Phase Two starts this chapter :)
- Santana's POV –
"So, wait, you mean that Mulan was a real person?!" Brittany exclaims disbelievingly from the lounge seat in my office with the same wide-eye look as that of an 8-year old who had just been told that Santa isn't real.
Six months have passed since Brittany and I got engaged again. It's the last week of May. It's been amazing. It's been a whirlwind. It's been pretty freaking fantastic, really.
Brittany wasn't kidding about waiting to be married and when she said that she had a date set in mind because an hour of being re-engaged again and to my surprise, – with our friends and Grams suffocating us with hugs during the said hour – our wedding date has been already set for the last week of July this year. Moreover, we're getting married in the Hamptons at this beautiful vineyard a few miles from where Quinn and Berry got married.
The past few months of wedding planning has been crazy. It's literally got us in a bunch with how hectic and time-consuming it is. Thankfully, Brittany has been quite the trooper with all the preparations by taking the initiative to assign everything that needed to be taken care of and also dragging me wherever we have to be. Tons of various arguments ranging from how the table cloth is in another shade of white, how Grams will not in any way sing or perform at our wedding, or some of Britt's superstitious beliefs that have been debunked. It's a mayhem in the best possible way but it will be worth it knowing that I'll be married to the love of my life soon.
Oh, she's also moved back at the apartment a month after we got engaged. It took a while to keep us away from each other, actually. But I don't mind as long as we get to come home to each other and sleep beside one another every night. God, it's so awesome.
The Unholy Trinity has been hard work for the past few months. Ever since we settled Elliot Gilbert's case, that of Emma Pilsbury's, and with Quinn's done deal with the Crayola Buddies, clients have been flocking to us left and right. We're generating so much business, it's insane! We're always swamped with meetings, depositions all over the country and sometimes out of it, and a few times with pre-trials. I can't exactly put it but there's something about our dynamic that makes us work so well together. Man, I can't even imagine working without them.
"I'm not sure, Britt. But I remember hearing somewhere that there was a poem about her so she could probably be a real person." I retort with a shrug, taking a bite of pretzel that serves as my lunch.
"But Mulan almost got killed by the Huns during that avalanche! And Mushu almost died!"
"Yeah, I don't know about that avalanche." I chuckle at her cuteness. "But I'm pretty sure a talking little dragon and Fa Mulan singing Reflection to dead people were all real-life happenings, babe." I tease and she playfully rolls her eyes at me.
"For all we know, it could have been based on a true story. Even the song with them in training where they talk about men. I really like that one." She utters enthusiastically. "Can we watch it again later at home?"
"I thought you wanted to watch Precious?"
"I don't want to cry, San. Rachel told me it's really good and I'll cry my heart out because the actress is amazing. I'd rather watch Mushu tonight." Brittany says with that cute pout on her face.
"Yes, ma'am." I say, her pout instantly turning into a big grin as she stuffs her face with her burger.
We settle in relative silence for the next few minutes, just enjoying our short lunch together while catching up with what we've done so far in the day. She's been busy so far with closing this deal for her client in Long Island all morning and had only gotten back half an hour ago while I've been stuck in my office making up a defense for one of my cases. It's pretty hectic but it all works out nicely for us in some way.
"Okay, lovebirds. Satan and I need to go." Quinn's voice echoes from the doorway. We glance up to see her walking towards us, settling herself on the other lounge seat beside Brittany.
"Back so soon from your lunch with the Midget. Are you getting a divorce?" I tease with a smirk.
"On the contrary. If you must know, Rachel and I are going to adopt a dog soon. We'll name him Mister Cuddles."
"Oh God. The kiss of death in every relationship."
"Shut up, Santana." Quinn scoffs back playfully.
"Where are you going again?" Brittany speaks up, attention focused on Quinn while shoving the last bite of burger in her mouth.
"Queens. We're meeting this client for a patent case, something about a self-cleaning anti-rust trophy for Olympians. Roz Washington. Know her?"
Brittany shakes her head with a small smile. "Neither about a self-cleaning trophy."
I finish up my food and put away the last of my things. "It'll be fast, Britt. Probably an hour or two with the drive and all."
"That's what we're hoping for." Quinn chimes in nonchalantly, standing up from her seat. "Wait. Don't you have that cake testing planned later? It's almost noon. What time is that?"
