The next morning Shelby woke up to the sound of her little baby crying and was instantly on high alert. Shelby was not a morning person—working on Broadway made for extremely late nights, meaning she didn't tend to roll out of bed until late morning because she'd been up working the night before along with attending the occasional cast parties or spending time with Cass, April and Holly after shows. That being said, she knew her life was changing and she had to figure out what she wanted to do—right now was not the time though.

Rachel was still laying on top of her and she opened her eyes to see the tears streaking her baby's face, pacifier nowhere to be found. Shelby assumed Rachel was crying because she lost her pacifier which she quickly retrieved while cooing in Rachel's ear, "Shh, shh, shh, you're okay baby girl, mommy's here. I've got you."

Once the pacifier was back in Rachel's mouth however, the baby didn't stop crying. Shelby gently patted her bottom and Shelby figured out what the problem was. She was wet. "Okay love bug, let's get you a fresh diaper. We don't need all these tears honey, it's a quick fix—mommy will make it all better."

Shelby sang while changing Rachel's diaper and decided due to the time and Rachel's fussy mood to make a bottle. One warmed bottle and another song later, Rachel was sound asleep again in her mothers arms as Shelby swapped the nipple of the bottle out for Rachel's pacifier and wrapped her giraffe up in Rachel's little arm so Shelby could go to the bathroom herself.

It was only 6:30am and Shelby did not want to be awake for the day yet. Yes, Rachel may have gone down for the night around 7:15pm, but Shelby didn't and Shelby also knew her little angel needed more sleep. She settled back in bed and moved Rachel's body back on top of her knowing it made her feel safe, and it also gave Shelby peace of mind—having Rachel close, smelling her fresh baby scent, feeling her little weight on top of her healed the hole in her heart and put a constant smile on her face and she drifted off again.

The next time Shelby woke up she opened her eyes to find a very smiley Rachel gently poking her face saying, "My mommy, my mommy, my mommy," over and over again. She was rocking back and forth, legs on either side of Shelby's waist, and seemed so content—Rachel didn't seem to notice that Shelby had opened her eyes yet as she was mostly 'singing' her little song to Raffy.

Shelby didn't want to startle her baby so she waited for Rachel's eyes to drift to her own and when they did, Rachel squealed in excitement. "MOMMY!"

"Hi baby girl, how—" before Shelby could ask how she slept Rachel crashed down and placed another slobber kiss on her mothers lips hoping Shelby would do the same thing as she did yesterday; and to Rachel's excitement, Shelby did just that.

The mother peppered kisses all over Rachel's face listening to the best sound in the world, her daughter's laughter echoing through her bedroom while squealing 'mommy my mommy tisses'.

Shelby looked over at the clock at was happily surprised when the clock read 9:58am. She didn't think that Rachel had been awake that long considering she felt Rachel poking her for about a minute before opening her eyes along with the little 'song' she was singing to her giraffe. Not too bad, I know she won't always sleep this long but she needs to catch up on her sleep.

They ate a well balanced breakfast, Rachel now in her table top seat that attached to the kitchen island so Shelby could sit on a bar stool while they both ate. It was clear from the meals they ate together that her little angel made a big mess while eating—between sticky fingers and not knowing how to properly use a spoon or fork, it made for multiple messy shirts. Shelby fed Rachel her dinner last night but this morning she decided to just take off the babies onesie knowing she could easily clean her—or they could take a bath after which would most likely happen anyways.

Rachel giggled and once again whispered as if someone could hear them, "Mommy…me nakey."

Shelby thought it was the cutest little thing—Rachel had no problem being naked while laying on top of her mommy when they took a nap or went to bed, being in the tub or shower with her mommy, or even running around the bathroom and into Shelby's bedroom completely naked before Shelby put on her diaper—but the minute she fully processed it, Rachel pointed it out to her mother.

Shelby also loved how everything was 'me' instead of 'I' or 'I'm'—there were a lot of things she could teach Rachel which she was giddy about. Even though it made her extremely angry at Hiram and even Leroy for not teaching Rachel these things, Shelby felt grateful that she was the one who got to instead of those assholes.

