Chapter 14: One Step at a Time
Caroline spent the day on cloud nine. The full body massage, sea salt facial, and paraffin manicure and pedicure had all done wonders to restore her body, but all paled in comparison to Fiona's talents the night before. She found herself, more than once, drifting off into day dreams, the poor spa attendants left conversing with a wall. The urge had also struck her at least half a dozen times, to jump in the car and head straight home to Fiona, but she knew it would be selfish and disrespectful her family who had spent a great deal of money for her benefit.
She too found it hard to believe that it wasn't a dream. She had never expected to fall in love again, and had certainly not been out looking for it. Kate had been her true love, and yet, something about Fiona kept pulling her in. She was kind, loving, smart, loyal, strong and accepting, with a wicked sense of humor and incredibly sexy; all qualities at the highest of Caroline's list. Fiona also made her want to be a better person and accepted Caroline just as she was, without any desire to change her. This felt right and, damn, did it feel good.
oOo
Fiona had managed a quick shower and change of clothes before she heard Flora's voice chattering away on the monitor in her room. She went down the hall to greet her, uncertain whether anyone else would hear. She opened the door to find Flora sitting up in her bed, holding her stuffed rabbit and watching the door. The little girl's eyes light up when they made contact with Fiona.
"Fi, hold me! I'm hungry. Can I have toast?" She jumps into Fiona's arms and squeezes her neck, then gives her a kiss on the cheek. Fiona's smile grows wider with the feeling of joy it brings.
"Of course you can, love. How about we get you dressed, and then have some toast with jam for breakfast and then we can go play in the garden." She plants a soft kiss on Flora's cheek as she squeals her approval.
Once Flora is dressed they make their way to the kitchen for breakfast. Fiona prepares Flora's breakfast then sits at the table beside her as she eats. Flora picks up her toast, takes a bite then offers it over to Fiona.
"Fi, I share with you because you are my favorite." Fiona smiles warmly and takes the toast, taking a small bite from the end. Flora giggles with glee as she watches, then takes the toast back and continues eating.
After breakfast is finished they go out to the garden. Fiona sits watching on the bench while Flora runs around blowing bubbles. She admires how beautiful the little girl is and how much her heart swells with love as she watches her play. She had never expected to become so attached to the child, let alone fall in love with her as swiftly as she did.
Fiona hears the crackle of approaching footsteps on the grass and looks over her shoulder to see Lawrence cautiously approaching. She had been lucky enough to not cross paths with anyone after the debacle just a few hours ago, but now, it seemed, her luck had run out. He walks up to the bench and sits down silently beside her.
"She loves you, you know, Flora. She talks about you non-stop when you're not around." He looks at Fiona and smiles shyly when she finally makes eye contact. She smiles back, feeling proud of the small compliment.
"Fiona, I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have said that to Gran, I know it embarrassed you, so I'm sorry." He's no longer looking at her, but instead gazing down at his feet, as he aimlessly kicks a pebble between them.
"I accept your apology and thank you for offering it Lawrence." She watches Flora instead of looking at him, seeing the discomfort in his demeanor.
"I'm sure your Gran will think I'm a classy dame now, eh?" She cuts a sly glance at Lawrence, who looks up from his feet and looks at her with a chuckle.
"Nah, she likes you. We all like you, Fiona. We weren't sure if mum would ever be the same again, since Kate. You've brought her back though, she's happy, like she used to be." He speaks softly, but continues his eye contact with Fiona. Even though he's now a grown man, he's so timid in his approach he's almost like a child.
"Well, I do love your mum Lawrence. She's brought me back too and I love that you all are so close. I don't have a large family; Clare, Emma and Ian are all I've got. So it means a lot that you are all so kind and accepting." She reaches out and rubs her hand down his forearm, smiling tenderly to put him at ease.
"I was a real arse about Kate. I'm sure mum told you. I didn't even go to their wedding. I sat at home with Gran because we were too busy being selfish gits. I know it hurt mum really badly, though we never really talked about it much. Anyway, I don't want to make the same mistake again. I am glad that mum is so happy and I am glad that it is with you." He nods his head and smiles at Fiona. She smiles back, tears welling in her eyes and she pulls him into a big hug. Flora sees them and runs over to join, dropping her bubbles in the grass.
"Hug me too!" she squeals. Lawrence looks down and picks her up with a laugh and they all round into an embrace. William smiles at the scene as he watches from the kitchen window.
oOo
Caroline's spa day finally came to an end. Although it had been quite relaxing she was more than ready to get home to be near Fiona. She took a quick shower and changed her clothes before seeing Gillian off in the lobby and rushing out the door for her home.
She pulled into the drive and hurriedly made her way up the steps. Before she could find her keys, Flora and William greeted her at the door.
