Falling Harder Than The Snow

With a surplus of time, Blake confessed about the novel she was writing and the main character based on Ori. "I was debating telling you or waiting until I was published to give you this." Blake handed a tiny envelope from her jacket pocket to Ori. "This was going to be in the dedication. I think I'll have to change it a little now." She'd carried it with her for a while, waiting for the right time to show it to her bard.

Ori rotated the envelope in her hand. It had yellowed since Blake had written it and sealed it with their GM's wax seal. "'To the woman that long ago stole my heart and inspired our loveable bard. We may not walk our path together, but you will always own my heart, Orianna.' Holy shit..." Ori was flabbergasted as a tear rolled from her eye. "That's beautiful, Blake." She ducked over the console and planted a kiss on Blake's cheek.

"Just wait until you read the novel. I've yet to catch on with a publisher." Blake tried to deflect the comment. She loved the sentiment but had been disappointed by a myriad of submissions.

"You were always a great writer." Ori grinned.

"Having even better inspiration might make revisions easier." Blake smiled. "Almost at our journey's end. Any more confessions?"

"I love you?"

"That's not a secret."

"Nope, but I plan on saying it as often as possible."

"And I plan on showing you every day."

When they arrived, Casey and Tyler's new SUV was in the prime driveway space. They must have had a more leisurely trip from Eastern Oregon, where his parents now lived. It barely looked like the bright red paint had gotten dirty on the trip. Blake still couldn't believe the pair had saved all their vacation to drive from Chicago to Oregon and back to Wyoming. We're flying next time my parents host Christmas. Blake thought as she put her car in park on the street. Then again, Artie's coffee and that hotel are amazing.

"Come on, Ori. Let's go do this. Unless you want to wait."

"Nope. I'm yours, Blake. Especially if you do that one thing with your tongue on my jewelry again." Ori giggled as she threw Blake off her game.

"We'll have to wait until we head home if you scream like you did." Blake shrugged, not letting Orianna succeed in flustering her.

"I can be quieter with the proper motivation." Orianna winked and then grinned lecherously.

The pair climbed up the front porch and took a deep breath before Blake let Ori ring the doorbell. If she wanted to wait, Blake would let her. The brilliant woman didn't waver at all as she pressed the button.

Casey and Tyler were the ones to answer. "Does this mean?" Casey grinned spectacularly.

"Yeah, Ori and I—"

"It's about fucking time!" Casey didn't let Blake finish her sentence before she came in for a hug to Ori and then Blake. "Easily the second-best piece of news this season!"

"Second best?"

"Yeah. Tyler put a baby in me." Casey grinned as Tyler blushed at her phrasing. "Come on, let's blow Mom and Dad's minds together."

"You haven't told them yet?"

"Nope, I wanted to wait until my baby sister got here, and I had a good feeling that you would have your own news."

"It just happened a couple days ago."

"Nah, it's been happening for a while. You two finally admitted it." Tyler chimed in.

"What my hubby said. Glad you two are finally scissoring." Casey giggled indecently.

"Again, I'm worried about what Tyler knows about oral sex if all you think we can do is scissor." Blake didn't let Casey win.

"We did try that once, but we have other favorites." Ori smiled; she would be an excellent reinforcement for her love.

"Oh great, now there's two of you." Casey rolled her eyes as she laughed. "Come on, time to spread some Christmas cheer!"

Orianna -- Two years later

"You really need to put on clothes, my dear." Blake smacked Ori's bare bottom as she stole a kiss and sped by. "Not that I mind at all, but people will be here any minute!"

"Sorry, Mom called before I could get in the shower. She's coming in June!" Ori did a happy spin out of her woman's arms before clutching her newly adorned left hand and spinning back into her embrace. "She wants to be here for our wedding!"

It had taken six months for her mother to reach out after the trial, but she wanted a relationship with her daughter again. Ori didn't think her mom understood Orianna marrying a woman. However, she was going to support her daughter.

"Really! That's amazing!" Blake kissed her again. Her perfect blonde dream woman had said yes to the most critical question in Orianna's life two weeks ago. "The venue is available that weekend!"

