Shelby woke up on December 18th with Rachel moving around on top of her chest while tugging at her shirt and smiled. Today was her baby's birthday.

She and Cassie had continued to explain what a birthday was to her little one for the last two days however, the concept still wasn't getting through to her.

Not wanting to wake Cassie yet, Shelby got out of bed and walked into the nursery with Rachel so she could spend a bit of alone time with her beautiful birthday girl. She sat down in the rocking chair, thankful the second one was set up in the nursery, lifted her shirt and gave the baby exactly what she wanted.

Rachel looked up into her mothers eyes while nursing and Shelby stroked her little cheek before rubbing small circles on her tummy.

"Happy birthday baby girl," she smiled and kissed Rachel's temple.

The baby continued to nurse happily as Shelby rocked them, capturing her mothers other breast letting her know what she wanted next. Shelby was going to give Rachel anything and everything she wanted today seeing as it was her birthday—and most likely the first birthday she's ever experienced.


It was quiet time: just the two of them—peaceful, serene, calm, comforting; Rachel's eyes never left Shelby's as she nursed. It was perfect for both of them who desperately needed this time together.

For Shelby, each time Rachel nursed she felt herself healing from everything that has happened to her baby—and for Rachel, it was pure comfort and safety.

She nursed for a little over a half an hour before repositioning herself so they were now chest to chest. Rachel loved being in her mommy's arms, it was the best feeling in the world to her and Shelby who loved snuggling her baby girl more than anything.

And that's how Cassie found them as she stood in the doorway of the nursery smiling.

Cassie knew how hard this day was for Shelby the past few years and was beyond happy they were back together; clearly, this is where Rachel belonged the entire time. At least they are together now she thought before heading down the stairs to start breakfast.

Shelby never saw Cassie standing in the doorway as she was so taken with rubbing circles on Rachel's back while rocking them, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, telling Rachel how loved she is while keeping a protective grip on her as if she would disappear.

It really hit Shelby today that Rachel was hers, completely. Of course she's obviously known Rachel is hers, but today, being a day she has dreaded for the past few years was now a day she was so excited for because she was able to celebrate with her daughter instead of cry her heart out alone.

Her sweet baby wasn't going anywhere—she would always be loved, protected, safe, cherished, and nobody could take her away from mommy ever again. It filled Shelby's heart with happiness—the love she has for her baby goes beyond anything in this world: and always will.


While Cassie was making Rachel's favorite breakfast, Shelby cradled Rachel in her arms so green bore into brown, "Do you know what today is baby?"

Rachel just stared at her mommy—she remembers her saying something about a birthday however, she didn't know what that meant. She's never done anything special on any day besides when she's been with mommy so how was she supposed to know?

"It's your birthday my little love bug—you're three now," Shelby smiled. "Can you say three?" she asked, holding up three of her own fingers.

"Fee," Rachel repeated trying to copy Shelby's fingers but holding up one finger instead causing Shelby to smile.

"That's right peanut, you're three." Shelby took Rachel's little hand in her own and showed her how to hold up three fingers properly.

"You're this many today because it's you're birthday! Mommy and Cassie set up a surprise for you downstairs, should we go see what it is after we change your diaper?"

Rachel started to squirm as Shelby tickled her little sides then let out her signature squeal, "Es mommy!"

While changing her diaper, Rachel asked as she shrugged her little shoulders, "ere Tassie mommy?"

Shelby smiled zipping back up Rachel's onesie, "Cassie is making your favorite breakfast downstairs baby—should we go see her?"

The baby stood up and threw herself into her mothers arms with an 'oomph', "ES!" she squealed.

Shelby peppered kisses all over her face as she raised the baby above her head loving the laughter that came with it then they went downstairs. She knew once they reached the bottom of the stairs Rachel would either love her decorations or be completely overwhelmed by them—both she and Cassie were hoping for love.


Cassie heard her two loves coming down the stairs and was happy she had already set up the cameras—yup, Cassie was that person who not only had cameras set up for pictures, but one to record the reaction as well praying it would be a happy one. If not, she could always delete it but hey, a girls gotta try right?

Cassie walked closer to the bottom of the stairs so she could capture Rachel's reaction with her phone—the living room was where all the balloons and streamers were which you see when you reach the bottom of the stairs; there were also some of the presents they had purchased for the baby on the huge kitchen island with another one of the balloon unicorns.

It honestly looked gorgeous the way it was set up; you'd think Shelby hired a professional to put it all together however, these days you can order just about anything from the party store which made it very easy for them to set up the night before.

