Shelby took Rachel's hand as they walked towards the beach, they were in no hurry, had no real plans so they were just enjoying a leisurely stroll. "You look really pretty Mom" Rachel told her.
Anyone else and Shelby would have wondered what they wanted, but she knew her daughter was giving her a genuine compliment, "thank you Baby" she smiled, she hadn't made any effort, she'd straightened her hair the night before but splashing in the pool with Lily and Max has caused her natural curls to return and she'd simply tied them back into a ponytail, she wasn't wearing any makeup and she'd just pulled a maxi dress on over her bikini. "You look beautiful too."
"You have to say that, you're my Mom."
Shelby shook her head, "you're starting to tan a little, you're getting the same freckles on your cheeks that Amy and I get when we've been in the sun and you just look really confident and relaxed. I promise you I'm not just saying that."
"Thank you" Rachel blushed slightly.
"You're welcome" Shelby teased playfully, "because let's face it, you've definitely got your looks from me".
"I'm glad about that. I'm glad that every time I look in a mirror or see a picture of myself, I'm glad I see you and not either of them."
Shelby pulled Rachel a little closer and kissed the top of her hair, "you'd be beautiful no matter who you looked like Baby, because beauty isn't always what you see in a mirror, it's how loving and caring you are, how, despite everything you've been through you're still capable of loving and trusting. It's your compassion and your strength."
"I get all of those things from you too".
"Maybe. But using them, letting people in and showing them who you really are, that's all on you Darling."
They decided to walk along the sand once they reached the beach, Shelby once again taking Rachel's hand once they'd both taken off their shoes, "I can't remember the last time I went to the beach" Rachel told her Mom, "I think I must have been really small."
Shelby smiled sadly and squeezed Rachel's hand, "we can have a day at the beach before we leave if you want? Either just the two of us or we can all come down."
Rachel nodded and smiled, "I think I'd like that." They walked in silence for a while before Rachel noticed Shelby was walking them both towards the sea, they'd reached a patch of the beach that didn't have many other people on, but Rachel didn't understand why Shelby was leading her down the sand. "Mom?" she asked with a frown.
"We're not going in" Shelby promised, feeling Rachel's grip tighten on her hand, "my feet are getting a bit hot on the sand, I was just going to let them cool off, you don't need to go any closer to the water if you don't want to."
Rachel thought for a moment before shaking her head, she trusted her Mom, "I'll come with you."
"Do you want me to talk to Aunt Amy and Uncle Jimmy about coming down with Lily and Max?" Shelby offered as they walked in the shallow waters, Shelby holding up the hem of her dress as the waves grazed her ankles, "you can build sandcastles and bury Uncle Jim in the sand" she joked.
Rachel smiled, "don't you think I'm too old for things like that?"
Shelby turned to face her daughter, "I don't think anyone is too old to have fun Baby, and I know that you probably missed out a lot on your childhood, and that, well, it's not okay, but we can't change that, and if you want to make up for that now, if you want to build sandcastles and play make-believe with your cousins, if you want me to read you bedtime stories and tuck you into bed every night, then that's okay with me Rachel, I don't mind you being a kid, and, as long as you're happy and nobody's getting hurt, I will never judge you for how you find your happiness."
Rachel smiled, "will you help me build a sandcastle when we come back?"
"Absolutely" Shelby grinned, "we can't have your Aunt building a better one than us can we?" she joked, reminding Rachel of just how competitive she and her sister could be.
They strolled along the beach, hand in hand for a while before deciding to walk around a market they saw, Shelby picking out some fresh fruit to take back to the villa, Rachel picking out gifts for her friends and a small gift for Brittany's parents to thank them for allowing Brittany to watch Jasper. Amy letting Rachel earn money to buy Shelby a birthday present had made Shelby realise that there might be times her daughter might need, or want money of her own, or was something she hadn't thought of until then but, a week after her birthday, Shelby had sat Rachel down and told her she was going to start giving her an allowance. She'd made it clear that if Rachel wanted to go out with her friends or if she needed new clothes or anything for school, she could still ask for money, but Shelby wanted her to have an allowance of her own, for things like birthdays where she might want to go shopping alone. Rachel had protested at first but eventually she'd began to enjoy having her own money, even if only to do things like getting the bus to Amy's when Shelby was working, and she was proud that she'd saved up her allowance, that she was using her 'own' money to buy the gifts she chose for her friends.
"Is there anything you've seen that you want?" Shelby asked as they reached the end of the market stalls, "I know you've got gifts for your friends but I don't mind buying you something for you."
Rachel shook her head, "I'm okay Momma" she smiled, taking hold of Shelby's hand, "I don't need anything."
"That may be true" Shelby was getting hot so she began leading Rachel towards a cafe she'd seen, "but that doesn't mean you can't have something just because you want it."
