Becoming by Jourdyn Kelly

CASS’S OLD WORKtruck rumbled into the driveway behind Rebecca’s Mercedes. As usual, her heart did a little happy dance seeing that her girlfriend was home. Now if they could just get past this bump in the road. Cass was determined to put an end to it tonight. She wanted to be close with Rebecca again. And that didn’t just mean sex. Although, sex was always welcome. Always! She hopped out of the cab, ready to take off in a sprint to find her lover when she heard a car pulling into the driveway.

“Oh, crap.” Cass plastered a smile on her paint-stained face and jogged up to the car. “Mom, dad! Hey!” Cass opened the door for her mom, hugging her when she got out. “This is unexpected.”

“We figured we’d come visit you since you’re apparently too busy to come to the house.” Beverly Giles stood at least five inches shorter than her daughter, but there was no mistaking her authority. Her slightly graying, brown hair fell just past her shoulders, giving her an almost youthful look. The only trait that mother and daughter shared was blue eyes, and Cass only had one of those. The amber colored one she got from her dad.

Cass rolled her eyes. “You know, Mitch hardly ever comes home, and you don’t give him grief over it.”

“Your brother doesn’t live ten miles away,” her mother reminded her.

“Bev, leave our daughter alone. Hey, kid.” Russell Giles gave Cass a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. There was no mistaking that this was Cass’s father. She got her height and build from her father, even if he had let himself get a little soft around the edges the older he got.

“Dad. You know, if you’d called I could have tried to make it home earlier and been more prepared.”

Russ chuckled. “There wasn’t a chance in hell of that. Your mom caught wind of the fact that you might have a serious girlfriend. She didn’t want to give you the opportunity to talk us out of visiting.”

“This is why people hate lawyers,” Bev muttered.

“Because they tell the truth?” Cass asked cheekily.

“Is it true?” her mom asked in lieu of an answer. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Cass sighed. “I don’t know how the hell you guys know everything, but yes, I do.”

“I’m guessing that’s her fancy ride?” Russ nodded towards Rebecca’s car. “And, if her car is here with you just getting home, I’m guessing serious is the right word.”

“You should’ve been a detective,” Cass chuckled. “Come on. I’ll introduce you. Just try not to embarrass me or interrogate her too much.”

“You know your dad. Once a lawyer, always a lawyer.”

“I was talking to you, mom.” Cass unlocked the front door, hoping Rebecca wouldn’t be too upset with her springing the parents on her like this. Not that Cass had any control over it at the moment. She was relieved (and slightly disappointed) when Rebecca was nowhere to be seen as they walked in. On the one hand, she’d have a chance to give her a heads up. On the other, the emptiness of the room echoed the distance that was between them these days.

“Hmm, cleaner than usual. This girl must be a good influence on you,” Bev hip-checked her daughter. The truth was, she was hurt that Cass hadn’t come to her with the news. Her daughter was only twenty-five, but her brother was only a few years older and already married with children. The way Cass was playing the field, Bev didn’t think she’d ever see her young daughter settling down. She was curious as to what kind of woman could make that possible.

“Ha, ha. It’s funny because it’s true. She is a good…” If it had been possible to swallow her tongue, Cass would have. As it were, all thoughts melted from her brain, her mouth became dry—other places not so much—and she had a split second to think of anything that would keep her parents’ attention on her. She grabbed her mom and hugged her fiercely. “Missed you. Both of you! Get in here, dad.” She clumsily pulled her dad into the hug and held on tightly. Oh, my God!

Rebecca’s eyes widened. Oh, my God! She foolishly tried to cover her body before realizing that would not work. Since there was no graceful way of meeting Cassidy’s parents with a crotchless bustier and Mistress’s mask, she turned on her heel and ran back to the bedroom.

“So, yeah, um, I’m gonna just, um, go take a quick shower and wash this paint off of me. Then, we can, um, go to dinner. ’Kay?” Cass patted her mom’s shoulder and started towards the bedroom, trying not to run.

“Cass?”

Cass closed her eyes and stopped. Please don’t say you saw that. Please, please, please. “Hmm?”

“Is she here?”

“Oh, um, yeah. I mean her car is here, so she must be in the bedroom.” Almost naked and with her mask on. Holy shit. Is it too late to ask mom and dad for a rain check? “Be out in a jiffy!”

“That was weird,” Bev said to her husband who was smirking.

“Eh, if her young lady is indeed in the bedroom, it makes sense that Cass would want to have a little alone time.”

“Russ! Our daughter wouldn’t do that while we’re here! Would she?!”

Russ chuckled. “I meant, she would probably want to warn the girl that she was about to meet the parents. But, I like the way you think, dear.”

