"Regina, Hope! I'm home," Emma calls through the mansion persuading a suspicious smirk to tug at the corner of my mouth from her bold declaration.
I quickly scoop up Hope and greet Emma at the door just as she is slipping off her snowy boots. "Home, huh?" I lean forward and press a kiss to her cheek while our daughter bounces in my arms babbling on and on about, ma, ma.
"It kinda slipped out," she sheepishly replies, her cheeks flaring up an even brighter red than the bitter winter has already painted across them.
"It's fine," I wave her off as she steals Hope from my arms and sloppily kisses our daughter's cheek. I invade her space a little more, my warm breath tickling just below her ear. "I actually like the sound of that," I seductively whisper causing this startled woman to whip around in my direction.
"Seriously?" She incredulously questions, those glossy green eyes searching frantically across my face for an explanation.
"You know I love having you and Hope here," I admit, strutting back into the living room to finish with my task, the sheriff following closely behind like a guard dog. "These passed two weeks have been wonderful."
"I know, we love being here as well and we love when you come by our house too," she stops dead in her tracks as her eyes take in the twinkling gold lights and the immense amount of red draping every inch of the room. "Jeez Regina, it looks like the Christmas aisle in Macy's threw up all over this room."
"Is it bad?" I nervously inquire as my insecurities crawl up my back and prickle against my neck while my eyes search for where I went wrong.
"No, it's absolutely stunning," she gasps as her eyes roam over every detail. "It's like a professional came in here to decorate."
"Well, it's the first time, ever, that I'm hosting something in the mansion and I wanted it to be perfect," I truthfully reply, still anxiously twisting my fingers together as I myself scan the room yet again.
"It's beautiful," she places a sweet kiss to the corner of my mouth, melting away my worries in an instant. "Everyone is going to love this."
"I hope so. Everyone should be arriving around five o'clock tomorrow," I mindlessly ramble as I fix a crooked bow on the Christmas tree and I pretend not to notice Emma's skeptical eye on the side of my face.
"I know," her cool hand rests upon mine fiddling with the bow to desist my actions. "Are you nervous about everyone finding out about us?"
I sigh heavily and slowly release the satin fabric, avoiding my girlfriend's eyes like the plague. "A little," I quietly confess because I don't want to make her anxious about the situation as well, it would be nice if one of us was level headed walking into this.
"I swear there's nothing to worry about. Everyone is going to be so happy that we are together and working on rebuilding our family with Hope. We have a child together, being a couple will not offend anyone," she laughs which encourages our daughter to giggle as well.
I smile instantly from that adorable sound and tickle her tummy just to continue the sweet sound. "She sounds just like you when she laughs."
"You think?" Emma smiles from ear to ear and examines our baby like it's the first time she's seeing her.
"I do," I softly conclude, running my fingers through Hope's ever growing hair and wrapping my finger around one of her bouncing baby curls.
"So, are we sleeping here tonight? Or at my place?" Emma inquires, hoisting Hope further up on her hip because I swear our daughter gains at least an extra few pounds a day since she started eating my cooking.
"We can stay here, most of the presents are here, right?"
"True," she hums as her eyes roam over the pile of beautifully wrapped presents beneath the tree. "I think we went overboard."
"I think she's our little princess and she deserves the world," I proudly profess as I steal her away from Emma's embrace.
"I need to change, but then we need to get going. My mom even made sure to have my dad drop by the station to remind me what time dinner is at tonight."
"Well go on, Hope and I are all set and I have her bagged pack."
"Where's her Christmas Eve dress?" Emma investigates, tilting her head to the side as she inspects our daughter's plain red onesie.
"I was waiting until right before we left so she doesn't drool all over it...which reminds me," I teasingly suggest as I snatch up Emma's index finger, taking her by surprise.
Emma's eyes blow wide as I drag her finger closer to our daughter's contagious grin. Slowly I wedge her fingertips inside of Hope's mouth and watch with great amusement as Emma's entire face lights up like a bright headlight guiding the way through a gloomy night.
"Her first tooth," she exhales through a small chuckle while I nod along. "Oh my god, it's so sharp," she giggles just as Hope laughs along and chomps down. "Hope!"
I really try to hold back my snickering, but it's futile, so I turn my head so Hope doesn't think biting is a game that makes her mothers laugh.
"Hope," I gently say once I control myself, "no biting. That's not nice." Those big brown eyes scrutinize my expression through squinted lids which indefinitely persuades Emma and I both to laugh. My hand cups the back of her head to pull her closer to my lips. "You are going to be something else, aren't you?" I tease just before I place a kiss to her temple.
"We are so screwed with her," Emma muses before she turns on her heel, rushing up the stairs to change for our family Christmas Eve dinner at Snow's house.
XXXXXXXXX
"This is just great mom, really. I'm so happy for you two. Hope is going to love having her moms under one roof," Henry enthuses as he tickles just below his sister's chin.
I decide it would be wise to divulge mine and Emma's secret to our son, before everyone else finds out. The poor boy has been rooting for Emma and I to work through our differences for awhile now and it's only right that he is the first to know.
"Henry, please, Emma and I are just starting out. We haven't even discussed moving in together," I reject his statement, but that doesn't wipe away the ever growing smirk embedding painfully into his cheeks.
"You will soon," be smugly replies. "I wish you and Emma could have figured this out decades ago. It would have been kind of cool to have you both in one household."
