Their honeymoon had been lovely. Miranda had surprised Andy by suggesting they go to the Lake District in the United Kingdom, apparently she had been on one of the few time's she'd actually enjoyed a break from work having strayed from London fashion week. Having known of Andy's interest in photography Miranda insisted that she'd enjoy it. Despite the rain, that surprisingly was quite sparse. They'd enjoyed a week starting at Windermere and ending in Edinburgh. During that time they'd enjoyed a steam boat ride along the lake, visited Beatrix Potter's house, and taken a train up to Waverley station before taking in some of the comedy shows of the festival that happened to be going on. Andy had loved it, the feeling of being relatively anonymous within the tourists as although some observant people had noticed them most assumed that they weren't who they appeared to "look like".
On the last day Miranda had a suggestion that Andy never thought she'd hear coming from those lips. "Darling would you be open to getting a matching tattoo?"
"W-what?! You would like a tattoo?" She was met with a determined nod of her head. "You of all people would like a tattoo?"
"Yes Andrea, if you're opposed to it then pretend I ever said anything. I'm well aware of my feelings on tattoos should the girls come home with something hideous permentantly on their bodies. However I'm also well aware of what the sight of a tattoo on your body would do to me." She winked at the end of that sentence hoping Andrea was able to understand her, the reddening cheeks suggested she did.
"Alright, what would you like to get?"
"I was thinking the date we got married and the coordinates of where we had it in the house?"
"That's a lot of numbers?"
"Yes, but they're numbers that only mean something to us." She smiled the smile that only Andy ever saw before leaning in for a kiss feeling the nodding of the woman who reciprocated enthusiastically.
"Do you know when you would like to get this done?"
"Today, I've booked us in about an hour."
That would be the unbelievable anecdote that Andy would tell at gatherings to come as to why the two of them had matching tattoo's just under their décolletage on the right hand side that appeared to be just numbers bungled together. Miranda would always have a sly smirk despite the reddening cheeks whilst Andy would simply roll her eyes and complain about how much it had hurt. Despite them both knowing that it was actually Miranda who had found the pain to be tough, Andy would never betray her persona like that and therefore would always take the fall over it.
As time went on they grew together, Miranda would continue to put her cold feet on Andy's when in bed wriggling her toes whilst her brunette would groan and attempt to roll away. In the meantime Andy would be hiding her super-secret stash of M and M's in a hard to reach section of the back of one of the cupboards. Miranda pretended not to know where this was hidden when the girls would ask. Just like how Andy would pretend to not know when Miranda pinched a handful.
Anniversaries were celebrated in variously romantic ways. The first was decedent and glorious. Whilst the second was a little…. Different. Mostly due to the fact that Cassidy managed to break her wrist whilst being overly vigorous whilst playing hockey.
Andy was fairly certain she'd never seen Miranda seem more terrified in her life.
"Can children die from a fractured wrist Andrea?!"
"I don't think so Honey"
"What if she does? Oh gosh Andrea I should have been there, I should've been watching my baby in her hockey match."
"Well I was there watching our baby in the hockey match and honestly Honey, you couldn't have done anything to prevent it. Nor really do I think you would've wanted to see it… I didn't."
"Do you really mean that?"
"Of course I do, it was gross."
"No, not that our baby, do you see them as your own?"
"Well… yes? I'm sorry, is that okay with you? I mean truthfully I think I always have. They're more than just my stepchildren. They feel like my flesh and blood. Even when wounded by hockey sticks and screaming bloody murder."
"Andrea, of course that's okay with me. Gosh I'm sorry I didn't ask you sooner, just with the way Stephen was with them I've been too cautious. I mean… they even suggested it before the wedding."
"Suggested what?"
"Darling, would you like to become their legal guardian? It would mean that should anything happen to me you would become their second parent. It's like adoption but it allows for James' rights as second parent."
"Oh…"
This is the last thing Andrea Sachs-Priestly remembered before passing out in the relatives room of their local hospital. This was swiftly followed with the answer of "yes" and a long discussion over which colour cast Cassidy should choose that was A) reasonably fashionable with clothing and B) unlikely to clash with her vibrant hair. She chose blue, much to her mothers' pleasure and her twins' dismay.
"But green is such a good colour Cass." The disgruntled sigh of both daughter at the persistence of her twin and mother, at the idea of such an awful colour.
Yes, business as usual.
