Chapter 40

After stopping at the store for the supplies for the rice crispy treats, the girls returned home to find Phillip sitting on their porch. He stood as they approached. "Hi."

"Hey." Natalia said sweetly.

Phillip turned to Olivia. "I uh, got your messages."

"Oh good, cause I didn't get yours." Olivia retorted coldly.

Natalia reached for the bags in Olivia's arm. "I'm gonna unpack these, inside." She bid Phillip goodbye and disappeared into the house.

Olivia turned to Phillip. "Look, I'm trying to do this co-parenting thing with you, but that's kind of hard to do when you don't return my calls."

"I know and I'm sorry. I had something that I had to take care of but you're right, I should of called you back."

"I'm right?"

"Yeah, and I'll try to do better."

"Okay. You and I need to learn how to respect each other."

"Okay."

"Emma adores you, and she needs you, and we need to be able to get along for her sake. So, you need to mark your calendar off. For sweet sixteen, or prom, or graduation, I expect you to be there, each and every one." The two moved to sit on the bench adorning the porch. Olivia faced Phillip, meeting his eyes. "I just want to give you a heads up before I talk to Emma. And don't think that you can change my mind. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Natalia and I have made a decision. We're gonna sit Emma down and explain to her that we plan on coming out, to everyone, at the barbeque."

"She knows about you two though?"

"Yeah, yeah. We told her first, back when we first got together, but we want her to understand that some people aren't going to be very happy with this." Phillip just stared at her. "Well say something."

Phillip smiled to himself. "Um, I do have one request."

Olivia laughed nervously. "Uh, ha, ha, I figured."

"If you could arrange it, so I could be around, when Rick figures it out, I'd kinda like to watch his head explode." He replied, raising his head to smile widely at her.

"That's not funny, that's not funny." But she couldn't help the laugh escaping her lips.

They both laughed for a few moments before Phillip grew serious. "Hey look, I'm not making fun and you know, I, I've already told you I don't have any issues with you and Natalia. As long as Emma's happy…"

"She is, she is."

"I know, I know, so I say go for it, but, you know, you're gonna turn a few heads at the barbeque, people are gonna talk."

"Oh, I know. I can see you guys standing around the barbeque making stupid frat boy jokes."

"There probably will be some of that, or you know, people may just look at you and say, you know, look how happy they are."

"I don't really care what people say, well look, if Reva showed up with a woman, I would probably make a few jokes myself, but I don't want Emma to hear anything."

"Well, if I hear anybody saying anything bad about you, don't worry, I will shut it down."

"And Rafe and Frank too. They don't deserve that."

"I'll do whatever I can."

"Thanks. I think everything's going to be okay."

Phillip and Olivia said their goodbyes and Olivia entered the house, phone against her ear. "Okay, Emma, Emma, Emma, I'm not gonna start without you okay. Five minutes away. I got it. I'm excited about the barbeque too. I'm very excited."

Olivia was unpacking the grocery's when Emma entered the kitchen. "Mommy I'm here, I hope you didn't start without me."

"No. I would never, I would never do that. You need to wash your hands."

Picking up the recipe she held it in front of Emma's face. "So, what do we do?"

Emma looked at the paper while she finished drying her hands. "Where's the little saucepan?"

"It's next to the pots, and we need glasses, and we need butter."

"We need butter and wax paper." Emma said, moving to grab the pan.

"Okay, butter's in the fridge."

"And the wax paper is in the drawer. I know."

"Okay. Now what?"

"Now we need a spatula."

"Okay, it's in the sink, it might need to be washed."

"This is gonna be so exciting. I hope everyone at the barbeque loves them.'

"Oh, they're gonna love them, they're gonna love them, love them. Are you kidding me?'

"Can we do the egg toss tomorrow, and then the three-legged race, and then eat five hamburgers each?"

"Yes, yes, and no. We're not gonna eat five hamburgers, it's gonna make your tummy hurt."

"I'm so excited." She exclaimed, leaning in to hug her mother.

As they pulled back Olivia raised her hands half in the air. "It's gonna be the best one ever."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"I never heard you say that. You always complained about barbeques. You say they're too hot, your feet hurt, and the food stinks."

"What's your point? Do I say all that really?"

"Yeah. Why are you so into it this year?"

"Because I'm gonna be with my two favorite girls. How could I not be?" She answered, pulling Emma into a tight hug, making her squeal in delight. Pulling back from the hug, she handed her daughter the recipe. "Here, read that to me, I can't see."

As they started working, Emma realized her other mother was missing. "Where's Natalia? I want to start mixing."

"She is upstairs. Her tummy isn't feeling really good. Okay? Give her a minute."

"Maybe I should go check on her."

