There Goes My Baby
Chapter 37: There Goes My Baby
“She looks amazing!”
Tawan grinned as she leaned over to Mali so she could speak to her over the loud music, enchanted crowd, and flashing cameras.
They had been praising Ira all night, every single time she hit the runway in a new Versace piece. Ira oozed confidence as she strutted down the runway, struck a pose for the cameras, then let the ghost of a smile touch her lips. The way she would turn on her heel, flick her hips, and twist her head to pose before disappearing made Tawan’s body pulsate as she tugged at the collar of her turtleneck.
Their relationship had taken a turn over the last month, but their talk put them back on their path. The course never changed for them and they were able to come out of the darkness of the last few weeks stronger than ever. They both learned something new about themselves and it allowed them to teach their relationship something new.
They were even more dedicated to each other with this serving as a reminder that they had to be just as committed to one another. Communication was key to their relationship and this would always be one of the major foundational supports to the challenges they would face moving forward. Both women understood that the only way to surmount those challenges was to remember that they always had each other's backs no matter what, and that they would hold each other accountable with patience, love, and honesty.
Tawan's takeaways and revelations from the space article really touched her deep in her heart and soul. The reminder that life was too short and beautiful to let her pride get in the way of her love jolted her back to reality and what mattered most. Ira fought for her and never wavered in her love despite her coldness, and it made her feel guilty at letting someone outside their relationship make her judge her on one error.
Most of all, Ira's reason made her deeply reflect with empathy to realize that she should have handled this differently.
Ira could see this and she wanted her to understand, very profusely, that she made a mistake in not sharing with her at the very least about dating Lai which gave her every right to react and feel the way that she did. She wanted to ensure that her wife knew and understood that her feelings were just as valid as hers were in all of this mess. It made Tawan want to be a better person as she stared at her take accountability and responsibility for how she felt while also acknowledging her own pain.
She wondered if she would ever meet a more selfless, compassionate, and self aware soul.
Though Ira understood she was justified and warranted in her cautiousness and fear from ten years ago, she still never wanted to make the same mistake of leaving her wife in the dark again. They were each other's most trusted confidant, the person who always saw deep to their true self and loved them exponentially for it. It was like a new layer of understanding that enhanced their love in ways they never thought possible.
Ira felt so safe and protected with Tawan, she always knew this without a doubt, and she would remember this every single time no matter the test. As for Tawan, she was reminded that through the most challenging of times that she needed to trust Ira to do what she needed to do and especially when she was ready.
This was an anomaly for their relationship, but it did not define them.
Ira shared every single detail about Lai that she could remember up until her last interaction with her. She never felt she could not trust Tawan, she trusted her explicitly, but she recognized that her attempts at what she thought was her protecting her family and even herself broke the one rule she always demanded of of her wife. This was a lesson she had to learn the hard way, but it was the lesson that would better inform her in the future.
For Ira, Tawan was her knight in shining armor who roped the moon for her. And she would never forget that or let her think or feel anything less than that.
For Tawan, it took every ounce of her self control to not sneak out of their bed that night to pay Lai a visit. She did not even know where the other woman lived, but she was going to find out if it meant protecting Ira. But, thankfully, she knew deep down she could not make this about her when the real victim - a word she even hated to think about - was Ira.
The vulnerability she showed in sharing her abuse by Lai’s hands almost made Tawan throw up her dinner.
Ira was the purest, most delicate soul she had ever met - someone who cried when she saw a baby animal without its parents. Tawan was sick even just thinking about how terrified Ira was as she listened to her pour the most saddest parts of her soul to her. Lai was very lucky that Ira just wanted to move on and never see her again.
Tawan held Ira close for the rest of that night after their talk. After putting the twins to bed, they stayed up late into the midnight hour in Tawan’s office just talking as if they were catching up with each other, Tawan laying on the couch with Ira half on top of her. Every night since she had started sleeping on her stone hard couch had made her wake up with a sore back, but with Ira, she felt like they were floating on a cloud.
When Ira started to doze off, Tawan turned her head and pressed a kiss to the spot between her eyebrows before gently tapping her. Ira’s lips formed a sleepy smile when Tawan told her lets go to bed, the anticipation getting the best of her as she snuggled more into her chest and squeezed together their tangled limbs. Oddly enough, Tawan thought about how she could sleep there another night as long as she could hold her like this while she smiled and looked at her looking so peaceful in their embrace.
