Hello Readers! I know it's been a long time since my last update. Life is crazy right now. And it didn't help that my muse went AWOL for a bit. This chapter went in a different direction than what I had originally planned, but I think it worked out well in the end. I hope you enjoy it.
Leave a review and let me know what you think!
Love from, DARecruit
Chapter 11: Settling In
Rachel was happy to not be at the house and ecstatic to not be anywhere related to the house. In the last five days, Shelby and Rachel had done nothing but go from store to store, buying décor and furniture. At first it had been fun, shopping for her bedroom set and helping her mom choose pieces for other rooms. Rachel especially liked picking out all the extra things for her room and others—like the string of star lights that she thought would look amazing hanging on the wall above her bed, or the mother and baby elephant sculpture that she had insisted they couldn't leave without.
She enjoyed choosing her bedspread, sheets, and pillows for her bed, and was happy to go to the rug store to help pick out various area rugs for their home. She even didn't mind going to buy their televisions and other electronics. When their shopping trips started involving Lowes and Sears to look at big appliances is when Rachel lost all interest.
So it was a treat to be sitting in the playroom of her aunt and uncle's house on Wednesday afternoon, playing a Lego Star Wars video game that her three little cousins said she would love. She didn't know anything about Star Wars, but she had to admit that the game was fun.
"Use the Force, Rachel!" Tyler exclaimed.
"How do I—"
"Press the square!" Robbie shouted.
"Rachel!" all three boys cried when Rachel's character, once again, exploded into pieces.
"Hey, what's all the ruckus in here?" Ben asked as he stood in the doorway.
"Rachel keeps dying!" Tyler moaned.
"She sucks!" Robbie agreed.
Ben raised his eyebrow and made his way over to his boy. "You need to apologize to Rachel right now, Robbie. We don't use those words in this family, and we don't direct them at anyone. It's hurtful."
"I didn't mean she sucks, just at the game," Robbie explained, his tone sincere.
"I'm glad to hear that, buddy, but you still need to apologize. And I don't want to hear you using that word again, okay?" said Ben.
"I'm sorry, Rachel," Robbie said, turning to his cousin.
"It's okay, Robbie," Rachel answered.
Robbie turned back to Ben, who nodded in approval. "Okay, bud, five minutes in the corner," he said. Robbie shook his head and pleaded with him.
"You know the rules, son. Language like that gets you a time-out," Ben stated firmly.
"I didn't mean it, Daddy!" whined the boy. "I won't say it again."
"I trust you, buddy. The corner time will remind you not to say those words, won't it?"
"I don't want to!" Robbie complained, stomping his foot.
"I don't want to give you a pop on your butt either, but I will if you aren't in that corner in the next three seconds. One."
Robbie's eyes grew wide and his self-preservation kicked in; four bounds had him over to the corner and his nose stuck in it to wait out his punishment.
Rachel watched the exchange between her cousin and uncle with interest.
She couldn't help but notice the similarities between how Uncle Ben handled this situation with how her mom dealt with her the other day. He was calm and took the time to explain, and even said much of the same—this family didn't use words to hurt each other.
Satisfied that his son was doing what he should, Ben turned to the three other children in the room and smiled warmly at them.
"You guys getting hungry? Aunt Shelby and Rachel are staying for dinner. I'm gonna grill up some burgers and dogs—what do you guys want?"
"I want a cheeseburger!" Luke said excitedly.
"Hotdog!" Tyler said at the same time.
Rachel grimaced at the dinner choices; she didn't like either, but she didn't want to be rude. Her uncle's eyes turned to her and she schooled her features.
"I'm really not that hungry, Uncle Ben," she said.
"Well dinner isn't going to be ready for about half an hour or so. You'll be hungry by then, I bet," said Ben.
Rachel shrugged, trying to buy herself time. "I, uh…had a big lunch," she said.
"Okay," Ben nodded, "Well, tell you what, I'll make some extra in case you change your mind."
"You don't have to do that. Really, I'm not hungry."
"It's no problem, sweetheart," Ben said, leaning down to place a kiss to Rachel's head.
Rachel sighed and tried to argue more, but Ben was already walking away from her and toward Robbie.
"Alright, son, you've served your sentence," Ben said as he knelt. He smiled and pulled Robbie into his arms as soon as the boy turned around.
"I'm sorry for using a bad word, Daddy," said Robbie, resting his head on his father's shoulder.
"Over and forgiven, pal," answered Ben.
