CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The next day, after James came to pickup the girls for their friend's party, Miranda and Andrea brought the babies down to the den. Callie was perfectly content snoozing in Andrea's arms, but Catherine was wide awake. Miranda didn't mind. She was curled up on the couch with the baby against her chest as she was flipping through the latest issue of Vogue.

"Think we can go for a walk?" Andrea asked after a while.

"Let's wait a little. James said there were still some photographers across the street. We can go sit on the back patio for a while if you want—but later, once the sun goes down a little," Miranda said. She put the magazine down and picked up her wide-eyed daughter, laying her along her own thighs so she could face her.

"Is she falling asleep?" Andrea asked.

"Nooo," Miranda said in a high-pitched voice. Catherine was gripping her index finger and gazing into her mother's eyes. "This little princess is never ever going to sleep, is she?" She leaned over and kissed her daughter.

"I love this," Andrea said quietly.

"What?"

"This. You, me, the babies, just napping on the couches here in the living room. No emails. No deadlines. Just…us."

"It is kind of nice, isn't it?" She lifted Catherine and laid her on her chest as she slouched down. "Are her eyes closed?" Miranda asked.

"Almost. She's struggling to keep them open, but I think sleep is winning."

"Thank god. She's been awake for nearly six hours."

"You should probably just feed her now so she doesn't wake up in twenty minutes screaming," Andrea said.

"Good point." She gently rearranged the baby and began to nurse her.

"Is that any less uncomfortable?" Andrea asked.

"Yeah, actually it is. I don't know if they're getting better at it or I'm just getting used to it. You know, I really think we should get them into a routine."

"Miranda, they're not even a week old."

"I know. It's just, I would really like to take a shower at some point this week," she said.

"Why don't you go now?" Andrea said. "I can sit here with them."

Miranda shrugged. "Maybe after they both eat."

About an hour later, Andrea took Callie from Miranda's arms and laid her on the floor with her sister. She had a quilt spread out in the living room, and it seemed that the newborns enjoyed being in proximity to one another.

"Are you sure I can go up?" Miranda asked.

"Of course. Take as long as you need—we'll be fine," Andrea said.

"Thank you." She got up and kissed Andrea on the cheek. "I won't be long. When I come back you can take a shower, too, if you want."

Two hours later, Miranda came back downstairs. Andrea was laying next to the twins on the floor, watching them sleep. She kneeled next to Andrea and gently brushed her shoulder. "Shower's all yours if you want," she whispered. "Sorry I took so long."

Andrea smiled. "No problem. They just fell asleep a few minutes ago, so you should be good for a while." She paused for a moment. "Would you rather I wait until Caroline & Cassidy get home?"

"Don't be absurd. I'll be fine—they're asleep."

Andrea nodded and stood up. She turned back and looked at Miranda, who was wearing a cotton-lycra blend halter-style maxi dress. "My god you're beautiful," she whispered.

Miranda looked up and blushed. "You better go upstairs, darling," she said.

While Andrea was upstairs, she decided to lie down on the quilt with the babies and try and catch some rest. It wasn't long before Callie began crying, waking the three of them up. Miranda sat up and took her in her arms, gently bouncing her and trying to comfort her, but it seemed that wasn't working. She was screaming at the top of her tiny little lungs and nothing Miranda was doing seemed to calm her down. She tried walking around the room with her, but she didn't want to wander more than a few feet away from Catherine, who was also crying on the quilt. Miranda knelt next to her and tried to pick up her other daughter, too, but she couldn't manage to do so and support her head at the same time.

"I'm so sorry, my darlings," she said as tears streamed down her face. She set down Callie and picked up Catherine, who seemed to calm a little bit once in Miranda's arms. "Are you still hungry, baby?" Miranda asked, untying her top and offering a breast to the baby. Catherine turned her face away as she started crying and screaming. "Please stop crying, baby. Please…stop, STOP!" she begged.

