Bette held her tighter, kissing the back of her shoulder.

"And … he said something to me when we were dating."

Bette listened attentively, as it sounded like Tina was getting to something important.

"He said … if there was ever anything that could take away this monstrous pain and guilt from me … that he would do anything in his power to give it to me." She could hear Bette’s breathing change, and she knew it was from sadness. "… And I said that thing was you."

"You said that?" Bette asked in shock, touched that Tina felt she could mend her broken heart.

Tina nodded, "It was a long talk, a long night, and a lot of yelling. A lot of crying …"

"I know this has been hard on you," Bette agreed, turning Tina onto her back to hold her face in her hands again, looking into her eyes. "But you’re my home, T. I belong with you."

"I know," Tina smiled up at her. "We belong together."

The light was dim in the room, but the reflection from her bedside table was cast on the side of Tina’s face. It made the moment all the more romantic, and an everlasting commitment to their love.

"We’ve lost something irreplaceable," Tina whispered.

"Yes, but-"

"I’ll never be the same Tina," she whispered again, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks for the hundredth time that night. It hurt to cry, but she couldn’t stop the tears from forming. Even her eyes started to swell.

Bette took a moment, embracing the side of Tina’s cheek with the back of her fingers, "I like this Tina."

"This broken Tina?" she smiled with encertainty.

"Different, T. Not broken," Bette clarified with enough confidence for the both of them. "And even if you fall to pieces, I’ll put you back together … that’s a promise."

"I truly believe I was meant to be with you," she breathed, now touching the side of Bette’s face. "I could never be complete without you."

"Come here," Bette insisted, holding the woman tightly in her arms. They laid together, knowing they had a lot to work on, but also that they could accomplish anything together. Even with the memory of their baby boy resurfacing, and the little clips in their minds of his laughter and his favorite toys, they could repair each other’s emptiness.

Epilogue

Years after their beautiful reconciliation, and after Tina had legally parted from her husband, she moved way from the city with Bette. It had become too difficult for them to move on, confined to their small area, and Canada was even more beautiful than they had imagined. Tina spent a lot of her spare time decorating their lake-front house with a garden and outdoor furnishings, often joining Bette on the dock for the sunset. Each day was different and some more challenging than others, but it didn’t take long for them to fall into the regular swing of things.

"Come here," Tina smiled, sitting in her beach lounge chair, a particularly beautiful cloud floating above her head in the warm afternoon.

Bette walked over, chuckling to herself as she fell into Tina’s lap.

"Umph!" Tina huffed with laughter, holding Bette in her arms.

"You called, MRS Kennard?" Bette smiled, kissing Tina fully on the lips. "My beautiful wife."

Tina giggled with flattery, kissing Bette again softly on her lips, "Look who’s talking, MRS Porter."

Bette sighed happily, looking out to the lake that had beared witness to their simple but wonderful wedding ceremony with fond memories. "What’s up baby? Find any clouds you like?"

"Yeah … look at that one," Tina smiled, her sun hat tilting back to expose her pink cheeks to the sun. She squinted up, pointing to the cloud almost directly above her. "It looks like him."

Bette could definitely see the shape of a baby’s face and smiled at his memory, looking down to Tina’s face – no longer ridden with guilt and remorse – but replaced with a kind of accepted history. Then a smile touched her lips, looking to Bette with happiness settled in her eyes. "I like the sun."

Bette tapped her finger on Tina’s nose playfully. "It looks good on you."

They relaxed in each other’s arms on the lounge chair together, until their hungry stomachs demanded they move. It was nice to feel the sun again.