“OH, MY GOD!”Rebecca paced around the bedroom repeating the phrase over and over again. Could her luck be any worse? She came very close to exposing herself to Cassidy’s parents. You only get one first impression, and that would have been disastrous. She was fairly sure they didn’t see her, yet she was still embarrassed.

“Jesus, baby!” Cass locked the door, hurried to her girlfriend, and began kissing her.

“Cassidy.” Rebecca placed two fingers over Cassidy’s lips. “Your parents are out there.”

Cass groaned. “But you’re in here. In this!” Her eyes naturally gravitated to Rebecca’s tits that were spilling over the top of the bustier.

Rebecca used those same fingers to lift Cassidy’s chin. “Eyes up. Focus.”

“I am!” Cass’s eyes dipped again until Rebecca cleared her throat. “Come on, baby! It’s been forever since I’ve touched you!”

“Three days.”

“That’s what I said! Forever!”

Rebecca couldn’t help but chuckle at Cassidy. “Well, it’s going to be a little longer because you have guests.”

“We have guests,” Cass corrected. “Apparently, they know about you.” Rebecca’s eyebrows rose. “Technically, they only know that I have a girlfriend. I guess Rand told her mom who’s friends with my mom.”

“So, hiding in here isn’t an option?”

Cass frowned. “You don’t want to meet my parents?”

“It’s not that, baby. I guess I’m just a little embarrassed about almost getting caught like this.” Rebecca gestured to her scantily clad body.

“You definitely have nothing to be embarrassed about. Your body is rockin’.”

“I’m glad you think so, but I’m sure your parents would see things differently.”

Not my dad, Cass thought but decided not to voice. “They didn’t see you. But, I can’t get the gorgeous image out of my head. I could tell them…”

“No,” Rebecca laughed softly. “You need to get in the shower and wash this stuff off your cute face, and I need to get dressed.”

“Wait!” Cass grabbed Rebecca around the waist. “At least wear this under whatever you change into. Please? Then, maybe we can revisit what you had planned when we’re alone again?”

Rebecca nodded with a smile. “How should I dress?”

Cass grinned and shrugged. “Casual? Dad’s a meat and potatoes kinda guy, so I thought we could go to a steakhouse not far from here. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Now, go get in the shower.”

“Sure you don’t want to join me?”

Rebecca rolled her eyes and pushed Cassidy towards the bathroom.

“MOM, DAD?” CASSwalked towards her parents with her arm draped around Rebecca’s shoulders. “I’d like you to meet the woman I love. This is Rebecca Cuinn.”

With a critical eye, Bev Giles studied the woman that had ostensibly stolen her daughter’s heart. The elegant blonde certainly wasn’t what she had been expecting and she was pleasantly surprised with Cass’s choice. The couple was a striking contrast, yet somehow, they fit perfectly. Her daughter was tall, slim, muscular, and androgynous in her black jeans and light gray Henley. Cass’s smaller companion boasted sheer femininity in cream-colored slacks and matching blouse.

Rebecca held her delicate hand out to Cassidy’s mother. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Giles.” After a firm handshake, she turned to Russell. “Mr. Giles.”

“Russ, please. And this is Beverly or Bev. Now I can see why Cass has been so preoccupied,” Russ replied with a grin that was similar to his daughter’s.

“I should apologize for monopolizing Cassidy’s time.”

“No, you shouldn’t,” Cass interjected before her parents could respond. “That’s my fault, guys. We’ve sorta been in the ‘getting to know you’ stage.”

“They don’t need details, honey,” Rebecca said quietly.

“Rebecca is right, Cass.” Bev was still stunned that Cass allowed anyone to use her full name. From the time she could speak, Cass was forever telling people not to call her Cassidy. But this woman—not girl—called her Cassidy as though it was the most natural thing. And Cass never even blinked. “Your father and I know what it’s like to be in the beginning stages of a relationship.”

“Hell, yeah, we do.” Russ waggled his eyebrows rakishly and clapped his daughter on the back.

Cass put her hands over her ears and closed her eyes tightly. “Oh, geez.”

Rebecca laughed softly. She imagined her own parents would have been just like this with anyone she had brought home. It was a bittersweet moment knowing that would never be. Don’t get caught up in things you can’t change, Rebecca. She cleared her throat and took Cassidy’s hands away from her ears. Thankfully, that effectively stopped the “la, la, las” coming from the younger woman. “I wish I had known we would have company. I could have cooked.”

“Ah, well that would be our fault,” Bev confessed. “We decided to surprise Cass so she wouldn’t have a chance to hide you from us.”

