Chapter 31

"Oh, babe," Isabella said. "Taste this." She forked a piece of conch into Kelsey's mouth.

"Mmm," Kelsey moaned. "This is so good."

"I know," Isabella replied. "All of it is. Riley must have gotten this from the restaurant next door."

Kelsey topped off their glasses as her phone began to ring. Isabella reached for it and handed it to Kelsey. "It's Dana. They just can't leave us alone," she teased.

Kelsey chuckled as she answered. "Hey, kiddo."

"Mom, I'm not a kid anymore," Dana droned.

"You'll always be my kid," Kelsey replied.

"Hold on while I connect Emma," Dana said.

Kelsey put them on speaker and waited. "This ought to be good."

"Hey, Mom," Emma's voice echoed from the phone. "Is Isabella with you?"

"Hello to you, Em." Kelsey chuckled.

Isabella laughed. "I'm here. Hi you two!"

"Isabella," Emma said. "Dana and I want to invite you to our graduation next month."

"I graduate on Friday and Emma on Saturday," Dana explained. "We really hope you can be there."

Isabella beamed a smile at Kelsey in excitement. "I'd love to!"

"Great. If you want to bring Wyatt and Gus let me know and we'll find some fun things to do with them," Dana said.

Isabella shrugged. "But this is your special day. Are you sure you want them tagging along?"

"Of course we want them there," Emma said. "Make sure Carmen doesn't plan your next trip for that weekend."

"I've already told her," Kelsey said.

"Okay. What are you two doing?"

"We're on our first official date," Kelsey said.

"Let me take a picture and send to you," Isabella said. She quickly snapped a picture and texted it to them.

"Aww, you both look so nice. You're all dressed up," Dana said. "Mom, is that a new dress?"

Kelsey smiled shyly. "This is a special occasion."

Isabella smiled and kissed Kelsey on the cheek.

"Okay, we need to leave you alone now," Emma said. "Have fun, see you next month."

"Bye, Mom. Bye, Isabella," Dana said, ending the call.

Kelsey chuckled. "Those two."

"I love them. I can't believe they invited me to graduation."

"I'm so glad they did," Kelsey said. Then she gasped and put both hands on her cheeks.

"What's wrong, babe?" Isabella asked.

"I just realized I have someone to share this with," Kelsey said as tears pooled in her eyes. "I remember our conversation that day on the beach. I didn't realize how much it meant to me until right this moment." Tears spilled down Kelsey"s cheeks.

Isabella moved closer to Kelsey and took her in her arms. "Oh babe, we'll be celebrating so many successes together."

Kelsey's head rested on Isabella's shoulder. "I hope so." She pulled away and looked into Isabella's eyes. "It won't be easy."

"I don't know what all you've been through and what you've faced as a gay single mom, but you're no longer alone, Kels. I will fight for us. I will fight for our kids. I will protect you."

Kelsey smiled. "I got that idea in Carmen's office this morning. You were fierce and defended our love even though it's so new."

"It may be new, but I know in my heart that we belong together. We have so much love to give and it will only grow. Just imagine how wonderful it's going to be. Our kids will feel it and it will make them strong, too."

Kelsey kissed Isabella softly.

"I know you're worried, but I'm strong and I believe in us. Trust me, baby," Isabella said.

"I do trust you," Kelsey said. "But it's like Alex said earlier today. People can be awful."

"Believe me, I know that. Is there anyone nastier than a snobby Southern woman who thinks she knows best and her kids do no wrong?" Isabella said with an exaggerated Southern drawl.

Kelsey raised her eyebrows and stared.

"I've grown up with those women and my kids go to school with their kids. I know hate, Kels."

"But what if they direct it towards your kids, babe? That's different from you and me," Kelsey said. "I don't want to put a damper on our lovely evening, but I'm worried for Wyatt and Gus."

Isabella smiled and caressed Kelsey's face. "We'll take care of the boys. I'll try not to murder anyone because you know how I can be. Wyatt and Gus know love and it's stronger than any of the shit people will throw at us."

"For someone who's never been on this side of things you're very sure of yourself," Kelsey said.

"It breaks my heart that anyone would mistreat you because you're gay, but I have to be smart, not lose my temper, and be an example for the boys and your girls," Isabella said. "I may yell and scream with you and talk a big game, but throwing hate at hate isn't going to help anyone."

"My God, my girlfriend isn't only beautiful and smart, she's also fucking amazing," Kelsey said with pride.

Isabella grinned. "You bought a new dress to wear for me?" she said, lifting her brows.

Kelsey nodded. "I remember the picture you took of me on the beach that first day. You said I was beautiful and didn't know it."

"I remember," Isabella said softly.

"I feel beautiful when you look at me, Bella. When I saw this dress I could imagine the look in your eyes."

Isabella raised her brows. "What did you see in my eyes when I looked at you?"

"I saw love."

"Oh, there was more than love in my eyes," Isabella said, leaning over and capturing Kelsey's lips in a passionate kiss.

