This was how her days went, nowadays—each as different as the next, and yet, always waking up beside the woman she loved, gorgeous curls spilling over the pillow, warmth snuggled into her side.
Sometimes, she woke up and cried, relieved that she was still there, that Jeanie was still there, that she'd dug up the gumption to bare the deepest contents of her heart and offer them to the world.
Sometimes, she woke up to clammy, naked skin and hot murmurs in her ear, the sweet scent of last night's devoted desire still lingering, and this morning's only just emerging.
Sometimes, she didn't sleep, pouring over her notes by the light of the lamp on the bedside table until her eyes watered and her head throbbed, and Jeanie would find her like that after lock-up and make her laugh until she forgot about the nauseating anxiety for her eight a.m. exam and slipped into a dreamless slumber.
Sometimes, she woke up to Jeanie furiously wiping tears from her cheeks in the silver moonlight, forever trying to hide the broken little girl inside, and she would shush and hold her until the memories of her daddy retreated back to their bases to wait out their next attack.
Sometimes, she woke up to silent, grumpy scowls, Missy banging on the door, shuffling feet and snarky digs that would be forgotten by lunchtime, the aftermath of a chaotic party gone on too long, or a crisis involving one more damaged, lost soul who'd turned up at their doorstep.
Sometimes, she woke up to get dressed and talk to God while Jeanie slept in, and she'd leave the room in peace to drive to the Metropolitan Community Church three blocks over—scandalous that she had sunk as low to become Protestant, but it was still better than the Catholics. She would sit in the pews, where all love was truly celebrated, and feel closer to God than ever before.
Most of the time, she woke up to the most beautiful smile and a scattering of freckles.
A life split at seventeen. A life glued back together at thirty-four.
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Late to the Party ✔
RomanceHalf a lifetime ago, Mary Cooper used to be inseparable from the most breathtaking girl in the entire state of Texas, running wild and raising trouble. Now a wife and a mother of three, Mary has long buried the memories of the vibrant Jeanie-or so s...
