A New Tradition

"It would be nice to hang out with you two again. Maybe somewhere Clem can come along? She could always use a couple more awesome aunts."

"Anytime, girl, you just name it." Natalie smiled and went in the opposite direction at the fork in the hallway.

Jake -- The same evening

"They let you back in here?" A familiar voice pulled at Jake's attention as he was typing on his laptop.

"Rissa! I haven't seen you around here in a while." He smiled up at a very pretty blond woman.

"Life's been busy. Besides, you're here three or four days all year, right?"

"Whenever they need a second pair of eyes on the books and taxes." Jake took his hands off the keyboard and swung his attention to the gorgeous young woman in the room. "How has your year and a half been?"

"Amazing!" The young woman bounced on the balls of her feet. The smile on her face was positively radiant.

"Oh, has it? Why's that?"

"I'm getting married in a month!"

Jake tried to keep any sinking of his emotions off his features. He had always been attracted to the brown-eyed blonde in front of him. Rissa had been volunteering at the free clinic since she was a college junior, and they had always managed a flirtatious relationship. Jake had wanted to ask her out but missed his chance when the lass started dating Clint for the last half-decade.

"Did Clint finally pop the question?" Jake smiled broadly to hide the slight stab of pain for not taking a chance all those years ago.

"Nope, that putz never realized what he had." Clarissa flopped into a chair across the desk from Jake.

Even though she only wore what looked like workout chic, Ris was a stunning beauty. She was a bit thicker, but it was all muscle. The woman could likely run circles around Jake, at least before they got beyond a 10k distance. Jake was a marathon runner, even if he seemed a little too doughy for a distance runner.

"Who's the lucky fella then?" Jake asked when he noticed that Rissa was not sporting an engagement ring.

"Natalie." Clarissa's already radiant smile found a higher luminosity.

"Really?" Jake was slightly confused. Natalie was an ever-present best friend of Rissa's. When hanging out with the young woman, they had always been a package deal. Jake hadn't thought Clarissa was a lesbian, but the pair's love for each other had always been present. "You know that actually makes sense."

"You're not the first one that thinks that. I have no idea what took me so long to see her. I'm deliriously happy I did."

"Congratulations, Ris. That's amazing." Jake smiled honestly, thrilled for the woman.

"So, what about you and Wendy? Are you two finally official yet?" Rissa grabbed a piece of licorice from a jar on the desk. It was another perk of volunteering here, provided solely by the woman running the clinic out of her own pocket.

Jake swallowed hard and willed himself a moment before responding. He didn't particularly feel like rehashing the same tale again for the umpteenth time since it happened.

"Oh... I'm sorry, Jake." Rissa must have seen his change in expression. "I didn't mean to..." She was suddenly at a loss of words, not a typical state for the woman.

"No, it's okay. My fiancée broke the engagement. Wendy ran into her high school boyfriend out shopping one day and a week later left me. The guy had just gotten a divorce, and Wendy decided she loved him more." Jake tried to keep the anger and hurt out of his voice. It had been over a year, and he needed to move on instead of nurturing the feeling of betrayal. "I thought she was happy until we had the talk."

"Ouch, I'm sorry, Jacob."

"It's better it happened before the wedding invitations were sent out." Jake shrugged; he didn't need to dwell on it and dredge back up those terrible feelings. "Are you going to be back at the clinic more often?" He changed the subject and put the light back on Rissa.

"After the wedding, I have a feeling that things will get frantic in the next few weeks. I need something to do while Nat is in school or working on projects. Reading to the kids seems to be a pretty good thing." Clarissa grinned. Her hospital didn't want her working as a nurse outside of their healthcare network, so Rissa spent her volunteering time reading to the kids in the waiting or treatment rooms. "How's the pup?"

"Sandy is finally starting to calm down. Taking her running probably helps. I'm glad Wendy didn't take her when she left." Jake would have been lost without a companion to keep him company over the last year.

Sandy was a rescue dog found with a couple litter mates down by the river when they were just six weeks old. Rocky and Muddy were the other names the shelter had given the pups. The name stuck even if the Brittany Spaniel pup didn't have a sandy-colored coat.

"She occasionally tries to point birds when we're out on a run, but that has only managed to trip me once," Jake said with a chuckle.

