“Honesty, is all that we ask Tina. So, soul mate? So you think you have found your forever in another person?

“I do.” Tina inwardly smiled at the innuendo that small statement allowed.

“And this person, do you think he loves you too?”

“Well she loves me very much.” Tina’s chest tightened a bit. Although they had spoken about Bette they’d only used neutral pronouns. For Tina it was to avoid giving away her true sexuality, for Trish it was to make the ‘man’ as ‘human-less’ as possible. But there was no escaping it now, to come out truly and face what ever adversities she might infer, Tina had to be completely honest with Trish and Aaron.

“She? You have found your soul mate in a woman?”

“Yes.” She breathed out a freeing breath and had finally taken the last step needed to completely unburden herself.

“I see.” Trish looked out the window to think about what she’d just heard. “Do we know her?”

“You’ve met her. My friend, the one that was with me at the hospital when Zo was born?”

“The tall one with the curly hair?”

“Yes.” Tina smiled, that description was small but surprisingly accurate. “I love her very much.”

“Finding your forever is a gift dear heart,” Trish said squeezing Tina’s cheeks in her palm like the mother she was instinctively being to her.  “And you should never be scared to tell your family that you are happy. You understand?” Tina nodded happily and just caught a glimpse of Aaron’s shadow retreating back out the door. She could only guess that he’d heard the tail end of Trish’s words and chose to ignore them; as it was his way. Seemingly oblivious to her husband’s presence she spoke to Tina, “Now come with me into the kitchen and help me with the peaches.”

“Please tell me you’re making…”

“You know I would only make this for my babies.” Tina was suddenly so giddy and light. “I want you to take some of them with you.” Trish said heading into the kitchen ahead of Tina.

“Them? Trish you know I can only take so much on the plane with me.”

“I have decided what it is that I want for my birthday.” Trish spoke over her shoulder pushing open the heavy wooden door in her dining room as they stepped into the kitchen.

“Oh yeah, what’s that?  Should I tell Aaron to get ready to call the bank?”

“No dear heart, this is a gift from you.” Trish said smilingly as she tied her apron around her waist.

“Sounds auspicious?” Tina smiled at the vague way Trish spoke of her ‘gift’ from Tina. 

“I want you home for my birthday.” Trish answered cutting into a half of a ripe peach and maintaining her focus on her task at the sink.

“Of course Trish, I said we would come up here, I’ll tell Alice again to make sure that she…” Tina laughed a little as she took her usual role of pitting and peeling the fruit for Trish to cut up.

“I want all of you home for my birthday.” A forced pit from a peach broke the silence that was established as Tina took in Trish’s sentence. Tina hurriedly caught it before it could slide away from her again, and like the sudden clasping of her hand over the rough pit, it dawned on her what Trish meant by ‘all’.

“Trish… I don’t know if…”

“You will bring her.” That was neither a question nor a request. One way or the other Bette was going to meet Trish and Aaron this coming trip back to Montana.

TBC………………………………………