"Yeah. It's around 4pm. We've been putting it off at least twice now because of our crazy schedules." Brittany quips, sighing in the process as we both stand up.
"I know, baby. But we'll be back before that, okay? We'll also get that flowers thing done later. We just have to check the ones you want if they're nice." I say and walk towards her.
"Don't you have a wedding planner?" Quinn speaks up curiously again.
"Don't you have to get your purse? Go away or talk to Funny Girl. We're trying to have a moment here, Lucy. I'll meet you by the elevators." I sneer back jokingly while Brittany laughs. Quinn only purses her lip and trudges away.
I focus my attention back on Brittany, flashing a grin in the process. "I'll try to make it fast and be back before that."
"Okay, babe." Brittany returns the smile. "I forgot to tell you that I also have to meet with the pro bono client around 5pm. Sexual harassment case."
I nod and remove a stray hair from her face. "Alright then. I'll call you later, okay? I promise we'll watch Mulan again."
"Let's watch Precious first. I think I'm emotionally ready after all." She declares as we both chuckle. I grin widely, just feeling so contented with everything right now. I lean towards her and close the gap for a tender but quick kiss that she returns eagerly. "I have to go now or Quinn won't shut up about me getting my mack in the office when she couldn't." I add, gathering my things in the process. "I love you, Britt."
"Take care, San. I love you too." Brittany utters, going for another kiss again before I hesitantly release her hold on me and walk out of my office.
Momentarily, we arrive in Queens at a small factory of the sketchy kind where several machines are situated all over the place making what seems to be various trophies and medals. And before anything else, a patent is a government license granting a right for a set period of time, particularly the sole right to exclude other from using, making, or selling an invention. It's basically what you hold on to as your legal right of being the rightful inventor so no one could take credit for your hard work.
"S, are you sure we're in the right place? What the hell are we doing in a factory?" Quinn whispers just enough for me to hear while clinging on to my arm tightly.
"You drove us here, Q. I should ask you that question."
"This is the address! We're not going to die, are we?"
"Why? Afraid that Funny Girl will become Devastated Girl?" I jest but receive a hard glare from her instead.
"Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray!" An extremely loud and boisterous voice with a Brooklyn accent echoes from somewhere around us, making Quinn jump in surprise. We turn towards our side to see a dark-skinned woman dressed in a red tracksuit with pixie cut blonde hair and also what looks like a bronze medal strapped around her neck, walking our way with open arms. "Why, hello beautiful women! I am Roz Washington and welcome to my factory slash office!"
I blink a few times and clear my throat, holding out my hand for her to shake. Wow, her voice is really loud. "U-Uh… Miss Washington, it's a pleasure to meet you. Again, I'm Santana Lopez and this is my co-associate, Quinn Fabray."
"Yes. It's nice to meet you, Miss Washington." Quinn shakes her hand as well and looks around the small place for a second. "This is quite the factory. What exactly are they making, if I may ask?"
"Of course! They're making my invention, a self-cleaning trophy or medal that prevents rust: 'Nixy Fixin'!"
Quinn and I turn to each other with a questioning look then back on the client with the same dumbfounded look. "'Nixy Fixin''?" I speak up.
"Why, yes! It's smart, huh?" Roz answers with a proud grin. "Anyway, I'd invite you all to my office but it's being renovated at the moment due to some chlorine and hydro-chloride mix up during manufacturing. It melted my table for some reason. Not a big deal." She waves her hand in disregard.
"Uhmm… Sure. We can talk here, I guess." Quinn voices out with an unsure tone.
"Wonderful!" Roz clasps her hands together so loud I thought something blew up somewhere. "Well, as you can see, I'm a world-renowned synchronized swimmer, bronze medalist at the Olympics…" She trails off while not-so-subtly shoving the medal on our faces and looks at us expectantly.
"U-Uh… Of course!" I interject after a second of stalling.
"Y-Yes, that Olympics!" Quinn chimes in after.
"I know, right? I am a big deal, shorties." Roz utters proudly. "Alright, back to the story. A year ago on a dark, cloudy night, I was tending to this little bronze baby on my neck when I saw the most horrific thing!" She exclaims in panic then looks at us eagerly.
"I guess 'what did you see'? Quinn speaks up with a mocking tone that's only evident to the both of us.
