Her Reluctant Wife: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance

woodworking and fireplaces, as well as the old radiators, even

though none of it was functional. She’d also gotten her copper

bathtub. Giana got her sleek, flashy kitchen and her

streamlined furniture, and one whole room devoted to the

paired down collection. She’d kept all her favorite things and

sold the rest. The money from the sales alone had more than

paid for the house and all the renovations.

One of those winter birds, a brown and gray fuzzy thing that

Coralyn felt desperately sorry for because it looked so cold

and was so tiny, hopped around in the branches of huge tree

they were sitting under. The bench was probably a good way

to get a snow shower on certain days, but it was too cold for

snow. Her nose was tingling, her toes were numb, and her legs

were all pins and needles, but she didn’t move.

“I feel so privileged to be able to share in your secrets and

your life and to go through this together. The grief and the

healing. People live for the good times, but I don’t think you

can make it if you don’t learn how to get through the tough

stuff too.”

Giana nodded in agreement, her breath puffing out in

another white cloud. “We might be crazy sitting out here. We

can go back if you want.”

“I’m good for at least another five minutes before I freeze to

the bench.” She leaned in, offering her quiet support, as she

often did. In the past, she’d hardly been without a thing to say.

Her dad had tried and tried to get her to learn the value of

quiet, but it wasn’t until this past year that she’d learned that

sometimes the best thing to do was just sit and say nothing.

She’d learned the value of letting go of the thoughts that

clogged her brain too. That wasn’t being quiet on the inside.