Hope you guys enjoyed the first part. Here's the second! Love hearing from you guys, so don't forget to review!
Summer in Lima
July 2024 - Brittany POV
"Honey, are you done packing?" I see a glimpse of the brown hair that I love so much on the other side of our bed.
"Yeah, almost," I hear her mumble as I make my way toward her and the scene in front of me shocks me.
"Uh, babe? You know the clothes need to go inside the suitcase, right?" I tease her although by the look on her face, I don't think it's the best idea.
"Yes. I know," she says her voice irritated.
"Can I help?" I ask hoping to ease the tension. I sit behind her on the edge of the bed and start to massage her shoulders, immediately feeling them relax under my touch.
"Mhm," she hums out clearly enjoying this. She's had a stressful week at work, actually a stressful month, but even more so the last few days. An artist they had signed was being difficult with studio time and another artists was close to missing an album release deadline due to having strep throat. And to top it all off, we leave in the morning for Lima. With July 4th weekend coming up, we decided to fly home and spend a week with both our families, going to the fair and just enjoying a week away from work and responsibilities. We both deserve it, her more than me at the moment.
These last six months have been the best of my life. It's so crazy to see how easily we both fell into a routine of living with each other, as if we've been doing it for years. In March, Santana even surprised me for my 30th birthday by flying out my dad and his wife and her parents as well. I have to admit that I was a little nervous to officially meet her parents but was happy to see that my nerves were completely outrageous. Her mom is a sweetheart and embraced me with open arms. Her dad, although quieter and more reserved, was also very welcoming of me and our newly established relationship. Apparently, my lovely girlfriend had told them about me many years ago and would often bring my name up in conversation, so the sudden change of our relationship status was not a surprise to either one of them, in fact was welcomed.
Needless to say, my dad was just as happy to finally meet Santana and we ended up spending a lovely weekend with family, celebrating the big 3-0 for me. Anyways, here we are, trying to pack for our morning flight.
"How about you take a break, let's get some food, then we can finish up in here," I suggest as I lean down to leave a kiss against her shoulder. Her body immediately leans back into my embrace as we take in the silence and comfort of being in each other's arms.
"That sounds good," she says before standing up and finding her place between my legs, my hands automatically moving to her hips. "Sorry, I'm just so tired and this week sucked, Britt. Like, really sucked."
"I know, baby. Just think, this time tomorrow, we'll be in Lima. No work, no loud city noises, just me and you, family and relaxing," I tell her as I rub the skin on her lower back that is exposed, knowing this always comforts her.
"You know it's funny, in high school I couldn't wait to get the hell out of Lima, but now I can't remember why! I can't wait to be there," she says softly through a giggle.
/
"Thanks for helping, Britt. You're the best packer ever," she tells me as she cuddles further into me.
"I'm kind of a pro, huh?" I joke as I kiss her forehead. We're finally tucked in bed, bags packed waiting for us by the front door.
"Yeah, you are. Are you excited?" She hums and I can feel her breath against my neck as she speaks.
"Super excited. I can't wait to get there and just relax for an entire week and eat some yummy home cooked meals."
"Hey! I cook for you all the time. Are you saying my mom's food is better than mine?"
"No, babe, I love everything you make for us. But it'll be nice to have someone else doing it for us, don't you think?" I joke with a chuckle.
"Yeah. Let's get some sleep. We have to be up early in the morning," she says and I can hear the exhaustion in her voice.
"Good idea. You're not really a morning person, so let's make sure you get your beauty rest."
"Shut up," she tiredly mumbles and I know she's only minutes away from knocking out on me. "G'night babe. I love you."
"Love you too, San."
/
"Home, sweet home!" I shout as we make our way out of the airport and toward the arrivals gate where my dad is supposed to be waiting to pick us up. We decide to stay with my dad for the first few days and then go over to Santana's parents house and stay there the rest of the trip. Normally, we would just get a hotel but our parents don't see us often so we figure why not stay with them to make sure we are able to spend as much time around them as we can. "There's my dad!" I say, spotting his black SUV.