The twins also celebrated a victory as they giggled to each other from behind their hands while they laid in bed that night. Both Tawan and Ira had come in and tucked them in for the night like they always did routinely weeks ago. Unbeknownst to them, or at least not entirely unknown to them, they were the push their parents needed to set things right again.
Tawan and Ira could not contain their smiles at how their children were trying to contain their excitement at the sight of the both of them in their bedroom to tell them goodnight. They did not need it anymore, but the extra confirmation was even more evident for them about the need to fix things between them. Thus, after all of this, the last week saw them falling back into their familiarity with one another with ease, enhanced a bit and as if the last few weeks had not caused a hiccup.
Now, it was a week later and Ira was walking the Versace show with Tawan in attendance to surprise her.
Tawan was still feeling guilty about how she reacted to Ira. The truth reminded her that she should never question her wife without considering she may have a reason. Even if things did not make complete sense to her, she would make sure to commit to Ira to work towards understanding as best as she can so she can support her.
Tawan vehemently hated the thought of someone hurting her precious flower. It was a very striking and volatile feeling that crippled her with heartbreak, so she wanted to do something, anything, nice for her. Knowing how important the Versace deal and show was to her, she texted Mali to get her a seat for the show so she could surprise her at the end.
Ira had invited Tawan to the show before their fight, so she still had a seat for her when things between them cooled. Tawan had been racking her brain for the last week on something she could do for Ira when she decided to surprise her at her show. So, she lied and said she had a few deadlines to meet for some freelance work for a few magazines and newspapers.
Ira did not question this, though still disappointed, because she knew Tawan would take on some small projects to not become bored while also making a little money. In fact, Tawan was gaining a lot of traction with her writings over the last few weeks with even some notable shout-outs from revered players in the industry. There was even some work from her old colleagues at the newspaper she used to work for who wanted her expertise and collaboration on an investigative journalism piece about the pay disparity in the fashion world.
Tawan felt a lot of freedom with her freelance work, and the praises and recognition from peers made her once hidden in the shadows star burst onto the scene in glamour. It was a bit overwhelming, but she knew deep down that she worked hard for it on top of some new audience members being curious about her now because they were following Ira. That was also another reason why Tawan wanted to be secretive and surprise Ira because her social media popularity had really skyrocketed the last week.
Her pictures in Vogue Magazine were spreading like wildfire across the continent which meant more people were finding out about her personal life when perusing her Instagram. There was a lot of buzz and high anticipation to see Ira on the runway for Versace, and she was showing to not disappoint in the way she commanded eyes and camera lenses. Her personality that charmed those she met was now reaching millions of others.
And a lot of the media wanted to know more about her now, so Tawan thought to stay away from the limelight to not draw any attention away since this was her moment and not their family’s.
“Tawan, yes?”
Tawan turned, straining to hear over the booming noises, to a man leaning over from behind and trying to politely not speak too loudly by her ear. He extended his hand to her and she looked to it before smiling and taking it to shake in acknowledgement, bowing her head a little. She watched as he nodded to Mali as if they had already met.
Tawan almost fainted when he introduced himself and told her he was with Yves Saint Laurent. Mali had to refrain from snickering at how big her eyes got having already talked to him yesterday about Ira modeling YSL for their spring collection next year, a surprise reveal for later. The representative had been following along to Ira’s attention the last month and was intrigued.
“I look forward to seeing you around more,” the man smiled as they ended their conversation.
Tawan nodded and smiled at him, thanking him for introducing himself to her and speaking briefly.
She had also spoken to a representative for Ralph Lauren unknowingly as they took their seats and waited for the show to start. Once Tawan started bragging about Ira to them and showed some pictures of their family, they formally introduced themselves and asked about the attention she was getting now. Tawan pounced on the opportunity, knowing they were one of Ira’s top sought after brands, and she gave her the best elevator pitch she could.
Tawan had barely parted ways with them before Mali got a text about setting up a meeting.
“She’s so beautiful,” Tawan said when she leaned over to Mali. Her eyes never left Ira’s frame as she strutted down the runway.
“She’s going to freak when she sees you,” Mali said as they clapped.
Tawan smiled shyly and tried to hide behind her clapping hands as they turned their attention back for the finale of the show.