As Shelby, who was carrying a snuggly Rachel, reached the bottom the mother and Cassie heard a gasp and then a squeal of excitement from the baby. She immediately turned her little body in Shelby's arms to get a better view and her face was all smiles as she clapped her little hands together.

In return, Shelby and Cassie couldn't wipe the smiles off of their faces seeing as Rachel clearly loved the balloons and streamers. Shelby couldn't wait to see how she reacted to the cake if this is how excited she got about balloons.

Rachel had yet to even see the presents—even with the open concept floor plan of the penthouse, her eyes were glued to the pastel colored rainbow balloons and streamers.

"Umimporm mommy!" Rachel pointed to the multiple unicorns, her body trembling however, not in fear but excitement.

"There are unicorns baby, you're so smart aren't you?" Shelby pressed a kiss to her temple and tickled her little belly getting a laugh in return.

She walked into the living room fully with Rachel and then squatted down next to one of the unicorns made of balloons—they had three of them, two on either end of the rainbow and one in the kitchen. Rachel wouldn't understand that there were three because she was three, but she sure loved them.

Rachel tentatively reached out to touch it but quickly pulled her hand away looking up at her mommy. She suddenly heard a voice in her head telling her 'don't touch anything'—it was her daddy's voice; when he would bring her into his office late at night to work, or into another room of their house where she was never allowed to go, that's always what he would say to her.

Shelby hated how Rachel would react sometimes—not because of the baby herself, but because she knew she was reacting this way because of the bastard who shall not be named.

Shelby touched the balloon with the hand that wasn't holding Rachel in her lap and ran her fingers through the rainbow 'hair' on the unicorn, "You can touch them baby, they are your balloons. See, just like mommy, gentle though because we don't want them to pop."

Realistically Shelby knew Rachel wouldn't ever be able to pop the balloon seeing as she is light as a feather, and it's not like she would squeeze it, but she didn't want any popping and scaring the baby knowing she hated loud noises.

Rachel followed what her mommy was doing and smiled when she felt the balloon and the silly hair that they somehow put on it—her mood instantly changed back to being completely happy and over the moon with what was hers.

She squirmed to get out of Shelby's arms and when she was standing on her own two feet hugged the unicorn causing the mother and Cassie to laugh.

"Me umimporm mommy!" Rachel smiled then carefully touched the crown on it's head. "Dis?" she questioned.

Cassie stopped taking pictures and walked into the kitchen where they had a nearly identical crown for Rachel to wear and brought it back into the living room as Shelby explained, "That's a crown, baby. Can you say crown?"

This was how things went in the Corcoran household—Rachel would ask something and when given an answer, Shelby asked if she could either repeat it, follow the action, or find another way to explain if the baby didn't understand.

"Me to-w-n," Rachel tried; they both knew she couldn't pronounce her c's which was too adorable to correct, so Shelby nodded and clapped letting Rachel know she got it right.

"I think Cassie might have a crown for you to wear, this one stays on the unicorn though love bug," Shelby explained.

Cassie squatted down next to them and pulled the crown out from behind her back, "Happy birthday sweet girl."

Rachel squealed again however, it wasn't because Cassie told her 'happy birthday' it was because she saw a matching crown. Cassie tried to put it on her head but Rachel wanted to see it first, holding it in her little hands and examining it before trying to put it on her head herself.

Luckily Cassie had already taken her phone back out and was recording the entire thing because it was too cute not to—when Rachel put the crown on her head, it was completely crooked and Shelby stepped in to help her straighten it out.

"You look so beautiful my little princess," Shelby gushed.

Rachel's beautiful brown locks that had been combed through by mommy's fingers while rocking upstairs were now splayed across her little shoulders with the gorgeous crown on top of her head—she looked stunning with those big expressive brown doe eyes looking right into Shelby's green.

For being so little, so malnourished when Shelby physically received custody of Rachel, her hair was surprisingly long—she definitely got the Corcoran hair and even though it was extremely fine, it was long; it was the only part of her that actually gave away she was almost three in fact, considering her body still looked as if she was a literal baby.

Rachel threw herself into her mommy's arms and smiled—there was nothing she loved more than hearing her mommy say things like that to her. 'You're beautiful', 'Mommy's little princess', 'Mommy's angel', any and every term of endearment she had never heard before, she hears all day long and loves it knowing she is actual loved.


