Jennie

That night, Lisa held me as I silently sobbed into her shoulder so that Lily couldn't hear in the next room.

"He didn't even fight for her. How do you not fight for her?!" I wailed, my melodrama reaching new heights.

She rubbed my shoulder and my back, kissing my forehead as I buried my face in her bare chest. "Because he's a complete ass wipe who should burn in hell if you ask me. Hey, beautiful … look at me."

I look up, slightly aware that there has got to be snot and tears running down my face.

"You don't need him. We don't need him. I told you before, I'm going to be in that girl's life forever. You're not getting rid of me, baby. And I'm not asking, I'm telling … I plan to be the best kind of parent you'll let me be to Lily."

I try to speak, but gurgle. "Can I … can I have a tissue?"

She chuckles, her eyes so kind and loving. "Of course."

Leaning over, she grabs a few from the box off the nightstand and hands them to me, helping to wipe my face too.

"If I can clean your boogers, I must really love you, huh?" Lisa looks me in the eye.

"I suppose you do. You know … it's a big commitment—"

Lisa puts a finger to my lips, stopping my mouth from moving. "Stop it. We're not going over this again. You're going to warn me about some bullshit that you worry I won't be able to handle, and I try to talk you into it. I'm here. I love you. I love her. It's simple."

Her quirked eyebrow makes a small smile spread across my face. "And you'll love me even though I'm an ugly crier?"

"Your crying face is more beautiful than any I've ever seen. Although Lily rivals you. When she's in temper tantrum mode … hell, that is a sight to behold."

We both laugh, careful not to be too loud as we don't want to wake her in the next room.

"Do you remember that first date? God, she'd gone nuclear in that aquarium." I giggled.

"Do I remember?! I thought you'd never want to see me again. 'God, that girl who couldn't handle the tears of a three-year-old.' You probably thought I was some wimp."

"Actually, I thought you were quite cute trying as hard as you did to include my kid. But be honest, that was just a move to get in my pants, right?"

Lisa shrugs. "So what if I was? It worked didn't it."

I trace the lines in her abs, still dreamy-eyed when it came to her body. "Eventually, yes."

"What do you think it would have been like if I'd had the guts to ask you out in college like I'd wanted to?"

I wonder, and laugh. "We probably would have gone on some lousy date to the dining hall, you would have drunk texted me, we'd have had terrible, amateur college sex and then never called each other again."

She puts a hand over her heart. "Ouch … but you're probably right. I like how it happened better anyway. You know, the dashing DC entrepreneur swoops in to sweep the single mom off of her feet. Wooing her with my good lucks, dimple and charm until she had no choice but to fall in love with me."

I bite her shoulder in a playful tease. "Oh lord, you really are so humble, aren't you?"

"I love you, Jennie."

Those words still took my breath away, as if it was the first time I was hearing them.

"I love you, too. Can you do one more thing for me tonight?" I bat my eyelashes.

"Anything."

"Do your job and go scoop me some ice cream. Nothing tops off a cure of the cries like ice cream."

Lisa tapped her hands on the steering wheel like she was a five-year-old waiting for Christmas morning.

"You know that I have little to no restaurant expertise. You could take me to Taco Bell and impress me, so stop worrying."

I rub her thigh over the passenger console, letting my hand linger. Maybe if her brain registers I'm getting close to her dick, she'll stop being a basket case.

It was our once a week standing lunch date, and instead of eating takeout in my office or hers, I'd insisted she take me to the restaurant. I'd been waiting patiently to see it, and she's been delaying until every single detail is perfect. They're due to open in just three short days, and I basically all but grabbed her by her balls, demanding to be given a tour.

She pulls the truck up out front, paralleling into an empty spot. The sign is now over the door, which it wasn't when I'd driven by for a peek inside before. It was the typical Cones Corks logo, neat script and a wine cork making up the k, but it looked so different over a storefront as opposed to on the side of a truck.

"Fancyyy, Manoban. Very fancy." I pat her shoulder like we're teammates or something.

"Wait until you see the inside." she hops out, and I swear she skips to unlock the door.

Damn, that ass is amazing. Sometimes when she's sleeping, I just stare at it. Which sounds creepy, but it's a work of art that needs to be worshipped.

The door opens and I smell the scent of … new. Just the smell of freshness, or cleaning products, that lets you know that this place hasn't been tarnished yet.

"Holy shit." I couldn't help the words.

It was … freaking gorgeous. One side was all white tile and stainless steel, bright colors detailing the flavors on the wall and high-top tables of dark wood. And then on the other wall, a dark oak bar, with a wine rack spreading from floor to ceiling behind it. The whole store has a relaxed but spunky vibe; it's going to make a wonderful spot for families and young singles alike.

"This is perfect. Lisa … it's going to dominate."

She stands behind me, fist to her mouth. "You like it?"

"I love it. It's going to be perfect … great for families but also singles. The bar and ice cream parlor combo was a fantastic idea, and seriously? The little trucks over there. Oh my God!"

I made a whiny girl noise over the adorable model trucks lining the top of the ice cream barrels. They were tiny models of the Cones Corks trucks, one positioned over each flavor.

