"I told you before that I don't think of him as my father. I don't even call him Dad."

"Really?"

"No, I always call him Bill."

"And he's okay with that?"

"I don't know. I never asked, and I don't really care."

Surprised by Laura's response, Toni took a second to study her partner's face. Seeing that Laura's jaw was now clenched, Toni decided to tread lightly. "Okay...um...how about what he looks like then?"

"Oh...right. Well, he's a bit taller than my mum and slim. He's got sandy brown hair, like what you'd expect from someone who spent most of their life on the water, and, of course, he's permanently tanned. He's got..."

After waiting for a few seconds for Laura to finish her sentence, when she didn't Toni asked, "What's wrong?"

"I just realized I have no idea what color his eyes are."

"Well, it doesn't sound like you've spent a lot of time with him."

"No, hardly any. Just at family gatherings...birthdays and the like."

"Does he still work on the boats?"

"Um...no. Mum told me that he took a desk job a few years ago at one of the fisheries. He was apparently having some back problems and he couldn't handle working on the water any longer."

"Okay," Toni said, following it with a sip of wine. "And this aunt of yours, Nancy, she's your dad's sister, isn't she?"

"Yep, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her."

"Why?"

"Like I said, Bill is slender and about your height, whereas Nancy is taller and...and quite a bit heavier."

"A bit?"

Rolling her eyes, Laura said, "Okay, more than a bit."

Toni sat up, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Come on, out with it."

"She's just, well, a little over-the-top when it comes to clothes and things."

"Things?"

Trying to suppress a laugh, Laura said, "Right, so she's a bit large, and she has these really, really big breasts, and she tends to wear clothes that are quite flowery and bright."

"How flowery?"

"She could give Laura Ashley a run for her money."

"Oh my."

"And she's got red hair. Dyed, I'm sure, and she's quite, I don't know...bouncy."

"Well, with large breasts..."

Playfully slapping Toni's leg, Laura said, "That's not what I mean. She's like a bee that can't decide which flower to settle on. Whenever we visit, she's always flouncing around the house, doing this and that, all the while spouting praises about her daughters. Don't get me wrong, I love my cousins, but the woman never stops going on about them."

"Didn't you say she has three?"

"Yes. Alice, Dorothy and Peggy."

"Tell me about them."

"Well, let's see...Alice is thirty-six, and married to a man named Ron, who's her second husband. She has an eight-year-old daughter, Emma, from her first marriage and a one-year-old girl named Cara with Ron. She works in a restaurant, and Ron works in construction."

"She look like her mum?" Toni asked with a leer.

"No, actually she looks more like her dad. He was rather thin and tall, sort of like John."

"Was?"

"Larry died about ten years ago. Heart attack on a golf course."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Yeah." Laura took a sip of wine and said, "Where was I?"

"You were saying that Alice looks more like her father."

"Yes, and her daughter, Emma, is the spitting image of her, right down to the freckles."

"Okay," Toni said, pausing to take a sip of wine. "Who's next?"

With her second eye-roll of the evening, Laura said, "That would be Dorothy."

"Let me guess, she's a bit like her mum?"

"The same, yet different."

"Do tell," Toni said, leaning forward in interest.

Smiling, Laura said, "Dorothy is built just like her mum, just not as heavy."

"Huge knockers, eh?"

"Will you behave!"

"I'm not the one who keeps bringing up breasts. You know, for a once upon a time straight woman, you sure pay attention to-"

"It's not that I pay attention. It's that...it's that they're pretty bloody hard to miss!"

Dissolving into a fit of laughter at the expression on Laura's face, it took Toni a couple of minutes before she was able to pull herself together. Wiping the tears from her face, she said, "I love it when you get flustered."

"And I love it when you laugh like that," Laura said, gazing back at the woman. "So, should I carry on?"

After allowing one last giggle to escape, Toni said, "Please do."

"Okay, so like I was saying, Dorothy is built like her mum and has the same taste in clothes, but she buys them in a much smaller size," Laura said, playfully glaring at Toni when she began to titter again. "She has red hair, too, but hers doesn't come out of a bottle, and she likes to wear lots of makeup, lots of jewelry, and lots of perfume."

"It sounds like she has lots of money."

