Chapter 26: St. Patrick's
Caroline and Fiona stood side by side doing the washing up from breakfast. Flora sat coloring at the table, chattering away to herself. The morning had been full of pure bliss since the moment Flora had woken them in bed, since she had called them a family.
They had slept another hour after Flora had come in, snuggled up together, and had eaten a delicious breakfast of waffles and sausage. Their happiness was further expounded by the fact that it was Sunday, which meant they had the whole day together. It was also St. Patrick's Day and Fiona had decided they would have a family dinner, including Celia, Alan, Clare, and Emma, to celebrate; Ian was away on business.
"Darling, I can go to the store and pick up the items you need for supper. I need to run a quick errand anyway, so just tell me what you need." Caroline said as she finished washing the last dish from breakfast, Fiona stepping over to dry it and put it away.
"You won't be long will you? The lamb roast will need to go in the oven soon if it's to be ready by 6." She steps back to the sink, handing Caroline the towel to dry her hands. Caroline dries her hands, sneaking in a kiss as she does.
"No, it won't take me more than 30 minutes, and I can be quick at the market. I should be able to be back within an hour or two. Will that work? It's 10 o'clock now."
"Be back by noon then, or there'll be punishment." She raises an eyebrow, giving a mock stern face. Caroline slips her arms around Fiona's waist, pulling her in close, to whisper in her ear.
"Mmm, you promise, Miss Doyle?" She purrs, sending a shiver down Fiona's spine. Fiona pulls back, playfully swatting Caroline with the towel.
"Oh you are trouble, you. Now get out of here, and hurry back!" She flicks the towel at Caroline's backside as she scurries out of the room.
oOo
Caroline returns at a quarter to noon and sees Clare's car in the drive. She pulls into her normal spot and circles around the back of the Jeep to retrieve the bags. As she walks in the door her ears are flooded with the sound of Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" coming from the den. She cautiously walks toward the room, slightly perturbed at the volume of the music.
As she rounds the corner and steps into the room she sees Clare, Emma, Fiona and Flora all laughing and dancing in the middle of the den, all the furniture pushed back to give them room. Clare looks up from the group and sees Caroline, gesturing excitedly for her to join them. Caroline laughs and shakes her head declining, but the rest of the group has caught sight of her. Flora and Emma come running up, pulling at her shirt, begging her to join them. They each have a green streak in their hair and green glitter on their faces. Caroline looks at the two girls, disturbed by the green in their hair.
"Oh, don't worry, it's just chalk. We'll wash it out tonight." Clare replies over the music, as she sees the concern on Caroline's face. Caroline smiles shyly, realizing she's been caught out.
"Come on mummy, come dance!" Flora chirps excitedly.
"Yea, Gran. Come on!" Caroline puts down the bags and each girl grabs a hand, pulling her to the impromptu dance floor. She finally gives in, laughing, and follows them to join Clare and Fiona.
Fiona grabs Caroline's hand, pulling her in for a kiss, laughing and dancing the whole time. Caroline notices she too has a green streak and glitter. She fingers the green in Fiona's hair, shaking her head with a smile.
"You know, that actually looks kind of sexy on you." She says, leaning in to Fiona.
"Well, I might just have to keep it then." She replies with a wink before taking Caroline's hand and spinning her to face the others.
The women dance in a circle with the little girls in the middle of them. Caroline smiles warmly to Clare, giving her arm a squeeze as they sing along to the song together. Clare winks and reaches down to spin Emma and Flora. The song ends and is quickly followed by Sister Sledge's "We are Family", causing the group to squeal and continue dancing.
After the second song the group circles in for a big hug, laughing and squealing together. Fiona finally pulls away from the group, moving to collect the bags from the floor.
"Alright you lot, I've got to get supper on. You two keep practicing your dance moves, there might just be a test later," she winks as she speaks to Emma and Flora, who continue bouncing around the room, holding hands and spinning each other. Caroline and Clare grab the remaining bags from the floor and follow Fiona into the kitchen.
Once the bags are unloaded and the lamb roast is placed in the oven, Fiona excuses herself for a trip to the loo, leaving Clare and Caroline alone in the kitchen.
"Caroline, I just wanted to tell you how happy I am that you forgave mum and the two of you are back together. I haven't seen her this happy since Hannah, and it's all to do with you and Flora. So, thank you for that. I couldn't be happier myself either, because I love you two to bits." She reaches across the counter giving Caroline's hand a squeeze. Caroline moves quickly around the island, pulling her in for a heartfelt hug.
"That means so much to me Clare, thank you. I love you all too and I'm so glad to have you as family…well, soon to be, anyway." She pulls back with a smile and as she does, she hits her hips on the island, reminding her of the box in her pocket.
"Oh, I want to show you something, tell me what you think." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the small white box, placing it on the island between them. Clare smiles knowingly as she reaches up to open it. Her eyes light up when she sees the ring inside- an oval cut jade surrounded by small diamonds, set in a delicate gold band.
"Caroline, it's beautiful. It's perfect, mum will love it." She says as she pulls Caroline into another hug.
