chuckled, her arms going back down by her sides. "Leather pants, heels and a shoulder studded jacket. When did you become such a punk?"
The brunette watched as her ex did her best not to laugh at her own joke and she bit her lip to not grin at her reddening cheeks. "Do you really think that was funny?"
"Don't be mean to her," Sage chuckled as she took her girlfriend in her arms from behind and intertwining their hands. "JJ, I thought it was very funny."
Jennifer smiled to the other graduate. "Thank you. It's good to know that someone," she nodded, looking pointedly at the college girl before her, "can appreciate my humor."
Emily's jaw dropped. "I have always appreciated your humor. But whatever that just was, it was not humor."
The father of five gathered everything that they had brought to the graduation and looked to the group just a few feet away. "Emily and Sage, if you have nothing planned for today then why don't you, and you Mr. and Mrs. Michaels, come over and have dinner with us? The entire family will be there."
"Even Granny Cas?"
"Oh especially Granny Cas."
Emily grinned to the blue eyed man, quickly taking him into a small hug. "We're actually all going out to have an early dinner right now, but we're not doing anything around seven."
"Seven would be perfect," he grinned, his lips finding her temple. "We'll see you then, pumpkin."
Taking her girl back into her arms and holding her tight to her side, Emily sent a wink to the blond that was playing with the hem of her skirt. "See you then?"
"See you then," the Christian girl laughed, her fingers coming up to touch the necklace that hung around her neck. The necklace that Emily had given her and she had kept all that time. "See you then."
