Six
“Why are you so stressed?” Molly said a while later as she drove us to my mom’s house. I’d been picking at a thread on my jeans. “It’s not like I haven’t met your mom before. Tons of times.” It was true. But I knew the second Mom looked at me and looked at Molly, she would know. And then she would say things and I’d have to explain what the hell was going on when I didn’t even know what was going on.
“I just am, okay?” I said and cringed. I didn’t mean to snap at her. “Sorry. I’m fine.” She reached out and took my hand, kissing the back of it.
“We got this.” I thought she was going to drop my hand, but she held it the rest of the way to the house.
Mom was waiting on the porch for us.
“Molly Madison. It’s been a while,” she said, holding her arms out to Molly.
“Hey, Miss Deb,” she said. Molly had always called her “Miss Deb” and Mom had found that delightful.
“Oh, baby, it’s been so long.” Mom held Molly for a long time and then leaned back to examine her.
“Look at you. A grown woman, and a beautiful one at that.” She sighed and gave Molly another hug.
“Hi, Mom,” I said and she had a hug for me as well.
“Come on in, come on in. It’s been so long since I had such good company.” Mom ushered us into the house.
“I’m making seafood pasta, is that okay? You’re not a vegan or something now, are you?” Mom asked Molly.
“No, that sounds wonderful.” It also happened to be Molly’s favorite thing that my mom made. Subtle, Mom.
“So tell me how you’re doing?” Mom said, forcing Molly to sit in the living room as she brought us all tall glasses of super sweet iced tea. Molly glanced at me and gave the update that she’d given me, leaving out the fact that she’d come back because of a breakup.
“So now, are you seeing anyone?” Mom said, getting right to the good stuff. Molly blushed.
“I’m not really sure, but I think I’m starting something with someone really special. I’d like it to turn into something, but I’m not sure yet.” I couldn’t look at her because I knew she was talking about me.
“Oh, sounds like it could be serious,” Mom said.
“It could be,” Molly replied. I really wanted to leave the room. This was getting a little too weird for me.
“Mom, do you need any help in the kitchen?” I said, standing up.
“Sure, if you want to put the bread under the broiler to crisp that would be great,” she said and turned back to Molly to ask more about her love life. I sighed inwardly and escaped to the kitchen. I didn’t want to hear anything more.
I got the bread crisping and checked on the pasta and the seafood with Mom’s special alfredo sauce. She didn’t like it when I meddled in her cooking, but right now I needed something to do.
I was so immersed in stirring the sauce that I didn’t notice when someone came up behind me.
“Hey,” Molly said in my ear. I jumped and dropped the spoon I’d been using into the sauce.
“Shit.” I fished the spoon out and turned around.
“Are you okay?” she asked, brushing some of my hair back.
“Don’t do that. She could walk in and see.” I glanced around, but I could hear Mom singing in the dining room as she got the “good plates” out of the china cabinet.
Molly’s mouth made a thin line.
“And what if she did?” I wanted to groan and melt into the floor.
“Because then we’d have to explain and I’m still trying to process this. It’s a lot, okay? I can’t be like you and just jump into this with both feet. Hell, it hasn’t even been two days. I need time. I just need time.” She sighed.
“I know. I know you’re right. I guess I just get carried away with everything. You’ve always been the one to ground me. To keep me from floating away on wings made of silly ideas.” I laughed, remembering some of her schemes from when we were kids.
“Or maybe I could float away with you,” I said, touching her cheek.
Of course, someone cleared their throat and we both froze and slowly turned to find Mom leaning against the wall with a satisfied smirk on her face.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, shooting a glance at Molly. Her face started to heat up.
“Well. All I’m going to say is that it’s about damn time.” She walked over and gave both of us hugs.
“You finally got there,” she said in my ear, planting a kiss on my cheek.
“Huh?” I said.
She just laughed and hugged us both again.
*^*^*
“A mother knows,” she said over generous servings of seafood pasta, garlic bread, and salad.
“But . . .” I was still playing catch up.
Mom rolled her eyes and went for another piece of garlic bread.
“I always knew you’d be together, I was just waiting for you to figure that out.” Molly and I shared a bewildered look.
“But you didn’t know that we both liked girls.” Mom snorted.
“Of course I did. But I didn’t want to push and I didn’t want to interfere. I wanted everything to blossom in its own time.” This was wild. I’d never thought of my mother as the diabolical type, but damn. She had kept that quiet.
I shook my head and looked at Molly. She just smiled and shrugged.