Jake needed to get back to the books, and Rissa probably needed to get home, but they couldn't help bragging about their furballs. Rissa showed him pictures of Chester, the pup that came along with her fiancée. Although they hadn't seen each other in over a year, the conversation was always easy with the beautiful and cheerful woman.

Tabitha -- The next Saturday

"Park?" Clementine pointed excitedly out the window in the backseat as they drove past a playground on the way to meet up with Natalie and Clarissa.

"Later, sweety. Don't you want to go see a puppy first?" Tabitha hoped skipping the park wouldn't cause a meltdown, but Clementine had a good nap. She was a well-adjusted little girl for all that she had been through. It was hard to believe that her little angel would be a kindergartener in the fall.

"Okay, mommy!" Clementine clapped excitedly.

Almost all the little girl's stuffed animals were canines, and Clem badly wanted her own dog. Unfortunately for the babe, their apartment complex didn't allow dogs. Cats weren't prohibited, but Tabitha was very allergic. Clem was likely allergic to felines, as it was a malady shared with Tab's mom and sister. Tabi was concerned that the cries of needing a dog would grow more insistent upon meeting Chester. A house and a dog would have to wait a couple more years for Tabi to get her doctorate.

Hearing Clem call her mommy was, in equal measure, incredibly heartwarming and sad. Clementine had only been eighteen months old when Sabrina died. Before that night, Tabitha had been 'Auntie' to the little girl. Tabitha had been difficult for Clem to say, so Sabrina called her Aunt T, and the toddler combined the two. When her daughter turned three, she decided to call Tabi mom instead of auntie. It was likely easier for her to answer who her mom was in preschool than keep calling her auntie. Tabi would never forget picking her up from preschool that day, Clem booping her on the nose and calling her mommy for the first time. Clementine didn't need to know how Tabitha cried that night after she put her daughter to bed.

Natalie and Clarissa were already at the dog park when they arrived, strolling hand in hand with Chester on a leash. The tri-colored retriever mix was prancing happily beside the pair. Nat was dressed in a long blue skirt and red jacket to stave off the slight cold wind. The only time that Tabitha had ever seen the woman in something other than a dress was when she used to do yoga with the two women.

Nat's gorgeous fiancée, Clarissa, was attired in yoga pants and workout gear. The shorter blond woman's style was nearly opposite of her soulmate; the one time that Tabitha had seen her in a dress had been at a wedding. The pair exuded contentment in their actions. Even if it had been a surprise to discover that they were engaged, seeing them like this gave Tabi no doubt that this was where they belonged.

The pair spotted Tabitha as she was getting Clem out of her booster seat in the back of the car. "Sorry, we're late." She explained as they got close enough to hear her without raising her voice.

"No problem, Tab." Natalie waved the concern away. "I have a couple nephews. I know that the little ones can have a way of throwing off schedules, no matter how adorable they are."

"Who's this?" Clarissa knelt to get down to eye level with Clem and gave the girl a welcoming wave. Chester's tail was wagging, but he planted himself between his owners to wait for the girl to come to him.

"This is my daughter, Clementine." Tabitha smiled. Clem was the only reason she had managed to stay sane and functional over the last few years.

A burst of shyness had the girl hiding behind Tabi and peeking out with a little wave. Tabitha knew to give her a minute, and curiosity would get her to come out of her hiding spot. Clem was never bashful for long.

"She's adorable, Tabi." Rissa smiled as she stood.

"Can... can I pet your puppy?" Clem asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course, say hello to Clementine, Chester." Natalie beseeched the small retriever. He happily wiggled his way over to Clem with his tail wagging like a propeller.

"Chester?" The girl asked as she reached out to pat his head. Tabitha was relieved that her daughter wasn't rough with the pup.

"Can I walk him?" Clem grabbed onto the leash.

"I don't know, maybe inside the park, baby." Tabitha didn't want the pup to take off if Clem let go of the lead.

"It's fine, Tabi. I don't think Chester really needs the leash." Natalie held out the loop of purple nylon but glanced at Tabitha for permission.

"Are you sure?" Tab queried and got a pair of smiles from Rissa and Nat. "Here you go, Clem. Let's take the nice puppy into the park so he can run around with the other dogs. You gotta hold my hand too in the parking lot."