"Oh, Barbie doll! There was a little speck of rust! Rust, I tell you!" The client declares dramatically.
"Isn't that normal for medals?" I say.
"'Normal'? Baby girl, that's cancer for these little babies! It's not some benign shit, it's malignant!"
"O-Oh." I stifle a chuckle and subtly elbow Quinn to take over.
"Alright. Then what happened, Miss Washington?"
"Well, I had to do something. I made up a little secret formula that I won't tell you and some clink clink black magic with some tools and chlorine from the pool plus a little nerdy help then ta-da! Nixy Fixin' was born!" She pauses, sporting a wide a smile before continuing. "It was supposed to be the best invention for Olympians everywhere and would make me a goddamn millionaire but some sneaky snake took my idea for their own!"
"Did you have a patent for it?" Quinn cuts in.
"Supposedly but my old lawyers messed up on it. So, I'm now left with an idea hanging on the line with my supposed buyers holding off on buying it because of some issues with the rights which rightfully belongs to me. Do ya get me?"
I nod and cross my arms in the process. "Who was it, Miss Washington?"
"Some creepy man named Sandy Ryerson." She waves her hand in disregard. "I presented the idea to him not too long ago with the hopes of helping me fund a thousand units to sell to a high-end buyer. But bitch double-crosses me and took the idea for himself! My buyers are now only offering half of their initial offer of 30 million dollars to produce a hundred thousand units."
"Have they patented it already?" I ask, forehead creasing.
"Fortunately, not yet. Due to some red tape, documents that I only own, and a few more technicalities about Nixy Fixin', my old lawyers told me they would be stuck on it for at least a month."
"I see." Quinn flashes me a knowing look of getting started with the case as soon as possible. "We'll get right on it, Miss Washington. Santana and I will also need those documents you mentioned so we can go through them and-"
"Fantastic! That's all I need to hear and none of the legal shiz for now!" Roz cuts us off. "Alright. Let's proceed with the tour!" She adds excitedly. Quinn and I instantly share a confused look upon hearing the statement, something that the client doesn't miss.
"Is there a problem, ladies?" She utters with a raised eyebrow. "You two would like to see how the factory operates and how Nixy Fixin's are made, right? I also have all my Olympic stories to tell you. Ooh, ladies. You're going to be here for a while."
I bite my lip and glance at my wristwatch to see that it's already 3pm in the afternoon. There's no way that I'd catch up with Brittany now and make it to the cake testing. "Of course." I say with a sigh. "Lead the way, Miss Washington." I add which satisfies Roz based on the huge grin on her face while I hurriedly fetch my phone and send a quick text to Brittany when she turns the other way.
"Roz Washington is quite the personality, huh?" Quinn utters amusingly as we walk side by side on our way to Mami's office to update her with what happened today and some other things she'd need us to handle.
We had just gotten back at the firm fifteen minutes ago after spending what seemed like an eternity in Queens. It's almost 4:30 now and most of the office's inhabitants are all gearing up to go home. I managed to take a peek from Brittany's office and saw it empty. She's still probably out handling a case.
"She was entertaining and funny, I'll give you that. Nixy Fixin' is actually cool as long as you don't think of Kentucky Fried Chicken and all their side dishes." I say with a chuckle, turning the corner to Mother's office where her long-time secretary glances up from her cubicle.
"You shall not pass." Greta, a plump woman with beautiful dark skin and long black hair in her late 40s, exclaims with a big grin.
"Pick a ring, Gandalf dear." Quinn jests.
"Which one is worth more?"
"Oh, definitely Lucy's. This is just an engagement ring. Hers could feed a city." I tease and flash them a smile. "Why can't we go in yet though?" I add, leaning by the wall right next to Mother's office doors.
"Watch out!" Greta warns immediately. I blink a few times as I try to decode her statement, moving out of the way just in time for both of the glass doors to open widely and forcefully like the world's strongest wind blew on it.
It takes a few seconds for us to recover in shock but a tall, blonde woman with short hair emerges from the room and immediately gives me and Quinn a once over.
"Sue Sylvester." Fabby and I utter in almost unison.
"Ah, Tweetleboobs and Lesbian Barbie. Fancy running into you. What are you two doing here?" Sue utters with a smirk that would scare the hell out of anyone. Anyone but us, of course.
"Uh… We work here. What-" I chime in but get cut off almost immediately.
