Prologue
Melanie
Melanie Wright had no idea why she was nervous. It wasn’t like she was waiting for a date to arrive. On the contrary, she was waiting for her new friend Emily Beauchamp to meet her for drinks at Olive or Twist. The two quickly became friends after Melanie was Emily’s nurse a few weeks ago. They’d kept in touch and Melanie had promised the first round of drinks would be on her whenever Emily felt up to it.
Thankfully, Emily hadn’t waited long to text her that she was ready to get out of the house. Not that Melanie could blame her. Being postpartum was hard enough, but being a surrogate had to be even harder for Emily. Melanie was glad she could give her a little fun after her crazy surrogacy journey.
Melanie had been a labor and delivery nurse for over half her life. She loved the excitement and unpredictability that came with the job. There were few things in life Melanie loved more than being there for women and their partners at their most vulnerable moments. She was made to be a nurse, that much Melanie knew.
Stirring the straw around in her ice water, Melanie looked toward the door of the speakeasy. Well,speakeasywas probably the wrong word. It was a bar that was also a makeshift library. Books lined the walls, and patrons were free to check them out at their leisure. Melanie loved the low-key vibe of the place, and although she didn’t frequent the establishment, she vowed to change that each time she walked through the archway of the bar.
Her phone lit up on the table, and Melanie reached for it, assuming it was a message from Emily. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised to see it was from her wife, Cameron.
The smile on her face grew wider as she read Cameron’s message.
Hey, babe. I’m running late as usual, but I promise I’m coming! Order me a drink and I’ll see you soon!
Will do, babe. I know what you like. ;)
Melanie felt like a giddy teenager as she texted Cameron back. Despite her fifty-third birthday looming, Melanie loved that Cameron still made her feel so high school.
Placing her phone back on the table, Melanie took a sip from her water glass as she glimpsed Emily by the door. She was dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt—she looked more comfortable than Melanie felt in her scrubs—with a gorgeous brunette trailing behind her in yoga pants and an oversized sweater. Sophia Beauchamp smiled and waved at Melanie as their eyes met across the room. She tapped Emily’s shoulder, pointing in Melanie’s direction. Emily’s eyes lit up as Melanie waved at them.
“Hey, friend,” Melanie stood and hugged Emily tightly, “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too, Mel.” Emily sat in the booth across from Melanie as Sophia slid in beside her. “Where’s Cameron?”
“Running late, as usual,” Melanie chuckled. “I don’t honestly know the last time she was on time for anything.”
Emily waved her off with a laugh. “Hey, be nice to your woman.”
“Oh, I’m sure she is, love,” Sophia added with a wink to Melanie. “I can’t wait to meet Cameron.”
“You mean you haven’t already met her?” Melanie furrowed her brow in confusion. “This is Moonflower Cove. Every queer person knows every other queer person.”
“I didn’t knowyouuntil you had your hand up my vagina.” Emily’s comment made Melanie snort a laugh while Sophia rolled her eyes. “So, we clearly just run in different circles.”
“Way to subtly call meold,” Melanie joked, sticking her tongue out at Emily.
“You’re not old,” Emily and Sophia responded in unison.
Emily’s eyes sparkled, making Melanie believe she wasn’t done joking with her just yet. “And besides, Iloveolder women.”
Melanie blushed as she picked up her glass of water for another sip. While she wasn’t attracted to Emily, Melanie had always struggled to take any compliment. Even ones that might just be a joke.
“But seriously,” Melanie leaned onto the table slightly, “Iknowyou know Cameron. Cameron West. Vera’s friend.”
“Wait,” Emily gasped, “Dylan’s mom?”
“Yes.” It was Melanie’s turn to laugh. “She’s my wife.”
“You’re married?” Emily slammed her hands on the table dramatically. “Melanie Wright, you’ve been holding out on me.”
“No, I wasn’t,” she nervously laughed. “I promise. I just don’t make it a habit to talk about my personal life with my patients. But I had assumed you knew her since you worked with Dylan before maternity leave.”
“I did, but honestly, the kids at work just hang out with each other and don’t let us old people in on their conversations, so I never put two and two together.”
“Emily’s never been good at math,” Sophia chimed in with a smirk.