The three of them eventually made it into the kitchen where another set of squeals came from the baby when seeing another unicorn and rainbow colored boxes in all shapes and sizes. Because nothing has ever been wrapped before, Rachel honestly had no idea what they were, but decided in her little mind they were super pretty. It looked like decoration and that excited her—Shelby and Cassie couldn't wait to show Rachel how to actually open the presents and see her reactions.

They ate Rachel's favorite breakfast which they learned was coconut banana cream pancakes with extra whipped cream and a side of strawberries because god forbid there was no strawberries with breakfast—it would be the end of the world in Rachel's eyes; she loved her strawberries more than anything.

After a yummy breakfast where Rachel surprisingly ate a full pancake (even though they were small to begin with), Shelby cleaned her up while Cassie cleaned the kitchen. It was so domestic yet, it seemed so right to both women.

Shelby realized she should have stripped Rachel down to her diaper while they ate but was too focused on snapping pictures of everything to remember meaning, they suddenly disappeared upstairs for some new clothes.

Seeing as they typically took a bath after breakfast, Cassie told them to follow their routine and said she would jump in the shower too. They would all get ready for the day before opening presents considering Rachel still didn't understand and didn't ask about them.

She did spend a lot of time looking at them however, most of the time she was eating her breakfast was spent looking and babbling away to the unicorn next to the presents. The unicorns were a big hit and Shelby was very happy she ordered them with the rainbow décor.

Shelby being Shelby ordered matching shirts for the adults and the cutest little outfit for Rachel to wear—actually she ordered her multiple outfits knowing after her cake the outfit would most likely be ruined however, that was part of the celebration and gave Shelby a reason to pick out everything she wanted her daughter to wear for her special day.


After their bath, where Rachel had the time of her life playing with her toys as mommy tried to wash her hair and body while playing…because god forbid she slow down for a few minutes once she was awake, Shelby got a diaper on the baby then herself dressed first as Rachel pitter pattered around.

She loved being able to go into mommy's closet, pulling out her shoes and attempting to put them on her itty bitty feet. Every time she was in there, Rachel attempted to do exactly what mommy did and put on whatever she could reach.

Shelby had so many pictures of Rachel in her diaper putting on mommy's heels, or trying to put on one of her shirts—actually, one of the pictures she captured was her lock screen because it was just too cute. Rachel had a huge smile on her face, reaching her little arms up in the air in a only a diaper and a pair of Shelby's red heels.

"Alright baby, should we go see your special outfit for the day?" Shelby asked, scooping Rachel up and carrying her into the nursery.

Cassie had already laid out the outfit for her which she and Rachel appreciated seeing as the baby's excitement level went up the second she saw it. Laying out on the changing table was an adorable white lace long sleeve onesie with pastel rainbow lettering that said: Birthday Girl, along with a pastel rainbow tutu that matched the decorations perfectly.

"Aindow!" Rachel exclaimed, repeating the word she heard her mommy and Cassie say multiple times this morning.

"It is rainbow baby, good job! Mommy is so proud of you," Shelby kissed her temple and laid her down to get her dressed. Rachel was so excited about her little tutu—it was simply too cute for words.

Cassie poked her head into the nursery and felt her eyes welling with tears seeing how adorable Rachel looked. What the hell is happening to you Cassie? Since when do you cry all the time? she thought to herself.

"Oh my goodness, how cute are you?" Cassie quickly composed herself and smiled at Rachel who was now standing on her changing table holding two of Shelby's fingers on each hand as the mother admired her daughters outfit as well.

Shelby couldn't contain her tears looking at how perfect her baby girl looked. She was so thankful for Cassie in that moment seeing as Rachel turned her head to look at her Tassie and smiled while Shelby quickly wiped her tears.

Rachel turned back around and crashed into Shelby with her typical 'oomph'—as itty bitty as she is, Rachel sure does throw herself at Shelby all the time, typically catching her off guard with the force behind it. "Come on little one, it's time to open your presents!"


Rachel had no idea how excited she was going to be as Cassie brought her presents into the living room where she was currently sitting in Shelby's lap. Rachel clapped her little hands together with each trip Cassie took into the living room with more presents, not even realizing there were toys inside the special boxes.

Once the camera was set up to record everything and Cassie had her phone out to take pictures, Shelby showed Rachel how to open up what the baby thought were decorations. At first, she stood up and touched each of the boxes clapping her hands together seeing all the different shapes and sizes of them until Shelby tore open one of the sides teaching her daughter what to do.

Rachel then proceeded to copy mommy and tore a piece off and squealed when it revealed a toy inside—her eyes went wide and her little mouth formed the perfect O shape seeing a V-tech pink kitty that had colored buttons on it that cause a 'meow' or music to play from them.