Moments later, Robbie was sitting back with his brothers and Rachel and acting as if nothing had happened. He wasn't pouting or acting nervous around his dad. He was perfectly fine. Rachel frowned and wondered how he did it; she certainly never went back to normal so quickly after a punishment.
As dinner drew near, Shelby found herself trapped on the sofa with her two littlest nephews as they asked her question after question about her new house.
"Do you have a pool, Aunt Shelby?" Tyler asked excitedly from atop his aunt's lap.
"No, pal, no pool," Shelby answered, echoing the boy's pout.
"Well you could get one, couldn't ya? So we could all come swimmin'? I'm getting good at swimmin', you know. I can hold my breath for ten whole minutes!" the boy chattered, throwing his arm around Shelby's shoulders.
"I can hold mine for fifteen!" Robbie said, not to be outdone by his brother.
Shelby chuckled and placed an arm around either boy (they had both climbed onto her lap, each claiming a leg as their own), and held them close.
"Ten and fifteen whole minutes!" Shelby gasped. "You two must be part fish!"
"Mommy says we're part Irish," Tyler offered.
Shelby laughed and nodded. "My mistake."
"Are you going to get a playset for when we come visit? Can we spend the night with you and Rachel?" the boy continued.
"Once we get settled in, we can plan for a sleepover," Shelby promised.
"This weekend?" Tyler asked excitedly, his little face lighting up.
"Not this weekend, kiddo, but soon—I promise," said Shelby.
"You need to get Rachel a Playstation, Aunt Shelby. She needs an awful lot of practice. She's not good at all!" Robbie said.
Rachel looked up from her phone and the group message with Haley and Lexi and smirked at her mother and cousins' conversation. Part of her was jealous—she wasn't used to sharing Shelby's attention, and seeing how her mom interacted with the small boys made Rachel wish she had had moments like that with her mom when she was the twins' age.
"Dinner's ready, everyone!" Ben announced as he came into the living room. "Boys, go wash your hands, please."
Shelby smiled and helped the boys to their feet before turning to Rachel. "Let's go wash up too, Rach," she said to the girl, holding her hand out for Rachel to take.
Rachel's stomach rumbled as she and her mom sat down at the dining room table. She hoped there would be something she could eat; in all truthfulness, she hadn't had much for lunch and was starving now.
"I hope you're hungry! Ben cooked up dozens of hotdogs and hamburgers!" Lisa said as she carried a plate of each into the room.
Luke followed a moment later carrying a salad bowl in one hand and a plate with hamburger fixings in the other. Then Ben entered carrying a large casserole dish filled to the brim with gooey homemade mac and cheese.
Rachel sighed in relief. She could at least have mac and cheese and some salad, and she could always ask her mom to pick her up something on the way home if she was still hungry.
There was general commotion as everyone settled into seats and started fixing their plates. Ben and Lisa were busy getting the boys food while Shelby grabbed a cheeseburger for herself.
"Do you want a burger, Rach?" Shelby asked.
"No, that's okay," Rachel answered, reaching for the mac and cheese.
"Hotdog then?" Shelby continued.
"Nah."
"You've got to eat something—that's not going to be enough," said Shelby, nodding to her daughter's plate. She had a scoop of macaroni and a bit of salad, and Shelby knew she must be hungry.
"I'm not that hungry," Rachel said.
"What's wrong, Rach? My cooking's not that bad, I promise," Ben interjected.
"No, it's not that. I'm really not hungry. Honest," Rachel insisted. Her stomach seemed to have other plans, deciding now was a good time to grumble loud enough to rattle the windows.
"Sounds to me like you're the opposite of not that hungry," Ben said, cocking his eyebrow at the teen.
Rachel blushed and fidgeted in her seat. She lowered her gaze but could feel the adults all staring at her, waiting for an answer. She wished they would drop it and let her be.
"Rachel?" Shelby prompted.
"I'm fine," Rachel mumbled.
"What's wrong, honey? Are you feeling okay? Why don't you want to eat?" ask Shelby, her voice laced with concern. She reached her hand out to place on her daughter's forehead.
The teen let out a long sigh and slowly met her mother's eyes. "I just don't like hamburgers or hotdogs," she said in barely more than a whisper, lowering her gaze once more.
"What? Rach," Shelby chuckled with relief, "Why didn't you say something?"
"Rachel, if I had known you didn't like what I was making, I would've made you something else," Ben said at the same time.