"Hey, Dad!" I greet him happily as he wraps me into a big hug.
"Hey, kiddo. Welcome home. How was the flight?"
"It was smooth," I tell him as I move to the side so he can hug Santana as well.
"Hi, Brian. It's good to see you," she says. Seeing my dad and my girlfriend so happy and loving around each other warms my heart and I know I have a stupid smile plastered on my face at the exchange but I can't seem to care at this moment. "Britt?"
"Hm?"
"You want to get in the car?" My dad laughs obviously aware that I was in a Santana daze. I know I'm blushing but I don't even care to try and hide it so instead I wrap my arms around my two favorite people in the entire world and head toward the car.
The drive is calming as we make our way into Lima. It hasn't been long since I was home last, but so much has changed since then. The last time I was here I was a walking zombie, depressed and angry that I had messed up the one thing in the world that meant so much to me yet here I am six months later happier than I could ever be, with the love of my life by my side. I'd say things turned out pretty well for me.
We pull up on the driveway of my house and grab our bags before making our way inside. We are both immediately greeted by Debbie, who I've become much closer with over the last few months and so has Santana, with frequent FaceTime calls.
"I hope you girls are hungry! Lunch is just about ready," she says and I can already smell the food coming from the kitchen.
"Starving! Smells great in here, Debbie," I tell her as my dad walks in behind me setting our luggage down at the foot of the stairs.
"Why don't you guys go on up and get settled while I finish up in here."
I grab our bags and sling it over my shoulder before taking Santana's hand, leading her up the stairs and toward my room.
"What?" She asks me looking toward my position perched on the edge of my bed.
"I was just thinking how I have you in my room, and how if we had gotten to know each other in high school, how hard I would've worked to get you up here."
"Is that so? And what makes you think that I'd agree to come up here, Pierce?" She's teasing me. God, I love when she does that.
"Oh, I think I could've been pretty convincing," I play back as I grab her hands and gently tug her body closer to mine as I look up into those beautiful deep brown eyes.
"Britt, there is no way we're doing whatever you are thinking about right now with Debbie and your dad downstairs, who are expecting us for lunch might I add."
"Come on! You're no fun!" I say with a playful pout. That usually gets her to cave. She leans down resting her palms against my thighs.
"If you behave maybe I'll let you get to second base later," she whispers seductively into my ear before backing away toward the closed door a smirk plastered on her smug face.
I quickly gather myself and join her wrapping my arm around her waist so that our bodies are connected. "I only hit home runs, baby," I say with a wink and I see her throat constrict as she swallows hard. Brittany-1, Santana-0. "Let's eat."
Lunch is wonderful, Santana and I even keep the teasing to a minimum as we catch up with Debbie and my dad. We were supposed to all have dinner tonight, but Santana's dad was called into an emergency surgery so we decided to push it to tomorrow night, which is almost a blessing because I know we are both exhausted. We spend the rest of the day lounging around the house, helping Debbie with dinner and just hanging out. Something neither one of us have done with our families in a while.
"Ugh, you don't know how good it feels knowing I don't have to wake up tomorrow for work," Santana hums against my neck as we lie cuddled in the middle of my bed, finally tucked away after a long day travelling and catching up with my family.
"Mm. I think I do," I mumble against her hair as my hand moves up and down the softness of her skin against her arm.
These are my favorite moments with Santana, tucked away in our own little bubble, away from the stresses of work and real-life, wrapped up in each other's arm, breathing in her sweet natural scent, as we sit in silence, just taking in the comfort around us. Yup. I can do this for the rest of my life, and I plan to. This trip was planned for us to spend time with our families and enjoy some summertime in Lima, but what my lovely girlfriend doesn't know, is that I am also using this time to ask her parents for their blessing to ask her to marry me. That's right. I, Brittany Pierce am going to ask Santana Lopez to be my wife. Just the thought of it makes my heart flutter.