Colors, shapes, complete words and sentences, how to use a spoon and fork, eventually they'd be working on potty training but that seemed to be very far down the line right now—just everyday little things, and Shelby loved every minute of it.

Well, every minute besides the times where Rachel became upset and she picked her up feeling just how small she was—then Shelby felt rage towards those bastards for not feeding her baby along with the clear signs of neglect (not teaching her what other two year olds would already know by now).

The ups definitely outweighed the downs though and being an actress, she easily pushed down the rage so Rachel wouldn't pick up on it. It was also easy to do considering one look into Rachel's beautiful big doe brown eyes, or her little adorable smile melted Shelby—her little smile and laugh were contagious and Shelby was over the moon.

Shelby knew the statement had already been released however, she had yet to look at her phone. Once Rachel went down for a nap which she knew would be soon seeing as her eyes were already fluttering as she drank her bottle, Shelby would check to see what the 'world was saying'.

Not that she actually cared, it's none of their business besides the fact she couldn't just walk down the streets of New York with a baby on her hip or in a stroller without some type of explanation.

It was now 11:45 and although naptime would throw off lunchtime and the schedule Shelby was trying to create, right now she was not going to enforce anything besides letting Rachel sleep when she needed it.

Shelby had spoken to Dr. Robbins about that while at the appointment yesterday and she agreed with the mother—schedules are important, but right now sleep is more important so letting Rachel nap even if that meant missing meals and making them up later in the day was okay. Plus, Dr. Robbins said multiple times that she was quite positive Rachel wasn't used to eating three times a day and snacks so having at least two full meals a day, for now, or at least until Rachel is breastfeeding would be okay.

Come noon, Shelby placed one last kiss to Rachel's forehead and went into the kitchen to keep Rachel in her line of sight as she turned on her phone. Per usual, notification after notification popped up but today they seemed to never stop.

Katherine and Thomas made their children promise to not bombard Shelby today, or any other day for that matter however, each sibling sent one text to her in their own way of saying 'just checking in and I love you' along with her parents as well.

Amy did a good job on the statement—Shelby sent over three pictures they had taken together. One of Shelby and Rachel smiling at the camera, one of Rachel looking up at Shelby like she was the greatest human in the entire world, and one of Shelby and Rachel maternally and sloppily kissing each others lips which made Shelby laugh because they were clearly giggling. Every time Rachel gave her a sloppy kiss Shelby's heart melted more and more.

Amy chose the picture of Rachel looking up at Shelby and in the statement added, 'the admiration this precious baby girl has for her mother is evident…' going on to say to please respect their privacy blah, blah, blah, Shelby had already read the statement but that particular quote stuck out in her mind.

Just from one picture, Amy, who was anything but a 'mushy gushy' person was able to see the admiration Rachel already had for her which meant more than anything Shelby could ever express in words.

Amy was never the one to write anything like that, so it must be true. She thought her parents were just telling her they were proud of her because they were her parents—her siblings saying the same thing (except Lexie who was younger and practically still a kid herself)…but to hear it, well read it from Amy, that meant something.

Well, now the world knows. I guess I should make sure Joe and Mike are holding up okay downstairs where they are held up with Max and will be for the next week. The paparazzi down there must be a complete nightmare, poor boys.

Shelby felt badly, but they were already working some crazy hours due to all the shows she's no longer doing because David gave her time off putting her understudy to work. She didn't feel badly for not telling anyone at the theatre because anyone who needed to know already did—David, her security details, Al (who she now liked best because he was the one who found Rachel), and obviously April.

Before Shelby could call down to check on the boys, her phone vibrated with an incoming call—she was grateful the volume was off as to not wake Rachel. She looked down and didn't recognize the number which made her nervous. She knew her number was unlisted, but with all of the media buzzing about her and now Rachel, was it possible some crazy person got her number?

"Shelby Corcoran," she answered cautiously.

"Hi Shelby, this is Detective Rollins we met yesterday. I'm sorry is this an okay time?" Amanda knew her statement came out today and Shelby sounded extremely tense.