There was also a toy for the kitty (a little ball of yarn) and a leash to walk it. Why? Who the hell knows, but because the toy walks, it has a leash for the little ones to walk it. Rachel continued to rip the paper until she could see the whole kitty and bounced on her little legs in excitement repeating over and over, 'Ou, ou mommy'.

"Okay baby, mommy will get it out for you hold on," Shelby responded with a huge smile on her face. She proceeded to open the toy for her daughter, silently thanking Cassie who brought over scissors because god knows how difficult children's toys are to open.

"How about you and mommy open another one while I get the kitty out for you?" Cassie suggested, taking the toy from Shelby who was obviously getting frustrated at how ridiculous the toy was tied into the damn box.

"Thank you," Shelby said, eyes connecting with Cassie's before pulling Rachel into her lap and getting another box for her to open. "Let's see what's inside this one baby."

They continued this process for almost an hour and a half seeing as any time Cassie got one of the toys out of the box, Rachel became distracted and wanted to play with it before opening another present.

By the end of opening the presents from mommy and Cassie the baby had four new V-tech toys, another doll with outfits for both of them to match which made Rachel extremely excited as she tugged at her own onesie to try and change. Shelby told her she could match her dolly later because there was one more huge present for her that couldn't be wrapped.

Besides the doll, clothes, V-tech toys, Rachel also opened some learning toys that would typically be given to a baby but were perfect for her. Shelby also got her an iPad as well although they were saving that for later—it already had learning games downloaded on it along with movies knowing when they did eventually travel, it would come in handy.

"Me mo-re?" Rachel questioned, tilting her head to the side with a lopsided grin.

"Yes baby, one more from mommy and Cassie," Shelby explained. They decided the gifts would be from the both of them seeing as they picked them all out together. "Come on, let's go see!"


Knowing Rachel wouldn't want her eyes covered because she'd get scared and wouldn't understand 'close your eyes' if it wasn't to go night-night, they hid the present in the corner near the piano. They all stood up and Shelby scooped Rachel into her arms carrying her over to where the present was.

Cassie walked in front of them blocking the view and then faced the camera towards her two loves as they approached the baby trampoline. When Rachel spotted it she clapped her little hands together again squealing and bouncing in her mommy's arms. Eventually she squirmed around and Shelby put her down so she could get on the trampoline.

Cassie pulled it out of the corner and opened the little net surrounding it so Rachel could crawl in and they both watched as she stood up and started to bounce with a huge smile on her face.

They made sure to get one with a net because she's still so small however, the net was white instead of black because Shelby was afraid Rachel would be scared to go in alone knowing it wasn't made for adults.

The white net was completely see through so she could always see mommy, Cassie or whomever was there while she was bouncing, however, Rachel didn't seem to mind at all; she bounced and bounced while continuing to clap her hands together.

It was evident this was Rachel's favorite present as she babbled away while bouncing her little legs. Shelby and Cassie couldn't wait to see how Rachel would react to the trampolines at their new house in Akron. The indoor one didn't have a net but it was huge meaning mommy and Cassie could bounce too, while the one outside did have a net but it was also big enough for the adults too.

"Is that so much fun?" Shelby asked her daughter with a smile, leaning her body against Cassie's who had her arms wrapped around her girlfriends waist.

"EAH!" Rachel exclaimed. "Fum, fum, fum!"


Shelby and Cassie ended up sitting down next to the trampoline watching her bounce seeing as Rachel didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Rachel bounced until she became tired—Shelby wasn't sure if it was all the excitement of everything, the bouncing, her little body not being able to handle so much, or if she was just sleepy but when Rachel sat down on the trampoline and started to cry, they knew she was ready for naptime.

Shelby opened the net and scooped her daughter up quickly; once she was in her mothers arms the tears only seemed to get worse, "Oh my goodness, there's no need for all these tears love bug. Shh, shh, shh, mommy's got you."

Shelby knew Rachel was exhausted, hence the tears, and lightly bounced her. "You're okay, shh, shh, shh, mommy's right here." Rachel tugged on the front of Shelby's unicorn t-shirt which she and Cassie both had on to match the party and knew what her daughter was looking for.

Knowing the t-shirt wouldn't accommodate the way Rachel wanted it to only caused more tears which quickly subsided when Shelby was able to lift her shirt up and unclip her nursing bra. Rachel latched on immediately, still in the living room next to the trampoline that was so much fun for her just a few minutes ago.

