"I forgot about your sweet tooth," Eleanor said, opening a tin. "I'd best hide the chocolates, I'm thinking."

"Just don't hide them in the bedroom, unless you've forgotten what I'm like on a sugar high," Bill quipped, totally forgetting he was in mixed company.

Having returned to her work, when the room grew silent, Toni looked up and promptly bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. The faces of the three members of the MacLeod family now glowed with a brilliant shade of strawberry.

Alone on the patio, Toni pulled her coat tightly around her as she took a drag of her cigarette and gazed up at the evening sky. The sun's brilliance had long since been lost over the horizon, but a thousand stars and a phosphorescent moon illuminated the blackness of the night. With the temperatures dropping throughout the day, she wasn't surprised when she saw snowflakes begin to fall. Drifting to earth in a silent ballet, they floated and twirled their way to her, and she smiled as she watched them melt on her skin. It was quiet and peaceful, and with only the occasional rustle of dried leaves in the gardens to keep her company, when the back door suddenly opened, Toni nearly jumped off the bench.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Laura said, closing the door behind her. "I thought you might want something to drink."

Handing Toni a mug, Laura sat next to her, snuggling close against the chill of the night. "Mum said it was a perfect night for hot chocolate, and seeing the snow I'd have to agree."

"Me, too," Toni said, taking a hesitant sip of the steaming cocoa. Wrapping her arm around Laura's waist, she pulled her closer.

Giggling, Laura asked, "Are you trying to stay warm or looking for a good time?"

"A bit of both, I think."

Each got quiet as they watched the snow continue to fall, until after a few minutes, Toni said, "I'd like to have a garden like this someday."

"We can, if you'd like."

"Yeah?"

"Sure, but we probably need to find a place to live before we start talking about landscaping."

"Oh, Christ, I forgot about that."

"Well I haven't, and when we get back home, we need to start looking, don't you think?"

"I suppose."

"What's that about?" Laura asked, pointing to the frown on Toni's face.

"I know you're going to want me to go with you, but I'm not sure I'll be able to manage walking into strange houses."

"You're second guessing me again."

"Sorry, I just don't want you to do all the legwork."

"I won't. Sweetheart, once I tell the estate agent what we're looking for, she'll do most of the work. Plus, they all use the Internet now, so once we see something online we like, then I'll call and arrange a time for us to see it together. Okay?"

Smiling, Toni placed a quick kiss on Laura's cheek. "So, where do you want to live?"

"Wherever you feel the most comfortable."

"I like it here."

"That would be one hell of a commute."

"No, I mean, I like being away from the city. I like being able to sit outside and hear birds sing instead of traffic noise."

"Okay, we'll try to find a place away from all the hustle and bustle. How's that?"

"That works."

"Big house or small?"

"That depends on whether you were serious about having that horde of children you were talking about."

Pausing for a moment to think, Laura said, "I think large would be a good idea."

"I'd like to get an older one though. Something...something we can fix up together. Something that has some character."

"Okay, but I'll be honest with you. I've never really been into home repair."

"Neither have I, but it will give me something to do when you're waddling around with a swollen belly...for years and years and years."

Even though Toni's words were playful, the message she was sending was clear. Laura's eyes turned glassy as she gazed back at the woman, and then with a sigh, she leaned in for a kiss. The night was cold, but Toni's lips were warm and welcoming, and feeling no need to rush, a dozen light kisses were given until the tip of Laura's tongue touched Toni's lips. A pleasure-filled moan rose from Toni's throat as their kiss deepened, and when they finally came up for air, their breath steamed and swirled around their heads before fading into the darkness.

"I love you," Laura whispered softly.

"I love you back."

"You're amazing."

"Kiss that good, was it?"

Grinning, Laura said, "Yes, it was, but that's not what I'm talking about."

"No?"

"You surprised me today."

"How so?"

"When the ladies from the church stopped by. You weren't nervous at all, were you?"

"No, actually I wasn't."

"Can I ask why?"

"I think it's like Abby said," Toni answered, lighting a cigarette. "Make things familiar and they're not as scary. I know where the doors are in this house and where things are kept. I know that our room is right up the stairs and the patio is out the back door, and I know that your mum and dad are good people. It's not every day a parent learns their child is gay. And even though they both said it was okay, saying it and showing it are two different things, but they've done just that. They aren't put off when I touch your hand or kiss your cheek. It truly is okay, and because of it, because of how they've reacted, or better yet, how they haven't reacted, they've given me a reason to trust them and to know they'll protect me."

"Well, if they won't, I will."

"I know you will."

Gazing at the woman whose black hair was now dusted with white, Laura reached up and brushed away a few snowflakes. "Toni?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me again."

