Beyond the Blue, page 30
“That’s still so weird because you see dead people all the time.”
“As I’ve explained before, that’s exactly why. They’re not supposed to do that, and the putrefaction alone—” Mei sighed. “That is not the point.”
“I didn’t think it was, it’s just adorable,” Morgan said. Slowly, her smile dropped and she implored Mei. “Are you sure? You have to—you have to be sure.”
“I’m sure,” Mei replied without a hint of hesitation.
“Okay, you have to be sure because I am going to kiss you. And if I touch you again I may not be able to stop.”
After huffing out a laugh, Mei nodded. “Then I am definitely sure.”
Closing the gap between them, Morgan cradled Mei’s face in her hands and yanked her in for an ardent kiss. She dropped her hands to Mei’s waist, and Mei slid her arms up and around Morgan’s shoulders. Lifting her into the air without much trouble, Mei giggled into their kiss and held on tightly, wrapping her legs around Morgan’s butt. Breaking apart, they rested their foreheads against one another and shared oxygen. Crimson and orange leaves fell around them, dozens upon dozens, swirling and gently landing on their heads and at their feet.
“Not snow,” Morgan whispered. “Not quite our thing.”
“Maybe it can be our new thing.” Mei pulled back, running her fingers through Morgan’s hair as she was held aloft. “Are you sure? Is this…am I what you want?”
Placing Mei gently on the ground, Morgan stared down into her eyes and smiled. “I have become uncertain about a lot of things in my life recently, like my mother and my career and my friendship with Ruiz after she waited months to tell me she’s pregnant.”
“Aw, but aren’t you excited?”
“Of course I’m excited. I’m completely floored by the prospect of my two favorite people combining their genetic material to make the world’s smartest and most beautiful super-baby, but that doesn’t make me less angry she waited so long to tell me,” Morgan said with a petulant pout. “However, out of all the places in my life upon which shadows of doubt have been cast, you are not one of them. I have always, always been certain of you.”
Mei kissed her again, keening against her body and holding Morgan as tightly as possible, as if she feared Morgan would untether and float off into the sky. Drawing back, Mei breathed out a few panting breaths. “I know we still have work to do, both as a couple and separately. I…I feel like I’m ready to do the work with you.”
“Me too,” Morgan said. Stepping back, she admired the incongruent outfit Mei put together. “I’m so impressed by the commitment to an accurate cosplay, by the way. After you left your Say Anything DVD here, I watched it a lot because it reminded me of you. I got very familiar with Lloyd’s outfit.”
“Lara sourced the outfit.” Mei shook her head. “This is Grace’s trench coat.”
“A team effort.” Touched, Morgan grinned ear to ear. “I knew eventually I’d woo the Lin women.”
“They didn’t trust me to pull off a romantic gesture on my own,” Mei admitted. “I think I did pretty well.”
“Sure, I mean, you got the girl, right?” Morgan bent down to press play on the stereo. Standing to her full height, she offered her hand. “In keeping with the romantic aesthetic, may I have this dance?”
Taking Mei’s hand with her left, Mei waited as she ran her thumb over the skin where her ring used to be. Morgan spun her and reeled her in, pressing them heart-to-heart. Mei laid her head on Morgan’s chest as they swayed to the tune of the soft rock melody, showered in cascading leaves of change.
Two Years Later
“Kelly, if she throws up on you, I’m not dry-cleaning that shirt.”
Lying back on the grass, Morgan chuckled as she tossed the baby a few inches into the air and caught her, much to her delight. “You would never throw up on Tía Morgan, would you, Alicia?” Alicia giggled and wriggled in her hands, and Morgan tossed her up one more time. “No, no, you would never, you’d—” Before Morgan could finish her sentence, Alicia burped and a droplet of a milky substance plopped onto Morgan’s shirt. “Oh, you would. Well, that’s okay, because Tía Morgan loves you and your gross baby puke.”
After placing a kiss on Alicia’s nose, she passed her over to Reyna as Mei handed her a napkin. “We did tell you not to throw the small child,” Mei chastised.
“But she likes it so much,” Morgan whined, wiping the vomit from her shirt. “Didn’t you hear her little giggles?”
“Yes, I heard her little giggles. I also heard her surprisingly thunderous burp.”
“Kid’s got a killer burp,” Morgan agreed. “Small price to pay to be Alicia’s favorite tía.”
“You know Reyna has four sisters,” Ruiz said, handing her wife a wipe to clean their daughter’s face. “Plus all those primas. It’s tough competition to be Alicia’s favorite tía.”
