It had been a couple of days since they'd taken Emily to see the doctor. She had improved significantly over that time, and by Thursday was pretty much back to her old self. Both Bridget and Franky were thankful that whatever bug she had caught seemed to have spared them.
Franky decided on Wednesday night that if Emily felt okay when she woke up the next morning, she was going to take the young girl on an ice cream date to ask if she was okay with her asking her aunt to marry her. Franky knew that traditionally that wasn't who she should be asking, but Bridget's parents weren't around, and Emily was who mattered most in their lives.
Since everything seemed fine Thursday morning, the brunette decided that she would take Emily out that afternoon. She felt bad not including Bridget in their outing, but she'd make it up to her later. She had thought about just asking the young girl how she felt about it sometime when they were hanging out alone at the house, but she wanted to make it a special memory for Emily.
Bridget had just left for work, and Franky was cleaning up the dishes from breakfast.
"Hey, Em, how about we go out for some ice cream after lunch?" Franky closed the dishwasher.
"Yeah!" The young girl's eyes lit up. "Is Auntie Bridge coming too?"
"No, bub, your auntie is at work all day. Today it's just you and me going." Franky thought the girl looked a little sad. "What's wrong?"
"Can we bring her back a treat?"
"Sure, maybe not ice cream though because it'll melt, but we'll find something for her, okay?" Franky smiled when Emily seemed happy again.
They had a light lunch, and made the short drive to the Williamstown Ice Cream Shoppe. It was one of Franky's favorite places, and she was excited to share it with Emily. She usually tried a different flavor each time she went there, and there were always new ones to choose from.
When they got there, Franky chose 'Cookie Dough' and Emily chose one called 'Confetti'. The brunette wasn't sure exactly what that flavor was supposed to taste like, but she had no doubt that the young girl would enjoy it. She hadn't found one here yet that she wouldn't try again.
"Can we take some of this home for Auntie Bridge?" Emily asked. She had tried hers while Franky was at the cash register paying.
"No, bub, it'll be too messy and melt in the cone." She handed some money to the young guy working behind the counter.
"Actually, we sell one and two litre containers of any of our flavors," he said, handing her back her change.
"Oh, well okay." She looked down at Emily. "We can get that just before we're ready to leave, alright?" The young girl nodded, and Franky told her to choose a table to sit at. Since it was a nice day, she picked one outside, under a big umbrella for shade.
The brunette ate a bit of her ice cream before she spoke. "Em, I brought you here today because there's something really important I want to talk to you about." The young girl looked up at her. "It's nothing bad, in fact, I hope you'll think it's really good. Remember when it was Auntie's birthday, and I said we had to keep it a secret?"
"Yeah, so we could surprise her." Emily had a big smile on her face.
"So this is kind of the same thing, but this time it's going to be a Christmas surprise." Franky could actually feel herself getting a bit nervous. She felt kind of silly because she knew Emily would be happy about it, and she was fairly certain that Bridget would say yes, but she couldn't help the feeling in her stomach right now.
"Are we going to buy her Christmas presents?" The young girl was getting excited now.
"Kind of, yes. I mean, we're going to buy her presents, but that's not what I wanted to talk about today." The brunette took a deep breath and looked around at the people passing by then turned her attention back to Emily. "What I want to talk to you about is me and your auntie. I want to ask her to marry me, and I want to know if that's something you'd be okay with."
Emily got out of her chair and gave Franky a hug.
"So does that mean it's okay?" The brunette laughed. Emily was hanging on to her so tight that it almost hurt.
"Yes!" Came the muffled reply from where the young girl had her face pressed against Franky's side.
The brunette rubbed Emily's back. "Okay, bub, let's finish our ice cream while we talk, before it melts." The young girl went back to her chair. "Do you know what happens when someone asks someone to marry them?"
"They ask 'will you marry me?', and then the other person says 'yes', and they kiss." Emily said matter of factly as she took another bite of her ice cream.
"The person who asks hopes they say 'yes'," Franky laughed nervously.
"Auntie Bridge will say 'yes'." The young girl said it with such confidence that the brunette almost thought she might know something that Franky didn't.
