EPILOGUE #2
“I was going to ask her midway through the trip so that we have time to celebrate our engagement there, but maybe I’ll ask at the end. That way, if she says no, it will just be a horribly long flight, but the trip won’t be ruined.”
“You’ll ask her in the middle, like you planned.” Carrie pointed at her. “She’s going to say yes.”
“Yes, to what?” Sharon asked as she walked up and immediately sat in Debra’s lap.
“Oh, you’re drunk.” Debra chuckled as she held on to her, looking up into her eyes.
“Tipsy, not drunk. We’re at a wedding. Come on, babe; dance with me. Hi, Carrie.”
“Hey.” Carrie laughed. “Go dance with your girlfriend.”
“Yeah, dance with your girlfriend,” Sharon said, looking at Debra.
“I think you’ll need me out there with you to keep you upright.”
“Oh, I’m not that bad,” Sharon said and stood. “I’m still wearing heels and not falling over. But if you expect to get me out of this dress tonight, you’ll dance with me right now.”
“You’re good,” Carrie whispered to Debra and winked at her. “I’m going to find my own girlfriend now. Have fun, you two.”
“You’re sure?” Debra asked her.
Carrie had become a good friend to her in recent months, and while there wouldn’t ever be anything romantic between them, Debra could see why Nia had thought there could have been a possibility at their singles’ week.
“I’m totally sure. Go. Dance.”
“I’m going to start without you,” Sharon stated as she walked backward onto the dance floor.
“You better not do that tonight, too,” Debra replied and stood up to join her.
“Hey,” Sharon said, wrapping her arms around Debra’s neck.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Debra said and kissed her forehead.
“And that thing you were just talking to Carrie about?”
“What thing?”
Sharon kissed her nose and said, “Yeah, okay; let’s go with that.” She placed her hand between Debra’s breasts and splayed her fingers over her chest. “You know what would look really good here?”
“Huh?”
“A ring,” Sharon said. “On this finger specifically.” She touched her ring finger with her other index finger. “Yeah, my hand looks a little bare, don’t you think?”
“We’ll have to see to that, then; won’t we?”
“And I think your hand looks a little bare, too.” Sharon brought Debra’s hand to her lips and kissed the spot where an engagement ring would go. “Just thinking out loud here.”
“One dance. Then, we can get out of here. This thing is winding down anyway.”
“Yeah? Where are we going?”
“To the hotel. I’m going to take your tipsy butt to bed.”
Sharon laughed and said, “Yes, please.”
Kristina
“Fuck!”
“That’s the idea, babe,” Jennifer said.
“We can’t,” she replied.
“We’re already doing it, Kris. You look so good tonight, babe.”
Jennifer’s lips moved to her neck, and the hand that had just snaked into Kristina’s panties was already stroking her clit hard and fast, not even letting her adjust.
“We’re in a bathroom.”
“It’s a very nice bathroom.” Jennifer said and nibbled on her neck as her free hand slid into Kristina’s dress and pulled her breast out of her bra.
“You can’t wait until we’re in the room?”
“Clearly not,” Jennifer replied and lowered her mouth to Kristina’s nipple.
“God,” she let out when Jennifer sucked and followed by slipping her fingers inside her. “I need to just give in to this.”
“Yes, you do,” Jennifer stated.
Kristina could only hold on to her as Jennifer fucked her against the door of one of the three stalls.
When the door to the bathroom opened, they both froze for a moment, but as soon as the stall door next to them opened and closed, Jennifer continued to move inside her and suck on her nipple.
Kristina covered her mouth in case she came with the other person right next to them.
The person flushed, and after several very long seconds, she heard the sink run as they washed their hands.
Kristina used the sound of the water to block out the sounds of her coming, and when the water stopped, she pressed on Jennifer’s hand to get her to stop, too.
“Couldn’t wait until you got to your room, ladies? Really?” Gage said and laughed before she left the bathroom.
“Fuck,” Kristina muttered.
Jennifer stood up tall and laughed before she kissed her and said, “I should probably wash my hands now, huh?”
“Oh, no way. You started this. You’re finishing it.”
“I am?”
“My clit, babe. You started there.”
“Oh,” Jennifer replied and looked down. “Kick off that thong you wore and let me take care of you, then.”
When Kristina did as she was told and spread her legs, Jennifer disappeared under her dress and began sucking.
“Yes, that. More of that.”
Jennifer chuckled against her, and Kristina, for some reason, thought back to the past year of her life.
She had nearly given up hope of finding love again after a terrible marriage, and there Jennifer had been.
After getting home, they’d spent pretty much every night together until Jennifer hadn’t asked but told Kristina to move her stuff in.
That had only been four months after meeting, and despite it being scary to move that fast, she had done it because it had also felt right.
Their guest room was a music room now, where Kristina gave her lessons, and it had a pull-out bed if people needed to stay over.
Jennifer was happy with her new job, even though it had taken her some time to get used to it being more laid back.
She particularly loved coming home to Kristina and them having the nights together they’d talked about before.
Recently, they had also been talking more about their next steps, and she’d seen a site pulled up on her girlfriend’s phone for an adoption agency, which had made Kristina happy.
