Hello if anyone is still reading! It's been a while since I've updated. I had a huge lack of inspiration and I'm super busy with work. I hope to get some more stuff up in the next few weeks!
I don't own Glee, just the plot and the kids. Enjoy!
July 2026
Rachel and Finn sat across from Mr. Thorpe, the kid's new therapist. Rachel was trying to process what he was saying but was having a hard time grasping it all. Just when she thought she had heard the worst of it, something else would come up.
The kids had been in therapy for a few weeks now. They still hadn't talked to them about their mom being found and her rights being terminated. They took the advice of Mr. Thorpe to wait until they were a little more stable. The past few weeks had been anything but calm, but they had all sort of come to an understanding in the house. Some days were good, some days were bad, but every day those children felt safe and loved.
Finn reached over to grab Rachel's hand as they listened to the rest of Mr. Thorpe's session findings. This was their first family session where the kids waited in the lobby while they spoke with Mr. Thorpe alone.
"So as I was saying, Zack has revealed to me several things he's going to have to work though. From what he describes, their mother left them alone for long periods of time. It's hard to say, but I'm guessing at least 2-3 days, sometimes longer. He feels responsible for Lainey. He took care of her all of that time by himself."
Rachel felt the lump in her throat forming as she listened to him speak. Finn glanced over towards her and squeezed her hand even harder.
Mr. Thorpe continued to flip through his notes. "Zack even had to take care of his mom sometimes. He's quite a remarkable little boy, but he is very sad and conflicted. "
Finn decided to ask a question first. "Are we doing a good job? Are we helping him? He seems so mad and upset but we can't always figure out why."
Rachel felt relieved that he had spoken first. She eagerly waited for Mr. Thorpe's reply.
"Yes. From speaking with Zack he is beginning to trust you two, especially you Mr. Hudson. It's hard to give up all of that control because that's all he's had to rely on for so long. It's going to take a while."
Finn nodded in reply. There really wasn't much more to say to that answer.
"What about me? I know Zack is having a hard time bonding with me but what else can I do?" Rachel questioned.
"Well Mrs. Hudson, I feel everything you are doing is fine. You've told me you've backed off and let Zack come to you on his own which is wonderful. This gives him the control without feeling forced into situations he doesn't want to be in. However, you have to realize that if he forms a bond with you, it's a self-admittance that maybe his mom isn't coming back. Even though his mom wasn't the best, it's the only mom he and Lainey have ever known. What you provide for them is new and sometimes he's unsure about how to handle that."
Rachel took a deep breath as she thought about the weight of Mr. Thorpe's words. "Okay. I understand. I just want to make sure he feels safe and that I'm not mad at him for the way he acts.
"Oh I assure you Mrs. Hudson, you two are doing everything right. This is the most stable environment these kids have ever had."
Rachel blinked back the tears as she tried to absorb all of this information. "And what about Lainey? How is she doing?"
Finn continued to stare at Mr. Thorpe with a stoic stance. He was trying to be strong even though he felt like he was about to crack. "Yes, Lainey seems to be coming around quicker than Zack that's for sure."
"Well," Mr. Thorpe continued, "Lainey is younger and therefore the impact on her isn't as strong. She's very attached to Zack and his word holds truth over all others. She talks a lot about you Mr. Hudson. How big you are, and you're silly with her."
Rachel smiled but couldn't help but feel a little jealous at that statement. The kids have had a stronger bond with Finn from the beginning.
Mr. Thorpe could feel the tension in the room. "Oh and she's starting to bring you up more too Mrs. Hudson. She's fond of you picking out her pretty outfits and doing her hair. She also likes that you let her help you cook in the kitchen like a big girl. You have to remember she's experiencing things that most kids experience from birth. A doting mother who treats her daughter like a Princess. She's never had that. I can tell you she likes it."
Rachel felt a few tears fall from her face. She glanced over at Finn who was smiling back at her. They were doing okay.
"Do they ever talk about their mom?" Finn asked.
Mr. Thorpe flipped through some more pages of his notes to provide some answers. "Well they do, but it's more out of worry for her and not that they want to go back to her. They are worried she's in trouble for leaving them. From what I can gather she would tell them a lot that if they didn't behave or told people about her actions she would get in trouble. Zack's having a hard time with it mostly because the police had to get them at the supermarket where they were left. He thinks she's in jail or being prevented from seeing them."
