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Chapter Text

Ten months after proposing to the love of her life, Ryan woke up in bed alone. And she was pissed. She made sure that anyone in the loft knew it as well, as she slammed the door to the bathroom and soon after trudged into the kitchen, ignoring the couple sitting in the living room. She proceeded to fix the loudest cup of coffee they'd ever heard, slamming the fridge door closed and setting the mug down so forcefully that it's a miracle it didn't burst against the counter.

"Well good morning to you too, sunshine," Mary greeted in jest with Luke beside her trying to stifle a laugh. Ryan's only response was a grunt. "You know," she continued, "you're being overdramatic." A glare this time. "Just call her; that isn't a crime," Mary forged ahead.

At this, Ryan spoke for the first time that morning. "Jordan said that she was taking Sophie's phone all day." The grumpiness was clearly evident in her tone. "'It's bad luck' she says. You wanna know what bad luck is? Not getting to wake up beside the love of your life on the day that you proclaim your love for her to the world! I mean, who came up with this stupid shit anyway?"

Luke couldn’t help but laugh at Ryan’s outburst. “Fam, you saw her less than ten hours ago and you’ll be seeing her again in seven more. Literally less than 24 hours apart! You’re so whipped it’s not even funny.”

“I’m not whipped!” Mary and Luke shared a glance. “Don’t look like that, I’m not! I could go 24 hours without talking to Sophie. I just... don’t want to,” she tapered off at the end, her belief in the statement withering under her friends’ watchful eyes. “Anyways, aren’t you guys supposed to be cheering me up and helping me? You’re literally my wedding party.”

“Actually, I am in both of your wedding parties since I’m walking you both down the aisle,” Luke corrected with pride. “And I can guarantee that Sophie is not taking this as hard as you.”

As if the gods were trying to prove him wrong, Mary’s phone buzzed with an incoming call from Jordan. “Planner-in-Crime! What’s up?” Mary greeted her fellow wedding planner as she put the phone on speaker. Ryan perked up just a little hoping she might hear her fiancée in the background of the call. Instead, she heard a lot of commotion and something that sounded vaguely like crying.

“Umm why isn’t Ryan answering her phone?” Jordan asked in lieu of greeting with panic creeping into her tone. That incessant noise was growing ever louder behind her.

“I guess she left her phone in the room. But you’re on speaker, she can hear you. Is everything okay over there?”

“Uhm not quit-, “Jordan was cut off and a fight seemed to be ensuing over control of the phone.

The winner soon made her presence known. “Ryan, baby, are you there?” Came the tearful voice of Sophie. Ryan practically ran from where she was listening near the breakfast nook over to the couch.

“Sophie, my love, yes, I’m here. What’s wrong?” Ryan’s heart ached at the sound of her lover’s voice.

“It’s... it’s all ruined,” Sophie stated melodramatically before Jordan was able to wrestle the phone away from her again. Ryan, Luke, and Mary stared at each other quizzically trying to figure out what Sophie was talking about.

“Sorry about that,” Jordan said when she regained control. Sophie could still be heard sniffling in the background. “Everything’s fine. Sophie’s just upset because she was planning a surprise—shut up, I’m not gonna tell her! —for Ryan and apparently, it’s not gonna be in, in time. She was hysterical—yes, you were, quit trying to lie, they heard you—so I was going to try and get Ryan to calm her down even though they shouldn’t be talking to each other,” Jordan kept cutting out to argue with Sophie and the trio couldn’t lie, they found it hilarious.

“Jordan, put the phone on speaker,” Ryan requested. Jordan obliged with a sigh of indignation. “Soph, sweetie, can you hear me?”

“Yes,” was her miserable reply.

Ryan had to say her words just right if she didn’t want her fiancée to melt back into a puddle of tears, given she was already so emotional. “Honey, I’m sorry whatever you were planning won’t be able to happen today, but we have a lifetime’s worth of days left for surprises, okay? Today, all I need is to see you happy. And for you to meet me at the altar. Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Sophie said softly, gaining a round of relieved sighs from the bridal party.

“Good. Besides,” Ryan starts, “the surprise I’m most excited for is what’s waiting for me under that dress,” she finished the joke. The three groans mixed with a snort from Sophie made her smirk. They could hear Jordan directing Sophie to the bathroom to start getting ready for today’s events. “So gross, Ryan. But very effective so thanks,” Jordan’s voice of both disdain and gratitude.

