CHAPTER 36
“I’m not sure there are any cruises in our near-term future, though,” Harlow added.
“Why not?” Etta asked.
“She gets seasick,” Larissa replied. “One summer, some friends of ours asked us to come down to their house. They live on a lake and have a boat, so we went out on the water, and let’s just say…
it didn’t go very well. I ended up holding her hair as she– Well, we’re eating, so I won’t be describing it, but we turned the boat around. ”
“I honestly forgot all about that.” Harlow chuckled. “I meant that you’re about to finish your doctorate, and you’ll be teaching after that, so you probably won’t want to take any time off; at least not for six months.”
“Oh, well, not all cruises are six months long, Harlow,” Larissa replied. “We could do a long weekend one if you can get some seasickness patches.”
“You don’t feel it as much on the bigger boats,” Frances shared. “I get seasick, too, but I only felt queasy a couple of times, and the pills you can get at the store helped with that.”
“Maybe we’ll go on a cruise one day, then,” Harlow said and squeezed Larissa’s thigh.
“So, putting the science aside… I am curious: how did you two manage to handle going through divorces right after meeting each other? And there were children involved, too. How did you deal with all of that? It had to be stressful, and you weren’t really together.
How did you know it was worth it?” Larissa asked.
“I don’t have any science for you there, kid,” Frances spoke.
“I looked at her, and I just knew. I know it doesn’t make sense, but it happened.
Then, we talked for a while, and I knew I’d been right.
I had things I needed to sort through first, and so did she.
When I saw a ring on her finger for the first time, it damn near scared me away, and maybe if I were a better person, it would have, but I just needed to know her.
I remember her telling me that she had a wife, and the first thing I thought was that I had a chance.
I was married, too, and I hadn’t ever been with a woman, but my mind and my heart went there first. I felt like that had to mean something. ”
“Her kids are good with it. They were adults basically, and we see them whenever they come home from school,” Etta added.
“They asked me why I was leaving their dad, and when I explained, they told me that they understood and wanted me to be happy. I introduced them to Etta once she and I were officially dating, and they love her. So, my kids get the best of both worlds. My husband has a new fiancée, and she’s great.
They now have four parents who love them.
While we’re not changing diapers anymore, they’re both at that age where they still need guidance from us.
Also, money. It’s about money a lot of the time.
” Frances laughed. “Neither of them is dating anyone right now, but soon, they’ll both meet someone and probably bring them home.
They know they can bring anyone to our house, and as long as they’re good to my kid, I don’t care what gender they are.
They know I’ll love them no matter what, and so will their father.
So, that’s it. Everything worked out when I finally met the person I was meant for.
I don’t regret anything. I think I had to follow the path I followed to get here, and I wouldn’t ever regret my kids.
I wish Etta and I had all those years together, of course, but I’ll always wish for more time with her. Now, we’re just going to have that.”
“More time?” Harlow asked.
“I’m selling the shop, Larissa,” Etta said.
“Oh?”
“It’s not exactly doing well, but the building is worth something.
Frances and I want to retire, and the money from the sale could afford us a nice retirement.
Frances works from home right now, and she’ll keep doing that until she decides to finally quit, but I want to sell this place and focus on the next phase of my life.
That’s more time with her and the kids when they come to town.
Soon, they’ll be bringing people home, like she said, and our house might be filled with grandkids one day. ”
“We want to get an RV then so that we can easily travel back and forth wherever they end up,” Frances added.
“Well, I’m sorry to see this place go,” Larissa said. “I assume whoever buys it won’t keep it as a bookstore.”
“I doubt it. It’ll become some trendy café or a clothing store, I’m sure. I’ll miss it, but I’m ready for something else.”
“When?”
“I’m going to put it on the market within the next month or so.
Once it sells, whenever that is, we’ll have a going-out-of-business sale and get rid of whatever inventory we can.
Then, that’ll be it. I’d like to keep you on until the last minute.
The other part-timers will probably leave on their own before we close for good.
If you can help with the end-of-business stuff, I’d really appreciate it.
Frances will help, too, and I think between the three of us, we can handle it. ”
“I’d be happy to help, but it does depend on when it all happens. I’ll have school starting back up, and I’m teaching next semester and hoping to wrap up my doctorate soon.”
“I understand. If you can, you can. And if not, we’ll be okay.”
“Maybe I can help, too. I work during the weekdays, but I could help out on the weekends or something, if you need it,” Harlow offered.
“That’s very nice of you, but I couldn’t pay you, Harlow. We want to save as much as we can.”
“I don’t mind volunteering. If she’s here, I’d want to be here anyway.” She turned to Larissa. “Does that make me sound co-dependent? I’m not, I swear.”
Larissa laughed and replied, “No, it makes you sound sweet.”
“Well, we can figure out all of that later. Let’s finish our meal and this interview,” Etta suggested. “What else can we answer for you?”
◆◆◆
“That was fun,” Harlow said when she followed Larissa into the garage.
“Can you park your car in here, next to mine, please?”
“It’s fine out there.”
“Harlow, there’s plenty of room. I’m leaving you room so that you park your car in here and it doesn’t just sit out in the driveway.”
Harlow was facing her car, but she heard something in Larissa’s tone that had her turning back around to her instead.
“Why do you sound so annoyed with my car being out there? I always park it out there. It’s not leaking oil or anything.”