Callie's cries were growing stronger—so much that she could almost hear her howls echoing in her tiny body. Miranda reluctantly set Catherine in the rocking crib and bent down to pick up Callie, again attempting to soothe her. She wasn't hungry, she didn't need to burp, and Miranda didn't know what else to do. Tears streamed down her face. She was helpless to comfort her child.

She walked over to the base of the stairs, keeping an eye on Catherine in the crib. "Andrea!" she called out. "Andrea!" she called again. Her own tears took over again and she knelt next to the cradle, putting Callie in there with her sister. For a few minutes, it seemed to quiet them, but Callie soon began to howl again.

Miranda gently rocked their cradle as she cried, begging and pleading with them. "Andrea, where are you?" she cried.

A short while later, Andrea came running downstairs in Miranda's robe, her wet hair wrapped up in a turban-style towel. "Miranda! What's wrong?" she asked, running to her side.

"They won't—they won't stop crying," Miranda said, letting go of the cradle and burying her face in her hands.

Andrea took a deep breath. "Are they hungry?" she asked.

Miranda shrugged. "I don't know. I can't tell," she said.

"Okay. Okay. Come here, sweetie," she said, picking up Callie from the cradle. "Can you pick up Catherine? Let's take them upstairs."

Miranda nodded and took her little girl, following Andrea and Callista up the stairs. After a few minutes, it seemed like Callie was calming down. Andrea was walking around the room, gently bouncing her.

"Here," Andrea said, handing Callie to Miranda. "Try feeding her now. Let's trade."

Again, Miranda didn't say anything, she just did as Andrea told her, and climbed up onto the bed where the pillows were already setup. She gently brushed her fingers along Callie's cheek and under her chin until she latched on. Meanwhile, Andrea changed Catherine's diaper and rocked her to sleep, setting her gently in her bassinet. Once Callie was finished feeding, Andrea took her, changed her diaper, and also laid her in her bassinet.

Andrea unwrapped the towel from her hair and tossed it on the chair. Miranda was curled up on the bed, her face buried in a pillow. "Miranda," she said, climbing onto the bed next to her.

"Don't. I can't, not now. Just—save it," Miranda muttered.

"I love you," Andrea said, gently curling up behind the woman. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just want to tell you how much I love you."

Miranda turned around to face her. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But—I, I failed. I couldn't get them back to sleep. I needed you."

"Sweetheart, needing someone doesn't mean failure," Andrea said, kissing her lightly on the forehead. "Babies are…well, babies. They cry, sometimes for no reason. All we can do is hold them and love them and take care of their basic needs. You did more than that."

Miranda sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I couldn't even pick them both up. I thought that maybe if I could hold both of them… Andrea, I can't do this."

"Hey, relax," Andrea said, hugging her tightly. "Until they can support their own heads, the only way you can hold them both is if someone hands the second baby to you and places her in your arms. You can do this, Miranda. You can—you are doing this."

Miranda quietly cried against her shoulder as Andrea soothingly traced circles on her back. After a while, Miranda's tears waned. Just when Andrea thought the older woman had fallen asleep, she heard a quiet whisper. "Don't leave me alone with them. Promise me."

Andre kissed the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere," she said. She hugged her tightly, then pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Are you tired?"

"Not really."

"Then come downstairs with me," Andrea said. "The iPad is already down there, so we can watch them on the cameras."

Miranda sat up and wiped her eyes. "Give me a minute—I need to wash my face," she said, heading into the bathroom. That gave Andrea just enough time to slip out of the bathrobe and into some pants and a tank.

"Can you pump a little now?" Andrea asked as they walked down the stairs.

"Why? I thought we weren't—"

"I want to be able to feed them," Andrea said, cutting her off. It wasn't entirely true. Sure, she did want to feed them, but more than anything, she wanted to relieve some of the burden from Miranda, who was already more than a little overwhelmed.

