Maura was the first to wake Thursday morning. She turned in Jane's arms just slow enough to not wake the librarian. It was one of the few times Maura was able to just look at Jane without the woman noticing, and she took advantage of the moment.
Every part of Jane's body was elongated in some way, due to her height. Her arms, her legs, her torso, her fingers…that particular thought derailed her for a moment before she went on. Her nose, her lips, her face. Everything about Jane was absolutely beautiful. Maura wondered if Jane ever received any sort of modeling offers, for she could easily make it into any modeling agency in the world.
But it wasn't just her body that Maura admired.
Even though that was a large checkmark in the pro column.
No.
Jane's heart and soul were things that Maura was coming to love deeply.
Jane gave herself wholly to her family and to her daughter in every way. Instead of taking it as a burden, Jane pulled herself up at a very young age, sought help from her family, and made a life for herself worth living.
She worked hard to support herself and to raise her daughter right.
She worked hard to give Haley Mae everything that little girl deserved.
She fought to give Hayley Mae a good life.
And Maura just knew that whatever relationship Jane was in, in the future, she'd fight for that one too.
Jane deserved everything good in the world.
And Maura just hoped that she could be what Jane wanted.
Maura had a sudden thought that raised her from the bed.
On her way to the kitchen, the blonde stopped in the bathroom for a quick comb through her hair and a splash of water on her cheeks.
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As she was pulling that banana bread from the oven, quiet, light footsteps echoed down the hall and she turned to be face to face with a six-year-old.
"Good morning darling." She whispered
"G'mornin Mo." Hayley Mae sighed, rubbing her tired eyes
"How are you today?"
"Hungry." She said with a hint of finality in her tired voice
Maura chuckled, "You're just in luck. Do you like bananas?"
Hayley Mae nodded succinctly.
"Do you like banana bread?"
Another nod.
xxx
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Jane awoke to the feeling of cold sheets under the palm of her hand. As she was waking, she had reached out for the warm body she was quickly growing accustomed to feeling in the mornings and was met with cool sheets. Her eyes opened slowly to find the blankets on the other side of the bed were still ruffled and pulled back a little.
A pair of giggles pulled the supine woman from her bed and down the hall.
What she was met with in the kitchen made her heart soar.
Hayley Mae was seated on the counter and was watching Maura stir away in a big mixing bowl.
They talked quietly to each other, clearly wanting to be respectful of Jane sleeping. But little giggles erupted every now and then.
"What's all this?" Jane finally asked
Both girls looked up and smiled widely.
Hayley Mae help up the last bite of whatever was in her hand, "Banana bread momma! Mo made it!"
"Oh, she did?" Jane asked as she stepped into the room. She sidled up next to her daughter and kissed her forehead.
"I didn't know you baked?"
Maura blushed, "Oh, very little. I only know a few recipes."
The librarian pulled a piece of bread from her daughter's plate and popped it in her mouth. Her eye widened just slightly at the taste, "Oh this is good. Better than ma's."
"Oh I doubt that." Maura blushed even harder.
"No, seriously." Jane sliced off a whole piece and stuffed half of it in her mouth, "This is delicious."
"Well, thank you, Jane."
The brunette spared a glance around the kitchen and saw that there were two loaf pans on the back edge of the stove with towels over them, "What are those?"
"Just some white bread that's proofing a little from the heat of the oven. The weather is nice, so I thought we could go to the park for a bit, and maybe take some sandwiches with us for lunch? The bread will only take an hour or so, and there's this little deli by the Common that I love. We could get some fresh meats and cheeses on our way…" she suddenly felt like she overstepped; making plans without asking. "Is that okay?"
"That's perfect!" Jane chuckled, "There's a little bookstore down there that Hay loves to stop at. Maybe we could pop in and browse while we're there."
"Oh I love books!" Maura smiled
"Then maybe we could grab some groceries on our way back and make dinner here."
"That sounds great." Maura smiled. Dinner at home with Jane and Hayley Mae was literally the most perfect ending to the day she could imagine.
Oh dear.
Since when did Maura think of this as home?
"You okay?" Jane asked, seeing the faraway look in Maura's eyes.
"Yes." The blonde smiled, "Perfect. Just had a thought. How about you guys get ready while I finish up, then I'll shower, and we can leave?"
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They stopped at the bookstore first, waiting for the weather to warm a bit for the park in the afternoon. When they stepped inside, Hayley Mae took off for the back corner of children's books.