"No, that's where her husband comes in. He's a..." The word died in her throat, and closing her eyes, Laura said, "Shit!"

"He's a shit?"

Laura shook her head. "No, he's a doctor."

"Oh, I see," Toni said softly. "Well, let's not worry about that, shall we? I mean, it's not like he's going to show up wearing a white coat with a stethoscope draped around his neck. Now is he?"

"I doubt it."

"Good, then let's move on."

"Okay, well, Dorothy seems to enjoy the fact that Bernard's a doctor-"

"His name's Bernard?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"The doctor at Thornbridge...his last name was Bernard."

"Well, this one's last name is Montgomery-Smythe."

Realizing her mistake, a flush crept across Toni's face. "Oh, right. Well, um...that's quite a mouthful, isn't it? Sorry...please go on."

After taking a sip of wine, Laura said, "They're actually very nice, but money has a way of changing some people, and ever since Bernard became the head of a private hospital in Stirling a couple of years ago, they've both become a bit...well, a bit showy."

"How so?"

"Fancy cars, fancy clothes and lots of holidays to places far, far away."

"Sounds like they're living the life."

"Oh, yeah, but like I said, they're good people, just a little overblown at times."

"They have kids, too?"

"As a matter of fact, Dorothy just had her second, Neville, this past July, which is actually kind of surprising because after Myles, I doubt I would have ever tried again."

"Why's that? Is something wrong with him?"

Laura's eyes creased at the corners. "Nothing that a good swift swat on the arse couldn't cure."

"A bit of a brat, I'm guessing?"

"Yes, but it's not really his fault. Everything seemed to happen for Dorothy and Bernard at the same time. Bernard was offered a job in Stirling, so they moved back to Scotland shortly before Myles was born, and not long after that, Bernard's career took off like a house on fire. So, while they were attending hospital functions, rubbing elbows with those who could help further Bernard's career, Myles stayed at home with his nannies. The problem was, whenever his parents did come home, they'd lavish him with gifts, and he apparently got used to it. Mum told me that Myles wasn't too happy to learn he'd soon have to share, so I can just imagine what he's like now."

"Well, we won't have long before we find out," Toni said, taking a sip of wine. "Okay, so far we've got a father you don't know, a cousin with freckles, a construction worker, a doctor, an aunt and a cousin who are both well-endowed, and a brat. Who's next?"

"That would be Peggy," Laura said with a smile. "She's my age and married to Stephen, who's a firefighter in Falkirk. They have two boys. Paul, who's five, and Gavin, who's three, and their third is due in February."

"Wow."

"Yes, well, Peggy always said she wanted a big family and so did Stephen, so I guess they're going to get their wish."

"And how about you? Do you want a big family?"

"I hadn't really thought about it."

"Liar."

"A bit too soon to talk about that, don't ya think?"

"It's just talk, and I think I'd best know what I'm getting myself into. Don't you?"

"Well, since you put it that way, yes, I'd like to have a few kids."

"How many, exactly, is a few?"

"I don't know, three or...or maybe four."

"Four!" Toni blurted. Quickly regrouping, she said, "Well, I guess I should consider myself lucky that you weren't going for an even half-dozen."

Biting her lip, Laura stared back at Toni.

"You've got to be kidding," Toni said, her eyes opening wide. "Six!"

"What can I say, I've always wanted a big family," Laura said quietly.

The room fell silent, and for a few moments, they simply stared at one another until Laura whispered, "Are we going to have kids, Toni?"

Toni tilted her head to the side as if to ponder the question, even though she already knew the answer. "Yeah, I think we are, but I can't promise-"

"I'm not asking for promises, Toni. Like you said, this is just talk. No worries."

Toni didn't think it was possible to love Laura any more, but it seemed as each day passed her love for Laura grew. She had become Toni's anchor. Weighted with honesty and caring, her words soothed and Toni knew there wouldn't be worries, not as long as Laura was by her side. Curling her finger at the woman, Toni said, "Come here."

Smiling, Laura slowly crawled across the sofa, and snuggling against the woman she loved, she pressed her mouth to Toni's. The kiss was slow and sensual, and with no need to rush, seconds turned into minutes as their lips touched again and again...and again. A short time later, their blood heated and their breathing ragged, hand in hand they climbed the stairs together.