Rachel sighed and shrugged. "I didn't want to be a bother," she said just as softly.
"You could never be a bother," Ben said as he stood and went to the teen's side. He knelt to be more at eye level with her and grabbed her chin gently in his hands.
"I'd much rather you tell me when something is wrong so I can fix it. I'll make you whatever you want, sweetheart, you just need to tell me. "
"Really, Uncle Ben, I'm fin—"
"Don't tell me you're fine, young lady," Ben scolded, his tone light. "I'm not about to let you go hungry. Now, what would you like to eat? I can make you chicken or we've got some popcorn shrimp. I've got steaks in there, and…what else? Oh! I've got some ham steaks I can cook up real quick, if you want that?"
The teen shook her head at her uncle's suggestions. "You don't have to," she said.
"Rachel," Ben warned, "I'm going to make you something to eat, you might as well tell me what you want. Otherwise, I'm going to make some of everything and let you have your pick."
Ben stood and raised his eyebrow at the small teen in front of him. She wasn't about to out-stubborn him—he had more practice.
Rachel looked to her mother for help, but Shelby just shrugged and nodded towards Ben. The girl rolled her eyes and sighed, her gaze turning back to her uncle.
"I'm going, Rach," Ben said, heading towards the kitchen.
"Popcorn shrimp!" Rachel yelled after him.
Open Arms * Open Arms * Open Arms
On Thursday afternoon, Shelby found herself trapped inside her daughter's closet, surrounded by boxes of Rachel's clothes. She held up two sweaters, each embroidered with an animal on the front, and frowned; a quick glance into the box turned up dozens of similar sweaters.
"Hey Rach? What do you say we go shopping for some new clothes soon?" she called, dropping the sweaters back into their box. Shelby was all for self-expression, but she thought her girl needed a gentle push in the right direction.
"Huh?" Rachel sighed from the window. "Yeah, sure."
"Whatcha doing, babe?" Shelby asked, tripping over the boxes as she climbed from the closet. She made her way over to the teen and rested a hand on her shoulder, looking out the window over Rachel's head.
"We moved in with a bunch of old people," Rachel said, watching the older couple next door weeding their garden.
"Not true," Shelby disagreed, rubbing her daughter's back, "I saw a girl who looks just about your age in the blue house next door. If the car is there when we head back to Nana and Pop's later, we'll stop by and say hello."
Rachel grimaced as her mind worked quickly to come up with an excuse. "What, Mom, like…knock on their door? That's lame," she said, hoping she sounded convincing.
"It's not lame, silly, it's what you do when you move in. In fact, we should go say hi to that couple outside now," Shelby chuckled, turning from the window and pulling Rachel along with her.
"Mooooom…"
Shelby smiled as she shook hands with Mr. and Mrs. Richmond. They were a charming couple that reminded the woman of her own parents. Mrs. Richmond had a soft voice and Mr. Richmond was well versed in dad jokes.
"I can't believe we're meeting you—and living next door to you. What a pleasure!" gushed Mrs. Richmond. "We saw you in one of your first ever off-Broadway shows when you were still wet behind the ears. What show was that, Jim?"
"Love, Aubrey, wasn't it?" replied Mr. Richmond.
"That's it!" said Mrs. Richmond. "Oh, we just loved you! We've been huge fans ever since! Oh, but listen to me yammer on! You don't want to listen to an old lady go on and on. Don't mind me, dear."
"It's lovely to meet you," Shelby chuckled lightly. "I'm honored by your words. Thank you."
"Do you and Rachel like apple pies? I make a darn good apple pie, I must say! I'll make you one," the older woman went on. She didn't wait for an answer before she was heading for the house, talking excitedly to herself.
"Oh, I—" Shelby trailed off, watching the woman go.
"She makes the very best pies," Mr. Richmond smiled.
"I believe you. Please tell her not to go to all this trouble for us though," answered Shelby.
"She's in her glory, young lady," said the man. "You've made her day."
"Well…I guess I can't argue with that," said Shelby. "It was very nice meeting you, Mr. Richmond," she said, extending her hand once more.
"Please, call me Jim. It was nice meeting you as well, my dear," he replied, holding Shelby's hand in both of his. "I should go and help Betty with that pie."
"See? That wasn't so lame, was it?" Shelby asked as she steered Rachel back into their house a minute later.
Later that evening, Shelby was curled up in bed in the guest room at her parents' house, reading The Da Vinci Code. It was an easy, quick read and it helped distract her from the stress of the move, as well as her annoyance with her parents.