"I really don't care, actually. I just asked that because it would be too awkward to face you since you two are blocking my way out of a perfectly choreographed exit from your mother's office." She rambles on while Quinn and I look at each other curiously. "So, when are you two going to work for me?"
"What?" Quinn interjects.
"I hope that you do get me wrong on this but isn't it time now that you two remove the training wheels and hop on to Sylvester International where the real stuff happens? I'll even give you both an automatic promotion to Junior Partner." She trails off slyly. "Whatever. I really don't care. Goodbye, chicas." She exclaims right after and storms off without even glancing at us.
"What the hell just happened?" I say, dumbfounded as we watch her leave.
"I've no idea." Quinn mumbles.
"She was settling one of the Escrow accounts with your Mother on a previous disputed case, if I'm not mistaken." Greta chimes in with disdain directed at Sue. "You better get your butts in there, your mother is waiting for you." She adds and we comply quickly after thanking her.
"I see that you're both just in time to catch her. Did she offer you both a job again?" Mother utters in a bored tone with her attention on the papers in front of her.
"She did, actually. How did you know that?" I say as Quinn and I take our seats in front of her.
"Mija, she'd been wanting to swipe the three of you even before you had your first day here at the firm." Mother chuckles and looks up this time. "Anyway, I have a dinner reservation at that restaurant your father has been wanting to go to so I'm going to make this fast."
Quinn and I both nod, subtly giving each other a questioning look. Mother grabs two binders from the pile behind her and hands them to us. I flip through mine and skim a few documents. "These are our past settlement cases and billables." I trail off curiously.
"Yes. And as you can see, you've made quite the impression with all of that. The two of you alone generate business more than all the associates combined. You and Quinn's success percentage rate with settling cases and closing off deals are in the high 70s, more than any other Partner here. Incorporate Brittany in that and it's probably higher."
"Okay. But did we do something wrong?" Quinn asks worriedly, forehead creasing.
"Oh dear, no. On the contrary, I had a talk with all the Partners this morning and they unanimously voted you both for a promotion to Junior Partner-" Mother utters with a grin.
"What?! Are you serious, Mother? Wait, what about Brittany?!" I exclaim with a mix of surprise and delight which Quinn mirrors.
"Let me finish, Mija." Mami chuckles, holding up a finger. "According to our bylaws, in order for an associate to qualify for a partnership, he or she must have worked in the firm continuously in the span of fifteen months, so Brittany's not yet qualified yet for a while. Those three months she worked before she quit doesn't count due to the technicality of having worked here 'continuously'. But don't worry, I already talked to her before she went to meet her client and she understands. In fact, she's not expecting a promotion for the next three years before I told her about a possible one in the near future."
"Okay then." I mutter in understanding, nodding slightly.
"Okay, back to you both. Now, even with the Partners' unanimous vote for a promotion, you'll have to hold off on any kind of celebration until both of you finish the patent case with Roz Washington and Santana's multi-million dollar case with Shannon Bieste-"
"Shannon who? I don't know anything about a new client, Mother."
"I must have forgotten to tell you about it. Don't worry, she's been the firm's client for a long time and her call for a meeting just came in yesterday. Although she's eager to meet you and the new Senior Associate next Monday."
"There's a new Senior Associate that Santana's partnering with?" Quinn voices out with an amused look at me.
"Yes, dear. You and Brittany are swamped with cases so I'm letting the new person partner with Santana here as a test. A rather interesting hire from another law firm who'll come in next week. They've got quite the résumé." Mother trails off, earning a curious look from me. "Anyway, that's about it. You get the partnerships as soon as you're both done with your respective cases. Although I'd rather that you both come away with a win so it'll be monumental and dramatic. Congratulations!"
"Do we get legal secretaries?" I say excitedly with a grin.
"Do we get bigger offices?" Quinn chimes in instantly.
"Yes to the legal secretaries and maybe to the bigger office." Mother retorts amusedly. "Okay. I don't want you both to get sappy just yet. So for now, no thank yous or tears of joy. You kids go home!" She adds, chuckling as we follow her orders and leave the room, bidding Greta goodbye on our way back to our own offices.
"Oh my god! We're going to be Junior Partners! It's so exciting!" Quinn whispers just loud enough for me to hear.
"Why are you whispering, Q?"
