Tina sat on the couch in the living room as the morning sun crept in.  An innocent Angelica lay nestled in her arms, slowly drifting into the sweet slumbers of a newborn.  Bette, seated on the other side of Tina, silently watched the two loves of her life and gave into the overwhelming rush of peace that filled the room. 

The only sounds that could be heard were Angelica’s faint little grunts of contentment.  Bette and Tina exchanged tired glances, and couldn’t help but smile. 

“She’s finally asleep,” Tina said with a grin.

“And just a few minutes after sunrise,” replied Bette with a yawn.

“Should I be so bold as to try and put her in her crib?” asked a wary Tina. 

“Go for it.  Good luck.”

Tina slowly stood up, making sure to keep her upper body as motionless as possible.  She made soft, quiet steps down the hall and into the nursery.  With minimal commotion, and as gently as she could, she lay Angelica down, and covered her up with a blanket.  Tina sighed with relief when Angelica remained sleeping, and ever so tenderly placed a kiss on her daughter’s forehead. 

She shuffled back out to the living room to find Bette passed out on the couch.  Tina, following suit, grabbed a blanket and curled up under Bette’s arm.  It had been a long night.  Indeed, there had been many long nights. 

It seemed, however, that “long night” no longer meant what it used to.  Tina closed her eyes and reminisced back to the mornings, very similar to this one, where she would be absolutely drained from the previous night’s activities.  In those instances, however, there was usually ***** involved. 

In fact, Bette and Tina hadn’t been together since before Angelica was born.  Tina’s desire overcame her lethargy, and she very coyly slid her hand under the elastic of Bette’s pajamas.  Bette drew a gasp of pleasure, and let out a soft moan.  She opened her eyes and kissed Tina. 

With a grin, Bette said, “It’s been a while since we’ve done this.”

“Shhhh,” Tina said with a finger against her lips, “don’t wake Angelica.”  She reciprocated Bette’s grin, and pulled her closer. 

Bette, taking initiative, put her hand under Tina’s shirt and caressed her skin with tantalizing tenderness.  Their aching bodies trembled at familiarity of each other’s presence.  Bette and Tina’s shared intimacy began to sink back in as they took turns losing articles of clothing. 

On the end table was Angelica’s baby monitor, and they could still hear her baby noises.  They both fell into a rhythmic lovemaking that had been on hiatus.  It was long overdue, and well deserved for both lovers. 

It hadn’t been more than five minutes when, Angelica’s grunts turned into piercing cries over the monitor.

“*****,” said Bette.

“I’ll get her,” Tina said, reaching for her shirt.

“Wait a minute, and see if she calms herself down,” an irritated Bette whispered. 

Tina’s “new mother” instincts had gotten the best of her, “Let me just peek in, and make sure she’s alright,” Tina said, as she tiptoed toward Angelica’s door. 

Bette let out an exasperated sigh and stared at the ceiling, feeling rejected.  It was as though she had been bumped to number two on Tina’s priority list.  A wave of shame and guilt crept over her for thinking so selfishly. 

Tina returned with an update, “Just gas.  Now where were we?”

Bette couldn’t help herself, “Oh, baby, you know how ***** I think gas is.”  The remark was dripping with sarcasm, and Tina gave her a puzzled look.

“Sorry,” Bette said with a blush, “I think I’ve been hanging around Alice too long.”

An awkward silence ensued, and Bette just reached to touch Tina’s face, realizing that there was no way to recover from her slight embarrassment. 

Before they resumed their interrupted activities, Bette just paused, and gazed into Tina’s eyes. 

Tina cracked a smirk and said, “What?”

Bette flashed her pearly whites and said with honest tears of happiness in her eyes, “I love you.”

“I love you, too”