"Henry-"
"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you and Ma worked out your differences when I was younger and I was able to flip back and forth between the two of you without any issues. I'm just saying it would have been kind of nice to see you two happy."
"Wine?" Emma kindly offers as she stretches a deep mulberry liquid in front of my face and successfully interrupts the private moment between Henry and I.
"Thank you," I whisper, accepting the glass and standing up from my kneeling position in front of our children. "Do you have her? I should probably ask your mother if she needs assistance."
Emma leans just a little closer, too close for a friendly encounter, kick starting my heart and forcing my eyes to scan the area to make sure nobody is watching us.
"Are you trying to butter up my mom before we announce our relationship?" She teases, but I simply roll my eyes and brush right passed her, persuading my favorite carefree laugh to escape her lips.
I bite down on the insides of my cheeks to keep my smirk at bay as I stroll casually into the rustic kitchen. Snow is just pulling out a marvelous over sized ham from the oven and setting it down on the stove.
"Hey."
"Oh, hi," she breathes, glancing over her shoulder and offering a small smile.
"Do you need help with anything?"
"Uhh," she drags out the word for as long as her lungs will allow as her eyes sweep the kitchen for an answer. "I believe all the food is prepared. You could always help me bring out the food to the dining room."
"Of course."
I gently set down my wine glass on the kitchen island and make my way over to the stove. I lightly touch the long glass dish to test the temperature before picking up the item.
"Here, you'll need this," Snow says as she hands over a towel to protect my hands.
"Thanks."
I'm not sure if this woman can sense my nervous energy, but I absolutely hate how uncertain I am around her. We've come so far in our relationship, but we never took a moment to discuss my relationship with her daughter, especially after everything we've been through. I know I owe it to her to be truthful, but it's so hard after everything we've been through.
I quickly scoop up the dish and dutifully rush off to the dining room. I carefully place the sweet potatoes down and head back to the kitchen, where Snow is digging through her drawers for something she needs. I quietly move around her, scolding my heart for beating so erratically in the moment.
"Ah," she hums to herself and holds up a very large carving knife like she is about to enter some battle in the Enchanted Forest. I slowly wet my lips and wonder how we are ever going to trudge through this awkward tension and how quickly she can end my life with that jagged blade. "So, are we going to talk about you seeing my daughter? Or are we just going to keep suffering in these awful moments?" She so boldly blurts out while she begins cutting through her ham, like she's actually bored with this topic of conversation. Yet, deep down I wonder if she's pretending that ham is me.
"Ah, Snow White finally found her bite again? No more lingering Mary Margret?" I sarcastically retort, just to delay this conversation a little more while I muster up something else to say.
"Ah, a sarcastic comment in return, someone's nervous," she replies without even skipping a beat and instead of admitting that she is right, I roll my eyes and focus on the dishes in front of me.
"This is unbearably uncomfortable," I mutter under my breath.
"It's...well it's a little out of the ordinary," she sheepishly concedes, prompting my eyes to narrow in her direction at the greatest understatement known to mankind. "Listen, I have never seen my daughter fight so hard in her life to protect another human being quite like you."
"Snow-"
"Just please let me get this out." I nod, snapping my mouth shut so the former princess may continue. She sets down her knife and finally turns to offer her undivided attention. "I will never forget when the first curse broke, when Emma found out that a mob was headed your way, she panicked, both her and Henry did. But when we arrived at your house, I just remember studying her face and seeing the sheer panic as she fought the crowd to get to you. And later that day after that soul sucker tried to kill you, she rushed across the station to help you up and I was dumbfounded actually, just watching in bewilderment as Emma so easily neglected all your past crimes just to ensure your safety. And not even an hour later, she pushed you out of the way from that demon again to save your life, putting herself in danger and falling through a portal."
I smile at the old memory, a time I was convinced that the feelings festering deep inside of me were just irritation for the annoying blonde, but were in fact feelings that I kept pushing down and bottling up.
"I know you were busy pretending not to catch a glimpse of Emma out of the corner of your eye while Emma was just as busy, pretending that she wasn't studying your face. All while I was examining you two with great interest. I have known for quite sometime that there was always something far more than the hate you two claimed and it ran even deeper than the friendship that you two built. You two have always shared a certain bond that was so precious and I wondered how long it would be before you two stubborn asses figured it out."
My mouth automatically pops open from the use of inappropriate language. "Did you just call us asses?" I inquire, completely perplexed by her choice of word.
"I did," she proudly nods and redirects her attention to our dinner once more. "Regina, I told you along time ago that you would find your happy ending, it took a lot longer than I initially expected," she chuckles to herself and shakes her head, "but I am so happy you found it."
"I-" I choke on my own words, because not one of them feels right against my tongue in this moment. Nothing I say at this point in time can truly express my true gratitude of her acceptance.
"Besides, you gave me my beautiful granddaughter, I can't really hate you after that," she muses with a smile that consumes her entire face, just like her daughter when she believes she's truly funny.
I swallow down all the emotions bubbling up in the back of my throat that are suffocating my words from ever leaking out. So, I offer a small smile which has Snow mirroring my image. Carefully, she places her hand upon my shoulder, her thumb sweeping for comfort.
"Let's enjoy our family Christmas," she suggests as she slowly pulls away, but I am quick to snatch up her hand, demanding her full attention.
"I want you to know that I will protect Emma and Hope will all my heart."
"I know, Regina. You always have," she sincerely states, her warm eyes filling with thick tears before we both drop the subject and proceed with our night before anyone catches our private moment.