Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Larison

“Where are we going?” I asked for the third time. Jo was driving us out of the city, and I had no idea where we were going. I’d been worried that Juniper would be upset at us leaving her, but she’d been excited to hang out with Sophie and barely even said goodbye when we left.

“Wow, I guess I’m not new and shiny anymore,” Jo had said with a laugh as we walked toward her car.

“Nope, you’re boring now,” I’d told her as she took my hand and squeezed it.

The further we drove, the more anxious I got. I hadn’t told her, but this was my first date and I was as nervous as if I was in high school again and just discovering that I liked boys and girls.

As a kid with two moms, it had been pretty damn easy to come out as bisexual to both of them. I think they might have been disappointed if I hadn’t been some form of queer. I was all too happy to be their rainbow child.

Jo finally took a turn and pulled into an inn.

“We’re not staying overnight, Jo,” I said.

“Don’t worry, we’re not,” she said, parking and turning the car off.

“Then what are we doing here?” I was absolutely puzzled.

“Come on, Larison. Let’s go,” she said, getting out of the car and then coming over to open my door for me. I wasn’t going to argue with that, but I was still confused about being at an inn.

“Did you see what else was on the sign?” Jo pointed and I read the name of the inn and that they had a spa. Oh.

“The spa?” I asked.

Jo laced our fingers together. “Yup. I know I could use a massage and I figure that you could, so why not get both of us nice and relaxed?”

I squeezed her hand. “This is perfect, Jo.”

She beamed. “I thought so.”

Before the massage, however, she’d reserved a table for us at the small restaurant. She’d asked me to dress nicely, so I’d worn a dress that I’d had in the closet forever but didn’t have an occasion for.

“May I say how beautiful you look?” Jo said after our drinks had arrived.

“You already have, but I like hearing it again,” I said, grinning at her. “And you look really good, Jo.”

She wore silky tan pants and a white button-up shirt. She’d left her wavy hair down and had worn her glasses.

Her cheeks went pink in the candlelight. “Thank you.”

We toasted to each other and decided what to order.

“How did you find this place?” I asked her.

She sipped her champagne. Both of us had decided that one very small glass was appropriate.

“Just looked online. I had a bunch of ideas. We almost went bowling but I wanted something that was relaxing. Plus, I knew if we went bowling without Juniper, she’d be upset.”

I really appreciated how much she considered Juniper in everything she did. It made me love her more.

I choked on a sip of champagne.

“You okay?” Jo asked.

“Yup,” I said, grabbing my glass of water and chugging a few sips to clear my throat.

Love her more ? When had I decided that I loved her at all?

My heart pounded as I sat there, and Jo talked and I panicked and tried to flip through the past week and figure out when the hell I’d fallen in love with her.

Had it been when she’d made a sound in her sleep in the middle of the night and reached for me? Had it been when she taught Juniper how to do the chicken dance? Or maybe it was one of those things that was impossible to pinpoint.

Love wasn’t one of those things that could hit you all at once sometimes. It was soft and sneaky, and it seeped into your bones and made its home in your heart before you knew it was there.

Before you knew it had happened, it was too late.

Not that this was unexpected or unwanted.

I managed to order a meal and forgot what I ordered as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I was too busy looking at Jo. My Josephine.

She’d been mine this whole time. And I’d been hers from the beginning.

“Larison?” she asked.

“Uh huh,” I said. I hadn’t been a very good date so far. I’d been too busy thinking about being in love with her.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

I reached across the table and took her hand. “I’m amazing. Thank you so much for bringing me here. This is the perfect date.”

She laughed softly. “We haven’t even gotten our food yet.”

It didn’t matter.

“Everything with you has been pretty much perfect,” I said.

Her eyebrows went up. “Pretty much perfect? What’s wrong with completely perfect?”

I sipped at my champagne. “There’s always room for improvement.”

She made a surprised sound. “I’m trying not to be too offended.”

Our meals arrived and I was too busy drinking her in to think about what I was putting in my mouth. It was good, whatever it was. When we were done, Jo grabbed my hand and we checked in at the attached spa for our couple’s massage.

“What happens if I fall asleep?” I asked her as we got undressed and put on cozy robes.

“Then you fall asleep and it means we can spend time later tonight doing all kinds of interesting things.”

The way she said it made me want to rip the robe right off her.

I groaned. “Don’t say things like that to me in places where I can’t do anything about it.”

She just giggled and followed me out of the room and down the hall.

The room had two tables set up next to each other with flickering electric candles, soothing music, and a clean scent.

“I’m probably going to fall asleep.” My eyes were already starting to close. The atmosphere was not conducive to staying awake.

“It’s okay. I might join you.”

We slipped off our robes and got on the tables under the sheets. I’d had to stop myself from checking Jo out when she got naked or else I might have done something that would have gotten us kicked out of the spa and potentially arrested.

Two massage therapists entered the room and introduced themselves as Meg and Sam. I couldn’t remember which one was which when whoever it was started working on me. They’d started us facedown and from the first touch I wanted to thank Jo for thinking of this. When was the last time I’d indulged myself like this? Not for a long, long time. I made a note to ask my parents for a gift certificate for Christmas.

One good thing about Meg and Sam was that they didn’t talk much. I couldn’t see Jo while my face was in the cradle, but I felt her presence next to me. I reached out my hand and tapped around until I felt her squeeze my fingers.

“How’s your massage?” she asked.

“Amazing,” I said in a voice that was almost a moan. “This is so much better than bowling.”

She laughed.

“I wonder how Juniper is doing.”

I didn’t know, because my phone was in the room where we’d changed. I had a little anxiety about leaving my phone and potentially missing an emergency, but logic told me that the chances of that were incredibly small.

“I gave Sophie the number here in case there was an emergency,” she said as if she’d been reading my mind.

“How did you know I was thinking about that?” I asked.

“Just knew.”

This woman. How could I not love her?

It was nicer when we flipped onto our backs and I could turn my head and see her if I wanted.

I didn’t fall asleep, but I relaxed more than I had in more than five years.

“You’ve got a lot of shoulder tension,” Meg or Sam said to me as she worked on me.

“That’s not a surprise.”

“No, it isn’t,” Jo said. “Having a five-year-old is a little stressful.”

“Don’t I know it,” Meg or Sam who was working on Juniper said. “Mine is seven and you’d think it would get easier, but every day there are new challenges.”

Meg or Sam chatted with Jo about having kids and not once did Jo act like anything but Juniper’s parent.

She’d become Juniper’s other mom so naturally I doubted if she even realized.

Our massages finished with our feet and a spritz of lavender spray.

“Thank you so much, that was incredible.”

“You’re welcome.”

Meg and Sam left us.

“I do not want to get off this table,” Jo said. “Can you carry me home?”

“No, because I don’t want to get up either.” It was going to take me a while.

Eventually we did manage to get up and put our robes on. Using the lapels, I brought Jo closer so I could kiss her.

“This has been the best date I’ve ever been on,” I told her.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t need to know it was my first.

“I think it’s my best date too. But it wouldn’t have mattered what we did. It’s the best because it’s with you.”

I kissed her, but she started giggling.

“I’m sorry, that was the cheesiest thing I’ve ever said.”

I beamed down at her. “Haven’t you heard? I love cheese.”

“Me too.” She kissed me again and we didn’t leave the massage room for a while.