“Good night Tina…we’ll see you in the morning…9:00, right.” Bette leaned over and kissed Tina one last time.

“Right, 9:00. And Bette…thanks for letting me spend today and tomorrow with you and Milaine. It means a lot to me. She’s so wonderful…so much like you.” Tina reached up and touched the side of Bette’s face. “Baby…remember all those fears you had about whether you were going to be a good Mother?”

“Yes, I remember.” Bette shuttered, and her eyes filled with tears just thinking about all the insecurities she had when Tina was pregnant, and what role those fears played in the demise of their relationship.

“Well…look at her Bette. Just look at her…Milaine is the perfect example of how being loved and cared for by Bette Porter, can change your life forever. You are a wonderful Mother, Bette. Be proud of yourself for that.” Tina smiled at Bette. “Ya done did good Baby!”

Bette laughed and leaned her forehead against Tina’s. “Thanks T. A lot of who Milaine has become is obviously because of who she already was as a person…and a whole lot came from Nica as well. Nica was…” Bette’s eyes filled with tears again. “Well…Nica was born to be a Mother. Adopting Milaine was the best decision, bar none.” Bette let go of Tina, but kept her hands on her arms. “Although…I think that there are going to be other decisions made in the near future that will have a big impact as well.” It was Bette’s turn to touch Tina’s cheek. “We have so much to talk about Tina. How are we going to possibly make this work?”

Tina looked into the eyes of the women she wanted next to her for the rest of her life. She understood the concern she was seeing in Bette’s eyes…she felt it too. “I don’t know Bette. But, I do know that we have to ask the questions, we have to figure it out, because living without you again, is just not an option for me. I won’t lose you a second time.” Tina moved her head and gave Bette a peck on her nose. “Look, let’s have fun with Milaine over the next several days, and then when she leaves, we will sit down and really talk about everything…all our concerns…all the obstacles…what our options are …Ok?”

Bette silently nodded her head and gave Tina one more hug, before Tina turned and walked down the hallway of the hotel. They had decided that it would be better if she slept at home tonight, both women wanting Milaine to have some alone time with Bette. Watching her walk down the hall, Bette sighed. There were going to be some big decisions that had to be made, and because of Tina having children, all still living at home, Bette understood that most of the compromising would probably be on her part. She just needed to make sure she was Ok with that.

Bette walked back into the room, lost in thought, so hearing Milaine’s voice startled her a bit. “She’s wonderful MaBe.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Tina, she’s wonderful. I can understand why you love her so much. I only spent a day with her, and she already treats me like I am part of her family.”

Bette sat down on the couch next to her daughter, smiling. “She is wonderful isn’t she? And, she treats you like you are part of her family, because to her…you are. That is how Tina is. You are my daughter, and are therefore connected to her. And I can tell you that she is more than happy to welcome you into the fold, because she thinks you are pretty wonderful too.”

Milaine looked over with hope in her eyes. “She does?”

Bette could see the hope, as well as the insecurity in Milaine’s eyes, and prayed again that someday Milaine will be able to conquer some of her fear of abandonment issues. The social worker had told them that even if they provided Milaine with a lifetime of unconditional love, that she will always have some fears…that on some level, she will have trouble trusting in the love given her. Too much had happened to her in her first eight years. Bette and Nica had sent Milaine to a therapist from the beginning, and even though she had made great strides, it was questions like the one Milaine had just asked that reminded Bette that some of those fears still lingered.

“Oh Honey yes, she thinks you are wonderful…as do I.” Bette reached over and pulled Milaine into her, lightly tickling her, causing them both to giggle. “Of course, I don’t know what she’s going to think of us city girls when she gets us out in a rowboat. I have to admit that I am a little scared.”

Milaine looked at her Mother with surprise. “You’re scared? You…Bette Porter, owner of Kennter Galleries…one of the most sought after galleries in both New York and Chicago by artists from all over the world? Galleries that have the ability to make or break an artist, just by having their work displayed there. That Bette Porter? Naw…you can’t be afraid of a little boat!” Milaine was full out laughing by now.

“Hey…it’s not so much that I am afraid of the rowboat. It’s just that I am not to sure I want to fall into the water if something happens. I mean, what is in lake water? How clean is it? Aren’t they always talking about algae and other things growing in lake water?”

Milaine was just looking at her with her eyebrows raised, shaking her head.

“And don’t you tell Tina I said anything! She’ll think I am stuck up or spoiled, or something…and I don’t want her thinking that. Ok?”

Milaine laughed. “Ok MaBe. Your secret is safe with me…but what are you going to do when she wants to go swimming?”

Bette let out a big sigh. “Grin and bear it…and then go take a really long, hot shower!” Both women started laughing. “Ok sweetie. Let’s go to bed. We obviously have an adventure in store for us tomorrow!”

As Bette laid her head down on her pillow, she started thinking about the lake where Tina was taking them. All of a sudden, she sat straight up in bed. ‘She wouldn’t take us to where Dan and Kathy are with the kids…would she?’

She picked up the phone and dialed Tina’s number…and then quickly hung up. ‘No, Tina wouldn’t do that…not without telling her first.’ Feeling a little embarrassed by jumping to that conclusion, she laid back down and tried to fall asleep…

tbc