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one.
“Oh Greta, you’re about to loooove me,” Maybelle sang as she pulled a card from her hand.
Greta smirked. “Lay it on ‘em, sweets.”
Thunder boomed outside right as Maybelle played the jack of spades, winning the trick and the entire round.
“YES!” Greta grinned across the table at Maybelle, who kicked up her feet and wiggled them under the table. Esti and Jess groaned.
“Fuckers,” Jess murmured, throwing her ten of spades on the pile.
“Mierda,” Esti swore.
“Language, little one,” Greta said happily, laying down her own measly king. Esti glared at her, although with her sweet disposition it was rather hard to take her too seriously.
“I knew it was a good thing we canceled practice today,” said Maybelle, looking outside. “We didn’t get caught in the rain AND I got to whip your tushes at euchre.”
“No te preocupes,” Jess assured Esti as she gathered the cards. “We’ll get ‘em next round.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” a voice said from behind them, “May’s a little card shark over there.”
Greta whipped her head around to see Carson walking towards them, a sleepy Kit cuddled into her shoulder. Her dark curls were wild and clearly tickling Carson’s face.
Greta smiled at the two of them. Sleepy Kit was arguably her favorite Kit -- when she was awake, it was non stop crawling and attempting to walk and getting into anything she could get her hands on. But sleepy Kit? Sleepy Kit was a cuddle bug.
“Someone wasn’t quite ready to wake up?” she asked Carson.
Carson shook her head, nuzzling Kit’s head with her cheek as she approached the table. “Nu-uh.”
Kit’s eyes brightened slightly as she realized Greta was now in front of her. She popped her head up and reached a little hand out to Greta. Carson grinned.
“You wanna go see Greta?” she asked Kit. Kit nodded.
Greta melted.
“Come here, cutie,” she said, reaching her hands out. The second Carson placed Kit into Greta’s arms she let her head fall into Greta’s chest. Greta supported the baby with one arm and began running her other hand gently up and down Kit’s back. “Did you sleep good?”
“No,” Kit grumbled as she nuzzled further into Greta. Everyone in the room burst out laughing. Kit only had two words so far -- Mama and no.
“That girl loves her Greta,” Maybelle sighed, propping her hand on her chin. Greta couldn’t help the soft smile that flashed across her face. It was one thing for her to feel, to know that Kit loved her. She saw it everyday in moments like these. But it was rare for other people to pick up on it. For them to know that Kit was even partially hers.
‘That she does,” agreed Carson, matching Greta’s smile with a small, knowing one of her own. “Hey Kitty, can you say Greta?”
Kit looked up at her mom, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
“What’s my name, Kit? Is my name Greta?” asked Greta. Kit pulled her head off Greta’s shoulder and looked from Carson to Greta.
“Ge-ta,” she said slowly.
Greta froze. Her eyes widened as her gaze darted around the room. “Did everyone else just hear that or am I going crazy over here?”
Carson’s eyes were shining as shook her head. “No, she definitely said your name.”
“She said Greta!” Esti agreed. Maybelle nodded, her smile taking up half her face.
“Oh my god,” said Greta with a little laugh. She kissed the top of Kit’s head before pulling the baby into a standing position on her lap. “Can you say it again? Can you say Greta?”
Kit smiled shyly
“Ge-ta,” she repeated. She reached out and clumsily patted Greta’s face.
“Oh…” Greta lifted Kit up and kissed her cheek. Every time she thought she couldn’t love this little girl more, she does something to make her heart grow ten times bigger. “Yes, babygirl. I’m your Greta.”
--
two.
“Alright, chickadee. Let’s get you in bed,” said Greta, slowly pushing herself off the floor.
“But Greta, I’m not ready!” Kit protested. “I want to keep building my tower.”
Greta smiled, looking down at the rather impressive tower she and Kit had been perfecting for the past twenty minutes. “I know. But Mommy will be quite upset with me if you’re still awake when she gets home from work.”
Carson had just been promoted to manager at her bookstore and had to stay late for training. Greta and her normally did bedtime together, but tonight Greta was on solo duty. Not that she minded. She loved any extra one-on-one time she got with Kit.
Kit considered this. “Can we read a book before bed?”
