"Can I get you ladies anything to drink?" the flight attendant asked with a smile.
"Do you want a drink?" Rachel asked Lily, "what do you want?" she asked when she got a nod in response. Lily knelt up on her seat and whispered something in Rachel's ear, "do you have apple juice?" Rachel asked as Lily settled down in her seat again.
"We sure do" the woman nodded, "we have regular apple juice or cranberry apple juice."
"Just regular will be fine" Rachel decided for Lily, the toddler looking unusually shy.
"And what can I get for you?" she asked Rachel as she poured out Lily's juice.
"Oh, could I get the cranberry apple juice please." Rachel smiled.
Shelby said nothing but reached over to take Rachel's hand once the flight attendant had moved on, squeezing it softly, hoping the gesture said everything she'd never find the words to say, she was so incredibly proud of the young woman Rachel was becoming.
Breakfast was brought round soon after take off, and, without asking, Rachel peeled the lid off Lily's meal for her and unwrapped her cutlery, "do you need help?" she asked as she saw Lily struggling a little with her knife and fork.
Lily nodded and pointed to her omelette, "help me?"
"Sure" Rachel took the cutlery from her cousin and cut her food into smaller pieces for her, "is that okay?"
"Yeah" Lily grinned as she took the fork back from her cousin, "ta Rachie."
"Oh" Amy had heard the whole exchange between her daughter and her niece, she'd been just about to ask Shelby to reach over and give Lily a hand when Rachel had offered, "she's going to make me cry" Amy whispered, dabbing at her eyes as she cursed her hormones. "Look at her, she's so beautiful Shel, so confident and caring, when I think about the first time I met her, she was scared of her own shadow, I can't believe the change in her and you haven't even had her for a year yet."
"I know" Shelby smiled, hugging her sister to comfort her, "I don't know what happened, it was just like it all suddenly clicked one day, that she's allowed to be happy, she's allowed to be herself, and she's, she's perfect Amy."
"She's not even my daughter and I feel like I could burst from the love and the pride I feel when I see her, I can only imagine how you feel." Amy wiped at her tears, "sorry I'm…"
"Pregnant" Shelby teased, "I know, it's the third time I've had you crying all over me for no reason whatsoever, I'm getting used to it."
Amy looked down at her food, poking at the meal, "do you think I'm wasting my life?" she asked quietly.
"What?" Shelby frowned, "of course I don't. What makes you ask?"
Amy shrugged, "I've been to college but I've never had a career, I'll have three kids by the time I'm 25."
"Are you happy?" Shelby asked, "being a Mom, being with your kids all day, does that make you happy?"
"Of course it does" Amy frowned, "I love Lily and Max, and I love Jim, of course I do."
"Then does it matter that you haven't had a career yet?" Shelby asked, "like you said, you're still young. By the time you're 30 all your kids will be in school and then, if you want to, then you can work on your career, you've got plenty of time."
"I just, sometimes I think about all the things you've done and…"
"I think we both know I'd give all that up in a heartbeat to have had what you've got" Shelby told her, "to have been able to raise Rachel from day one, to have been able to give her a sibling."
Amy reached for Shelby's hand, "I'm sorry Shel, I…"
Shelby shook her head, "you're a great Mom Amy, don't ever doubt that. You've got a college degree, a good degree. Think of all the people who graduated with you. How many of those do you think studied for finals at their kitchen table as they breastfed a newborn and made sure a two year old ate his dinner and didn't just throw it on the floor? That's an achievement Amy, and like you said, you're happy. Nothing else matters."
"I suppose so" Amy nodded.
Shelby squeezed her sisters hand, "you and Jimmy, you're happy, you've got a nice house, two beautiful children and a third on the way, you can afford holidays like this, things like that, they only happen because the two of you have worked hard to get to where you are. Jimmy might be the only one that has a paying job, but raising a family, the things you do, that's a job too. The two of you are still so young, a lot of people your age are still out partying and doing whatever they want without thought of settling down. You were nineteen when you had Max and you, I know how scared you were but you didn't let that stop you, you faced everything head on and did your best for your husband and your son, and whether you get a job once the kids are at school or not, whether you wait tables or use that biochemistry degree to find the cure for cancer, I will always, always be incredibly proud of you Amy. You don't give yourself enough credit for the things you do, the things you've done."
