Chapter 19
Solo checked her reflection in the hallway mirror for the third time in ten minutes, adjusting the collar of her button-down shirt, then smoothing it down again.
She’d changed twice already. Her first outfit had been too casual, and the second too formal.
She’d finally settled on dark jeans and a slim-fit burgundy shirt that Janie had always said brought out the warmth in her eyes.
“You look great, slugger,” her dad said from the living room, where he was building an elaborate block tower with Chloe. “Stop fussing.”
“I’m not fussing.” Solo moved away from the mirror, then immediately turned back to check her hair.
“You’re definitely fussing,” her dad said, sounding amused. “It’s just Janie. Your wife, remember? The woman you’ve been married to for two years.”
“It’s our first real date since...” She wasn’t quite sure how to finish that sentence. Since they’d started trying to put the pieces back together? The theater date last month was forced and unnatural, and she’d been too preoccupied, desperate to get back for the triplets. God, she’d been an ass.
“Since you decided to fight for each other,” her dad said gently and grinned. “Maybe you should be nervous about it.”
Solo abandoned the mirror and collapsed onto the couch beside him.
Luna immediately crawled into her lap, and Solo automatically adjusted to accommodate her, before pressing a kiss to her daughter’s curly hair.
“We Zoomed with David yesterday,” she said.
“Janie from her office and me from the garage. She told him everything about the ER incident.”
Her dad grumbled. “How did that go?”
“Better than Janie expected. He was frustrated we didn’t tell him sooner, but he understood why.
He still thinks we’re in good shape even after he’d reviewed the medical records.
They show it was an accident, and we’ve taken steps since then by childproofing and employing Carmen.
” She nudged him. “And we’ve got you hanging around too.
David’s confident Janie’s mother doesn’t have a case. ”
He raised both eyebrows and stared at her, clearly waiting for more. He could always hear the “but” before she said it.
“But it’s still terrifying. The hearing is in three weeks, and until then, we’re just... waiting and hoping Janie’s mother doesn’t find something else to use against us.”
“You’re doing everything right,” her dad said. “Both of you. And you’re doing it together. That’s what matters.”
Tia wandered over and thrust a picture book at Solo. “Mama read.”
“Mommy is coming soon, baby girl. How about Grandpa reads you this one?”
“When Mommy coming?” Tia’s face scrunched up with the kind of concentration only a toddler trying to understand time could achieve.
“Very soon. Maybe ten more minutes?”
“Ten minutes,” Tia said seriously, like she had any concept of what that meant.
Solo’s phone buzzed.
I’m outside. Should I come in?
Her stomach did a complicated flip. “She’s here,” she said, unnecessarily loud. She stood and popped Luna on the playmat, but she protested with a squawk. Solo went back to her phone and texted Janie. Do you want to come in to see the girls?
“Go.” Her dad shooed her toward the door. “Have fun. Don’t worry about your little terrors. Carmen will be here in an hour, and everything is under control.”
“I know, but shouldn’t the girls see their mommy?” She grabbed her keys from the tray by the door.
“Han.” Her dad put his hands on her shoulders, looking at her seriously.
“Your mother and I had rough patches. There were times when we couldn’t see past our own hurt to see each other.
You know what saved us? We kept showing up.
We kept choosing each other. That’s what you and Janie are doing.
So go. Show up for your wife. Choose her. ”
Her phone buzzed again.
Would it be okay if I didn’t? I really want this time to be about us. I can come in after our date night. Does that work?
Solo hugged her dad quickly, then kissed each of the triplets. “Be good for Grandpa and Carmen. I’ll be home later.”
“Much later,” her dad said and gave a knowing smile. “Don’t rush. You two need this.”
Solo grabbed her denim jacket, more for something to keep her hands busy than because she needed it in the warm September afternoon, then headed outside.
Janie was leaning against her car, wearing a dress Solo had never seen before.
It was deep green with small white flowers, fitted at the waist and flowing to just above her knees.
Her hair was down and caught the afternoon light.
Solo’s mouth fell open like she was a cartoon character.
Janie looked fresh and achingly familiar all at once.
