Fic - DWP - Like Family Pt 11
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Andy felt Miranda sliding out of bed, one bleary eye opened and she turned her head to look at the clock. Ugh…too early. It was just after eight in the morning and Andy knew that was actually fairly late, for them. Even the girls would be up soon. But it’s my birthday, and we’re on vacation! Shifting to her back she resolutely closed her eye, willing herself to drift off again. Miranda’s quick return wasn’t unexpected, but the light pressure between her breasts was unusual. Blinking her eyes open, she found Miranda’s smiling face, and then nearly touching her chin to her chest, Andy saw a small box sitting there.
“Happy Birthday, Andrea.” Miranda’s blue eyes twinkled as she opened the box, presenting it to the still sleepy young woman.
“Miranda?” Andy blinked several times, not quite believing what she saw. “Is that a…”
“Ring?” Miranda finished the question and answered it. “Yes, it is.”
“Um… what does it…?” Andy shook her head, not daring to hope. “What does it mean?”
“It means a lot of things, to me.” Miranda watched Andrea’s face closely. “It means, it’s your birthday,” She plucked the glittering jewelry from its box. “It means… I love you. It means I never want to be without you.” She raised Andrea’s left hand and gently slid the ring on the young woman’s finger. “It means…” She took a deep breath to steady herself. “I would be greatly honored if you would agree to marry me.”
“Miranda…” Andy was breathless, mesmerized by the sparkling ring; one large diamond flanked by two smaller but no less sparkling ones. “You know, the entire time Nate and I were together, I never once thought about marrying him, not even for a second.” She shifted her eyes from the glittering jewelry to Miranda’s glittering eyes. “And almost the entire time I’ve been with you… it’s nearly all I dream about.” Andy smiled a full bright smile. “I love you Miranda Priestly, and I never want to be without you.”
Miranda tilted her head and grinned. “Is that a yes?”
Andy laughed. “That is a definite, oh my friggin’ god…Yes!”
Andy pulled Miranda down on top of her and kissed her, then kissed her again… then began to nuzzle the woman’s neck, nipping gently at the smooth skin there, unwilling to mar perfection. It was glorious, this feeling of being loved, loved enough that Miranda actually wanted to make their relationship… She didn’t know what the correct word was. … Official? She had just hooked her finger under the straps on Miranda’s gown when they heard the small knock at the door.
They froze, Andy holding Miranda on top of her as Caroline’s voice preceded her by seconds into the room “Cass is hogging the bathroom, can I use….” She blinked at the position the adults were in. “…yours?”
Andy never took her twinkling eyes off Miranda’s. “Sure Munchkin, go ahead.” She was totally glad that Miranda was lying on top of her, since she was still naked from last night’s fun, and Miranda had put her gown back on, probably when she got up to get the ring.
“Uh… okay.” Caroline made a bee-line to the bathroom, closing the door quickly.
Miranda, heard the water begin to run and let her head fall to Andrea’s chest. “Tell me why didn’t we lock the door again?”
Andy laughed. “Because we have the house to ourselves and the doors downstairs were locked.” They rarely locked the bedroom door when they were home so the trend continued here.
“Right.” Miranda sighed. “Ah well, she’ll get over it.”
“Get used to it, you mean.” Andy’s eyes held merriment. “Maybe that’ll teach her not to come in so quickly.” She winked at her fiancé and whispered. “It could have been worse.”
It could have been worse. Miranda considered that and groaned playfully. “Oh, the therapy bills!”
Andy laughed and kissed the woman above her lightly. “Let me up, I’m going to go for a quick run.”
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Andy’s feet hit the pavement in a comfortable rhythm, leaving her a lot of time to concentrate on other things. I’m going to marry Miranda! That thought made her smile and a laugh bubbled up through her. The irony wasn’t lost on her, Miranda had, she thought, hated her from the beginning. The fact remained; I’m going to marry Miranda!
Just thinking it made her feel energized; she knew at this very moment she could run forever. The only problem with that was Miranda wasn’t here with her.
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Caroline listened at the door for a long moment before she emerged from the bathroom. Her mother was still in the bed, still in her nightgown, but Andy was nowhere to be seen. “Um… where’s Andy?”
Miranda gestured for the girl to come closer and patted the mattress next to her. When the child climbed onto the bed, Miranda wrapped her arm around the small shoulders. “I have asked Andrea to marry me.” She felt Caroline go very still.
“What did she say?” Caroline swallowed hard. Mom asked Andy to marry her and Andy is gone now?
“She said…” Miranda inhaled deeply. “…Yes.”
Caroline gasped, wiggled free from her mother’s grasp, and ran from the room.