"I hope so." The brunette was quiet for a minute. "There's something else that happens when someone proposes. They give the other person a...?" Franky waited for Emily to fill in the blank. When she didn't, the brunette helped out. "A ring. It's something that's very special to both people, and I want you to help me pick out the one I give to Auntie."
"I can help you choose one?"
"Yeah, we'll pick one out together." Franky had been saving her money for awhile now. She hoped she had enough to get Bridget the ring that she deserved.
"Can we pick it out today?" Emily looked at the brunette expectantly.
Franky had a momentary wave of nausea at the young girl's question. "Not today, bub. We need to be back before Auntie Bridge gets home and if we go look for one today, we might not get back in time."
"When are you going to ask her?"
"On Christmas morning, after we open presents." The brunette had played out the scene many times in her head. She pictured them all sitting in the living room, opening presents, and then her sending Emily to bring in the one for Bridget that she had forgotten to put with the rest. It wouldn't be another present, but her ring, of course.
The young girl gave Franky a smile. "Don't forget, you can't say anything about this to her, okay? I want it to be a surprise. I know you can keep a secret like you did for her birthday, so this is the same thing, only more important that you don't tell her."
"I promise." Emily thought for a moment. "Does this mean you'll be my auntie too?"
The question caught Franky off guard. She always thought she'd just be 'her Franky', but the young girl had a legitimate point. If a man was going to marry Bridget, Emily would call him her uncle even though they would only be related through marriage, so she thought that technically that would make her the young girl's aunt. She didn't like answering questions like these without talking to Bridget first.
"Maybe that's something that we can all talk about after I give her the ring?" The brunette figured there would be lots of questions like this that they'd need to talk about. Would Bridget want to change her last name, or would she want Franky to change hers, or would neither decide to give theirs up? She also wasn't sure if this would change anything legally with her and Emily or not. In the end, the answers to those questions really didn't matter, because she and Bridget would be married, they'd be raising Emily, and they'd be a family.
Emily nodded, seemingly content to leave the topic for a later time and finish her ice cream.
Before they left, they went back into the shop and bought a container of the Confetti ice cream that Emily wanted to take home for Bridget. It was only a short drive back to the house so Franky figured it would make it there without melting very much.
"When can we go buy a ring?" Emily asked from the backseat of the car.
"I don't know, bub." The brunette glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
They only had one more day off together with Bridget working. Franky knew she could use the excuse of going shopping for the blonde's Christmas presents to get out of the house with just Emily, but she wanted the proposal to catch her completely off guard. The brunette realized that meant that she and Emily would have to go tomorrow if she wanted to keep it completely under the radar. The nauseous feeling returned to her stomach for a few seconds.
"How about tomorrow?" Franky asked, glancing in the mirror again. A huge smile lit up the young girl's face. "Remember though, don't say anything about going shopping tomorrow, or anything about the ring once we buy it, or anything about weddings or getting married, okay? And if she asks about today, we only went out for ice cream, we didn't talk about getting married."
"I know, it's a secret." Emily said it in such a way that Franky felt that the young girl thought she was making too big of a deal out of the secrecy, and that of course she knew not to say anything around Bridget. The brunette smiled to herself.
When they got home Emily went to play in her room and Franky put the ice cream in the freezer before she sat down on the couch with her laptop. She wanted to have at least some idea of what she was looking for when they went shopping tomorrow. She knew she might not find exactly what she was looking for right away, and she was prepared to wait if she didn't find something she absolutely loved.
Bridget didn't wear a lot of jewelry, so Franky wasn't sure what her tastes were in that area. She figured the fact that she didn't wear much of it meant that she would probably appreciate a classic, more simple design. The brunette opened up her web browser and searched for local stores, hoping she could browse their inventory before she and Emily headed out tomorrow.
After only a few minutes, she was overwhelmed by the choices. Gold, white gold, rose gold, solitaire diamonds, multiple smaller stones, all the different cuts. The options seemed endless. She deleted her browsing history and closed the laptop. Franky knew she'd know when she found the right one.
It wasn't long before Bridget was home from work.
"Hey, baby." The blonde sat her bags down on the end of the couch.
Franky stood up and took the blonde in her arms. "How was your day?" she asked, giving her a small kiss.
"It was long, but alright." Bridget sighed as the brunette moved her hands up and down the older woman's back.
