This is the continuation of 'The Artist and her young lover' and it will make little sense unless you have read the first part.
To Recap: Milly's wife, a police officer, was killed and her friend's daughter, Fiona, provided comfort through Milly's grief. The following year Fiona decides to study at university, near to Milly's home and spends a lot of time there before discovering their love for one another, despite their age difference. They have told Fiona's family how they feel and spent an enforced few weeks apart before having their first vacation together in Barbados.
There is no tragedy in this story, but more sex, particularly at the beginning. There is also some mild bondage, all sexual activity is consensual. All the people involved are fictitious and are over 18.
Thank you for your comments on my previous work, I appreciate and welcome them.
Big decision
I could have stayed in Barbados for longer and been very happy, but Fiona had to return to University and now we were home and together.
Since getting back I'd resumed looking after and caring for Fiona and it delighted me. I'd also been highly motivated, turned out lots of sketches and taken on some private portrait commissions; some were very personal portraits that paid very well.
I'd been at the gallery handing over a new batch of sketches and as I was walking back to my car I had to stop on the footpath to allow a woman with a pushchair to pass by. By chance, I looked into a jewellers shop window and I saw it; a platinum engagement ring, with a rectangular diamond and a smaller diamond on each side. That was what I wanted, I hadn't known it until that moment, but I knew it now. I went inside. The jeweller told me that it was an engagement ring and I told him that it was for my partner, he looked at me oddly.
'What no lesbians ever got engaged in this part of the world?
' I asked myself.
I raced back home, grabbed the ring of Fiona's that I was looking for and dashed back. "It's very close to the right size and should be fine, but we can change it in 48 hours if needed."
I looked at him, "24 hours?" He nodded. "I'll take it. Cash, cheque, credit card, bank transfer what do you want?" I fixed that and hurried back home again.
When Fiona came in and saw me she was a bit shocked. I'd dressed up; make-up, hair up, a dress - a short dress with plenty of leg, heels, the works. The table was laid, including candles and I served up steaks and glasses of red wine. When we finished eating I cleared the plates and sat down again.
Now, my darling Fiona is not a stupid girl, she knew something was afoot and I'm sure that expected for us to be destined for the bedroom. She was correct, but not as soon as she thought.
"I need to speak to you, but there's a rule. If you use any words at all between now and when I tell you that you can speak again, I stop and we may try this again tomorrow, we may not." She was about to speak and I raised my hand, "Nod for yes and shake for no, okay?" She nodded.
I was smiling now, "You once asked me a question and I imposed some rules. It was about waiting until you'd graduated and if we felt the same way we could think about making this relationship permanent. Do you remember? No words!" She nodded again.
"Same rules, same conditions still apply. If you asked me that question again right now I might say yes, but you can't speak so you can't ask, understand?" She was smiling and nodded, "So if you could speak, would you ask it right now?" Again she nodded.
"Damn, it's a shame that you can't speak. So I need to take matters into my own hands." I produced the box and slid it across the table, but with my hand over it. "Fiona, will you agree to marry me and become my fiancΓ©e?"
She nodded again and I removed my hand. She looked at me and I could see the smile in her eyes and the corner of her mouth turned up, her face was pink and her foot was tapping at some speed. She never took her eyes off of mine as she opened the box, her fingers touched the ring, she glanced down, then up at me and back down again. The smile spread across her face.
"Now you can speak."
"Yes, yes, yes. I love you!" She whooped, then there was another whoop, she froze and looked around. She looked puzzled and asked, "What was that?" I slid my napkin aside; she saw my phone and then her sister shouted.
"Yahoo! Congratulations."
I picked up the phone and said, "Thank you, Jane, she'll call you shortly, but I need to kiss her just now."
We met and kissed. Then she stepped back and sat down looking at the ring and slid it on. It didn't need to be adjusted and looked perfect on her finger. She looked up at me and asked a question with just her eyes.
I tried to answer the unasked question, "I saw the ring today and knew that I wanted to do this. I don't want to get married right now, that would be too stupid, but I intend to uphold my end of this. I want you to be my fiancΓ©e; I want to be engaged to you and for you to wear a ring that I gave to you."
"Yes, I'm very happy now, I wanted to give you a ring. What was that with Jane?"
"I know that you wanted to give me a ring and you can, there's no rush. As for Jane, well you two confide everything in each other and I thought that if she was going to be my sister as well, I could confide in her. I called her earlier, told her what I'd planned and allowed her to listen in. I, we, owe her a lot. Now kiss me again and then there's another call that we need to make."
Fiona called her sister and I went to the fridge to get the champagne and two glasses. There seemed to be a great deal of laughter and joy. Fiona handed me the phone.
"Hi Sis, congratulations, it worked well."
"Thanks, Jane, Sis, it did and she looks really happy and so am I. It's a bit crazy. Thanks for all of your support and everything that you've done, I love you too."
"And I love you, Milly. Good luck to you, you're going to need it with her. Have you called them yet?"
"That's next."
Fiona and I sat together and we pressed the buttons.
Jess answered, "Hello Milly you okay? Fiona okay?" She sounded worried.
We both said "Hi." I asked if Victoria was around.
"She's right here. Is everything okay?"
"Put the speaker on please."
"Milly, I'm getting worried, what is it?"
"A few months ago your daughter asked me to marry her, I told her not to be stupid but that if we were together when she finished Uni we could talk about it."