The next day was good. It turned into a big shopping day, as all the girls came out, along with Elizabeth, to spend some money. We went and got a better bike for Zee, a brand new Ducati Panigale V2 in black that I couldn't wait to ride, though I knew Dani was going to go first as she was over the moon at the sight. Our plan was to get the old bike fixed up if we could, and Dani could grow into it if it was safe enough. If not we'd get her a better used one that could be made safe. Jashanna and Gracie got wheels too, as we found a nice Hyundai Elantra for them to use once they got their licenses. It wasn't flashy, but it was a solid car for them to learn on and they both loved the look of it. Sure, the kids at school would have BMWs and Audis, but they didn't care. I was proud of the way they'd grown up, and felt pride in having not spoiled them. Well, not too much anyway.

With it being December though, there was still Christmas shopping to do, and Elizabeth and I wanted to make sure that both Dani and Zee had everything they needed, since they had arrived on our doorsteps with next to nothing. I'd already given Zee her laptop, and the parka as well as the gift card for her graduation, which she didn't complain about, but we hit the clearance racks to make sure we could find a few outfits that would do for work. As much as I wanted to spoil them, I knew that letting Zee buy her own stuff was the right move for now. Dani had a blast too, not in the least minding carrying bag after bag of loot that would hopefully get her though the school year in nice fashion.

Jashanna, Hollie, and Gracie were off shopping on their own in a little group so they could buy secret presents. We all had a budget, I didn't want the kids buying anything for each other over $50, though I couldn't enforce that for Jashanna and Gracie, since they were dating and would no doubt spoil each other. As they should.

Once we were done with the work and school shopping, we split up again. This time I was with Dani while Zee disappeared with Elizabeth so we could all do our own surprise shopping. I wasn't sure what Zee had planned, but I was happy to go shopping with Dani, as it gave us some good one on one time.

"Do you know what you want to get people for Christmas?" I asked her as we wandered around the Shops at Wiregrass. "Or would you like some ideas?"

"I need ideas." She sounded down, and I could get that. She'd just met the girls, so it was hard to know all of the things that they liked. "I'd love to do Taylor Swift stuff for the girls, but that is all online and expensive. Zee needs a lot of stuff, but she mentioned wanting to cook more, so I thought I could do a nice Cuban cookbook for her. Nana is easy, she loves chocolates, so I was going to get her a bunch of that." The thought of Zee cooking in the kitchen warmed my heart because I knew that was something that she already wanted to do. If it was just her and she was naked but for an apron, even better!

"That is a perfect idea for Zee, and I think she'll love it. That means that the girls are the hard part, right?." Luckily, Gracie and Jashanna weren't really hard, we just had to find the right thing. Hollie could be harder though. "Well, with Gracie and Jashanna, since they're dating, you could get them fun couple stuff. So, movie and restaurant gift cards for them to go out on dates, or maybe scented candles when they want to relax with each other at the house."

I hadn't finished yet and she was already nodding. "Yes! I like that! Then they can get all the smooches." It was cute to see Dani invested in all of us couples. I think she really liked seeing the romance and happiness, as it didn't seem like she saw a lot of that back home.

"Hollie might be harder though. She's dating Denique, but I don't know her too well so I can't say what we can do for that. But she just learned to drive, so we could get her accessories like a phone holder, air fresheners, gas cards to get around and things like that. It might not be the coolest thing to get her, but it would help her out a lot."

"Ugh. I guess that would be okay. Do you have any other ideas?" I could tell she didn't want to give Hollie something like that, especially on their first Christmas together.

"How about bubble bath stuff? She's stuck at college, and I bet she'd like to be able to relax at the end of a long week of classes if she could." Actually, I could use some of that myself!

"And she could share it with her girlfriend?" Dani asked hopefully. Dani had quickly started rooting for each of our relationships, and I was glad she didn't have any hesitations with them. I wasn't sure how conservative her mother had been, but she loved seeing all of us happy, and that is what mattered. 

"She absolutely could. That is something anyone would like. You know, when you grow up, you can like anyone you like too. I'm going to support you no matter what. So far, we're all with women, which is great, but you can just love whoever you want." I didn't want to forget to mention it like I had with the older girls! 

"I know," she said happily. "Gracie said that too. I like that. I'm not worried about it too much, but I like seeing everyone happy. Mami wasn't very happy most of the time. My dad never visited, and she always complained about him, and her new boyfriend was always yelling. He didn't like having me around, so I'm glad mami sent me here. Nobody yells, and Zee gives me rides, and you're all so happy. I miss my mami, but I'm really happy here too. I think I'm in the right place."

I pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly. "I think you're in the right place too, Dani. I was scared when your Nana told me that you needed a place to live, but I'm so glad we got to meet you. Your sisters all love you already, and so do I. You've been a great addition to the family, so I will always love you like my daughter."

"I was scared coming down. Nana was always nice when I grew up, but I was still scared to be away from mami and my friends. But now I'm not scared anymore. I have a whole new family, and maybe mami will come visit someday." She seemed wistful, and yet still happy, which made sense.