Poor little thing didn't know what came over her body—one minute she was perfectly happy bouncing and the next she was so overwhelmed and tired she didn't know what to do. Once Rachel was able to feel her mommy's skin all was right again in her little mind.

"There we go baby, there we go," Shelby cooed, stroking her little cheek. Looking at the time Shelby realized it was a bit earlier than Rachel's typical morning nap but knew her daughter processed a lot this morning so it made sense she was ready for naptime.

Shelby didn't even attempt to bring her upstairs, she and Cassie just sat on the couch together while Rachel nursed—both smiling at the fluttering eyes, beautiful long eye lashes, the milk gathering around her mouth, and the little fingers gripping Shelby's shirt.

"Close your eyes baby girl, mommy loves you so much," Shelby said softly before kissing her temple. Cassie also said her 'I love you' along with 'sweet dreams' giving the baby a kiss as well. Soon enough, Rachel was sound asleep in Shelby's arms.


The two women watched her for a while, neither worried about the pile of new toys spread around the living room, the wrapping paper balled up in the corner, or the unfinished dishes in the sink.

Right now, the only thing they cared about was watching the beautiful little baby in Shelby's arms, the rise and fall of her chest, the cutest little snores, and the hand still gripping Shelby's shirt.

After about twenty minutes of comfortable silence between the two, Shelby carefully took off the tutu knowing taking a nap in it wouldn't be comfy for her baby girl then they both walked up the stairs where Shelby laid her in the bassinette.

After doing so, they quickly made the bed before grabbing the baby monitor and going downstairs to clean up a bit. Cassie did the dishes while Shelby organized the living room.

She brought the trampoline into the living room completely, put Rachel's new toys near it, and reorganized her other toys in the little shelves Shelby bought to match the décor finding a way to keep everything neat and organized to help her own OCD.


While Rachel was taking her nap, Cassie and Shelby sat on the couch together and looked at the decorations they put up the night before. Honestly they were beautiful and they both understood why Rachel spent so long looking at them.

Neither mentioned the baby's hesitancy when reaching out to touch the unicorn; Cassie knew if Shelby wanted to talk about it, she would eventually bring it up in time—even though they were both secretly thinking about it, they didn't want to think about him today or any day for that matter.

They spent time looking at the pictures taken so far, sending them off to the family along with April and Holly, then preparing themselves for the little party they were having once Rachel woke up. Rachel had warmed up to Addie the last few days as she's come over with nana and papa each day she's been in the city which was great for all involved.

She has given nana and papa hugs again which is great—it seems as if the baby was only thrown off the first day Addie came to visit, not wanting to give nana and papa her typical hugs because of the new person that arrived.

The next day, she gave her grandparents hugs again and did her signature backwards wave to Addie when they left. The older sister isn't holding out on getting a hug however, she is still secretly hoping she'll get one by the end of the week if she continues coming over everyday as planned.

Addie is only staying for the week seeing as she has three children to get home to and will come back for the trial to be with her mother and support her sister even though she won't be going—it will also give her more time to spend with her niece, sister and most likely sister-in-law to be.


The birthday party continued when Rachel woke up and she was once again happier than ever seeing her decorations and new toys, especially her trampoline.

They played for a bit knowing nana and papa were picking up lunch for everyone from Marie's as another special treat—the bakery where Rachel's cakes were being made was also right next to the restaurant which Addie ran in to pick up while her parents got the food.

At 11:45am the doorbell rang and per usual, Rachel tensed until she was in her mothers arms. Cassie went to get the door as Shelby soothed her daughter, assuring her it was nana, papa, and Auntie Addie.

Once the door was swung open and Rachel realized her mommy was right, she squirmed to get out of her arms to get closer to them. Shelby didn't put her down though because she saw all of them had their hands full.

Addie had the smaller cake and a few gift bags with presents, Katherine had the larger cake, and Thomas had the rest of the presents. Addie was in charge of gifts from all the siblings considering they didn't want to overwhelm Rachel, while Katherine shopped for plenty of gifts from she and Thomas.

"Me mommy, me!" Rachel said, trying again to get out of her mommy's arms. She didn't understand why mommy wasn't putting her down like she normally did.

"I know baby, I know. Nana needs to put the box down first before she can hug you," Shelby said, knowing Rachel would go to her nana first.

Katherine hurried into the kitchen leaving Addie and Cassie to deal with putting the cakes in the fridge then knelt down and opened her arms as Shelby finally, in the baby's eyes, put her down. She pitter pattered right over to her nana squealing in excitement.