She wasn’t pressing for Jennifer to tell her about it just yet, although she did plan to bring up some of the steps she wanted to take when they got home from the wedding.
In fact, she had a whole thing planned, and she hadn’t told a soul because she wanted it to be a secret.
She was going to play a new song she had written for Jennifer.
Then, she was going to get down on one knee, give the most beautiful woman in the world a ring, and hope she would accept.
Neither of them cared too much about being married, but it would already be extra hard to adopt as a same-sex couple.
If they were married, it would make things slightly easier, and after spending a year with Jennifer, she knew she wanted a simple ceremony and the rest of her life with this woman.
“I’m coming,” she said.
The bathroom door opened.
“Fuck,” she whispered.
Jennifer laughed against her clit, causing Kristina to go over the edge.
“See? Told you. They’re fucking in here,” Gage said.
“Gage! Get out of here!” Kristina yelled.
She heard Carrie laugh, and the door close behind them.
“I’m going to kill her,” Kristina said as Jennifer stood up.
“Babe, focus.”
“I am focusing,” she said and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s neck. “We should get out of here. She could bring Helena and Becky in here next.”
“We could just go. We have the brunch thing tomorrow, so we’ll see everyone again then.”
“Our room?”
“Yes, my love,” Jennifer said. “Our room with the view of the water.”
“Let’s go,” Kristina replied.
“After you. Oh, you should put this back on.”
Jennifer held up Kristina’s thong.
“Why bother? You’ll just tear it off me in a few minutes anyway.” She tucked her underwear into Jennifer’s suit pants. “You look hot, by the way.”
“So you’ve said.”
Jennifer pushed the stall door open just as the bathroom door opened again.
“Gage, get the–”
But it wasn’t Gage. It was just another wedding guest whom Kristina didn’t know.
“Sorry. Thought you were someone else,” she said as Jennifer laughed.
Carrie
“You’re evil,” she said with a chuckle.
Gage laughed and asked, “Can we go now? I want to do that, too.”
“Babe, we’re at a wedding.”
“And it’s basically over.” Gage motioned around the hall.
“I only get this weekend with you, Carrie. We wanted to be here for Helena and Becky, yes, but we’ve done that.
I won’t see you for another three weeks.
I want time for us, too. We leave tomorrow, and last night was a party before the actual wedding and reception. I–”
“Okay. I get it.” She took Gage’s hand. “Let’s go. We’ll see them all tomorrow for the brunch anyway.”
“They sure do love celebrating themselves, huh?”
“What do you want when we do this?” Carrie asked.
“Huh?”
Carrie pulled on Gage’s hand and suggested, “Let’s walk by the water for a minute.”
“Babe, upstairs. I want to get out of this suit and get you out of that dress. I’m thinking long bubble bath in that giant bathtub first.”
“Gage, tell me.”
“That I love you? I do. I love you.”
“And tell me what you want when we do this.”
She started walking, and Gage followed.
“Small.”
“How small?”
“Is one witness an option?”
Carrie laughed and said, “What about close friends and family?”
“Does that mean Christian will be there?” Gage asked through adorable, gritted teeth.
“I was going to ask him to officiate.”
“Don’t even joke. That guy hates me.”
“He does not.” Carrie laughed. “He’s protective.”
“And engaged. He should focus on protecting his own fiancée.”
“He is. And I don’t have a fiancée yet,” Carrie replied.
“You will. I’m saving for a–”
“I’m not pressuring you to propose right now, babe.” Carrie looked out at the water before turning back to Gage. “I want to move in.”
“Move in where?”
“With you,” she said.
“You–” Gage tilted her head. “You’re ready?”
Carrie nodded and gave her a smile.
“Really? You can’t joke about this. This is a big deal.”
“I’m not joking. I’ve already turned in my notice on my apartment, and I’ve got movers coming.”
“What? When? I asked you two months ago, and you said you weren’t ready.”
“I wasn’t then, but I am now. I turned in my notice last week after we were on FaceTime. I could tell you hated saying goodbye.”
“I always hate saying goodbye to you.” Gage pulled her into her by the hips. “I love you.”
“It just hit me that we’d be here celebrating two of our friends getting married.
I know Debra and Sharon are about to get engaged, and it would not surprise me if Kristina and Jennifer aren’t far behind, but it makes me sad because they all get to see their partners every day, and I don’t.
I realized I was ready, so I told my landlord and booked movers. ”
“No more trips back and forth and FaceTime calls?”
Carrie shook her head and replied, “No. In two weeks, we’ll be waking up next to each other every day.”
She wrapped her arms around Gage’s neck.
“Really? It’s actually happening?” Gage asked, looking so happy but also a little in shock.
“I love you,” Carrie said. “And I cannot wait to live with you.”
“I love you, too,” Gage replied, pressing her forehead to Carrie’s. “Wait. Is Christian helping you move?”
Carrie laughed and said, “Yes. But if you can get away, you can help me move, too. Make sure to show off your muscles and your protective side so that he gets the point.”
“I’m buying you that ring, damn it.”
“Later.” She cupped Gage’s cheek. “Worry about that later. Kiss me now.”
And Gage did.