“You are so beautiful,” Tina whispered as they pulled away.

“So are you.” Just as Bette was pulling Tina in for another round of kisses, Angelica began wailing from the nursery.

“Well,” Bette sighed, relaxing into the mattress. “At least she has good timing.” Tina smiled, and then crawled off her wife to grab her robe.

“I’ve got her. Be right back,” she left a chaste kiss on Bette’s lips before sauntering happily from the bedroom. A minute later she returned with a giggling baby playing peek-a-boo with her mom.

“She was feeling a little left out.” Tina said sitting on the bed next to her wife, who was now clad in her own robe as well. Angelica immediately reached for her other mom and danced happily in Bette’s lap once placed there.

“Hey, sweetie. Did you have a good nap?” Two small hands pressed playfully on Bette’s cheeks, causing two perfect lips to purse in a forced fish face. “I guess so,” Bette answered her own question. Tina smiled enjoying watching mother and daughter interact. It was indeed a beautiful sight. She thought back on what led to the family’s current position and felt the guilt once more.

“Bette,” Tina said quietly to gain her wife’s attention. “I just wanted to say…”

“Don’t say anything. We’ll start anew from tonight. I love you so much, T. I’m not about to let you go. Not after I just got you back.” She paused to kiss Angelica’s tiny fingers, determined to grab her mom’s hair. “Just promise me we’ll start talking to each other. No matter what’s going on… we talk. All right?”

“Absolutely.” Tina kissed Bette one last time before Angelica grabbed both their hair and pulled.

“Owwww,” a chorus of groans sounded. The two mothers turned to their attention to their giggling infant and smiled.

Each began to think, “This is the life. This is what I want. I’m so glad we found each other again.” Thoughts then turned to the previous hour’s activities, leaving Bette and Tina wondering one last thing.

Tina finally gave voice to their concern. “How long do you think it will take us to get her back to sleep?” Bette studied their daughter, realizing her hyperactivity had diminished some.

“Twenty minutes tops. Ten if we use that lavender baby soap,” Bette replied.

“I’ll get the soap.”

“I’ll start the water.”

Soon both women had a clean, sleepy baby cradled in her crib, quickly falling into dreamland. They watched her peacefully for another minute or two. Bette held her wife close as she whispered, “Last one in the bed is a rotten egg.” Before Tina could object, Bette ran from the nursery with a quiet chuckle.

“Hey!” Tina called after her in strangled whisper. “No fair! You cheated!”

Tina ran into their bedroom after Bette, jumped on the bed beside her partner and laughed. Laughter soon turned into moans, moans to passionate screams. Both women were grateful for the reconnection they made this night. It was the official start of a new beginning.