"Mummy!" Flora squealed in excitement as she barreled into Caroline's legs, hugging her tightly. Caroline let go of her suitcase and knelt down to kiss Flora and pull her into a squeeze.
"Sorry, she heard you pull into the drive. Here, let me get your bag," William offers as Caroline rises to her feet. She kisses his cheek and takes Flora's hand as they all walk in the door. They deposit the bags just inside and Flora bounds off down the hall yelling to everyone that her mummy is home.
Caroline walks into the kitchen to find Fiona plating the supper into dishes and Celia setting the table just behind. They both look up and smile warmly as she enters the room.
"Hello love, did you have a nice day? We already know you had a nice night." She walks to the kitchen to pick up the silverware. Fiona looks up and smiles shyly.
"I had a lovely day, thank you all. The party was wonderful as well." She crosses to the island and pours herself a glass of the wine that had been set out.
"Yes, it was lovely, but I was talking about the private event you and Miss Doyle had after." She picks up the silverware and heads back to the table, as Caroline shoots a confused glance to Fiona.
"They know Caroline. I'm afraid I was caught red handed this morning." She lifts her eye brows and bites her bottom lip with a grin, as she transfers the noodles to the serving dish.
"Yes, she looked like a teenager sneaking in from a party, her shoes in her hand and her make up all amiss." Celia returns again to the kitchen and looks at Fiona with a laugh. Fiona smiles shyly then takes the food over to the table.
"Mum! You're being rude." Caroline moves to Celia at the other end of the island, giving her a stern look of disapproval.
"Oh, it's alright love, I'm not being rude. I'm just giving you two love birds a hard time. I'm glad to see you finally taking the next step. It was getting quite awkward watching you two constantly going out of your way to avoid any kind of contact, like you might go up into flames if you so much as brushed against one another. Now, can we eat, we're all famished." She kisses Caroline's cheek then takes the final dish of food to the table and calls for everyone to come eat.
The meal is more pleasant than Caroline had anticipated, the awkward tension of figuring out how to make the announcement having gone from her brain. Her heart swells with love and pride as she watches the scene around her; all of the people she loves are in one room and everyone is happy and healthy.
The meal and pudding are eaten, the washing up done and William and Lawrence head upstairs to get Flora to bed and then pack to catch their late train at the station. The rest of the bunch sits talking at the table enjoying a tea and conversation.
A half hour later the boys return down stairs with their bags, ready to go.
"Oh, I can take them to the station so the three of you can keep chatting, " Fiona offers and gets up from the table to take her mug to the sink.
"No!" Caroline almost shouts it as she stands up from the table, causing the others to jump. Fiona turns around, with a stunned look on her face. The others are stunned for a moment, until the realization strikes them all, almost simultaneously.
"Sorry, I mean, I will go with you. Let me just get my coat from upstairs." She crosses to Fiona and squeezes her hand before exiting the room.
"Did I miss something?" Fiona asks, still unsure of the reason for Caroline's sudden agitation.
"It's umm, it's Kate. The accident…she had just taken me to the train station, and dropped Lawrence off at a friend's. She was, she was hit when she ran an errand before coming home." William speaks very low and the rest of the room is silent, stillness settling over as the words sink in.
"She's scared, that it could happen to you."
"We'll stay here with Flora until you lot get back. Be safe and you two have a good trip. Let us know when you arrive," Alan stands up to give the boys a firm hand shake and hug and then they say their goodbyes to Celia and Caroline returns with her coat.
The ride to the station is full of lively conversation, everyone trying to distract Caroline from the memories. They say their goodbyes at the station and the two women stand waving as the train starts to move. Fiona slips her hand silently into Caroline's, with a gentle reassuring squeeze. Caroline looks over and smiles a silent thank you, then squeezes her hand in return.
oOo
Caroline and Fiona stand side by side, looking at the bed before them. Fiona turns to Caroline, taking her hands and pulling them up in between them.
"Caroline, perhaps we could stay in my room tonight. I think it might be easier for both of us, and we can decide how to proceed in the morning." She kisses Caroline's knuckles and watches the relief as it releases the tension in Caroline's brow.
"Fiona, how do you always know what I'm thinking? And how are you always so lovely and understanding?" She cups Fiona's face into her hands and kisses her tenderly. The kiss breaks and Fiona smiles, taking Caroline into a hug.
"Because I love you and I do understand you. You shared this room with Kate, and I know that it isn't easy to bring me in it, no matter how much you may want to. We can decide later what to do about it, but right now I just want you to take me to bed." She pulls her head back, but keeps her arms firmly around Caroline's waist, her look indicating she's seeking her approval. Caroline shakes her head in disbelief, realizing just how luck she is to have found Fiona.
"God, you are perfect. Now take me to your room." She leans in and kisses Fiona with a passion so strong it gives them both goose bumps. Fiona takes her by the hand and leads her slowly out of the room.