Clem giggled as she trotted toward the gated entrance. The park had two areas, one for small dogs and another for big dogs. Tabi wasn't sure which side to go toward, but Nat assuaged that concern with a covert point toward the larger half of the park. Tab leaned a little to hint for the little girl to go toward that side. Clementine loved independence and autonomy in her choices, even if they were guided subtly.

The tall chain link fence had a setup of gates that seemed like an airlock, likely to aid in keeping dogs from rushing the gate and escaping containment if their owners weren't paying attention. When they got into the park, Chester didn't try running off. Although the excitement was plainly visible in his wagging tail, he sat beside Clem, patiently waiting to be dismissed to go play.

Natalie knelt to undue his training collar, which seemed wholly unnecessary for how well-mannered the goofy little pup was. Rissa produced a ball from her pocket and squeezed it to make a squeal. Both Clem and Chester's complete attention was on the rubbery orb. "You want to throw the ball for him, Clementine?"

"Yes!"

"Go for it."

The pup and Clem both squealed and romped through the grass. The small dog park had been busy when they arrived, but the big dog area was free and open. Tabitha conversed with Nat and Rissa. It only took a couple of minutes to be utterly convinced that the pair belonged together.

"So, how did it all change for you two?"

"What do you mean?" Rissa questioned. Her vision never left the girl and dog. Right now, they were playfully wrestling over the ball. Chester didn't seem to mind when Clem practically tackled the fluffy animal.

"How did you go from best friends to lovers?"

The pair both looked at each other and blushed before smiling. "Clarissa started it, but that's a story that would be inappropriate for a certain audience," Natalie answered.

"Oh?"

"Why don't you two go discuss it over there?" Natalie pointed at a tree twenty yards away. "I think I can watch these two for a minute."

Clarissa pushed up on her tiptoes and whispered something to Natalie. There was another blush, a vigorous nod, and a tight smile from Nat.

"Come on, Nat said I could spill all our secrets." Rissa bounced toward the tree with a smile.

"Yay, I love a good love story."

"There's no way to tell this one that isn't at least a little filthy." Rissa lowered her voice when they neared the tree. "It all started when I broke up with Clint about a year ago."

"You two haven't been together long then, have you?"

"Romantically? No, but it only took a weekend to know it was forever. Natalie is my person in the world. It doesn't hurt that we were best friends for a decade first. There wasn't much of having to feel out and see the authentic version of ourselves."

"That... That sounds really nice." Tabitha tried not to get lost, longing for a partner to share her life with. She hadn't had time for a single date since she became Clem's sole guardian. "So, spill the details."

"Do you remember how Natalie got comfortable after class?"

The topic had come up more than once on a night out back when they were in graduate school. Natalie wasn't shy about sharing, at least with close friends. "Without her dress."

"Yup, well, suffice to say, she's not exaggerating. She seldom wears anything at home. When I broke up with Clint, she let me have the spare bedroom for a couple of months while I looked for an apartment. Nat made it abundantly clear that she would be comfortable at home even if I was there." Rissa was quite the animated storyteller. Her voice was low to avoid anyone overhearing them, but her hand gestures raised the volume.

"Was that awkward? At least at first?" Tabitha prompted her to continue.

"With anyone other than Natalie, it would've been. She's been my closest friend since the start of college. I have known and experienced her comfortable attire for a while. Nat is still my best friend even if our relationship has leveled up considerably." Ris shrugged.

"Probably doesn't hurt that she's hot." Tabi giggled.

"You're damn right she is. Then one Friday night, I still don't know what changed, but I fell on the couch trying to get dressed for a night out."

"Okay."

"I was only wearing a yellow blouse and had been pulling on my panties when I fell. The way that Natalie was looking at me, I felt something change. I asked her to go down on me." Rissa blushed a darker red color than ever before. "Natalie complied, and the rest is history."

"You're direct, aren't you?"

"It can be an advantage if you find something you want."

"So, that was it? You just needed to ask her to lick your pussy?"

"Not quite." Clarissa's blush found a deeper shade of red. "I almost ruined it all by that Sunday. Natalie told me she loved me and... I couldn't reply." Something about this confession still appeared raw for Ris. "Luckily for me, I figured it out and confessed my love to that amazing woman the next day. It would have been the same night if it weren't for the snowstorm." Clarissa pointed at her future wife as she was playing with Clementine.