That sound never got old, nor did seeing her littlest grandbaby get so excited to see her—Katherine and Thomas absolutely loved it. They all saw her little outfit as she ran to Katherine and smiled; of course they had seen it in pictures already but seeing the baby in person was too much to handle.

Katherine stood up with Rachel still in her arms and kissed her temple, "Happy birthday sweet pea."

"Me nana! Me bifdey!" Rachel exclaimed.

Shelby and Cassie shared a knowing look—it had taken most of the morning but they finally got Rachel to somewhat understand what a birthday was and that today, was hers.

"You're so smart! It is your birthday," Katherine smiled.

They all praised Rachel with everything she does whether it be stacking blocks, learning her shapes and colors, new words, or when she clearly understood what was being said. It seemed to really help Rachel continue to want to learn and always put a smile on her face.

Rachel saw her papa coming closer to them and immediately reached out to him—this is what she did each time they came to visit however, Katherine never wanted to hand her over. She always did after giving Rachel another kiss but she cherished each time she was able to hold her grandbaby.

Thomas gently scooped Rachel out of his wife's arms and kissed her temple as well, "Happy birthday pumpkin."

Rachel smiled again and agreed, exclaiming the same thing, "Me bifdey!"

The adults laughed and shared matching smiles while all in their matching shirts—Rachel didn't seem to notice that nana, papa, and Auntie Addie had on the same shirts as mommy and Tassie but it didn't matter; they were wearing them to be supportive of the party theme and eventually Rachel would love it.

Rachel surprised all of them after seeing her mommy hug who she kept calling Auntie Addie. Rachel was a little confused because mommy and everyone else just called her Addie, but when mommy referred to the older brunette when talking to her, she said Auntie before Addie.

Even though she didn't completely understand, she reached from papa to her aunt instead of back to mommy like she typically did.

Addie stood in complete shock; Shelby was right there next to Thomas knowing typically Rachel turned herself around to see mommy and reach for her after hugging papa however today, things seemed to be different. Shelby literally had to say Addie's name out loud for her to snap out of her shock and accept the baby into her arms.

Once Rachel was out of Thomas's arms and in Addie's, the grandparents tried to pull out their phones to snap photos of this moment only to look relieved when they saw Cassie had hers out already taking pictures of the aunt and niece together.

Cassie had actually snapped pictures of Rachel in all of their arms today because it was the baby's special day and the blonde was going to make a scrapbook of her birthday to surprise Shelby for Christmas.


Addie choked back her tears as Rachel laid her head in the crook of her neck the way she did with Cassie and obviously Shelby. Rachel realized this Auntie Addie lady was very similar to mommy and Cassie—it felt pretty much the same as being in all their arms.

Even so, she still liked mommy's arms the best—especially her smell: expensive French perfume, vanilla lotion, and a smell that was uniquely Shelby herself.

Rachel realized when her Tassie moved in with them she started smelling like vanilla lotion too because Cassie used Shelby's lotion—of course Rachel didn't know the names of these smells, she just knew they smelt familiar, safe, and always comforted her.

Addie smelt different than mommy and Tassie, but felt similar because she looked exactly like Shelby—they were very similar in size although Addie was a big bigger, not just in weight but height too. Addie was able to give her a quick kiss before Rachel squirmed to get back to mommy.


The older sister won't admit it to anyone besides her husband later tonight but she was almost relieved when Rachel wanted Shelby because she felt like she was about to breakdown.

Rachel was way too small—Addie could feel her bones and it made her feel physically sick knowing not only did her sister deal with this all day everyday, but those evil bastards were the ones who did this to Rachel and consequentially, her little sister.

As Addie was processing everything, everyone else moved into the living room with Rachel and the presents they had for her. Addie quickly realized what was happening and joined them all, sitting in one of the chairs opposite everyone else still needing time to 'isolate' herself with her thoughts.

Shelby knew what her sister was thinking without even asking her but wasn't going to get into it because today was her daughters birthday and she refused to allow any thoughts of those sick evil pieces of shit on such a special day.


Slowly but surely, Rachel opened two more presents before the baby told her mommy she was hungry. They stopped with presents and heated up the food for everyone—Rachel was so excited to see her favorite 'map n pease' placed in front of her.

She had no idea how it got here because she knew this mac n cheese was from the special place mommy takes her when they go outside, but didn't care because it was right in front of her waiting for her to put it into her talking tummy.

Shelby helped her eat knowing she didn't want Rachel to get her birthday outfit dirty, yet—it seemed silly knowing she planned on the outfit getting dirty in most likely an hour anyways but it will make for much better pictures if there's only cake on her white lace onesie and not mac n cheese too.

