Chapter 37
Morgan
Morgan gripped the casserole dish tightly in her hands, hoping they weren’t sweaty enough to drop the rice dressing all over Melanie and Kim’s front doorstep.
She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous. She knew these people.
Knew they wouldn’t judge her for her or her food-making abilities. Still, this felt like a big deal.
It was her first official holiday with her and Danielle as a couple.
While they’d known each other for a month before that, they’d only been officially dating for a month since the wedding.
Two months didn’t seem like enough time to be woven into a family gathering.
And yet it simultaneously felt like they’d known each other for years.
She and Danielle fell into an easy relationship over the last few weeks, seamlessly incorporating their lives together and with Lila. Morgan wasn’t sure anymore what she’d been so afraid of. Her spontaneity had folded in nicely with all of Danielle’s plans and schedules.
“Ready?”
Danielle and Lila were both looking up at her with enthusiastic expressions on their faces. They had both seemed as excited as she was anxious to have her there with them for Easter lunch.
“Ready as I’m going to be,” she said.
Danielle knocked with one hand, cradling a bottle of Pinot Grigio with the other. A few moments later, the door swung open wide as Melanie greeted them each with a warm, welcoming hug.
“Come in, come in. So glad you’re here,” she said, stepping aside for them to enter. She wore a breezy spring dress and flats, with plastic bracelets clacking together as she gestured to the side. “You can put that on the folding table set up in the corner by the kitchen.”
Morgan walked over to where Melanie directed her, and she found Kim standing beside the stove, mixing something that looked like potato salad, which made the kitchen smell like freshly boiled eggs.
“You made it!” Kim abandoned the bowl and spatula to walk over and give Morgan a hug as well. “Glad you could make it.”
“Me too,” she said. And it wasn’t a lie. She really was glad.
“I guess you didn’t take Felicia up on her invitation?”
Morgan shook her head. “She understands that I’m not going to any holiday gatherings if Mom’s there. But we have a sister date next Sunday.”
“I’m so glad you two are reconnecting,” Kim said. “It’s really good to see.”
“I’m happy about it, too.”
Getting to know her sister again had been a nice bonus to the last couple of months, besides her relationship with Danielle. She never really thought that was possible, but here they were.
A knock on the door sounded throughout the small but cozy house, and a few seconds later Lila shouted, “Aunt Gerri’s here!”
Morgan turned to see Danielle’s other good friend entering the room. She was as tall as Morgan, but her high-waisted slacks and cream-colored blouse with elegant gold jewelry that shone off her dark skin made Morgan feel woefully underdressed.
After greeting the others in the living room, Gerri walked over to place a bag of bread rolls and a store-bought carrot cake on the folding table beside the rice dressing.
“Good to see you again,” Morgan said.
“You too.” Gerri gestured at the food she’d brought in. “This is all they’ll let me bring since the great bean salad fiasco of 2023.”
Morgan laughed. “Bread and cake are very important, though.”
Gerri gave a sly smile. “I’ve got another bag of it in my car for my family’s thing later. They won’t let me bring anything but bread either.”
Kim handed them each a glass of wine and directed them to the living room with the others. Lila was holding Melanie’s attention as she once again made her case for a snake for her birthday in a couple of weeks.
“No snakes,” Danielle said for about the tenth time that Morgan had heard over the past month.
With a pout, Lila waddled off to play with the couple’s dog in the backyard. She was off her crutches, but still wasn’t one hundred percent. Morgan watched as Danielle eyed her daughter rushing outside, knowing Danielle was still anxious about another potential accident.
She sat beside Danielle on the sofa and squeezed her hand to reassure her. In return, she got a grateful smile before Danielle laid her head on Morgan’s shoulder.
“Is Jen still coming?” Melanie asked as she stood to help Kim in the kitchen.
“Yeah, she should be here any minute,” Morgan said. “Thanks for inviting her, too.”
Jen and Morgan usually spent holidays together, since Morgan didn’t keep in touch with her family, and Jen’s lived across the country. Danielle had insisted Jen should join them, and Melanie agreed.
“Of course,” Melanie said. “I’m glad she can come.”
“Me too,” Danielle said, her head still resting on Morgan’s shoulder.
Morgan kissed the top of her head, taking in the sweet floral scent of her shampoo. Before she realized what she was saying, she blurted out, “I love you.”
She felt Danielle go stiff. Then she sat up to look at Morgan, her green eyes a swirl of indiscernible emotion.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“I love you, too.”
Morgan felt the sickness of regret fill her stomach. Because this wasn’t at all how she wanted to say this.
“I know this is early, so I don’t mean to pressure you into saying anything, I just—”
“Morgan,” Danielle said in a stern voice. “I meant what I said. I love you, too.”
Morgan relaxed as warmth rushed through her body.
She could barely believe what was happening. She was spending a holiday with her girlfriend. And they’d just expressed their love for each other.
She wasn’t sure her heart could handle it all. All she was really sure of was that she loved this woman, and she wasn’t afraid anymore. She was in for the ride for as long as Danielle was on it with her.