"We can't jinx it, S. This is some serious shit!"
"Okay, okay!" I retort with a chuckle. "Who do you think is the new associate? We don't even know if it's a he or she. God, Mami can be cryptic and spy-like sometimes."
"Who cares? As long as you get along civilly with them and win your case then we get promoted either way."
"Yeah, you're right." I sigh, both of us stopping by our respective doorways.
"Anyway, any plans with Britt for tonight? Rachel has a show I'll catch later then we'll probably go out to dinner. Do you guys wanna come?"
"Nah." I glance at my phone and see that there are no messages from Brittany since I told her about rescheduling the cake testing awhile ago. I pout a little until a sudden thought comes to mind. "We have to take care of some wedding stuff later."
- Brittany's POV –
It's almost 5 in the afternoon and I'm waiting for my client to show up at this cozy café a few blocks down from our apartment. For the first time, I'm handling a pro bono sexual harassment case. A pro bono is a case accepted without charge, it's completely for free. It's usually undertaken for clients who have low income. Firms usually take them to give off a good public image. It's a bit twisted, I know. But at least we're helping people. I take a sip of my coffee when my phone goes off indicating a new message from Santana.
Santana Lopez: Baby, I don't think I can make it back in time for the cakes. Really sorry :( See you later. Love you.
I sigh deeply. I'm not mad or disappointed at anyone. I'm mostly a bit frustrated that we're both so busy with work and we can't seem to get around planning the last few details of our wedding. I send a few necessary messages to our wedding planner to inform her about it just as a young man in his early 20s with an athletic build, dark Bieber-like hair, with a sling bag comes over my table with an unsure look.
"H-Hi. Are you Brittany Pierce?" He utters shyly.
"Yes. Ryder Lynn?" I stand up, holding out my hand which he shakes. "Please sit down. Would you like to eat anything? Coffee, sandwich, maybe both? They have a great clubhouse here, I insist." I add with a smile as we take our seats, something he mirrors bashfully.
"Alright then, Miss Pierce."
"Please, call me Brittany." I retort, motioning for the waiter and ordering for the both of us. I turn my attention back on the young man who looks quite shaken. "Are you alright, Mr. Lynn?"
"O-Oh. Just Ryder is fine."
"Alright. What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable here? We can always go to another-"
"No! It's really fine. It's just-" He hesitates for a second. "I thought that lawyers would just dismiss me, you know. I mean, my case might sound like a great joke to most people. Your colleagues probably laughed before you took me."
My eyebrows raise at his statement. "Why would you think that way, Ryder?"
"Because a man filing for a sexual harassment case against his female employer isn't something you hear everyday. They say that women are usually the victims of sexual harassment and that seems to be the norm. So, when a man files for it, people would usually think that you're a sissy. Most of them think that way, anyway. It took me at least a couple of months to get a lawyer, before you called me for the case."
I bite my lip, trying to find the right words to say in my head. Instead, I lean forward and quickly squeeze his hand for comfort. "Sexual harassment cases, men or women, is never a joke, Ryder. I didn't take this case just because you're a man, I took it because I want to help you and I really do. I'm sorry it took you a while to find a lawyer but I'm here now and I'll do everything in my power to help you."
Ryder smiles at me, nodding lightly. "Thank you. You're really nice. He or she must be lucky to have you." He voices out sheepishly. My forehead creases at his last statement until he points to the ring on my hand.
"Oh. She, actually. Engaged." I grin widely. He smiles and finally relaxes against his seat. "So, can you tell me about your case? I'd like to hear it straight from you."
He nods, placing his bag on the seat beside him before speaking. "It started when I was hired as an assistant to Andrea Carmichael. As you know, she's a semi-famous TV news reporter on Channel 12." He pauses. "At first, we got along just fine. A respectable boss-employee relationship. I fetch coffee, schedule appointments, handle personal engagements for her and the works. But then, at least a year ago, she started getting a little too close."
I lean towards the table and nod at his statement, determined not to cut him off in any way.