Jimmy smiled as he stood and stretched his back slightly, Max had fallen asleep watching a movie not long after finishing his breakfast and Jimmy had decided to risk a trip to the bathroom whilst the boy was sleeping. As he'd turned to check on the rest of his family, Jimmy discovered he was the only one still awake, Amy had her head on Shelby's shoulder, Shelby's head resting against Amy's, but Lily had gone all out, Rachel had reclined her seat and Lily had simply made herself comfortable on Rachel's lap, her head resting against Rachel's chest as she slept peacefully. He couldn't resist it and took his phone from his pocket, snapping a picture of Shelby and Amy and another of Lily and Rachel, knowing both Shelby and Amy would love seeing their babies curled up asleep together.
Shelby was the first to wake, slowly turning her head towards her daughter, unable to hold back her smile as she saw Lily curled up against Rachel's chest, both of them still fast asleep. She watched them for a moment before turning back to look at Amy, smiling at her baby sister before placing a soft kiss to her hair.
She chuckled as Amy woke with a groan just a few minutes later, Amy never had been a fan of waking up. "Hey" Shelby smiled.
"Hi" Amy yawned, not moving from where she'd settled against Shelby's shoulder.
"If you don't want to cry again, I strongly suggest that you don't look over at Lily and Rachel" Shelby warned, rolling her eyes when Amy sat forwards to glance across the aisle.
"Oh" she gasped, tears pricking at her eyes just as Shelby had predicted, "they're so beautiful Shel" Amy whispered as her tears began to fall.
"I told you not to look!"
"You told me not to look at my daughter, of course I looked!" Amy wiped furiously at her eyes but it was no use, she couldn't stop her tears from falling.
Shelby rolled her eyes and stood from her seat, tapping Jimmy on the shoulder when she saw he was awake. "Everything okay?" he asked, pausing the movie he'd been watching and taking off his headphones.
Shelby shook her head, "Switch seats with me, I've already stopped her crying once this flight, you got her pregnant, you need to deal with her crazy hormonal ass."
Jimmy laughed as he undid his seatbelt and stood up, "dare I ask what's set her off?"
"I told her not to look at Lily and Rachel" Shelby told him as she sat down beside Max, the boy still sleeping peacefully, "she looked."
"Ah, okay" he chuckled, slipping into Shelby's vacant seat, "come here you big softy" he wrapped Amy into his arms as she began to cry harder, her sobs muffled in his shoulder.
"Look at them Jim" she whispered, "you know what Rachel was like when she first moved in with Shelby, and look how comfortable she is now. Six months ago she wouldn't even have spoken to us unless we asked her a direct question and now she's offering to sit with our babies, she's letting them cuddle her, she's fast asleep with Lil and they're… I, I just love them so much Jimmy"
"I know" he wiped at Amy's tears and let his forehead rest against hers, "and they love you too, even if you are being 'that' crazy hormonal pregnant woman" he teased before stealing a kiss.
Amy chuckled quietly and kissed Jimmy again before wiping at her eyes, "I can't help it."
"I know you can't" he smiled,
"But at least they're happy tears and I'm not losing my shit and throwing things at you."
"Yet" Jim put his hand on Amy's bump, "there's still time."
"Yeah" Amy teased, "I suppose there is, so watch your back."
Jimmy laughed, "have you met your sister? I'm always watching my back!" he joked.
"She's not that bad."
"I'll have to take your word for that, I've known her for 10 years and sometimes I can still hear her telling me that she'd make sure I regretted it if I ever hurt you."
Amy smirked, "maybe I should remind her who's fault it is that I'm a hormonal crying wreck!"
Jimmy gasped, "you wouldn't let this little one face the wrath of Auntie Lelly so soon would you?" he teased as he ran his palm over the swell of his wife's stomach.
"Idiot." Amy rolled her eyes as she swatted at Jim's arm.
"Been called worse" he teased, pecking at her lips, "usually by you."
"You'd better send Shelby back then hadn't you before I think of something worse to call you" she leaned in to kiss him gently, "I love you."
Jimmy smiled as he returned the kiss and wiped at the last of Amy's tears, "love you more."
"Is it safe?" Shelby asked when Jim came back.
