Page 86 of Barging In

“Been into women?” Clem offered.

Victoria could feel her cheeks colour. “Yes.”

“Yeah. Had my first crush around nine. Told my parents when I was about fifteen.”

“Were they okay with it?”

“If they had a problem, they never said so,” Clem said, placing her cutlery down on her empty plate. “They were more put out by the prospect of no grandchildren. My mum doesn’t stop going on about it.”

“Tiring, isn’t it? A small part of me was almost relieved when we found out Drew was infertile, just to stop the questioning. But then the narrative shifted to me leaving him instead.”

“I tried to explain to Mum that lesbians can still have children. She seemed more concerned about me doing it alone. Which I wouldn’t.”

Victoria chuckled at that. “It makes me laugh, people thinking kids need two parents or that a mum and a dad are like some magic formula. A kind, loving parent or parents are the answer. It doesn’t matter what’s between their legs if one’s beating the kids and the other’s neglecting them.”

“Too true,” Clem agreed.

“So, are kids still on the cards for you?” Victoria asked, genuinely curious.

“I’ve never made a conscious decision either way. The idea has simply drifted away from me as time has passed. I always thought, well, if it happens, it happens. My mum, on the other hand, would very much like an exact date.”

Victoria chuckled. She could quite believe that.

“I’m sure they would make super grandparents. They seem lively enough; they must be fit to do what they do at their age.”

“They are. To be honest, at the ripe old age of forty, I wonder if I would have the energy for it.”

“Wait until you reach fifty,” Victoria smirked. “Then your body turns on you, if it hasn’t already.”

“What about you? Did you date many women? Before Drew of course,” Clem added quietly.

“I dated a few women over the years, but it was never anything serious. Certainly nothing that went beyond the odd kiss. By the time I felt confident enough in myself to even think about telling my parents, I was already working on the house for Drew. Then we started dating, and it didn’t make any sense to share. I knew deep down they weren’t the kind of people to be overly accepting of it, even if they pretended to be on the surface.They were a little tooconservative.”

Clem screwed up her face.

Victoria shrugged. “Why tell them, only to disappoint them?”

“So they know who you are at your core,” Clem said, reaching forward to squeeze Victoria’s hand.

It made her whole body fizz. There was only one person in the entire world who knew who she was, and she was sitting opposite her. That felt like enough for the time being.

“I’m not sure they earned that right,” Victoria replied softly.

“Wow. Okay.” Clem leaned back and took a sip of wine.

Victoria missed the weight and warmth of her hand. “If you don’t create a safe environment for your kids to share things, do you have a right to know things?”

“That’s a fair point,”Clem said, glancing at her watch.

“I hope I’m not keeping you.”

“No, you’re not,” Clem protested with a warm smile. “Sorry, I will have to go soon, though.”

“You have to be somewhere? At this hour?” Victoria couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She had been looking forward to spending more time with her.

“Yep. I have to bake,” Clem groaned. “I can’t even enjoy a quiet evening. I’ve got this customer who’ll get annoyed if I don’t fulfil her order.”

Victoria grinned. “She sounds like a right pain in the arse.”