"That's right, we got like a foot of snow overnight before Valentine's Day." Tabi nodded along. "Is that why you two are getting married on February 14th?"

"Yup, it's the first anniversary of it."

"You were the one to propose?" Tabitha was guessing as Natalie wore an engagement ring and Rissa didn't.

"I did, Natalie had just started planning her proposal, and I beat her to it." A proud smile graced the blonde's features. "I hid the ring on that goof's collar. I did have to ask Natalie to look at his tags, though, as she missed it when putting on his leash."

"Congratulations, I want something like that one day." Tabitha smiled but finished to statement with a sigh. "I'll probably have to wait until that girl over there graduates."

"Don't do that. You just need to find the right man or woman." Rissa grinned.

"Guy, I tried girls back in college, but it's not for me." Tabi found herself confessing.

Tabitha's last date had been with Kirby before he left for Virginia. The heartache when he decided to go away had just been healing when Tabi's mom died. From there, her life had been a series of unspeakable tragedies. She doubted she could fully recover but refused to wallow in her sorrow. Her daughter needed a rock-solid foundation in her life. Dating seemed too frivolous to find space in her crowded work, school, and Clementine time.

"Don't wait too long, Tabi. Finding someone to share their life with you... It's amazing." Clarissa's eyes sparkled as she stared at her betrothed. The love between the pair was nearly palpable and stunning.

I want that. Though even some human contact would be great. Spending time with her old friends felt good, like a little of the woman before all the trauma got to bubble up in her psyche. They were always fun.

Tabi watched as Clementine used a squeaky ball to coax Chester up a climbing structure that looked like it should be used for canine agility training. Natalie was close by but was letting the little girl explore and play without being overly cautious. Tabitha struggled with giving Clem enough space for independence but keeping her safe. She knew that losing her mother and sister had much to do with her cautious attitude. Tab wanted to nurture her little girl's inquisitive mind without allowing her to do anything that would get her hurt or introduce unnecessary fear.

When Chester summited the structure, another dog zoomed into the scene and greeted the retriever from the opposite side. The white and orange colored dog didn't have much of a tail, but the little bob was wagging ferociously. The new arrival gave out a single taunting bark and grabbed the ball from where Clem had set it at the structure's apex. The pup squeaked the ball once before she leaped off the wooden triangle and took off in a sprint. Chester jumped after the new dog and his purloined toy. The pair ran off together and played a chase all around the enclosed area.

"Sandy!" A man started to chase the bob-tailed pup but gave up and watched for a moment. "Crazy little thief! Sorry, she gets a little wild off her leash."

"Jake?" Clarissa raised her voice and questioned, then moved toward the stranger. "Maybe they'll wear each other out!"

The man was tall and, while not quite chubby or muscley, had some bulk. He was attired in what looked to be winter running gear and had a great ass that perfectly filled out the tight pants. A maroon stocking cap and blue sunglasses accessorized a rugged but pale countenance. He had a strong chin and beefy arms.

"Natalie! Rissa! What are you two doing on this side of town?" The man evidently knew her pair of friends.

"Meeting up with an old friend. What are you doing over here? I thought you lived on the south side of the city." Rissa asked as she watched the two pups romp through the enclosed field.

"I bought a house two blocks from here. On Saturdays, I bring her to the park to socialize instead of dragging my pup on a run."

"WHY DOES YOUR PUPPY HAVE NO TAIL!" Clementine yelled out with a look of puzzlement and concern on her face.

Tabitha tried not to laugh at the outburst from her inquisitive child. She needn't encourage the lass to interrupt conversations. It was odd when her daughter waffled between brash and bashful in only a few minutes.

"She's a Brittany. They don't have long tails like the other puppy does." Jake explained to Clementine using a calm voice.

"Why don't you let Rissa and Jake talk for a minute, sweety?" Tabitha walked over and ruffled her daughter's hair a little. "Aunt Natalie has another squeaky ball for you to throw for Chester."

"OKAY!" The sometimes-mercurial little girl flounced over to Natalie.

"Sorry about that." Tabitha apologized to the handsome newcomer.

"Don't worry about it." He chuckled in reply. "I've had quite a bit of uncle experience from my nieces and nephews." The guy waved away the concern. "I'm Jake. I volunteer at the same clinic as Rissa." He waved with a bright white smile that made him even more attractive.