"Oh. Well, I guess. Of course, what am I saying? I'm sorry, I didn't realize it bothered you," Miranda said.

Andrea shrugged. "It's okay. I get that you want to feed them, and it makes sense. But just once in a while would be nice."

"Of course, darling. All you have to do is ask. I can get the pump all setup now," she said. "We didn't eat lunch, did we?"

Andrea shook her head. "I'll go make something light," she said, wandering off into the kitchen. She filled two pitas with lettuce, egg salad, and a few slices of tomato, then carried it into the living room with two bottles of water. Miranda was already situated on the couch, connected to the dual pump on a small folding set their lunch on the coffee table and climbed on the couch behind Miranda.

"What are you doing?" Miranda asked. She craned her neck, but couldn't turn her upper body because of the pump.

"Just going to massage your back and shoulders a little. Is that okay?" she asked as she softly laid her hands on the expanse of porcelain skin. She gently kneaded Miranda's shoulders, then began moving her hands downward, applying steady pressure with the palm of her hand.

"Andreaaa," Miranda moaned. "That feels wonderful. Ohh god."

Andrea smiled and softly kissed her shoulder. Miranda tilted her head downward, and Andrea trailed kisses up to her ear. Teasingly, she licked the woman's earlobe and dragged it between her teeth.

Miranda gasped and arched her back. Andrea pressed a few gentle kisses to the nape of her neck and smoothed her hands across Miranda's shoulders and down her arms until their hands were linked. Andrea's body was pressed against Miranda's back and she could feel the older woman's ragged breathing.

Andrea leaned forward and whispered into Miranda's ear, "You don't have to worry about leaking."

Miranda started laughing. She detached herself from the pump and pulled her dress back up, handing the ties over her shoulder for Andrea to tie. "I do love you, Andrea. You are my sunshine."

Once she tied the halter, she softly kissed Miranda's shoulder. "I'll put the milk away and be right back," she said. "Need anything else?"

Miranda shook her head and took a sip of her water. When Andrea returned, they enjoyed lunch while watching the twins sleep on the monitor.

"Are you doing okay?" Andrea asked cautiously as she set her empty plate back on the table.

Miranda took a deep breath and set her own plate down. "Come here," she said, opening her arms so Andrea could lie against her chest. "I don't know if I could say this if you were looking at me, so let's just stay like this for a while, hmm?

Andrea wrapped her arm around Miranda's waist and gently pressed a kiss to her chest. "Take your time," she said.

"I'm okay when you're here," she said with a sigh. "But earlier, and last night—I don't know what happened. I could feel myself starting to panic. I was terrified. Everything raced through my mind so quickly, and I just lost it."

Andrea gently stroked her arm. It was exactly the reassurance she needed.

"I know, in my mind, that I can do this. I know, in my mind, that you're just in the other room. I know this, and yet, it's as if I can't convince myself those thoughts are real. I was afraid that my babies were going to die right there in that cradle. I actually thought they were going to cry themselves to death. All while I sat there, helpless, just watching them suffer."

"Miranda, you're a wonderful mother," Andrea said quietly.

"I know that. I mean, maybe not wonderful, but certainly capable. And it helps when Caroline and Cassidy are around, because they're living proof," she said.

"So are Callie and Catherine," Andrea said. She sat up, but kept her eyes downward. "Is it okay if I look up?"

Miranda nodded. She softly kissed the young woman before she settled back against her chest.

"Thank you for being so honest—I know that's not easy. I'm sorry I was in the shower for so long. I should have left the door open or something," she said.

"No, sweetheart. You have nothing to apologize for. This is a big change for all of us."

They sat in silence together for a few minutes. Hearing cries coming from the iPad, Andrea sat up. "Maybe it's just one of them," she said, getting up and running up the stairs. A few minutes later, she came down with Catherine, who looked like she was ready to fall asleep again. Andrea returned to her seat on the couch, curled up against Miranda, except this time she held the baby on her chest.

