Her Portrait Is Black and White

One Foot Forward

Bette walked into the house and threw her purse and keys onto the sofa, before stalking towards her home office, she was angry and she needed to calm down.
Tina walked in behind her wife, she was shaking slightly and her anxiety was spiking after she had slapped Candice. She removed her jacket playing it over the back of the sofa, She rolled her sleeves up and wen t upstairs opening the medical cabinet in their bathroom, she took a set of meds she was due to take, before walking back down and going into Bette's office.
Bette was sat at her Mac, her head in her hands. She couldn't believe that anyone would do this.
​"B," Tina's voice was small she had barely spoke on the way home.
Bette looked up at her wife,
​"She was always going to try and hurt me, she set this shit up to hurt me in the worse way and me being the fool I am walking straight into it,"
​"B, why would Jodi do this,"
​"Because she can," Bette said. "It's the kind of person she is, when she doesn't get her own way she will destroyed people she sees as getting in her way. I won't give her a sole show, because I've said no a number of other galleries have said no. She's not the draw she was 10, 15 years ago."
Tina sat herself in the other chair in the room, she pushed her blonde hair out of her face, Bette noticed at once that her wife was shaking. She had seen it in the car but had been lost in her anger at herself to ask about it.
Bette got up and walked over to her wife, she knelt beside her. She reached up and took her hands,
​"Why are you shaking?"
​"I slapped someone, B, she could call the cops and charge me with assault." Tina was worried. She never wanted to use violence to solve a situation.
​"She's not going to do that,"
​"How do you know?" Tina asked, looking into Bette's dark pools.
​"She's not that stupid, everything about Jodi would come out and she's already risked her career." Bette said,
Tina nodded, she closed her eyes, just wanting to feel okay. Her head was swimming.
​"Have you taken you medication?" Bette asked,
​"Yes, B I have" 
​"Let me get you some water,"
Bette got up and went into the kitchen and got the m both a bottle of water. She was trying to wrap her head around everything, she went back to her office and saw that Tina hadn't moved she was sat looking at her hands and at her wedding ring.
​"I've got paint on my ring," Tina whispered.
​"That will be when you were throwing it the other night."
​"yeah, more than likely."
Bette smiled putting the bottle of water onto the table next to her wife's seat. Bette walked over to her Mac and picked up her phone which was beside it. She saw a text.
JODI L: I know you know; revenge is sweet.
Bette shook her head.
​"What is it?"
​"Jodi fucking Learner."
​"Has she texted you?"
​"yes," Bette showed her phone to Tina, who shook her head.
​"B, you gave in, in a moment of weakness that right now we both don't understand but we cannot let these people from our pasts rule our lives." Tina moved her wedding ring looking down at her hand. She could see that she was still shaking, she closed her eyes trying to get her mind to stop working. 
​"I'm sorry I was weak," Bette put her phone down.
Tina looked at her wife, cocking her head to one said. She could see the sadness in Bette's brown eyes.
​"I hope I'm not the reason for the sadness in your eyes." Tina said suddenly.
Bette walked back over to her, shocked that Tina would even say that to her.
​"Never,"
​"I've seen it more and more since that night." Tina hated that she had given into her demons and had left her family. "I don't want you to be sad,"
​"I'm not, you and Xavier are the greatest joys in my life. You make each day worth it. I don't want you to leave. I don't want other people driving a wedge between us. If I was going to leave, I'd have gone. I don't want to leave. I don't want anyone else. My God if this last week has taught me anything its that my love for you is everything. Being with you is coming home. You're my home."  Bette took her wife's hand and kissed her knuckles.
Tina smiled softly and touched Bette's hair. Gently pushing it from her face.
​"You know, you're my first, last and forever right?" Tina whispered
​"Good, you're my last and forever. I'm sorry the pain I've caused you. I'm sorry are in this situation and I'm sorry I was weak."
​"No more sorrys. Okay? We need to start thinking how we stop this happening again and getting on with her life's. Jodi Learner cannot rule you. She cheated on you. She left you. It's time we put a stop to this recklessness that she's doing."
​"You're a very wise woman Tina Kennard,"
​"Mmmm, I know I'm a smart businesswoman too."
​"James found an article that said you were worth $30million," Bette said as she walked back to her desk.
Tina smiled
​"They were nearly right,"
​"We never talk about money,"
​"Because it's not important to me. I pay Xavier's medical bills and get our basic needs sorted and the rest is in my accounts."
​"I thought we were jointly paying for Xavier's medical bills?" Bette turned and frowned.
​"No babe, all the money you have paid has gone into a college fund for him,"
​"Why...?"
​"Because I can do that for my son. Because I walked out on my son and wife and I'm lucky they are still here with me, because he needs a college fund." Tina smiled
​"You...wow...Ti..."
​"I will carry on doing it as well."
​"Okay," Bette nodded, "But give me details of the college fund and I'll put the funds directly in,"
​"Okay, and Bette."
​"Yes,"
​"Tina Kennard Studio is worth $55million I'm personally worth $41million."
​"Sorry what?" Bette looked at her wife, shocked, they never talked about money,"
​"Time to let it all on the table."
​"You're worth $41million on top of the 55?"
​"Yes, my father was a rich man B, I never wanted money to come between us, I never wanted anything to come between us,"
​"Porter Galleries is worth around $1.3million and I'm personally worth nothing near that."  Bette said smiling.
​"Well, it's time we opened a joint account and I can put money into it for us to use as a family. Listen if this week has taught me anything its that losing you is my biggest fear."
Bette gently pulled Tina to her feet and kissed her softly.
​"I'm not going anywhere you're stuck with me, and we can get through this. Jodi Learner is not enough to break us. We can do this together. If you're willing Ti,"
​"I'm not giving up on you B, Jesus, you've made my life a million times better. I want to have more good days. I want us to grow as a family. I would love for us to see more of the world and spend as much time with you and Xavier as possible. This week has been a learning curve that we can move forward with. I want us to move forward and not backwards. Mistakes will be made but we learn and move forward okay?"
​"Okay," Bette kissed her again as her phone went off again.
​"Leave it," Tina smiled as she pulled Bette back to her,
​"Mmm, okay, maybe we can take advantage of the empty house,"
​"I like how you think Ms Porter," Tina smiled as she pulled Bette in for another kiss.