Page 37 of Finding Wonderland

Or, well, she thought she would.

Even without Isla saying anything, Vera seemed to know something was bothering her. As Mason and Walker walked a few feet ahead of them toward the bustle of downtown, Vera squeezed Isla’s hand.

“I wish she were here, too.”

Isla smiled sadly at her, trying to silently convey her thanks. She held tighter onto Vera’s hand and rested her head on her shoulder. “Me, too.”

Vera placed a soft kiss on Isla’s cheek. Although they hadn’t had the conversation about if they were officially dating or not, Isla assumed they were. She still wasn’t sure how to feel about public displays of affection with another woman, but there was something about Vera that boosted her confidence. With Vera at her side, Isla worried less about what people thought of them and more about how much she wanted to do more than kiss Vera.

But those were feelings she’d have to act on without the kids present.

“I love this,” Isla happily sighed as she looked around the decorated Main Street. “Are all holidays like this?”

Vera chuckled. “Just wait until you see it at Christmas. Every shop window is decorated with lights and trees and snowmen. They wrap the street lamps like candy canes with sparkling lights. Oh, and the Christmas tree farm.”

“There’s a tree farm?”

“Baxter Tree Farm,” Vera stated with a nod. “It’s on the outskirts of town and is stunning. We’ll have to go there when it opens for the season and get a tree for you and Mason.”

“She’d love that.” Isla stopped walking, gently pulling Vera to a stop as she looked into her eyes. “And I would, too.”

“Then it’s a date.”

“Mommy!” Mason came running back to them, a wide smile on her face with her blue mask pushed back into her wavy hair. “Walker says there’s a bounce house. Can we go?”

“Um, sure?” She looked at Vera, who nodded. “Let’s go to the bounce house.”

They followed the girls down the street and around the corner to the town square. The gazebo had been turned into a spooky scene with the help of fake cobwebs and a fog machine. Several people were dressed as various scary characters on the gazebo, waving at people as they walked by. Isla appreciated the mix of spooky and fun, as Mason typically wasn’t one for scary.

A large multicolored bounce house was set up in one corner of the square, along with a face painting station and a man making balloon animals. Mason and Walker handed their buckets to Isla and Vera before making a beeline to the bounce house. Vera nodded toward a nearby bench, where they sat.

“It really is beautiful here.”

“It is,” Vera hummed contentedly. “I love it here, especially this time of year. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. There always seems to be a little extra magic in the air here when the weather gets colder.”

“Hmmm,” Isla snuggled into Vera’s embrace as Vera wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I can see why you love it.”

Isla savored the quiet moment with Vera as they watched Mason and Walker playing with the other kids in the bounce house. Picking up Walker’s bucket of candy, Vera sifted through and plucked out two Reese’s cups. She handed one to Isla before opening her own.

“Eating the kid’s candy. That’s going to lose you big sister points, you know.”

“It’s worth the risk.” Vera winked as she popped the candy into her mouth. They were quiet for a few moments before Vera said, “You know, we never have gone on an actual date.”

“We haven’t,” Isla softly laughed. “But I think before we go on an actual date, we need to be officially dating first, don’t you?”

Isla had no idea where the burst of confidence came from. But she was tired of skirting around the issue at hand. She liked Vera and it was clear Vera liked her as well. Dancing around those feelings would only delay the inevitable even more, and Isla was tired of delaying it. Even if that meant stepping outside of her comfort zone and asking Vera to be her girlfriend.

“As a matter of fact,” Vera chuckled again, “I do.”

“Good.” Turning slightly in her seat, Isla turned to face Vera. “So, Vera, what do you say? Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes. A thousand times, yes.”

There was no hesitation in Vera’s response. She leaned in and kissed Isla as she ran her fingers through her hair. For the first time in her life, Isla didn’t care who saw them. Isla didn’t care that she was kissing a woman in public. All that mattered was that Isla deeply cared about the woman whose tongue was currently in her mouth.

A part of Isla wanted to take Vera home with her and make sweet love to her. But she had to be a mom tonight. Her fantasies of what she wanted to do with Vera would have to wait until they each weren’t responsible for tiny humans.

“Please, still want this when we have our first date,” Vera breathlessly requested as her hot breath hit Isla’s cheeks.

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