Saturday had come and gone with little painting actually happening. Holly and Gail had essentially spent the day getting to know each other all over again in the most physical and literal way possible. Gail just couldn't keep her hands off of the doctor, and Holly did nothing to discourage it.
When Sunday morning finally rolled around, it dawned on both of them that a lot of work still had to happen in the house and they were running out of actual free time to get it done. Holly had hoped to spend the weekend painting so that during the week, she could put out some of her things and make it feel more like her home. However, her activities with Gail had been much more rewarding and she didn't regret a thing, but it still left her with one day to get as much done as possible. This fact was only made worse by the fact that Gail lay naked in her bed, and every muscle in Holly's body was screaming for her to crawl on top of the blonde and just live with the forest green walls with pink flower wallpapered accents.
"So you wouldn't mind if I call in the troops?" Holly asked as she laid her head on Gail's bare chest. They were once again, entangled in each other's limbs savoring the feel of one another. Holly let her fingers run lightly over Gail's abdomen.
"Well, with your family around, it would really help me to keep my hands to myself" Gail chuckled as she let her hand caress Holly's bare back. She leaned down slightly to place her face against Holly's hair, inhaling the intoxicating smell that was her.
"That would be terribly embarrassing, wouldn't it?" Holly chuckled as she closed her eyes, savoring the feel of Gail's fingers against her skin. "Gosh, I would be mortified if my mother caught you doing that thing with your hands."
"And what thing would that be?" Gail teased as she ran her fingers up over Holly's arm.
"Oh, you know that thing" Holly smirked as she pinched Gail's side, getting girlish squeal from the officer who shifted in order to snuggle closer to the doctor.
Just then, Holly's cell phone rang, causing both ladies to jump, so much so, that Gail rolled completely off the bed, butt naked. She hit the floor hard with a thud.
"Oh my gosh, Gail! Are you okay?" Holly laughed, leaning over the side of the bed. She couldn't help but let out another hearty laugh when she saw the naked blonde lying face down on the floor. She resisted every urge to pinch her little pink bum that was exposed.
If Gail could hide under the bed at the moment, she would have. "Yes, I'm fine. Just answer your God damned phone" she said, refusing to look up at Holly, who was still leaning over the bed, trying her very very best to stifle her laughter, and failing miserably.
"Are you sure I can't help you up?" Holly laughed.
"No, leave me be to wallow in my nakedness" Gail mumbled into the floor.
Holly simply shook her head at Gail before rolling to the other side of the bed to reach for her phone, which was sitting on the night stand. She grabbed it and swiped up to answer it. "Good morning" Holly laughed into the phone.
"Good morning to you too, dear. Someone's in a good mood. Oh, is Gail there?" Holly's mother questioned, causing Holly to turn a deep shade of crimson. "Put me on speaker phone" her mother instructed without waiting for Holly's reply.
Holly simply shrugged 'I'm sorry' to Gail, who managed to drag herself back onto the bed. She flipped on the speaker. "Hello, Mother, we're both here."
"Oh wonderful, good morning Gail."
"Good morning, Mrs. Stewart. How are you today?" Gail asked awkwardly as she slid back under the sheets.
"Dear, please, how many times have I told you to just call me Brenda."
"I'm sorry. Good morning Brenda" Gail repeated, laying down beside Holly, pressing her body against hers for some warmth.
"Mother, what can we do for you?" Holly asked as she leant back against the head board. She couldn't help but smile down at Gail as she felt Gail's hand slide over her abdomen.
"Oh, nothing dear, I just wanted to see how you are settling into your new place. I was going to say I hoped it wasn't too lonely, but I guess that is a silly question now."
It was now Gail's turn to blush as she pulled the covers over her head.
"It's great here, Mom. And you're right. I'm not lonely" Holly smiled as she ran her fingers through Gail's hair. She was definitely not lonely. Yesterday was one of the best days Holly had ever had, and it was more than just the crazy sex, that seemed to encompass most of the day, but it was the fact that she was with Gail.
"That's great to hear Holly. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help you. Your father and I are always here."
"I know that, Mom" Holly smiled as she continued to look down at Gail.
Gail looked up and mouthed 'ask her' to Holly who nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Um, Mom, if you are not too busy today, Gail and I were wondering if you had time to give us a hand with some painting."