"I hope so. She picked mine for my eyes, so I decided to do the same, though I think her eyes are more beautiful than this."
"Oh god, what a bunch of mushy romantics you two are," Clare replies sarcastically, winking and nudging Caroline's arm. Caroline sticks out her tongue, pulling a silly face and then smiles. She slips the box back into her pocket just as Fiona returns to the room.
"Well, I'll just go check on the girls, see how those dance moves are coming." Clare says, smiling to Caroline before leaving the kitchen.
Fiona crosses to Caroline, wrapping her arms around her neck, a gentle smile on her face as she looks lovingly into Caroline's eyes. They stand there speechless for a moment, just taking each other in.
"So, should we give you a green streak too? I think you might look sexy as well." She bites her lip, through her smile.
"Umm, no thank you. I'll leave that to you lot. My luck, I'd probably be stuck with it, my hair being so light." She leans in and plants a kiss on Fiona's nose.
"Yea, probably true and I'm not sure that would be well received at school. A head teacher with green hair might cause quite a stir." She raises an eyebrow and the two women share a laugh.
Caroline reaches into her pocket and slowly lifts the small box up between them, stopping just below their chins. Fiona looks down, then back up to Caroline a smile rapidly growing across her lips.
"Oh, a present, for me?" She asks as she takes a step back to pick up the box. Caroline watches her intently, anxiously awaiting her reaction as she opens it. Fiona's eyes double in size, and a gasp escapes her mouth as she sees it. She looks up to Caroline with tears in her eyes, a huge smile spreading across her lips.
"Now it's my turn. Marry me, Fiona Doyle." She says, taking the ring, a soft smile on her lips and love shining from her eyes. Fiona puts out her hands and watches excitedly as Caroline slips the ring on her finger. She stands silent for a moment, admiring it, then takes Caroline's face in her hands, pulling her in for a long romantic kiss.
"It's absolutely beautiful Caroline." She says as she pulls away, once again admiring her new piece of jewelry, the proof of Caroline's love.
"I got it for your eyes, though it's still not as beautiful as they are." Her arms slip around Fiona's waist, pulling her hips in closer to her own.
"I love you," Fiona whispers as she leans her forehead into Caroline's.
"And I love you." They stand gazing into each other's eyes, love radiating between them.
oOo
The family sits excitedly waiting around the table as Fiona enters the room, carrying the lamb roast. A round of cheers and applause erupt as she sets the dish down on the table.
"My god love, that looks divine." Alan says, admiring the succulent dish before him.
"Indeed it does. You've got quite the talent in the kitchen Fiona." Celia adds, smiling warmly.
"Oh, it's nothing really. My mum used to make it every St. Patrick's Day. It was our tradition." She takes a seat next to Caroline, taking her hand on the table. Celia sees the gesture and smiles then notices the ring on her finger.
"Fiona, let me see that ring! Oh isn't that beautiful. Caroline love, you did a great job." She says, nodding her approval as she holds Fiona's hand, admiring the ring. She gives Fiona's hand a squeeze and pat before releasing it.
The meal is delicious and full of pleasant and lively conversation. The adults listen attentively to Emma and Flora as they talk animatedly about a variety of excitements and then start a friendly discussion of their own, conversation flowing easily from topic to topic. After the meal is done Clare and Emma surprise the table with a homemade cake, decorated especially for the occasion. Once everyone has enjoyed the dessert Celia and Clare insist on cleaning the dishes and making tea for the adults, hot chocolate for the girls. Alan, Caroline and Fiona usher the girls into the den to relax and wait for the beverages.
"Granny, can we dance again. Flora and I practiced our moves to show you." She jumps up and down in front of Fiona on the couch, Flora joining in her playfulness.
"Alright, but you better have something pretty impressive. I hear Alan has some pretty great moves too." She smiles over to Alan, who laughs and waves a dismissive hand. She gets up and turns on the radio, selecting a station playing hits from the 40s and 50s. "Twist and Shout" starts up and the girls begin wiggling across the floor, giggling profusely at their own antics.
Celia and Clare come in from the kitchen, placing the tray of drinks on the coffee table that has been moved to the side of the room. The women stand watching the little girls, laughing with the other's in the room. The song "In the Mood" comes on next and Alan gets up from his chair, and extends his hand to Celia, offering a dance.
"Come on love, dance with me." Celia takes his hand and they move to the center of the den to dance. The girls stop dancing and watch on in delight, clapping and jumping with excitement. The women all watch and laugh as Celia and Alan move across the floor.
Alan spins Celia and then ushers her off with a kiss, offering his hand next to Clare, prompting a cheer from the room. The two dance for a few moments before Alan spins her and takes her off the floor, moving next to Fiona. She takes his hand with a laugh and they take their turn, swinging and spinning across the floor. Once he comes to Caroline the rest of the group join them on the floor. Clare dances with Emma, and Celia and Fiona each take one of Flora's hands, holding each other's hand to close the circle.
The dancing continues for almost an hour, each person fully consumed by joy. The little family trio now extends in size, their happiness growing with the expansion. The closing even more perfectly than it had begun.