Kelsey giggled. "I may have seen a little lust."

Isabella laughed. "Oh, honey. There was a lot of lust and there still is."

Their lips met again in a playful kiss that quickly became much more. Isabella pulled Kelsey closer and moaned with desire. She ran her hand up Kelsey's thigh and under her dress.

"Mmm," Kelsey groaned. "Babe," she whispered breathlessly.

"I love you," Isabella said softly. She could feel Kelsey's wetness through her panties. It amazed Isabella that she could do this to Kelsey, but she couldn't think about that right now.

Isabella slipped her hand inside Kelsey's undies and her fingers were covered in slick warm wetness. Kelsey groaned a little louder and Isabella covered her mouth with her own in another heated kiss.

She pressed her finger up and through Kelsey's folds then circled her clit. God, she loved touching this woman and the way her groans vibrated through Isabella's body.

"So good," Isabella moaned. She slipped her finger inside Kelsey and felt her arms tighten around her shoulders. Isabella pushed her finger even deeper.

"Oh, God, babe," Kelsey said, tearing her lips away from Isabella's.

"Let go," Isabella whispered, stroking her finger across Kelsey's most sensitive spot. She felt Kelsey clamp around her finger as her whole body tensed.

The orgasm was fast and intense. A moment later Kelsey took a deep breath and groaned. "Bella!"

Isabella giggled. "Oh, that was fun."

Kelsey exhaled another breath then chuckled. "You!"

Isabella shrugged. "It's you! And that new dress."

Kelsey smirked and reached for her wine.

"We've never walked on the beach over here at night. What do you say?"

"I'd love to. We can dance when we get back to our bungalow," Kelsey replied.

They went downstairs, waved at Riley, and slipped out through the patio to the beach. The wind was cool coming off the water and the waves were playing their song.

Isabella held Kelsey's hand and they walked right on the edge of the water. "Walking on the beach with you is one of my favorite things."

"I picture these moments in my head when I'm home," Kelsey said.

"I know you worry about what's to come and you especially worry about me, but I assure you, babe, I've thought about this."

Kelsey squeezed her hand.

"Since we met at Christmas, I've been thinking about us and what it would mean to be with you," Isabella said.

"You have?" Kelsey looked at her in surprise.

"Yep. I asked myself a lot of questions. Why did it feel so good to be in your arms when we danced for the first time? From there I knew we were more than friends. I thought about what that could mean for me and the boys." Isabella paused for a moment to take a breath.

Kelsey patiently waited and that's one thing Isabella loved about her.

"Before I met you, I was just going about life. I got married, had kids, and worked on a career. Like I've said, doing what was expected. But after Spencer and I split up I knew I wouldn't do that again. My heart kept telling me there was more to life. I wasn't living; I was just doing. When I met you it all started to come together. There were many nights when I couldn't sleep and stared at the ceiling, but it all clicked into place when I let myself think of you and me together."

Isabella stopped walking and turned to Kelsey, taking her hands.

"My heart was singing with happiness whenever I simply thought of you. It felt settled and the uneasiness was gone. I know this will be hard. I'm not naive. I know people will not approve and the boys will bear part of that. I hope not, but I'm prepared. I know my heart, Kels, and it's yours. Don't be afraid to take it. Let me tell you the same thing you told me. I'm worth it. We're worth it."

"Bella," Kelsey said with tears in her eyes. "You've had my heart from the beginning. Our love is worth it. I surrounded my girls with love and it's gotten us through. We'll do the same for Wyatt and Gus."

Isabella smiled in relief. They would face all of these challenges together. "One other thing," she said. "We'll finish this trip, but after that I'm not hiding. Our relationship is beautiful and we fell in love in a beautiful place. If that isn't the ultimate advertisement then Carmen doesn't know marketing."

Kelsey laughed. "We'll find a way to tell our followers. We'll lose a few, but you never know what we'll gain."

"So we're doing this," Isabella said as they began to walk back towards Peaches.

"Yep. We're doing real life with a little island time sprinkled in."

"You'll come back to Charlotte with me and meet the boys. It'll be a look at our real life. Then I'll come to Denver with you and the girls. We'll take it a step at a time."

"Our real life now is us together," Kelsey said. "I miss you so much when we're apart."

"I know, babe," Isabella replied. "I miss you, too. We'll figure that step out sooner rather than later."

"When things get hard," Kelsey said, stopping and facing Isabella.

"And they will," Isabella added.

"Look up," Kelsey said.

They both looked up to see millions of stars twinkling in the sky. "Our love is this big and this beautiful," Kelsey said. "We'll remember this moment, when we were both happy, strong, and so in love."

Isabella looked back down into Kelsey's eyes. "So in love," she said softly, pressing her lips to Kelsey's. "I'm ready to go back. This has been lovely, but I need to be naked in your arms," she said. She kissed Kelsey again knowing they wouldn't always be this happy, but they would be in love.