“Hide Rebecca? Ha! Never!” Cass once again wrapped her arm around Rebecca, standing beside her proudly. “I was selfish, not ashamed. If she would allow me to, I’d buy commercial time during the Super Bowl announcing my love for Rebecca.”

Rebecca blushed. It was not an easy task, making someone who spent their time dominating others blush. Cassidy seemed to do it with ease. “Um, why don’t we head on out to the restaurant,” she squeezed Cassidy’s arm and gave her a little tug. “Cassidy is always hungry after a long day of painting.”

“Yeah,” Cass agreed immediately, sensing Rebecca’s uneasiness. “I’m starving. Steakhouse down the street, meet you guys there.”

“Right behind ya,” Russ announced, rubbing his slightly pooched belly.

CASS SAT CLOSEenough to Rebecca in the booth that their thighs touched. She was just glad that her girlfriend wasn’t upset with her for being so brazen about their relationship with her parents. Cass promised she would try to tone it down, but she couldn’t help being excited that the three most important people in her life have finally met.

Once they were settled in, drinks were delivered, and food ordered, Bev turned her attention to Rebecca. She wondered if there was a subtle way of asking her age. “So, Rebecca, you seem to be comfortable at Cass’s home. Does that mean you’re living together?”

“Mom.”

“What? It was a simple question, dear.”

“Not exactly,” Rebecca answered before any arguments could start. “I have my own place.”

“Not for long.” Geez, Cass, word vomit much? She shot Rebecca a repentant look.

Bev looked between the two. This woman seemed to hold some sort of authority over Cass. Another rarity. Cass practically made it her mission to defy authority. “Where did you two meet?”

Another look between the couple had both Bev and Russ intrigued.

“We, um, originally met at a club. During Rand’s bachelorette party,” Cass explained, obviously leaving out certain details. “But we just happened to run into each other again a few months ago.”

“Months?” Bev asked with raised brows. “Isn’t it a bit soon to be moving in together or talking about love?”

She shot her husband a “help me out here” look, but Russ opted to stay out of it. He accepted his daughter’s lifestyle, but that didn’t mean he completely understood it. It was ironic since he had no problems talking about girls with his son. Whether or not it made him a coward, he let Bev take the lead on this one. Besides, he liked Rebecca. He couldn’t deny his daughter had great taste in women.

Cass shook her head. “I don’t think anything I say is going to change your opinion, but no, it’s not too soon. When you know, you know. You used to always tell me that. Now, when I know, you’re going to question me?”

“I’m not trying to start an argument, Cass. I’m merely wondering how well you know each other. You’re so young.” Bev’s eyes cut to Rebecca. She still couldn’t quite put an age to the svelte blonde and that nagged at her. “You do know that Cass is a painter?”

“Oh, here we go,” Cass muttered moodily.

Rebecca nudged Cassidy’s leg with hers, hoping to keep her calm. “I, indeed, know that Cassidy is an artist. A very talented one.”

Bev agreed that her daughter was talented. She just thought Cass was wasting her time doing murals here and there. Bev would never understand why Cass didn’t become a lawyer like her father. She certainly had the intelligence. “Of course, she is. But her time would be better spent doing something a little more significant.”

Rebecca tilted her head. “I would say it’s pretty significant that one of the most prestigious galleries in the country will be showing Cassidy’s work in their grand opening.”

“Don’t bother, Rebecca. I told you, they’re not really interested…”

“Now, wait just a minute, young lady,” Russ interjected. “What’s this about? You’re going to be in a gallery? I thought you were just painting murals and houses?”

Cass shrugged. “I was. Rebecca saw something more and called a friend to take a look at my work.”

“This is your doing?” Russ asked Rebecca.

“No, it’s Cassidy’s. Contacts only go so far, Mr. Giles. Sumptor Galleries would not risk its reputation on someone they don’t believe in.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Bev asked, clearly upset. “We may not understand your career choice, but we’ve always been supportive.”

“I—I was going to, mom. The opening is still months away and I’ve been busy working on the canvases.”

“Well, I expect an invitation to my only daughter’s showing.” Bev reached over and took Cass’s hand. “I should tell you this more often, but I’m proud of you.” She looked over at Rebecca. “And thank you for any role you played in this.”

Rebecca smiled. “All I did was make a call.”

“Tell me a little more about yourself,” Bev suggested, patting Cass’s hand before letting it go. “A woman with your contacts must have a story. Are you in the art business yourself?”

Rebecca laughed softly. “Not quite. I’m a business consultant. Eve Sumptor happens to be a friend and client, but I don’t specialize in art.”

Conversation was momentarily interrupted as their food was delivered. Unmindful of how her actions looked to their company, Rebecca automatically transferred the green vegetables from Cassidy’s plate to hers and the mushrooms from her plate to Cassidy’s.