"Hi, no don't apologize," Shelby's heart started beating regularly again and she continued speaking. "I forgot to add your number to my phone and was honestly a bit nervous that somehow my unlisted number got outed. I know I'm fearing the worst right now—it's just well, with the statement being released this morning…" Shelby rambled. "But I'm guessing that's not why you called. How can I help you?"

Amanda liked Shelby—she wasn't like other stars they've worked with who think they are above everyone, she was just your typical woman who was trying to do everything to protect her little girl and do the right thing as a first time mom.

Shelby didn't want special treatment, she actually wanted to be treated like a 'normal' person instead of someone who was known because of their fame. Amanda truly respected that, and respected Shelby for not only her work but her as a person even though they just met—it's something Amanda could sense right away when they met.

"It's okay, I would have been weary as well if I were you and I'm sorry for startling you—actually I was calling because we have a lead on Hiram. When we spoke yesterday you said you lived with the Berry men through your pregnancy, did either of them ever mention a house in Maine?"

Shelby thought back to her time in the Berry house—she remembers how they doted on her up until she was six months pregnant and then it became very tense around the house due to the contract. Leroy was more civil than Hiram and made sure Shelby was still taking her prenatal, ate three meals a day (which seems so hypocritical now that she has her baby back and knows her innocent little angel didn't get that) Focus Shelby, Maine, Maine, Maine…

"Umm, this must sound crazy but part of me feels like I was living with them just yesterday and can recall random and useless conversations while the other part of me feels like it's been way more than three years ago and can't remember much of anything. I honestly don't recall anything about Maine—that being said, I was also hormonal and extra emotional because my father had cancer. It sounds awful, but that's honestly why I went through with the ad in the first place. I knew I could not only pay for my fathers treatments and help my family but afford living New York for a few years as well—that is, until I heard her heartbeat for the first time…" Shelby choked back her tears.

Shelby took a breath then continued, "That's when I knew being a surrogate was going to be the biggest regret of my life. I also thought I'd be able to see my baby grow up—they led me to believe that I could be in her life until I was six months pregnant."

"And that's when they forced you to sign the contract?" Amanda asked, even though she knew the answer. Her heart broke for Shelby—she couldn't imagine being in her shoes. Shelby was so young, even younger when she had Rachel and was alone through her pregnancy (no family to lean on at least) because she was trying to save her father while following her dreams at the same time.

Shelby nodded and whispered, "Yes."

Amanda really didn't want to be the one to tell her this information because Shelby was too sweet, too innocent, too nice of a person and they didn't even have Hiram in custody yet so she didn't see the point, but when the order came down from Olivia, she thought it would be better for Shelby to hear from a friendly voice than having one of the guys do it.

"Shelby, I hate to be the one to tell you this but when we do have Hiram in custody, which we will Shelby," Amanda assured, she was dead set on getting this son of a bitch, "…we have additional charges to add to his ever building case."

Shelby found her voice again after hearing this and was now angry—what had this man done now? "What is it? What else did he do to my baby?"

Oh fuck Amanda thought. She's not going to handle this well… "This is regarding the contract Shelby, not Rachel—well I guess it's about Rachel in the sense of the contract but I'm getting off track here. Shelby, the contract wasn't a legitimate document, it was forged."

Those three words pierced through Shelby's heart—forged? Does that mean I could have… Shelby didn't allow herself to think of all the what ifs right now. That's something she would think about later when she had more time, and someone else to talk to—Amanda doesn't need to hear all of my what ifs and anger I had towards Hiram, that's not her job.

Apparently she was silent for too long because Amanda spoke again, "We're going to find him, Shelby. And I will personally make sure he doesn't get away with this. I want you and Rachel to get justice—you both deserve it."

"Thank you Detective Rollins."

"Please call me Amanda," the blonde smiled through the phone.

"Thank you, Amanda," Shelby repeated. "I appreciate all you and the detectives are doing for us. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I'm sorry I couldn't be any help to you today regarding Maine but please keep me updated. I hate to cut you off but Rachel is waking up from her nap…"

"I'll let you go, and don't worry, Shelby—take care of that little baby."