"She's emotionally stable, well, she hit me and called me an idiot so…"
"So she's fine" Shelby laughed, standing to let Jimmy sit down again, "thanks."
The rest of the flight passed without incident, both Lily and Rachel were a little scared as the plane started it's descent but Rachel remembered what Shelby had done for her and reached into the Lily's carry on to pull out a picture book, reading to the toddler enough to distract Rachel from her own anxieties too, and, almost before they knew it, the plane jolted slightly as it hit the runway and the flight was over, the plane was back on the ground.
"Got it?" Rachel asked as they stepped off the plane, making sure Lily had hold of the handrail, keeping a tight hold of her other hand as they walked carefully down the stairs together.
"Are you okay Lil?" Jimmy asked as he followed behind "do you want me to carry you down?"
"Nope" she grinned and shook her head, "I got it Daddy"
Jimmy laughed, "okay then. You keep hold of Rachel's hand and be careful okay?"
"I will" Lily promised, a proud grin on her face as she jumped off the bottom step with both feet.
Lily kept a firm grip on Rachel's hand as they walked from the plane to the airport, "are you okay?" Rachel asked as she felt Lily tug gently at her hand.
Lily shook her head, "hot"
"Okay, we're going in there" Rachel pointed to the airport building that they'd almost reached, "and once we're inside I'll help you take your jacket off okay?"
Lily nodded, "Okay Rachie."
"I think Rachel's going to have a second shadow while we're here" Shelby told her sister as they walked together, just a few steps behind Rachel and Lily.
"I think you're right" Amy smiled, "are you two okay?" she asked when she saw them step to the side and stop walking once they were inside.
"Hot Momma" Lily pouted, "Rachie get this off" she pointed to her hoodie as Rachel unzipped it before helping Lily slip her backpack off.
"Here" Jimmy picked up the Elsa backpack without question and put it on his shoulder, "do you need a hand?"
"I think we're okay thanks" Rachel smiled as Lily shrugged the hoodie off, thanking Jimmy again when he took Lily's hoodie.
Amy sat with Lily and Max once they were through passport control, Rachel choosing to help Jimmy and Shelby get the luggage, "Rachie helping?" Lily asked as she knelt up on the seat beside her Mom.
"She is" Amy smiled, "and I think she might want to be with Auntie Lelly for a little bit."
"Why?" Lily frowned.
Amy brushed Lily's hair back from her face, "well you know how sometimes you just want to be with me or Daddy for a while? You don't have a reason, you just want to be near us?" Lily nodded and snuggled into Amy's side, still a little tired, "Auntie Lelly is Rachel's Mommy, so sometimes Rachel just wants to be with her, just like how you want to be with me sometimes."
"Oh" Lily nodded, "okay" she said before yawning loudly, "I sleeped on Rachie" she giggled.
"I know" Amy smiled, "we saw you."
"You sleeped too?" Lily asked
Amy nodded her head, "I slept on Auntie Lelly" she chuckled.
"Really?" Lily giggled.
"Yeah" Amy nodded, "you snuggled Rachel, I snuggled Auntie Lelly". She couldn't help but smile as she watched Rachel playfully push her Uncle away from her, glad that she'd moved on from the girl who was scared her uncle was going to hurt her, she'd even sent him a father's day card similar to the one she'd given Amy, the man tearing up as he read the simple message Rachel had written inside, 'thank you for showing me what having a Dad is meant to be like, both by how you treat me, and by how you're raising your own children', it had meant a lot to Jimmy that, after everything she'd been through, Rachel was beginning to trust him and she only hoped that this vacation would help strengthen the bond they were forming.
"I had a nap too" Max finally looked up from the game he was playing on Jimmy's phone and broke Amy from her thoughts, "but just on my own, I didn't sleep on anyone."
"That's okay" Amy put her arm around her son and pulled him close so she could kiss his hair, "as long as you're happy."
"I am Mommy, and I can't wait to be on vacation!"
"Me too!" Lily began to bounce excitedly.
Amy laughed, "want to know a secret?" she asked as she saw Jim, Shelby and Rachel coming over with their luggage. Lily and Max both nodded excitedly, they both loved being trusted with secrets. "You can't wait to be on vacation?" she asked. The kids both nodded again and Amy leant in, smiling as she told them both, "we're already on vacation."