“Try the squash, baby,” she murmured lightly.

“’Kay.”

Russ quietly watched the exchange between the two. As did his wife. This woman had changed their daughter. Fortunately, it seemed to be for the better and Russ’s respect for the small woman increased.

“Do you have a specialty, Rebecca?” Russ asked around a mouthful of steak.

“Hmm?” Rebecca had been too preoccupied with her and Cassidy’s ritual that she was a bit lost in the conversation.

“Your specialty in business. Do you have one?”

Yeah, she does, Cassidy thought rakishly.

“Oh,” Rebecca chuckled. “No specialty. I’m very good at what I do, so it doesn’t matter what business I’m working with. I’m sorry if that sounds arrogant, but I’ve worked very hard to get to where I am.”

“I love a confident woman.” Bev laughed when Cass wholeheartedly agreed that she did too. “Did you go to school around here?”

“Yes, I went to Berkeley.”

“Oh! Cass’s brother Mitch went to Berkeley. Class of 2013. Perhaps you’ve crossed paths?”

Well, shit.Rebecca laughed uncomfortably. I suppose they’ll find out eventually. “No,” she cleared her throat. “I graduated a few years earlier than that.”

“What year? Maybe he was coming in as you were graduating?”

“Mom, stop.”

“It’s okay, Cassidy. First of all, I was in business school, not law, so we would have been in separate buildings. Second, I graduated in ’97.”

Bev looked up sharply, swallowing hard to avoid choking. “Nine…”

“Bev, let it go.” It took Russ a few seconds to catch up with the math, but suffice it to say, Miss Rebecca Cuinn was quite older than Cass.

“You’re…”

“I’m forty-one,” Rebecca said matter-of-factly.

“Before this goes any further,” Cass began. “I want you both to know that I was very aware of everything when I asked Rebecca to be with me. We both went into this with our eyes wide open. Please don’t judge us.”

Bev took a breath. “I’m not judging, Cass. But how much can you two have in common besides sex.” She whispered the last word, then looked around to make sure she wasn’t heard by anyone else.

“We have quite a lot in common,” Rebecca offered, trying not to laugh at the situation. Her choices were to either laugh, cry, get angry, or explain the situation. Aunt Wills would be proud that she chose the latter. “We talk, Mrs. Giles. A great deal. Believe me, I had my reservations. I made all of the arguments I’m sure you’re making in your mind.” She took Cassidy’s hand. “Your daughter is very persuasive. And, as long as she doesn’t have a problem with the age difference, I won’t either.”

“I can understand that,” Bev said amicably. “I’m sure she’s told you that I’m older than her father. But those were different times and we made sure that all of our hopes and dreams coincided with one another’s before we took that leap.”

“How pragmatic.” Rebecca held up a hand. “I apologize for that. Mrs. Giles, Beverly, I deal with business every day of my life. Past relationships have all been about business.” She looked at Cassidy lovingly. “With Cassidy, it’s not about that. It’s about the feelings. She’s taught me how to let go of the fear and follow my heart.”

Cass grinned at her lover. Not many people had the guts to put Beverly Giles in her place. Rebecca did it with grace and respect. Plus, everything she just said made Cass fall in love even more.

“That’s sweet. I want to be happy for you both.”

“So, let’s be,” Russ cut in. “Rebecca is good for Cass. Anyone with eyes can see that. Let’s be grateful she found someone that ticks all the right boxes. Intelligence, beauty, success, the ability to keep our kid in line.” He ducked when Cass threw a piece of squash at him.

Bev didn’t laugh. “What happens if she wants someone younger? Someone more her age at some point?”

“Never gonna happen,” Cass answered confidently.

“I won’t hold Cassidy back,” Rebecca answered Bev unwaveringly. “I’ve thought of all of the scenarios and have come to terms with them.”

“What about children? Don’t you think you’re a little too old to carry a child to term safely? How will that affect the relationship?”

Rebecca faltered. That was one scenario she hadn’t thought of. Cassidy had never mentioned children and Rebecca had resigned herself years ago to never having them.

Cass noticed Rebecca’s hesitation. Though she was extremely curious to find out what she thought of having kids, they would do that in a more private setting. “Mom, please stop. I’m not a kid. Rebecca and I are grown adults who can make decisions on our own. I’m happy, ma. Really, really happy.”

Bev considered her options. Only one would keep everyone at this table from being mad at her. So, she took it. It wasn’t a difficult decision since she actually liked the feisty woman sitting across from her. With that in mind, she smiled and raised her glass. “Welcome to the family, Rebecca.”