"So she's been here before." Maura chuckled at the little girl's enthusiasm.
"Oh yeah. We come here once a month maybe. Sometimes Ma brings her if she's been really good and lets her pick out a few books." Jane smirked, "Between the two of us, we're going to need a bigger house in a few years for all the books."
Maura walked down one aisle with Jane perusing the aisle on the other side, "You should see my father's library at their house here."
"Oh yeah? Super big?"
"Oh yes. It is probably bigger than your house, all together, I'm afraid."
"Wow."
"You would like it, I think."
"Well, yeah." Jane chuckled
After an hour or so, Jane finally collected her daughter, whose arms were full of new books, "Hay, it's time to go. You can pick out one book."
Seeing the disappointed frown on the little girl's face, Maura felt a tug at her heart strings. She pulled Jane aside a moment, "Jane. Would it be alright if I purchased the books Hayley Mae wanted?"
"She already has so many, Maura…"
"Please?" the blonde pleaded
Jane rolled her eyes but relented, "Okay fine. If you must. But if you're not careful, she's gonna take you to the cleaners."
"What?"
"It means she'll take advantage and spend all your money."
Maura smiled brightly and helped the little girl carry all the books to the desk to be rung up.
"I rarely spend it on myself, Jane." She spoke quietly as she pulled the credit card from her wallet, "At least this will be a good cause." She happily swiped the card.
Maura looked down at the little girl and saw her looking up with stars in her eyes.
Jane popped her hip and bumped her child slightly, "What do we say?" she whispered with a smile
"Thank you!" Hayley Mae squealed, hugging Maura around the waist
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Once the books were deposited in the SUV, the three made their way to the deli. Jane went in and ordered the meat and cheese while Maura unpacked the bread and condiments on a picnic table at the edge of the park. Hayley Mae engrossed herself in one of her new books and sat quietly.
Seeing the little girl so engrossed in the book she'd bough, Maura's heart was full.
Jane returned with a small bag and soon they were all eating. Jane took her first bite and moaned almost indecently. "Oh my god. Maur, how have I never heard of this deli before?"
The blonde's cheeks pinked as she shrugged and bit into her own sandwich.
"The meat is so tender. And the bread. Where did you get the recipe? Cause it's amazing."
Maura blushed, "It's a family recipe. Our cook used to make it. She got it from her mother who worked for my grandmother."
Jane swallowed at the information, "Oh." She forgot. Maura was rich.
The blonde saw Jane's recognition but tried to move past it. They had had the conversation about Maura's family money once, but she wasn't sure how Jane really felt about it.
"Hayley Mae." Maura started
The little girl looked up from her little pack of chips.
"What is your favorite subject in school?"
"Art!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. I love drawing and painting and coloring. It's so fun!"
"Do you like any other subjects?"
The little girl thought, "Um…I like reading?"
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As Jane buckled her daughter into her car seat, her phone rang. She lifted it to her ear, "Hey ma…"
"Janie. What are you doing for dinner?"
"We're picking up something to cook."
"Is Maura still with you?"
"Yeah."
"I was wondering, would you like me to pick up Hay after dinner and keep her overnight? I could keep her tomorrow too and you can pick her up when you come to dinner."
Jane looked up to the front seat to see Maura clicking in her seatbelt.
A day without the kid might be nice for them. They'd be able to sleep in, or cuddle or just be…alone.
Jane's heart sped up, "Yeah Ma. That'd be perfect."
Maura turned with a curious look.
"I'll call you later." Jane hung up, finished the buckle on Hayley Mae's car seat and slid into the driver's seat.
"Your mother?"
"Yeah." Jane smirked to herself as she backed the car from the space, "Ma's going to pick up Hay after dinner and take her for the night." She flipped gears and started forward, home, "and most of tomorrow. She thought we could use the day off." The brunette looked at her daughter in the rear-view mirror, "You wanna stay over at nonna's tonight?"
"Yah!" Hayley Mae squealed
Jane turned to the other woman with a cautious smile, "You okay with that?"
Maura tamped down the blush that she could feel coloring her cheeks, "An evening and a day alone with you? I think I could be agreeable to that."
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When they arrived back at the house, Jane tried to put her daughter down for a nap, but the little girl wouldn't have it. Maura could hear from the living room, that Jane was trying her hardest to get the girl to just nap for a while. Hayley Mae had been drooping her head the whole way, and Jane had been ecstatic at the possibility of being able to have a good hour of quiet after their long morning and afternoon.
