#gfts

Melissa had a tough day at Abbott and you wanted to make her feel as comfortable as you could when she got back home. Deciding on making one of her favorite dishes, pesto fettuccine.

When you picked Lila up from school you stopped by the supermarket to buy all the missing products and her favorite bakery for pistachio cannoli from Tony’s.

“What are you cooking Mommy?” Lila asked when you stepped into the house.

“Aunty Mel had a really tough day today, so I thought I will make her favorite. The pasta she has been cooking for you lately, you remember?”

“Yummy! I want to help you! Can I?” Lila asked excitedly.

“Of course sweetheart, go change your clothes and come back.”

Lila quickly run to her room as you started preparing ingredients. As you chopped the garlic and nuts Lila washed the basil leaves. She was great at following the recipe, carefully measuring out the ingredients, and mixing them in the bowl.

“Mommy, how do they make these so long?” Lila asked looking at the cooking pasta.

“They mix up a special kind of flour and water, and then they take the dough and stretch it to make it super long. Melissa can do them perfectly, maybe you can ask her to teach you one day.”

“She is so cool, Mommy!” Lila said amazed.

“Yeah, I know, she is the coolest!” You said kissing Lila on the head.

As you were mixing sauce and pasta together, Melissa pulled into the driveway. You sent Lila to distract her for a minute as you quickly set up the table. You wanted everything to be done when she reaches the kitchen.

As Melissa walked into the kitchen with your daughter, the smell of the pesto fettuccine filled the air. She looked tired, but a smile spread across her face as she saw the table set and Lila's artfully arranged flowers in a vase. “You two are the best,” she said greeting you with a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“You deserve only the best, darling.” You said kissing her back and pulling the chair for her.

Just as you were about to take a bite of the dish, Lila looked up at Melissa with a soft gaze and said, “Mom, can you pass the grated cheese, please? I mean-” Lila paused and looked at you with shock written all over her face.

Time seemed to pause for a moment. You saw fear on Melissa’s face but also happiness. You never talked about this before so you didn’t know how will she react. She worked with kids so obviously some of them accidentally called her “mom” but this was something bigger. Lila felt so comfortable being in Melissa's presence that she thought about her as a parental figure. Your heart swelled at that.

Melissa reached for the cheese, her hand slightly trembling, but her smile radiated pure joy. “Of course, sweetheart,” she replied, handing Lila the cheese with tenderness.

“Thank you, and um sorry,” Lila said looking down at her plate. “It just came out, I wasn’t thinking.”

Melissa smiled gently, “Lila, sweetie, no need to apologize. You can call me whatever you feel comfortable with.” Lila looked up from her plate, her eyes going back and forth from Melissa to you. You gave her a slight nod, telling her to go for it. She smiled shyly and looked at Melissa, “Thank you, Mom.”

Lila continued with her meal, unaware of the impact of her words. But Melissa's heart swelled with love, and a newfound sense of belonging. She couldn't help but feel her eyes tearing up. Lila wanted to call her “mom” and you were perfectly fine with it. She reached and squeezed your hand, giving you a silent thank you.

After dinner, Lila helped you clean up the kitchen while Melissa relaxed on the sofa. She looked so content and happy, and you knew that your efforts had paid off. As you were putting away the dishes, you heard Lila and Melissa talking.

“Mommy said you can do the pasta yourself, is that true?” she asked, looking up at her with big, hopeful eyes.

Melissa smiled at her. “Of course, I can, sweetie. What Italian would I be if I couldn’t.”

Lila’s face lit up with excitement. “Could you teach me how to do it? Please.”

“Of course sweetheart, I’ll teach you how to make the pasta from scratch.”

“You are so cool, Mom! I hope I will be as cool as you when I grow up!” Lila said excitedly as Melissa laughed, “You are way cooler than me, sweetie, you have that from your Mommy.”

As you listened to their conversation, you couldn't help but feel grateful for the love that now surrounded your family. When you got to the living room you saw your daughter bouncing with excitement at the thought of her upcoming pasta-making lessons with Melissa.

