Page 39 of Frozen Hearts

“Oh, trust me she knows that was me and not you,” Willow grinned. She gave Mel a tiny poke in the sides, leading her towards the car.

“Okay. I want to get along with your mom though,” Mel insisted.

The statement made Willow a little sad. Angela had always been a little unaccepting of her girlfriends. Not for any reasons of prejudice but because no one would ever be good enough for her daughter. It would be sweet if it hadn’t pushed so many good people out of Willow’s life. Willow was determined not to let this happen with Mel.

Her friend, Piper, had an upscale condo overlooking the ocean. Piper who came from a wealthy family had always been rather tight lipped when it came to her background. Not that it mattered. Piper was one of the kindest most generous people Willow had ever met. Beside her in the car Mel twirled a brunette strand of hair around a finger.

“Everything okay?” Willow asked.

“I just hope your friends like me,” Mel admitted.

“My friends are going to love you,” Willow insisted.

“Sure. They’ll tell you they love me. But I want them to actually like me.”

“Trust me. If my friends don’t like you, they’ll tell me,” Willow said. Mel’s face turned to a grimace and Willow understood her mistake.

“But that won’t happen. Because you’re amazing! And you’re funny, smart, kind, and wildly attractive,” Willow smiled. She glanced over and caught a pretty pink blush spreading across Mel’s cheeks.

Willow knocked once on Piper’s door then pushed it open. Piper had a strict open-door policy for friends. Piper stood in the kitchen. She wore a black tank top with an oversized Hawaiian shirt. Willow thought it fit her friend’s bright and vibrant personality perfectly. Piper ran to Willow, her dark black hair flowing behind her. She wrapped her arms around Willow first before turning to hug Mel. Willow had always loved how Piper’s excitement for life shone in her bright blue eyes.

The next person to greet them was Autumn. Tonight, her blonde hair flowed freely.

“You must be Mel. River has told us so much about you.” Autumn shot Willow an accusatory glance that said she would be talking to Autumn about this new relationship soon.

“All good things I hope,” Mel laughed.

“Of course,” Autumn said. She led Mel to the kitchen where River was waiting. River gave Mel a tiny hug.

“It’s nice to see you again,” River smiled.

“It’s nice to see you, too.”

“I’m afraid that I’ve got way more food than we’re going to need. But everything is ready so let’s eat.” Piper gestured towards the table.

Willow noted that it was decorated about two levels fancier than was required. River who had never met a subtlety she didn’t want to proclaim made sure to comment on the fanciness.

“My goodness, Piper. We’re not important enough for you to bring out the good plates,” River teased.

“You, my friends, are the only people in my life who are worthy of the good plates,” Piper declared. River leaned over to give Piper a hug.

They sat, and it felt like home. Willow felt a smile tugging at the edges of her mouth. She glanced over and saw Mel talking to Piper. Everything about the moment felt natural, like Mel was meant to be there.

“Mel tell us about your family? Are you from around here?” Piper asked.

“Yes, I grew up here. My parents still live in town. Last year I bought my own place and moved out. I still go over to visit my folks. But we’ve always been really independent of one another. Even when I lived with them. They’ve always had their lives and I’ve had mine.”

“Must be nice,” Willow chuckled. The words escaped before Willow had a chance to think about them. Everyone at the table turned to look at her, except for River. At the end of the table River erupted into laughter.

Autumn and Piper had understandable expressions of confusion on their faces. River wiped tears from her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Her Mom moved in with her,” River explained between snickers.

“Oh Willow, no,” Piper said with a grimace.

Autumn gave a simple shake of her head.

“What? It isn’t like I could leave her out on the street,” Willow announced, suddenly defensive.

---