“This is just . . .” I kept shaking my head.
“Go with it,” Mom said.
“What she said,” Molly agreed.
“That’s my girl.”
Was this some sort of conspiracy? Molly started to laugh and Mom just patted my shoulder.
“I still have no idea what’s going on, but I think I’m outnumbered so I’m going to sit here and eat my food and pretend that everything is normal.” Molly picked up my hand and kissed it. Mom sighed dreamily.
“That’s what I wanted to see.” Unbelievable. It was so unbelievable that I started to laugh and then I couldn’t stop.
“Now I’m not going to be pushy or anything, but winter weddings are really lovely. You could do a Christmas theme with a carriage and beautiful lights. Oh, it would be so beautiful.” Mom was off her rocker. I looked over at her, but she was off in her own world.
“So I guess you’re okay with this?” I asked, meaning me being with Molly.
“It’s all I ever wanted for you. Someone who lights up when you walk into a room and loves you unconditionally. Who will take care of you.” I was still dumbfounded.
“That’s quite an endorsement,” Molly said, blushing a little.
“I meant every word. You’re my other daughter. Always have been. Always will be. I couldn’t have picked anyone better.”
“I think I need a minute,” I said, getting up from the table and walking outside. I sat on the porch and looked out at the yard. The sound of the screen door alerted me that Molly had followed me. She took a few moments before she sat down next to me on the glider.
“You okay?” she asked, putting her hand on my knee.
“I honestly don’t know. It’s all happening so fast and I can’t seem to catch my breath. You’re here and you like me and we’ve kissed and it was amazing and you’re amazing and my mom is like, shipping us together and she wants us to get married? What the fuck is even happening, Molly?” She leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“Love,” she said. I turned and met her eyes.
“What did you say?”
“Love. That’s what’s happening.” I waited for her to tell me that she was joking.
“You love me?” She laughed.
“Are you kidding? I’ve loved you my entire life. I might not have known, but I’ve never felt this way about anyone. It’s the most obvious thing in the world. Of course I love you. How could I not?” I opened my mouth and closed it a few times.
She loved me? Did I love her? The answer to that question hit me over the head and it was like my brain exploded.
“I love you, too,” I said. It was just that easy. Did it make sense? Probably not. Was it a little rushed? Yup. Did I care? Nope.
“I love you, Daisy Grace. I’ve always loved you.” She reached for me and our lips met and that was the period at the end of the sentence. I loved her. She loved me. The end.
I knew her. I knew her arms and her hair and her laugh and the way she smiled. I knew how she liked her eggs and that she hated pickles and that she wanted to have kids someday. I knew all the important things. The rest? We could figure it out.
I waited for some instinct inside me to scream that I’d made a mistake. That I was rushing too far, too soon.
All I felt was love. And certainty. And calm.
No panic. No feeling of wrongness.
Just right. She was right. We were right.
I pulled back from her and rested my forehead against hers.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you.”
*^*^*
Mom came out to find us snuggled up a while later.
“Look at you two. Pretty as a picture.” She sighed in that dreamy way again.
“I can’t believe you wanted this all along,” I said to her. “You could have said something.”
Mom raised an eyebrow.
“Would you have listened?” Yeah, she had a point.
“Probably not.”
“Exactly.” She leaned against the porch railing and Molly updated her more on what had happened in her life and what her parents were doing and so forth.
“Well, you can come and stay anytime you want if you’d like to get out of that apartment. I have a spare room and this house is awful big and lonesome.” She had tried to get me to move in with her, but I’d put a stop to that right away. I couldn’t imagine trying to have someone over with my mom in the bedroom across the hall. No way. But Molly staying here would be something else. She could always stay at my place when we wanted to do sexy things.
“Are you sure?” Molly said. “Would you be okay with that?” She turned to me.
“It would be better than that terrible apartment, no offense. But that place is awful.” It really was.
“Really?” Molly said, squeezing my hand.
“Of course.”
“Oh, goody,” Mom said, clapping her hands. “Now I’ll get to see Daisy Grace because she’ll come over to see you.” I rolled my eyes. I saw my mom at least twice a week, if not more. And if I didn’t see her enough (or enough by her standards), she would just come to the café.
Once again, my mom was getting exactly what she wanted. I guess I was too.
“Oh, this is going to be such fun. Both my girls!” Mom hugged us both again, hard enough to almost crack one of my ribs.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I said when she let me go.
“A whole lot of trouble,” Molly said, kissing my nose.