𝟐𝟕

♕

𝑎𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑟𝑎'𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑣

The inside of the carriage was straight out of a fairytale dream, one much similar to what I'd dreamed of as a kid.

Everything was white. A few fake flowers such as light pink roses and blue hydrangeas decorated the walls of the moving ball of white metals. Unlike a car, the windows were open and inviting to all outside air. There were light curtains present to allow some privacy, but the wind blew the small pieces of cotton gently. The breeze outside wasn't much. Spring was approaching and so the sun shone down on us with a petite smile.

Iris had handed me a glass of champagne the moment I entered the carriage.

She was wearing a pastel green dress with golden jewelry. Her manicured hands were wrapped around the glass that held the bubbling liquid that we'd been drinking, the few rings on her fingers made it all the more aesthetically pleasing to admire. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, not too tight, but not too loose. I few stands fell from it but not in a messy way. Only perfection. The couple strands of hair framed her soft features with grace; her pouty lips were glossed over on top of a pink lip liner, her doe-like eyes crinkled as she smiled at me, and her dimples were deeper than ever.

"I love you, amore." I muttered in absolute admiration.

Iris giggled, bringing her hand to rest on my cheek with a certain warmness following right after, "I love you, cara."

"That's my thing." I pouted, earning another giggle from my lover.

She ignored my mini tantrum and turned away from me, turning back around with an assortment of chocolates. Not just any chocolates though. They were Ferrero Rocher, wrapped delicately with a cream ribbon. The chocolate sat on top of a bouquet of many flowers; pink lilies, white roses, baby's breath, etc.

It was beautiful.

"Baby." I whimpered, softly taking the bouquet out of her hands as she offered them to me.

"Happy Birthday." she whispered with a grin.

My eyes fluttered close as she delivered a kiss to my cheek. I sat the bouquet in my lap and grabbed her with a newfound sense of desire, connecting our lips into a delicate, yet passionate kiss.

She moaned into my mouth when I pressed our bodies closer. I wanted nothing more than to show my appreciation for her gesture in that moment. Unfortunately, the relaxing ride had come to a stop. The horses huffed and that brought us to laughs.

We pulled away with hesitance, not wanting to let go of the moment just yet.

"I adore you. My heart beats for your gentle love." I muttered, remaining to keep eye contact with her swirling coffee eyes.

She smiled, "I adore you, my poetic and smart woman."

I rolled my eyes with a chuckle, grabbing her hand to lead us out of the carriage.

"Shall we?"

"We shall." Iris grinned.

We exited the carriage with nothing but smiles on our faces. We walked around to the front and met with the magical horses and coachman before we departed. As I ran my hands through the mane of the animals, I couldn't help but think of how much Ariella would enjoy this. At the thought of my daughter I turned towards my lover.

"Ariella. . . where is she?" I questioned.

The brunette woman only pulled her hands away from the white horse that she'd been attending to and reconnected our hands once more.

"Close your eyes for me." she mumbled, sending me an encouraging nod when I raised my eyebrows at the demand.

I obeyed— no mind the fact that I had no idea where we were or what I was closing my eyes for. I'd gotten too distracted with the horses to look at my surroundings.

I secured the bouquet in one of my arms while Iris gripped onto my other hand, leading me to heaven knows where.

After many "this way's" and "watch your step, my love's", we had came to a stop.

"Don't open them yet." Iris instructed, releasing her hand from mine.

I nodded with a hum, hugging the bouquet closer to my chest with both arms to replace the warmth of my girlfriend's hand.

"I'm going to count to three and then you open them, okay?"

I nodded once more. The anticipation of what was happening around me was exciting but also terrifying.

"One."

I stood up taller.

"Two."

A gust of wind blew past me, adding movement to my hair and dress.

"Three."

I opened my eyes.

A soft gasp left my lips as I admired the scene. We were in some kind of garden, flowers of all kinds and bushes on full display. Pink and gold balloons were scattered across the grassy land. There was a table; a table cloth that was white and silky, a few ruffles here and there to add dimension, tall, slender candles ran through the middle of the long table which illuminated a warm aura, plates sat awaiting food, and soft pillows as chairs.