"Hay, you need a nap."
"No momma! I wanna stay up and look at my booooks!"
"You can do that afterwards." Jane spoke in hushed tones to soothe her child
"But I want to do it now."
"Hay. It's nap time." Her voice had a little more of a bite to it
"No!" The girl squawked
"Excuse you, young lady. You do not yell at me."
"I wanna stay up!"
"Hayley Mae Rizzoli, you need a nap and an attitude adjustment."
Maura's phone vibrated, breaking her from the drama in the other room. She looked at her phone to see a message from her mother, "If you have a chance, please call me."
The blonde stood from her seat and stepped out the front door, shutting it softly behind her.
"Hello mother." The student spoke quietly into her phone
"Maura, darling. How are you?"
"I am fine."
"I hope you aren't studying too hard on your spring break, now."
"Actually, mother, I'm staying with a friend for a few days. Her and her daughter are also on spring break."
"Is this the friend you told me about a few weeks ago? The librarian?"
"Yes, it is." When Maura had called her mother to tell her she was gay, she hadn't been able to come right out and say it at first, so she had waffled around the subject.
Oh, I have made a new friend, mother. Her name is Jane. She works at the school and she has the most adorable daughter.
"She invited me over for a few days."
"In regards to our last phone call, darling, the mother I am can't help but ask if this friend Jane is a friend or just a friend."
Maura blushed hard and could hear the stuttered words come from her mouth, "Well, you see, I, um."
"Maura, you can tell me."
"Well…she might be."
"Might be?"
Maura lowered her voice, scared that Jane might hear, "I…I hope so…We've talked a bit about it. And it seems as though she's open to a relationship."
"Good. You need someone in your life that can take care of you, Maura. Everyone deserves someone, even you. I know you like to focus on your studies, and that is very important. But I want you to know that relationships, especially romantic ones, make life so much more worthwhile."
Maura smiled softly to herself. It wasn't often that her mother dispensed life advice like this, so this was a moment to treasure.
"I know you like to draw into yourself and focus on your studies, but you are allowed to take a little time and enjoy yourself."
"I know mother." Maura said
"Good. Now. If this friendship progresses, let me know. Your father and I would love to meet whoever it is that you are going with, if you feel comfortable with that."
Maura's smile widened, "Oh mother, she is the absolute best. You would love her, and so would father. She is so smart and caring and funny. And her daughter is just amazingly smart." She gushed
"Tell me about her daughter."
"Hayley Mae is six now; her birthday was just this last weekend. Jane's mother, Angela, homeschools her. She looks just like Jane, but with blonde hair, filled with ringlets. And oh, mother, she is such a good artist. We took her to the children's museum and she sat in on an installation of geometry in art and she created the most beautiful painting. I think she has a lot of raw talent that could be nurtured into something amazing."
"Does she take well to you?"
"I think so. I bought her some books she was asking for this morning, and she was so excited. She is actually arguing with her mother about a nap at the moment. She just wants to stay up and read them.
"Sounds a lot like my own daughter…" Constance chuckled.
"I just." Maura paused, hesitant to speak her heart, "I just…feel so at home here, staying with them."
"Isn't that a good thing, Maura?"
"It is. I am just hesitant to voice my feelings with her. I am feeling these…deep feelings of attachment and commitment towards her and Hayley Mae, and I don't even really know if she feels the same. We've glanced over the topic – that we like each other – but haven't talked much past that." She also wasn't going to tell her mother that she was already sleeping over in the same bed.
"Then I do believe it is time for you two to have the talk."
"Well, Hayley Mae is going to stay with her grandmother tonight. I suppose I could try to broach the subject…"
"Good. I expect to hear your results soon. Listen, my darling, it was good to speak to you. But I'm receiving a few hurried texts from George. Something is going on down at the gallery. Let me know how things go. I love you, darling."
"I love you too, mother."
The call ended with a click on Constance's end and Maura pulled the phone from her ear.
Her mother was always right to the point, no matter the circumstance and Maura knew that she'd be receiving another call in a few days, wanting to know the result of her talk.
She stepped back into the house to find Hayley Mae sitting on the end of the couch with a book in her lap. Her little face was screwed up in a pout as she read quietly.
Jane walked into the room with a bottle of water in her hand. When she spotted Maura, she sighed, "We're not taking a nap today. And thus, we are not having the dessert we picked up at the grocery store."
