By the time Lilibet's play class was over, she was covered in paint and glitter. But least she had new art projects to show for it. The little girl was also very content about a certain piece of information she was keeping to herself. It was a good one.
That being said… both of her mothers were before her, arms crossed and shaking their heads.
"It will be straight into the bathtub for you when we get home." Alexandra told Lilibet. "You are a magnet for paint and glitter. Seriously."
Alexis, meanwhile, was trying to stifle her laughter. Lilibet had grown unfazed by the mess. Completely.
"What are we going to do with you, my little Pigpen?" Alexis remarked to the toddler.
At Alexis' use of the name 'Pigpen,' Lilibet finally spoke on her secret intel. "My Zara likes Pigpen."
Alexis humored her when she immediately realized where this was about to go. "Pigpen, like from Charlie Brown?"
"Yeah-huh!" Lilibet answered with great enthusiasm. "And AJ? She loves Charlie!"
"What about you?" Alexis wanted to know.
But Lilibet immediately dissolved into giggles. "My favorite is Lucy!"
"If the chips fall where they do," Alexandra murmured to Alexis. "Our kid might actually be the Lucy to Zara Flannery's Charlie Brown. And… Two decades from now, our girl could end up as Lilibet Flannery. Or… We could end up having Zara join the ranks as a Ryan."
"But… Any kid they could become parents to would most certainly love Peanuts…" Alexis murmured right back.
Then, as if by magic, AJ and Zara Flannery both appeared at this moment. Bookending Lilibet. Tallulah was watching from a few feet away. It seemed that the children were on a mission.
"Bette's mamas," AJ approached them boldly. "I have a question."
"Fire away, little one." Alexis encouraged as they bent to the girl's eye level.
"Please can Bette come to our birthday party soon?"
The adults knew full well about the event, having already discussed it at length with Tallulah. But they weren't about to spoil the kids' moment. Alexis and Alexandra were all about letting them learning through doing… Even when they were met with puppy-dog eyes. Just like now.
Alexandra broke the gaze first. "Of course she can, sweetheart."
The children hugged each other in joy before dashing off to tell Tallulah the happy news.
"Is this what being a parent feels like?" Alexis asked Alexandra as they resumed their full heights.
"Oh, this is just scratching the surface." responded Alexandra. "I can't believe Bette's about to go to her first non-family birthday party. This will be new territory for everyone."
But Alexis just nodded. For she was already envisioning afternoon of taking Lilibet to shop for party clothes and presents. On her own. Even catering to her whim. She'd always wanted a little girl. And now… she had one.
Her life was getting quite real. But she was in love with every moment. And would trade it for nothing.
Alexis followed her family home in her own car. Parked beside Alexandra's car in The Rolling Pin's rear parking lot. She only just managed to get all she needed before the newest downpour started. But none of them escaped unscathed.
One freight lift ride later…
"Ugh." Alexis griped as she wrung out her hair. "I hate being caught in the rain."
You'd be signing a different tune if I pinned you against a wall to kiss you, thought Alexandra. "You can borrow some of my stuff. I have a box of maternity clothes in storage that I never got rid of. And I'm also sure there's a hoodie amongst my plethora that'll strike your fancy… seeing as how you still have my other one…"
Alexis blushed. "I'll return it!"
She didn't want to say that she loved it because it had Alexandra's intoxicatingly charming scent.
"Nah. Keep it." Alexandra kissed her soundly before sweeping an arm outward in indication. "But welcome to Amethyst Falls."
And Alexis looked around.
Her girlfriend had been telling the truth about her home's industrialism theme. It was in everything. For where the floors were wooden, all of the walls were brick and the main windows, frosted. (No need to let people down below see in, completely) A broad skylight was overhead. Rain could be heard tapping against it at the moment. Alexis immediately felt at ease.
She also noticed that the whole downstairs area was open, with a central walkway ending at staircase leading to the next floor. What had this place been in its previous life?
From there, Alexis then realized that the whole first floor was divided into quadrants. One area housed a space for Alexandra to do her schoolwork. A kid-sized work station showed that Lilibet had her own area to be creative. The next big space hosted a reading area. One side was for Alexandra and the other side was for Lilibet. Each person had materials that catered to their own interests. Rounding the first floor out against the back wall… One enclosed indoor greenhouse with transparent walls.
Alexis turned a tad more about face. Now she was met with a fully-furnished and up-to-date entertainment area. Perfect for watching movies after Lilibet went to bed. And… It was also perfect for having a certain type of chat later on.
But what she saw next was entertaining. To her. The flight of stairs leading to the next floor had a just big enough landing that it had a full-functioning kitchen area on it. With room to move. Nearby, an enclosed dining area sat astride the main windows that looked to the main avenue outside.
"What do you think?" Alexandra laid Alexis' coat and shoes out to dry. "This place was just offices before my parents bought it."
"I really like it." Alexis turned to face her companion. "Jenny's stepdad and his construction crew also did a fantastic job in making it a home. Everything feels really cozy."
"I'm glad." Alexandra put her own items away. "An anonymous benefactor also stepped in during the building process. Paid off everything. I own this home, debt-free."
"But that's wild." Alexis then checked their immediate surroundings as a new thought hit her. "Where did our tiny love hurry to? She isn't here. All I see are her clothes in that hamper."
True enough: Lilibet had put her footwear. But… Her coat, mittens, dress, leggings and socks, as well as her underpants were in a nearby clothing hamper. Meaning… Lilibet was running around the place. Well in the buff.
"Hm. Bette doesn't normally turn into a streaker," Alexandra mused. "But I'll sort the hamper out soon. And she will catch up. Bette is only acting like this because you're here."