"Okay so what do we do now?" Rachel asked. "Her rights have been terminated and barring any unforeseen circumstances we are going to try and adopt them. How do we approach this? I feel strongly we should be the ones to tell them. Not someone from the state and not their therapist. No offense."
"None taken" he answered.
"I agree with Rachel. We should tell them. I want them to feel secure and safe. I don't want them finding out in some strange office." Finn had really focused on the kids since they arrived. He had cut back his hours at work, letting other realtors take on more responsibilities. He never expected to feel such a strong bond with them, but now he can't imagine them being anywhere else.
Mr. Thorpe closed his notebook as Rachel and Finn waited for his reply. "I say bring it up with the moment arises. Be matter of fact and tell the truth. No lies about their mom or what has happened. And don't be surprised if you get some push back. They've been through a lot."
"Well thank you so much and we look forward to our next appointment. The kids will be by next week as usual." Rachel stood up to shake Mr. Thorpe's hand. Finn pressed his hand into Rachel's back to lead her out of the office where the kids were waiting.
A few days later the Hudson clan was getting ready for their big Fourth of July celebration. It was going to start off going into downtown Cincinnati for a city celebration followed by a BBQ at their house later on in the day. It would be the first time their entire family would meet the kids. So far Burt and Carole had been the only ones to meet them. Rachel and Finn both decided it was best if they settled in for a bit before everyone else came along.
The kids sat silently in the back of the car on their ride into town. Lainey was chattering in the background about all of the fun things they would get to do while there.
"Hey Lady! Did you say we can get a snow cone? A red one? And cotton candy too?" Lainey clapped her hands together waiting for Rachel to respond.
"Well let's just see what they have okay. We can choose one treat while we are here. Then you can have another back at our house after dinner. Sound good?" Rachel looked at Lainey in the rearview mirror who was currently contemplating Rachel's statement.
"Okay. Okay I think I'll choose a snow cone because its hot outside and I love snow cones!" Lainey turned to Zack. "What will you have Zack? A snow cone? You can have a blue one if you want!"
"Maybe," he replied. Over the past few weeks Zack had begun to open up more and engage in normal conversations every now and then. At other times he was still withdrawn and sullen. Sometimes they knew why, and other times it was a mystery.
"You okay buddy? Have you ever been to this celebration before?" Finn tried to get Zack to open up as often as he could, and he tended to respond better to him than Rachel.
Zack pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "I think so. I think my mom brought us once when Lainey was little."
Finn always wanted to be careful when dealing with the topic of his mom. It still was a sensitive subject for both he and Lainey. "Well did you have fun when you came?"
"I don't remember." Zack turned to look out the window as they continued to drive.
"Well we are going to have fun today! We just have to stop at our booth we have for the business and then we can do some fun things before we go home. Remember all of our family is coming over today and then we are going to do fireworks in our yard tonight! It's going to be so fun!"
Lainey shrieked yet again from her seat upon hearing this news. Zack didn't show much excitement but Rachel and Finn were used to his lack of enthusiasm.
Once they arrived Finn and Rachel headed towards their booth for their company. They sponsored one every year to drum up business within the community. Puck and a few other employees had offer to run it so Rachel and Finn could spend time with the kids. Today is the first time anyone was meeting them.
Finn walked toward their booth as he held Zack's hand tightly. He was unsure of how he would behave in a large crowd and didn't want to risk him running off. From behind they looked just like any other father and son. Zack and Finn both had on khaki shorts. Finn wore a navy blue polo shirt while Zack had a red one.
Lainey happily skipped while holding hands with Rachel. She was dressed in an adorable red polka dot sun dress with a blue sash that had white stars on it. Rachel had done her hair in two braids with red bows on the end. Rachel of course was not to be left out and was wearing a navy sundress with a red belt. They looked picture perfect.
As they got closer they could see Puck and a few other agents in the booth handing out balloons to locals that said "Hudson Properties" on them. Finn waved to Puck to get his attention. They got within a few feet of the booth when Zack stopped dead in his tracks.
Finn looked down and pulled at his arm but Zack wouldn't budge. "Come on Zack. I want you to meet some of my friends and then we can go do something else ok?"
Zack just shook his head back and forth and refused to move. Rachel and Lainey caught up to them just in time for Zack to try and make a run for it. Finn still had ahold of his hand so he didn't go more than a few inches. He pulled Zack close and crouched down over him.
"Hey buddy. What's wrong? You can't run ok? Just tell me and I'll help you." Finn kept a tight grip on Zack as he felt him relax in his arms.