The chairs. They were occupied by people. My people.

My family.

There was a total of eight seats and six of them were occupied.

Ariella, Daniel, Ava, Phoebe, Madison, and Ms. Heather. All of them dressed up in light, airy colors and sitting patiently in their seats as they awaited my arrival.

All of the people who weren't them.

And none of them looked disappointed or angered. It was nothing but positivity. All real.

Iris must've saw my eyes water because she quickly grabbed a hold of me and frowned, "Did I do something wrong? Are the colors not your favorite? You're not allergic to grass all of a sudden, are you? Please tell me—"

"I love it." I choked out.

Her frown turned into a reassuring smile, "You are so loved, Ro. We are all here out of support and love."

I could only bring her into a tight hug. Grateful wasn't even the correct word to describe my feelings. Iris had made my birthday so special; the carriage, the bouquet, the horses, family. It was all utterly perfect.

Eventually, I had calmed down. Everyone had gotten up to hug me and congratulate me on the milestone. The party was in full swing now. Madison and Ariella ran away from Phoebe who chased them as if she was some kind of imaginary monster. Ava was with Daniel, the two feeding one another pasta while conversing with Ms. Heather and I. Iris had excused herself away for a moment, leaving me cold without her cuddled into my side.

As if she sensed my loneliness, Iris appeared back at the table with gifts.

Everyone sat nearby as they watched me open their gifts. Daniel and Ava had gotten me a new pair of Louboutin's and tickets to Tokyo. Ms. Heather had given me a box full of her infamous baked good, which I knew that Ariella would get her hands on before I could. Phoebe had gifted me a Cartier watch. All that there was left to open was Ariella and Iris' gift.

My princess handed me two wrapped packages before kissing both of my cheeks. One for her and one for Iris. She smiled and skipped over to sit in Iris' lap, waiting for me to open their conjoined gifts.

I opened the bigger one first as any kid would on Christmas morning. I was gentle and careful, seeing as the gift was quite heavy. Once I had unraveled it and placed the wrapping paper in the nearby trash, I turned the supposed picture frame around in my hands.

It was Nonna.

I hadn't seen the picture in a while. It was a lost delicate. It was taken on Daniel's digital camera that he had gotten one Christmas as a teen. I hadn't seen it in years, so I suspected that he had replaced it. I was wrong.

The picture was of Nonna and I. We were both wearing ridiculous sweaters that Ariella had made for us yet we wore them with pride. Nonna and I's faces were smushed together due to the close proximity that our hug put us in. Her hugs were always that way; tight and welcoming. If the smile on my face didn't say how loved I felt, I don't know what would've.

I looked up to make eye contact with Danny and Iris.

Danny shot me a small smile.

"I have many more, sorellina. I found the camera a few days ago and uploaded everything to my computer. They're ready when you are." he said, moving closer to pull me into a hug.

I wanted to cry but there wasn't any reason to. I miss the older woman like crazy. I'd want nothing more to have her by my side. The picture was a way of her being present. Her face and smile mixed with the appreciation that radiated off of everyone around warmed my heart a great deal.

She was here.

I whispered a quiet "thank you" to the two, kissing the top of Iris' head to mimic Danny and I's hug.

The smaller present was next but before I could open it Iris wrapped her hand around my wrist with a gentle touch, "Not here." she mumbled.

Iris and Ariella shared a look, the both of them grinning widely. Ariella moved off of Iris' lap and found her way over to Madison and Phoebe.

Iris stood and signaled for me to follow.

Everyone seemed to be aware of the brunette's plan because they all only sent winks and smiles as they began to engage with each other once more.

Iris intertwined our hands, the small gift now in her free hand as she lead us through the other side of the garden. Where we ended up was beautiful. The sky had become a mixture of yellows and pinks and the breeze that was present earlier was no more, leaving the air still and peaceful.