I had no idea if that would happen. I was still stunned that she'd given her child up to please a new boyfriend, but maybe she'd grow wiser in time. What would happen if she broke up with the asshole that wouldn't accept her kid? I couldn't even imagine giving up one of my kids for a new partner, or even give up Dani or Jashanna now. "Maybe. We'll make room for her if she does."

She sniffled a little, then nodded. "Thanks, Demi. You're a great mom too."

"And I'll keep doing my best for you too. Now come on, let's buy some presents, and then we can get a smoothie."

"Yes!"

The shopping was pretty easy, since we just had to stop at a couple different restaurants that I knew Gracie and Jashanna both liked for the gift cards, and then we went to Bath and Body Works for the bath items for Hollie. So, before long, we were sitting at one of the outdoor tables, each enjoying smoothies while I texted the other groups to find out how they were doing.

Jashanna was the first to reply and join us. Evidently, she had split up from Gracie as she was now shopping for her after they had bought things for everyone else, and she was already done. Gracie wasn't far behind, which wasn't shocking since the two of them knew each other so well, and I was sure they'd gotten exactly what the other would want. Hollie showed up with Elizabeth after another half hour, and dropped into a chair with a sigh, taking a long sip of a mango smoothie.

"Damn, that was a chore! This place is packed, and everyone is so cranky!" She had a point. With Christmas almost upon us, the outdoor mall was as busy as I'd ever seen it, and people were probably stressed out if they couldn't find what they needed and had to deal with long lines.

"Did you find everything you needed?" I asked her.

"Yeah, it just took a little bit. I've never had to shop for a girlfriend before." She blushed lightly, but the smile on her face showed how happy she was. We were expecting Denique to come down a few days before Christmas, and then Hollie would go back with her to meet her family at New Years before they went back to college together. I'd never seen her acting like this before, and it was just as adorable as Gracie and Jashanna.

Speaking of the young couple. "And you're good?"

"Oh yeah," Gracie said quickly. "She was easy."

"Same," Jashanna agreed. "I've known what I was getting her for months."

The only thing that worried me now was that there was still no sign of Zee, so I sent her another text, just to make sure she hadn't got lost here, since it was a big place.

Me – Hey, are you okay? Where are you?

Zee Baby – No. At Macy's.

Me – I'm on my way.

"Elizabeth, I need to go help Zee out. Can you watch the girls? If it gets too late, we'll meet you at dinner." We were all going out to dinner down in Tampa, at one of our favorite places called the Columbia Restaurant because it had a ton of great Spanish and Cuban dishes, and we all loved the change from our usual pizza, Chinese, steak, and burgers. There were so many of us that we'd taken two cars, so it would be easy enough for her to get a head start if she needed to head there before Zee and I were done.

"Of course. Go make sure your girl is okay," she replied with a wink and a smile. Once more I was grateful for how supportive she was of me moving on from her son, because things were so much better now that I had done that.

I walked as quickly as I could over to Macy's, having to almost force my way through some of the crowds in slower places where the people were just standing still as though they were mesmerized by all the sales going on in the various windows. But after fifteen minutes, I finally made it there, and then found Zee in the dress section, staring at the clothes with a sad look on her face.

"Hey, sweet girl, what's going on?" I asked as I wrapped her up in a hug.

"I can't find anything for you," she whispered glumly. "I don't know what to get." I didn't think it was that big a deal, but when I heard her sniffle and start to tremble in my arms, I realized that to her it was a very big deal.

I turned her around, and kissed her forehead before I squeezed her tight. "Hey, let's get through this together, okay? What were you doing here in the dress section?"

"I was going to find a dress to replace the orange one in case we couldn't get it clean." That made sense, as we'd made a bit of a mess on it with the lube and our bodily fluids as we got reconnected. Luckily, the lube was water based, and clear, and I hoped the dry cleaner would get it cleaned up. But if not, it wasn't a big deal as I wasn't planning on wearing it too often with memories of the date with Colton. Oh, but it was a big deal to her. I remembered the way she'd looked at me in it, and it made sense. Yeah, now I got it.

"That is very sweet, baby. I love that you were thinking like that. Hopefully the cleaners can get it fixed up, but if not I'll try to replace it. How about this, let's just get some fun things this year, okay? Maybe just some cute little things and make it easy."

"Probably not sex toys though, right?" she asked with a glimmer of a smile.

"No, those we can shop for together," I agreed.

She leaned in to whisper. "Would some lingerie or skimpy panties be, okay?"

I nipped her earlobe as I answered in a similar whisper. "I hope so, I might have found something like that for you." I got her a hot corset set in yellow that I thought would look amazing on her tanned skin, and I couldn't wait to see her in it.

She closed her eyes, leaning into me. "Okay, I think I'm good then. Give me thirty minutes and I'll meet you back at the smoothie shop." 

"You're sure?" I didn't want her stressed out about this at all. Christmas should be fun!

She nodded and smiled again. "Yeah, I'm sure. Everything seems easier when we talk it through. I was just getting in my own head about things."

"Perfect. When you're done, we'll all go to dinner. Shopping works up a big appetite."

"And you're my dessert?" Her hand slid down to my hip, pulling me close. A woman over on the other side of the rack widened her eyes at us, and I ignored her.

"I think we can both have some."