Miranda watched her go and wondered if she should go after the girl, but before she could move both the girls ran back into the room. They jumped onto the bed and surrounded their Mom. Cassidy breathed her question.
“Is it true?” Her eyes searched their mother’s face. “Are you and Andy getting married?”
Miranda nodded. “Yes, it’s true.”
Cassidy’s smile was brilliant. “Excellent!” She threw her arms around her Mom. “That is so great!” The girl looked around. “Where is she?”
Miranda smiled. “She went for a run.”
Caroline let a little tiny smile slip onto her face then she controlled it. “What are we supposed to call her?”
Miranda was silent for a long moment; she didn’t really know the answer to that.
Andy walked into the room and stopped short. The sight of Miranda and the girls there made her heart do a double beat. “Hey there.”
Miranda unconsciously licked her lips. “The girls have a question.”
“Oh?” Andy ruffled her bangs, wincing at the sweat there. “What’s that?”
“What are we supposed to call you?” Caroline asked and Cassidy nodded, also wanting to know.
Blinking, Andy used the time it took for her to move across the room and settle on the end of the bed to think about that. “Well…” she began slowly. “There is a name I’m fairly fond of.” Grinning at the trio, she shrugged. “How about calling me…Andy?” She grimaced as she caught a whiff of herself. “Whew… I totally need a shower, like…now.” She laughed, “It won’t take me long.”
Miranda nodded and watched as Andrea entered the bathroom, she then urged the girls up. “Why don’t you two go finish getting ready?”
Andy called back through the door, “I told Mary we’d be down for breakfast in about half an hour.” She started the water running and turned to get a towel, surprised to find her arms full of Miranda. “Whoa… Miranda… don’t.” Andy pushed her away slightly. “I’m all sweaty and gross.”
Leaning close, Miranda inhaled deeply. “Oh no… You always smell wonderful.”
Rolling her eyes at that. “You might think so, but I doubt my Mom would agree.” She kissed Miranda quickly and moved toward the shower. “Just let me rinse off okay?”
Miranda followed her. “Let me help.”
Andy laughed. “Miranda, name one time that you ‘helping’ me shower has been faster than me showering alone.” She waited for about ten seconds for an answer. “Exactly.” She winked. “Won’t take me long.”
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Even though Andy hurried, Miranda was already washed and dressed when she exited their bathroom. “Miranda?”
“Mmmm…” The white haired woman sat on the end of their bed. “I used the girl’s bathroom.”
“Bbb…but…” Andy blinked at the older woman. “You… uh... you’re wearing…”
Miranda looked smug. “Jeans.” Blue eyes twinkled. “Your mother said casual, did she not?”
“Yes… she um… yeah, casual.” Andy blinked. “But… Uh…” Andy gestured to the shirt Miranda was wearing.
“I believe it’s called a pullover sweater.”
“Buh…” Andy was amazed. “But, it’s…”
The right side of Miranda’s lips twitched. “Yes, it is.” She rose from the bed and patted the young woman’s cheek before giving Andy a quick kiss. “Hurry now, breakfast is ready.”
Andy watched Miranda walk gracefully out of the room. Her eyes lingered on the doorway for a long moment before she ran her fingers through her clean damp hair and breathed an awed, “Wow.” She walked back into the bathroom, catching the reflection of the ring on her finger in the mirror. A huge smile broke across her face.
I’m gonna marry her.
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“Ready to go?” She inspected the girls; both were wearing jeans and form fitting t-shirts. “Good.” Miranda smiled and glanced at Andrea. “Ready for gift number two?”
“Uh…”
Miranda rolled her eyes and went to the closet. Pulling out two jackets, she handed them to the girls, then another for herself and last, one for Andrea. “The days are warm enough now not to need a jacket, but it’s still cool at night and they are Gucci, so they will last for years and will always be in style.”
Andy felt the supple leather and laughed. “Of course they will be. If you wear it, it’s in style.” She again marveled at the sweater Miranda wore. “Are you looking to bring Cerulean Blue back into style?”
Eyes twinkling, Miranda shook her head. “Not necessarily, but this sweater is comfortable, and casual enough for a ‘cookout’, yes?”
“Oh yes.” Andy smiled. “And you look great in it, but then you look great in everything.” That comment pulled a scoffing sort of snort from Miranda and she turned to the girls. “Ready?” They both nodded and as they put on the matching jackets Andy smiled. “We look like some kind of gang.”
Miranda thought about that. “The Priestly Gang… Hmm…” She laughed and took on her fake thug accent. “Sounds like we’re about to knock over a bank.”
“Well I don’t think we’re going to do that any time soon.” Andy chuckled. “The Priestly Family?”
