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A small hand tapping her shoulder woke Emily up. “Mama, wake up,” Henry whispered, shaking her arm as his first attempt to wake her up didn’t work.
“Good morning Henry.” She smiled as her son jumped on the bed, getting in her arms, and leaving kisses all over her face. “Hi, sweet boy.” Emily moved the blanket. So Henry was under it too, but he kicked his feet quickly, making it fall to the ground.
“Happy birthday, Mama!” His voice filled with excitement. He wanted to take her to the living room and show her the surprise he and his mommy had prepared.
“Well, thank you, Henry.” She said and kissed his head. He smiled and took her hand, pulling her out of bed.
“Come on, Mama.”
“Where are you taking me, little man.” Emily kneeled. So she was at the same height as her kid. Henry giggled and put his finger on his chin, wondering what he should say for a few seconds.
“It’s a surprise.” Emily nodded, and a soft ‘oh’ left her mouth, causing her to laugh again. “Come on! I wanna show you.”
“Then let’s go.” She got up and took the little boy’s hand, who started pulling her outside the room. “Slow down, Henry. I can’t keep up with you when you go so fast.” He laughed but stopped walking once they got to the stairs, raising his arms so his mama would pick him up. “Come here, sweetie. Are you going to tell me where we are going now?” She asked the boy once he had gotten comfortable in her arms.
“To the living room.” He whispered in her ear as he hugged her tighter.
“Okay, to the living room it is!” She went to the room her son had told her to go to. She stopped abruptly and gasped looking at the boy when the closed door made her. “It’s closed! What are we going to do now, Henry?”
“Open it, Mama!” He said and laughed. Emily could feel the enthusiasm radiating from her son’s body.
She opened the door and saw her girlfriend standing in front of her. The living room was decorated with way too many balloons (that she was sure Henry had somehow convinced JJ to use) and a sign with ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ written with her son’s messy handwriting and JJ’s drawings around it.
“Happy birthday!” Both of them said. Henry’s voice was loud, just next to Emily’s ear, but she didn’t care.
“Thank you, guys.” She kissed Henry’s forehead and let him on the floor. JJ got closer to her, leaving a soft kiss on her lips.
“We maked you a birthday breakfast.” Henry was already seated on his chair. “I helped Mommy a lot.”
“Yes, he did.” JJ agreed, bringing Emily closer and walking toward their son. “Do you want to give Mama her presents now or later, honey?” She asked him softly, pretending that Emily couldn’t hear her.
“Now!” He yelled enthusiastically and practically jumped from the chair. He ran as fast as his legs would let him. He grabbed the picture he had made and ran back to his mama.
“He’s been very excited to give you the present he made you.” After saying that, JJ also went to get her present on the small table that was in front of the couch. Next to a bouquet that wasn’t there the night before. “Will already send you his.” She said, pointing at the flowers with her head.
It had become a tradition. Will would send them both flowers on their birthdays and Mother’s Day to show them his appreciation for them. Will and JJ broke up shortly after Henry was born. But they never stopped being a family. They still loved each other. And both of them were grateful to have the other in their lives. When JJ came out, Will was the one who told her to go to Emily. He knew, probably before she did, Emily would make JJ happier than he ever could. And he was glad that JJ could be herself and that she was happy. After a while, Henry started calling Emily ‘mama,’ and their family became bigger. The next Mother’s Day, Will sent flowers to his son's mothers. To remind both of them that he loved them and their family. And he hasn’t missed a special day without sending them flowers.
“They’re beautiful.” Emily said. “I’ll call him and thank him later.” Henry left his present on the table and opened his arms, and Emily picked him up and settled him in her legs. “Is that for me?” She asked. Her smile had never been wider.
“For you, Mama,” he gave her the picture he had drawn the day before and repeated, “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you, my sweet boy.”
“It’s me, you, and Mommy. See?” He said, pointing at the drawing as he spoke. Emily nodded, watching carefully every inch of the drawing. “Do you like it?” The best puppy eyes Emily had ever seen were looking at her (her answer would have been the same even if they hadn’t, she loved everything that little boy did.).
“I love it.” She kissed his head and looked at the picture again, and for a moment, she wondered how she got so damn lucky. “I think it is one of your best works, Henry.” The words made the boy smile so big that his face almost hurt. “And I think it’s my favorite birthday present ever.”
And she meant it.
If you had asked Emily only five years ago what was the best thing she could receive for her birthday, she would have said practically anything but a drawing. But five years ago, she didn’t have a 4-year-old who made her works of art every day. But, now, she wouldn’t change that drawing with three words, ‘Mama,’ ‘Henry,’ and ‘Mommy,’ one under each person, for anything else in the world.
