"Mommy!" Catelaya's voice broke through the crowd as soon as Normani stepped off the escalator and into baggage claim. Normani smiled the kind of smile that only a child could produce as she bent down and scooped their three-year-old daughter into her arms.
"Hey, big girl!" Normani shouted as she rained kisses all over Cattie's juicy cheeks. Her baby's sweet laughter filled her ears. It was amazing how much she had grown. She was an inquisitive, beautiful, and lately talkative little girl. She was their love in human form.
"Mami don't get a hug, huh?" Lauren said as he kissed Catelaya on the forehead. Lauren's mother, Clara, walked up behind their daughter, winded from keeping up with the likes of a young child.
"Welcome home. How was it?" Clara asked.
"It was amazing," Normani said, grinning. "I'm a lucky girl."
Clara smiled at the couple. Normani and Lauren were a lovely sight. After a tumultuous few years, they had finally gotten things together. "Well, Little Miss Catelaya here just had to meet you two at the airport. I'm parked right out front. I'll take her back to the car and wait for you guys while you get your luggage," Clara said.
Normani was floored. Life had never felt this normal. She had never been the regular girl with regular circumstances. She dwelled in the routine of it all for a moment, scoffing in disbelief. Lauren turned toward her and frowned curiously.
"You good, ma?" she asked. There was no worry, no fear or heartbreak in her eyes. It was the first time Lauren had seen her this way. Ever since she met Mani, burden lived within her soul. She looked happy, and Lauren made a mental note to keep her that way.
"I'm good," she replied as she walked toward her new wife. Lauren wrapped one arm around her, pulling her close as they went to gather their belongings.
Newlywed love was the best "kind. Lauren couldn't keep her hands to herself. She wanted to touch Normani and not only sexually. She had to feel her, be connected to her, even if it was just the grace of a finger on her chin. Lauren hadn't felt this much pride since the day she found out she was a mother. Becoming a wife gave her the same joy. Lauren was accountable to her, and oddly it didn't terrify her. She knew exactly what it felt like to walk through life without her equal, and she would do everything imaginable to make sure she never had to endure that again.
As they grabbed their bags and made their way to the car, she paused abruptly before walking out of the airport.
Lauren turned to her. "What's wrong? You forget something?" she asked.
Normani shook her head. "Once I step out these doors the honeymoon is over. Good times don't last long with me."
"Do you trust me, Mani?" Lauren asked as she moved her to the side so that the flow of people coming out of the doors wouldn't complain.
She nodded, but that wasn't entirely true. Lauren had hurt her. She had hurt Lauren. Trust was hard to rebuild. It was one of those things that just didn't bounce back right once tarnished. The skepticism in her eyes was evident. That look she hated to see decorate Normani's face was back.
Lauren couldn't judge her. She couldn't even be angry with her because she had planted the insecurities in her head the day Lucy walked back into his life. The day she hesitated in choosing Normani had changed their relationship.
"Trust me, Mani. If you can give me that, I got everything else. I'll keep your heart whole. That's for me to worry about, not you. But you got to let me back in. All the way. Okay?" She asked as she leaned into her chocolate goddess, her forehead touching her lovers.