The blonde nodded. Hayley Mae must have put up a fight, and these were the consequences.
"No dessert and no TV at Nonna's. Not until we have a better attitude." Jane suddenly remembered that Maura had been outside. She jutted her chin slightly in Maura's direction; her eyes glancing down at the phone in the blonde's hands. "Everything ok?"
"Oh yes. My mother asked me to call her. She just wanted to know how my break was faring."
"And?" Jane smirked as she chugged down half of the water bottle
"I told her it was going well."
"Good." The brunette nodded, "Now. How about I get started on dinner. Ma is coming by around 6 to eat with us."
"May I help?"
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The two soon found themselves caught up in the makings of dinner. Jane flipped on the grill in the back yard and worked on seasoning steaks while Maura tried her hand at another bread recipe she remembered. They worked quietly with each other, somehow already used to moving around each other in the kitchen work space.
Unknowingly to the both of them, but visible to anyone watching, even though the kitchen had more than enough room to move around in without touching each other, the two kept finding themselves bumping into each other and finding other small ways to come into contact.
Reaching around Jane for a whisk.
Needing to get into the drawer Maura was standing in front of only to not find what she was "looking" for.
Brushing behind Jane to grab a towel.
Running a hand over Maura's shoulders to signal that she's behind her with something.
Dinner was just coming out of the oven and off the grill when Angela arrived a few minutes before six. She swept into the house with a flourish. Dropping her coat and purse on a chair, Angela reached down and kissed her granddaughter's pouting cheeks.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked the little girl
"Momma won't let me have dessert."
Jane walked in and scoffed, "Tell Nonna why I won't let you have dessert, and TV, by the way."
Hayley Mae pouted even harder and didn't answer. She just dropped her head and kept reading the book in her lap.
Jane crossed her arms and spoke for her daughter, "Someone didn't take a nap, and then threw a tantrum because they were sleepy."
Angela nodded knowingly, "Okay then. So no dessert tonight. And how long without a TV?"
Jane tilted her head thinking, "Tonight at least. And we'll see if her attitude is better tomorrow."
"Sounds good to me."
Maura stepped into the room, "Oh hello Angela. Lovely to see you."
"You too." The older woman took a sniff, "I smell fresh bread."
Jane smiled, "Maura made fresh rolls. And some fresh bread this morning."
They sat down to dinner together at the small dining table in the kitchen. Hayley Mae pouted over her food, but it didn't slow her from eating it at her normal pace. Maura and Jane regaled Angela with their day's events. The bookstore and the park.
"How is Mrs. Cooper?" Angela asked of the book store owner
"I didn't see her." Jane answered after swallowing a bit, "Last time I was there, Erik said she wasn't doing well."
"Who is Mrs. Cooper?" Maura asked
Jane turned towards her with a soft smile, "She owns the bookstore. She has since I was a kid."
"I used to take her there when she was little." Angela remarked, "Her and her brothers. Though Tommy only ever wanted to hit the comic book store next door."
"Has it always been owned by the same person?"
"Yeah." Jane nodded, "Well, her brother owned it when I was a kid and she just worked there, but he died when I went into high school and she took over. I think the shop has been in their family awhile."
"So, I see reading was instilled in you at a young age." Maura smirked
The librarian smiled softly, "Yeah."
The table went quiet for a long moment, only the sound of clinking silverware in the room. Angela watched the two with curious eyes. Since Wednesday, only one day really, the two seemed even closer than before.
"So tomorrow." The older woman started, "Dinner at mine? I was thinking some ravioli."
"That sounds good, ma."
"What are you two going to do tomorrow?"
The student and the librarian looked at each other. Neither had really thought about it yet.
"I am open to whatever we decide." The blonde shrugged
"Yeah. I'm not sure what we're thinking yet. Haven't really talked about it yet."
"Well, you could head out to Newbury Street. Do some window shopping. Or go to the bay and have lunch at Maurice's."
"That sounds lovely." Maura regarded, "I love Newbury Street."
"Oh good. Someone who loves shopping." Angela clapped her hands in glee
Jane rolled her eyes, "Oh great. Someone who loves shopping." She said with sarcasm
"We don't have to go there." Maura said after she saw Jane's reaction, "If you don't enjoy shopping."
Jane changed her tuned quickly, "No, we can go. If you wanna shop, we can. I was just being funny."
As the two smiled at each other, once again, Angela rolled her eyes. If Jane was agreeing to shopping, she sure had it bad.