They wanted to get married in the little mountain town where they had finally stopped dancing around each other. Getting married in the winter would have been ideal, but getting family into town in the unpredictable snowy season was probably too challenging to consider. They didn't need Mr. Calvin getting in too much of a workout helping get wayward travelers into town. He had enough to do during Christmas.

The sleepy mountain village was much busier when Blake and Ori spent a week there last summer, but no less fun.

"Too bad we don't have time to celebrate again." Ori pinched Blake's ass through her festive dress.

"There are some negatives to hosting this year. It'll be days until you can wear your best outfit around the house again." Blake smiled and then kissed her.

Orianna's home nudity was getting decidedly less contained to nights and before breakfast. Blake only joined her in their bedroom but didn't seem to mind a naked Ori roaming their house. Getting rewarded with impromptu sex around the house helped reinforce Ori's naked habits.

The doorbell chime interrupted the moment and sent Orianna speeding toward the shower. "My dress is still in the drier!" Ori peeked out the door of the master bath. Her naked roaming was only for Blake's eyes.

"I'll grab it for you after I let in Casey, Tyler, and the munchkin." Blake had her phone out, checking who was at the door. "It'll give me a chance to steal another look at soapy Ori."

"Too bad we can't get her together with soapy Blake." Ori winked before she closed the door.

Most of the family was already there when she got out of the shower. Lidia tolerated a Christmas sweater and a pair of fake antlers atop her head. Steele looked like he was giggling at his adopted sister from the top of his cat perch. Liddy would get the last laugh when she got to go with her two moms to the party at the center of town.

As the tree lighting was so close to Christmas this year, it wasn't just Blake's family that had arrived in the short window Ori was in the shower. Mitchell was present with his girlfriend, and Blake had a friendly wager with Orianna that she would be his wife someday. Gwen was a fellow teacher and a great compliment to Mitchell's personality. It also helped that she was a smoking hot brunette.

Tess and Avery were also showing off new rings, but it was a pair of them as they had eloped a month ago. Avery had a complicated relationship with marriage but didn't want to go any longer without her life being fully tethered to Tess. Her wife brought her camera and was busy taking candid shots of the party that would undoubtedly be Christmas gifts in their inboxes soon. Tess was an incredible photographer.

"Ori! Nice to see you, my future daughter." Mrs. Tensley came in for a hug. "I knew she'd say yes."

Mr. Tensley gave her a proud nod and raised his mug of cider in a cheer from across the kitchen. He was a man of few words but fierce loyalty and convictions.

"Casey's telling me it isn't the only good news out of you two." Mrs. Tensley continued as Blake handed Ori her own mug of cider.

"Someone got a promotion." Blake grinned proudly.

"I don't think that's what Casey was referring to." Ori shook her head. Becoming a project manager who still got to code was a big deal, but it was nothing compared to Blake's big announcement.

"Your fiancée's right, little one." Mrs. Tensley nodded. The name was ironic now, as Blake was a few inches taller than her mom. Ori hadn't. "Don't get me wrong, that's huge news, and we're very proud of her, but that wasn't what Casey bragged about."

Blake blushed most adorably. "A publisher picked up my novel. The first three in the series, actually."

"What!" Tess looked shocked as a smile formed. "Finally, I can't be the only one published in this group." Her photography was good enough to be published in a few coffee table books under her name and a pseudonym for markedly racier fare that Avery had let Ori and Blake in on.

"Congratulations, sis!" Casey's smile became a smirk. "Too bad I gotta upstage you again."

"How?"

"Well, my hubby is going to have his name on a corner office soon, and Tyler and I are going to have another baby!"

The group shared more good news as the assembly made Christmas cookies together before going to the tree lighting. Ori wouldn't lose the smile anytime soon as Grandma Cassie's house again came alive for the winter holiday. This was where she belonged, connecting to so many good memories and fantastic people.

Blake pulled her aside in a small moment as they got coats to go to the tree lighting. "Merry Christmas, babe." The love of her life pulled her into a swift but endearing kiss. Those quiet personal moments made her holidays even better; with Blake, it was only getting started.