Nikki stepped into the open doorway and asked, "Are you sure you only want to take a couple of days? That doesn't seem like very long."
"I just need a few minutes to place flowers on the graves, and say hello. The rest of the time is for us. I thought maybe we could do a little sight seeing."
She walked over and stood beside the bed. "What do you think about looking for your family while we're there?" She saw the surprise flash across Alex's features, quickly followed by anger. She held up her hands, stopping her from speaking as she said, "It's just a suggestion. If you remember, you're the one that told me not to waste any time. You could lose them and never get another chance. Please just think about it." she placed a quick kiss on her cheek before backing away. "I'm going to get in the shower."
Alex watched her walk away, and thought about what she said. As angry as she still was with her mother's family, she realized she just might be right. With that thought fresh in her mind, she wondered why she was still holding back. She knew Nikki loved her for who she was now, not who she used to be, or for what she could provide. 'So why am I still hiding?' she thought. She placed the tablet on the bedside table, and began to make the bed.
As she worked, she thought about all of the reasons she had for hiding in the first place. She realized that Nikki and Dani had proven to her early on that they cared about her, not material things, and that she should have been honest with them a long time ago. With the decision to reveal her secrets made, she began to think about how she was going to tell them. The thought of explaining, and her fear of their reaction, caused her anxiety to rise. "It doesn't have to be done today," she told herself as she shook off her fear and headed for the bathroom.
"Something's bothering you today, Alex. What is it?" Rachel asked. She watched as Alex struggled with the decision of whether or not she should tell her. "Why don't you tell me about it? Maybe I can help."
Alex ran her hand through her hair. "The anniversary of the day my life changed forever is less than two weeks away. I invited Nikki to go visit their graves with me."
"So what's bothering you?"
"She wants me to search for my mother's family."
Rachel sat back in her chair. "Why does that trouble you?"
She stood and began to pace through the small room. From the door, she walked five paces to the opposite corner, turned and walked back. "They turned their backs on me when I needed them most. Why would I want to know them?" She continued to pace while Rachel sat quietly and waited. "She threw my own words back at me, telling me I shouldn't wait any longer because I could lose them at any time." She stopped and sighed. "I don’t know what to do, Ray."
"What does your heart tell you?"
Alex sighed. "That I should listen to Nikki, and consider trying to find them. I just don't know."
"You won't know until you find them and talk with them, Alex. Until then, you don't really know why things happened the way they did." Rachel gestured towards Alex's empty chair. "Why don't you sit down so we can talk about this?"
She sank into her chair, and spent the rest of her session discussing her family. Once her session was over, she and Nikki headed outside with her camera, and lunch, to hike beside the lake.
Alex opened the door to see Kelly standing on the front porch beside a strikingly beautiful woman with hair the color of spun gold. She greeted them with a smile and welcomed Kelly and Natalie into her home. As she closed the door behind them, Nikki walked up and joined them in the entry. Kelly looked at her with a smile and raised eyebrows. "You cut your hair."
Alex chuckled as she stepped up beside her. "Actually, Kelly, please allow me to introduce you to Nikki." She saw the brief look of confusion cross Kelly's features and her smile widened. "Nikki is Dani's sister. Dani and Rachel should be here shortly."
Kelly shook Nikki's hand as she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Sorry about the confusion, it's just that you look so much like your sister."
Nikki chuckled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, and the confusion is understandable."
Just as Kelly was about to introduce her wife, there was a knock on the door behind them. Before Alex could react, the door opened, and Dani and Rachel walked in. Kelly looked between Dani and Nikki then turned to Alex with a shake of her head. "You could have told me they were twins."
"I could have, but that would have taken all of the fun out of it," she replied with a smile. The remaining introductions were quickly made, and they headed into the kitchen. Kelly watched Alex and Nikki interact throughout dinner, and realized they were more than friends. She drew Nikki into conversation in an effort to get to know her better, wondering about the woman that made her old friend smile, and her eyes shine with love.
Kelly found a moment alone with Alex as they were cleaning up after dinner and said, "You seem very happy." She smiled when Alex looked at her in surprise. "Is she good to you?" Alex silently nodded her head as she waited for Kelly to ask the rest of the questions she could tell were on the tip of her tongue. "Does she treat you better than Jo did?"
Alex reached over and placed her hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "There is no comparison, Kelly.