It wasn't that Shelby wasn't grateful to her parents for all their help in the recent weeks—they opened their house for Rachel and Shelby to stay as long as they needed, and even gave Shelby free reign of her father's Toyota Camry while she was deciding on the car she wanted to buy. Yes, Shelby was thankful, but they were driving her crazy. She had been on her own since twenty-two, doing what she wanted when she wanted. Staying with her parents for more than a few days had Shelby feeling like a teenager again.
One more day, she reminded herself. Their beds were being delivered tomorrow and she and Rachel could officially move into their house.
There was a knock on the door and Shelby sighed, her gaze falling on the clock on the nightstand. It was just after one in the morning. It was no doubt her mother coming to tell her to go to bed, as she had done practically every night this week. Shelby wasn't a child, she didn't need to be told when to go to bed, thank you very much. That never seemed to stop her mother, however.
"Come in," she sighed, setting her book down.
"Mommy?" a soft voice called before the door was all the way open. Rachel peeked her head in the door and gave her mom a small smile.
"Hey, honey," Shelby greeted, sitting up straighter. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just…Can I sleep with you?" asked the teen.
"Of course you can, Rach," Shelby smiled, patting the spot next to her.
Rachel's face lit up and she hurried over, jumping onto the bed and landing on her knees. Shelby felt the mattress ripple and was uprooted from her comfy position for a brief moment before settling back down. She smiled and opened her arms for her girl, kissing the teen's head as she curled into her side.
"I miss this," Rachel mumbled, resting her head against her mom's chest and listening to the woman's heartbeat.
"It has been pretty hectic, huh?" said Shelby, patting the girl's bottom in a gentle rhythm. Rachel nodded her agreement with a deep sigh.
"Things will quiet down," Shelby soothed. "We'll be sleeping in our own beds in our own home tomorrow. That's bound to improve things immensely," she added with a chuckle.
Rachel let out a big yawn and snuggled closer to her mom. She was exhausted and being in her mom's arms made her feel safe.
Shelby smiled and kissed Rachel's head once more, relishing this moment. She hadn't gotten to spend much one-on-one time with her daughter this week, what with all the chaos of the move and constantly being around family members. As much as she loved her big family, she would be happy when they could get back to it being just the two of them.
As the minutes passed, Shelby could hear Rachel's breath evening out. She shifted and looked over and sure enough, Rachel was fast asleep.
"C'mon, honey, let's get under the covers," she whispered as she untangled herself from the girl.
She made quick work of maneuvering the sleeping teen under the blankets before tucking them up around her. She brushed a lock of hair out of Rachel's face and placed a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead. Then with a yawn, she reached over and turned off the bedside lamp before snuggling in for the night.
Open Arms * Open Arms * Open Arms
Shelby climbed the stairs to the second floor, carrying a basket of Rachel's bedding straight from the dryer. She had sent the girl up nearly an hour ago with a set of sheets for each of the newly arrived beds and told her to put them on while she finished washing the rest of the bedding.
The mother peeked into her bedroom and frowned when she noticed her bed was sheet-free. She rolled her eyes and nudged her daughter's half-closed door open.
"Rach, why didn't you make my bed? I thought I—" she trailed off the moment she caught sight of her daughter. The girl was passed out atop her half-made bed, arms and legs spread out like a starfish.
Shelby shook her head as she set the basket on the floor and pulled out a teal microfiber throw. She shook the blanket out as she stepped over to the girl's bed and laid it over Rachel.
"Sweet dreams, baby," she whispered as she leaned over to kiss Rachel's head.
As Shelby turned to leave the room, her eyes settled on the folded sheets sitting on Rachel's tufted, cream-colored computer chair.
"Rachel," she breathed with a roll of her eyes, picking up the sheets and leaving the room.
Shelby walked into her room directly across the hall and looked around. The room was spacious, with tons of natural light pouring in through the double windows in the front and the two slimmer ones on the left side of the room. The walls were painted a muted teal, and Shelby had picked soft, cream-colored furniture to complement and provide an overall sense of tranquility.
The king-size bed with upholstered headboard sat perfectly centered between the two windows on the left wall. Two nightstands sat on either side of the bed, and a tufted storage bench was placed at the foot of it.
Shelby had made a seating area in front of the large double windows overlooking the front yard. It was important to her to create a space for herself where she could come and relax at the end of a long day.
