“Where to now.” Eric asked as he got into the back seat of the waiting car and fastened his seat belt. Glancing at his carry-on luggage that was stored on the seat next to him, he was tempted to pull out his electric razor. Pulling on the beard he was still unaccustomed to he said, “I can’t wait to take a proper shower and shave this shit off my face.”

“The facial hair gives you character Eric. I think it’s rather becoming. You should think about keeping it. Just get it groomed like Mark here.” Said the man in the front passenger seat referring to the driver, Mark Wayland. Mark was just as handsome as Eric and could pass for his twin brother as he too sported dirty blonde long hair, mustache and a beard.

“This coming from a man that has no facial hair and shaves his head?” Eric snickered at the older man.

“Touché.” The man answered rubbing his clean-shaven head and face. He couldn’t be bothered with keeping up with the grooming required for the latest hairstyles. All he could accomplish was peach fuzz whenever he tried to grow facial hair so it suited him to just shave it off.

“Besides, the whole idea of growing it was a disguise to look like Mark so we could create doubt. What would be point of keeping it?” Eric asked as he peered forward and inspected his scruffy appearance in the car’s rear view mirror. Mark smirked when he caught his friend’s eye in the reflection. Having Eric grow the beard and long hair to resemble his had been Mark’s idea. He was also responsible for getting the false ID in the name Richard Kimble. He was a fan of the old TV show the Fugitive and thought it humorous to use the name of the main character. When Eric saw the passport and driver’s license he wasn’t amused, but by then it was too late to make changes. The documents had already been delivered and paid for.

“We’re headed to the hotel now. You can get cleaned up and shave if you want to, but I need you to stay out of sight Eric. The last thing we want is for someone from the movie set to recognize you.” The man admonished his partner in crime.

Bette and Tina walked into the sparsely populated restaurant and spotted Peter, Lilly and Alex immediately. They were seated in a corner booth large enough for the four adults. There was a high chair for Alex, but at the moment the toddler was seated on Peter’s lap facing him and pulling on his facial hair which seemed to have become his favorite pastime. When Peter saw the mommies approaching he stood up and turned Alex around to face them. “Look whose here Champ?”

“Ma ma” Alex cried out and practically jumped out of Peter’s grasp into Bette’s arms.

“Hello Angel. How’s my big boy? Mama missed you so much.” Bette cooed as she snuggled and kissed her son repeatedly. “Say good morning to your Mama T.” Bette said holding Alex out to Tina who stood patiently waiting for her turn for some sugar.

“Hello my little boo. Mama T missed you too.” Alex’s big grin got even bigger when he saw Tina. If it wasn’t enough that he was just as excited to see her as he was to see Bette, Alex really made her day when he called out “Ma T” reaching his arms out for Tina to take him.

“Oh baby did you just call me Ma T?” Tina asked the eight month old as she held him at arm’s length looking into his beautiful hazel green eyes that were an exact match to hers. As if understanding her question he grinned broadly and said it again “Ma Tee” this time more clearly as if to reassure her.

There was no doubt that in the past few days Alex had been trying out his newfound linguistic skills. Now he was using them to distinguish his parents as Mama and Mama T. That was how Bette and Tina referred to themselves and each other when talking to Alex.

Tina was beside herself at the recognition but Bette was even more elated. When Alex had started calling her Mama the day before she was overjoyed, but hearing him call Tina by name was the best gift he could have given them both.

Bette, Peter and Lilly just stood by with goofy grins on their faces watching the intimacy between Alex and Tina. Tears sprang to Tina’s eyes. She pulled Bette into a hug with their son between them. “He knows I’m his mother. He knows who I am.” She whispered.

Bette and Tina’s long night of passionate lovemaking lasted into the early morning hours. Had it not been for sheer exhaustion they might not have gotten any sleep at all. Their insatiable hunger for each other was not only reflective of their need to reconnect sexually after the lengthy dry spell, but more importantly to fill the emotional void that their months of neglect had fostered.

Bette’s underlying fears that she would never be enough for Tina had surfaced earlier that night on the dance floor when the brunette had broken down and cried in Tina’s arms. Tina had been so wrapped up in her own misery of dealing with Kate Arden’s abusive treatment that until that moment she hadn’t even realized how much her banishment and emotional abandonment in their relationship had contributed to her girlfriend’s insecurities. Bette’s kiss was her desperate need for reassurance and Tina gave it with a silent vow to never again give her mocha beauty reason to doubt how much she was loved, wanted, and cherished.