A while later Shelby was teaching Rachel how to have a tea party when she heard her cellphone ring. She had turned on the ringer after Rachel woke up and she ate a good amount of lunch, at least that's how Shelby would describe it as.

Rachel doesn't eat a ton, but the amount that Shelby gives her she does eat—she seems more into drinking a bubba filled with milk though and because of this Shelby can't wait for her milk supply to come in knowing she'll be able to provide for her baby that way. Plus, breastfeeding will not only be another source of comfort for Rachel, but another way of getting nutrients into her little peanut multiple times a day.

Right now Rachel was currently babbling away to the stuffed animals she had in the two other seats of the little table which was beyond cute—Shelby saw on the caller ID that it was her mother and decided to at least let her know that she'd call her again when she put Rachel to bed knowing she wanted to talk to her parents about the contract.

The Corcoran children may have been given a 'don't bombard your sister rule' but Katherine would continue to check up on her daughter even if Shelby didn't answer which she figured she wouldn't. She and Thomas also discussed a trip to New York once Shelby decided it would be okay—but they'd let her decide when it was okay. For now, getting to speak with their daughter who was actually happy for the first time in three years was one of the greatest gifts: not to mention another grandbaby.

"Mommy's just going to answer this Rach, okay? Can you pour mommy some more tea please?" Shelby held up her cellphone and even though Rachel knew grownup's had these devices and talked into them, she didn't really know why so she just nodded.

"Otay mommy."

Shelby smiled at her beautiful little girl then answered the phone, "Hey mom."

"Oh Shelby honey, I figured I'd get your voicemail," Katherine said—she was shocked to hear her daughter on the line. "That picture of you and Rachel is absolutely darling! Can you send me a copy of it? I want to frame it and put it up in the living room with all of the other pictures I have in there of my children and grandbabies. How are you two doing? How's my littlest grandbaby today? What are you up to?"

Katherine Corcoran was talking a mile a minute and Shelby just smiled—she knew how her mother was, especially when she was excited about something. Honestly, Shelby was the same way…when she was excited or nervous she would speak a mile a minute and start to ramble which she inherited from her mother.

"We're currently having a tea party," Shelby said, running her fingers through Rachel's hair and smiling as she poured her mommy more fake tea. "Listen, I got some news today that I want to speak with you and d-a-d about when my little one goes to b-e-d, can I call you back then please?"

Katherine thought for a minute about why Shelby was spelling out dad then a single tear slipped down her cheek. Thomas chose that moment to walk into the kitchen and wiped it away, "Of course honey, daddy and I will be here: always. Give Rachel a kiss from both of us. We love you."

"Love you too, I'll talk to you later."

Katherine heard the click and more tears streamed down her face—Thomas didn't need to ask, he knew she was calling Shelby and whatever was said upset her because even though Shelby was finally happy and the hole in her heart was finally pieced back together again, she was broken up about everything that happened to her baby.

They didn't need to talk about it for the two parents to know—their little Shelly bean has always been one to mask her emotions until one day she overflows and breaks down the walls she tries so hard to keep up letting her parents in.

This time seems different though—maybe it's because Shelby has let them know about what the detectives have said so far, or how Hiram and most likely Leroy treated Rachel…either way, her walls weren't as high and strong as they normally were.

All Katherine wanted to do was hold her baby, even at 24, Shelby's still her little girl—gosh she's accomplished so much being so young, and is so strong, but Katherine wanted to wrap Shelby up in her arms and just be. However, right now, both she and Thomas knew they couldn't do that so they were happy for the phone calls.

It seemed like Shelby was going to lean on them more than they were used to and they were prepared—Shelby never leaned on them for anything, so now they would be making up for lost time of 'parenting' her, while being there to help her and Rachel through everything.

"It's going to be okay honey," Thomas said, wiping away Katherine's tears. "We'll get her through this and I'm counting on those detectives to lock up that son of a bitch because so help me god if I get my hands on him first."

"I think you'd have to wait your turn," Katherine patted his shoulder. "Not only does Shelby want a piece of him, but she also has three very overprotective older siblings, one little sister who seems to want to do anything she can for a niece she's over the moon about, and one extremely angry nana," she winked.