Moving over to the bench, Shelby plopped the rose-colored sheets for the guest room's queen bed atop it. The pillowcases and flat sheet for her bed were dropped next to it while Shelby moved to put the fitted sheet on.
She stepped back to inspect her bed a few minutes later and nodded in approval. The place was starting to shape up. She had to wait until her comforter and shams were dry to finish, but this was a good start. She headed off to tackle the guest room.
Shelby flopped down on the blue sectional sofa in the living room ten minutes later, exhausted. She let her eyes droop as she rested her head against the back cushion.
It had been a long day. Mother and daughter had stayed up until just before two in the morning, and then Shelby got them moving at seven. The beds were supposed to be delivered between nine and eleven, and Shelby wanted to beat the morning traffic.
Shelby surprised Rachel by stopping at a little diner close-by to their new house to have breakfast, just the two of them. They got to the house at eight-thirty and Rachel talked Shelby into helping her hang up the string of star lights in her bedroom. After that was done, the teen convinced Shelby to help hang her numerous wall art, including a hot pink New York script sign, three gold star magnetic wall boards, and a set of three white-framed pin boards.
The mother had left her daughter to figure out the last two framed prints (a yellow polka-dotted heart and matching LOVE design) in order to work on the kitchen cabinets. She had a few more shelves to lay contact paper in and then she could finish unpacking the dishes and pots and pans.
By the time Shelby finished everything in the kitchen, the beds still hadn't been delivered, so she decided to get a head start on washing all of the bedding for them. The beds finally came at ten fifty-six, and Shelby had sent Rachel upstairs with her task at twelve-thirty.
Just as Shelby was dozing off, the doorbell rang. She groaned and sat up, wondering if she had forgotten that something else was being delivered today. With another groan, she pushed herself off the sofa and headed for the door.
Surprise flitted across her face as she answered the door to find her brother Ben and his children standing on her threshold.
"Hey Shelbs," he greeted, "So the boys and I were in the neighborhood and thought we'd stop by. Hope we're not intruding."
"No, of course not," said Shelby, stepping aside to let them in. "What's in the box?" she added, gesturing towards the wrapped package tucked under her brother's arm.
"Oh this? Just a little present for Rachel," answered Ben.
"Aunt Shelby, where's Rachel?" Tyler asked, peeking around Shelby to look into the living room and then meeting her eyes.
Shelby began to answer that Rachel was upstairs taking a nap, but she had only been able to get out the first part before the twins tore off up the stairs with thunderous footsteps.
"Boys! Wait!" Shelby called after them, knowing that her daughter could be exceptionally grumpy when woken before she was ready. She wanted to avoid that at all costs. "Don't wake her—"
"MOOOOOM!"
"Up," she finished with a sigh. Too late, she added to herself.
"Boys!" Ben yelled. "Sorry, Shelby."
"It's fine. Why don't you and Luke relax for a minute? There's sodas and all in the fridge. Help yourself. I'll go save the boys from Rachel," Shelby said, mounting the stairs.
Rachel was mad. Furious, actually. She had been having the best dream about her opening night on Broadway when, suddenly, something heavy fell on top of her. She woke with a start and screamed for her mother. As the room came into focus, she realized two bodies were sitting on her.
"What the fu—Get off me, dammit!" she yelled, sitting up and sending one of the twins tumbling backwards.
"Rachel," the one still upright said in awe.
"What?" she snapped, rubbing at her eye with the back of her hand.
"You said a bad word!" he exclaimed.
"Well it's rude to jump on someone while they're sleeping! What are you doing here anyway?" Rachel huffed.
"We bringed you a present," Tyler said.
"You brought me a present? Really?" Rachel asked, her anger dissipating. A twinge of guilt bubbled in her stomach as she looked at her little cousins and the eager and excited expressions on their faces.
"Daddy has it downstairs. We aren't 'spose to tell you what it is though. It's a surprise," Robbie added as he pushed himself back up into a sitting position.
"Guys, I'm sorry I snapped at you…and for saying the bad word. I didn't mean it," she said.
Shelby stood just outside her daughter's bedroom, listening to the conversation inside. She hadn't heard what 'bad word' Rachel had said; she had come up just when her daughter was telling the twins that it was rude to jump on a person when they were sleeping and had to stifle her laugh. That poor girl. The twins then went on about her present and Shelby could hear Rachel's tone change. She was about to make her presence known when she heard Rachel's apology and paused, not wanting to interrupt that moment.