"My pleasure," Toni said, quickly tossing her cigarette in the snow.

"What are you doing standing in the dark?" Eleanor asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Come here," Bill whispered.

Raising her eyebrow, Eleanor went over and stood in front of Bill, and following his line of sight, she looked out on to the patio. Seeing their daughter locked in an embrace with Toni, she said quietly, "I believe this is called voyeurism."

"I think it's called watching young love. Honestly, Ellie, have you ever seen two people more in love than those two?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Yes, I think I have," Eleanor said, giving him a quick glance.

"I said young love," Bill quipped, resting his chin on her shoulder.

With a snort, Eleanor nodded. "Point taken."

"You know what I find amazing?" he said softly, watching as his daughter brushed snow from Toni's hair.

"What's that?"

"You had such an issue with Laura wanting to dye her hair or pierce her lip when she was sixteen, yet when she comes home and tells you she's in love with a woman it's simply not a problem. Don't you find that odd?"

"Not really."

"No?"

Leaning against his chest, Eleanor smiled when she saw the two women on the patio, once again locked in a heated embrace. "Those things would have taken away our daughter's beauty. Toni adds to it. Laura stands taller when she's around Toni. Have you noticed? She positively beams when the woman walks into a room or makes a joke. It's like...it's like they complete each other. What I find amazing is that when Toni gets scared, Laura can calm her with just one touch, and when Laura gets fired up, like the other night when we were making fun of her decorations, Toni can calm her down with just one whisper."

"You have any idea of how proud I am of you?"

"Me? What did I do?"

"You turned that little girl of ours into one hell of a woman, one hell of a human being for that matter. You made her strong and smart, and caring and beautiful. Christ, Ellie...she's perfect."

"I'd like to think you had something to do with that."

"Hardly! I wasn't around. Remember? The only thing she got from me is a few gifts she doesn't even know I gave her."

"You're wrong," Eleanor said, turning in his arms. "She has your smile, and the green in her eyes comes from you. She has your intelligence and your sense of humor, and God help us all, William, she has your temper, too. She's the best of both of us. Yes, I raised a child alone, but every time I looked at Laura, I saw you, and with that much love in my heart, how could I possibly go wrong?"

Chapter Forty-Six.

"What's wrong?" Laura asked, seeing the puzzled look on her mother's face.

"That was Nancy on the phone. It seems that she's decided to have afternoon tea Thursday, and we're invited."

"That's kind of odd, don't you think?"

"What's odd about an afternoon tea?" Toni asked, glancing up from her book.

"It's not the tea so much as the time of the year," Laura said. "She normally holds them only in the spring or summer, and they're always formal. Fancy clothes, cucumber sandwiches, white gloves...she goes all-out."

"I didn't bring any white gloves," Toni said through a grin.

"Neither did I."

"Well, it appears that we don't have to worry about that," Eleanor said, returning to her spot on the couch. "Apparently, she feels horrid about the remarks she made when we had lunch the other day, and she'd like to make it up to us."

"But we'll see her on Saturday," Laura said.

"Yes, I know, but she thought it might be better if the family got to meet Toni without all the commotion that goes on over there on Christmas day. She's already called the girls, and they have the time, and she made it clear that it wasn't going to be anything formal. Just a small family gathering over some tea and scones."

"Long way to go for scones, if you ask me," Bill grumbled, tossing a magazine aside. "Well, I hope you ladies enjoy yourselves."

"You're invited, too."

"Doesn't mean I have to go, now does it?" he said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"You will if you know what's good for you," Eleanor said, giving his knee a squeeze.

Their eyes met, and before Eleanor had a chance to blink, Bill's face became etched with cheerful surrender. "Yes, dear...as you wish."

"What do you think?" Laura asked, turning to Toni. "She lives about an hour and half away, and we'll see her at Christmas, so if you want to skip it, that's fine with me."

Thinking for a moment, Toni leaned back into the sofa. "No, if it's all right with everyone else, I'd like to go. It might help take the edge off."

"The edge?" Bill asked.

Laura opened her mouth to speak, but Toni quieted her by touching her on the arm. "I'm at my worst when I'm somewhere I've never been, and even though Laura hasn't said anything, I know she's a bit worried about Christmas."

"Toni-"

"Darling, it's okay. You and I both know that it's one thing to put me in a house that's unfamiliar, but add to that the fact I'm going to be amongst virtual strangers, we could be asking for trouble, and we both know it. I, for one, don't want what happened in the pub to happen again at Christmas. If we go up a few days early, I can meet your cousins and get the lay of the land, so to speak. I think it would definitely help."