We were standing in a field full of sunflowers. The yellow plants tickled my ankle as we walked deeper into the crowd of them. The setting sun shone on Iris and I's faces, portraying a dream-like ambience.

Iris smiled at me, her smile forever causing butterflies to twirl around inside of my stomach.

"When I met you I did not think that we would be this close. I was meant to only be a babysitter— not anything more. I thought that my crush on you was nothing more than that, a crush, and that it would falter sooner or later." the brunette giggled as I smiled at her.

Iris exhaled and began to unwrap the present, mumbling a 'sorry' for opening it.

"I had to keep you curious somehow." she grinned, teasingly peeling the wrapping in small pieces.

"Cara, my heart is going to burst out of my chest if you keep this up." I joked.

"Would it still beat for me?" she whispered, her eyes raising up to connect with my own.

"Always." I promised.

No matter how scientifically wrong that statement was it didn't matter. It just showed how impossible our love was— how untamable it is.

Iris blew a kiss my way, "I don't see a problem then."

My lover had kept me distracted with her actions that I hadn't even realized that she had gotten the paper off of the present. Neither had I noticed the way she unboxed it and slid the jewelry behind her back.

"You are everything to me." Iris smiled, the gap between us was closed as the brunette pushed up against me.

Her hypnotizing eyes were focused on my eyes. . . and then my lips.

"As are you, darling." I responded within a whisper, raising my hand to rest it on her neck.

Iris took a deep breath before speaking, "I want to last forever with you. I want to be there for your every milestone and for every failure. I need to be the one that you seek after a long day of work or just because you miss my presence. I need to be the one in the kitchen every afternoon with Ariella as we bake a new batch of cookies for us all to enjoy. I need to be with you until my very last breath."

My breath hitched.

Iris' true feelings being poured out so rawly made my entire being fill with serotonin.

"This isn't a proposal." Iris giggled at my facial expression, "It's a promise. A promise that I will marry you one day. Not now. But soon."

She grabbed my hand that rested on her skin and slid a diamond ring on my finger. It was silver and adorned in a singular crystal. It was so simple but I enjoyed that about it. I enjoyed everything about our current situation.

I truly couldn't find words. I couldn't keep repeating the typical 'I adore you'. What I felt was something so much deeper.

Without another thought, I pulled Iris into a kiss. Her body dipped with my urgency but she secured herself by wrapping her arms tightly around my shoulders. We kissed with passion. Our tongues danced just as the sunflowers below had. We were two forbidden creatures who refused to let go of the other, basking in our misunderstood romance.

The kiss lasted for a while. All of our emotions were translated and understood with such a magnificent action.

I almost didn't want to let go.

The sun had disappeared by the time we detached our lips, the orange hue dipping below the horizon as the sky began to settle.

"We're forever." I stated, pecking her lips once more.

And we smiled in each others faces like idiots before making our way back to everyone.

As I enjoyed the rest of my birthday with my loved ones, I couldn't keep my eyes away from the sky. There was a star brighter than the others tonight. Much brighter. Maybe I was high off of recent events. Either way I couldn't keep my eyes off of the shining diamond in the sky that matched the one on my finger.

It was Nonna. . . or at least that's what I believed.

She had witnessed the affection that surrounded me and was making it known that she was proud.

I blinked away the tears in my eyes and kissed the top of Iris' head, resuming our conversation about how we all thought Madison had a baby crush on Ariella.

It was cute and wholesome.

Everything about tonight was wholesome, and I wouldn't have wanted to end my night any other way.

♕

-E

Writing this book felt like such a journey. I took breaks. There were chapters that I felt disappointed in and wanted nothing more than to trash the whole book. But above everything, it was such a learning experience. I received beautiful comments from all of you that made me want to continue writing and I enjoyed bringing all of my characters to life because of your motivation. I thank you all for being here for the entire ride!! You are all magnificent <3

This is the end of The Babysitter, but Iris and Aurora will always be present.

Til next read ;)