The crowd started to get more lively and the music changed to something more intense to show how fast things were headed for the end. Ira was one of the leaders of the procession, strutting out to loud cheers as the crowd stood to encourage the show towards the end of a high note. Once the rest of the show’s cast of models were all on the stage or runway, the designer stepped out to louder cheers, claps, and praises as she made her way down to the end of the runway for a standing ovation.
The designer gave a small speech then turned her attention back to her muses for one last round of raucous applause before closing the show. All of the models headed to the back to change and get ready for the after party where they would have the opportunity to campaign since the room would be filled with other brands and houses. Tawan told Mali that she wanted to surprise Ira away from all the cameras, so she asked her to get her to the garage.
Ira had used a car service for tonight, so Tawan thought to hide in the luxury van. She had the biggest bouquet of flowers money could buy waiting in the seat for when she would get in.
“I’ll get her out of there as quickly as I can,” Mali promised, sliding the door open for her.
“Don’t worry about me,” Tawan smiled assuredly, waving her off. “You guys take your time and enjoy. You both worked hard for this.”
“Thanks, Tawan,” Mali smiled back appreciatively.
Tawan stepped into the van and Mali closed the door behind her. She had the van to herself since the driver stepped out to give her some privacy, so she checked her flowers then took a seat in the back.
She pulled out her cellphone and looked through the photos she had taken of Ira from the show and smiled. Tawan thought about posting a few, promising Meena that she would be a little more active on social media to help with Ira’s rising star and to also help promote her work. She decided she would wait until after surprising Ira as she took a picture of the bouquet to add to her post.
As she scrolled social media, Tawan’s smile turned into a bright grin as she read all the nice things people were saying about the Versace show. It was a clear success, more than they could have anticipated from the Vogue spread, and one of the top topics was Ira. Tawan spent the next hour bouncing between social medias to read whatever she could about her.
Everything was overwhelmingly positive and Ira may have no idea right now just how happy for her so many people were. She could not wait to show her.
“I’ll see you at the after party!” Ira yelled across the parking garage and waved. She had been floating all day from all the new friends in her peers she had made backstage.
Tawan, glad she was in a pantsuit and the windows were very tinted, moved to the corner of the van behind the flowers out of sight. She wanted to see Ira’s reaction to the flowers and the sweet message she had written in her distinct handwriting that she knew she would recognize and love as extra sentiment versus a font from the shop.
Tawan could hear Mali say she would open the door for her as if she was giving her a warning sign to prepare. The door slid open again and Ira made a move to step in before she noticed the flowers in the seat. She jumped back and squealed, hands going to her mouth, before reaching for the card inside to read who they were from and hoping the guess in her head was correct.
“Tawan,” Ira sighed adoringly before bouncing on her feet and kissing the card.
“What is it?” Mali asked, feigning ignorance.
“Tawan sent me flowers,” Ira smiled excitedly as she turned to her. “And a very sweet card. It says, ’Congratulations on this major achievement. You deserve the world. I can’t wait to be by your side for everything else. I love you.’”
Mali stepped to her as she showed her the card. “Your wife is smooth,” she commented and they giggled.
“She got all my favorite flowers, too,” Ira added, turning back to the van.
Ira practically screamed at the site of her wife standing outside the van with her enchanting smile and dazzling eyes.
She wasted no time in running to her to jump into her arms and bury her nose near the back of her neck. Tawan’s belly laugh echoed into the parking lot as she caught her with ease, holding her by her middle as close as she could and careful to not drop her. Ira pulled back to grab her face in their embrace and kiss her passionately, not caring who was around or not.
She wanted her here with her so bad that she wished for it and it came true.
“What are you doing here? I thought you had work,” Ira asked, playfully pouting at her.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Tawan confessed, smiling up at her before carefully setting her back down.
Ira, arms still wrapped around her neck, leaned over to kiss her again then pulled back to give her a sweet smile. She watched affectionately as Tawan told her how she had been at the show the whole time and watched her walk. Ira, smiling softly, looked from her lips to her eyes, sometimes roaming her face, as she listened to her praise her for her work tonight.
Tawan was so proud of her and her face looked like it was going to break from how hard she was smiling and grinning as she spoke about her. Ira’s heart swelled the more she kept watching her.