"You and Gail are decorating together? Are you two moving in together there?" Holly's mother asked, her voice dripping with enthusiasm.
"Mom, please no!" Holly flushed with embarrassment. "Gail is just helping me paint, and we were just feeling a bit overwhelmed and she suggested that maybe you guys could come out and help, if you guys weren't busy, I mean, Gail and I are quite…I just thought…well, she thought…I mean, we thought….oh gosh" Holly explained in one breath.
Gail looked up at Holly, amazed by her sudden verbal diarrhea. Did she think that Gail was going to suddenly move in with her now that she had this house? Was she that worried about that possibility? Gail wasn't like that. She didn't need to live off of anyone. She couldn't help but let memories flood back of when she first met Lisa. Gail quietly slid out of bed, grabbing her clothes before venturing into the bathroom without saying a word.
"Oh, honey. I'm sorry if I shocked you. I just think you two are perfect for each other. I wouldn't mind if you two moved in together. What do you say, Gail? You must agree with me" Brenda asked.
"She's not here" Holly said solemnly, looking at the bathroom door that Gail had vanished behind.
"Oh gosh, not because of what I said, I hope."
"No it's fine, Mother." Holly knew it wasn't because of what her mom had said, it was because of her own idiotic response. "So will you come by today?"
"Yes, of course. We'll be by after lunch."
"Thanks, Mom, I'll see you then" and with that, Holly hung up the phone and slid out of bed. She grabbed her house coat before walking over to the bathroom door. She took a deep breath before knocking. "Gail…Gail, I can explain."
Gail swung the door open. "There's nothing to explain" she said as a matter of fact as she walked past Holly, fully clothed and ready for the day.
"Gail, stop, please" Holly called after her. "Please, let me explain."
"What is there to explain, Holly? Your mom simply mentioned us moving in together and you panicked. You are clearly against the idea of me living with you. Is it really that terrible of an idea?" Gail asked, turning to look at Holly, her eyes starting to become glassy with tears.
Holly could only smile at her as she reached out and to cup her cheek. "Gail, living with you is not a terrible idea, far from it."
"Well, you have a funny way of showing it. I thought you were going to vomit all over the bed when your mother mentioned it."
"Gee, Gail, do you have to always be so dramatic?" Holly laughed. "I would love to wake up every morning with you, and I would cherish going to bed with you each night. I would treasure our time spent together under one roof, but…" Holly paused as she tried her best to think of the right words.
"But? But what Holly?" Gail asked, her voice dripping with emotion.
"But…I don't want to wreck what we have by rushing into this. I want you to move in with me when you are ready, not just because I have a place of my own now. I want you to move in with me when you can trust me fully again and see that I'm not going to leave, and not just because moving in here is convenient. I want you to move in with me because you want to, and not just because my mother said something. I am head over heels in love with you Gail Peck. My day is spent thinking of you, my nights are spent dreaming of you. My world is you. And when you are ready, I'm here." Holly finished with a heavy sigh.
"And I'm the dramatic one?" Gail laughed as she quickly wrapped her arms around Holly's neck and pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss. "So when is your mother coming over?" Gail asked, pulling away from the kiss, her fingers playing with Holly's hair.
"Um… she said they will be by after lunch" Holly answered, her eyes still closed.
"Perfect, that gives us at least an hour" Gail smiled, pulling Holly back to the bed, shedding clothes along the way.
That afternoon, Holly's entire family came over to help with painting. Susan and Brenda were in charge of painting the living room. Arthur, Ally and Gail were sent to paint the hallways. Jack and Marcie were sent to tackle the bedrooms and that left Holly to begin emptying the boxes she could. Music and laughter could be heard spilling out from each room, periodically interrupted by baby Henry's cries.
As supper time neared, Gail excused herself from helping Arthur and Ally and made her way to the kitchen. She began gathering the different ingredients needed for her famous teriyaki stir-fry. After washing up the vegetables, she set to chopping them up and quickly threw them into the pan. This was a favourite pastime for Gail. This was something she found soothing, especially after a hectic, messy day at work. There was something about taking basic materials and creating a masterpiece that she found incredibly comforting.
