Chapter 42

Megan and Tasha started quietly moving the rest of the stuff from the old apartment while Sophia slept in. Once she was up, they decided to take a break. Megan asked Tasha if she would mind making Sophia breakfast while she went out to get them coffee and hot chocolate. Tasha relished the opportunity to be Mama Tasha for a bit and agreed.

After breakfast, they spent a couple more hours finishing the move and cleaning up the old place to avoid any penalties. While they were cleaning, they discussed the pros and cons of getting a second cat. It wasn’t a long discussion as both were generally in favor of the idea.

They did a final check to be sure that everything was moved, said a wistful goodbye to their first home together, and then returned the keys.

Back in their new home, Megan suggested, “Tasha, go clean up while I fix lunch for us.” She watched Tasha walk away and noted the suggestive wink that she gave her before she disappeared into the bedroom.

“Sophia, would you like to help me make grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch?”

“I’m resting, Mommy.”

“I would really like it if you helped me, okay?”

“Yes, Mom…”

“Here’s a knife, bread, and butter. Please butter all of the bread while I get the tomato soup going.” Once the soup was going, Megan grabbed the step stool for Sophia and delegated the soup stirring to her while she cooked the grilled cheese. “Sophia, I’m sorry that we didn’t have much time to talk earlier. Did you like sleeping in your new room?”

“I liked it! Nocturne slept by my feet most of the night.”

“That’s sweet. I’m glad that she kept you company. Were you okay without me sleeping in the same bed with you?”

“Yeah, you poked me in your sleep sometimes and you snore. So I was okay sleeping by myself. Were you okay sleeping with Mama Tasha?”

Megan blushed a bit at that. “Um, yes. We were okay. I mean, I liked sleeping with your Aunt… Mama Tasha. Oh, I hope that I didn’t poke her in the night.” I’m so glad that Tasha didn’t hear me say that. “And since everyone keeps accusing me of snoring, even though I don’t snore, I hope that I didn’t keep her up.”

“Mommy, you do snore.”

“Didn’t you say that Mommy is a princess? Well, princesses don’t snore.”

Sophia pondered this for a moment, then said, “Princesses definitely snore! That’s how Prince Charming was able to find Sleeping Beauty.”

Mmmm, in my case, Princess Charming.

Megan definitely didn’t remember that part of the story, but the reasoning was pretty good. “Fine, maybe I do snore, but I don’t snore much. Like little cat snores.”

“Nope! Bear snores.”

“Ugh, and I can’t even tickle you for that because you are stirring the soup.” Sophia grinned triumphantly.

Once Tasha finished showering, they all ate lunch. After they finished, Megan said, “Alright, I’m going to wash off this morning’s dirt and dust, and then we can all go to the cat shelter. Maybe we can find a friend for Nocturne.”

Sophia was elated. “Mommy, can I choose Nocturne’s friend?”

Megan laughed. “Of course, although I think that it is more likely that a cat will choose us.”

Tasha added, “That’s usually how it works.”

Sophia and Tasha had met all of those cats while Megan had only interacted with a few when they were there weeks ago.

It’s amazing just how much my life has changed in such a short time.

After meeting and interacting with a few cats, they all agreed on adopting Julius, the big creamsicle floof that had napped in Megan’s lap. Once the paperwork was filled out and they took Julius home, they all tried to think of a new name. Not finding a name that they liked better, they stuck with Julius. He would live in Megan and Tasha’s bathroom for a few days, at least until Nocturne got used to him.

For her part, Nocturne was already adjusting to a new space, so she took the presence of a new feline to be just another one of the many indignities that she must suffer as part of this new living space. Which is all to say that Julius was just another thing for Nocturne to be curious about.

Tasha needed some time to work on freelance projects, so Megan and Sophia spent some time reading together on the couch. Megan really wanted to help Sophia organize her room, but she sensed that her daughter needed a break from all of the moving-related activities. So long as Sophia had what she needed for school tomorrow, everything else could wait a bit.

Plus, reading together was really enjoyable. She savored that quiet bond between them.

Megan looked up from her book and surveyed their little family. Sophia on the other end of the couch, reading voraciously. A sleeping Nocturne in the middle, draped across their feet. Tasha tapped away at her laptop at the table nearby.

I gave up almost everything I ever knew and somehow ended up with everything I ever wanted.

Tasha looked up at her briefly, smiled, and then returned to her work. Megan answered Tasha’s smile with one of her own, and then went back to reading.

The rest of the evening passed much like that. They ate a simple but tasty dinner of linguine in a pesto sauce. Afterwards, they each did their own thing, but comfortably together until it was Sophia’s bedtime. Megan helped her get changed and brush her teeth and then Tasha read her a bedtime story.

Once Megan came out of their bathroom she found Tasha sitting on their bed, wearing a nightshirt and scrolling through her phone. Tasha looked up and smiled warmly at her. As she pulled back the covers, Megan thought back to that morning and how they had woken up.

Megan had set her limits on certain aspects of her relationship with Tasha, but that left a lot of gray areas, both in their relationship and in the space between where Megan had always assumed her sexuality was defined and the reality that she was in love with another woman and what that meant. She felt the desire to explore those gray areas, at least a little. Megan reached down to grab the hem of her nightshirt.

Except for my doctor, I haven’t taken my shirt off in front of another woman since college softball. Can I do this?

She saw Tasha’s eyes follow her hands down and then they followed her hands up as she lifted her shirt. Megan saw Tasha’s eyes widen before her shirt covered her eyes. Given Tasha’s lurid flirting of late, Megan was surprised that Tasha was looking her in the eyes rather than further south. Feeling exposed, Megan hurried under the covers. She still watched though as Tasha stood up and languidly removed her own nightshirt before slipping into bed.

Holy shit, that was hot. She was definitely putting a little extra into that.

They lay there looking at each other before Tasha spoke, “Thank you, Megan. I suspect that you were pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone.” Tasha reached her hand out above the blankets.

Megan took Tasha’s hand and squeezed. “I, uh… Thank you for being patient with me. I’ve always thought of myself one way and it’s scary for me to think about myself differently. But in some ways, it’s easy, too. I love you, and I know that you love me and are there for me.”

“I do love you, Megan, and of course I will be patient with you.”

“Thank you. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m discovering that what’s more important than whether I think of myself as straight or gay or anything is that you are the person that I love and want to spend my life with. I mean, it is important, because so many people have fought so long for equality and it seems like those rights could be stripped away in a heartbeat by a bunch of assholes. There’s a lot going on in my head right now.”

“I totally get that. I think you asked me before if I was a lesbian, or bisexual, or pansexual, and I didn’t have an answer because I’m still figuring myself out. I still don’t have that answer, and that’s okay. I’ve got a couple years headstart on you, so don’t feel like you need to have the answer now. I do know that I am very much a Megansexual and that feels amazing. Let’s continue to talk, to check in with each other, and do what we are both okay with. So long as we do that, everything will work itself out.”

“I needed that, Tasha. I just am getting in my own way.”

“And you still took a step tonight. You are stronger than you know.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

“You did and I’m very proud of you. Now, can I see them again?”