Chapter 23

Two years passed.

"Girls, we're going to be late. Let's go," Miranda said.

"Coming!" Callie called from the top of the stairs. "Sissy, c'mon, Mom's waiting."

"Stop calling me that!" Cate shrieked, running past her sister and down the stairs. "Moooomm, Callie keeps calling me 'Sissy' and everyone at school is going to laugh at me," she whined as she ran up to Miranda.

Miranda bent down and hugged her daughter, smoothing out her tweed Ralph Lauren dress. "Sweetheart, you look so grown-up today," she said. She reached up and fixed the barrette that was keeping her bangs out of her eyes. When Callie joined them in the foyer, Miranda continued, "Your sister would never call you that at school, darling. That's a special nickname just between us here at home."

"I don't like it," Cate said, stomping her foot and folding her arms across her chest.

"Catherine, what do I call your big sisters?"

She shrugged.

"Callie?"

"'Bobbsey,'" Callie said, "right Mom?"

"Yes. I've been calling them 'Bobbsey' for fifteen years. They never liked it. If you've noticed, they still get a little annoyed when I use it," she said. "But I would never call them that to embarrass them in front of their friends."

"Cassy probably can't hear you because of her headphones," Cate said.

Miranda smiled. She was right, Cassidy was glued to her iPhone, always with her headphones in. "You know what I mean, sweetie."

"Then why do you still say it if you know they don't like it?" Cate asked.

"Because I think somewhere deep inside," she explained, pressing her finger to Cate's chest, "it reminds them how much I love them. Just like your nicknames are special, too." She pulled her daughter in for a hug, then stood back up. "Okay? Are we all set?"

Cate nodded. "Yeah. It's okay if you call me 'Sissy,' but I don't want Callie to," she said.

"Okay, my darlings, we really need to go. I don't want you to be late for your first day of school," Miranda said. "Cate, where's your backpack, honey?"

"Oh!" she said, running into the kitchen. Miranda turned and looked at Callie who already had her bag on her back. "'Kay, ready!" she said, returning with her pink backpack.

"Well, let's go. Mr. Roy is driving us today," Miranda said as she held the front door open for the girls.

"Are you going to work after you take us?" Callie asked.

"Yes, I'm going to Runway and Mommy Andrea is going to pick you up," Miranda said. Her phone began to ring as she helped the girls to fasten their seat belts.

"That's Mommy's music, isn't it?" Callie asked. "Can I talk to her?"

"We'll all say hello," Miranda said, answering and putting it on speakerphone. "Hi, darling."

"Hi, Mom!" they both shouted at once.

"Well, hello, three of my favorite people. Are you on your way to school?"

"Yes!"

"I hope you have a good day. I'll be there at 3:30 to pick you up. Love you!"

"Love you too, Mom."

"Love you! See you later."

Miranda turned off the speakerphone and held it up to her ear. "Okay, as you can hear, they're very eager to start Kindergarten," Miranda said.

"Hmm, and how are you holding up?" Andrea asked.

"What? What do you mean? I'm fine."

"Okay. Good."

Miranda could practically hear the other woman's smirk on the other end of the line. "I'll have you know that I am also very excited for our girls to be starting school. They're going to learn so much and make so many friends," Miranda said.

"Okay, okay. Please try to hold it together in front of the other parents," Andrea said. "Call me when you get back to the car."

"I will. Talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye," Andrea said, ending the call.

They rode in silence the next few miles until Roy pulled into the line of cars dropping students off. He got out and opened the door for the girls, giving them each a high five as they exited the car. "See ya later, kiddos!"

"See ya!"

Miranda reached down and straightened out Callie's hair as she led her into the school.

A table was setup just inside the entrance for all kindergarten students to check-in. Miss Waugh, the Admissions Coordinator, stood and reached for Miranda's hand. "Miranda, good morning," she said, shaking it firmly.

"Hello, Miss Waugh," Miranda said.

"And you must be Callie…and Catherine Priestly, right?"

Both girls smiled and nodded.

Miss Waugh picked up two name tags from her desk and handed them to each of the girls to drape around their neck. The girls exchanged a quick glance, then switched name tags.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Miss Waugh said.

"Girls," Miranda warned.

They quickly switched back and slipped the proper name tag over their head. "Sorry," Cate murmured. "Yeah, sorry, Mom," Callie said.

Miranda bent down and adjusted the name tag so it wasn't interfering with Callie's hair or the collar on her shirt. "Be good today. Be nice to the other girls and boys, and listen to your teachers. Mommy will pick you up. I love you, sweetheart," she said, kissing her softly on the cheek, then wiping the smudge of her lipstick off.

Miss Waugh gestured for Callie to begin walking towards their classroom.

"And you," Miranda said, hugging and kissing her other daughter gently. "You be good, too. Don't be whiney, and please be nice to your teachers. I will see you when I get home from work tonight. I love you, baby girl," she whispered, kissing her one more time on the top of her head.

"Bye, Mom," Cate said, waving as she walked over towards where Miss Waugh was standing. "Have a good day at work, too!"

Miranda clasped her hand over her mouth and waved as her babies headed down the hallway into their Kindergarten classroom. Once they were out of sight, she walked back to the car, dialing Andrea on her phone.

"I take it you dropped them off?" Andrea said, answering the call.

"They didn't even want me to stay," Miranda said, sniffling. "They just went off with this woman they've never met."

"Don't worry. We've just been telling them how much fun school is—this is how we wanted them to react, right? We didn't want to be those parents whose kids are crying for their mothers."