“She also got Polo to reach out,” Mali informed, scrolling her phone to give them privacy.
“Polo? Ralph Lauren?!” Ira asked shocked, looking between the both of them.
“I didn’t even know it was them until I told them you were my wife,” Tawan chuckled, rubbing up her back.
“What did they say?” Ira asked quickly, looking back to her. She really wanted to close that deal.
“Just that they’ve been following you and everything,” Tawan answered simply, shrugging a bit. “They sounded really intrigued so I waited for an opening to give them Mali’s number.”
“OMG!” Ira exclaimed and grinned widely, grabbing her face again. “I can’t believe this.”
“You’re one of the hottest trends on social media right now. Believe it, baby,” Tawan said, hovering near her mouth.
Ira smirked before leaning forward to press a slow kiss to her lips, relishing in this high she had right now. Tawan stared at her closed eyes then smiled a bit against her lips before closing her own and breathing her in.
Ira had worked so hard this last year to achieve so much in such a short amount of time. She was now in an upper echelon where luxury brands that she never thought would be interested in her were now following along for her journey. From commercials to photoshoots to runways to Paris, she had did so much and executed it all with precision.
Like Tawan and her mother would always tell her, she just had to be her true genuine self and others would fall in love with her naturally.
“Ahem,” Mali coughed, clearing her throat.
Ira broke their kiss to look to her manager whom she had forgotten was still there with them. She reminded them that they still had an after party to attend to and Tawan chuckled as she rubbed up her back. Ira was blushing and apologized as she disentangled them so she could hold her hand and thread their fingers together.
At this point, she would have been fine to take the after party home with Tawan rather than attend an actual event. Mali could sense this when Tawan asked them about the party and Ira just stared at her, entranced by her ever loving devotion to her, so she had to step forward to answer her questions.
“We better head there now actually,” Mali announced, looking at her wristwatch. She ushered them into the backseat and took up the front passenger seat to give them more privacy.
Ira linked their arms and rested her chin on her shoulder. “I want to go home with you,” she whispered by her ear.
Tawan looked to her when she noticed her tone. “We’ll go to the party for just a little bit,” she promised, blushing under her intensity.
“But you have on one of my favorite suits of yours,” Ira smirked, eyeing her up and down.
Tawan squirmed under the weight of her very clear attraction to her in her outfit and rolled her neck out as heat creeped up it. Ira could see she was weaseling her way into her resolve so she placed her hand just above her knee. She ghosted her hand up to her thigh, letting her nails scrape the inside delicately, and earned a shiver in response.
Tawan was wearing her tailored black suit with a cream colored turtleneck, the one that Ira loved to pull from her neck so she could kiss near her throat. She had nobody to blame but herself because she knew what she was doing selecting this attire for tonight.
“Darling,” Tawan breathed, swallowing hard as she reached down to stop her hand. “One hour. You worked really hard tonight and-,”
“Shouldn’t I get to celebrate how I want to,” Ira said hotly by her ear. She pulled back so Tawan could see the sultry smirk she had on.
“Ira,” Tawan gulped.
Ira reached up to put her pointer finger inside of the neck of Tawan’s turtleneck and pulled it down. Tawan gulped again and closed her eyes in anticipation just as she felt her soft lips near her throat.
“Babe,” Tawan said breathlessly.
“Maybe we should just stay in the van when we get there,” Ira suggested innocently.
Tawan, breathing heavily, flicked her eyes between her lips and eyes for a second to gauge her seriousness. Ira, trying to keep her composure to stay in control, failed to hide her amusement.
“I’m kidding,” Ira laughed and hugged her arm.
“Damn tease,” Tawan jokingly scowled, turning from her and grumbling to herself.
“But only a little,” Ira said suddenly and hotly into her ear again.
Tawan let out a low growl of frustration through her teeth, turning back to her and leaning over to her inviting lips making Ira giggle before she pressed a chaste kiss to them. She laid her head on her broad shoulder and snuggled more into her arm she was possessively holding, giving off an innocent demeanor and making Tawan frown.
“We’ll see how tonight goes,” Ira yawned and closed her eyes.
Tawan, still looking at the top of her head, huffed out a breath through her nose then turned her attention straight ahead. Ira smirked, knowing that her plans to celebrate a huge milestone for herself would not end at the after party.