Thomas accepted his fate knowing there was nothing else to say on the matter—all of their children had been calling them all day asking if they had heard from Shelby, if they had any more pictures of Rachel, if Shelby and Rachel were doing okay, if they knew any more information from the detectives, etc.

Katherine was going to ask Shelby when they spoke later if she'd be okay sending her parents pictures she takes of Rachel (which they knew Shelby would be doing constantly) and her sharing them with the siblings instead of the family group chat because that would overwhelm Shelby.

Last night Shelby agreed that any information she found out from the detectives they could share with her siblings; she did not however, want to repeat herself four times and sending it in a text just didn't seem like the appropriate format, so the parents agreed they'd share the information.

Katherine asked her husband to send out a text to the children saying Shelby would be calling after Rachel went to bed and until then they wouldn't have any more information. It's not that she didn't want to hear from her kids, Katherine was just emotionally drained and couldn't imagine how Shelby was holding up.

After hanging up the phone, Shelby looked up to keep her tears from falling then focused back on her daughter. She couldn't help it, the tea party would continue after…

Shelby scooped Rachel up and heard her squeal in excitement as she held her above her head and peppered kisses all over her face. Being so lightweight, Shelby could hold Rachel up above her easily as the laughing continued.

Finally, Shelby stopped letting Rachel catch her breath from all the laughter, "Mommy me pea parpee!" she pointed back to the table.

"I know baby, we can still have your tea party—I couldn't help myself. Mommy needed to give you extra kisses because you're just too cute."

Rachel gave her a lopsided grin then leaned in and gave her a slobber kiss before squirming to get off her lap so she could continue her tea party.

Rachel's favorite time of the day came around: bath time—Shelby has learned that Rachel loves her bath time but only if her mommy is in there with her. Shelby isn't sure if it's because of their first night together, if Rachel is afraid to be in the bath alone, or if there is something else going on but for now, it's okay.

Shelby is happy to watch Rachel play with her bath toys and then take the time to snuggle up with her daughter while she sings to her like they did on their first night together which Shelby takes as an 'I'm now sleepy and it's time to get out'.

Right now, keeping Rachel happy is Shelby's priority and if being in the bath with her is what makes her smile and feel safe, than so be it. She's been keeping little notes on Rachel's behavior—this first week will obviously show Shelby a lot but come the next few weeks, Shelby wants to be able to talk it over with Dr. Robbins to see if she has any suggestions—or maybe see if Rachel becomes a little more 'independent', as independent as a baby can be once she settles in.

Once in her little fuzzy pjs, Rachel pitter pattered into Shelby's closet with her watching as Shelby put on a pair of sweatpants a tank top. The penthouse was kept warm and Shelby was used to sleeping a certain way (t-shirt and a pair of panties) however, right now she wasn't going to sleep, Rachel was and she had a phone call to make afterwards.

She scooped Rachel up and the baby decided she loved tank tops because when she reached her hand into her mommy's shirt she had access to what was hers. Shelby's doctor had called her and said the medicine could start working before the 5-8 days if she tried using the pump to stimulate what it would be like to nurse Rachel so Shelby had done that multiple times when Rachel took her naps wanting to be able to be the best mother she could be.

Shelby could already feel her breasts getting heavier, she saw in the mirror how they were bigger—there wasn't any milk yet so she wasn't necessarily prepared to let Rachel get used to the idea of nursing yet but she wouldn't deny the comfort Rachel seeked by placing her hand where she wanted it.

Honestly, Shelby wasn't sure how Rachel knew about breastfeeding—she must have seen it somewhere, but where, Shelby didn't know. Shelby brought Rachel downstairs and warmed up a bottle for her then they went back upstairs—she couldn't wait for the rocking chair to be delivered.

Call her crazy for ordering two but Shelby wanted to have one in her bedroom and one in the nursery/toddler room; it would be much easier to rock Rachel in a chair than doing it herself while she drank her bottle and eventually nursed. That being said, Shelby would do anything for her baby so here she was singing while rocking back and forth feeding Rachel her bottle as the baby kept her hand in place.