"Auntie Bridge!" Emily came out of her room, and ran into the living room. "We bought you a treat!" She looked to Franky. "Can I give it to her now?"
"Sure, bub, it's in the freezer." The brunette nodded towards the fridge.
"What's this?" Bridget smiled as she took the container from the young girl. "Confetti ice cream," she said reading the label.
"Yeah! It's the kind I had today and I really liked it and I wanted to bring you a treat too."
"Aw, that's sweet of you, thank you. You guys went out for ice cream?" She walked around the kitchen island to get a spoon.
"Yeah, I had a craving." Franky looked over to the young girl, and they exchanged smiles.
"Mmm, this is really good." She took a couple more spoonfuls then put the lid back on. "I'm going to put this away so I don't ruin my dinner, but I'll definitely be having more later. Thank you, love." The blonde bent down and gave Emily a kiss on the cheek.
"You want to help me make supper?" the brunette asked the young girl.
She nodded, and the two set to work preparing dinner.
Franky made her way back to the kitchen after saying goodnight to Emily. Bridget had read her a story that night, but she always wanted to say goodnight to both of them before she went to sleep.
When she came around the corner, she saw the blonde sitting on the kitchen island, eating from the container of ice cream.
"Breaking the rules again, I see," Franky said, as she walked around to stand in front of Bridget. She placed her hands on the counter on either side of the older woman's thighs and smiled.
"It's a problem I seem to have, isn't it?" the blonde said, taking another spoonful of ice cream.
"Mhm." Franky pulled Bridget closer so that there were only inches between them. She felt the blonde squeeze her sides with her legs as she giggled.
Bridget held out a spoonful of the sweet treat. "If I share, am I forgiven?"
"Maybe." Franky smiled and let Bridget feed her. Emily had been right, that flavor was really good. The brunette watched as her girlfriend ate another spoonful, then offered her one again.
Franky ran her hands along Bridget's legs and up around her back. She sighed as the brunette lowered her head and placed a soft kiss on the side of her neck.
"Ah! Franky, your lips are cold!" The blonde let out a small laugh.
Franky smiled against the older woman's skin. "I guess I'll have to warm them up then," she mumbled, continuing to place small kisses on Bridget's neck and along her jaw.
The blonde set her spoon and ice cream to the side. She tangled one hand in the brunette's hair, and wrapped the other arm around the younger woman, pulling her closer. Franky's hand found its way under the fabric of Bridget's shirt as the younger woman connected their lips.
The brunette's hand travelled slowly across her girlfriend's back from one side to the other and back again. The blonde felt Franky's hand brush across her side and move up to cup her breast, as the younger woman moved her lips back to Bridget's neck. She felt a shiver run through her as Franky nipped gently at her at the same time as the brunette ran her thumb over the lacy material covering her nipple.
Franky reached around with one hand and quickly unfastened Bridget's bra, allowing her more access. The younger woman brought her hand back to her girlfriend's chest, as the blonde pushed her body closer.
Franky could feel Bridget moving against her, and the thought of fucking the blonde right there on the counter had briefly crossed her mind when she heard Bridget speak.
"Take me to bed, baby," she said softly next to the brunette's ear.
Bridget held on as Franky picked her up and took her into the bedroom.
The brunette laid her on the bed, and the older woman pulled her down on top of her. Franky could still feel the blonde trying to push her body closer as she placed her lips on Bridget's collarbone. She could tell that her girlfriend was very turned on, but the younger woman was in no hurry tonight.
The brunette felt Bridget's hands on her back, searching for the hem of her shirt. When she found it, Franky felt the blonde's fingers gliding over her skin. The younger woman moved her lips to the sensitive spot just below Bridget's ear. She lingered there, but was careful not to leave any marks.
The blonde slid her hands down Franky's back, and easily into her loose-fitting trackies. "Not wearing any underwear?" Bridget let out a small laugh, and felt the brunette nip at her neck in response.
The younger woman felt Bridget's hands roaming over what felt like every inch of her, as the blonde raised her hips, trying to gain some contact. Franky knew what her girlfriend was trying to do.
"Patience." The brunette let her lips brush against Bridget's ear as she spoke.
"Baby, please." The blonde moved her hands over Franky's butt and around to her hips, causing a shiver to run through the other woman.