“You parked it out there before we got together,” Larissa said and opened the interior door.
“And now that we’re dating, it goes in the garage?” she asked and pressed the button to close the garage door before following Larissa inside.
“I would like my girlfriend to park her car in the garage when she’s here,” Larissa replied.
Harlow followed her farther into the house and asked, “Your girlfriend?”
“Yes, my girlfriend,” Larissa said and dropped her stuff onto the floor.
“Etta and Frances’s story is amazing, and I’m so glad they found each other, but the whole drive home, I kept thinking that I’ve already wasted so much time we could have had together.
Thirteen years, and we’re only getting here now because I didn’t see what was so obvious before. ”
“Hey, it’s not like that, and you know it.”
“But I don’t want to waste any more time, Harlow.”
“We’re not. We’re together now. I’m your girlfriend.” She took Larissa’s hips in her hands. “And very happy to be, by the way.” She sighed. “Larissa, I don’t want to wait, either. I want what you want.”
“Do you?”
“Us together? Yeah.”
“I want you here.”
“I am here,” Harlow said and cupped her cheek. “Babe, what’s going on?”
“I don’t want you to move out.”
“You don’t?”
“No,” Larissa said, shaking her head. “I know this part of our relationship is new and that my sister might have a very strong opinion that we shouldn’t do this, but I don’t care.
I know it’s far from your office, but you know that I don’t have to live here.
This is the house my parents gave me, but it was never meant to be my home forever.
I’ll sell it. I’ll move closer to your office so you don’t have to drive over an hour to get there.
I… I just want every day and night with you now that we’re finally here.
I want to be the woman you never break up with.
I don’t want to be the woman you have to run away from and find a new place to stay. ”
“Larissa?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you,” Harlow said and let out the deepest sigh of relief of her life.
“Are you telling me this now because you’re about to say that you’re not ready for everything I just said?”
“No, I’m telling you that I’ve loved you since I was, I don’t know, about nineteen years old, and I’ve never stopped.
All these years later, and I still love you.
You’re… It’s always been you for me, and it always will be.
Trust me, I’ve tried to shake you. I ran away with Kacey, and that didn’t work.
I dated other women, thinking I could love them how I’ve always loved you, but it didn’t stop the feeling in my gut that it wasn’t supposed to be them.
It was always supposed to be you. I love you.
There are no conditions on that. We can live together.
We can live separately. I can drive an hour to work every day or work from home. We can go on a cruise, or not.”
Larissa laughed a little as tears welled in her eyes.
“Either way, I love you, and I can’t believe you called me your girlfriend before because I’ve always wanted you to call me that,” Harlow continued.
“I shouldn’t lie to you anymore, though, so let me set the record straight.
” She ran her thumb across Larissa’s cheek, catching a tear.
“I don’t want to be your girlfriend forever.
I’d like to be your wife one day when we’re ready for that.
And if you really think we’re ready for this, I’ll move my car into the garage right now. ”
“You will?”
“And I’ll park it there every night we live here,” Harlow added. “Wherever we live, I’ll always park right next to you. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Larissa replied. “Wait. I want to say that differently.”
“You do? You can’t take it back. Don’t take–”
“I’m in love with you, Harlow Madden. I love you, and I’m in love with you,” Larissa told her and wrapped her arms around Harlow’s neck. “I’ve told you that I loved you before, but I wanted to make sure that I was clear: I am in love with you.”
“I’m in love with you, too,” she said. “So, I’m moving in?”
Larissa laughed and wiped another tear away.
“I would love that. I know it’s a drive for you to get back and forth from work, so maybe we can figure something out where we rent something a little closer to your office that’s not too far from campus for me.”
“We can talk about that later,” Harlow said. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
“Is this because you wanted that alone time earlier?”
“Yes. Shut up.” She pulled Larissa, who was her girlfriend now, in closer, kissed her softly, and added, “I love you. I can’t believe I get to say that whenever I want now.”
“I love you, too,” Larissa replied.
Harlow walked them down the hallway and into Larissa’s bedroom, which, she assumed, they’d call their bedroom from now on until they decided what to do about their living situation.
Then, she removed Larissa’s clothes, took off her own, and climbed on top of her, kissing every inch of Larissa’s gorgeous body before she finally took Larissa with her mouth.
“Harlow!” Larissa yelled when she came. “Yes, baby! Yes!”
Harlow smiled and helped Larissa come down before she climbed back on top of her.
“I get it now,” Larissa told her when their eyes met.
“Get what, beautiful?” she asked, pushing Larissa’s hair away from her face.
“I know why I wanted to write the book everyone kept telling me not to worry about right now.”
“You do? Why?”
“Because I was finally ready for this, but I didn’t know it yet.
It’s like this book brought us even closer together.
We heard people talking about their own love stories, and we realized that we were living one of our own.
You worked up the courage to ask me out in part because of it, and I said yes.
I think I was supposed to write it because it would bring me to you. ”
Harlow smiled down at her and said, “Well, now, you have to finish it.”
“We will. Co-authors. Written by Harlow Madden and Larissa Hanson. What do you think?”
“Dr. Larissa Hanson? I only date doctors, remember?” she teased.
“I’ll finish that, too. Now, kiss me,” Larissa ordered.
Harlow leaned down and connected their lips. Nothing had ever felt better in her entire life. Larissa was right: they’d been living this love story all along, and it was only just beginning.