"Well, alright." Alexis laughed. "I'm glad she feels comfortable enough with me here to keep acting silly. Where to next?"
Alexandra's old maternity clothes fit Alexis well. As did one of the hoodies the redhead chose at random to don. Once Alexandra also changed into more casual clothing, they finally found Lilibet. Before herding her into the bathroom.
"Lilibet," Alexandra informed her offspring as she prepped the bathtub. "I am going to start dinner. But mama'll help you out here."
Getting this last piece of information threw Lilibet for such a loop that she was impressed against her will. "Really?"
From the hallway, Alexis nudged in a closed cardboard box with one foot, pointing to it. "See this, Bette?"
"Yeah-huh." she responded after sparing the box a cursory glance. "What it is?"
Daring not to correct the toddler's grammar, Alexis responded, "I brought you new fun toys for bath time!"
Lilibet's mouth dropped open with surprise. No way could she have anticipated such a plot twist. But she remembered to blow a kiss of thanks to her other mother.
"Okay." Alexandra turned off the water spout and fixed a spout cover over it before checking in with Alexis. "I think that is that. Will you be good?"
Alexis nodded, knowing that this moment was happening so she could have her own learning experience. "It's been a long time since I've given a kid a bath. But I can do it. Good thing Bette is patient with us."
"Totally. It's her strongest asset." Alexandra hung Alexis' hoodie up for her on the room's doorknob. "She will show you where everything else is when you're done. I will be downstairs. Give a shout if you need something."
Lilibet called promptly out, "Mama? I can see what's in the box?"
"Yes." Alexis moved towards Lilibet. "Absolutely. But first, let's get you in to the water."
Alexandra watched them. For a heartbeat. She loved the bond forming between Alexis and Lilibet. As if… They had always known each other. It felt beautiful to watch.
Did either of the other two notice Alexandra? Or her exit? Nope.
After a successful bath, Lilibet was now in her bedroom, completely dry and dressed. She'd been too impressed by the introduction of new bath toys to give Alexis any trouble. For in fact… The little girl had had fun. A lot of it.
Now Alexis found herself perched on the edge of Lilibet's daybed. The child in question stood before her. Between her legs. Innocently. But also pondering something.
She spoke after a few moments. "Mama? Does the baby like to get kisses?"
"Mhm." Alexis confirmed. "Would you like to give your sibling a kiss before we go downstairs?"
The toddler gave a vigorous nod. "Yeah-huh! Please!"
Quite amused, Alexis pulled back the fabric of her shirt to expose her middle. Lilibet framed the feature in her hands. Awed.
"Hi, sissy!" she cooed sweetly before kissing Alexis' middle in a most delicate manner. "I love you!"
She hugged Alexis' middle a little bit longer before stepping back. Her work was done.
"She loves you, too." Alexis fixed her shirt and took Lilibet's hand in her own as she stood. "You are going to be a wonderful big sister."
The little girl beamed at the compliment. "Love me and mommy?"
"Oh, yes. Forever and always. No matter what." Alexis gave Lilibet's hand a gentle squeeze. "Now let's go find what mommy made for dinner."
Alexandra's location? Dining room.
She was putting the finishing touches on their spread: plates of spaghetti and meatballs, a side of Caesar salad in a big serving bowl, one loaded-down plate of bread rolls, and a pitcher of lemonade. It also did not escape Alexis' notice that Alexandra had made up a third full table setting. Just for her.
"I'm impressed." Alexis told Alexandra as Lilibet moved towards her spot. "How did you whip everything up so quickly?"
The older woman winked. "Magic. Please come sit."
Over the course of dinner, Alexis found herself just falling even more in love with her little family. And… A single thought echoed itself. Over and over.
I could get used to this.
After dinner and dessert, it did not take long for Lilibet to fall asleep. Having her parents read her bedtime stories definitely helped. They tucked her in and turned on her nightlight before heading down to the first floor. Now the rest of the visit was theirs.
"And that's Bette settled for the night." said Alexandra as they settled on the couch. "What do you think?"
"I just spent the last little while playing mommy. And I loved it." Alexis told her in great earnest. "Everything felt right. As if this is where all of us were meant to be."
"That makes me glad. We feel the same way about you." Alexandra gently stroked Alexis' cheeks. "We still haven't discussed whatever it was that you alluded to yesterday. It sounded important. You're welcome to stay the night if you'd li—"
DING!
WOOSH!
But Alexandra's invitation was disrupted first by Alexis receiving a text from Kate, and then by the heavens making the rainfall outside even heavier. Traveling? A move most unwise.
"Wow." Alexandra just laughed. "Are you feeling the déja vù?"
"One hundred percent." Alexis handed Alexandra her phone. "Check this out."
Alexandra took the mobile device in hand, examining a text message. "Wow. It's from Kate. She's fast. 'Alexis—the rain will be brutal and last all night. Please ask if you can stay over. We don't want you on the road.' I can answer that."
"Pard—hey! What did you do?"
Alexandra had already sent a reply and set Alexis' phone on her coffee table. The woman was a lightning-fast texter.
She said simply, "I just informed Kate that you're staying the night with us."
Alexis could only sputter, "But—"
"No 'ifs,' 'ands,' or 'buts' about it."
"Okay." Alexis capitulated fast. "Bette'll be delighted to see me in the morning, won't she?"
"No doubt about that. That little girl worships you. And… We now have the time to finally discuss this big matter you've been sitting on."
"True." Alexis made herself comfortable. "Do you have any pressing chores?"
Alexandra shook her head. "Nope. We can talk for as long as you need."