Angie continued her non-stop chatter all through the meal. When they finished they cleaned up the kitchen then went to sit in the living room. The moms had Angie bring out her school books so they could check her worksheets to make sure everything was done. She’d gotten a gold star on her work and she’d completed everything so they packed up the books and put them away. She went into her room to play with Riley while her mommies worked on their computers.

Tina set up her laptop on the dining room table and checked to make sure the wireless connection was working. Bette was at her desk downloading some software that would be compatible with Tina’s so they could share the calendar feature. Once the download was complete Bette received an e-Greeting. It was an “I’m Sorry” greeting from Tina. Bette smiled picked up her laptop and joined Tina in the dining room.

“You’re forgiven but we still need to talk about it.”

“We will. I’m really sorry. I love you so much. I guess I’m having a hard time sharing you, now that I have you back.”

“Baby we don’t live in a bubble. We’re going to have interactions and relationships with other people. The difference is that no one can come between us unless we allow it. If we’re strong as a couple then there is nothing to worry about. I know we are still building that trust and there are still some weak links but we’ve got to commit to work through them. We have enough ’real’ issues to deal with, without creating them out of nothing. Believe me, I’m not being insensitive to your feelings about Leigh. I suppose I might feel the same way if one of your ex’s was hanging around, but I’m not doing this to hurt you.”

”I know babe.”

”The fact is she’s my employee. With that and the gallery shows, I will be spending time with her. I’d rather be upfront with you than do it behind your back. I don’t have anything to hide but if you would prefer that I don’t tell you when I’m seeing her then I won’t mention it. Is that how you want it to be between us, because it’s not what I want. I want us to be open and honest and not start our relationship off by keeping things from one another. That was one of the mistakes the first time around that I don’t want us to repeat Tee.”