It was a warm and sunny day, as they drove along the highway. The summer vacation they had all longed for, was finally here. Jane shot a quick glance to the backseat through the rear-view mirror, seeing that Julia and Sophie were asleep. Each girl had headphone in their ears, their heads resting against the windows as they breathed deep and evenly.
Will on the other hand was wide awake, humming along the yay a ma music which was only playing because Jane had lost a bet against Maura the previous night. Jane had mused that the girls would be awake early, excited about their going on vacation. Maura had shaken her head and stated that they would have to wake them.
Jane, victory sure, had suggested the bet which she now regretted from the bottom of her heart. At least Will liked it. And the girls, well…. The brunette wasn't sure if this earphone thing was because it was typical teenage behavior or due to the music in the car.
Anyway, she had lost the bet. If she would have won, Maura would have had to were pants for the whole week they were on vacation. The brunette even had some nice sweatpants for her wife in mind, but she now put them mentally back into the drawer.
Maura chuckled at her pout from the passenger's seat, a pair of sunglasses hiding her eyes. But Jane could guess that they were sparkling. The blonde reached to the console and took her usb stick out of the radio. Instead she easily slipped Janes inside and Jane exhaled in relieve when one of her most favorite songs started to play.
Will wiggled to the rough guitar sounds, shaking her head and laughing happily. "Thank you." Jane stated in relieve and the blonde grinned. The two teenagers started to stir in the backseats and Julia stretched herself, rolling her shoulders.
"Ma, I need to pee." She said, catching Janes eyes in the rear-view mirror. "And I'm hungry." Sophie added. Both whining. "Hold on." The brunette mumbled. "The next rest stop is in about 20 miles, sweethearts." She said after checking the navigation system of the car.
"What?" Sophie asked, pulling out her earphones. Teenagers! Jane thought slightly amused before repeating what she had just said. "Okayyyyyyy." The blonde girl acknowledged.
When they stopped Maura and the girls rushed into the toilets, leaving Jane and Will behind. The brunette rolled her eyes and chuckled. She was about to strap Will out of her seat when Maura came back.
"Jane, do you happen to know where the hygiene products are?" the blonde asked and Jane could only hear her muffled voice because half of her body was still in the car, struggling to free Will who was becoming slightly whiny and unhappy.
"Uhm, I don't know if we packed any. None of us is due the next week." She said once pulling her lean upper body out of the car, the toddler in hands. "Shit!" Maura exclaimed and the brunette raised an eyebrow. "Language, Maur." She scolded her wife playfully and laughed at the delicious payback to all the times she had been scolded.
"Its not for me." Maura whispered and Jane raised an eyebrow. "Don't panic!" she heard herself say. "We are going to find a drug store and buy all we need." Maura nodded and walked back to the toilets.
"Damn, your big sisters are growing up fast. What comes next? They tell us they leave for college tomorrow." She said to the toddler, shaking her head and laughing at herself. She watched how Maura came back with the girls, Julia's face was shining in a bright red color so Jane immediately knew who was causing their unplanned visit to a drug store. She hoped there was one close by.
"Hey." She softly said to Julia who was about to climb back into the car. Her daughter stopped and looked at her. Jane smiled and pulled her arms around the small shoulders, leaving a gentle kiss to her forehead.
She felt how Julia pushed close into her body and she stroke the girls back. The encapsulating teenager clung to her and Jane reveled in the feeling to be needed. "Let's go and find a drugstore." She softly said striking over the dark curls giving Julia a smile and a wink. The girl shyly smiled back.
Once they arrived at the drug store, Maura hopped out of the car, motioning for Julia to follow her. But the girl shook her head vehemently and so the blonde entered the shop alone. When she came back with a plastic bag she said: "I think I covered everything." Jane gave her a thank you kiss and a smile.
It was almost evening by the time they arrived at the campsite. Jane and the girls set up the tent while Maura took care of Will. Julia and Sophie did well, assembling the parts quickly and having fun. "Careful." Maura reminded them as they shouted "En garde!" imitating a sore fight.
"Look who's hungry." Jane said as Will started to move wildly in Maura's arm. "We are hungry too!" the girls shouted, stopping their banter. Jane helped them to put the rest of the tent together so that they could leave for a restaurant.
The evening was quite relaxed with some delicious Italian food and a long hot shower to rinse off the dirt of the road as Jane had put it. They settled around a small campfire talking, joking and having fun.
Sophie had wished for a guitar for her last birthday. She was still learning how to play, but she was not shy about it. She played a song which she had practiced a lot recently and the whole family sang along. It sounded awfully out of tune, but they didn't care. It was fun.
Jane stood when she noticed that Maura was shivering. When she reappeared, she had two of her hoodies in her hands. Maura took it gratefully and pulled it over her head.
The tent was split into three sections. The girls shared one and Jane and Maura the other with Will and the middle section served as storage room. The brunette sighed as she slipped into the sea of blankets, the blonde had spread over the inflatable mattress. She adjusted her pillows and waited for Maura's warm body to scoot closer. Once settled both gave a deep sigh.
There were muffled voices from the other part, just after the blonde had mused, that Julia and Sophie were so silent that they had to be asleep. "I'm afraid, there not." Jane joked, feeling already tired after the long day.
Will on the other side had fallen asleep quickly in Janes arms. Her little legs were struggling occasionally, and Jane recalled how she used to kick when she was in her belly. In hindsight she was really happy about the decision to have another baby.
The couple glanced as they heard the zipper to their section of the tent being torn down. "Can we stay with you for a while?" Julia asked. The couple moved closer together making space for the two girls who gave a relaxed sigh after sneaking under the cover.