“Anything for my baby,” Ryan assented. “Hey, you know, maybe I should come over and chec- “

“No!” Rang out from Jordan, Mary, and Luke. Ryan sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

“Okay, well I’m gonna start getting the cry baby ready for her wedding, see you guys in seven hours,” Jordan said before hanging up the phone.

Ryan smirked. “So much for Sophie doing better than me, Luke.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Technically, she wasn’t upset because you guys weren’t together, so I was still right.” Ryan opened her mouth to reply.

“Okay, you two!” Mary put an end to the bickering before it could start. “Ryan, it’s time for you to start getting ready. Luke, why don’t you head downstairs and see if they need any help.” The two sighed and nodded, going their separate ways. Luke got about three steps away before he heard Mary clear her throat. He turned around to see her looking at him expectantly. He closed the gap between them quickly, planting a kiss on her lips before turning back to continue his journey. Ryan snorted from where she watched them by the bathroom door.

“Yeah, and I’m the whipped one,” she mumbled loudly.

“Heard that!” Luke quipped as he walked down the stairs.

“I meant for you to!” Ryan called back as she entered the bathroom.

When Ryan returned to her room for the day after her shower, she was greeted by Mary sitting on the edge of the bed holding a small gift bag. Mary patted the spot next to her and Ryan lifted an eyebrow in intrigue as she sat down.

“Soo,” Mary started. “I wanted to go ahead and give you your wedding gift before everything gets hectic later.” She handed the bag to Ryan and gestured for her to open it. After removing the paper, the first thing she saw was a set of shot glasses that had The Hold Up logo on one side and matching ‘Mrs.’ etched on the other. “I felt it was apt, considering that’s where you’re getting married,” Mary explained.

The second and final item was a framed candid of her and Sophie smiling at each other from across the bar like no one else existed. “I found you guys in the back of some randos picture on Instagram and had Luke use the BatTech to enhance it. It’s from before you guys ever got together,” she revealed. “Oh! Turn it over! That’s your final gift. If you choose to accept it, that is.”

A piece of paper was attached to the back of the frame. It was a picture replica of her Hold-Up name plate. Ryan looked at Mary in confusion. “My last gift is... my name tag?”

Mary rolled her eyes. “Look closer, you goof!” Ryan surveyed the name tag with a closer eye. Under her name, where her title of Manager usually sat, was a new word: Owner. Ryan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as she looked to Mary to see if she was understanding correctly.

“I didn’t want to be presumptuous, but Ryan if you want it, this place is yours. I know my name might be on all the paperwork, but honestly, you’ve been the one running things for a long time now. And since you’re stepping down from CEO at Wayne, I figured this could keep you busy til you find your next haunt.”

Ryan’s eyes shimmered as she engulfed her best friend in the world in a hug. “Thank you so much for everything. I couldn’t ask for a better friend,” Ryan said in a tight voice, trying to keep the tears from falling.

“Yeah, I really am the best, huh?” Mary joked. The two broke apart as they laughed, tears threatening to spill from both sets of eyes. Mary sighed deeply, checking the time on her phone. “Okay, we can’t cry, we have a wedding to get ready for! Down to six hours and I haven’t checked what’s going on downstairs or done your makeup yet. Oh, and when is Jada getting here?” Jada had become a motherly figure to Ryan, Sophie, and Mary, seeing as none of their mom’s were in the picture. She was going to be officiating the wedding and flitting between the brides to help with last minute preparations. They’d already cleared the manager’s office downstairs as a makeshift suite for Sophie.

“Last time we talked, she said around three o’clock,” Ryan informed her. Mary nodded, satisfied with the answer.

“Perfect. I’m gonna go see what’s happening and when I get back, we’ll get you all prettied up, so just relax until then,” Mary directed as she left the room. She got about two steps from the room before she turned back to peek her head in. “Wait. You finished your vows, right?”

Ryan just rolled her eyes at the probe. “Yes, Mom, I finalized them a couple of days ago. Sophie’s the one you should be worried about. When I sneaked a look at her journal, it looked like a damn mess.”

Mary’s jaw dropped at the confessions. “One, you shouldn’t have been snooping! And two, oh my gosh I need to call Jordan.” With that, she swept out of the room once again.

Sophie and Jordan were parking at The Hold Up when Jordan’s phone chimed signaling an incoming call from Mary. Jordan answered as she hopped out of the car and opened the backseat to grab the supplies things they’d brought from Ryan and Sophie’s condo. “Hey Mary, good timing, I’m walking in now with the bride-to-be,” she greeted her planner-in-crime, as she walked in the back door with Sophie following behind her.