"We had a local metal artist make those … thought it would be a nice touch."

"They're adorable. You better get one for Lily though, because she's going to whine until she gets one."

"Noted. You really like it?" She looks so nervous, it's so un-Lisa-like.

I walk to her, pressing my body against hers and looking up, watching her jaw spread into a small smile.

"As usual, everything you touch turns to gold. It's beyond, Lisa … more than I had imagined, honestly. Take a minute to pat yourself on the back, you earned it."

I knew, from our time visiting her family in Buffalo, that while she might look confident on the outside, she was waiting every other second for the other shoe to drop. She didn't think she was worthy, even after she'd busted her ass for years to make her business. When you're conditioned to think a certain way about yourself, you start to believe it.

"Now give me the rest of the tour so we can eat lunch. I look forward to my midday dates with my woman."

Pressing up on my toes, I make her kiss me. Our lips fuse for a steamy couple of seconds before I pull back, swatting her butt.

Lisa gives me the dimple, and then takes my hand, showing me features around the room like the milkshake machine, double sinks, and other kitchen gadgets that mean nothing to me but make her eyes light up.

She then leads me to the back, past a small staff room and bathroom.

"And this is the kitchen." Lisa grabs my hips from behind, the old sparks lingering from our last foray into one of her test kitchens.

"Mmm, not the same counter as the one at your offices." I purposely back up into her, shimmying just the tiniest bit.

"Maybe we should test them out, see if they're up to par." Her hands squeeze tighter.

Finally, I tip my head back, my body responding to her insinuation. "I think we might just have to do that. You know, for the sake of good business and all."

Lisa

Water splashed onto the side of the cement pavilion, the waves from the Potomac River bouncing as the sun set below them.

I watched as the sun reflected off the glass windows of the Gaylord Hotel Convention Center, the massive structure taking up an entire hill in Maryland's National Harbor.

"Okay, I have to admit it, maybe the East Coast isn't a dump." Jihyo, Jennie's best friend from Seattle, walks by popping a piece of donut in her mouth.

"Especially when we have our own London Eye. Er, well, I mean Maryland Eye. But still … very international of us." Bambam winked at her while motioning to the large Ferris wheel like object.

"Your friend is a shameless flirt, huh? Does he realize I'm not going to sleep with him?"

I liked the blond spitfire already. She was feisty and raw in a way that Jennie was not, and I found that it brought out a side in my girlfriend that I rather liked. Plus, she was beating Bambam into his place.

"Sleep? Mommy sleeps with Lisa." Lily looks happy with herself after having announced this.

"Yes, she does, smarty pants." Jihyo kisses her cheeks where she rests in Jennie's arms, and I can't help but laugh.

I'd instantly liked Jihyo the moment we'd picked her up from Ronald Reagan. She'd skipped to the car, wrapped Jennie in a bear hug, thrown Lily up in a launch of squeals, and then looked in the car at me and said, "Oh, Jennie, I'm proud of you, girlfriend. Nice catch."

And ever since Bambam had accidentally seen a picture of Jihyo on Jennie's phone, he'd instantly inserted himself into any activity we'd be doing while she was here. So, here the five of us were, shopping and munching at the National Harbor. So far, the girls had racked up some good purchases, gossiped, ignored me and Bambam, and eaten their weight in fast casual food.

It was nice to see Jennie in this atmosphere, surrounded by someone who she so clearly felt comfortable with. Rarely was she with friends, since she didn't have many left out here, and when we were together, it was usually just her, Lily and me. I liked to listen to their little blips of conversation about this TV show or that person back in Seattle. About old memories or the new makeup they were trying. It gave me an insight into Jennie's head that I didn't normally get, and I stored away each nugget of knowledge like a gambling chip.

Of course, Jihyo's trip was double sided, but my girl didn't know that. She thought that our first meeting was in the airport, and physically it was. But virtually and over the phone … we'd been corresponding for weeks now.

"So where should we go for dinner?" Jennie asks, looking a little tired.

I walk to her, lifting Lily out of her arms and giving her a break. "Let's go to this Italian place just up ahead. Right on the water, we can look out. Plus, I know someone who wants some spaghetti and meatballs."

Lily raises her hand, and both Jennie and Jihyo look at each other. Jihyo raises her eyebrows as if to say, "and she's good with the kid, too." Damn right, I am.

"Jihyo, if this coast isn't so bad, maybe you should stay awhile."

The blond makes a chuckling noise and sticks her finger in her mouth, fake-vomit style. "Bams, this whole charade has got to stop. You're making a fool of yourself."

"That's only going to encourage him, Jihyo." I shake my head.

"Usually the ladies find me so charming." Bambam holds his hand over his heart.

"Oh God, did you just call us ladies? Yuck. And I guess some people would call you charming, but trust me … I see enough idiot couples in the delivery room to know who is right for whom. Nothing like pushing a child out of your body to really test the strength of a relationship. And trust me, buddy, you don't have what it takes to handle me."

Oh shit. I think he might just fall in love with this one.

"What about us?" Jennie elbows her in jest.