"The Police," Zack whispered.
Finn was puzzled as to what he meant. "What about the Police Zack?"
"They're going to take me away if I'm bad. They're right over there."
Finn followed Zack's gaze and realized that the Cincinnati Police Department was set up right next to their own booth, as they always were. Finn hadn't thought about the kids being concerned about it.
Finn pulled Zack over to a nearby bench, never losing contact with Zack's arms. He turned to face Zack as Rachel and Lainey made their way over to the Hudson Properties booth. Finn realized this was a big moment as Rachel was letting him handle this completely, knowing it was better to keep Lainey away right now.
"Zack, I promise the police aren't taking you anywhere. They are my friends and I've know them for years. The only time they take little kids is to help them. You needed help when they had you right?"
Zack leaned closer into Finn's side. "Yeah" he answered quietly. "But mom…..mom said they only take us away when we are bad or tell on her."
Finn struggled with what to say, because he and Rachel had always agreed to talk about their mom in a positive light, no matter how hard that was.
Finn let go of his tight grip on Zack and instead began to rub his back. "Well, sometimes yes kids are bad, but the police only come if they are doing something to hurt someone or if they are in danger. Are you going to hurt someone right now?"
Zack nodded his head "no".
"Are you doing anything dangerous?"
Once again Zack shook his head.
"Then I think you're fine. Those guys are my friends. I'm sure they'd love to meet you. Or we could just wave to them if that's all you want to do. What do you say?"
Just then Rachel looked over at the two and Finn waved to indicate they were fine. At that same moment Zack waved too. Rachel smiled and waved them over to the booth.
Zack stood up, took Finn's hand, and began walking. Finn wanted to pat himself on the back for how he handled that, but also knew with Zack things could turn on a dime.
Lainey began running towards them holding two balloons from their booth.
"Zack! Look I got you a balloon!" Zack grabbed the balloon and smiled, not letting go of Finn with his other hand. The two walked right past Rachel and Puck standing at the booth, and directly over to the Policeman.
"Hey Hudson!" Officer Banks yelled out. "Who do we have here?"
Word had gotten around town that Finn and Rachel had foster children with them, but he wasn't sure who knew and who didn't.
"Well, this here is Zack and that little girl is Lainey." Lainey waved, not deterred by the Police Officer's presence. Zack looked up at Finn and clenched his hand tighter. He managed to lift his other hand quickly to gesture to Officer Banks.
"Very nice to meet you! Would you like to sit in the back of my police car?"
Lainey's eyes grew wide and she grabbed Rachel's leg tightly. Zack began to pull away from Finn's grip.
"Oh no thank you Officer Banks," Rachel replied quickly. "We just wanted to say hi before we moved on to the other activities but it's nice to see you!"
They quickly ushered the kids into their own booth and away from Officer Banks. Finn leaned down and gave Zack a hug. "You were very brave buddy. Very brave. And see how nice Officer Banks was?" Zack peered over Finn's shoulder towards the Policeman who had now moved on to talking to some other patrons.
This entire time Puck had been watching the two deal with the Zack and Lainey. "Hey guys! Can I meet these cute kids or what?"
"Zack and Lainey, this is our friend Noah." Rachel explained. "He works with Finn and I selling houses! He has a little girl that's your age Lainey. She's coming over later."
Lainey smiled but remained quiet and Zack was still leery of the policeman that was so close to their location.
"Can we go get a snow cone now?" Lainey asked.
"Sorry Puck, I'll explain later. Thanks for manning this booth for us today so we can hang with the kids. They just aren't used to all of this yet." Finn shook Puck's hand and the four walked out towards the snow cone booth.
The town fair had been more overwhelming for the kids than fun. They loved the snow cones but the crowds and the uncertainty were too much for them. Rachel and Finn were stressed the entire time worrying about one of them having a meltdown or Zack trying to run. After an hour they decided to go home to set up for the family cookout.
They arrived back home just as Carole and Burt had pulled into the driveway. They agreed to come early to help set up and prep the food. Rachel and Finn always appreciated how helpful they were even though they lived two hours away.
Out back, Finn took the kids out into the yard to set up the small swimming pool for the kids. Lainey and Zack were stretching out the small pool as Finn went to get to hose to begin filling it up. Just then they heard a shout from up on the deck.
"Uncle Finn!" Warner shouted as he made his way down the steps and into the yard. Finn ran towards him and picked him up, throwing him up into the air and catching him again. Warner laughed and hugged Finn tightly.