“You know what?” Emily asked, looking at her son. “I’m going to put it on my desk at work, so everyone can see how beautiful it is.” At that, the little boy giggled and hugged her as tight as he could.
And if you had asked 30-year-old Emily where she would be right now, she wouldn’t have said happy and with a family. But there she was, with her son on her lap and her girlfriend looking at them, sneaking some pictures of the scene happening in front of her. 30-year-old Emily would probably have said something about work and her career, and she would have avoided talking about her personal life, afraid that she wouldn’t be able to find someone, that she was too broken to have one. But now, she watched her son play soccer on Sunday mornings and had multiple folders with every little thing he made because she refused to get rid of any of it.
If you had told 25-year-old Emily that she finally had a family, she wouldn’t have believed you. But now, she had a little boy who loved to make his moms run behind him at any chance he got and read him stories at bedtime. She also had found people she trusted and loved, and Emily knew they felt the same for her, and once a month, they would have dinner together and celebrate the important moments at Rossi’s house (where she would get married less than a year later, even if she didn’t know that yet).
20-year-old Emily would be so happy if she found out that she had a girlfriend and a family with her, she had come out and was finally comfortable being herself, she wasn’t afraid anymore to say she was a lesbian. She would have been thrilled if she found out she and her friends would go to pride and queer clubs. 20-year-old Emily would have also been sad if she knew that her mother never really accepted that part of her and that they barely spoke anymore. Now, Emily was happy that she had been strong enough to make that choice and that her son would never feel the pain her mother made her feel. All in all, 20-year-old Emily would be so proud if she knew her life now. And she would be so fucking happy.
16-year-old Emily, desperate to feel accepted, couldn’t have imagined, she would make it. She couldn’t have imagined that she would ever be a mother, even if she had always wanted to be one. She couldn’t have imagined that she would be happy. 16-year-old Emily would cry for hours thinking someday someone would call her ‘mama.’ 16-year-old Emily, who believed that her abortion meant that she would never find someone who could love her enough to have a family with her, would cry if she knew that someday, in the future, she would propose and she would have a wife, two kids, and a cat. 16-year-old Emily, who felt broken and not enough, could have never imagined how her life would be in 26 years.
She looked around. And she couldn’t be happier with how her life turned out.
“Happy birthday, my love.” JJ said, leaving another short kiss on her lips. She put a small box in front of her. “I hope you like it almost as Henry’s.” She kissed Henry’s head and waited for Emily to open it.
“I’m sure I will.” Emily looked at her, The smile on JJ’s face made hers go bigger if that was even possible. Emily removed the blue wrapping paper and opened the box slowly. She took the heart-shaped and turned to watch her again. “Thank you, baby, it is so beautiful. I love it.” She took another look at it for a couple of seconds. “I love you.”
“Can I see, Mama?” Henry, who had just noticed that there was something else apart from the paper he gave his undivided attention, asked. Emily moved it, leaving it in front of his eyes so he could see it. “Pretty!” He exclaimed, playing with the chain carefully.
“Yeah, it is very pretty.”
“You should look inside.” JJ said. “It opens.”
Henry left the necklace in her hands, and she opened the locket revealing two photos on the inside. The first one was from their last Christmas (the three of them, with Santa’s hats and beards) next to a big tree decorated with lots of lights and a mix of different ornaments. The other one is from when Penelope took photos of them while dancing in Rossi's garden after one of their monthly dinners, just after they told them they were dating.
“Thank you, Jen, it is perfect.” Emily felt a couple of tears running down her cheeks.
“Do you like it?” JJ wiped the tears on the other woman's face, who nodded and leaned into her touch. “Are you okay, Em?” She asked as the tears kept flowing down her face.
“Don’t cry, Mama.” Henry moved around her legs, turning around to leave kisses on her face.
“Oh, they are happy tears, baby boy.”
JJ kissed her forehead and Emily had never felt more loved than at that moment. She had her favorite people with her. The most important people in her life were there celebrating her. And she couldn’t feel happier. At that moment, she was the happiest she had ever been.
“Happy tears?” He asked, trying to make sure that his mama was okay.
“The happiest tears ever.” She answered, making the other two giggle softly.
Henry left some more kisses all over her face, just in case. JJ kissed her again, murmuring ‘I love you.’ against her lips and helped put the necklace around her neck, kissing the top of her head once she finished.
“This,” she said once they had finished the birthday breakfast that the couple of Jareaus had made for her. “Is the best birthday I have ever had.”
And then, Emily realized she finally had everything she ever wanted, everything she ever thought she could have; she was with the love of her life and their little boy. She had a family.
She was home.
And that was the best birthday present she ever had.