“Thank you for today, for being so good to her. I really appreciated it. I don’t know what I would do without you, darling.” You said quietly to Melissa when Lila was entranced with her cartoon.

“You don’t need to thank me and to be honest I’m the one who should be thankful. You trusted me enough to let me into your small world, trust me with your daughter. So thank you for making my wish come true. Thank you for giving me family.” Melissa smiled and kissed you gently, transferring all her love and gratitude. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You and Melissa were dating for 6 months and the time came for her to meet your daughter.

You two talked about Lila multiple times, Melissa always asking about her and being excited to hear all about the progress she has been making.

Nevertheless, it was scary to introduce your new partner to Lila. After your breakup with her father, you didn't want to bring someone new into Lila's life, someone that may not stick around. You were scared that it not only will take a toll on you but also on her little heart.

Jack, your ex, wasn’t a bad man. You two were young and in love when Lila came into the world. The first couple of months were wonderful, you made a great team but when Lila turned one year old everything changed. Every conversation ended in an argument. The arguments at first harmless turned into hurtful words that shouldn’t be said.

You tried to make it work, but Jack just couldn't handle the responsibilities of being a parent. You were left to do everything on your own, and it was exhausting. You made the difficult decision to end things with Jack, but it was the best choice for you and Lila.

And now with Melissa, everything was good, very good. She was everything that Jack wasn’t.

When you first met, you instantly clicked. Talking for hours at the bar and exchanging numbers at the end. In the span of the last year, there wasn’t a day when you two didn’t talk or see each other.

You felt understood and at ease with her. She always knew what to say and do. And that’s why you decided to take the next step, introducing her to your daughter.

You talked with Lila about you having another partner, explaining that you are now seeing a woman and overall preparing her for the meeting.

And when the day came you were nervous as ever. Walking through the apartment searching for something to place differently. Stressing about how the interactions will go.

And then the buzzer went off. Here we go.

You opened the door to see Melissa with a panda stuffie in one hand and a bag with food in the other. Just seeing her calmed your nerves, she was something else.

“Hiya hon.” She said giving you a kiss on the cheek and handing you the bag.

“Hi babe, come on in. Lila is waiting for us in the living room.” You waited for her to take off her jacket and lead her to the room.

Lila was sitting on the carpet playing with her toys. She looked up when she heard you coming in.

“Lila, this is Melissa, the lady I have been telling you about. Melissa this is Lila, my daughter.” You introduced them to each other.

Melissa stepped closer to Lila and kneeled. “Hey sweetheart, it’s really nice to meet you officially. Your mommy told me so many good things about you.” Melissa said with a soft smile on her face. “She also told me that you love pandas, so I brought you this one, what do you think?” Melissa showed Lila the stuffie.

“Oh, thank you so much, Miss! I love him.” Lila said a little shy and took the gift. “I will call him, hmmm, Henry! Yes, Mommy! Meet Henry!” Lila said enthusiastically showing you her new toy.

“You don’t need to call me Miss, sweetheart, you can call me by my name or Aunt. Whichever you prefer.” Lila nodded sending her a smile.

“Okay! Mommy, can I show Aunty Melissa my toys? Please, please!”

“Maybe after dinner? What do you think? Melissa needs to have the energy for all of your toys.” You said gently nudging your girlfriend as she stood next to you.

“Oh yes! I’m starving here, let's go have dinner. Come on sweetheart!” Melissa said going to the kitchen to unpack the food she brought with her.

You wanted to follow her but Lila stopped you and signaled you to bend over to her height.

“Mommy he is sooo pretty! And she gave me Henry! I think I like her!” Lila almost whispered it to your ear. But in her excitement, her voice grew louder.

“Yeah, I know she is the prettiest girl I have ever met. Of course after you my little troublemaker!” Glancing at Melissa you knew she heard that, the soft smile graced her blushed face.

Dinner was filled with laughter and funny stories, and Melissa managed to impress Lila with her silly voices and jokes. You felt relieved and happy that your girlfriend and daughter were getting along so well.

After dinner, Lila showed Melissa all of her toys, and Melissa was genuinely interested and engaged with her. Lila adores her, and you can see how much your girlfriend cares for her in return.