The brunette felt like every nerve in her body was on fire and hyper-sensitive. She pulled back, bringing Bridget with her, so the blonde was now sitting up with Franky half on her lap. The younger woman reached down and rid Bridget of her shirt and bra, and the blonde quickly repeated the action on the other woman.
Bridget lowered her head to Franky's breast and took her nipple into her mouth. She felt it harden against her tongue as the brunette's breathing picked up. Franky let herself enjoy the sensations for a moment before she gently pushed Bridget back down on the bed.
The brunette gave the older woman a kiss before she began a path down her body. She spent time on each of the blonde's nipples, taking in all the little noises that Bridget made and the effects that her actions were having.
When she reached the waist of Bridget's pants, she wasted no time sliding them, along with the blonde's underwear, down her legs and off over her feet. Franky looked up to see Bridget watching her. The brunette held her gaze as she lightly nipped at the skin on the older woman's hip. Bridget let out a small moan, and Franky knew what she wanted.
The younger woman lowered her head and kissed the blonde's inner thigh as she placed Bridget's left leg over her shoulder. Franky ran her tongue along the blonde's folds and heard the other woman let out a long slow breath. The brunette placed her lips around Bridget's clit and alternated between licking, sucking and flicking the bundle of nerves with her tongue.
She looked up, and saw that Bridget was once again focused on watching her actions. Franky let her left hand wander up over the blonde's stomach, caressing her skin, finally coming to rest on her breast.
It didn't take long for Bridget's moans to become louder, and Franky slowed her pace, wanting to hold the other woman on the edge as long as possible. The fingers of the brunette's right hand glided back and forth over Bridget's thigh, and Franky could feel the goosebumps on the blonde's skin. After a couple more minutes, Bridget's breathing picked up and with a final flick of the brunette's tongue, the blonde's body shook with her orgasm.
Franky waited until Bridget's body was calm before giving her clit one last, gentle lick, and making her way back up the blonde's body. The brunette was beyond turned on, and she wanted her release, but more than that, she wanted to pleasure her girlfriend again. The more she thought about making Bridget come again, the more she felt the familiar warmth grow in her own stomach.
The blonde pulled Franky in for a deep kiss, and the brunette brought two fingers to Bridget's opening. The older woman pushed her hips forward, letting the other woman sink deep inside her. Franky set a slightly faster pace this time, as she curled her fingers deep inside of the blonde.
"Fuck." Bridget tangled one hand in the brunette's hair and pulled her close against her neck where Franky immediately went to work. "Oh god."
Once in a while, when Bridget moved her hips, it put friction right where the brunette needed it. While she was fully focused on the blonde, she wasn't going to ignore her own body like she did the last time. She was hyper-aware of the sounds Bridget was making, and how her body moved and felt against Franky's own.
The brunette was hitting all the right spots inside the older woman. Bridget could tell from Franky's breathing, and the tension in the back muscles under the blonde's hand, that they were both close to their releases.
"Yes, baby, right there," the blonde moaned, as she dug her fingers into Franky's back. "I'm so close."
The brunette felt Bridget's muscles flutter around her fingers, and that was all it took for her own release to wash over her. She buried her face in the blonde's neck, and did her best to keep up the pace.
Bridget felt Franky come, and her second orgasm hit her hard. Her muscles contracted so hard it felt like she couldn't breathe for a few seconds, and when they finally relaxed, she drew in a deep breath. Franky worked her through it, continuing to hit that spot deep inside her until her whole body felt like jelly.
The brunette picked up her head and placed a light kiss on Bridget's lips.
"So I guess you're really into me, huh?" Bridget said, smiling as she pushed a strand of hair away from the brunette's face.
Franky smiled back. "I love you, Gidge."
"I love you too, baby."
They shared a few more kisses before Franky moved to the side and discarded her own pants onto the floor. She pulled the comforter up over them both as she moved back in close beside the blonde and wrapped her in her arms.
"That's another first with you." Franky said quietly after a moment.
"It was really hot." Bridget cupped the brunette's cheek and gave her a soft kiss.
Franky just smiled and pulled her closer. There was so much she wanted to tell Bridget about how the blonde made her feel, but she didn't know how. Until she figured it out, the brunette decided that she'd keep showing her instead.
"Franky?"