Jaw open in shock, Morgan feigned insult. “How dare you. Tell her, Alicia. Tell her Tía Morgan is your favorite tía.”
Mei watched the baby scrunch her nose and giggle at Morgan’s face, reaching out her fat baby hands to try to grab her. “If not, you could be the second Ruiz’s favorite tía,” Mei suggested, jerking her thumb toward Ruiz’s protruding stomach.
“Oh, I plan on it. You’ll tell her, won’t you, Alicia? Or him. Or them. You’ll tell your younger sibling of unknown gender identity that Tía Morgan is the best of your tías and definitely the coolest tía and certainly the most good-looking.” Morgan allowed Alicia to grab her finger and squeeze it, eliciting another round of squeals from the toddler. Her phone rang from within her pocket and she frowned at the baby. “Excuse me, young lady.” Fishing out her phone, Morgan pushed herself off the grass and walked a few feet away. “SAC Kelly.”
Mei plucked a grape from their picnic basket, which they’d laid out in the middle of a beautiful park near Morgan’s field office. Warm from spring, Mei breathed in as the breeze ruffled her hair. Reyna caught her hand, admiring the ring on her finger. Three gems, one diamond and two sapphires, on a plain platinum band. Mei blushed under the attention, but Reyna was all smiles. “Have you picked a date?”
Shaking her head, Mei followed Morgan with her eyes. They’d tossed around a few ideas for dates, but never committed to one. Morgan agreed as long as they stayed engaged, she’d allow Mei time to get comfortable with getting remarried. “No, not yet. We’ll be waiting a bit. Neither of us is in a rush to return to the altar, but there was no way I could tell her no.”
“I understand,” Reyna replied, bouncing her daughter on her lap. “How’s the new condo? Getting settled okay?”
“Oh, it’s wonderful. It’s right on the water and next to a lovely park where Morgan goes on her runs with Eddie. Plus, it’s not too far from Grace and the grandkids.” Crossing her legs, Mei popped another grape into her mouth. “You’ll have to come by for dinner soon. Morgan’s gotten pretty decent at dim sum. My mother’s teaching her some ancient technique. Though I’m afraid if they spend any more time together, my mother might get the idea to move in.”
Ruiz narrowed her eyes. “Wait, did you say neither of you are in a rush? When the hell was Kelly at the altar the first time?”
Mei pursed her lips, eyes wide. “Did I say neither? I misspoke.”
“Like hell you did. You know how much shit she gave me for not telling her about my pregnancy? And now she was married before and I don’t know about it?” Rolling side to side, Ruiz valiantly tried to get up from the grass but ultimately was unable to right herself, like an overturned turtle. “If I could get off the ground without help, I would go over there and kick her skinny white ass.”
Jogging back to them, Morgan’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “Regretfully, I have to get back to the office. But thank you for the picnic. Always great to see my three-point-five favorite Ruizes.” Morgan knelt next to Alicia, shaking her little baby hand. “Adiós, mi princesa.”
“Adiós, Tía Mentirosa,” Ruiz remarked, pitching her normally toneless voice into that of a small child. Though her wife smacked her good-naturedly, Ruiz maintained her pout.
“What?” Helping Mei from the ground, Morgan aimed a confused look in her direction. “Why am I a liar?”
“I might have accidentally let it slip about your previous elopement.” Mei reached up to straighten the collar on Morgan’s shirt and rested her hands on Morgan’s sternum.
“Oh.” Morgan cast a glance at Ruiz. “Uh-oh.”
“Yeah, so you’re telling me that story later and I never want to hear you moan again about how I ‘hid my pregnancy’ from you,” Ruiz said. “Go back to work, Federale.”
Ignoring Ruiz’s attitude, Morgan smiled as she gazed adoringly into Mei’s eyes, cupping her cheeks and pecking a kiss on her lips. “Do you want me to drop you off at work or at home? We do need to take Eddie out for his walk.”
“Well, what I truly want is for neither of us to work and instead go home together.” Mei tugged on Morgan’s shirt to pull her in for a longer, deeper kiss before breaking apart. “I miss you when you leave.”
Ruiz groaned. “Dios mío, go already before I throw up on your shirt too.”
“Do you mind taking the picnic stuff?” Mei asked, looking back toward the others.
Reyna waved her hand. “Go ahead, I think we’ll enjoy the weather a bit longer. Plus, it will take at least five minutes for my wife to get up off the ground and the fewer witnesses to that, the better.”
“All right. Later.” Morgan wrapped her arm over Mei’s shoulder, escorting her across the courtyard and toward the parking lot.