“Sure, kiddo,” Greta said with a wink. “But only one.”
“Fine,” Kit said with a huff. Greta smiled to herself. Kit had Carson’s love of books, but somehow managed to get Greta’s attitude.
The two raced through Kit’s bedtime routine and before long Kit was nestled in bed, her hair in her favorite braids -- “So tomorrow I have curls like yours, Greta!”
“Alright, what book are we reading tonight?” Greta asked, looking at Kit’s impressive bookshelf.
“The alphabet book!” Kit announced.
“How did I know that was what you were gonna choose?” Greta pulled the familiar book off the shelf and sat on the bed next to Kit.
Kit immediately snuggled into Greta’s side as she began to read. Kit was so close to reading they all could taste it. She loved looking at letters and asking both Greta and Carson what different signs said on their walks around the city.
“You know what letter’s next?” Greta asked as she turned the page.
“G!” Kit said proudly. She pointed at the big red G in the book.
“Mmhm,” Greta nodded. She looked down at the little girl. “You know who’s name starts with G?”
Kit cocked her head. “Uh…”
“I’ll give you a clue.” Greta tapped her own nose. Kit’s eyes lit up.
“Greta! It’s your name!”
Greta smiled and booped Kit on the nose. “Yep. And my last name starts with G, too. Gill. G.G.”
“Oooh, that’s neat,” Kit said, giving Greta a toothy grin. “G.G.”
“Mmhm,” said Greta softly. “You know, that’s what Aunt Joey’s little brothers used to call me.”
She smiled at the memory; her and Jo teaching the boys how to hold a baseball bat and challenging them to race around the bases. “But Gigi, that’s not fair! You and Joey have longer legs!” “Figure it out, slugger!”
“That’s a fun nickname,” giggled Kit. She yawned as she wrapped her arm around Greta’s middle. “Can I call you Gigi? Like how Mommy is ‘Mommy’ even though her real name’s Carson?”
Greta’s eyebrows shot up, her heart leaping into her throat. It was kind of perfect -- she didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of Gigi before. Before Kit was born, Greta and Carson had briefly talked about giving Greta some sort of nickname, but nothing they came up with felt right. Greta had been nervous anyway, not wanting anything to jeopardize their situation. But Gigi made perfect sense, both literally and figuratively. And, most importantly, it was a name for her and Kit alone.
She ran a hand over Kit’s head. “Yeah, honey. I’d love that.”
--
three.
When Greta opened her eyes, it was still pitch black in Carson’s room. She groaned. Why was she awake already? She was about to roll over, to curl into Carson’s side when she heard a small voice float down the hall.
“Mom? Geeg?”
Greta quickly sat up, jostling Carson in the process.
“Whattisit?” Carson mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “You have a nightmare?”
“Kit’s calling for us. I got it.” Greta leaned down and pecked Carson’s forehead.
Carson’s eyes popped open. “You sure?”
“Uh-huh. Try to go back to sleep, darling,” Greta whispered. “I’ll get you if I need you.”
Carson nodded, her eyes fluttering shut again. “Thank you, babe.”
Greta smiled as she got up and padded down the hallway. She slowly opened the door to Kit’s room. Kit was laying on her side, her blankets pulled all the way up to her chin despite how warm the room was.
“Gigi, I don’t feel good,” she groaned. Her voice was thick.
“Aw, honey.” Greta crossed the room and sat at the edge of Kit’s bed. Before she could even reach out to feel Kit’s forehead, Greta instantly knew she had a fever. Kit’s whole body was burning through her quilt. “What hurts?”
“My throat and my head. And I’m freezing.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry, Kitty,” said Greta, running a hand gently over Kit’s cheek and through her hair. “Want me to stay with you for a bit?”
At ten years old, Kit was becoming more and more independent by the day. She rarely wanted help with homework or reading and she hardly ever initiated hugs. So Greta knew Kit really didn’t feel good when the next words out of her mouth were, “Can I sleep with you?”
Selfishly, she loved that Kit still needed her.