"It's okay, Rachel. Luke doesn't like when we do that to him either. We just get so excited sometimes," Tyler said.
"Is Aunt Shelby gonna make you stand in the corner, Rachel?" Robbie asked.
"And why would I make her do that?" Shelby asked as she made her presence known. She had to hide a smirk at the three stunned faces staring back at her.
Rachel met her mother's eyes nervously before turning her attention to her cousins. She tried to catch their eyes, but both boys were staring transfixed at Shelby.
"Rachel said a bad word," Robbie said immediately.
Rachel groaned and slumped her shoulders.
"She did, did she?" Shelby said, eyebrow raised.
The twins nodded in unison and Tyler added, "Yeah, but she didn't mean it. It was just an accident, Aunt Shelby. She said sorry."
"Well I'm glad to hear that," Shelby replied. "Now, boys, I want you to go downstairs with your dad and brother. Rachel and I will be down in a few minutes."
"Are you gonna spank her?" Robbie asked, concerned.
Tyler looked at his brother, then to Rachel, and finally Shelby. "Daddy would spank us if we said that word," he said in the same tone.
"Downstairs, boys," Shelby said, helping them off of Rachel's bed. She patted their bottoms to get them moving.
Rachel watched her cousins go and then looked at her mom with apprehension. She gulped as Shelby turned back towards her and stepped closer to the bed.
"So what word did you say, Rachel?" Shelby asked.
"Mom, I'm sorry," said Rachel.
"What word, Rach?" Shelby repeated, now standing at the side of the bed, just an arms' length from the girl.
"Mommy, I didn't mean to say it. They jumped on me and startled me and I—I was asleep!"
"Rachel—"
Tears stung the teen's eyes and she swiped at her face to brush them away. "I said dammit. I didn't mean to say it, honest! I'm sorry," she hurried to say.
"Oh, honey," Shelby breathed, moving to sit on the bed besides her child. She extended her arm and pulled Rachel close.
"Are you gonna wash my mouth out?" Rachel sniffed, her mother's recent threat ringing in her ears.
"No, Rach, I'm not," Shelby answered, running a hand down Rachel's hair.
Rachel sighed in relief for a moment before another thought occurred to her. "You…you aren't gonna spank me, are you? 'Cause I cussed in front of the twins?"
Shelby couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "I'm not going to do that either."
"You're not?" Rachel asked, her brows furrowing.
"Nope," said Shelby, popping her 'p'.
"But…why?"
"Do you want me to spank you?" Shelby chuckled, cocking an eyebrow at the teen. "I can arrange that," she added, beginning to pull the girl over her knee.
"No! No, no—Mom! Don't!" the teen squealed, her heart now beating fast as she found herself staring down at her carpet.
"Easy, Rach," Shelby laughed, resting her hand on her daughter's bottom, "I'm just teasing."
"What?" the girl exclaimed, jerking her head around to stare incredulously at her mother.
"You can't be held accountable for what you say after being frightened awake by two seven year olds pouncing on you. You aren't in trouble," Shelby answered.
"Then why did you scare me?" Rachel whined.
"I couldn't pass up the opportunity," the mother laughed.
"Not funny, Mom!" Rachel complained, moving to get up off her mom's lap.
"It was pretty funny," Shelby teased, holding her daughter in place.
"Mom, let me up."
"What? And miss my chance?"
"Chance to do what?" Rachel asked, her tone suspicious.
"This," answered Shelby, popping her child one good time on the rear. She followed with a second swat before releasing her hold on the girl. Rachel popped up from her lap in an instant, turning to give her a pout.
"That wasn't fair," she protested.
"Life isn't always fair," said Shelby, kissing Rachel's head on her way out of the room.
"Mom!" Rachel called after her retreating back, stomping her foot. She waited a moment before letting out a loud huff and following after.
Open Arms * Open Arms * Open Arms
Sunday morning found Shelby and her mother, Diane, preparing meatballs for the weekly family dinner. Normally Sundays were spent at Mom and Dad's, but since Shelby and Rachel's house was officially unpacked, Shelby wanted to have everyone over to celebrate their housewarming.
Shelby couldn't remember a time when there wasn't a Sunday family dinner, but according to her siblings, they had started when Shelby was a toddler. Because Shelby was so much younger than the rest of her siblings, it became a rule that the three older siblings had to have dinner with the family every Sunday; John and Diane wanted their youngest to still be able to see her siblings frequently.