Skipping a greeting of her own, which seemed to be a common theme for the day, Mary blurted into the phone, “Sophie isn’t done writing her vows?!”

“She what?!” The tone and Jordan’s accusatory face as she whipped around to look at her sister made Sophie stop in her tracks, confusion rippling across her face. Jordan removed the phone from her ear before asking, “Sophie, are your vows done? And don’t lie, I can see right through you.”

Sophie’s face flushed as she sheepishly grinned. With that, Jordan had her answer. “Mary, I’ll call you back in five,” she said before hanging up the phone. “You,” she pointed to Sophie. “Office. Now.” Sophie marched passed her and Jordan followed, mumbling under her breath at her sister’s unpreparedness. After they both entered, Jordan forcefully shut the door behind them.

“Okay, Sophie what the hell is up with you? Why in the world don’t you have your vows done when YOU were the one who decided that you guys should write your own?” Jordan grilled her sister.

Sophie gulped. “I didn’t know it would be this hard. I- I actually do have a lot written down; it’s just not done. Here, see for yourself,” she explained, digging through her bags for the same journal that Ryan had snooped in. When she found it, she handed it over to Jordan. Jordan opened the journal and saw pages upon pages of Sophie’s perfect penmanship.

Jordan looked up confused. “Soph, this looks more like an essay on the merits of a happy marriage than vows to the woman you love,” she offered softly.

Sophie stammered nervously before hanging her head in her hands. "Oh my gosh, why did I think I could do this? I can't do this!" With the exclamation, she shot up to her feet to pace the office space. "I didn't even want to be at my last wedding, and I was less of a mess than I am right now. And now that I'm on the topic, the last time I did this whole thing, I failed miserably. I quite literally don't know how to be a good wife. And if I can't even do something as simple as write my vows, why do I think I can do the rest? I mean, what if I can't make her happy?" She was quickly working herself up and tears were beginning to pool in her eyes. She stopped pacing completely, eyes wild with worry as her thought back on how her last marriage ended and the tears started streaming down her face. "What if she wakes up one day and decides that I'm not enough?"

The room was starting to close in on Sophie and she just needed a breather, so she picked up the keys from the table and fled the room before Jordan’s mind had even processed her sister’s whole rant. “Sophie, wait!” When her feet caught up to her brain, she ran behind her sister, but with the older woman’s height, training, and sudden determination, her attempt to catch Sophie was futile and she watched from the doors of The Hold Up as Sophie peeled out of the parking lot.

After recovering from the shock of her sister’s outburst, a single thought crossed her mind:  What the hell are we going to tell Ryan? She steadied herself before picking up her phone to call Mary. “We have a runaway bride,” she gulped out.

The makeup brush that Mary was holding stilled upon Ryan’s cheekbone and Ryan watched her face contort as she listened to the person on the other side of the phone call. Ryan looked at her best friend in confusion. Mary plastered on an obviously fake smile before motioning that she needed a minute and walking out of the bathroom. Intrigued, and a little worried, Ryan followed her as far as the doorframe. Mary and her coconspirator were both talking in low voices, seemingly in an argument. The only thing she was able to overhear was Mary saying that she needed to get here soon, whoever she was, before Mary hung up the phone.

When Mary reappeared in the bathroom, there was a nervous air around her. “Mary, what’s wrong?” Ryan inquired.

Mary steeled her face and hummed. “Waiting on Jordan and Luke. Not saying anything until they get here.” Ryan didn’t even have to wait two minutes before the duo burst into the apartment and subsequently the bathroom, alarm swimming in their eyes. Their eyes all locked, having a silent conversation and Ryan grew nervous watching their grave faces. “Okay. Somebody say something or someone’s getting hurt,” Ryan threatened.

The trio glanced at each other a moment longer, before Mary huffed, having seemingly lost the argument. “Okay, first you have to promise not to kill the messengers,” Mary started. Ryan stayed silent, looking intently at her three best friends, none of whom were looking her in the eye.

“Spit it out,” was the only answer she could muster.

“Sophie, um, Sophie, she-,” Mary stammered.

“Sophie ran away Ryan,” Jordan cut in, ripping the band aid off. “We were talking about her vows and she got flustered and frantic and then she ran out before I could stop her. I’m sorry.”