The brunette heard Emily's voice as she drifted into consciousness. When Franky opened her eyes, she could see that the morning sun was just barely starting to lighten the sky. She glanced at the clock; it was five in the morning. She felt the young girl start to climb onto the bed.
"Whoa, whoa, wait," the brunette said, quickly turning over to face Emily, and holding the blanket tightly against her, since neither she nor Bridget were dressed. "What's going on, bub?"
"I can't sleep. Can I lay down with you guys?" The young girl looked behind Franky at the space between her and the blonde.
"Uh, how about you go out to the living room and find a cartoon to watch? I'll come out and lay on the couch with you." The brunette felt Bridget shift behind her, and glanced back to make sure the older woman was still covered. The blanket had slid about halfway down her back, and Emily looked from her aunt to the younger woman.
"Why is Auntie Bridge not wearing a shirt?" The young girl gave Franky a questioning look.
"She, uh, felt too warm. Go on out now, and I'll be there in a second," the brunette said, nodding towards the door. "Please?" She said when Emily hesitated.
The young girl reluctantly left the room, and Franky got out of bed slowly so as not to wake Bridget. She pulled on a pair of pants and a t-shirt, and went out to the living room. The brunette was definitely not ready to wake up this early, and fully intended to sleep through whatever cartoon Emily decided to watch.
Franky laid down on her side on the couch and pulled a blanket over herself. She was already starting to drift off again when she felt the blanket lift, and Emily climb up to lay in front of her.
"Are you going to sleep?" The young girl asked quietly.
"Probably, yeah, but I'm right here." The last part came out as more of a mumble.
"I couldn't sleep. I'm too excited."
" 'Bout what?" The only thing Franky could think of was Christmas, but that was a ways off. She hoped that if that was what Emily was excited about, that it wasn't going to mean a whole month of sleepless nights and early mornings. None of them would do well with that.
"Shopping today," Emily whispered it quietly, remembering that it was a surprise.
"Ohh, me too, but the stores aren't even open for a few hours, and we have to wait for Auntie to go to work. Let's try to sleep a bit more, alright?" The brunette heard a quiet 'okay', and felt Emily turn on her side to face the tv. Franky made sure the young girl was covered with the blanket as well, and hoped that they would be able to get a bit more rest. If not, it was going to be a long day out for both of them.
Bridget woke up to the sound of her alarm. She felt the cool air on her back and immediately realized that the brunette wasn't in bed anymore. Her first thought was that Emily wasn't feeling well again, and Franky had gone to look after her. The blonde quickly put on some clothes and went to see what was going on.
Bridget saw that Emily's bedroom door was open, and a quick glance inside confirmed that her niece was no longer in her bed. When the blonde entered the living room, she saw Franky and Emily covered up on the couch. The young girl was wide awake watching cartoons on the TV, but Franky was very much asleep.
"Good morning, love," Bridget said quietly. "You feeling okay?"
Emily nodded. "I couldn't sleep."
"Okay. Do you want some breakfast before I shower?" the blonde asked as she made her way towards the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker.
"Yeah, cereal please."
"Make it two, Gidge," Franky mumbled from her spot on the couch.
Bridget smiled, took two bowls out of the cupboard, and poured them each some cereal.
Franky propped herself up on some pillows into a half-sitting position, and Emily did the same, leaning back against the brunette. The blonde handed them their bowls over the younger woman's shoulder, and when Franky looked up at her, she leaned down, giving the brunette a small, but slow, gentle kiss.
"What's that for?" Franky asked, smiling. Bridget simply shrugged her shoulders and headed to the shower.
"When do we get to leave?" Emily asked as she ate her cereal.
"We have to wait until at least nine." Franky shoved some cereal into her mouth. Bridget usually bought the sensible "adult" types of cereal, but when the brunette did the shopping she made sure to sneak some of the sugary ones in as well. She claimed they were a treat for Emily, but secretly she enjoyed them too. "If Auntie asks though, we don't have anything planned other than a cartoon marathon, okay?"
"Okay."
When Franky had finished her cereal, Bridget was still in the shower. She decided to pack a lunch for her, so that the blonde would have more time to enjoy her breakfast.
"You didn't have to do that, baby." Bridget said, entering the kitchen a few moments later.