It's been on my mind since the second I got in the car and drove like a maniac on New Year's Eve to Santana. Granted, I wasn't even sure what the future would hold for us at that moment, but I hoped and prayed that it would turn out the way I dreamt of. Shortly after my 30th birthday surprise that Santana planned, my plan was put in motion. Step one was to find the absolute perfect ring, for my perfect and adoring girlfriend. And who better to consult with than her best friend.
FLASHBACK
"Hey, Quinn!"
"Hey, Britt. How's everything with you?"
"Good. Almost done with some editing projects I've been working on. How's that cutie of yours? We miss her, by the way. San keeps telling me that she wants to have her over so that you guys can have a date night."
"I can't turn down an offer like that! God, my daughter has Santana wrapped around her chubby little finger," she says giggling and it's true, she does. I love watching the two of them interact every time we get to spend some time with Quinn. "So, what's up? Bored while S is at work?"
"No," I laugh because yeah, it is a little odd that I asked Quinn to meet up with me in the middle of the day during the week. "I was actually hoping that you could help me with something."
"Sure. With what?"
"Well," I drag on, "I need help picking an engagement ring for her."
"HOLY SHIT! Holy shit! You're doing it! It's happening!" She says not even trying to hide her enthusiasm.
"Yup!" I say just as excited, well, probably more excited than her since I'm the one that gets to marry Santana. "She'll say yes, right?" I don't know why there's this lingering thought in the back of my mind that she would turn down my proposal. I mean we've talked about it and we live together and talk about the future all the time but it still surprises me that this is actually happening, that this is my life now.
"Um, duh! That girl has been head over heels in love with you since you guys went on that trip after college. Like, seriously, trust me. She would call me every chance she got even when she was thousands of miles away to talk about you and what you guys did together." I blush knowing how much she talked about me. It also makes me a little sad that I was so oblivious at that time, to her feelings, and even more to my own feelings for her. "She would have said yes even then I think," she jokes to make me relax.
"Okay, okay. I believe you. Well then, let's find your best friend and the love of my life the perfect ring, shall we?"
We grab coffee before hitting the city. I never knew how hard picking an engagement ring would be, I'm frustrated and it's been hours and I still haven't found the one I like.
"Britt, it's okay. You'll find it," she says noticing my growing frustration.
"I know, but like, I want to find it already! Why don't any of those stores have what I'm looking for!"
"Let's try one more place then we can get a bite to eat and re-group. What do you think?"
I nod before we head to the nearest diner to have lunch. After lunch, as Quinn suggested, we try one more store. As soon as I walk in, I feel a good energy, like I might find the hidden gem I've been searching for. The sales clerk greets us right away and happily shows us to the section that would be most helpful for us. As I look through the rings that look fairly similar to the ones we've seen all morning, I start to give up, my shoulders slouching in defeat. Maybe it wasn't meant to be today. But before I throw in the towel completely, a diamond catches my eye in the back right corner of the display case.
"Can I see that one over there?" I point as the clerk takes it out before resting it on the protective pad against the glass. The diamond is the perfect shape, not too big but big enough to show how much I love this girl. It's exactly what Santana wants. It's everything she deserves. The band is filled with tiny diamonds around it as well. "Quinn, this is it!" I say, never taking my eyes off the ring that I'm now holding in my hands so delicately. It all starts to feel so real as I look at the piece of jewelry that will soon grace the finger of my beautiful girlfriend.
"I'll take this one," I say and the clerk nods with a smile. She must know that feeling, seeing customers happy, finally finding the piece they are looking for, especially when it comes to engagement rings. After I pay, a hefty amount might I add, but completely worth every dollar, because Santana means more to me than money can buy, we head back onto the streets of New York. I thank Quinn a hundred times for putting up with me all day before heading straight for Sugar's.