Greta had always found it a bit strange when Maybelle called her 16-year-old her ‘baby’. Loretta was taller than May and, according to Jo, was already planning on marrying her boyfriend as soon as she graduated high school. But as Kit looked up at her with those gorgeous, slightly watery eyes, all Greta could see was the baby that nurse had placed into her arms all those years ago. And Greta now knew more than ever that Kit would always be her baby, too.
“I have a better idea,” Greta said softly. “Why don’t we have a sleepover with Mom? All three of us. Does that sound good?”
Kit nodded against her pillow. “You’ll keep me warm?”
Greta smiled and nodded back. She reached down and plucked Kit’s fluffy robe off the floor. “Always.”
Kit slowly sat up and Greta instantly wrapped the robe around Kit’s shoulders. She helped her daughter out of bed and wrapped her arms around her as the two of them shuffled back to Carson’s room.
Of course, Carson was sitting up in bed. Her face was etched with concern. “What’s up, hon?”
“I found a sick little peach,” Greta told her as Kit wordlessly made for the bed. “We decided a sleepover was the best course of action.”
Carson smiled at Greta gratefully. Kit climbed under the covers, robe and all, and nestled into Carson’s side.
“I’m sorry you don’t feel good,” said Carson, feeling Kit’s forehead with the back of her hand. “Oh god, you’re burning. You sure you want that robe?”
Kit nodded, sleep already starting to take over. “So cold. You and Geeg keep me warm.”
Greta followed Kit into bed, effectively sandwiching the girl between herself and Carson. She wrapped her arm around Kit and found Carson’s waist, squeezing gently. Carson did the same, and Greta gave her a sad smile from over Kit’s head. It was going to be a long night. She knew neither her or Carson were going to get much sleep with their human radiator of a daughter between them. Greta was already sweating.
But as Carson smiled back, Greta knew neither of them would have it any other way.
--
four.
Greta was just pulling dinner out of the oven when Carson and Kit walked in the door.
“Hey there, pretty ladies,” she said, pulling the oven mitts off her hands. “How was the parent-teacher conference?”
“Wonderful,” Kit said proudly, toeing off her favorite saddle shoes. “Your favorite Shaw is getting As in English, home economics, and history.”
“Oh, you think you’re her favorite Shaw, huh?” Carson teased as she hung up her coat. “She was my friend first, you know.”
“She is, though. Sorry Carson, you lost that title fourteen years ago and you know it,” Greta said, winking at Kit. Kit grinned.
Carson dramatically rolled her eyes. “You two are gonna be the death of me.”
“You loooove us,” Kit said, giving Carson a mischievous grin. “Can I go call Nora before dinner? I told her I’d go over notes together before our quiz tomorrow.”
“You’ll have to ask Chef Geeg over here.” Carson nodded over at Greta.
Greta checked her watch. “Yeah, I still have to make the pasta. Can you be ready in twenty minutes?”
Kit nodded, giving Greta a playful salute before sauntering off to the living room.
Carson watched Kit go and, as soon as she was out of earshot, turned to Greta.
“You have to see this,” she murmured, and went to grab something out of her purse.
Greta furrowed her eyebrows, concern creeping into her veins. What exactly did that mean? Had Kit done something wrong? Had she accidentally outed them in some way at school? Her mind was racing through the possibilities as Carson pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Greta.
“Kit had an assignment where she had to write an introduction paragraph about one of her heroes,” she said softly, her eyes gentle. “Read it.”
Greta bit her nail as she looked down and started to read Kit’s messy handwriting.
Greta Gill is not only a famous baseball player, but she is also my mom’s best friend, and is probably mine, too. Since I was a little kid, she has always been there for me and my mom. She is kind to everyone, and always makes sure her friends are happy. She works really hard at everything she does. Greta and my mom were both on the Rockford Peaches, one of the first professional baseball teams for women and they always say it’s because they both worked really, really hard to be the best they could be. Greta is my hero because she cares for the people she loves, works hard and because she taught me how to be my very best self.
Greta looked up at Carson with tears in her eyes.
“I…” But no words came out of Greta’s mouth. She knew Kit loved her, of course. Kit still told both her and Carson she loved them every night before bed. But to read this , to hear Kit call Greta her hero and say all these wonderfully kind things about her…
“I know,” Carson said gently. She took a step forward and quickly wiped the tears from Greta’s cheeks. “Her teacher told me to thank my friend Greta for being such a good role model to Kit. So thank you,” she added with a light smirk.
