“I would like to say that I wish you would wait before doing anything.”

“I’m going to do anything now, Mom.”

“Oh good. That good to know,” Tina breathed a sigh of relief

“Mom was your first right?”

‘Oh god,’ Tina thought.

“Yes. But not my first time having *****.”

“I know that.”

“I can’t believe I’m talking to you about my love life,” Tina nervously laughed, “With your mother… I just knew she was the one for me. No one else would follow. I had found my happiness.”

“And?” Evan asked looking up at Tina.

“There’s nothing I can say that will make you sure… you just know,” Tina answered resuming stroking Evan’s hair.

“Okay.”

“But promise me before you do anything, tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“Just tell me. It’s a big psychological step in life and I want you to be prepared for the before and after.”

“Okay,” Evan answered.

She turned back toward the window and continued to star gaze.

*****

“Evan asked me something today that for the first time threw me out of my mommy zone,” Tina brought up to Bette.

The cabin was quiet for the night and all it’s inhabitants were tucked safely in their rooms. Bette had checked on Evan personally to make sure she was indeed sleeping by herself.

“Your mommy zone?” Bette smiled.

She helped Tina turn down the bedding and watched as her wife climb into bed. Bette then walked over the only lamp in the room.

“She asked me when do you know you’re ready to be with a woman.”

Click.

“What!” Bette somewhat asked clicking the light back on.

“Keep your voice down, Bette,” Tina said sitting up.

“She’s thinking about having *****… with Serena?”

“At her age, I would be, too.”

“Tee…what…” Bette began to pace, her hands on her hips, “what did you tell her? Tee.”

“She asked about you and me and I told her that I knew you were the one I would spend the rest of my life with.”

Bette stopped and looked at Tina.

“Then I said you just know when you’re ready. You just know.”

“What?”

“Babe, there’s nothing we can do to stop her.”

“We can lock her in her room. We can chain her to a chair in the basement,” Bette ranted.

She began to pace again.

“We don’t have a basement, Bette.”

“I’ll…I’ll hire someone to build me one,” Bette said waving her hands up in the air.

“Babe, come to bed.”

“How could you tell her that, Tina?”

“Bette, she asked me and I told her. Plain and simple.”

“But she’s our daughter. That’s something you’d say to someone else’s child.”

“I wouldn’t say that to someone else’s child simply because they weren’t mine. It’s the way I feel, Bette.”

“But…”

“I also told her to come and tell me when she think’s she’s ready. Hopefully we can talk more as a family when she does.”

“Do you think she will?” Bette asked turning off the light again.

“Yeah. But you can’t make her feel uncomfortable, Bette. She has to be able to talk to us about anything.”

Quietness.

“Babe?”

“Right here,” Bette answered climbing into bed next to Tina.

“Jesus, you scared me.”

“Sorry.”

“I didn’t expect it to be so dark in here,”Tina said settling into Bette’s arms.

“No city lights.”

“Hhmmm.”

“Tee?”

“Huh?”

“I glad you’re in my life. I don’t know how I would have reacted if she came to me with that question.”

“You probably would have killed Serena,” Tina chuckled.

“Probably,” Bette smiled in the darkness.

“Stop thinking about it, babe and get some sleep,” Tina instructed tilting her head up and finding Bette’s lips.

A gentle kiss.

“I will,” Bette sighed, “love you.”

“Love you, too, babe.”

Bette felt Tina’s body relax and settle into her. Within minutes, Tina’s breathing had slowed and evened out. She was asleep. Bette, on the other hand, was wide awake.

*****