As Gail was adding the last of the ingredients in to the largest pan that Holly owned, Marcie walked into the kitchen, carrying little Henry. She was surprised to find Gail busy over at the stove. "Don't tell me you can cook too?" Marcie smiled.
"I wouldn't say I'm good at it, but I do enjoy it" Gail replied with a smile.
"Is there anything I can do?" Marcie asked, walking up to the stove and leaning over the pan "It smells delicious."
"I think everything is pretty much done here. I'm just going to let it mingle a little in the pan and we are waiting for the rice" Gail answered with a shrug.
"Well, how about you spend time with Henry and I'll set the table" Marcie suggested.
"Sounds like a great plan" Gail smiled as she took baby Henry from Marcie and cradled him in her own arms. She couldn't help but marvel at how small and cute he was. "He definitely has the Stewart lips" she commented.
"I know!" Marcie said looking at Gail and Henry. "I've got to practice saying no now because I swear I am going to be putty in his hands when he learns to flash that lopsided smile. What is with the Stewarts and their ability to get me do to anything?"
Gail laughed "I know what you mean. Holly could suggest something crazy like I walk to work covered in mud and I would totally do it!"
"The scary thing is, I wouldn't put it past any of the Stewarts to suggest such a thing. They really do have a wicked sense of humour."
"I know!" Gail giggled.
Marcie walked over to Gail and the baby. She placed a hand on Gail's shoulder while she reached out to grab a hold of Henry's hand. "I'm really glad you and Holly are together. You make her really happy. She really loves you."
Gail simply looked up at Marcie. She wanted to say that she felt the same thing about Holly. She wanted to say that Holly was the best thing of her day, but all she could do was smile.
But Marcie could tell by the sparkle in Gail's eyes that she was felt the same way. She merely squeezed Gail's shoulder before turning towards the stove. "Looks like this is all ready and the rice is done. Why don't I start dishing this out while your go and gather the troops."
Gail merely nodded her head as she and Henry ventured down the hall in search for the other members of his family. Gail couldn't stop herself from introducing Henry to the different rooms, even though his eyes were barely open. Slowly, she walked from room to room, letting all the Stewarts know it was dinner except for one. She ventured upstairs to one of the bedrooms on the left.
"Auntie Holly? We're looking for our Auntie Holly. Anyone seen our Auntie Holly? She's the super-hot doctor with glasses" Gail laughed, walking into the room to find Holly placing books on a shelf.
"And who do we have here?" Holly asked, turning to look at the two in the doorway.
"This cute little guy is your nephew Henry. And I am your dashing, and darn sexy, girlfriend Gail."
"Well it's nice to meet you Henry, and very nice to meet you Gail" Holly smiled as she leant in to place a gentle kiss on Gail's lips. "So how is everything going downstairs?" Holly asked, leaning back again only to softly run a finger over Henry's face.
"Things are great. I have come to fetch you for dinner" Gail smiled.
"Oh, did Marcie cook? Is this how come you get to hold this little guy?" Holly smiled, as she held Henry's tiny hand in her own.
"Actually, I cooked, if you must know. Marcie volunteered to dish it out hence this amazing bonding time with this little guy" Gail said looking down at Henry. He really did have some of the trade-mark Stewart features.
"You cooked?" Holly looked shocked, taking a step back.
"I can cook. You've seen me cook. I've cooked for you before" Gail said, tilting her head to the side, not really understanding why this seemed to be such a big deal for Holly.
"Yeah, I know, but my family is here today and you still cooked." Holly looked at her, clearly shocked by what Gail had told her. She didn't ask Gail to cook. She didn't expect Gail to just embrace the day as much as she did. Holly never had anyone who was willing to include her family like Gail did.
"It's no big deal, I just multiplied the ingredients by like five. Have you been inhaling too much of the paint fumes?" Gail puzzled.
Holly merely smiled before leaning in to steal a little kiss. "You are amazing" she whispered as she slowly pulled back.
"I know! I keep telling people that" Gail huffed before turning to walk out the door. Holly could have sworn she heard Gail mumble something about getting it written on a shirt which caused Holly to burst out laughing as she followed her out. There was something about seeing Gail standing there, a baby in her arms, knowing she cooked for her, that Holly found so endearing. Gail was definitely a keeper.