"I wanted to." Franky gave her a kiss on the cheek. "What do you want for breakfast?"
"I think I'll just make some toast today. I can get it." Bridget put two slices of bread into the toaster, and poured herself a coffee. "What do you two have planned for today?"
"Cartoon marathon!" Emily was almost too eager with her answer.
"Ah, well that sounds lovely," Bridget said, putting some jam on her toast.
After Bridget left for work, Franky sent Emily to get washed up and dressed. The brunette went into the bedroom to change her clothes, and saw a couple of Bridget's rings on her dresser. She noticed that most of the blonde's jewelry was silver, so she decided that white gold would be best for her engagement ring. Franky picked up a couple of the rings, and recognized one that she'd see Bridget wear a lot. She slipped it into her pocket and figured it would be close enough to use as a guide.
"Ready?" Franky stuck her head into Emily's room.
"Yeah." The young girl pulled on her sock, and hopped off her bed.
Franky could tell that Emily was still excited, so she felt like she needed to explain some rules for the day.
"Hey, Em," the brunette said, looking into the rearview mirror. "There's a couple things you have to promise me today, okay?" She watched while the young girl nodded. "Alright. The stores we're going to are more grown-up places, and I know you're excited, but I need you to be calm while we're in there, and always stay with me. No wandering off or running around."
"Okay. Can I help pick out the ring?"
"Yeah, of course! That's why I need you to stay with me." It was a partial lie, but Franky was okay with that. "And if we don't find something we like today, don't be disappointed, we can go again another day." The brunette had in mind what she wanted. She just hoped that when they found it, it fit in her budget. She'd been saving specifically for the ring for awhile, and she had some other money put away that she could use if she needed it. She may not have really admitted it to herself until her time in Wentworth, but she'd known almost right away that Bridget was the woman she was going to marry.
Franky drove to the area of the city where most of the jewelry shops were. She felt out of place almost immediately after they had gotten out of the car. Emily held the brunette's hand as they walked to the first store. The only jewelry Franky had ever bought for anyone besides herself was the star necklace that she had bought Bridget for her birthday. While she had bought it at a nice store, she hadn't paid near the amount for it that she knew she'd be spending on a ring today.
"Are you scared?" the young girl asked the brunette.
"A little bit nervous maybe. Why?" Franky was actually a lot nervous. She wanted everything about the proposal to be perfect, starting with the ring.
"Your hand is sweaty."
Franky let go of Emily's hand. "Sorry, bub," she said as she wiped her hand on her pants.
"It's okay." The young girl reached up and took the brunette's hand again.
Franky smiled. Emily was a child, but she was very in tune with other people around her and how they were feeling. Bridget had told the brunette of the time, when Franky was in Wentworth, that her niece had come into her bedroom in the night because she'd heard her crying. Emily knew right away that her aunt was missing the brunette, and stayed to comfort her the rest of the night. Franky knew that, at Emily's age, she probably hadn't thought much about what she'd like to be when she grew up, but the brunette wouldn't be surprised if the young girl became a psychologist like Bridget.
They entered the first store, and started to look at the items in the display cases. The employees were all busy with other customers at the moment, so they had the chance to look for a few minutes without being interrupted. Franky generally told the salespeople that she was fine on her own, and only went to find them when she actually had a question.
"These are all really pretty." Emily walked along beside the brunette.
"Good morning, is there anything I can help you with?" Franky looked up to see a smartly dressed young man with a name tag that read "Kevin" smiling at her from behind the display counter.
"Uh, I'm looking for an engagement ring." The brunette's hand twitch, and she felt Emily give it a small squeeze in response. "For my girlfriend."
"That's great! Do you have an idea what you're looking for?" When Franky looked at him blank for a second, he smiled and continued. "Have you decided which stone you'd like? Traditionally people go for diamonds, but really it can be whatever stone you like."
"A diamond, yeah." Franky sighed. "Is it okay if I just look around? I kind of feel like I'll just know it when I see it."
"Of course. Let me know if you need anything." Kevin gave her a warm smile, and went to help another customer.
The brunette looked around the store for a few more minutes, and didn't see anything that caught her eye. She decided it was time to move on to the next one.