Shelby felt like she'd accomplished the greatest thing possible being able to transfer Rachel out of her arms and onto her bed, slipping her pacifier into her mouth, her little giraffe into her arms and not wake her up in the process. Shelby gave herself a silent pat on the back—three days of being a mother with everything else going on, I can do this. I can definitely do this.

Those who truly knew Shelby, her best friends, her parents and siblings knew Shelby had a lot of self-doubt. Her confidence may shine through on the stage but in her personal life, she beat herself up over everything and anything. Perfectionist was putting it lightly. To be able to admit to herself that she actually did something right was a big accomplishment, hence why she was so excited about getting Rachel down for the night.

Yes, she did the same thing for the past two nights but her mind was telling her it was just luck last night and on Thanksgiving, Rachel was exhausted so Shelby didn't actually do anything. Throughout the past few days, Shelby has had fleeting thoughts of how awful a mother she is, how she can't possibly do this because she's already failed Rachel, how much she put Rachel through, how all of this is her fault.

Rachel already endured a life of unknown because Shelby wasn't there to protect her baby. All Shelby truly knows is that Rachel wasn't fed regularly and was clearly neglected, she doesn't want to think of her being abused—she does know that Rachel is terrified of other people and doesn't like loud noises. Shelby thought Leroy and Hiram were wonderful men, they doted on her, why would she believe they wouldn't treat her little angel the same way? But they didn't, and Shelby blames herself.

After making sure the pillows were in place so Rachel would be safe in the big bed, Shelby once again went into what was now Rachel's room and sat down to call her parents. She sobbed into the phone explaining what Amanda told her about the contract, explained her fears and what ifs to her parents, told them what the detectives were doing regarding the case, what they might find in Maine and then continued to beat herself up until Thomas stopped her.

"Shelby," Thomas said, making the young brunette listened closely—it wasn't often that her father used her actual name…he always used a nickname so Shelby wiped her tears and listened closely.

"I know you have all these fears, believe me, your mother and I had them too the minute we brought Jeremy home from the hospital and then again with Jake, Allie, you and Lexie. I had more fears than your mother believe it or not—I also know you have all these thoughts of what if, but you can't go back and change the past. You can make for a better future which is exactly what you're doing for Rachel. Her life will never be the same again, it will be ten times better because she has her mother—she has you Shelby. Do you hear me?"

His voice wasn't stern, but it wasn't soft either; Shelby knew a lot of her thoughts were irrational and a lot of the things she's been thinking about can't be changed because you can't reverse the clock—her father was right, Shelby just had a hard time admitting the fact her baby was suffering for the last almost three years and she could have been there had she known.

"I hear you," Shelby said quietly.

"Good. Now let's talk about all the fun things you and little miss Rachel did today," Thomas said, knowing changing the subject would help Shelby get out of her destructive head space.

Shelby smiled and told her parents all about their day—hearing Shelby laugh made both parents smile because they knew it was genuine and it was good to hear. They talked about photos to which Shelby agreed and sent over at least 15 different pictures while on the phone.

Her parents weren't that tech savvy so they didn't know how to multitask like that, but because Shelby called the landline they were able to look at the pictures and discuss each one. It's as if they were there with the detail Shelby went into.

Finally, Katherine brought up coming to New York—she made it very clear to Shelby that they would respect her space, even stay in a hotel when Shelby decided it would be an appropriate time to visit but Shelby said that was silly. She had five bedrooms in her penthouse. Obviously one was hers, one was now Rachel's, she used one of the smaller bedrooms as an office leaving two unused bedrooms.

Of course Shelby would pay for a hotel if that's what they truly wanted, but she said it would be okay if they stayed with her. Shelby asked if she could call them back on when they could come as things seemed to be moving really quickly all around her—she hasn't even taken Rachel out of the house yet (besides her doctors appointment) and even though the baby hasn't asked to go outside she wants to be able to take her out…but is afraid of the paparazzi.

Maybe it would be better with my parents here.

Katherine told her to take as long as she needed—they would be ready whenever she needed them which took some of the stress off of Shelby. It was nice to be able to talk to her parents about all of this. She had a lot going on in her head and while she always talked to her best friends about everything, talking to her parents about this was something they understood because they had children.

