Chapter Text
Andy had picked the ring up on their road trip. She had loved the Peak district, loved the way they had been able to wander through the expansive countryside hand in hand, their focus entirely on each other and without the threat of either of their phones ringing. It was their first holiday together. Miranda had offered so many exotic places, but Andy had asked to be taken to the UK. To visit the places that held any happiness for Miranda from her childhood, to make more happy memories in the country where her partner had been born. Andy had been shown parts of London she doubted many tourists bothered with, but they were the streets Miranda had played on, the shop that she bought her thread from as a girl (though it was a Blockbuster now), similarly the place her grandmother’s allotment had once stood (football pitch), and even visited her cemetery that held all of Miranda’s family. Every second had been precious, even if laced with sadness, but Miranda had shared these places with Andy and the younger woman knew what an honour that was. Then they had headed north, the furthest north Miranda had ever been as a child. Her grandmother had travelled to visit a friend and Miranda had begged to go with her, it had taken a bit of googling, but as soon as she saw the Peveril Castle she knew it was Castleton Mrs Gaddlestone had lived. Miranda had spent a long time looking in all the shop windows of anywhere that sold jewellery and one comment on the unusualness of the stone, particular to Derbyshire called Blue John, ‘it might not be one of the precious gems, but it is unique, even as a child I remember peering in at the window displays and thinking it mightily pretty’, was enough for Andy to make a decision. She had spent the rest of the trip looking for a ring that held the light-coloured stone with shocks of blue and purple through in it, set in silver (because that was what she could afford after having insisted they went halves on the holiday). Eventually she did, the metal swirling and holding smooth oval of Blue John, that had particularly gorgeous bands of blues through it, in place. Not too big, the stone set well in so that it wouldn’t catch but still very beautiful and oddly reminding Andy of the various blues of Miranda’s eyes.
When Andy had presented it to Miranda on their two-year anniversary, a few months later, her first words were, “You listened,” followed by a teary “yes,” and Andy knew she had got it right.
Miranda had taken her home before dessert and systematically taken her apart over and over, as if she was trying to prove to Andy how much she was wanted but never thought it enough, leaving Andy a quivering mess. The older woman had then collected her into her arms, telling her how loved she was until Andy fell asleep and likely long after.
The twins had been the first to be told, and as such, congratulate them the following morning. Cass’ coming in the form of jumping around squealing, before starting on a barrage of questions including the following; ‘How soon?’ ‘Can it be sooner?’ ‘Does that mean she is moving in?’ ‘No properly moving in, as in getting rid of the apartment?’ ‘Can we collect all her stuff tonight?’ ‘What do you mean the Range Rover isn’t big enough?’ ‘Can we be flower girls?’ ‘Can Izzy be a flower girl too?’ ‘When is Izzy coming to visit?’ ‘Can she stay here?’ Caro was, as usual, a bit more sedate in her celebrations but no less poignant, just flinging her arms around Andy and whispering, “I knew you’d be the one to make Mom happy, but I didn’t realise you’d make us so happy too,” and leaving Andy in floods of tears as Cass continued to interrogate her mother about how quickly a wedding could be organised.
After calling Jill, who’s first question was, “Will the penguins attend the wedding or will Miranda go all out and request the tigers attend as well?” and then her parents, who were thrilled, then Lily who just screamed at her down the phone (in an excited joyous way) and showed no sign of stopping so Andy hung up, she sent one more text.
Hey Max. Andy here. I got her and she is everything.
Andy! I’m so pleased for you both (and it softens the blow that you never called), whoever she is, she is a lucky lady.
4 days later, the day the tabloids broke the news, she got a number of texts, but one really had her giggling over her bowl of granola as she sat next to Miranda, the two girls opposite, all of them having breakfast in the booth in the kitchen.
Fucking hell Andy! You dark horse!
Miranda glanced over from the paper and Andy turned her phone round for her to read it easier and grinned.
“Sure, you don’t want to reconsider?” asked Miranda casually before reaching for her coffee and supposedly returning her concentration to the paper. Andy knew better though, knew what the slight crinkling of her brow meant.
“What?”
“Max has become no less of a catch, in fact if anything that modelling contract he picked up will likely have doubled his wealth,” she said still not looking up again, but her eyes were moving from one spot on the page so Andy knew she wasn’t really reading, she was waiting for an answer, still disbelieving that Andy really wanted to be right where she was.
“Who is Max?” asked Cass.
“One of Andrea’s many admirers,” Miranda sighed.
Caro looked utterly stricken, Cass on the other hand lunged for Andy’s phone which she only just managed to evade. Andy didn’t doubt for a second she was about to call this Max and give him a stern warning off.
“Good thing that your mother is the one for me then, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” nodded Caro, looking distinctly relieved.
“Sure you don’t need me to have words?” asked Cass and Andy couldn’t help but love her a little bit more for her hard nut attitude.
“Positive. I don’t think there is anyone else on earth, or anywhere else for that matter, that could have more of a claim to my heart than your mother.” Miranda looked up at that, blue glazed with welling tears. Andy reached over and put her hand over Miranda’s, loving the feel of her ring being where it belonged on Miranda’s finger, “It is hers to keep for as long as she wants it and I can’t wait to be her wife. I don’t care what those people out there think and what the tabloids say, the people who care know better and more importantly I know what I want and I want her and you guys-,”
‘Thank you,’ Miranda mouthed back at her before lifting their united hands and kissing the Andy’s knuckles.
“I have everything I could ever possibly want, right here.”
“Ewwwwww,” bemoaned Cass.
Caro nudged her sister and mumbled, “Leave them alone, it’s kinda cute in a gross sort of way.”