Ryan felt frozen, like ice had infiltrated her veins. She could feel her perfect day slipping through her fingers. She realized she had two choices: she could breakdown, which is what her heart was telling her to do, or she could channel her Batwoman prowess to keep a cool head and find her fiancée. The others watched as the cogs in her head turned, trying to figure out where Sophie would run to. Think, Ryan, think. If you were Sophie, where would you go if you were in distress?

Ryan knew the answer. “I know where she is,” she told the others, moving hurriedly around the loft to find everything she needed to leave. “Dammit Mary, where are the car keys?” She hurled the question into the air. When she finally found them, she headed straight to the door. With one foot out of the door, she turned around. “If we’re not back in an hour, call the damn wedding off,” she said, her voice grave, before bounding out into the afternoon. The wedding planners looked at their watches that read halfway to three o’clock, praying that they wouldn’t have to do the unthinkable.

Ryan hadn’t seen Sophie’s car when she pulled up to her destination, but she felt in her bones that she was here. 49 minutes left. When Ryan had completed her trek to the roof, she checked her phone for the time. 42 minutes. She steadied herself with her fingers clutching the handle to the door. Pushing the door open, she was relieved that her hunch was right. Sophie was sitting underneath the Bat Signal, head perked up at the sound of Ryan entering the roof. Her eyes were puffy, and her nose was red. To put it nicely, she looked miserable.

Ryan slowly approached the woman who had all but wrapped herself into a cocoon to sit down next to her. “You came,” Sophie said softly.

The younger woman took the words as an invitation to wrap an arm around her fiancée. “I always will,” Ryan mimicked Sophie’s tone. Sophie laid her head lightly on Ryan’s shoulder and they settled into that position for a while. 31 minutes.

Sophie sighed. “I’m so sorry, Ryan. I didn’t mean for all of this to happen. I just was so overwhelmed, I had to get out of there.”

“So, you came to where people come to get help.”

“Where people come to get help from you,” Sophie added. Ryan hummed in understanding.

“Jordan said you were worried about your vows,” Ryan prompted, sifting her fingers through Sophie’s to hold her hand.

“It was a mess. She said it sounded more like an essay than vows and she was right. God, I don’t know why I thought I could do it,” Sophie explained, kicking herself in the process. Ryan squeezed her hand tighter.

“It’s alright, darling,” Ryan assured her. She shifted so she could see Sophie’s face. “How about we write them together? We do everything better together anyway.” 26 minutes. “I can start: I’ll give you all I have.”

Sophie considered the words, and a warm feeling entered her chest. She smiled for practically the first time that day. “And nothing less, I promise.” She paused, considering her wants, and her fears, and her desires. “Love me and don’t look back.” The words sounded almost desperate to her ears, but she couldn’t help it. She needed to say exactly how she was feeling if this was going to work.

“I want you with me,” Ryan squeezed her hands again, drawing their foreheads together, both of them closing their eyes on contact. “On this road to the sky.” Ryan felt in her core that her and Sophie would last forever. Even past the grave.

Sophie’s next line came out almost like a question. “We’ll be shining every night.” It was her way of saying that they’d never go to sleep mad at one another. Their love should cast over them as they lay their heads down to rest.

Ryan understood the request because she knew Sophie better than anyone else. “I promise you. Just me and you?” She agreed and came back with a question of her own.

“I promise you,” Sophie finished, their vows complete. She opened her eyes to see mahogany orbs already staring into hers.

“God, I love you so much, it’s almost scary,” they both laughed at Ryan’s confession, breaking apart. They sat in a silent embrace for a few more moments before Sophie moved to stand, pulling her wife-to-be with her. 18 minutes. “Ah,” Ryan said, looking down at her phone with a satisfied grin. “We’re gonna make it back with time to spare.”

Back at The Hold Up, Mary, Luke Jordan, and now Jada, weren’t so sure. Jada got there soon after Ryan left, and the quartet had been watching the simultaneously slowest and fastest hour of their lives tick by. The clock was down to a minute and a half. “Oh my gosh, I can’t watch,” Mary’s voice broke the strained silence as she closed her eyes, hoping that Ryan and Sophie were about to burst through the doors.

“I can’t look away,” Jordan confessed, eyes constantly flitting back and forth between the doors and the clock. Luke and Jada were in the same boat. 10 seconds.

“C’mon Ryan, I’m rooting for you,” Luke muttered under his breath.