Seeing as she didn't have to feed herself, Rachel babbled away in between bites and everyone tried to listen and interpret what she was saying. It was much easier seeing as Shelby would often repeat or agree with what she was saying so the grandparents and Addie could join in the conversation—Cassie has pretty much mastered what Rachel says although, not as well as Shelby.


While Addie handled dishes, which was easy because they used the special unicorn plates and plastic pink utensils to match, Rachel started to open the presents from her grandparents as she had already opened the one from Addie herself.

There were a few outfits but most everything Rachel opened was toys: baby toys to help her continued learning. Rachel didn't seem to realize they were baby toys though considering she loved them all and had nothing else to compare them to seeing as her daddy never bought her toys.

The only 'toy' Rachel has ever had before living with her mommy was Raffy; the same giraffe Shelby left in her crib when she left the Berry home, and it was frequently taken away when she was apparently 'bad' according to her daddy.

Mommy never took Raffy away. In fact, mommy always made sure Raffy was there. Even when they went downstairs to play for the day, mommy brought Raffy and somehow, when she woke up from her naps, Raffy was always in her arms; Raffy also came with them every time they left the house.

Now she has so many toys to play with—and to make things even better, mommy, Tassie, nana, and papa always played with her. She never played alone, and in Rachel's mind, she was never left alone either because when she woke up from her naps or woke up in the morning, mommy was always there.


When it was time for cake, Thomas moved Rachel's portable highchair in front of the rainbow balloons so the pictures would be perfect as Cassie got the cake from the fridge. It was beautiful; pink on the outside, a unicorn face on the front, the horn for the unicorn was pastel rainbow in color, and the perfect size for the baby.

Shelby put Rachel in the highchair and told her the special treat was coming in a minute—they were all a bit nervous to put a candle in the cake knowing Rachel has never seen fire and Shelby didn't want her reaching out to touch it (not that Shelby would let her get that far anyways) however, it was a birthday cake.

The cake was brought over and Rachel squealed again, she loved pink so much even though she had no idea what this treat was. She's never seen anything like this before; cake pops, cookies, ice cream, popsicles she's had plenty but this…this is so new to her.

Rachel's eyes bugged out of her head in excitement and she clapped her little hands together as Cassie placed it in front of her. Shelby was right there, squatting down next to the high chair and started to sing happy birthday to her daughter for the first time.

Happy tears welled in her eyes as she sang, Rachel staring right into her eyes and Shelby forced her tears away and kept singing. It was such a beautiful moment—one that Shelby would cherish forever.

When the song was over, everyone gently clapped their hands together so the noise wouldn't be too much for the baby who hated loud noises and waited for Shelby to speak.

She then placed the white 3 into the cake and lit the candle watching Rachel's little hands the entire time to make sure she didn't try and touch the flame.

"Okay baby girl, ready to make a wish?" Shelby knew her daughter had no idea what she was talking about but said it anyways. "On the count of three, can you count with mommy?"

This prompted she and Cassie to count with Rachel like they did everyday, "One, two, three…" Shelby and Cass said as Rachel said with in her own words, "Um, too, fee."

Then Shelby blew out the candle and took it out of the cake handing it to Cassie as everyone gently cheered again. This caused Rachel to squeal which made them all smile.

Rachel looked at Shelby expectantly and the mother knew her daughter had no idea what to do with this tasty treat. Shelby took her finger and swiped it through the frosting on top and brought it to Rachel's lips waiting for the baby to eat it. When she realized how yummy the cake was and the fact it was still in front of her, her eyes lit up.

"Go ahead baby, this is all for you," Shelby encouraged.

That was all Rachel needed to dig in with both hands causing all the adults to laugh. She brought the handful in her left hand up to her mouth and this time tasted cake and the frosting, even though her right hand was still full, along with most of her left, she then dug in again.

"Mmmm," Rachel exclaimed, rocking from side to side doing a little happy dance while eating the cake.

Cassie was taking pictures the entire time, as was Addie—Cassie had also set up the camera to record the entire thing as well which Shelby was happy about knowing she'd be able to watch it later.

Shelby let Rachel eat as much cake as she wanted knowing her daughter wouldn't truly eat that much at all—most of it ended up all over her like Shelby predicted, or in her hands rather than her mouth.

Rachel looked up at her mommy and raised up her little arms with an 'ah dom mommy' and Shelby immediately started wiping down her little hands and mouth.