I always knew Santana was a clean and organized person from our time in Europe, but living with her was a completely different thing. The girl is organized beyond belief. It's not like I'm a mess all the time, but she's on a whole different level. She knows exactly where everything is in that house and the organization is ridiculous. Just another thing about her that I love, but it does make hiding the ring anywhere in our place near impossible. Sugar suggested that I leave it in their safe and I agreed immediately. I don't need anything getting in the way of my proposal.
/
"Ready baby?"
"Yes!" I hear her voice come from the bathroom as I peak my head in, just in time to catch her putting the final touches on her makeup.
"Hey sexy," I flirt throwing a wink to her through the mirror which brings on the faintest blush. "Excited?" I ask as I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my chin on her shoulder.
"So excited. I can't remember the last time I went to the fair. Probably when I was like thirteen," she says with that cute giggle I love to hear so much.
"Promise to save me a ride on the ferris wheel?" I wink at her, reaching out to take her hand in mine as we make our way downstairs with our luggage. We're heading over to Santana's house before going to fair and staying with them for the rest of our trip.
"Of course. You're my ride partner for life, babe," she says leaning in to give me a quick kiss.
The drive to Santana's house is quick since she only lives a few neighborhoods over from me. It's funny to think how close we actually lived for most of our lives without being in each other's lives.
The door is already wide open the minute we pull into the driveway and we are greeted by her mom.
"Hi girls. Come on in. Your father should be down any minute," she says embracing us both in a warm hug. And right on queue, as we enter the house, her dad is making his way down the stairs.
"Hey Dad. You guys almost ready?"
"Yeah. So, breakfast then fair?" Her dad asks.
"Yes. I told my dad we'd be at the fair around noon," I tell him. I'm normally very comfortable around her parents but today I plan on asking them the big question so I feel my nerves taking over and it makes making eye contact with them harder, which I'm sure they will pick up on eventually. I have to act cool, especially so my very observant girlfriend doesn't start questioning me.
We enjoy breakfast at her house before heading over to the fair. As we pull up, I see my dad waiting by the entrance for us.
"Brian, good to see you! Where's Debbie?" Santana's dad says as he hugs mine. It's awesome to see how close our families have become. Growing up in a small town everyone already knows each other but since Santana and I started dating they've grown even closer. Emilio and my dad hang out often, and Debbie and Maribel are always off hanging out as if they've been friends forever.
"She had to grab something from the car. There she is," he points toward her as she approaches us.
We buy our tickets and make our way inside. We head straight for the carnival games, both of our dads trying to win a prize at every booth as we stand and watch.
"Babe, can you grab me a drink? I'm gonna get more coins for us to play some games," I ask my girlfriend, hoping to get a minute alone with her parents. I figured the earlier I talk to them, the sooner I can relax and enjoy the rest of the day with our families.
"Sure, baby. Dr. Pepper?"
"You know me so well," I tell her as I lean in to give her a kiss. "Love you." She winks at me blowing me a kiss as she makes her way toward the booth that sells drinks. Luckily for me its halfway across the fair, giving me plenty of time.
"Um, Maribel? Emilio? Can I talk to you two for a minute?" I ask feeling my palms start to sweat and my heart start to race.
"Of course, Brittany. Everything okay?" Her mom asks me and I can see the concern in her eyes.
"Yes. Everything is okay. Actually, I'm hoping that after this everything will be better than okay. I know your daughter and I haven't officially been together for that long, but as you both know, I've been in love with her longer than I even realized. She is honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me. She makes my life better and I was hoping to get your blessing to ask her to marry me," I say and hold my breath as I look between them.
"Oh, Brittany!" Her mom gasps as she covers her mouth, her eyes tearing with happiness. "This is incredible!" She says before wrapping her arms around me. I feel myself relax in her embrace. As I leave her arms, I look over to her dad, praying that he shares the same sentiments as his wife.