Greta could still hear Kit jabbering away on the phone, so she used the opportunity to pull Carson closer and kiss her, to let that kiss say everything words simply couldn’t. She wrapped her arms around Carson’s neck and smiled down at her.
“We have a really great kid, don’t we?” she said finally.
Carson’s smile widened. “That we do.”
--
five.
“So…can I ask you guys some questions then?” Kit asked, once the initial shock of finding out about Carson and Greta’s relationship had worn off.
Greta gave her a look. “Depends on the question…”
Carson hit her on the shoulder.
“Greta Gill, I see right through you. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“What?” Greta asked impishly.
“Oh god,” Kit’s eyes widened in disgust. “God, no! I don’t need to know about that .”
“I need a beer,” Carson said, getting up off the couch.
“Can you get me one?” Kit asked hopefully. Carson smiled and gave her a swift nod before disappearing into the kitchen.
Greta grinned. This was going to be fun.
“Okay, then. Ask away, Kittle Kattle.”
“Right,” said Kit, fiddling with her hands in her lap. “Well, how long have you known that you are -- that you like -- ?”
“That I like women?” Greta finished helpfully. Kit nodded. “Since I was thirteen. A very nice boy tried to kiss me and it made me want to crawl out of my skin. All I could think about was the pretty girl I sat next to in math class.”
Kit nodded again, slowly taking in the information. Carson reappeared and handed each of them a beer. Kit took a quick swig before turning to Carson.
“How about you? Did you know you liked women when you were married to my dad?” she asked cautiously. They never really talked about Charlie.
Carson thought for a moment. “I loved your dad a lot. But, and I didn’t realize this until much later, I don’t think I was ever in love with him. I didn’t know why, though. Until I met Greta.”
“Aww,” said Kit, giving them both a smile. “That’s actually kinda cute.”
“Kinda!” Greta huffed. “You’d have no reason to know this, Kit, but your mom and I are actually very, very cute.”
“It’s true,” Carson agreed, giving Greta a small smile. “We tend to drive your aunts a bit insane.”
“Wait!” Kit gasped. “Aunt Maybelle and Auntie Joey. Are they gay, too?”
Greta looked over at Carson, who shrugged.
“Yeah, honey,” she said with an almost apologetic grin. “They are. Well, Maybelle swings both ways, but still. They’ve been together almost as long as Mom and I.”
“And Lupe? And Jess?” Kit asked, her eyes growing wider with each name.
“Also gay,” Carson nodded.
“Are they together?”
“Honestly, none of us know for sure,” Greta said, taking a sip of her beer. “They refuse to tell us anything, but considering they still live together…”
“Jesus Christ…” Kit flopped against the couch. “Are any of your friends not gay?”
“Shirley,” both women said at the same time.
Kit gave them a slight, almost shy smile. “That makes a lot of sense.”
Greta laughed, pulling Kit into another hug. She felt lighter than she had in years, now that she didn’t have to hide this part of herself from her. “Oh, Kit. You’re the best, you know that?”
“So I’ve been told,” Kit joked lamely. She pulled back slightly, but didn’t remove her arms from Greta’s waist. “One more question…”
“Ask away.”
Kit paused, looking away and collecting her thoughts before bringing her eyes back to Greta.
“I know I probably can’t do this in public, or around anyone else really, but -- even if it’s just in my head, or in the apartment, can I call you Mom, too? Or something similar if calling both of you Mom is too confusing,” she added quickly, looking over to Carson. “If that’s okay with you, of course. You’re both my moms after all, right?”
Once again, Greta was speechless. She looked up at Carson, not wanting to step on any toes. Carson had been ‘Mom’ for Kit’s entire life. That was hers first. But Carson just grinned and nodded.
“We’re both your moms.”
Greta let out a huge breath. She couldn’t believe she was actually about to say these words, these same words she’d never even dared to dream about.
“I would be honored to be called your mom, Kit.”
Because it was an honor.
It had been, and would always be, the honor of Greta’s life to be the mother of Katherine Gillian Shaw.