“I should have been there for you.”

“I should have been there for you, too,” Bette repeated. “I should have paid more attention to you. Instead, I spend so much time and energy on work that I lose sight of what’s the most important thing to me.”

The words were painful to hear, not to mention the mountain of courage it took to get them out.

“So many nights I asked myself why I couldn’t talk to you like a calm, rational adult. I would stay up late and try to sort out my feelings. But when I see you… all I see is red.”

Bette’s shoulders dropped. The tension in her body began to fade.

“I bet when Helena and Henry came along, it turned bright red, huh?” the brunette guessed.

Tina looked away. “I kept comparing them to you, kept trying to find the winning quality against you.”

Her lips curled into an annoyed frown. “I’m insulted you compared me to them.”

“Arrogant much, Bette?”

“Confident in myself,” she corrected.

“And you make it so damn irresistible,” Tina whispered.

“Did you say something?” Bette asked with a glint in her eyes.

Surprised she was caught, Tina shrugged. “It’s true.”

Bette reached over, her fingers tilting Tina’s chin up. “Thank you.”

Seizing the moment, the blonde held her breath and continued. “I love you. Even when we’re apart, I’ve always loved you.”

Unsure of what to do, she caressed the skin beneath her fingers, stroking the face she had loved for so long. There were new wrinkles, laugh lines that mapped Tina’s face. With her eyes closed, she committed the image to memory.

“I think we should table the heavy stuff for now,” Bette said as she pulled away abruptly. “It’s a bit much to take in.”

Tina’s hope faltered a little. “OK.”

“Maybe we can meet up during the week? Continue where we left off?”

“Sure,” Tina smiled.

It was infectious, Tina’s bright mood, and soon Bette returned with a patented Porter smile of her own. Somehow, she knew things couldn’t get worse from now on.

Determined to keep the mood light, Bette channeled the conversation toward their friends. Seeing Tina in such a shaky state, she tried her best to cheer up the woman.

“Think you could watch Angie for a little while? I have a few things I need to take care of before work tomorrow.”

Tina nodded, watching as Bette retreated to her open study. She turned her attention to the crib nearby, the occupant still sound asleep. A slow smile crept onto her face, sadness taking over as she relived the events during her pregnancy.

Resting her head on the couch, the blonde tried to chase away the draining memories. Instead, she replaced them with future Sunday afternoons with Bette and Angelica, reading bedtime stories together every night.

Not too far away, Bette was waiting for her computer to boot up. She retrieved the files from her briefcase, absentmindedly flipping through the pages as she accessed the university network.

She strained her neck to look into the living room, her brows wrinkled in slight annoyance when she couldn’t. Bette tried to picture what Tina was doing on the couch, whether she was mulling over their earlier exchange.

A pop up window appeared, reminding her of the upcoming faculty events for the week. Bette browsed through the schedule, not liking what was in store. She rearranged the appointments mentally, composing the new lineup in an e-mail to her assistant.

“Tina?” Bette called out softly, despite knowing Angelica was awake. Not receiving a response, she left the confines of her study and searched for the two.

Bette stood, rooted on the spot when she saw the scene in the living room. Tina sat on the floor, going through the animal book with Angelica in her lap. Unconsciously, Tina had taken up the same spot she did yesterday.

“Tina,” she tried again, holding the woman’s gaze when she did look up. Bette stood her full height, offering a tentative smile. “Would you like to join us for an early dinner tonight?”

Even before Tina could form a reply, tears began to roll down her cheeks. She cuddled Angelica closer, resting a cheek on top of her head. With a start, she felt a pair of hands come around them, engulfing them in a warm cocoon.

“What have we done?”