"Hi buddy! I've missed you! Where are Daddy and Papa?" Warner pointed towards the house where his fathers were standing near the window, Rachel behind them speaking into their ears and pointing down to the yard.
Zack and Lainey had now abandoned the pool, making their way toward Finn. Warner looked down at the two. "KIDS!" he shouted. "Kids are here!" Zack and Lainey continued to stare as Warner was being held by Finn.
Lainey ran over to Finn and grabbed his leg. "Big guy I want you to hold ME," she declared as she glared up at Warner.
Finn reached down to pick Lainey up with his free arm and now had a kid on each hip. Lainey wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Big guy," she whispered, "who is this boy?"
He quickly realized that this was both strange for them to see another child in the house, but also having to share him with another child was completely foreign to them. They had been the center for their world for the past month and this was something new.
At that moment Rachel, Blaine, and Kurt made their way down off of the deck towards the group.
"Zack and Lainey did you meet Warner? He's our nephew." Rachel walked over and took Warner out of Finn's arms and into hers. Warner began to wave to the kids. "And this is Finn's brother Kurt and his husband Blaine. Warner is their son." Kurt and Blaine gave a small wave, but the two kids did not reply.
Zack and Lainey just stared over at the group, Lainey hugging Finn's neck tighter to show she needed reassurance. "It's okay Lainey. They are part of our family and are very excited to meet you guys. Warner loves kids and we never used to have any here before." Zack scooted closer to Finn, keeping his eyes on Rachel and Warner the entire time.
"I don't want you to hold him. You either Lady," Lainey scowled as she pointed to Rachel.
Rachel tried to fight the overwhelming feeling that hit her. She wanted to hand Warner over and scoop Lainey up, but also didn't want to give in to her behavior. Why was every day still so hard? Yes, it's only been a month but she had felt like they were all making great strides. It was sometimes easy to forget about the life they lived before they arrived. Lately they had been able to have some days where things went smoothly. Other days like today seem to present with problem after problem.
Finn spoke first. "Lainey that's not nice. We can hold Warner too. He's our nephew and we love him and he loves us."
Not satisfied, Lainey burst into tears. "Nooooo, I want lady to put him down!"
Rachel began to turn to hand Warner off to Kurt, but Finn eyed her and shook his head no. "Lainey, I'm holding you and you are fine. Just because Rachel is holding Warner doesn't mean she can't hold you too when she's done ok? Now maybe Warner would like to help us fill the pool huh?" Rachel put Warner down and he grabbed Finn's hand. Finn began to walk off before Lainey had a chance to protest. Zack slowly trailed behind them.
"Well that was interesting." Kurt rubbed Rachel's shoulder as they all watched the kids and Finn wrangle the hose and pull it towards the pool.
"Yeah, it hasn't been easy but they've come so far." Rachel waved at the group of kids as they walked by. "The two of them didn't want anything to do with me at first, so Lainey being jealous of Warner sort of felt good. Does that make me look bad?"
Blaine reached over to hug her. "Not at all. You and Finn went into this for all of the right reasons and we are so proud of you. We were so excited to be able to come up here and meet them. Parenthood looks good on you both."
Rachel smiled as she heard commotion from up on the deck. Her dads. Rachel hadn't really thought about the kids meeting the rest of the family all in one day but hopefully the Warner hurdle was the only one to get over this afternoon.
"Dad! Daddy! Hi!" Rachel greeted them each with a hug and a kiss. She hadn't spoken to them much since the kids had arrived. There hadn't been a ton of time, but she didn't want any more negative feedback from them either. Rachel hoped that after they met the kids their attitudes would change. Burt and Carole had come around, so hopefully they would too.
"So how about we meet these kids huh?" Hiram asked.
Rachel walked the both of them over to the pool that was now slowly filling with water. "Zack and Lainey, I would like you to meet my dad's Hiram and LeRoy."
Lainey gave a small wave and wandered over towards Finn. Zack just looked at Rachel with a worried look. "Why does everyone around here have TWO dads?"
Here we go again, Rachel thought to herself. "Zack we've talked about this before, how families look different right? I have two dads, Finn had a dad that died but has a new dad, you have a mom..."
Zack's face fell slightly. "Sorry."
Rachel grabbed Zack's hand. "Its fine we just have to remember next time ok? Can you say hi to my dad's? They've been waiting to meet you."