"When is Cara coming back?" Miranda asked.

"Monday, unless we need her sooner. Why?"

"No reason. Actually, that's a lie. The laundry hampers are full. I've been going through multiple shirts a day, and of course we want to use clean towels and blankets for the babies."

"Do you need me to do a load of laundry? You know, we could actually take the opportunity to teach Caroline and Cassidy how to use the washing machine," Andrea said with a smile.

"That may not be a bad idea," Miranda said. "I was thinking of calling Helen tonight. Would you mind if she came in for a few weeks?"

"Why would I mind?" Andrea asked. "It's your house."

"Darling, you live here, too. And, I realize you don't really know Helen. You kind of ran off to your apartment last time she was here. She's very understanding, and she will give us privacy when we want. I promise, she's not like your stereotypical mother-in-law."

"I never thought she was. It's just—you're obviously close with her. You basically just referred to her as your mother. I didn't want to interfere with your relationship," Andrea said. "And I can't exactly run back to my apartment now anyway. I'm subletting, and the couple has already moved in."

"Promise you won't pout and be jealous when she's here?" Miranda asked, gently kissing her on the forehead.

"What?! Of course not. You just have to be as nice to my mother as I am to Helen."

"Did you decide when she'll come visit?"

"Probably not until August. But seriously, if you want Helen to come, call her. I don't mind."

"Okay. I'm going to run upstairs and call her now. I'll bring Callie back down when she wakes up. Is Catherine hungry?"

"Nope. We're both perfectly content."

Miranda smiled and headed towards the stairs. "Oh—can you text James and see when to expect the girls home?"

"Sure thing." Andrea pulled her phone out and saw she already had a text waiting from James: Taking the girls back to my place for dinner after their party. Will bring them back later tonight. You & M okay? Need anything?

Andrea smiled as she typed her response: Great. We're good, thx!

Since Miranda was upstairs and would be for a while longer, Andrea called Emily and asked a favor. She didn't know if Miranda was comfortable with Abby or Rachel seeing such a personal photo, but she knew that she wouldn't mind Nigel and Emily.

"Andrea, that is a gorgeous photo," Emily said.

"Can you just have Nigel touch it up a tiny bit? I love how real it looks, but I want Miranda to be willing to hang this in our bedroom, too. She'll have to look at it every day," Andrea explained.

"Of course. I think it would look beautiful in black and white—would that be okay?"

"Sure. Whatever you think. I do want a small version of the original—color, no retouching—to put on my desk at work, though."

"Consider it done. What about a frame? Miranda has the Grosvenor frames in the bedroom, right?"

"Yeah, so whatever you think will look right. And the baby photos of the girls?"

"I got those, too. How small?" Emily asked.

"About the size of your thumbnail. It's for a locket."

"Only you would try to cram four children into a locket," she said. "Fine. I'll have everything for you Sunday evening. Can I bring it over?"

"Sure. But bring a bunch of random bags from Runway so she's not suspicious. Actually, she probably needs more clothes—tops, especially."

"Will do. Anything else?"

"No. Thank you so much, Em. Seriously. I owe you," she said.

"Just make sure you keep Miranda happy. If she's happy, I'm happy."

Andrea thanked her again, then ended the call. She scrolled through her emails and saw that her mother mailed the locket and it would be arriving tomorrow. "I hope your mommy likes it," Andrea whispered, kissing Catherine gently.

"Likes what?" Miranda said, coming down the stairs with Callie in her arms.

"Can't tell you," Andrea said. "It's a secret."

"Don't be teaching my daughters to keep secrets from me," she said with a chuckle. "I spoke with Helen. She's going to take the first train in on Monday morning, and I already had Rachel arrange for Roy to meet her at the station."

"Great," Andrea said. "James is bringing the girls over later tonight—he took them back to his house for a while and then they're grabbing dinner. Emily is going to bring some bags of clothes over tomorrow night."

