Chapter 13
Isla
D owntown Moonflower Cove looked as if it were plucked straight from a Hallmark movie. Pumpkins, scarecrows, and mums in every color lined the sidewalk in front of the shops on Main Street. People of every age were milling about with smiles plastered on their faces and plastic buckets filled with candy hanging off their arms. A gentle breeze made it feel colder than it actually was, which helped put Isla into a Halloween mood she hadn’t anticipated feeling.
It would be the second Halloween without Blake, which meant soon she’d be experiencing her second Thanksgiving and Christmas without Blake. Isla couldn’t deny her pain over that fact. But Isla was determined to keep her pain in the back of her mind and heart so she could give Mason the holidays she deserved. And besides, Isla didn’t want to ruin her evening with Vera and the girls with her sad thoughts.
They had all dressed up for the annual Halloween extravaganza that Vera had been hyping up all week. Vera’s enthusiasm over the event made Isla excited for a holiday she usually only enjoyed because of her kids. Mason had chosen to dress up as a Power Ranger—the blue one, specifically—while Walker was dressed as Sailor Moon. Her pigtails bounced from side to side as she happily chatted with Mason about the contents of their candy buckets.
Isla had half-heartedly put on a tiara, after Mason’s unending insistence that she had to dress up. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d dressed up for Halloween, but clearly Vera couldn’t say the same. Vera had gone all out with a vintage blue polka dot dress, red high heels, and her hair in curls as Lucy Ricardo. And judging by the way her smile seemed to light up the world, Vera was definitely in her element.
Which was exactly why Isla wouldn’t bring up her sad thoughts of Blake. As she had for the last year, she would keep them to herself.
Or, well, she thought she would.
Even without Isla saying anything, Vera seemed to know something was bothering her. As Mason and Walker walked a few feet ahead of them toward the bustle of downtown, Vera squeezed Isla’s hand.
“I wish she were here, too.”
Isla smiled sadly at her, trying to silently convey her thanks. She held tighter onto Vera’s hand and rested her head on her shoulder. “Me, too.”
Vera placed a soft kiss on Isla’s cheek. Although they hadn’t had the conversation about if they were officially dating or not, Isla assumed they were. She still wasn’t sure how to feel about public displays of affection with another woman, but there was something about Vera that boosted her confidence. With Vera at her side, Isla worried less about what people thought of them and more about how much she wanted to do more than kiss Vera.
But those were feelings she’d have to act on without the kids present.
“I love this,” Isla happily sighed as she looked around the decorated Main Street. “Are all holidays like this?”
Vera chuckled. “Just wait until you see it at Christmas. Every shop window is decorated with lights and trees and snowmen. They wrap the street lamps like candy canes with sparkling lights. Oh, and the Christmas tree farm.”
“There’s a tree farm?”
“Baxter Tree Farm,” Vera stated with a nod. “It’s on the outskirts of town and is stunning. We’ll have to go there when it opens for the season and get a tree for you and Mason.”
“She’d love that.” Isla stopped walking, gently pulling Vera to a stop as she looked into her eyes. “And I would, too.”
“Then it’s a date.”
“Mommy!” Mason came running back to them, a wide smile on her face with her blue mask pushed back into her wavy hair. “Walker says there’s a bounce house . Can we go?”
“Um, sure?” She looked at Vera, who nodded. “Let’s go to the bounce house.”
They followed the girls down the street and around the corner to the town square. The gazebo had been turned into a spooky scene with the help of fake cobwebs and a fog machine. Several people were dressed as various scary characters on the gazebo, waving at people as they walked by. Isla appreciated the mix of spooky and fun, as Mason typically wasn’t one for scary.
A large multicolored bounce house was set up in one corner of the square, along with a face painting station and a man making balloon animals. Mason and Walker handed their buckets to Isla and Vera before making a beeline to the bounce house. Vera nodded toward a nearby bench, where they sat.
“It really is beautiful here.”
“It is,” Vera hummed contentedly. “I love it here, especially this time of year. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. There always seems to be a little extra magic in the air here when the weather gets colder.”
“Hmmm,” Isla snuggled into Vera’s embrace as Vera wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I can see why you love it.”
Isla savored the quiet moment with Vera as they watched Mason and Walker playing with the other kids in the bounce house. Picking up Walker’s bucket of candy, Vera sifted through and plucked out two Reese’s cups. She handed one to Isla before opening her own.
“Eating the kid’s candy. That’s going to lose you big sister points, you know.”