Arm around Morgan’s waist, Mei walked blissfully unaware of any passing glances their way as they approached Morgan’s car. Her focus remained on all the places their bodies met, the warmth passing through Morgan and into her, the warmth she continued to siphon but drew from a never-ending supply, which Morgan was always willing to share.
“You know, why didn’t you ever tell Ruiz you were married?” Mei wondered aloud as they arrived at the passenger side of Morgan’s car. She turned and rested against it as Morgan stepped into her space, linking their fingers together.
Bashful, Morgan peered down between them to stare at the asphalt. “Oh, it’s silly. It’s no big deal.”
Tilting her head slightly, Mei used her free hand to hold Morgan’s jaw between her fingers and connect their gazes. With a sly smirk, she inquired further. “That’s uncharacteristically opaque.”
“Well, I…” Huffing, Morgan peered up into the blue sky, a faint wrinkle between her brows. “I decided the only person I would tell is the person I could see myself marrying. After Gemma, I was sure that person did not exist. But then I met you and I thought it was worth the risk. If it was going to be anyone, it was going to be you.”
Of all the possible answers to that question, Mei didn’t expect that one. Taken aback, she allowed this avowal to marinate, coating her heart and soaking into her soul. “How? How could you have known? That was before—how?”
“I told you,” Morgan said, tucking Mei’s hair behind her ear and smiling widely. “I feel the connection instantly. Maybe it was fate, or maybe it’s inevitable like Ruiz said. All I know is I was certain of you. I wasn’t certain of how or when, but I was certain of you.”
“You were certain of me when even I wasn’t certain of me.” Mei looped her arms over Morgan’s shoulders. “How did I get so lucky?”
“You didn’t,” Morgan replied, pressing her forehead against Mei’s. “Lucky is when you’re given something you didn’t earn.”
“True, and as a wise stranger once told me on a snow-covered side of the road: love is not given, love is earned.”
Morgan placed a single, soft kiss against Mei’s lips. “Hmm, she does sound pretty wise. You ought to marry her.”
“I plan on it.”
“But first date her for three months without realizing it.”
“Wow, I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
“Absolutely not.”
Bella Books, Inc.
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TJ O'Shea, Beyond the Blue
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“As I’ve explained before, that’s exactly why. They’re not supposed to do that, and the putrefaction alone—” Mei sighed. “That is not the point.”
“I didn’t think it was, it’s just adorable,” Morgan said. Slowly, her smile dropped and she implored Mei. “Are you sure? You have to—you have to be sure.”
“I’m sure,” Mei replied without a hint of hesitation.
“Okay, you have to be sure because I am going to kiss you. And if I touch you again I may not be able to stop.”
After huffing out a laugh, Mei nodded. “Then I am definitely sure.”
Closing the gap between them, Morgan cradled Mei’s face in her hands and yanked her in for an ardent kiss. She dropped her hands to Mei’s waist, and Mei slid her arms up and around Morgan’s shoulders. Lifting her into the air without much trouble, Mei giggled into their kiss and held on tightly, wrapping her legs around Morgan’s butt. Breaking apart, they rested their foreheads against one another and shared oxygen. Crimson and orange leaves fell around them, dozens upon dozens, swirling and gently landing on their heads and at their feet.
“Not snow,” Morgan whispered. “Not quite our thing.”
“Maybe it can be our new thing.” Mei pulled back, running her fingers through Morgan’s hair as she was held aloft. “Are you sure? Is this…am I what you want?”
Placing Mei gently on the ground, Morgan stared down into her eyes and smiled. “I have become uncertain about a lot of things in my life recently, like my mother and my career and my friendship with Ruiz after she waited months to tell me she’s pregnant.”
“Aw, but aren’t you excited?”
“Of course I’m excited. I’m completely floored by the prospect of my two favorite people combining their genetic material to make the world’s smartest and most beautiful super-baby, but that doesn’t make me less angry she waited so long to tell me,” Morgan said with a petulant pout. “However, out of all the places in my life upon which shadows of doubt have been cast, you are not one of them. I have always, always been certain of you.”
Mei kissed her again, keening against her body and holding Morgan as tightly as possible, as if she feared Morgan would untether and float off into the sky. Drawing back, Mei breathed out a few panting breaths. “I know we still have work to do, both as a couple and separately. I…I feel like I’m ready to do the work with you.”