"You're sure that you're okay with Helen coming?"

"Yes. Please relax," she said.

They settled into a routine over the next few days. Helen arrived Monday morning, and she acted every bit the proud grandmother. Miranda also seemed more relaxed in the older woman's presence, so for that, Andrea was incredibly grateful.

With all the commotion Monday morning, the twins missed their nap, and the exhaustion was wearing on everyone's faces. Miranda and Andrea took the babies upstairs. Catherine fell asleep right away, but Callie kept waking up the minute Miranda would set her in the bassinet.

After attempting to set her in the bassinet for the third time, Miranda carried her back to the bed and climbed up. She laid against the pillows and cradled her daughter against her chest. "I'll lay here with her," Miranda said.

"Do you want me to stay up here with you?" Andrea asked.

"No, I'll be fine," Miranda said.

Andrea took Miranda's phone from the nightstand and set it on the bed next to her. "I love you. Get some rest." She gently shut the door and made her way downstairs, where Helen, Caroline, and Cassidy were cleaning up after lunch.

"Are the babies asleep?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, finally. Callie didn't want to sleep in her bassinet, though, so your mom is laying with her in bed," Andrea said.

"Girls, why don't you go find a movie and put it on in the living room. I'm going to talk with Andy for a little bit, then we'll come join you," Helen said.

Andrea smiled at the girls and nodded. Once they left the room she turned to Helen. "I just wanted to say—"

"How is Miranda doing?" Helen asked.

"Um, I think she's okay. Why?"

"She started crying when I spoke with her on Saturday," Helen explained. "She said she was fine, but she didn't know why she was crying. Have you upset her?"

Andrea could feel her emotions surfacing, her fists clenching at her sides. "No. I did not upset her. I have done nothing but support her and love her."

"Andy, you'll have to excuse me, because I really don't know you. There must be something. In the fifteen years that I've known Miranda, the only time she cried in front of me was the day she buried her mother."

"Listen," Andrea said. "Miranda cares about you, so I can't ask you to leave, but please. You don't know me, so please stop making accusations." Andrea began pacing in the kitchen as she thought of what to say next. "Miranda has been up and down since we brought the girls home. Mostly, she's fine, but there have been a few times when she was completely overwhelmed and broke down. We talk about it. She—she talks to me about what she's feeling. It's only been six days since the babies were born, and I think her body is still adjusting to the hormones, or lack thereof. And, I might add, that I've seen Miranda cry at least once a week these past six months. I don't think it's as unusual as you make it seem."

Helen stared at Andrea for a few minutes, not saying a word. "She loves you."

Andrea smiled. "I know. I love her, too."

"I can see that," Helen said. "I love her, too. She's like a daughter to me."

"I know, and I respect that. She enjoys having you around."

"If you hurt her, I will—"

Andrea gently placed her hand on Helen's forearm. "I won't hurt her," she said quickly. "I'm in this forever."

Helen's eyes widened. "Are you—do you mean—are you engaged?"

"Not yet, but I want to give her something tonight, I just want to run it by the girls first."

Helen's eyebrow arched up.

"And you," Andrea quickly added. "I am planning to give her my grandmother's locket," she said, pulling it out of her pocket. I put pictures of the four girls in there. It's not a traditional ring, but it's my promise that I'll be here for her forever."

Helen took the locket in her hand and turned it over a few times before handing it back to Andrea. She had tears in her eyes, but Andrea didn't want to press. "It's lovely. The girls and I can entertain the babies for a while later if you want to give it to her privately," she said.

"Thank you. And thank you for being here. I know it means a lot to Miranda," she said.

Helen nodded and turned back to the dishes in the sink. Andrea headed into the living room, putting the DVD on pause before she sat down in front of the girls.