***

Tina still couldn’t believe how naïve she’d been about the whole situation with Kate; both professionally and personally. She’d have to deal with the fall-out on so many levels when this was over that she’d probably need a therapist to help work through it. The worst of which was the heartache of knowing how much she’d hurt Bette and damaged their trust by shutting her out. Not only did she avoid telling Bette the truth but her self-imposed isolation had given Kate power to get a stranglehold on her psyche.

It was never Tina’s intent to be cruel, and it certainly never occurred to her that her treatment would cause Bette to doubt her love and commitment. She was just trying to cope the best way she knew how. Never having been in a romantic relationship with someone she could lean on, she’d shortchanged Bette by not giving her the opportunity to help. Their relationship as a couple suffered during the separation but if something good did come out of them being apart it was Tina’s reflections of a life without Bette Porter. It wasn’t a place that she wanted to visit ever again.

Tina loved, wanted and needed Bette. That night she’d showed her in every which way by giving herself fully to the physical consummation of their sexual desires, but the revelation that she’d never truly allowed herself to emotionally surrender her mind, heart, body, and soul in her declarations of love shook her to the core with greater intensity than any orgasm she’d experienced. That night their souls truly connected and bound their destinies to something real and everlasting; the promise of first, last and forever. That night she discovered for the first time in her adult life that the idea of a lifelong commitment to one person no longer scared her. That night she stopped running away from everything that was good in her life.

The resort where the wrap party was being held had several venues including formal ballrooms, restaurants with varied cuisines and a nightclub with full service bar and private nooks for intimate conversation. It was also a popular spot for weddings as it offered outdoor spaces with magnificent panoramic views of the snowcapped Canadian mountains and lakes.

As Bette and Tina made their way out to the veranda to get some fresh air they passed the nightclub, and could hear the house band gearing up as the guests transitioned from dinner to dancing. The couple planned to join the party later for some dancing but for now they headed to a cozy seating area with a fire pit in the center and a self-service hot beverage bar. Bette prepared two cups of chamomile tea and handed one to Tina. Tina thanked her girlfriend and intentionally allowed her fingers to graze Bette’s as she took the cup.

Bette smiled giving Tina one of those looks she reserved only for the love of her life. She sat next to Tina on the loveseat close enough for their thighs to touch and put her arms around the blonde’s shoulders. Even with the light touch she could feel the tension emanating from Tina’s body. If they weren’t wearing cocktail dresses Bette would have sat back and invited Tina to sit between her legs so she could hold her close and comfort her. However Tina made the best of it and settled into the crock of Bette’s arms, leaned her head against her shoulder and let out a deep sigh.

Tina was so grateful that Bette was there with her in Canada. She didn’t realize how much she’d missed her girlfriend these past several weeks until Bette showed up out of the blue that morning. Moreover there was no way she could have gotten through this night without Bette by her side to lean on and draw strength from. Tina sipped the soothing tea that not only warmed her body against the chill of the night but also calmed her anger and frustration at the turn of events. She felt in the past 72 hours as if her world was coming apart at the seams and she was barely able to hold it together.

Peter pulled up to the valet drop off zone at the entrance of the hotel and parked Bette’s Lexus SUV. A dark haired young man dressed professionally in black pants, white long sleeved shirt, black tie and matching vest immediately approached the passenger side and opened both the front and back doors. He helped Lilly to step down unto the curb from the front seat while Bette alighted from the rear and unhooked Alex’s car seat. It was rare that the two moms were chauffeured with Alex seated between them but that was the case that afternoon for their outing to Stanley Park.

Peter turned off the engine but left the keys in car and popped the cargo hatch door before getting out. He opened the rear door on the driver’s side to lend Tina a hand as she grabbed Alex’s baby bag, then he walked the rear of the vehicle to remove and unfold Alex’s all-in-one convertible stroller so Bette could snap in the car seat. Even though Alex was wide awake they didn’t disturb his comfort when moving him from the car to the stroller.

Considering the lousy start to her morning, Tina had enjoyed one of the best days she could remember having spent with Bette and Alex. Peter and Lilly were a delight to have along and it truly felt like a family outing. The older couple gravitated to Tina on sight greeting her with a hug as if they’d known her for years. When Alex saw his adoptive grandparents he broke out into a big grin and put his arms out for Peter to pick him up. That was all it took to charm the old man into carrying Alex on his shoulder for most of the day, as the toddler couldn’t get enough of being up high and bounced around.

When they got to their floor Lilly and Tina went to the older couple’s hotel room to organize things for Alex to spend the night. They’d asked for a crib to be set up in the bedroom and the hotel staff had taken care of it while they were out. Peter retrieved Bette’s luggage from his room then joined her in Tina’s room while she packed Alex’s food, juice, and milk. She refreshed the baby’s diaper bag with pampers, pajamas, and change of clothes for the following day.