Shelby had only been six when Jack went to Ohio State. He lived on campus, but had come home every Sunday as promised so he could spend time with his baby sister. Ben had gone off to school a year later, and Lauren three years after that. By the time Shelby was ten, she was the only child in the house, but all of her siblings made sure to come home at least once a week to see her.
Family Sundays still continued, but had expanded over the years. Sarah had joined the family when Shelby was twelve and became Shelby's sister-in-law two years later. Lauren married Todd when Shelby was seventeen, and finally middle brother Ben married Lisa when Shelby was twenty-one. Shelby loved her siblings' spouses just as much as she loved her siblings, and they had all known Shelby since she was still very much a kid. They had all looked out for her and even helped her out of a few sticky situations over the years.
The first Sunday as a college student for Shelby also marked the first Sunday she wasn't at family dinner. She could remember being extremely lonely her first semester; it was hard to get used to being so far away from her family. She loved New York, but Shelby had missed her parents and siblings. It had helped meeting Sasha in her freshmen English class. The two had become fast friends and she had even come home with Shelby on long weekends.
Shelby was shaken from her thoughts when shouting started coming from the basement. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at her mother.
"I'm going to kill Ben when I see him," she growled.
The 'little present' that Ben had been oh-so-kind to get Rachel turned out to be a Playstation and a copy of the game she had been playing with the boys on Wednesday.
"Oh, Shelby," Diane tsked. "She's having fun. So is your father."
No sooner had her grandparents shown up at ten than Rachel had recruited her PopPop to join her team. The pair had been downstairs for an hour and a half already, their laughter and shouts echoing up into the kitchen every few minutes.
"I'm glad they're having fun, but she's done nothing but play that game since Ben set it up on Friday. I can't get her away from it," Shelby complained.
"The novelty will wear off before you know it. Don't worry, dear," Diane soothed as she moved to wash her hands.
"I'm still going to kill Ben," Shelby muttered to herself.
"Keep rolling the balls, Shelby. I'll be right back," Diane said.
Rachel heard the footsteps on the staircase but ignored them. She and her grandfather were at a part in the game she hadn't gotten to yet and she couldn't stop now!
"Five more minutes, Mom," she said, focusing on her combination moves. She was getting pretty good at the game and was ready to show off her skills to her little cousins when they came over later this afternoon.
"It's time to take a break, Rachel. Your mother and I need your help in the kitchen," Diane said.
"Aw, Nana," the teen whined. "Just a bit more, please?"
"We just got to a good part, sweetie!" John joined in, his tone matching Rachel's.
"Save it and come help!" Diane declared, emphasizing her words with a clap of her hands. "You've got two minutes. Don't make me get my slipper out," she added as she started back up the stairs.
Rachel groaned and John chuckled. "We better do as she says, munchkin. Your Nana doesn't joke about her slipper," he said.
"She doesn't have it with her, does she?" Rachel worried.
"I don't want to find out. Do you?" John returned, hiding a smirk.
Rachel's eyes grew big and she quickly saved and turned their game off. She was up and darting up the stairs in the next second. John held back his mirth until he was sure the child was out of earshot before letting it out with a loud chortle.
Shelby looked up in surprise at the sound of Rachel tearing up the stairs, shocked at her promptness. When she tried to drag the girl from that game downstairs, it took her at least three attempts before she was successful.
"Hey, baby. Wash your hands and then wanna help me make meatballs?" she asked the girl.
"Ew, gross," Rachel grimaced.
"Okay," Shelby laughed with a roll of her eyes, "You can cut up the tomatoes and onions for the spaghetti sauce instead."
Rachel sighed. She didn't want to do that either, but she caught sight of her grandmother out of the corner of her eye and the woman's slipper threat replayed in her head. This was her first experience with that threat and she didn't want to chance it, so she hastened to obey.
Shelby smiled and came to wash her hands as well so she could get her daughter set with her task before returning to her own.
Rachel had chopped up all of the tomatoes and was sniffling her way through the onions when commotion from the foyer caught her attention. Seconds later, Aunt Lauren, Uncle Todd, Haley and Michael came into view and the girl's face lit up.
"Haley!" she called. "Mom, can I go now?"
"Wash your hands again and yes, you can go. I'll finish up," Shelby replied.
"Going? Where are you going?" Todd asked as he and his family entered the kitchen. "We've got a present for you."
"A present?" Rachel asked, turning from the sink, her hands dripping.
"Rach, don't make a mess!" Shelby groaned, moving to her daughter's side and forcing her arms back over the sink.