With four whole seconds to spare, Ryan swung the doors open, but they couldn’t see Sophie. “Well, what is everyone standing around for,” Ryan started nonchalantly. “We have a wedding in an hour.”

At this, Sophie came into view behind Ryan and the quartet let out a huge sigh of relief, as well as some whoops from Mary. They rushed to embrace the couple.

Quickly though, Jordan got her game face back on. “Okay, everyone we have less than ninety minutes until the ‘I Dos’. Ryan, Mary, upstairs. Sophie, Jada, follow me. Luke... make yourself useful,” she commanded, getting everyone on the same page. “Ready? Break.”

With that, they all scampered around the building trying to get the women prepped and ready in time. At the ten-minute mark, Luke made his rounds to check alert the women of the time. Both parties shooed him away, assuring him that they’d be ready. He did get a quick peck from Mary though, so that was worth it. With three minutes left to spare and all the guests seated for the main attraction, Jada took her place at the altar.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will begin momentarily. Thank you,” Jada announced, a rush of excitement rolling over the crowd. Promptly at five o’clock, the music started. The couple had let Mary and Jordan choose the song they would walk out to, and they chose the only song that made sense: Bartender by T. Pain. The guests laughed as the duo made their way dancing down the aisle, a spectacle to behold.

When they made it to the altar, the song changed, and everyone stood and turned to the back of the room in anticipation of the ladies’ entrances. The original plan had been for Luke to bring Sophie down the aisle first, and Ryan to follow, but on the drive back from the Bat-Signal the women changed their mind. They had clued Luke into their plan, and he was happy to oblige. First, he walked Sophie up to the beginning of the aisle, where she stood with her eyes closed. Next, he did the same with Ryan. He then took both of their arms in his and led them down the aisle together. Watching them, Jada already had tears in her eyes.

As they approached the altar, Luke let them go, their signal to open their eyes for their first look. Instantly, they took in the other woman’s ensemble and gasped. Ryan was in an intricate, lacy dress with a long train, while Sophie opted for a long-sleeved silk dress with beaded detail along the waist. The pictures that would be sent to them after the ceremony of this moment, showed faces full of love and adoration and longing.

The women were giddy with delight as Jada started officiating. They could barely hear her because they were so focused on each other. She had to prompt them twice to get them out of their stupor for their vows. Like the first change in their ceremony, they decided to say their vows simultaneously. “I’ll give you all I have, and nothing less, I promise,” they started. “Love me and don’t look back. I want you with me on this road to the sky. We’ll be shining every night. I promise you, just me and you, I promise you.”

When they finished, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Tearfully, Jada announced, “I now pronounce you wives. You may kiss the bride.” As their lips entangled passionately, the bar erupted in applause. They could barely hold the kiss because they were so happy that they were laughing.

“Thank you for meeting me at the altar, my love,” Ryan said, still in her wife’s embrace.

“Just me and you, Ryan Wilder-Moore.”

Chapter Text

They had barely dropped the bags from their honeymoon on the floor to their apartment when Sophie announced that she had to leave. Ryan had noticed that she’d been antsy ever since they made it back stateside after seven wonderful days in the Caribbean. Sophie was constantly checking her phone the whole ride from the airport and Ryan was starting to get really curious. Before Sophie could jet back out of their home, Ryan grabbed her arm to stop her. “Wait, we just got back, where are you going so quickly?” She inquired, not wanting to let her wife out of her sight.

“I…” Sophie dragged the word out, trying to stall for time. “I am going to Jordan’s. Yeah, she really needs my help so I’m gonna go check on her. I shouldn’t be too long, though, less than an hour for sure. You just take a nap and by the time you wake up, I’ll be back, no problem.” She planted a chaste kiss on her lover’s lips, turning to walk out the door.

“Wait, not so fast.” Ryan’s voice was half-pout, half-skeptic as she now moved to wrap an arm around Sophie’s waist. “Jordan can wait,” Ryan offered, peppering soft kisses along Sophie’s throat in an extremely transparent attempt to get her to stay. “Whatever she needs help with has waited this long, surely another hour or three won’t hurt.”

Sophie’s not going to lie, Ryan almost had her with that one. But she stiffened her spine and gently pulled away. “Baby, I’ll be back before you know it,” she reasoned softly. “Relax, take a nap, and I will see you in an hour.”