“Me too,” Morgan said. Stepping back, she admired the incongruent outfit Mei put together. “I’m so impressed by the commitment to an accurate cosplay, by the way. After you left your Say Anything DVD here, I watched it a lot because it reminded me of you. I got very familiar with Lloyd’s outfit.”
“Lara sourced the outfit.” Mei shook her head. “This is Grace’s trench coat.”
“A team effort.” Touched, Morgan grinned ear to ear. “I knew eventually I’d woo the Lin women.”
“They didn’t trust me to pull off a romantic gesture on my own,” Mei admitted. “I think I did pretty well.”
“Sure, I mean, you got the girl, right?” Morgan bent down to press play on the stereo. Standing to her full height, she offered her hand. “In keeping with the romantic aesthetic, may I have this dance?”
Taking Mei’s hand with her left, Mei waited as she ran her thumb over the skin where her ring used to be. Morgan spun her and reeled her in, pressing them heart-to-heart. Mei laid her head on Morgan’s chest as they swayed to the tune of the soft rock melody, showered in cascading leaves of change.
Two Years Later
“Kelly, if she throws up on you, I’m not dry-cleaning that shirt.”
Lying back on the grass, Morgan chuckled as she tossed the baby a few inches into the air and caught her, much to her delight. “You would never throw up on Tía Morgan, would you, Alicia?” Alicia giggled and wriggled in her hands, and Morgan tossed her up one more time. “No, no, you would never, you’d—” Before Morgan could finish her sentence, Alicia burped and a droplet of a milky substance plopped onto Morgan’s shirt. “Oh, you would. Well, that’s okay, because Tía Morgan loves you and your gross baby puke.”
After placing a kiss on Alicia’s nose, she passed her over to Reyna as Mei handed her a napkin. “We did tell you not to throw the small child,” Mei chastised.
“But she likes it so much,” Morgan whined, wiping the vomit from her shirt. “Didn’t you hear her little giggles?”
“Yes, I heard her little giggles. I also heard her surprisingly thunderous burp.”
“Kid’s got a killer burp,” Morgan agreed. “Small price to pay to be Alicia’s favorite tía.”
“You know Reyna has four sisters,” Ruiz said, handing her wife a wipe to clean their daughter’s face. “Plus all those primas. It’s tough competition to be Alicia’s favorite tía.”
Jaw open in shock, Morgan feigned insult. “How dare you. Tell her, Alicia. Tell her Tía Morgan is your favorite tía.”
Mei watched the baby scrunch her nose and giggle at Morgan’s face, reaching out her fat baby hands to try to grab her. “If not, you could be the second Ruiz’s favorite tía,” Mei suggested, jerking her thumb toward Ruiz’s protruding stomach.
“Oh, I plan on it. You’ll tell her, won’t you, Alicia? Or him. Or them. You’ll tell your younger sibling of unknown gender identity that Tía Morgan is the best of your tías and definitely the coolest tía and certainly the most good-looking.” Morgan allowed Alicia to grab her finger and squeeze it, eliciting another round of squeals from the toddler. Her phone rang from within her pocket and she frowned at the baby. “Excuse me, young lady.” Fishing out her phone, Morgan pushed herself off the grass and walked a few feet away. “SAC Kelly.”
Mei plucked a grape from their picnic basket, which they’d laid out in the middle of a beautiful park near Morgan’s field office. Warm from spring, Mei breathed in as the breeze ruffled her hair. Reyna caught her hand, admiring the ring on her finger. Three gems, one diamond and two sapphires, on a plain platinum band. Mei blushed under the attention, but Reyna was all smiles. “Have you picked a date?”
Shaking her head, Mei followed Morgan with her eyes. They’d tossed around a few ideas for dates, but never committed to one. Morgan agreed as long as they stayed engaged, she’d allow Mei time to get comfortable with getting remarried. “No, not yet. We’ll be waiting a bit. Neither of us is in a rush to return to the altar, but there was no way I could tell her no.”
“I understand,” Reyna replied, bouncing her daughter on her lap. “How’s the new condo? Getting settled okay?”
“Oh, it’s wonderful. It’s right on the water and next to a lovely park where Morgan goes on her runs with Eddie. Plus, it’s not too far from Grace and the grandkids.” Crossing her legs, Mei popped another grape into her mouth. “You’ll have to come by for dinner soon. Morgan’s gotten pretty decent at dim sum. My mother’s teaching her some ancient technique. Though I’m afraid if they spend any more time together, my mother might get the idea to move in.”
Ruiz narrowed her eyes. “Wait, did you say neither of you are in a rush? When the hell was Kelly at the altar the first time?”
