Chapter 3
“Hey honey, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Lucy says as they finish the dishes after dinner.
“What is it?” Rosa asks, following her girlfriend to the couch, the two of them sitting down and cuddling together.
“I want to take you car shopping tomorrow,” Lucy says. “That way you'll have a vehicle able to handle the snow and ice.”
“That sounds great,” Rosa says, smiling at the other woman.
“Perfect,” the blonde woman says. “We'll go to the Subaru dealership and get you something with all-wheel-drive. That way you'll be better able to maintain control.”
“Thanks for thinking of me like this,” Rosa says. “I know I need a vehicle that can handle the snow, and I can't ask you to get up with me and drive me to work every time it snows, so this works out perfectly.”
“Of course,” Lucy says. “I love you and I want to take care of you as much as I can.”
“I love you too,” Rosa says. The two women spend the rest of the evening cuddling together before they head to bed, excited about the next day.
“So, what do you think of the Forester?” the saleswoman asks. Rosa looks at her and smiles.
“I like it,” she says. “It has all the features we're looking for and drives really well. Plus, we can tow our bikes with it.”
“We can,” Lucy says, smiling at her girlfriend. “I can't wait to ride together this summer.”
“I can't either,” Rosa replies, smiling back. She gets a neutral expression right after. “It's just a little bigger than I was looking for.”
“It will come in handy once we have kids,” Lucy says, giving Rosa a reassuring smile. Rosa gives her a surprised expression, thinking they should talk about this later.
“You're right,” the dark-haired woman says. She turns to the saleswoman. “I'll take it.”
“Great, I'll get the paperwork started,” the saleswoman says, getting up and heading to the manager's office. A few hours later, Rosa drives away from the dealership in her new Forester. Once she and Lucy get home, Rosa wraps her girlfriend in her arms.
“Thanks for doing that for me,” she says.
“Of course,” Lucy responds. “I love you and want to take care of you.”
“I love you too,” Rosa says, feeling tears come to her eyes. “No one's ever wanted to take care of me. I'm so happy to be with you.”
“I will always take care of you,” Lucy says. “You make me so happy too.” The two of them sit down, cuddling on their couch after a productive day of car shopping.
“Hey, can we talk?” Rosa asks as she and Lucy get ready for Midnight Mass.
“Sure, what is it?” Lucy says, coming over to Rosa with a concerned expression on her face.
“When we were at the dealership and you mentioned kids, did you mean that?” Rosa asks.
“Yeah,” Lucy replies. “I've always wanted kids, but resigned myself to it never happening once I came out and wasn't able to find someone.”
“Okay,” Rosa says. “It's not something I've ever thought about, so I was surprised when you mentioned it.”
“I'm sorry I sprung it on you like that,” the blonde woman says, looking at her girlfriend apologetically. “But we have some time before the service so why don't we sit down and discuss this.” The two of them go to the couch, facing each other.
“Are you open to having kids?” Lucy asks to start the conversation. Rosa pauses for a moment. She sees Lucy looking at her more concerned as she thinks. After a time she smiles.
“I think I am,” she says. “When I was alone I knew it wasn't right for me, but with you I think it would work. We have your family as support, plus Jake and Amy. If we have a child soon, ours will only be a little younger than theirs, so hopefully the two of them will be able to play together. Plus, Terry's girls would probably jump at helping us any time we asked. They're all so sweet.”
“You're right,” Lucy says, smiling back at her. “We have a wonderful support system around us. Our child or children would be loved and supported by so many people besides us.”
“I think I should carry any pregnancy we have,” Rosa says. “That way you don't have to worry about stopping your work on the farm or putting yourself or the baby at risk. I know you love your work and I don't want you to sacrifice it if you don't have to.”
“Thank you,” Lucy says, smiling. “I was worried about that, but if you carry, then we don't have to be concerned about the risks my work would pose.” The two of them hug tightly, happy the conversation went well.
“Should we head over to the church?” Rosa asks. “We don't want to be late.”
“Sure,” Lucy says. The two women get up and grab their coats, heading outside and driving over to Lucy's family's church. They see the rest of the family when they get there, greeting all of them warmly. The group heads into the sanctuary, taking seats together. The service begins soon after, the priest leading everyone in prayer, singing, and scripture reading. Rosa feels touched by the homily talking about God coming to earth to be with us as a vulnerable baby rather than as a strong conqueror. She goes through the communion line, receiving the wafer and wine. Once the service is over, she and Lucy head home, looking forward to the next morning with Lucy's family.
“Merry Christmas,” Rosa says as Lucy wakes up the next morning.
“Merry Christmas,” Lucy says, smiling at her girlfriend. They kiss, smiling at each other when they separate. They get up, getting dressed and grabbing the gifts they got for everyone. They drive over to the farm house, going inside. They see the children running around, excited about Christmas.
“Good morning. Merry Christmas,” Marie says as she gives each of them a hug.
“Merry Christmas,” Rosa says. They bring the gifts inside and take seats around the tree, Lucy putting her arm around Rosa. The family starts opening presents, letting the children go first and then the adults. When all the visible gifts are opened, Carl and Marie go to the other room and come back with another gift, giving it to Rosa. She looks at them surprised, not expecting something specially picked out for her. Rosa opens the gift, seeing an ornate box with an R carved into it. She feels tears coming to her eyes as she looks at it.
“We get one for everyone for their first Christmas with the family,” Carl says. “It's so you know you're always welcome here and valued when you look at it.”
“Thank you,” Rosa says, letting the tears fall. “It's beautiful.”
“You're welcome,” Marie says. “We love how happy you've made Lucy. We want you to always know we care about you.”
“Are we ready for the family picture?” Anders says. Everyone answers yes. They stand up, Rosa going off to the side at first. Evan looks at her confused.
“Why are you over there?” he asks.
“You said you were taking a family picture,” Rosa says. “I didn't want to infringe.” The man looks at her, dumbfounded.
“Rosa, you are family,” he says. “You're in the picture too.” Rosa looks at him, feeling more happy tears coming as her heart bursts with love for Lucy's family. He pulls her over to the middle, right next to Lucy. The camera is set up and the timer is set. Once everyone's ready, the camera is activated and after a few seconds there's a flash and a click. Rosa continues smiling after the picture is taken, looking around at the people who have taken her in and loved and accepted her after just a few months. For the first time in a long time, she feels like she's part of a real family.
“Almost ready for midnight?” Lucy asks as Rosa comes into the room where the TV is showing New Years celebrations.
“Yeah,” Rosa says, looking at her girlfriend excitedly. She can't wait for midnight and what she's gonna do. They watch the screen as the ball drops and join in the countdown.
“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, Happy New Year!” Rosa and Lucy embrace, kissing to ring in the new year. After they separate, Rosa backs up, looking into Lucy's eyes. She starts playing New Year's Day on her phone.
“Lucy, I love you. More than I ever thought I could love someone. You make me so happy every day. I never want to be apart from you,” she says. She gets down on one knee, pulling a small box out of her pocket. Lucy's already crying, knowing what is coming.
“Lucy Muller, will you marry me?” Rosa asks.
“YES!” Lucy shouts happily, Rosa getting up and pulling her into a hug. Rosa puts the ring on Lucy's finger, smiling at how it sparkles.
“Grandma's gonna be so happy when I tell her,” Lucy says. “She's been telling me we should get married since she met you.”
“I'm glad,” Rosa says. “I love you and want to be with you forever.”
“I love you too,” Lucy says. “I want to be with you forever too.” The two of them continue to embrace, ecstatic about being engaged.