Rachel rolled her eyes and finished washing her hands before taking the proffered tea towel from her mom.
"Am I allowed to open it now?" Rachel questioned.
"Hmmm, I don't know," Todd drawled. "Maybe we should wait until everyone gets here, what do you think?"
"I wanna see her open it!" Michael piped up.
"Well, I guess that's okay," Todd agreed with a smile. He pulled the gift, wrapped in purple and gold striped paper, out from behind his back and held it out to his niece.
Face aglow, Rachel took the gift and shook it, listening close to see if she could guess what was in it. She screwed her lips up; there was no sound.
A chorus of chuckles tinkled around her and Rachel caught sight of her mom rolling her eyes good-naturedly at her.
"Just open it, Rach," Shelby smirked.
Rachel ripped the paper off and her eyes lit up at the item inside. It was a karaoke game complete with a pink jewel-studded microphone.
"Wow! Thank you so much!" Rachel squealed.
"We heard from Uncle Ben about his present, so we thought this would be a good addition for you," Todd smiled warmly, glad that their gift was received so well.
"Thank you," Rachel repeated, accepting a hug from her uncle.
Rachel was then passed to her aunt and happily ran off to the basement with her cousins directly following.
Ben, Lisa, and the boys were next to arrive, bringing with them a casserole dish of Lisa's mac and cheese and a housewarming gift for Shelby (bath salts and a bottle of her favorite red wine).
"Is Rachel any better at the Star Wars game yet?" Robbie asked in greeting.
Shelby rolled her eyes and gave her brother a look before turning to her nephew. "I'm sure she is. She's been playing nonstop since you guys brought it over for her. They're all downstairs," she said.
"Glad to hear she's enjoying her gift," Ben laughed.
"Oh yeah, it's a real hit," Shelby deadpanned.
Diane called the children upstairs when Jack and his family arrived, laden down with several large wrapped packages.
"What's all this?" Shelby asked, eyeing the boxes suspiciously. "Is that all for Rachel? That's way too much! You're going to spoil her!"
"We're making up for lost time," Jack shrugged with a sheepish grin. "And we brought you presents too."
Shelby started to argue, but the kids came pouring up from the basement with boisterous giggles and chatter, drowning out her words of protest.
"Hey, kiddo! Happy housewarming!" Jack said loudly to be heard over the commotion.
Rachel grinned ear-to-ear as she was presented with more gifts. The girl had been shocked at the first gift, and confused at the second. Now she was just excited. She may not completely understand why her aunts and uncles were buying her expensive presents, but Rachel wasn't dumb—she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
The teen's eyes went wide as she opened these newest presents to reveal the Rock Band game, complete with drum set and two guitars. She let out a little squeal when she realized it came with a microphone as well.
"Awesome!" Tyler exclaimed, his eyes big as saucers.
"Can we play?" Robbie asked, eyeing the drum box.
"Big kids have first dibs!" JJ declared.
"That's not fair! You guys always group me with the little kids!" Michael whined.
"Hey, everyone can get a chance. No need to fight," Jack said diplomatically.
"No one is playing anything right now," Shelby announced, ignoring the groans from the kids.
"What? No! Why?" Rachel whined.
"You've been playing on that thing too much as it is. Let's give it a rest," said Shelby.
"But, Mom—"
"It's a beautiful day out. You kids need to go out and play," Shelby interrupted her child.
"Aw, no!" came the groans from all eight children.
Shelby sighed. She wasn't used to being the 'bad guy' in her nieces and nephews' eyes, she was normally cool Aunt Shelby. Still, she stuck to her guns and shook her head.
"Go on," she ushered kids towards the back door, patting bottoms of the stragglers to keep them moving. "We'll call you in as soon as the food is ready."
Shelby watched and waited to make sure the kids were outside and staying outside before she turned to her siblings, a sly smile on her face.
"Who wants to go play Rock Band with me? I've got dibs on the mic!" she said, grabbing a box and tearing off downstairs.
That's it for this chapter! Please let me know what you thought of it! And let me know if there's anything you'd like to see in the coming chapters. Right now, the plan is that the next chapter will focus on Rachel breaking her arm and Shelby's feelings of guilt over that, followed by the chapter where Lexi and Quinn hang out with Rachel, pissing the girl off to no end. Any and all thoughts and ideas from you are welcome and appreciated! And thank you to you all for sticking with me with this story. I know it's slow going, but if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be writing.