Come As You Are (An Anne With An E/Sebastian 'Bash' Lacroix Fanfic)

32. Moving

I woke up to the bed shifting. Reaching out, my fingers brushed Bash's back as he got up. He kissed me briefly before leaving my side. I laid in bed for a few more minutes as Bash got dressed. I waited until he left before getting up to pick out my clothes for the day.

Within the hour, I was downstairs getting breakfast ready with the help of Eleanora and Bash. Anne and Gilbert were late to the meal, their hair probably a mess from the previous night's events. I had left them plates though their food was most likely cold.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked knowingly.

"Well," Gilbert answered. "What about you, Anne?"

Anne seemed flustered. "Good as well. I couldn't have slept better."

"Careful not to go into too much detail," I teased. "There's a child in the room."

Gilbert kicked me under the table and I responded by throwing a napkin at him. It ended in laughter and grins. Breakfast was finished quickly. Gilbert had to run to his office in town. He had a few things to do before the end of the day. Anne had to return to the Cuthbert's to pick up some of the things that she had left there. I was thinking of joining her just to get out of the house and get some fresh air. Eleanora could go with us. She loved the Cuthbert's, especially Matthew. He treated my little girl like a grandfather would a granddaughter. Bash had told me that when Eleanora was a little baby, he showed her the farm animals around the Cuthbert's farm. It was adorable.

So when the time came, I dressed Eleanora up and walked out the door with her and Anne. One handheld Eleanora while my other arm was tucked into Anne's. We talked as we walked, enjoying the summer weather. We arrived at the Cuthbert's house within the hour. Eleanora ran off to wander around while I walked upstairs with Anne. I helped her pack her stuff and carry everything downstairs.

We left the stuff in the parlor and joined Marilla in the kitchen. Matthew was outside with Eleanora, most likely playing with her. Jerry was in the barn helping with chores. While we were in the kitchen, we chatted with Marilla. She was happy with the company, telling us any news that we hadn't heard from the night before. We talked for a while before Eleanora came in with Jerry.

"Bonjour, Jerry," I greeted. "Comment allez-vous?" (Hello, Jerry. How are you?)

Jerry chuckled. "Bien. Et vous?" (Good. And you?)

I smiled. "Bien. Comment va votre famille?" (Well. How is your family?)

"Ils vont bien ainsi que," Jerry replied. "Et vous?" (They are fine as well. And you?)

I reached for Eleanora, pulling her close. "Eleanora et Bash va bien. Merci d'avoir amené Eleanora à l'intérieur," I responded. (Eleanora and Bash are well. Thank you for bringing Eleanora inside.)

"Ce n'est rien," Jerry said. He switched to English. "I'm done with my chores, Marilla. Is there anything else you need help with?" (It's nothing.)

"No thank you," Marilla said. "You are good to go home early today if Matthew has nothing else for you."

"Merci, Marilla," Jerry said, leaving the house.

Eleanora tugged on my skirt, tapping on my leg. "I want to go home, Mommy."

I tapped her shoulder. "I know. We'll leave soon."

We talked for a bit longer before heading home. It was getting late and I didn't want to hold Marilla up from any chores. I held Eleanora's hand as we walked down the room, wanting to keep her by my side. I didn't want her to run off and not be able to hear Anne or I. She did a good job of staying next to me.

I let go of Eleanora's hand as soon as we got to our property. I trusted that she knew her way around and wouldn't get lost. I still held onto Anne's arm so I wouldn't go the wrong way or trip. We chatted as adults would, sharing gossip and laughing at any jokes that were shared. Anne was one of my closest friends and I loved her a lot. She was the one that I went to if I needed anything. It was certainly helpful that she lived in the same house as I did.

Bash greeted us when we walked in, helping me take off my jacket before kissing me on my cheek. He asked how the Cuthberts were and helped us carry Anne's things into her room. Once that was finished, Bash and I went into our room to have a private moment. We sat on the bed, sitting close together while holding hands. We talked about what the future held, like the topic of adopting another child close to Eleanora's age and the expansion of the farm. Bash and Gilbert wanted to add another lodge to the property. They were still deciding who would live in that house. Both Gilbert and I had grown up in the farmhouse and we both had claims on it. But I had a child and possibly another coming.

Anne and Gilbert didn't have children, so they could move into the other house, but they could be having children in the coming months. There was the possibility of making it a two-bedroom house so there was more room for the growing family. But there was a problem with how to fund the building of it. It was still under discussion and I wanted to be in it. It was my family's property and I needed to know everything that was going on. I wanted a choice to be there and not on the sidelines. That was not who I was and not who I was going to raise Eleanora to be.

At dinner, we talked more about anything important. Eleanora asked a few questions about what was going to happen. She was curious but from what Bash whispered to me, she looked worried. She had no tone to convey but her face said everything to everyone else. She was worried that we wouldn't be there for her if we adopted a child.

"Tell her that we love her and we will always love her," I said. "That's not going to change."

"We made sure of it," Gilbert replied. "She doesn't want to be pushed aside because there will be a lot of changes in the near future."

"Thank you," I said. "I hate that I can't talk to her the way you can."

A small hand took my hand and a little voice spoke. "It's okay, Mommy. I know that you love me and that's important."

The way she said important was so adorable that I had to pull her into a hug. Not only because she was such an adorable child but because she already knew that I loved her. She knew that even with the barrier, we could still communicate. Already so smart for such a young age. She was going to be a genius when she grew up. And she was my daughter.