"Care, Cass," she said, "you know I love your mom. I love her more than anything in the world, except maybe you two and your two baby sisters. I want to give your mom something that's special—something that is my promise to her that I will love you and be here for you forever."

"Are you going to ask her to marry you?" Cass asked, grinning.

"No, sweetheart. Your mom and I haven't talked about that yet. You know there would be a lot of photographers and stuff involved with that, too. At some point in the future, if your mom agrees, I would very much like to marry her, though. Don't worry," Andrea said.

"What are you giving her?" Caroline asked.

"This," Andrea said, handing them the locket.

"It looks old. Where'd you get it?"

"It was my grandmother's. It's very special to me, and I want your mom to have it."

Cassidy took the locket and flipped it over. "It says 'All my heart'—what does that mean?"

"My grandmother always used to say 'I love you with all my heart,'" Andrea said. "Open it."

Cassidy opened the locket and her eyes widened when she saw a picture of herself and her sister from Christmas and a picture of the babies when they came home from the hospital. She looked up at her sister and they both smiled as she handed the locket back to Andrea.

"Is it okay if I give this to her? If you don't want me to, I won't."

"Andy, you have to. Mom is going to love this," Caroline said.

Cassidy squealed and jumped up, wrapping her arms around Andrea. "You're going to be the best stepmom ever!"

Caroline hugged her, too. "When are you going to give it to her?"

Helen appeared in the doorway. "Tonight," she said. "The three of us are going to play with the babies while Andy and your mom talk privately."

Caroline frowned.

Cassidy elbowed her. "She doesn't really mean talk. She means kissing and stuff," she said.

Andrea rolled her eyes and tucked the locket back into her pocket. "You two are crazy. I'm going to run upstairs and check on the girls. I didn't turn the monitor on since your mom is up there with them." They nodded and turned back to the movie they were watching. Once upstairs, Andrea went into the nursery and pulled the giant framed photo out of the closet where it was hiding. Emily had it wrapped in brown paper and secured with raffia, so even Andrea hadn't seen the final product. She carefully opened the bedroom door and stepped inside.

Miranda quickly turned towards the door, then visibly relaxed when she saw it was Andrea. "Did you miss us already?" she asked quietly.

"Mm-hmm," Andrea said, nodding. She leaned the frame against the foot of the bed and peered in the bassinet to check on Catherine, who was sleeping soundly. "Let me try putting her down now," she said, gesturing at Callie who was lying on her back on the bed.

Miranda shrugged, so Andrea carefully picked her up and took her over to the bassinet. She fussed a little bit when Andrea set her down, but after thirty seconds, she was calmly sleeping. "What's that?" Miranda asked, pointing at the frame.

Andrea picked it up and brought it to Miranda as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. "So, I wanted to get you a push present when the babies were born, but I didn't have a chance to get it before you went into labor," she said.

"Darling, I don't need a push present. That's just an excuse for middle-class women to demand diamonds from their husbands," Miranda said.

Andrea shook her head. "Regardless, I wanted to get you something. You have been such a rockstar through all of this. You're so brave and strong, and I know how fiercely you've loved those two girls since the moment you found out they existed. I just wanted to get you something to say thank you for the past eight months."

Miranda wiped a tear from her eye.

"Open it," Andrea said.

She untied the raffia and gasped as she tore the paper away. "Oh my god, Andrea," she said, covering her mouth with her hand. "When was this taken?"

"Our first night at home." Andrea finally got a chance to see the finished product and she was very pleased with the result.

Miranda set the frame down and crawled over to Andrea, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and kissing her passionately. "It's absolutely perfect, darling," Miranda said. "The only thing that could make it more perfect is if you were in it, too."

"I thought maybe we could put it here in the bedroom."

"For now," Miranda said. "But when I go back, this is going on the windowsill in my office. Thank you."

