“Is that a crime, Alice?” Bette asked her friend.

“No, but it’s odd.”

Carmen smiled and suddenly she pulled the scarf from Bette’s neck. Everybody saw the hickey and gasped. Bette turned crimson. Everybody began laughing and Lizzy was the first to react. “OMG! You are too old to have a hickey, Aunt Bette.”

“Yeah, you are!” Phoenix yelled.

Shane frowned at the kids who immediately shut up.

“Come on, Tina… Show yours!” Lara yelled and everyone sheered. Tina rolled her eyes and pulled her scarf to the side. The spot in her neck visible another gasp was heard.

“I take you had a good night, huh?” Carmen asked. Shane was grinning.

“Actually, we had.” Bette said. “Can I have my scarf back, Carmen? I don’t want my colleagues to see this.” Carmen grinned and gave it back to Bette. The breakfast went on with everybody teasing Bette and Tina.

—-

5PM.

Bette walked inside the house. Tina was in the kitchen cooking dinner while the boys were playing soccer in the garden and Patricia and Maleah-Odette were watching T.V.

“Hello, girls.” She greeted the kids.

“Hey, Mom.” They said in union. Then Bette walked to the kitchen. Tina was leaning against the counter smiling at her.

“Hello, babe.” Tina greeted her wife. Bette stepped closer and kissed the blonde.

“Hello baby. I missed you.” Bette told Tina.

“I missed you to.” That one replayed. Bette gave Tina a peck on the lips before walking to the garden and calling the boys to come eat dinner.

Soon, seven people were sitting on the table eating dinner, talking, laughing and joking.

—-

Tina was helping Dmitri with his homework and Bette was sitting in the garden reading a book when suddenly her daughter Maleah-Odette sat beside her.

“Mamma, can I talk to you?” Maleah-Odette asked. Maleah was 10 years old but she acted as if she was 13 or 14. She had always been more mature than her brothers and sister.

Bette closed her book and laid it beside her. “Sure, baby girl.”

“Uhm, when did you know?” She asked her mother.

“Did I know what?” Bette asked her daughter.

“That you are a lesbian.” Maleah said.

Bette smiled. “I think I always knew but I had my first girlfriend when I was 18. Why do you ask that, Leah?”