Chapter 46

"So, you happy with your new job?" Clarke asked as she drove them into LA. They finally had the day off together to try and find Lexa a new car.

Lexa smiled as she thought about her answer. "Yeah, so far, it's been great. It's mostly been getting to know my team, but I think we'll all get along great."

Clarke flashed her a grin and turned back to the road. "That's great. I'm really happy for you." She reached out and took Lexa's hand in her own, entwining their fingers on the center console.

"You going to tell me where we're going?" Lexa asked, changing the subjects.

"Premiere Motors," Clarke answered. She knew that didn't really tell Lexa anything though. "They originally only sold BMWs, but when Anna took over, she bought out some Volkswagen dealerships and has since expanded further."

Lexa gave a shake of her head in thought. Clarke did say they only bought from one set of dealerships in this family, and they were riding in a BMW currently. So, process of elimination, they were heading for the same place Clarke got her SUV.

Before Lexa could ask more questions, Clarke decided to fill her in a little further. "Anna grew up in the same neighborhood we currently live in, although she is closer to Trish's age. She spent all her free time at the dealership, but her sister baby-sat me a few times. Her parents still live there."

Lexa now understood a little better. There was some history between the two families. She saw the large sign just up the street and was getting a little excited as she studied all the beautiful new cars as they pulled into the lot.

Clarke led them into the building and headed towards the desk to ask for help. Before she could even open her mouth, she heard her name being called. She turned to the voice with a grin. "Hey, Anna."

"Clarke Griffin, that is you. What brings you here?"

Lexa watched as the woman made her way over to them. She was gorgeous, that was for sure. And she had a very genuine smile.

"My fiancé needs a car, and I told her there was only once place to buy from."

Anna gave a chuckle. "I appreciate that. I'm assuming this is the fiancé?" she asked, turning to face Lexa.

"Yes, this is Lexa. Lexa, this is Anna Kaklis."

"Nice to meet you," Lexa spoke for the first time. She held out her hand for a small shake that Anna quickly returned.

"Are you interested in anything in particular, or are we just looking around."

They hadn't had any time to really look into different vehicles, but Clarke wasn't worried. She knew anyone at Premiere would help steer them in the right direction. "I currently have the X7 which Lexa has been driving this last week."

Getting right into sales mode, "have you enjoyed driving it? Is it better than what you have previously driven?" Anna firmly believed driving was to be enjoyed.

Lexa gave it some thought. "I don't have a lot to compare it too, but yes, in comparison to my old car, I definitely preferred it."

"Is there anything that could make it better?"

Thinking back through the last week, Lexa tried to think if there was anything that would make her drive to work easier. "It's probably a little bigger than I would prefer. I feel like I'm always underestimating its size when I'm trying to park or unpark."

"Alright, I might have just the perfect vehicle for you. Follow me." Anna led them through the lot towards a row of SUV's that looked kind of similar to Clarke's. "This row here is our lineup of X3s. They are a little smaller than the X5 and X7, but have a lot of similarities."

Lexa looked down the row at all the colors. The light blue one was really pretty, but she knew from Clarke's black SUV that dark colors showed all the dirt. But she was sure she didn't want a white one either. Towards the end of the row sat a grey one, the color was pleasant to her eyes.

Anna smiled as she watched Lexa zero in and head towards the only grey X3 they currently had. This was one of her favorite parts, watching people fall in love with a new car.

Lexa walked around the SUV, looking through all the windows. While she did that, Anna ran and got the keys and hurried back to unlock it. "Go ahead, climb in," she encouraged.

Not needing to be told twice, Lexa climbed in and took a seat. The steering wheel felt good in her hands. She could definitely see herself driving this every day.

"I had a feeling you'd like this one," Anna told her. "It's the first car I sold my wife too. Of course, we weren't married then. Weren't even dating, just friends," she gave them a smile.

Clarke smiled too, until the words processed in her brain. "Wait, wife? I mean I remember my parents telling me you got married, but I thought it was to a man."

Anna just laughed. "You have missed a lot. Want to take it for a test drive? I'll even tell you a story while we do."

The other two woman climbed into the vehicle, Clarke climbing into the back while Anna took the passenger seat. As they drove through the city, they listened as Anna told them the story of how she met Lily. The two women had found themselves trapped in a mall together after an earthquake.

"So, what do we think?" Anna asked as Lexa pulled back into the dealership.

Lexa looked around the inside of the SUV and gave a good look at all the gadgets on the dash. Her previous car did not have all these features. It would be a bit of a learning curve. But she really liked this one.

