AND SO IS LOVE…

Disclaimer

The characters in the story are a product of my own imagination and hopefully have no resemblance to any living persons.

Just a bit of fluff to celebrate the lives of two very important people in my life:

Happy birthday, Lee. Bright blessings, friend of mine!

To T and her wife on the birth of their gorgeous twins! Congratulations!!!

Special thanks to my idol and singer Kate Bush for the title of this story.

Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, so feel free to drop me a line or two at steinwillard80@gmail.com .

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Bo smiled faintly as the woman reached out and touched her arm again. As much as she wanted to pull her arm out of reach, she couldn't. It might be seen as rude and that was one thing she wasn't. Instead she turned to look at the other women around the table. Harriet Nolan, Harry to her friends, was intrigued by a brunette on the dance floor who was swaying sensually to the beat of the music.

Bo could almost read her thoughts as the brunette watched the dancing woman. She knew her that well. They met when they were four years old, playing in the same sandpit at the play park a few blocks from the dilapidated flats they grew up in. Every Saturday afternoon their parents would take them to the park to unwind. Their neighbourhood was riddled by crime and gangs. Not a place for a small child to venture out alone. So, their mothers decided to make it a standing date to take them out to the play park which was located in a safer, posh neighbourhood. The carrot topped Harry was a wild one, even at that age. For Bonita Olivares, Harry was a breath of fresh air. Raised by a single parent who worked two jobs, Gabriella fought off the advances of a determined, but crooked cop and took her daughter to church every Sunday; Bonita was a quiet, lonely child. Harry's mom didn't fare any better. Gaynor Nolan alsoworked two jobs, struggling to keep a deadbeat, abusive marriage alive on top of countless AA meetings to beat a drug and alcohol addiction.

In spite of it all the two girls were happy. Their young lives were never short on love and attention. Soon their coincidental meetings as the sandpit graduated to play dates - a posh word that both their mothers liked and an arrangement they kept faithfully. And so a beautiful friendship started for both them and their mothers.

They grew so close in fact that their parents sent them to the same school where they worked really hard to secure scholarships for college. It was at college that the both made surprising discoveries about themselves. They both liked the fairer sex. With that realization began a long period of debauchery - Harry in the lead of course. Bo still wondered how they managed to get through college in the end. But they did. Their personal lives took a slight dip after graduation. They decided to start a small law firm to accommodate those who came from the same neighbourhoods they themselves did. After a while they had to consider expansion. It was surprising how the rich like thesound of crunching bones as they walk all over the poor. They opened small branches in two more states, recruiting young graduates seeking justice for all. Professionally they were doing well and still under the age of thirty, they took to the dating scene with a vengeance. But it didn't last long.

Harry got caught in a one night stand with a cute Dominican-born waitress and that one night stand continued for four years until it ended seven years ago in commitment ceremony on a strip of beach in Miami. Bo grinned as she looked at Harry. No one was more surprised than her friend when the petite, but fiery brunette with amber eyes, grabbed hold of her heart and refused to let go. And judging from the way Harry was staring at Martina as she swayed to the sexy beat of the song, the petite beauty still captivated her friend.

Her fall wasn't far off.

It was largely due to Harry and Martina that she met Ludmilla. As the godmother of Harry's rambunctious fouryear old twin daughters, babysitting duties made out the bulk of her responsibilities. It was on one of those nights that she had to babysit and simultaneously work on a closing argument, that she met the shy,Ukrainian immigrant. The twins were watching cartoons, stretched out on the carpet in a boardroom gorging on pizza and ice cream while she sat nearby typing away on her laptop. The boardroom door suddenly swung open and all she could see was the back of a tall blonde woman pulling a cleaning trolley into the room. As soon as the sound of the TV registered the woman swung around, pale blue eyes wide as she met hers. Time stood still as they stared at each other. The woman apologised profusely, obvious recognizing her from the company's organogram which hung everywhere. Bo still remembered just staring at the blushing beauty as the woman stammered through her apology in a sexy accent with a drop-dead gorgeous voice.

The twins were immediately taken with the blonde and followed her throughout the floor as she completed her work. A few times she had gone in search of the unruly critters only to find them peppering the woman with questions while riding on her cleaning cart. The blonde showed greatpatienceand it was evident that she adored children. Bo lost her heart in the copy room that night when she went in search for the third time and found Ludmilla gently kissing Grace and Amber's cheeks as a reward for having been such as great help.

A lot of after-hour work ensued after that first meeting. She instructed the PR department to create an organogram for the whole company a month later, giving them strict instructions to send the copies of the pictures to her. Shamelessly she printed out Ludmilla's picture, framed it and kept it on her desk in her study at home. Four years later, the picture is still there, but this time the real thing was living in her house with her.

Another touch to her arm jarred her rudely to the present and this time she scowled at the woman sitting next to her. Harry turned and looked at the intoxicated woman and shook her head. She nodded in the direction of the door and the woman was gently escorted away under the pretence of a dance.

"Shall we call it a night?"

Bo eagerly nodded. She wanted to go home. Going out on their regular date night had become more and more difficult for her lately.

"Can't wait to get home, huh?" Harry's green eyes twinkled. "I wonder what could be the cause."

