Page 19 of Better Than Expected

And while Hannah wasn’t sure she could leap into that same place with Caroline, she knew that there was no one else she would ever take this chance with. No one else she could ever take this chance with.

There was only Caroline who inspired this feeling in her.

And that’s why she leaned in and kissed Caroline, right in front of Abbie, swallowing her own worries.

That, and because Caroline looked so cute with the mistletoe in her hand and trying so hard to cover the fact that she wanted to kiss Hannah.

And because Caroline had offered this morning not to come over, to give Abbie and Hannah their time – Caroline respected her. She respected Hannah and she respected her space with Abbie, and Hannah…

Hannah didn’t necessarily love to think of the future; she was much more of a here and now kind of person, at this point in her life. If her marriage had taught her anything, it was that the future was entirely uncertain and pinning it on one person – especially too soon – was dangerous.

But even with the uncertainty of the future ahead, she wanted Caroline. And she was ready for Abbie to know that.

Plus, it had felt like forever since she’d kissed those lips. She knew it had only been about fifteen hours since they’d really kissed yesterday, but… fifteen hours felt like so damn long to go without.

She loved cupping Caroline’s jaw. It was an absent thought she had as she stroked her fingers along the lines and brought her lips to Caroline’s, reveling in the softness. Letting the comfort of her kiss overtake the slight nerves she had over Abbie’s reaction.

“I did it!” Abbie’s shout registered a second late in Hannah’s brain. The words didn’t matter so much as the happy tone, and that made Hannah smile as relief slid through her.

She pulled back from the kiss and took a second to revel in the heavy-lidded, dazed smile on Caroline’s face. A visceral satisfaction worked its way through her, because she did that. She caused that look.

It was only then that Abbie’s actual words registered to her, and she turned to look at her daughter in confusion, though she kept her hand on Caroline’s, interlocking their fingers as she asked, “Honey? What do you mean by that?”

Abbie was literally dancing around the room, though, pumping her fists in the air, with a smile so big, Hannah was positive her cheeks had to be sore.

Caroline turned to face her, sitting so close on the couch that her entire body pressed against Hannah’s side and she reveled in the feeling. The look of wonder on her face shifted into amused question as she gestured at Abbie dancing around.

Hannah could only shake her head; she had no clue. Only, “It seems like she’s happy about us?”

Caroline’s smile slid over her face slowly as she turned to look at Abbie who shouted, “Science works!” Before she turned back to look at Hannah.

“And you’re… okay with this? With her knowing? With everything?” There was a hopeful edge in her voice that Hannah didn’t miss.

She believed in here and now, Hannah thought again. And as she sat in the little apartment that she had found, that she paid for, with the woman she fell in love with, and her daughter laughing from sheer joy, and…

“I’m more than okay.”

Life was good right now. She didn’t know what the future would bring them, but it was good now.

January 5 – This Year

Shedidn’t realize it, but the ball rolling them into the future really began on her birthday ten days later.

“Thank you,” Hannah murmured as she cupped Caroline’s jaw and tilted her head up toward her own.

This was her favorite thing to do. She’d admired Caroline’s face so much, for so long… she loved having the right to stroke her fingers over it as much as she liked. It felt sacred for her, in a way she couldn’t describe with words she didn’t have.

“Thank you?” Caroline asked in a whisper, blinking with heavy lids in the way she had whenever Hannah got so close like this.

Hannah reveled in that. It was so incredibly heady to be able to see the effect she had on Caroline, on a woman who was so strong and capable of anything. But a big part of what made Hannah trust her feelings for Caroline was that… she could see Caroline had just as many feelings for her as Hannah did right back.

“Thank you for giving me the birthday I wanted.” She drew Caroline up onto her tiptoes again and slid her lips along Caroline’s full, pink ones that opened slightly against her own.

It was so easy to sigh into that kiss, into Caroline’s kiss, and just let herself enjoy it. There was no ulterior motive here, there was nothing else here except for just this. Wanting. The two of them sharing a connection.

“It wasn’t much,” Caroline murmured against her mouth as they parted, just a bit.

Still feeling lost in that sensation, Hannah kept her eyes closed and processed the words for a few long moments. She fluttered her eyes open and shot Caroline an incredulous look. “You and Abbie made me breakfast, we had a lunchtime cake you two made, you arranged for Abbie to have a sleepover that she is thrilled about so we could have some time alone, you took me out for dinner, you bought me a present…” she trailed off, staring up at Caroline in bafflement.

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