"You and Lisa? Yeah, you'd make it through. Knock my friend up, Lisa, make some more cute babies like this one. You want a little brother, right Lily?"

Lily squeals. "I would like a baby sister named Princess Sofia, just like on Disney Channel!"

"You heard the girl." Jihyo winks at Jennie, who rolls her eyes and gives her the finger behind her daughter's back.

"Are we doing any more shopping before we eat?" Jennie looks longingly at some store called Alex Ani.

"We are hungry." I speak for Bambam and me because my stomach is growling. "This is my rare night away from the new place, and I want to spend it eating as much pasta as I can."

"And if I know you like I think I do, the way to your heart is most definitely through your stomach. So let's go eat." She wraps an arm around my waist and snuggles into my side.

Twenty minutes later, we're sitting at a table near the window, the waves dark under the night sky now. The Ferris wheel lights up the harbor, and the inside of the restaurant smells like garlic and cheese and fucking deliciousness.

"I bet you I can eat an entire plate of calamari." Jihyo rubs her stomach.

"Remember that one time we ordered one of every item on the Chinese menu and ate so much that we considered going to the hospital to have our stomach pumped?" Jennie laughs, rubbing her own stomach.

"I swore I could give us colonoscopies from the couch. Jesus, I don't think I've ever been so full."

As we ordered and talked and drank, a sense of calmness sets over me. After the debacle with my family, I'd tried to put it out of my mind. That I didn't really belong to anyone anymore.

But like I'd told Jennie before, family didn't have to be the people related to you by blood. They could be this motley crew. The beautiful single mother and her stubborn daughter. Her best friend with a quick wit and sarcastic attitude. Bambam, one of the closest people to me on this earth, even when he was drunk and rummaging through my cabinets or trying to convince me to let him crash on my couch when he lived next door.

I had Rosé and Jisoo too, and more close friends down here in Maryland than I was able count on one hand.

Before I'd met these people, I'd been floating along without an anchor. I didn't have a dream or a purpose, and thought I was better off not having attachments. But I'd come to learn that strings weren't a burden, they were lifelines.

And knowing that, I enjoyed mounds of heaping family-style Italian food with some of my lifelines, until my stomach threatened to explode.

"Does the person who helps pick out the ring get a present too? Because I see some earrings over there calling my name."

Jihyo stands next to me at the gleaming glass counter, the sales associate gone to fetch us some rings to look at. The jewelry store I picked is one in the middle of DC, an upscale, elegant place with sleek wood floors and rows and rows of priceless gems. They offered us champagne when we arrived, thinking we were a couple. Jihyo played it up for one second, but then cringed at trying on rings on her finger. Apparently, that was bad luck and she just couldn't do it to Jennie.

"I'll buy you a candy necklace." I smile, but bounce on the heels of my boat shoes as the anxiety courses through me.

"Normally, I'd ask if you were sure you wanted to do this. It's been only a short amount of time, and I don't want my Jennie or Lily hurt. In fact, I'll skin you alive if you hurt either of them. But, I've seen how you are with them this weekend, and how they are with you. You're all really good together. I wouldn't be here helping if I didn't think so. So relax, Lisa."

Jihyo lays a hand over mine, and I notice I'm leaving sweat marks on the glass. "I don't even know what to look for. Shit, should I have looked at one of her Pinterest boards or whatever?"

She slants her eyes at me. "Do you really think Jennie is the type of girl who has a Pinterest board, much less time for one?"

"Yeah, okay, you're right. I just … I know she's probably thought about the perfect situation for all of this, and I want to do it right."

The sales woman is making her way back, but Jihyo scoffs. "I think Jennie used to dream about a wedding or fairy tale because she had the wrong guy next to her. It was nicer than facing the reality that she'd never have it with DK. Harsh but true. With you, it won't matter if you pull that rock out of a paper lunch bag. She loves you in a way I've never seen her love before. You're the fairy tale, and the rest will just fall into place. Now let's look at some bling before you make me vomit on the sweet shit that's coming out of my mouth."

I can't help but laugh. "Deal. Just don't pick an ugly one, because I'll blame it on you if she hates it."

We look at the velvet jewelry cases set out before us, thousands of dollars sitting out on that counter. Square diamonds and round ones, yellow ones that I don't really like, bands with a lot of jewels and those with none. Gold and silver, thick and thin, ornate and simple.

"I've got to be honest, I'm completely lost." I fist a hand in my hair.

I feel like women should just constantly have a running Christmas list with anything they'll ever want to have on there. I'm not a chick, I don't read minds. One purse looks the same as another to me. And I definitely have no taste in jewelry.

"Okay, calm down. Gold is out, as are any other color diamonds but traditional. And she likes a round diamond, so that narrows us down." Jihyo shoos away some rings with her hand and the woman removes them from the bunch.

We're left with about eight, and my eyes automatically go to one in particular. It's unique, a little different from the others, and unlike any I've seen on another woman's finger. Not that I check much.

But it's solely Jennie. Unique, not round but not square … never fitting a stereotype or role. It flourishes in a bunch of ordinary, and at the end of the day is always the brightest thing in the room. This ring is her, and I want to make her mine.

"That one. That's it."