"I'm okay" Rachel insisted, "really."
"Okay" Shelby sat at a table in the shade, looking over the beach, "but if you see something and you want it then you tell me okay?" she said as she laid the menu on the table between them.
"Okay" Rachel agreed.
Shelby ordered orange juice for them both and an ice cream sundae for them to share before sitting back beside her daughter. She pushed her sunglasses onto her head and took out her phone as they waited, "come here" she said softly, as she opened her camera, wanting to take some selfies with her daughter.
Rachel obliged, taking several pictures with her Mom, some where they were both smiling at the camera, others where they were both pulling silly faces at the camera, but Shelby's favourite was one of the last ones she took, she and Rachel were smiling happily, but just as Shelby took the photo, Rachel turned her head to kiss Shelby's cheek, the photo capturing the mix of surprise and happiness on her face at the unexpected show of love from her daughter. "I love you" Shelby pulled Rachel into a proper hug."
"I know" Rachel smiled, kissing Shelby's cheek again as their order was brought over, "I love you too."
They strolled a little further once they left the cafe. Shelby's hand once again linked with Rachel's as they wandered away from the busy tourist area, finding themselves walking around some narrow back streets. Conversation came easily between Mother and Daughter as they walked and Rachel couldn't help but smile, it was nice to be able to just 'be' to not have to worry about what she was saying or how she was acting, she didn't need to focus on a strict plan, so long as they were back at the villa with enough time to get ready before going out for dinner, Shelby was happy to just do whatever.
"Thank you" Rachel said softly as they eventually began to walk back, both carrying several bags, they'd even picked up a couple of things for Amy's baby. "I've really enjoyed myself this afternoon."
"I'm glad to hear that" Shelby smiled, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of Rachel's hair behind her ear, "and we can do it any time you want. Being here with everyone is a lot different to what you're used to. If you want to go out for a walk, or you want to spend an afternoon alone in our bedroom then that's okay. It's okay for you to need time for yourself."
"Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me Baby, you're allowed to take a step back, you're allowed to take time for yourself whenever you need it. Nobody will mind."
"I don't want Aunt Amy to think I don't want to spend time with Lily and Max, because I do Momma, I just…" she shrugged, not knowing how to explain.
"It's okay Darling" Shelby understood. Rachel's fathers had kept her socially isolated for so long that she was still adjusting to spending time with other people, that sometimes after a day with her friends, all she wanted to do was sit quietly somewhere to allow herself to decompress. She also knew that, whilst she understood that, and Amy and Jimmy probably realised it too, Lily and Max didn't, they just saw the opportunity to spend as much time with their oldest cousin as they could and they wanted to make the most of it. "She doesn't think that, she knows you're not used to being around them all the time and that's a bit much sometimes. But she also knows that you love them just as much as they love you. She wouldn't have trusted you to look after them when we went out if she didn't know that you love them."
Rachel looked up at Shelby, "maybe you and I could offer to watch them one night before we go home, so Aunt Amy and Uncle Jimmy can have dinner together?" Rachel suggested, "only if you'd be okay with that too though."
Shelby nodded and smiled, "I think that's a great idea, I know they don't get to go out on their own too often so I'm sure they'd love the chance to spend some time together without Lily and Max. I'll talk to her about it tonight."
"Okay" Rachel smiled.
Shelby returned the smile as they walked into the villa, "we've got a little while before we have to start getting ready to go out, do you want to go and see everybody or do you want to read or watch TV or something?"
"Can we just sit?" Rachel asked nervously, "like we did earlier? I kinda like it when you hold me."
"If that's what you want then that's what we'll do" Shelby told her, "you go get comfy, on the couch or in bed, wherever you like, I'll just put the fruit away and then I'll be right with you. I promise."
Just like always, Shelby did as she said, putting away the groceries before going to sit beside Rachel, letting her get comfortable before wrapping her arms around her and holding her closely. They were still cuddled together in silence when Amy and Jim brought the kids on from the pool, "Rachie" Lily beamed from where she was bundled in a towel in Jimmy's arms, "you back!"
"I am" Rachel smiled, not moving from where she was tucked into Shelby's side, "have you been having fun?"
Lily nodded, "I happy you back. I miss you!"
"I missed you too" Rachel smiled at Lily's excitement.
"I gotsta have a bath now" Lily told her cousin, "but after bathtime can you do my hair pretty like yours? P'ease?"
"Yeah" Rachel nodded, "I can."
"Thank you!" Lily beamed, "see you soon!"
"Well" Shelby kissed Rachel's hair, "you'd better get the first shower Baby, you can get dressed and then I'll help you with your hair and makeup when you're finished with Lily."
"Thank you" Rachel kissed Shelby's cheek as she stood from the couch, "I love you Mom."
Shelby smiled, "I love you too Baby."