Solo jogged down their path and closed the gate behind her. She wanted to pull Janie into her arms and kiss her, then maybe scoop her up and take her upstairs to show her how much she’d missed her. But first dates were about taking it slow. Weren’t they?
“Hi,” Janie said then bit her bottom lip.
“Hi.” Solo couldn’t stop staring. “You look... Wow.”
“Yeah?” Janie looked down at herself like she’d forgotten what she was wearing. “I bought it yesterday. I thought...fresh start, new dress,” she said and shrugged.
“It’s perfect. You’re perfect.” Solo moved close enough to touch Janie but held back, and for a moment, she just stood there, taking her in as if she was seeing her for the very first time. “So. First date.”
“First date.” Janie nodded. “Are you ready to be swept off your feet?”
“You’re going to do the sweeping?” Solo chuckled.
Janie arched her eyebrow the way she did when she was practically daring Solo to push. “Yes. I’m going to do the sweeping.”
“Then I’m ready,” Solo said, enjoying Janie’s familiar queen-like confidence. “Sweep away.”
Janie’s eyebrow dropped, and she inclined her head toward the Lexus. “Hop in.”
Solo happily did as instructed. Their time together was already feeling new and exciting, and she couldn’t wait to enjoy every second of it.
She didn’t really take notice of the route and was happy enough to simply stare at her wife’s profile, something she wasn’t sure she’d get to see with any kind of regularity ever again.
Janie was clearly following some internal map, and she seemed lighter today as she sang along to the radio, one hand on the wheel and the other occasionally reaching over to touch Solo’s knee.
Each touch darted warmth through Solo’s chest.
She thought about asking how Janie was feeling about their Zoom with David yesterday, but she didn’t want to bring the vibe down.
And today was supposed to be just about them, reconnecting and rediscovering each other.
For now, Solo wanted to ignore the ball of dread sitting in her guts and just be with her wife.
They drove through neighborhoods that shifted and changed, past the Loop with its towering buildings and through pockets of residential streets until Janie pulled into a parking spot on 18th Street.
“It’s crazy that we haven’t been here together,” Solo said before she got out of the car. She got a hit of incense and noticed they were parked outside some kind of spiritual shop.
The woman inside came to the door and seemed to study them both for a long moment. “If you’re looking to make sure this sticks, I’ve got a great spell for second chances.”
Solo did a double take and backed away. “Uh, no. We’re good on our own, thanks.”
The woman looked at them both again for longer than was comfortable, and then she winked. “Yeah, you will be,” she said and turned back into her shop.
“That was strange,” Solo said when Janie came alongside her.
Janie laughed lightly. “That kind of thing is normal around here. Wait until you meet Maria.”
“I’m looking forward to that,” Solo said and held out her hand, not wanting to assume Janie would be good with the physical contact. She almost did a little celebration jump when Janie intertwined their fingers. “I want to meet the woman who’s been taking care of my wife when I couldn’t.”
Janie kissed Solo’s cheek. “Don’t go there. We’re focusing on being there for each other from here, okay?”
Solo nodded, and when they started walking, she immediately understood why Janie had fallen for this neighborhood over the past couple of weeks.
Murals covered nearly every available surface, massive, colorful pieces that transformed ordinary buildings into art galleries.
A skeletal Día de los Muertos figure smiled down from one wall.
A woman’s face, rendered in stunning detail, gazed out from another, her expression both fierce and tender.
“This one’s my favorite,” Janie said, stopping in front of a mural that depicted a phoenix rising from flames, its wings spread wide and brilliant with gold and crimson. “I came across it a few weeks ago, and I stood here for twenty minutes, staring at it.”
Solo took in the mural, understanding why it would speak to Janie. “Rising from the ashes,” she said quietly.
“Yeah.” Janie squeezed Solo’s hand and lifted it to her chest. “That’s what it feels like. Like everything burned down, and now we’re building something new from what’s left.”
The art and Janie’s sentiment took away Solo’s ability to say anything remotely clever, so she said nothing at all and simply let the beautiful weight of it all settle in her heart.
They walked hand in hand through the neighborhood, stopping to admire murals, peeking into shop windows, just existing together in a way they hadn’t in so long. Solo relaxed more with each step, and the constant tension she’d been carrying for weeks slowly began to unwind.