"Okay my little angel, let's go get you changed then we can play with your new toys," Shelby announced and everyone seemed to kick into action. Shelby took a cake stained baby upstairs, Cassie cleaned up the now destroyed cake, but not before taking pictures of it.

Thomas cleaned up the left over wrapping paper, Katherine rearranged the gifts so the unopened ones were left in the corner for later while the opened ones were left with the other new ones from mommy and Cassie while Addie went into the kitchen to make some drinks for everyone. They knew their was cake for them however, they'd eat that when Rachel went down for her second nap.


Upstairs, Rachel and Shelby were talking all about her birthday so far and the mother was so thrilled to hear how excited her baby was about it. She babbled about everything however, kept coming back to the unicorn balloons.

Shelby knew it was going to be difficult when they eventually deflated and was extremely happy they found a huge stuffed animal that was bigger than Rachel herself looking exactly like the unicorn balloons, crown and all to give the baby.

The next outfit was a romper with rainbows all over it—long sleeved and all to make sure Rachel's little body stayed warm. It was absolutely adorable and more importantly, very comfy, almost as if she was wearing pjs.

The outfit definitely made it easier for the baby to move herself around without a tutu getting in the way and was extremely happy to be put in it. She kept looking down at herself and exclaiming, 'Ainbow mommy', loving when her mommy agreed and said she was proud of her.

Before they went downstairs, Rachel snuggled against Shelby and the mother took a few minutes for them to just be. She knew Rachel would go down for a nap soon, however, it seemed as if she was ready now.

The party was taking a lot out of her—not just because there was so much to stimulate her, new toys, opening presents, her cake, but also because there were so many people in the house.


"Are you sleepy love bug?" Shelby questioned.

In response, Rachel rubbed her eyes with her little hands and snuggled closer to her mommy. She started tugging on the front of Shelby's shirt and the mother knew she wasn't hungry because she just ate cake but knew she'd give her daughter anything she wanted.

Shelby pulled up her shirt and unclipped her bra anyways though letting her daughter decide what she wanted—although, Shelby wasn't sure if the baby truly knew what she actually wanted herself because she was overtired.

Rachel latched on but didn't start suckling—it was as if she was using Shelby as a pacifier which made the mother bite her cheek to hold back a laugh.

"It's okay baby, mommy's got you. If you're sleepy, close those beautiful eyes, mommy's right here."

Rachel did start to nurse after a few minutes however, stopped just as quickly as she started when her eyes fluttered. "Sleep baby girl, mommy's here." Shelby stroked her little cheek before rubbing small circles on her belly as Rachel's eyes closed fully.

"Mommy loves you so much baby girl," Shelby whispered as they continued to rock.

"I've loved you since you were a little tiny blob inside my belly my sweet little angel—and when I heard your heartbeat for the first time, my gosh I fell head over heels in love. You became my whole world in a matter of seconds. Hearing your heartbeat was the best sound I had ever heard in my life, I always looked forward to my next doctors visit so I could hear it and secretly made extra appointments so I could hear it more often than actually necessary. It was the greatest little sound—that is, until I heard your perfect laugh, your tiny voice, your little snores. I waited almost three years to hold you for the first time, and I promise, I will hold you forever and always baby girl—you'll always be safe in mommy's arms. I love you so much, so, so much."

Shelby let her tears fall watching her beautiful baby girl sleep in her arms—she was perfect. Everything about her daughter was perfect in everyway. Shelby stayed upstairs for a while with the little one in her arms, similar to this morning where they had their private moment alone together—she just couldn't seem to put her in the bassinette.

That would not only require Shelby walking into her own room, but putting her baby down as well. Right now, that's not something she wanted to do. Instead, she started singing…

In my daughter's eyes, I am a hero

I am strong and wise, and I know no fear

But the truth is plain to see,

She was sent to rescue me.

I see who I want to be, in my daughter's eyes.

Tears streaked Shelby's face as she continued to sing to her sleeping angel; she was so peaceful snuggled against Shelby's chest, hand still claiming what was hers.

…And when she wraps her hand around my finger

How it puts a smile in my heart

Everything becomes a little clear

I realize what life is all about.

It's hanging on when your heart is had enough

It's giving more when you feel like giving up

I've seen the light, in my daughter's eyes.

Shelby finished singing the song and wiped her tears before pressing a kiss to Rachel's temple.

What Shelby didn't see was Cassie recording the whole thing on her phone in the doorway before disappearing back downstairs wiping her own tears.

Today was truly magical, and it wasn't over yet.