After exchanging I love you's, they hung up the phone and Shelby was left with the thoughts of her best friends…

Shelby and Cass are…complicated.

April and Holly have been together for about 2 years now—Shelby, April, and Holly were roommates while Holly was in law school and they all met Cass on a girls night out. Shelby didn't realize how important Cass would be to her—eventually they all moved in together; the four of them with their crazy hours of working practically never saw each other or their home so it just worked for them.

Everyone was aware of the feelings developing; April and Holly's feelings stayed and they put labels on their relationship. Shelby and Cass has on and off feelings…they were always hot and cold. Best of friends always, with benefits. It just: worked. That's the only way Shelby can describe it.

April always encouraged them to 'just date already' once she and Holly became 'official' however, she and Cass weren't like that, or were they? Shelby wasn't sure and now with Rachel it just complicates it all. They've always remained best friends throughout everything though—for three years now they've all been closer than ever.

But can I really ask her to be with me? I mean, I have a baby now. Don't get ahead of yourself here. You don't even know what you're going to do about work. Maybe I do need my parents to come to New York. The sooner the better.

After checking on Rachel, Shelby got on her laptop and booked tickets for her parents for the next day—she'd have Joe go pick them up from the airport, or at least send her car service…although she'd prefer Joe to be there too knowing the paparazzi was going crazy downstairs according to the boys.

Tickets booked, a text confirmed from Joe stating he'd do whatever was needed once given the details, now all she had to do was let her parents know in the morning. She thought it would be a good surprise for them once she told Rachel. If she didn't seem to be okay with them coming, Shelby could easily cancel the flights or put her parents in a hotel until she got Rachel used to the idea of having a nana and a papa.

Shelby looked at the clock and even though it was only 9:02pm, she decided to crawl into bed with her baby. Rachel looked so peaceful when she slept and it melted Shelby's heart. She spent a little while texting her best friends—she sent pictures in the group chat and had a conversation there while having a separate conversation with April.

Shelby: Is she okay with everything though? I mean, it's not like we're together but…

April: Shelbs, it's been a shock for all of us but of course she's okay. We all wanted you to get your baby back. And it's Cass...she loves you. And not just as a best friend, she truly loves you. Like in love heart eyes love hunny bunny.

April: … you still there?

Shelby: Yeah, I'm here. Do you really think she loves me like that though? We've never put labels on anything…I don't even know what I'm going to do career wise anymore nevermind anything else. Part of me wants Rachel to grow up around her family, not that you guys aren't…

April: I know what you mean sugarplum. Your family, her grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles I know. We will always still be her aunts too…but I believe Cass is different. I wouldn't be surprised if she followed you anywhere you went.

Shelby: I could never ask her to do that April.

April: Who said anything about asking? That girl is head over heels in love with you, you're just too blind to see it. Baby or no baby, Cass loves you. Let her, you deserve it.

Shelby smiled at that text…does she really love me? I know I love her, I've just always labeled us as complicated because I didn't want to add any pressure to our friendship/relationship whatever we were doing. She's always been my date for anything I do, and I've been her date for anything she does…I guess we weren't really just going as friends after all. Not to mention all of our…relations.

Shelby: I have a lot to think about. I love her too, I have for a while I just don't want to mess anything up and right now I have so much going on.

April: She knows that hunny. Talk to her about it when things get a little less complicated. I know your parents will help you sort out a lot of it and I'm hoping the detectives catch the bastard. That will take away a lot of your stress so you can focus on the little princess. One step at a time pookie.

Shelby rolled her eyes; April was always the one to call her pookie because of Rent and she was the only one who Shelby actually allowed it from without getting upset about it.

Shelby: One step at a time. I love you April, thank you. I'm going to get some sleep now with my little angel.

April: Give her a kiss from auntie. I love you too.

Shelby put her phone on silent then moved closer to her little peanut. She carefully lifted Rachel up and laid the baby on top of her chest and watched as Rachel snuggled herself in closer. Shelby kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I love you baby girl, sweet dreams."