They had spent the rest of the morning looking through countless stores, stopped and ate lunch, then continued the search. Franky swore they'd been in every jewelry store in Melbourne, and she knew that Emily must be getting tired because even she herself was feeling like she needed a nap by this point. She was about to give up and say they'd have to try another day when she saw one more store up ahead of them. It was a smaller store, but Franky thought it was worth a shot.
When they went inside, the brunette immediately felt more at ease. There was something calming about the atmosphere of the store. There was an older woman working behind the counter. She smiled and nodded her head towards the brunette and Emily, but remained at her spot while they looked around.
After a few moments, Franky approached the woman. "Hi, I'm, um, looking to buy an engagement ring."
"Sure, love. Name's Mae, by the way." The woman smiled at her, and something about her demeanour reminded her of Liz. "Why don't you tell me a bit about what you're looking for?"
The brunette had learned more about rings today than she ever thought possible, so by this time, she felt more prepared to answer these types of questions.
"I want a diamond, not the one big one, but maybe the three smaller ones in a row." She quickly scanned the display case for what she was looking for.
"A trilogy design?"
"Yeah! That's what the other guy called it. I want white gold, too. Uh, that's all, I think." Franky gave her a weak smile.
"Okay, let me take a few of these out for you to look at." The saleswoman saw Emily watching her through the glass of the case, and smiled at her. "Who's the young lady you've brought with you?"
"My girlfriend's niece, Emily."
"So you get to help pick out a ring for your aunt?" the woman asked.
Emily nodded. "It's a surprise for Christmas."
"You must be good at keeping secrets then." Mae gave her a wink and Emily nodded again and giggled.
The woman set five rings out on top of the display counter. When she had taken out the fourth one, Franky knew right then that that was the one. The brunette saw Emily out of the corner of her eye, stretching to see on top of the counter, so she bent down and picked her up.
"I like number four," the young girl whispered in Franky's ear, and the brunette nodded.
"Can I look at the fourth one?" Franky asked. Mae smiled and handed her the ring. "What do you think, bub?" Emily gave a big smile and nodded. It was exactly what Franky had pictured; a white gold band, with three diamonds, a larger one in the middle surrounded by a slightly smaller one on each side with a few smaller stones set into the band. "We like this one." The brunette handed it back to Mae, and set Emily back on the floor.
"Do you know what size she needs?"
Franky took the ring that she'd taken off Bridget's dresser that morning, out of her pocket. "This is one of hers," she said, handing it to Mae.
The woman checked the size of Bridget's ring and the engagement ring. "Well, what do you know, they're a match. Seems like it was meant to be. Did you want to take this with you today or have us hold on to it and you can come back for it later?"
"I'll take it today." Franky took a deep breath.
"Sure, I'll get a nice box for you." Mae reached under the counter and took out a small black velvet box, and placed the ring carefully inside.
It was only a few moments later, and the brunette had paid for the ring, and her and Emily were on their way back to the car.
"So when we get home, I'm going to hide this, we're going to change back into our pyjamas, and be on the couch watching tv when Auntie gets home. And if she asks what we did today….?" Franky paused to allow the young girl to answer.
"We watched cartoons all day." Emily gave a small laugh.
"Right!"
Franky had stashed the ring in a box of her things in the back of the closet. Bridget should have no reason to be looking for anything in that box. Now, her and Emily were back on the couch watching a cartoon. The brunette could feel the young girl leaning more and more of her weight against her, so Franky pulled a blanket over her to keep Emily warm while she slept. She was impressed because even though she knew the young girl had been tired after the first few hours of shopping, she never complained.
When Bridget returned home, she found the two in the exact same spot as she had left them that morning.
"Did you guys move today at all?" the blonde asked with a small laugh.
"Nah, just stayed here and soaked in the last day of vacation," Franky said, stretching her arms above her head.
The brunette felt Bridget's hands take her own, and she tilted her head back over the couch to look at the older woman. The blonde leaned down and gave Franky a gentle kiss. Bridget held Franky's gaze for a moment.
"Okay, baby. I'm going to get out of these clothes," she said, making her way to the bedroom. The blonde didn't believe for a second that they had sat there all day and done nothing. Franky had way too much energy for that. She decided not to push it though since Christmas was fast approaching and she knew that she'd have to make some secret trips herself to pick up gifts.