Mei pursed her lips, eyes wide. “Did I say neither? I misspoke.”
“Like hell you did. You know how much shit she gave me for not telling her about my pregnancy? And now she was married before and I don’t know about it?” Rolling side to side, Ruiz valiantly tried to get up from the grass but ultimately was unable to right herself, like an overturned turtle. “If I could get off the ground without help, I would go over there and kick her skinny white ass.”
Jogging back to them, Morgan’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “Regretfully, I have to get back to the office. But thank you for the picnic. Always great to see my three-point-five favorite Ruizes.” Morgan knelt next to Alicia, shaking her little baby hand. “Adiós, mi princesa.”
“Adiós, Tía Mentirosa,” Ruiz remarked, pitching her normally toneless voice into that of a small child. Though her wife smacked her good-naturedly, Ruiz maintained her pout.
“What?” Helping Mei from the ground, Morgan aimed a confused look in her direction. “Why am I a liar?”
“I might have accidentally let it slip about your previous elopement.” Mei reached up to straighten the collar on Morgan’s shirt and rested her hands on Morgan’s sternum.
“Oh.” Morgan cast a glance at Ruiz. “Uh-oh.”
“Yeah, so you’re telling me that story later and I never want to hear you moan again about how I ‘hid my pregnancy’ from you,” Ruiz said. “Go back to work, Federale.”
Ignoring Ruiz’s attitude, Morgan smiled as she gazed adoringly into Mei’s eyes, cupping her cheeks and pecking a kiss on her lips. “Do you want me to drop you off at work or at home? We do need to take Eddie out for his walk.”
“Well, what I truly want is for neither of us to work and instead go home together.” Mei tugged on Morgan’s shirt to pull her in for a longer, deeper kiss before breaking apart. “I miss you when you leave.”
Ruiz groaned. “Dios mío, go already before I throw up on your shirt too.”
“Do you mind taking the picnic stuff?” Mei asked, looking back toward the others.
Reyna waved her hand. “Go ahead, I think we’ll enjoy the weather a bit longer. Plus, it will take at least five minutes for my wife to get up off the ground and the fewer witnesses to that, the better.”
“All right. Later.” Morgan wrapped her arm over Mei’s shoulder, escorting her across the courtyard and toward the parking lot.
Arm around Morgan’s waist, Mei walked blissfully unaware of any passing glances their way as they approached Morgan’s car. Her focus remained on all the places their bodies met, the warmth passing through Morgan and into her, the warmth she continued to siphon but drew from a never-ending supply, which Morgan was always willing to share.
“You know, why didn’t you ever tell Ruiz you were married?” Mei wondered aloud as they arrived at the passenger side of Morgan’s car. She turned and rested against it as Morgan stepped into her space, linking their fingers together.
Bashful, Morgan peered down between them to stare at the asphalt. “Oh, it’s silly. It’s no big deal.”
Tilting her head slightly, Mei used her free hand to hold Morgan’s jaw between her fingers and connect their gazes. With a sly smirk, she inquired further. “That’s uncharacteristically opaque.”
“Well, I…” Huffing, Morgan peered up into the blue sky, a faint wrinkle between her brows. “I decided the only person I would tell is the person I could see myself marrying. After Gemma, I was sure that person did not exist. But then I met you and I thought it was worth the risk. If it was going to be anyone, it was going to be you.”
Of all the possible answers to that question, Mei didn’t expect that one. Taken aback, she allowed this avowal to marinate, coating her heart and soaking into her soul. “How? How could you have known? That was before—how?”
“I told you,” Morgan said, tucking Mei’s hair behind her ear and smiling widely. “I feel the connection instantly. Maybe it was fate, or maybe it’s inevitable like Ruiz said. All I know is I was certain of you. I wasn’t certain of how or when, but I was certain of you.”
“You were certain of me when even I wasn’t certain of me.” Mei looped her arms over Morgan’s shoulders. “How did I get so lucky?”
“You didn’t,” Morgan replied, pressing her forehead against Mei’s. “Lucky is when you’re given something you didn’t earn.”
“True, and as a wise stranger once told me on a snow-covered side of the road: love is not given, love is earned.”
Morgan placed a single, soft kiss against Mei’s lips. “Hmm, she does sound pretty wise. You ought to marry her.”
“I plan on it.”
“But first date her for three months without realizing it.”
“Wow, I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
“Absolutely not.”
Bella Books, Inc.
Women. Books. Even Better Together.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
Phone: 800-729-4992
www.bellabooks.com
TJ O'Shea, Beyond the Blue