Bo managed a quick smile before she drained her glass. This was a record for her. Usually she would stay for only one drink before she would excuse herself and head home. Two drinks weredefinitely an improvement.

"Ludmillahad a class tonight and I wasn't sure if leaving her alone with the kids was such a good idea," Bo said.

Harry grinned. "That's what grannies as there for, Bo. My momopted to babysit tonight and you know what that means." The green eyes darkened as they moved to her beautiful wife who was coming towards them. "I'm gonna have me some of that for the rest of the night."

"TMI, weirdo." Bo chuckled. She waited until Martina reached them before she pulled the brunette in her arms. "I'm heading out now and leaving you with this salivating wolf. Can you forgive me?"

Martina's deep dimples showed as she turned to look at her wife. "Lambs aren't as defenceless as people like to think, chica. I have wolves for dinner, a midnight snack, and even for breakfast."

Bo playfully slapped her arm. "You're just as bad as she is." She walked over to kiss Harry on the cheek. "As long as you remember that you still have neighbours, ok."

*****

Bo placed her keys on the table in the hallway as she walked deeper into the quiet house. She peered into the lounge and found it empty. Making her way up the stairs towards the bedrooms, she inhaled the sweet scent of home. The smell of the mac and cheese they had for dinner before she left, still hung in the air. She turned the corner and looked right into the dimly-lit room. Stepping on her toes, she entered. Her heart expanded at the sight before her. Eighteen month old Caleb had his thumb in his mouth as he slept, curled around Fluff Meister, his favourite teddy. She reached out and ran her finger down his cheek, a slow smile formed on his lips before he vigorously began to suckon his thumb. She brushed over his blond head.

"I love you, little guy. Sweet dreams."

She turned to the adjacent bed and grinned. She gently pulled the cover over her daughter's body. Miryam had her colouring and the deep dark intense eyes. She brushed her hand over the soft cheek. This little girl was Ludmilla's birthday gift to her three years ago. Gabriella had burst out in tears when they told her the news and had cradled her tall daughter-in-law in her arms. At last she had her 'bitterly wished for child.' Bo was an only child and when she went off to college, Gabriella had cried, berating herself for never trying to have another child - even if it meant that she would've had to work harder to feedanother mouth. So when Ludmilla went ahead, using the donor they had chosen almost a year before, Gabriella had been beside herself with happiness. Miryam became more Gabriella's child than theirs. The curly haired baby accompanied her grandmother everywhere and the proud parents were happy to indulge Gabriella.

Then came Caleb - their love child. He was conceived on the carpeted floor of the boardroomas part of the third commemoration of their first meeting four and a half years ago.

Bo kissed Miryam's brow and quietly left the room. She unbuttoned her black silk shirt as she neared the main bedroom. For the second time that night her heart stuttered as she looked at the vision before her. A long graceful finger beckoned her closer. Ludmilla was dressed in a faded stretched out t-shirt, her long blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders. The pale eyes were glowing as they studied her.

Time stood still again as she stared at her wife.

"You're mine for rest of the night."

Bo felt the hair rise on her arms at the sound of the heavily accented words. She tore at her shirt as she made her way over to the bed. When, finally, she got her shirt off she gently lowered her body onto Ludmilla's as their mouths met in a searing kiss.

"How many?" Ludmilla whispered.

"Two."

"I'm proud of you, darling."

Bo hoisted herself up on powerful arms and looked down into Ludmilla's eyes. No matter how many times she tried to get out of her monthly date with Harry, it was Ludmilla who encouraged her to go. Having lost all her family and friends when a guest at her sister's wedding in the Ukraine blew himself up. Ludmillawho had been waiting outside the hotel for the arrival of more guests, escaped the carnage, but was left completely alone and devastated afterwards. Thus, the blonde always reminded her of the importance of family and friends.

"I'll try even harder next month."

Ludmilla's lips pulled in a tender smile. "As long as you remember to call me afterwards to come and get you. I want you back in arms in one piece."

Bo could only nod, overwhelmed by her love for this woman. "I promise."

A long arm slipped around her neck. "Now we need to hurry to get the first one out of the way before Caleb decides to interrupt us. I've been craving you for the past four hours."

"Shush, honey. Don't jinx…" She didn't get to finish the sentence.

"Mommy?"

Bo was almost roughly pushed asideas Ludmilla sat up.

"Yes, sweetie?"

Bo peeked at her son from behind his mother's back. Sleepy blue eyes lit on her and a wondrous smile came over her son's face. He rushed over to her side of the bed. "Mama!"

All thoughts of ravishing his mother flew her mind as Bo reached down and pulled her son into her arms. She got a sloppy kiss in return, before the blond head came to rest on her chest. What a great welcoming! Caleb pushed his tiny thumb into his mouth and closed his eyes, dozing off.

She turned to look at Ludmilla. The pale eyes were tender as they studied her. "He was asking for you the whole evening."

Bo brushed a soft kiss on the small blond head. "How did your class go?"

Ludmilla was an expert in numerous martial art disciplines.To ensure she could be close to the things she loved the most, Bo had built her a dojo behind the house to accommodate her students and still be close to her children.

The rest of the night was spent sharing about their day.

END