Ryan knew she had lost the battle, so she sighed and reached up for one last kiss. “One hour. And then I’m showering without you.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Sophie replied, the grin on her face stretching from ear to ear. Without further preamble, she walked down the hall to the elevator. When she turned back to the front as the doors closed, she could see Ryan still peering at her longingly from the door frame. She sent her a wife a wink before the doors could fully close.

When she was safely in her car, she opened her contact list and scrolled to Angelique. I’m 20 minutes away. The reply was a simple ‘k.’ If Ryan had known where she was really going, she never would have let her leave the house. And yes, Sophie knows that lying as her first official act as a wife is bad, but it couldn’t be helped. It was time to go get Ryan’s surprise.

When she pulled up to the address Angelique had given her, the other woman was already standing outside, a huge, beautifully wrapped box sitting by her side. Sophie got out to open the trunk to her Subaru before walking up the walkway to retrieve the box.

“Hey, it’s all in there?” She asked Angelique. Angelique nodded in affirmation.

“Yep, just like you asked. Sorry the timing didn’t work better. I just knew it would happen before the wedding. Congrats, by the way,” she said. In the years that Ryan and Sophie had been together, Sophie and Angelique had managed to get to a cordial place. It definitely helped that Angelique was no longer on the market either.

“Thanks,” Sophie said, reaching in her purse to pull out the amount of cash they had originally agreed upon. Angelique put a hand on the taller woman’s arm to stop her.

“Don’t worry about it. Think of it as my wedding gift to you guys.” Sophie smiled graciously.

“Take care, Angelique.” She picked up the hefty box carefully and carried it to her trunk. When she got back in the driver’s seat, she looked through the window to wave goodbye. With Ryan’s surprise sat gently in her backseat, Sophie was giddy and ready to see her wife.

Back at the condo, Sophie realized just how much effort it was going to take to get the box from her SUV back upstairs. She reminded herself that this was for Ryan and found her center before lifting with her knees and beginning the trek. She could barely see over the top of the box and she could feel the contents moving as she walked. Eventually, she made it back to her front door and set the box down on the ground.

Using the keys to let herself in, she quickly came face-to-face with her wife who had heard the jiggle of the door and was eager to greet her with another kiss. “Miss me?” Sophie smirked into the kiss.

“Of course,” Ryan quipped back. When they pulled back, Ryan noticed the big, red box with a white bow sitting in the doorway. She quirked an eyebrow. “What’s this?”

In her lover’s embrace, Sophie had all but forgotten the reason she’d left, but it was coming back to her now. She backtracked to bring it the rest of the way into the entryway and closed the door behind her. “Surprise!” She exclaimed. “It’s what didn’t come in before our wedding day,” she further explained. “I hope you love it.”

Sophie was a little nervous as she watched Ryan appraise her gift. She really did hope Ryan loved it, because giving it back would be a bitch. When Ryan was done scrutinizing the outside, she untied the bow. To both of their surprise, the gift inside revealed itself as the sides of the box fell away. When she saw what her surprise was, she immediately gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “You didn’t,” Ryan exclaimed, the biggest smile on her face as she turned to Sophie.

“Oh, but I did,” Sophie confirmed. Ryan then proceeded to squeal and jump, and she may have kissed Sophie several times in her excitement. Finally focused back on the gift in front of her, she kneeled to open the crate. Her gasp grew even louder when she saw the prettiest, gray baby cat curled up on the pillow laid in the crate. “Oh, Soph, it’s so beautiful.”

“She,” Sophie corrected. “She was born six days ago, two days after the wedding. Angelique thought her mom would’ve already gone into labor, but the litter was behind schedule. You mentioned once that the next thing you had wanted to get after moving into the new apartment with Cora was a cat, so I thought, why not now?”

Ryan didn’t even know Sophie had been paying that much attention to her offhanded comment about wanting a cat, but she’s glad that she was. “Thank you, baby, she’s perfect,” Ryan said, reaching up to kiss her wife’s lips.

“I’m just glad I don’t have to take her back,” Sophie mumbled against Ryan’s lips. “I was kind of terrified you’d say no.”

“Oh, darling, you should know by now that I can never say no to you,” Ryan said, leaning back down to gently pull the cat out the crate, nuzzling the soft fur against her face with a pleased smile and closed eyes. “Best. Surprise. Ever.”

“I’m glad. Now, about that shower…,” Sophie drifted off and it didn’t take long for Ryan eyes to pop back open.

“Three minutes. Go get the water warm for me,” she said with urgency, earning a laugh and a kiss from Sophie as the older woman obliged.