"Alright, go check on her." As Emma bounced off, Olivia smiled to herself thinking how wonderful her family was and how happy she was at that moment.

Emma knocked on the bathroom door. "Natalia, are you okay? What are you doing in there?"

Blowing out a breath, Natalia tried to steady her voice. "I'm gonna be out in just a second Em, okay?"

"Are you okay? Mom said you're sick. Is it your stomach?"

"Yeah, but I'm gonna be down there in just one minute. Okay?"

Olivia joined her daughter outside the door. "Hey, honey are you okay? Maybe you have food poisoning. That sandwich you ate was a little dicey."

"I don't think it was the sandwiches." Natalia replied as she exited the rest room.

Emma looked up at her other mommy. "We couldn't start making the rice crispy treats without you. Come on."

Olivia scanned her partner quickly. "Wait, wait, wait, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You guys worry too much. I'm fine. See?" She flashed a bright smile at her lover and daughter.

"Really cause you look at little pale?"

"No, I think that maybe it was just the heat today, and I didn't drink enough water. I'm fine. Did you get everything ready?"

"Yup." Emma answered cheerily.

"Okay."

"Wait, why don't you go lie down, the treats can wait." Olivia offered.

"No, I'm fine I promise. And we're gonna go downstairs, and we're gonna make the most patriotic treats anybody had ever seen."

"Alright. I'll guard the marshmallows because somebody tries to steel them." She joked, pointing at her daughter."

"Who?" Natalia feigned ignorance.

Emma spun to face her mother. "Who? You?"

"Snap." Olivia huffed. "Em, go on down, we'll be down in just a minute." Emma bounded down the stairs and Olivia turned to her fiancé. Reaching a hand to gently run her finger down Natalia's cheek. "Baby, you've been sick for days. I really think you should go see Rick."

Natalia grabbed the hand against her face and squeezed lightly. "Olivia, I'm fine. I know you're worried but really, I'm fine honey."

"Would you let me be sick this long without going in?"

"No. But it's different."

"Why? Because I have a heart condition? Come on Natalia. Heart condition or not, you would have already dragged me in kicking and screaming. And you told me you would go and didn't the other day. Please baby, make me feel better." She pouted.

Natalia let out an exaggerated breath. "Fine. Fine. I'll go, tomorrow before the barbeque if it will make you stop asking if I'm okay."

"Thank you." Olivia closed the small gap between them and captured the sweet lips before her before taking Natalia's hand, interlocking their fingers, and leading her down to their daughter.

Emma looked at Natalia from her stool by the stove. "Would you do the three-legged race with me?"

"Me?" Natalia's face lit up with a huge smile.

Olivia pretended to be offended. Lifting her leg in the air. "But I got my leg all ready."

"No offence mom, but Natalia's faster and I really wanna win. But you can be on Rafe's team."

Olivia's mouth dropped open in mock shock. "Oh, I can, can I? Fine I want to be on Rafe's team. You know what, I want us all, you, me, Natalia, and Rafe, to be a team one day. And not just at the barbeque, but every day."

Natalia smiled sadly at her, knowing her son may never except them.

"Does that mean you are gonna make Rafe come home? So, we can all be a team?" Emma asked innocently.

Olivia glanced at Natalia and then back to their daughter. "No. Em. We can't make him come home. But, but we can try to make him want to come home."

"How?"

"Well, like tomorrow, I will ask Rafe if he wants to do the three-legged race with me. Maybe he will, and he'll have fun, and he'll remember how much fun we all had together when he was here."

"And I can get him with water balloons and make him laugh and then he might want to come be home with me so he can laugh."

"Yeah. See, you got it. We show Rafe how great our family is, and he will want to come home and be a part of it." Olivia explained, walking over to stand by Natalia and run a hand along her shoulders. "But Em, we can't force him. He is having trouble right now and we have to respect that, but I know, one day he will come home to us. Okay?"

"Okay."

"But we do need to talk to you about tomorrow." Olivia chanced a look at Natalia, seeing the nervousness etched on her face. "Tomorrow, when we go to the barbeque, we are gonna let people know about me and Natalia."

"Don't people already know?"

"Yes. Some people know, but we are gonna let everyone know, and some people…" Olivia froze, unable to get the words out of her mouth. She hated the thought of people upsetting her little Jellybean.

Picking up where Olivia left off, Natalia continued. "Em, some people might not be happy about mommy and I being together. They might say some not nice things."

"Why? You and mommy have been together for like, ever. You are happy, why would people be mean?"

"Well, some people don't think that two women should be together, some people think it's wrong."

"Why would it be wrong? You guys love each other."

Olivia finally found her voice again. "Yeah baby, we do. But some people don't understand that love is good no matter who it's with."