“Ewww…” Caroline wrinkled her nose. “That makes us sound like we’re gonna go sing in a church.”
“Interesting. I don’t believe we’ll be doing that anytime soon.” Guiding them to the car, Miranda ran her hand over the soft leather on her fiancé’s arm. “You understand Andrea, this is just a taste of things to come.”
Andy sighed. “I don’t need anything else. Just having you near is present enough for me.”
Miranda nodded. “Nevertheless, you will have more.”
“Miranda.” Andy began, but Miranda stopped her with an upraised hand.
“Humor an old woman.” She winked at her fiancé’s expression. “I want to give you things Andrea… please, just don’t fight it. You know how stubborn I am.”
Relenting, Andy sighed. “Fine.” She chuckled. “But you have to know, turnabout is fair play.” She helped Miranda and the girls into the car. “Just wait until it’s your birthday.” She let that threat hanging, letting the silence in the car lull her, for a moment, and then she began to get very nervous.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Andy was concerned that all her relatives might be a little much for the normally private woman. “I could go first again, like yesterday.”
“No.” Miranda nodded. “I think it’s important to meet them, at least once.”
“If they give you any grief at all, we can leave.” Andy eyed all three of them. “I mean it, if any of you feel uncomfortable, or weird… or anything… just let me know and we can leave. Promise me you’ll tell me if anyone is mean to you, okay?”
The girls looked at each other for half a second before turning and answering the young woman, in stereo. “Yes, Andy.”
Miranda nodded. “Yes, Andrea.”
The car stopped and Andy grabbed a backpack and slung it over her shoulder as she hopped out of the car, automatically turning to help the girls and Miranda exit.
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Andy saw her parents and her Grandma walk out onto the porch to meet them. She mumbled to Miranda. “Here we go.” As they got closer, Andy smiled up at the people. “Hi Gram.”
Miranda watched as Andy wrapped her arms around the woman, taller and thinner than Andy. She knew the woman’s age and was surprised that her hair was only just a salt and pepper color instead of the entire gray or white she was expecting.
Releasing the older woman, Andy turned to her parents and gave them each a quick hug before returning to Miranda’s side. “Gram Sachs, this is Miranda, Caroline, and Cassidy.” She smiled at her grandma. “Miranda, girls, this is my grandma.”
Miranda held out her hand to shake. “Um… Mrs. Sachs?”
Rolling her eyes, the older woman laughed. “I doubt anyone even knows my name around here, I’m always just Gram.” She shook the hand politely. “Pava, is my name.”
The tall older woman narrowed her eyes at the girls. “Hmmm…You two have the aura of trouble around you…” She winked at Andy then kept interrogating the girls. “You aren’t going to cause any trouble, are you?”
Their eyes widened, and Miranda bristled just a bit so Andy let them in on the joke by waving off the woman’s comments and rolling her eyes with a smile. “She used to say that about me all the time.”
“And was I wrong?”
Andy grinned mischievously. “Not usually.”
Gram Sachs laughed. “That’s my girl.” She turned her gaze to Miranda. “And you must be ‘that woman’ I’ve heard so much about this morning.”
Miranda glanced at Dorothy and kept her face neutral as she spoke to Pava. “I would imagine so.”
“We have tables and chairs set up in the backyard…” Richard interrupted and gestured for them to walk through the house. “… I’m sure we’ll all be more comfortable back there.”
Andy took off her jacket and handed it and the backpack to Cassidy. “Can you take my pack and jacket up to my old bedroom for me? Just toss them on the bed. Are they too heavy?”
“No.. s’okay. I can get them, Andy.” Cassidy struggled a bit, the leather coat was actually fairly heavy.
Andy grinned. “You guys can put yours there too.” Cassidy nodded and waited for her mother to give Caroline the jacket she wore as well.
“Thank you, Caroline.” Miranda smiled at the girl before the youngsters struggled up the stairs.
“C’mon.” Gram linked her arms with Miranda. “It’s time now to be treated like invalids.”
“Mom…we don’t do that!” Dorothy admonished.
“Certainly not.” Richard agreed. He certainly wasn’t going to treat…her… with anything other than politeness required for a guest in his home.
“Uh huh… whatever you say….” Pava leaned down to whisper to Miranda. “Watch, you’ll see.”
Miranda grinned in spite of herself and commented softly as they walked. “You have the aura of trouble around you.” Blue eyes twinkled with a bit of mischief of their own. “You aren’t going to cause trouble, are you?”
Pava laughed loudly enough to get Dorothy’s attention for a moment. When her daughter-in-law looked away, Pava grinned and winked at Miranda.
On to Part 12
http://akasarahsmom.livejournal.com/9891.html