As you watch them play and laugh together, you felt grateful that your partner is able to connect with your child so effortlessly. You realize that she's not just someone you're dating - she's someone you can see building a future with.

Melissa was in a good mood when she agreed to that dinner at her place. Now she was regretting.

They all sat in the kitchen waiting for her to finish cooking because of course she declined any sort of help. The music was playing, and conversations about the kids of Abbott were heard in the background as she contemplated what she did.

The ring of her phone startled everyone.

“Hey, what’s up?” She answered and the group of teachers lowered their conversations.

“I’m at home, oh yeah Abbott staff is here, why?” They observed her but her face was stoic as always. “Yeah, sure you can bring her. I don’t mind if you don’t. But you will have to meet them, you know that?” She laughed and the others were curious what was going on. Janine and Jacob look at each other and mouth some ideas. Only Barbara sat with a knowing smile, is there a thing that she didn’t know?

“Okay, I’m waiting. The door is open so just walk in. Yeah, I know, take your time, hon.” And with that the conversation was over, Melissa turned around and all eyes were on her.

“What? Something bothering you?” She barked at them.

“Is someone coming?” Janine asked shyly, she doesn’t want to be on Melissa's bad side, no one wanted to be, but she is too curious for her own good.

“Yeah, so be on your best behavior.” And with that, she went back to cooking.

Some time passed, and conversations started again but everyone had the same question in their mind, besides Barbara of course.

The door opened and instantly they heard. “Aunty? Aunty Mel?” And then someone was running in the direction of the kitchen. Someone really little.

A girl ran into the kitchen and straight to Melissa who picked her up.

“Hiya sweetheart, what was that tantrum I heard about? You missed me that much or maybe your mommy did?” Melissa asked her in the sweetest voice. The girl laughed when the redhead tickled her side.

“Mommy did. I just came with her here.” The girl said with a smile, hiding in Melissa's neck.

“Yeah, sure, put a blame on me, you little minx.” A feminine voice called from the corridor following that a tall woman walked into the kitchen. She smiled at the staff and side-hugged Barbara. She went to stand near Melissa, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. “I was the one who cried because she couldn’t see Aunty Mel for another hour or so, yes baby?” The little girl raised her head from Melissa’s shoulder and send her mother a glare that was a cuter version of Melissa's. “She is learning that from you, the Schemmenti’s glare.”

“Guys, this is Y/N and that little troublemaker is Lila. Hope you don’t mind a little company.” Melissa tells the others and starts making conversation with Lila. You stand there and just can’t help but melt a little watching how Melissa is handling your kid.

“Y/N, come here, we have a lot to catch up on.” Barbara calls, startling you, and offers you a glass of wine.

But before you can start talking Janine comes up to you. “Hi, I’m Janine, and this is Jacob, nice to meet you. And your daughter, she is really cute! She and Melissa have so good bond, I love it!” Janine rambles and you are smiling at her.

“Yeah, that’s true. Melissa is truly amazing with her, although she can be a handful sometimes and I’m not talking about my daughter this time.” You laugh when you hear Melissa’s grunt of disapproval.

“That is so nice to see that families keep in close contact.” Janine says and you look at her not really understanding, she doesn’t know? You look at Melissa, and she is already looking back with a smirk on her face. She left you with the explanation that you are indeed not sisters or cousins. You shoot her a glare and look at Barbara who can’t stop smiling obviously knowing what's, about to happen.

“I really love to see that sisterhood you both have, it’s truly unique.” Janine still keeps rambling and you don’t know when to stop her.

“You need to stop Janine before you embarrass yourself further.” Barbara said laughing quietly. “They are not a family.”

Janine’s face falls a little but then she is smiling again. “Oh, no no I’m sorry for assuming that right away. But friendship is also really strong even stronger than families.” And then Barbara loses it, she openly laughs. And you are with her, everyone looks at you, some faces full of confusion and others with smiles.

“Oh my dear Lord, Janine. I haven’t laughed that hard since I came back from my cruise, thank you.” Barbara said, face full of amazement. Janine looked puzzled.