Zack waved hello and then returned to the pool. "Sorry it's been kind of a rough day," Rachel explained.
"Oh I'm sure they have had to meet a lot of people today. It's fine. They'll warm up to us I'm sure." LeRoy replied.
The night went on pretty seamless from that point on. Puck, Quinn, and Ashley arrived later on and surprisingly Lainey and Ashley hit it off and had been playing together for most of the afternoon. All of the kids took turns jumping into the pool and Zack even cracked a smile a few times.
All of the adults gathered on the deck to watch the kids below before dinner was ready. Carole was the first to approach the question. "So Rachel, have you found out anything about the kids? Are they going back with their mom eventually? Or are things looking more permanent?"
Rachel took a deep breath as Finn rubbed the small of her back. "Well their mother's rights have been terminated, so barring any unforeseen circumstances, we are starting the process of adopting them." Rachel tried to gauge the crowd on their reactions. Everyone smiled.
Carole squealed as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I am so excited for you two. I know we don't know the children well but you are both so wonderful with them. They are going to thrive. What did they say about it?"
Finn cleared his throat. "Well we haven't told them yet. We were advised by their therapist to sort of take that slow. They aren't ready and we don't want to set back the progress we've made. They love their mom and miss her even though she really did a bad job of taking care of them. So we would like you all to not say anything about it ok? It's still day by day for us around here."
"Oh of course we won't" Carole replied. "You two have really stepped up and done a wonderful job. I can tell a difference from when we saw them just a few weeks ago. They seem much more relaxed and in tune with you both."
Just then Ashley and Lainey came running up the stairs, water dripping off of their legs as they left each step. "Towels!" they both shouted.
Finn and Puck both got their towels and scooped them up. "Thank you Big Guy!" Lainey said as Finn rubbed the water off of her face.
Ashley turned to Lainey. "Why do you call Finn 'Big Guy'?"
"Well he is BIG and a GUY. That's why." Lainey reached up and gave Finn a pat on the head.
Finn smiled as he continued to dry her off. "I am very big aren't I?"
Quinn's eyes grew wide. "I'm so sorry Rachel. She's just curious."
"Oh its fine don't worry! She's not the first one to ask that." Rachel laughed. "She calls me Lady and there's not a whole lot of meaning behind that either.
Soon Zack came up the stairs holding Warner's hand to make sure he didn't fall. Rachel loved how protective he was of little kids, even though they weren't too sure about Warner when he arrived.
"Finn why don't we get the kids cleaned up and ready for dinner and fireworks?"
Zack grabbed Rachel's hand as they walked inside to change. It's these small little gestures that seem insignificant to most but are signs of huge milestones in their household.
The crowd gathered on the Hudson's front lawn, Rachel had bought sparklers for all of the kids to use before the local High School fireworks started at 9pm. Their house had the perfect viewing spot since it was close by. Finn had set up the lawn chairs in a half circle and everyone grabbed a seat. The kids were up way past their bed time but all of the parent's agreed it was a special occasion for them all.
Lainey and Zack were giddy with excitement. It was the first time they both looked relaxed and excited about something. Zack was normally reserved and held back his emotions. There he was, standing next to Finn with a huge grin on his face while he waited to be handed a sparkler of his own.
"Okay kids, we have to be very safe with these sparklers ok? You can't go near any other kids and once its burned off you have to put it in the bucket of water ok?" Finn handed each kid a sparkler. Rachel was helping Lainey, Quinn with Ashley, and Blaine with Warner.
"Have you ever done one of these before Zack?"
"No, but I've seen it on TV before." Zack held the sparkler in his hand as Finn lit the top. Sparks began to fly immediately and Zack's face lit up with amazement. The other three kids had similar reactions, with Lainey letting out a scream of excitement when hers went off. Finn glanced over at Rachel who had a huge smile on her face as she helped Lainey hold her firework. He knows this has all been so hard for her, but the rewards were immeasurable.
"Big guy look at me!" Lainey yelled as she twirled her sparkler in the air.
"Wow Lainey that's awesome! Hey Zack, why don't you try writing something in the air before your sparkler burns out? Try writing a Z." Zack followed the direction and began writing his name in the air.
"Wow that's cool! You can really see it!" Zack exclaimed, not taking his eyes off of the sparkler.