"Brittany," he says and if it wasn't for the smile starting to form on his face I would think he was about to tell me that he wasn't supportive of this. "I don't think there is anyone else in this world that I would want my baby girl to spend the rest of her life with. Maribel and I can't wait to officially have you in our family," he finally says.
"Thank you. Thank you both for raising such a beautiful and loving human being and thank you for embracing me and our relationship with open arms," I tell them genuinely. Her dad opens his arms and I don't even hesitate to throw myself in them.
"Why is everyone hugging?" I hear my girlfriends voice behind me and try to think of something clever to say but my body is still buzzing at the thought of proposing to her that I can't seem to come up with anything. Thankfully her dad is quick on his feet.
"Brittany was just telling us about her new endeavors with starting her own productions company and we were just congratulating her," he quickly says and his answer shocks me since I hadn't mentioned that to them yet.
"You told them?" She asks me smiling. Santana has always been my number one fan, always pushing me to chase my dreams and after working as an editor for Josh the last few months, she had suggested that I start my own production company. I had told my dad about it and assume he relayed the information to her parents as well.
"Honey, we are so proud of both of you and all that you guys have accomplished," he says wrapping his arm around her before leaving a kiss to her forehead. "Who's up to riding some rides?" He says changing the subject and I shoot him a thankful smile, both for covering for me and for giving their blessing.
I take Santana's hand in mine as we make our way toward the rides deciding which one to go on first. It's later in the day and we take a break from all the rides and games to get something to eat before the sun goes down and the fireworks start. Growing up, the food was always my favorite part of the fair. We all split up to order food before gathering around a table.
"What did you get?" I ask Santana as I add ketchup to my burger.
"Chicken tenders," she says before dipping one in sauce and bringing it to my mouth.
"Yum," I say as I lick my lips. "Hey, what do you say we sneak away for a little? You did promise me a ride on the ferris wheel. We have some time until the fireworks start," I lean over and say only loud enough for her to hear, not that anyone else would since they are distracted with food and their own conversations.
"Hm, I did promise you that, didn't I?" She asks playfully. "Let's go."
I grab our trash and put it on one tray. "We're gonna go on the ferris wheel. We'll meet you guys back here for the fireworks," I say before standing up and taking Santana's hand into my free one.
I wrap my arms firmly around her waist as I feel her body lean further into mine and lean my chin against her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll hold you the entire time. The key is to not look down," I tell her. She never did get over her fear of heights and I love her so much more for agreeing to go on this with me, knowing that she's probably internally freaking out. I leave a kiss against her exposed skin on her neck.
The young kid working the ride calls us over so we can get situated and pulls the safety bar tight on our lap, my arm immediately wrapping around Santana, her body instantly relaxing as she rests her head against my shoulder. When we finally reach the top, the ride stops so we can enjoy the view, well at least one of us could.
I feel her sigh against my shoulder before speaking up. "This was an amazing idea, Britt."
"The ferris wheel? I know, right? It's awesome up here once you get past the whole heights thing."
I hear her giggle slightly before lifting her head up. "No, I mean coming to Lima. Getting away from the hustle of New York and just taking time away from our busy lives and enjoying this peace and quiet and this special time with our families."
"Yeah. It's nice," I agree with her as we look out on our small town of Lima. The town that we both grew up in and although we weren't close during that time, I can see us spending a lot of time here in the future, together.
"We should come back as often as we can," she says softly. "Maybe we can even bring our kids here one day," she says even quieter. I'm not sure if she intended for me to hear the last part. Sure, we've talked about our future, weddings and kids, the whole thing, but hearing her make comments like the one she just did makes my heart flutter and just confirms that buying the ring that is safely tucked away back in New York is going to be one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life.
"I think that sounds like a great idea, baby," I whisper to her. It's nice having moments like this tucked away in our little bubble away from the real world. I hope to have many more like it for the rest of our lives.