“It’s worth the risk.” Vera winked as she popped the candy into her mouth. They were quiet for a few moments before Vera said, “You know, we never have gone on an actual date.”
“We haven’t,” Isla softly laughed. “But I think before we go on an actual date, we need to be officially dating first, don’t you?”
Isla had no idea where the burst of confidence came from. But she was tired of skirting around the issue at hand. She liked Vera and it was clear Vera liked her as well. Dancing around those feelings would only delay the inevitable even more, and Isla was tired of delaying it. Even if that meant stepping outside of her comfort zone and asking Vera to be her girlfriend.
“As a matter of fact,” Vera chuckled again, “I do.”
“Good.” Turning slightly in her seat, Isla turned to face Vera. “So, Vera, what do you say? Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Yes. A thousand times, yes.”
There was no hesitation in Vera’s response. She leaned in and kissed Isla as she ran her fingers through her hair. For the first time in her life, Isla didn’t care who saw them. Isla didn’t care that she was kissing a woman in public. All that mattered was that Isla deeply cared about the woman whose tongue was currently in her mouth.
A part of Isla wanted to take Vera home with her and make sweet love to her. But she had to be a mom tonight. Her fantasies of what she wanted to do with Vera would have to wait until they each weren’t responsible for tiny humans.
“Please, still want this when we have our first date,” Vera breathlessly requested as her hot breath hit Isla’s cheeks.
“There is a very, very good possibility I will.”
“Good.”
Vera’s smile was one of the most beautiful sights Isla had ever seen, and she soaked it in. Out of all the bad that had happened over the last year, Isla was thankful that finally something good was happening. Even if it did little to eclipse the pain in her heart over Blake.
Again, Vera must have known where Isla’s thoughts were. Vera tenderly tucked Isla’s hair behind her ear as she caressed her cheek.
“I know I’ll never understand what you’re going through with Blake. But I want—no, I need you to know that you’ll always have me in your court. I’ll cry with you, fight for you. Whatever you need.” She wiped away a tear from Isla’s cheek. “I’m here.”
Isla’s emotions were getting the best of her, and the last thing she wanted was to have a full breakdown in the town square. She wanted to tell Vera that no one had ever told her those words before. She wanted to tell her how thankful she was they had found each other at what seemed like the perfect time in their lives. But those sentiments would have to come later when Isla had a better grip on her emotions.
As for now, she simply said, “Thank you.”
They stayed at the festival for another hour before heading back to Isla’s apartment. Vera and Walker had met them there earlier and they’d driven to the festival together. As Vera and Walker walked them to the apartment door, Mason pulled on Isla’s pants.
“Mommy, can I spend the night with Walker?”
“Oh, honey, we don’t invite ourselves over, remember?” Isla looked to Vera to see if that was something she’d even want to be considered. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Vera answered quickly. “She can spend the night if she wants.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“Yes!” Mason and Walker exclaimed in unison as they ran into the house, presumably to gather Mason’s overnight bag as they left the adults outside the front door.
Isla motioned for Vera to join her inside, but she held up a hand and shook her head as she remained seemingly frozen in place.
“I can’t.”
“You can’t come inside?” Isla laughed. “Mason’s her mother’s child and will probably take a while to get her bag packed. And you’ve been in here before. Several times, might I add. It’s okay.”
“It’s not. Not tonight,” Vera sighed, and Isla felt her stomach drop.
Had she done something wrong? Was Vera reconsidering what they’d talked about earlier? Did she not want to date her anymore? Isla’s mind was running crazy.
“If I come in, I know what I’m going to want to do.”
Isla’s breath hitched in her throat as Vera took a step toward her with more passion in her eyes than Isla had ever seen before.
“I’m going to want to take you to bed. I’m going to want to kiss you and touch you and make love to you all night long. I want to know what your body looks like and memorize every single detail about it. But I can’t do that right now. Not with Mason and Walker in there. So, no,” she shook her head again, “I can’t come in.”
The wheels in Isla’s brain began to turn and for a moment, she almost suggested they take the kids to Maggie’s house for the night so they could be alone.
But she knew that wasn’t the right thing to do. And Isla was determined to do the right thing in this relationship. It wasn’t going to end like her marriage. No, Isla was determined to make this work. Because Vera was different and they were good together. She already knew that from their limited time together.
“Well, then,” Isla licked her lips, “we better not wait too long to have that first date then.”
“How about tomorrow?”
“It’s a date.”
“Good.” Smirking, Vera leaned in toward Isla as her nose brushed against her ear. “Because I’m already wet thinking about it.”