"I don't understand."

"Well, some people are raised to think it's wrong for a woman to love another woman, or a man to love another man. Sometimes it's because of their religion, or their church, and sometimes it's just the way they think. But don't let anybody upset you. It's okay for people to think differently than we do. And we can't be mad at them. Okay?"

"Okay mommy. I won't be mad at them; I just want to have fun with you guys tomorrow."

"And we will." The three embraced in a hug until the timer sounded, alerting them that the treats were done. Olivia smiled at her girls before bringing the treats to the table.

"It's perfect." Emma proclaimed.

"Should we try one?" Olivia asked.

"No. we can't cut it. It's supposed to stay perfect for the barbeque."

"Oh."

"Well, you did a great job Emma." Natalia assured with a smile.

"I had help from you."

"What did I do, nothing?" Olivia joked.

"Can we go get ice cream now?" Emma side stepped her mother's questioned.

"Yeah, uh-huh. We'll all go. How's that?"

"Well actually, I'm gonna hang back here and clean up a bit, but you guys go." Natalia said. Still not feeling well but not wanting to upset Emma.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

All Olivia had to do was look at her partner to know she wasn't feeling well again. She had Emma take the treats out to the car and stayed behind to make sure her fiancé was okay. Once Emma was out the door she walked over to her love and knelt down beside her. "Are you okay sweetheart?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. You look sick again. What's going on?"

"Really Olivia, I'm okay. It's just a little upset stomach, no big deal."

"Honey you've been sick like this for days. Something is wrong. Please tell me what's going on."

Natalia was getting frustrated. She didn't know what was wrong and she was so tired of everyone asking if she was okay, and even more tired of feeling sick. In that moment, she snapped. "I don't know Olivia. I don't know what's wrong, I don't know why I'm sick, I don't know how everyone is going to react tomorrow, I don't know if my son is ever coming home, I don't know if Emma if gonna hate us one day for this. I don't know anything." She trailed off as anger faded and turned to fear as tears began to fall.

Olivia wrapped her arms around her and let her cry. Rubbing her hands up and down her back and whispering soothing words. Eventually Natalia's sobs slowed and then stopped. She took a shaky breath and lifted her head off Olivia's shoulder to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that."

Olivia continued to rub her back and kissed her temple. "It's okay baby. I know you're scared and you don't feel well, but it's gonna be okay. We'll go to the doctor in the morning and get you checked out to make sure, but it sounds to me that you are very stressed and I know you haven't been sleeping well. You toss and turn almost every night."

"I'm sorry if I'm keeping you up."

"Hey, stop. It's okay. Now, as for the rest of it, we take it one day at a time. Who cares how people react tomorrow? We love each other and we are happy and that's all that matters. As for Rafe, I don't know what's gonna happen there, but I do know that we will be there for him however he needs. And Emma, well, come on baby, she wrote an essay called 'My Two Mommies,' which is what got us to stop being stupid and be together. Do you really think she is ever going to have a problem with us? She loves you. Almost as much as I do."

"I love you too. I just, I don't know, I just want our kids to be happy. I don't want what other people say to make Emma think differently of us, and I really don't want things to get any worse with Rafe."

"I know, but it's gonna be okay. We have talked to Emma, she's a smart girl, she knows better than to listen to other people. And Rafe, well, all we can do is wait and see. But it's no wonder you are feeling sick. You are holding so much inside and trying to deal with it all by yourself, you have stressed yourself out so bad and now your body is reacting. You have to talk to me honey. We are in this together. Okay?"

"Okay. I'm sorry, I just know that you are probably worrying as much as me, and Rafe is aiming all his anger at you, and I just didn't want to make anything worse."

"I appreciate your worry baby, but really, I would rather we talk and handle these things together. So, no more trying to take on the weight of the world by yourself."

"Okay."

"Good. Now, I am going to take our daughter for her promised ice cream and you are going to rest. Leave the mess, Em and I will clean it when we get back and I will cook dinner so you can just rest."

"No Olivia…."

"That wasn't a request darling, it's what's happening."

Natalia knew that voice and it meant no arguing. She bowed her head in defeat. "Fine."

"Good." Olivia placed a finger under Natalia's chin and raised her head to meet her gaze. "Let me take care of you baby. You are always so worried about everyone else, let me worry about you for a change." Natalia only nodded before leaning in for a kiss. Olivia happily obliged and kissed her lover for all she was worth. This kiss was for comfort and healing as they headed into the following day. Both knowing it could be a very hard day for their family. But Olivia, for once, had faith that it would all be okay. She kissed her fiancé with fever trying to lend some of her strength and faith to her distraught lover.