Melissa and your daughter are looking at you sharing smiles, happy to see you this carefree. You and Barbara can’t stop laughing for a solid minute. When you lock a gaze with her the next fit of giggles starts, just the thought of you and Melissa as sisters is hilarious.

“I’m sorry Janine, I’m not laughing at you, I promise. It’s just the thought of me and that one as sisters it's cracking me up.”

“What?” That's all Janine can say.

“Oh, as you know Melissa has a guy for everything, she even has a guy for telling everyone that she is in a relationship. And that guy is me.” You said with a big smile on your face watching Janine's’ face change fast from confusion to shock.

“Oh. OH. You two? Oh wow. You need to tell me more.” She said to you quickly.

“No, you don't need to tell her more!” Melissa says cutting the other teacher short. And you just laugh.

“Yeah, she does. How long are you dating? How did you meet? Who took the first step? Where was your first date?” Jacob asked quickly, coming up with one question after another.

“Okay, okay. Slow down. I won't remember your questions. But from the start. About a year. At a bar when Lila was at her grandparents and the Flyers played. Me.” You answered.

“Hey! That's not true! I took the first step!” Melissa shouted from the kitchen where she and Lila were finishing dinner.

“Sure. Then tell me who bought you another round of beer? And send you a little note with it? Maybe the old grandpa who was eyeing you? Hm?”

She just stuck her tongue at you and didn't say anything.

“Yeah, that's what I thought!” You laughed. “Um, date? You can say that was the first because we spent a couple of hours talking. But the official one, the Farmers Market? Right, Mel?” You asked your girlfriend.

“Yeah, that's right.” Melissa confirmed. “It was a beautiful day, and we strolled around the market, buying different foods and talking to vendors. It was really fun and relaxing.” She answered setting the food on the table, your daughter never leaving her side.

Lila loved being in Melissa's house, overall being with her. That brings so much joy to you, seeing them both content with each other. You smiled at the thought of how happy Lila was with Melissa. It made your heart swell with joy to see her so content and happy. You were grateful for the time you got to yourself, but even more grateful for the love and care Melissa gave to your daughter. It was a beautiful thing to witness and you felt incredibly lucky to have them both in your life.

The dinner went smoothly, some more questions about your relationship were answered, and some were cut short by Melissa. But overall it went really great. You and the staff of Abbott started to create a great bond, Lila felt comfortable with her new aunt and uncle as she called them.

After dinner, you helped Melissa clean up while Lila took the others to the living room to show the toys that she brought with her.

“You know you don’t need to clean all of this. I can take care of it.” Melissa said as you wiped the plates.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.’ You said. ‘Mel? Thank you.’ You said turning to look at her.

“No problem hon, but for what?” She asked, clearly confused.

“For including me in your life. For including me and Lila. It really means so much to me, knowing you are comfortable enough to introduce me to your friends. Thank you.”

Melissa smiled at you, putting down the dish she was cleaning. “Of course, you and Lila are important to me. I want to include you both in my life as much as possible. You know that.” She said, coming over to give you a quick kiss.

You grabbed her by her shirt to deepen the kiss, wanting to transfer all your love for her.

“I love you, Schemmenti.” You said smiling against her lips and stealing another kiss on her nose.

Then Lila came running over to the both of you, jumping into the hug. “Group hug!” She exclaimed, giggling. You all laughed and embraced each other.

The others stood in the kitchen doorway not wanting to interrupt your moment. Janine snapped a quick picture, but she didn’t turn off the volume of her phone.

“Delete that.” Melissa said glaring at her.

“No, first send me the picture then delete.” You said.

“I will, I will. We should be going, so we wanted to say goodbye.” Janine said.

You exchanged quick goodbyes with everyone, promising to see them sometime in the future.

After that, you took Lila upstairs and tucked her into bed. Melissa offered to help, but you insisted she relaxes and starts some movie in the living room.

You settled down on the couch together, snuggled up under a blanket. Content with how the dinner went. Proud of Melissa for opening up and overall happy.

As the credits rolled, Melissa turned to you and said, “I love you.”

“I love you more.” You replied.