Andrea leaned in and kissed her again. Miranda pulled away and excused herself to the bathroom. While she was gone, Andrea set the photo on the dresser, leaning against the wall. She reached down into her pocket and clasped the locket in her hand. She didn't have a speech prepared or anything, and as she sat on the bed, nervously waiting for Miranda to return, she began to think she should have planned something.

She emerged from the bathroom with a sigh as she gently pressed her hand to her lower back.

"Are you okay?" Andrea asked.

"Yes!" Miranda hissed. "I'm fine. Stop fucking asking me that!"

Andrea bit down on her lower lip. Maybe this wasn't the right time. "I'm sorry, I saw you rub your back and thought maybe it hurt," she said quietly.

"What? So I'm not allowed to touch any part of my body, lest you think I'm suffering? Jesus. I was pregnant. I gave birth. I'm fine…I'm fine," she said. "I am…fine."

Andrea couldn't read the emotions on Miranda's face, but it was quite obvious the woman was anything but fine. She turned around and had her fist pressed against her mouth to silence her tears. Andrea slipped the locket back into her pocket and walked over to her, hugging her tightly from behind.

"Andrea…I'm sorry," Miranda choked out as her sobs overtook her. The young woman pressed a kiss to her shoulder and helped ease her to the ground. Miranda turned in her arms and laid her head against her chest. "I need you…but I don't want to," she said.

"Shh, it's okay," Andrea said as she held her close. After a few minutes, Miranda sat up and wiped her eyes. "I won't ask how you're doing anymore," Andrea said.

Miranda pursed her lips. "I didn't mean that. It's just, you're always taking care of me. I don't want to be so needy. I don't want to need anyone."

"I get it," Andrea said. Miranda rolled her eyes. "No, I really do. You've always been in control of everything around you, including yourself. This is a big change." Andrea took her hands. "I'm to blame. I was trying to be helpful and supportive, but I think I went too far and made you feel like some sort of helpless patient. Please forgive me, Miranda. I love you. I just want to make you happy."

Miranda took Andrea's face in her hands. "You do make me happy, darling. You do. No one is at fault. We're both learning this new dynamic, and while I love when you take care of me when I'm laid up in bed, you're right. I do kind of feel like a helpless patient right now. But do not for one minute question my love for you. This year has been incredible—for so many reasons—but what I remember most is you. There's only one word for it: bliss. I cannot picture…I mean, what would I do…?" Miranda covered her face with her hands as she got choked up again.

Andrea took the opportunity to reach into her pocket and pull the locket out. She gently tugged Miranda's hands away from her face. "I have something else for you. I was debating whether this was the right time to give it to you, and, well, here," she said, holding her hand out.

Miranda's eyes widened as she picked up the intricate piece of heirloom jewelry. "Where did you get this?" she asked.

"It was my grandmother's. I want you to have it, and know that I love you with all my heart," she said, turning the locket over so Miranda could read the inscription. "I'm always going to be here for you. It's not about need or caregiving, it's just love, plain and simple. Always…for the rest of my life…if you'll have me."

Miranda smiled and looked up at the young woman whose eyes were pooled with tears. "You know the answer to that. Yes, of course," she said, kissing the younger woman.

"Open it," Andrea said.

"Oh, I didn't realize it's a—locket," she gasped. "Thank you, darling. It's beautiful." She hugged Andrea tightly. "Wait," she said, sitting up, "you want to get married, right? I'm not crazy?"

Andrea smiled. "You're not crazy. I would love to marry you, but I know that's a little more complicated than it should be at present. So, when the time is right, of course."

She kissed Andrea. "I love you. I want to buy you the biggest, most beautiful ring in the world so everyone knows you're mine," she said. "Would you wear it—if I bought you a diamond?"

"I might worry someone would try to steal it on the subway, but yes, I would proudly wear it for you."

"Then it's settled," Miranda said. "This week, we'll go ring shopping, and no more subway rides for you."

Andrea laughed and shook her head. "Whatever makes you happy, Miranda."

TBC