"It began with a suggestive caress on the arm that lingered too long. I thought that it was just one-time thing since she thanked me that time but it happened again. Over and over again. She even did it on my shoulders and when she wasn't satisfied, even my neck. She did it every time she asked me for something or just whenever she can." He sighs deeply. "I tried to tell her off about it but she ignored everything I said and called me names for it. I couldn't quit my job then because I really needed the money. More so, those touches turned worse as time went on. It didn't stop there. Soon enough, she was pinching my buttocks, pressing her body into mine, and a couple of times touched me on the genital area. She even called me to her apartment once when her husband wasn't there just so I could see her on the bed in skimpy lingerie. I left, of course." He shakes his head in disbelief.
"Now, some people may ask why I didn't just sleep with her. They said that a beautiful woman wanting to sleep with me isn't a problem at all, that I am the problem. But they don't understand. It's not that I'm asexual. Or gay. Not that I have a problem if I were one or the other. I just really don't want to. Same logic if a man made unwanted advances on a woman. She's my boss. She was making unwanted advances on me." Ryder whispers angrily. "I tried holding on for a couple more weeks and did my job professionally even with her rude behavior. But one day after a telecast, she just outright fired me for reasons unknown. Not only that but she also refused to pay me my salary and several back wages. It was horrible, Brittany. I didn't do anything wrong, I swear."
I nod frantically and sigh exasperatedly upon hearing his words just as the food arrives. How can any person do such nasty things to a kid as innocent as him? How can they take advantage of people and be confident to get away with it? How dare they? This is the reason why I studied law in the first place. This is why I chose to be a lawyer. This is why people like Ryder need to be defended from their oppressors.
"You didn't do anything wrong at all, Ryder. She's the one at fault. I promise you that I will do anything and everything I can to help you. You have my word."
I yawn for the third time since I arrived in our apartment building. I refused Santana's offer to fetch me from the café since it was close enough and I wanted to walk too for a bit of an exercise. It's only half past 6 in the evening but I'm already worn out like hell. It's probably due to today's events that started even before the sun rose, maybe it's the lack of sleep, or the emotionally draining details from Ryder's story. Whichever, I know that some cuddle time with Santana would solve all the tiredness and stress right away. I alight from the elevator and momentarily, enter our apartment and lock it behind me.
"Babe? I'm home!" I shout as I walk the short corridor leading to the whole apartment, tiredly dragging my feet until the least likely scene I imagined to happen tonight is shown before me.
Santana sitting by the kitchen counter with a grin on her face, surrounded with various slices and flavors of cakes neatly lined up in front of her.
"Hey." She utters softly. My eyes widen, mouth open while I make her way on the kitchen side of the counter, directly facing her.
"I-I thought that-"
"Yes, but I know you've wanted to get this done a long time ago. So, I did when I met with the cake person awhile ago after work. Oh, I checked out those flowers you wanted to see as an arrangement and they're wonderful. I went ahead by telling them that it's what we want. Flowers are all settled." She pauses, my grin growing wider at that.
"Okay. So, I only brought them here so you could take your pick and we can never have enough cake here anyway. I actually tasted all of them awhile ago and two of them stood out for me." Santana motions to the two slices in front of her. "This is Tahitian vanilla with a dark chocolate ganache and the other one is a mocha with a vanilla crème filling. If you ask me, I prefer the former. But you be the judge." She adds, handing me a fork. I oblige without saying anything while she watches for my reaction.
"Mmm…" I trail off after taking a bite of both cakes. "They're both so good! But I think I'll go with the Tahitian vanilla, San."
"Great! I knew you'd say that, by the way. So, don't get mad at me or anything but I actually already told the cake lady that. So, ta-da! We have our cake!" Santana rambles in a cute manner. I giggle at her antics and proceed to walk towards her side.
"Thank you, babe. That was very sweet of you." I voice out upon reaching her.
"Anything for you, Britt." She replies, pulling me towards her for a quick kiss. "Just so you know, I haven't made dinner yet because I didn't know where to put the stuff with all these cakes on the counter. So, you'll have to settle with cake as our dinner."
"That's okay. We could just order Chinese too since you've been craving for those spicy shrimp for a few days now."
"Oh, yeah. That's a good idea while we watch Mulan. It's Chinese night then." She jests, placing a long, tender kiss on my lips again. "Let's get down to business!" Santana singsongs the song from the movie.
I chuckle at her dorkiness and pull her away from the kitchen stool, still sporting a dopey grin. "We'll defeat the Huns later, dork." I whisper suggestively in her ear as I lead her to our bedroom.
I'm so excited for the rest of the story to unfold :D