"I like it," she finally admitted. "Little concerned with how much this is going to cost."

"Don't worry about it," Clarke told her.

"Clarke," Lexa growled.

"Lexa," Clarke shot back. "Are we not getting married?"

"Yes, of course," Lexa started. "But…"

Clarke stopped her. "I'm not saying like let me pay for it. But you should drive something you like. So, we can either put the loan in both our names, or we can put it in just yours. Whichever you think is best. And if you need some extra help from time to time, I'll be happy to do it."

Anna was quiet through the whole exchange. She was smiling inside at how familiar the whole thing felt. "Why don't we head on up to my office and I'll pull the paperwork and we can go from there. If you think it's too much, we can decide what to do from there."

Clarke looked at Lexa as if to ask if that was acceptable. When she received a nod in return, the three ladies made their way through the building. Even after all the add ons, the payments were a lot lower than Lexa was expecting.

While Lexa basically signed her life away, Clarke looked around the room and zeroed in on a photo Anna had behind her desk. "Is that your wife?"

Anna turned to see what Clarke was looking at, even though she knew exactly what was behind her. She gave the other woman a smile. "Yes, that was our wedding day." She then turned the photo that was on her desk around so the others could see it. "This is our family."

"Awe, the kids are adorable," Clarke exclaimed. She picked up the photos and studied the babies.

"Thanks. How is your daughter? I haven't even asked."

"Avery is great. She's so excited about us getting married. I'm not sure if she's more or less excited about Lexa adopting her." Clarke gave a chuckle at that. It was true though Avery was just so excited about both events.

"That's amazing. My wife was a foster child then an adoptee. She became a lawyer herself. I've learned so much about the system through her and our family."

"She wouldn't happen to want to take on a new client, would she?" Clarke asked, partly in jest. They'd started doing a little bit of research in their spare time, but still hadn't gotten very far on what all needed to be done.

"She's actually not practicing right now. But I'd be happy to give her your number. She might be able to give you some names on who to contact."

Lexa let out a giant sigh. "That would actually be great. We had no idea where to start or who to even call." She quickly wrote her number down on the post Anna passed to her and handed it back.

Once all the paperwork was finished and Anna handed over the keys, the two women stood up to head out. "Thanks for everything, Anna. I'm sure you could have handed us off to one of your salespeople. It was great seeing you again."

"You as well," Anna smiled at Clarke. "It was no problem, I enjoy stepping in as salesman every now and again."

"Say hi to your sister for me," Clarke called as they headed out the door.

Walking hand-in-hand, Clarke and Lexa stopped in front of Lexa's new car. "Meet you at home. Maybe we can take Avery for a ride?" They hadn't brough the young girl because they didn't know how long it would take to find a good choice and they didn't want to bore her.

"Sounds good," Lexa agreed. With a quick peck, they separated and climbed into their respective vehicles.

~CL~

"Did you get a car?" Avery asked as soon as they walked through the front door.

"We did!" Lexa answered. "You want to go for a ride?"

With a squeal, Avery popped her bookmark in her book and all but threw it down on the couch. "Let's go."

The three of them decided on a drive along the beach. Clarke new of a restaurant just up the highway that would be the perfect place to stop for lunch.

"What do you think?" Lexa asked Avery after the food was brought to their table.

Avery nodded her head back and forth in thought for a moment. "I like it. It's kind of like mom's but not. I like the seats better though."

Lexa kind of agreed with that. They weren't extremely different, but for some reason hers was just a little more comfortable.

After their meal, the small family took a walk on the beach. Avery decided to jump straight into the water. Laughing as they watched her play, Lexa decided to toss her phone and things aside and follow the girl into the water.

Avery splashed her as soon as she was close, and she returned it with equal fervor.

"Come play with us, mom!" Avery called, but Clarke just laughed her off and sat down on the beach. She put Lexa's stuff in her lap as she watched the two people she loved most throw water at each other.

She knew they wouldn't be leaving any time soon. She was not going to let either one of them in Lexa's new car soaking wet.

Avery climbed on Lexa's back in an attempt to pull her down, but she failed. Instead, Lexa was able to flip her over her shoulder and the girl landed in the water laughing.

"Alright, munchkin. We should probably dry off," Lexa directed after another half hour in the water. She knew by the time they dried off and headed back home it would be getting close to dinner time.

It was a great way to end off the week. That was for sure. Spending time together as a family.