Rachel felt tears well up in her eyes. These were the moments that these kids needed. Moments where they were allowed to be kids without worrying about when they were going to eat again or when their mom would come home. These are the small memories that they can look back upon and smile. They'll always remember that Fourth of July when everyone came over and they played in the pool and did sparklers in the front yard. Today was a good day despite some minor challenges. She reminded herself of their meeting with the Therapist. Make them feel save and loved. That's what they were doing and would continue to do.
After they ran out of sparklers, the kids began to settle down to get ready for the fireworks show. Lainey cuddled onto Finn's lap, resting her head on his chest. He rubbed her head as he talked to Puck and Quinn about the housing market. Even at four years old she looked so little in Finn's arms sometimes.
Zack actually had begun to show an interest in spending time with Burt, who was currently talking to him about building a car.
"Maybe you can come down for a visit and you can come to my shop and I can show you. Finn used to help me when he was younger so now I need a new helper. Does that sound good?" Burt ruffled Zack's hair as he spoke.
"Yes! Rachel can we?" Zack asked as he turned to Rachel for approval.
"Of course! We can go visit in the next couple of weeks before school starts."
Rachel hadn't seen Zack this excited about anything. Zack yawned as he left Burt's side for Rachel's. "Rachel are the fireworks starting soon? It's late."
"Just a few more minutes buddy. I promise it will be worth the wait."
The fireworks began to go off which made Zack jump into Rachel's lap. "Did that startle you? You're okay." Rachel grabbed Zack around the waist to pull him onto her lap. He settled right down and looked up in awe at the bright light show overhead. Lainey was smiling even though she had her ears covered from the noise. Finn held her tight and was talking her through it.
After the grand finale everyone clapped and cheered. Zack and Lainey even joined in.
After everyone helped clean up, they were all packed up and ready to leave. The kids seemed sad to see everyone go.
"When will they come back?" Lainey asked.
"Oh probably not for a while but we can go visit them soon ok?" Rachel walked the two upstairs as Finn locked up downstairs. "Everyone in their pj's because it is WAY past your bedtime."
Zack and Lainey each ran into their rooms and began to change. Lainey was struggling to undress so Rachel helped her into her nightgown. "Did you have fun today Lainey?"
"Yes Lady. I had fun and saw the sparklies!" Lainey yawned as she crawled into bed.
"Oh those sparklies were very pretty weren't they? Good night Lainey, I love you." Rachel caught herself on her last words but didn't regret them. She was looking down at the girl who will one day be legally hers. She loved her. Lainey just signed and drifted off to sleep.
Finn had made his way into Zack's room, who was already changed and in bed. Finn could tell his eyes were heavy.
"Hey Finn, how long am I going to stay here?" Oh no, Finn thought. Where is Rachel? He didn't want to answer this alone.
"Ummmmm ...Well Zack, it's probably going to be a while."
Zack didn't look surprised, but didn't look happy either.
"Oh".
Finn rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to handle this. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I just will miss everyone when I go back to my mom's." Zack pulled the blankets up to his chest and rolled to his side.
Finn rubbed Zack's back in slow circles. "We can worry about that tomorrow ok? Did you have a fun day today?"
"Yeah I did. The fireworks were the best! Did Rachel tell you your dad wants me to help him build a car?!"
Finn smiled as he felt Zack's body relax under his hand. "No I didn't! You know he taught me how to build a car too but I was much older. You're lucky you get to learn how to do it at your age."
Zack yawned loudly as Rachel walked into the doorway.
"Good night Zack. Sweet Dreams!" Rachel called from across the room.
"Night Rachel. Today was fun."
Finn exited the room to meet Rachel in the hallway and head to the bedroom.
"Zack asked when he's going back to his moms," Finn blurted out.
"I told Lainey I loved her." Rachel replied.
They both stood and started at each other, each having confessed something completely different.
"Did she say she loved you back?" Finn asked.
"No, I think she was already out when I said it. It just came out."
Finn could see the panic in her eyes as she sat down on the bed. "Hey, why are you upset about this?"
"What if she never loves me back Finn? What if they both never love me back? Instinctually I feel myself becoming more of their mother every day. The old Rachel is gone. I don't ever want to be her again. "
Finn pulled her in for a hug. "Stop worrying so much. I know it's hard but they are really coming around. We are going to have to talk to them soon though because Zack's still expecting to go back to her at some point. He did say he'd miss everyone though."
Rachel pulled away and laughed. "Awww that's so sweet. I finally am seeing the softer side of him and I love it. We're doing okay right?"
"Yeah we're doing okay."
Thanks for reading!