"But Andrea, I want them to cry for me. They're so grown-up," Miranda said. "It seems like just yesterday they were babies, and we were bringing them home from the hospital. They needed us for everything, and now, they…they don't."

"Miranda, they will need us for the rest of their lives. Look at Care and Cass. They're fifteen years old, and I think they need us more now than they did five years ago."

Miranda didn't say anything.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to come meet you somewhere?" Andrea asked after a minute.

"Can I swing by? Are you busy?" Miranda asked as she pressed the button to lower the privacy glass.

"I'm free for another hour and twenty minutes."

Miranda quickly instructed Roy to head to The Mirror, and she pulled out her mirror, touching up her eye makeup.

Andrea met her in the lobby and walked her back up to her office, which was about half the size of Miranda's at Runway, but much cozier. Miranda took a seat on the oversized chair while Andrea shut and locked her office door. "I have some tea if you'd like," she said, holding out a cup and saucer.

"Thanks," Miranda replied, reaching a shaky hand out for the teacup.

Andrea sat next to her in the cozy chair, gently running her hands along the woman's shoulders and back. "So, I'm going to leave early today. Roy is going to drop off the Range Rover later this afternoon, and then at three, I'll head over to Dalton to pick up the twins. From there, we'll pickup Caroline and Cassidy, and then hopefully be home by half past four. I'm glad my hours are flexible and I can do this, but unfortunately it means spending a few hours doing work in the evenings."

Miranda took another sip of tea, then finally set her cup on the coffee table and leaned into the other woman's arms. "We'll make it work," Miranda said. "I'll be home at 6:15, then we can eat dinner, and you can work from seven until nine if you'd like," she said. "I can even pick the girls up a few days each week, but I'll have to go in earlier, which means you taking them in the morning." She turned her head and looked Andrea in the eye. "Nevermind, you're too grumpy in the morning. That wouldn't work," she added with a smile.

"Hey. I took Caroline and Cassidy today and we all survived," she protested.

"I know. And that is only because the twins' first day began at ten instead of eight." She sighed and softly kissed Andrea on the lips before laying her head on the younger woman's shoulder. "Where has the time gone? My babies are in school…"

Andrea wrapped her arm tightly around Miranda's shoulders. "It's strange. In some ways, it seems like it was just yesterday when they were born. But, when you think about it, the past—what—almost six years seems like a lifetime. For me, at least. I feel like my life didn't really start until you. And while these past few years may have gone by a little too quickly, I've loved every minute. I don't really remember what it was like without you, Cassidy, Caroline, Callie, and Cate in my life," she said.

"I know what you mean," she said. "And I feel awful thinking about it sometimes, but it's as if the memories we're making are replacing the past. I can hardly remember the girls' first words. But I remember everything about the day when Callie looked at you and said 'mama,'" she said. "I didn't think I would be so emotional today, but…I don't know. It's like the empty nest thing, I guess."

"Sweetheart, I hate to break it to you, but we've got another thirteen years before we can claim that status," Andrea said.

Miranda chuckled. "You know what I mean. With everyone in school, the townhouse will be so quiet during the day. Maybe I could—"

"No. Don't say it," Andrea interrupted.

"—finally retire." She turned and glared at Andrea. "Why are you so against me retiring? I've worked long and hard. Plus, Serena's ready. She's more than ready, actually. I'm getting concerned that someone else may poach her from us one of these days."

"Miranda, I'm not against anything. I will fully support you in whatever you choose, but I don't think you're ready to sit home alone with nothing to do all day. I'm sorry. It's the truth," Andrea said.

"What makes you think I would sit and do nothing?" Miranda asked.

"Okay, tell me what an ideal day would be like. Or week, even."

"Well, I would wake up and get all the girls off to school—pack lunches, review their homework, all that. Then, I could stop at the market on the way home and get something for dinner. I could go to a yoga class or go play tennis at the club, then straighten up things around the house, maybe do a load or two of laundry. Then, it would be time to pick the girls up and spend time with all of you."

"And you don't think that would get old after a week?"

"No. It would be…nice. I could change it up, too. Maybe on Monday I would go to yoga, but Tuesday I would sit home and read. And on Thursday I could come visit you at the office or something."

"See? That's it. You're not the kind of person who is content with sitting still. I know you, darling. Leisure is not your thing," Andrea said. "Before you make any major decisions, can we at least sit and talk about this a little more?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Miranda said, kissing her quickly before standing up. "I should be getting to the office, though."

Andrea stood and followed her, spinning her around and pressing her back against the office door as a startled gasp escaped her lips. "You didn't even say anything about the shades," Andrea whispered in her ear.

"Wh-what about them?" was Miranda's hoarse reply.

"I had them installed just for you," she said, blowing gently on the woman's neck. "The last time you were here, you recommended roman shades because they offered more privacy, and," she gently bit down on the woman's neck, "they absorb sound."

"Andreeeea," Miranda whined, ducking out of her arms and smoothing out her skirt. "Darling, I have to get to the office."

"Just one kiss?" Andrea pouted.

"You realize this is where our daughters get it from, right? This is why it takes us forty-five minutes to tuck them in at night," Miranda said.

"Please?" Andrea asked, looking up at Miranda with her big brown eyes.

Miranda rolled her eyes and took the younger woman in her arms, kissing her thoroughly. A few minutes later, when she finally pulled away, her eyes widened.

"What?"

Miranda's eyes were fixed on Andrea's lips and the reddish ring around them. "What lipstick are you wearing? Is that the Stila?"

"Yeah, why?" Andrea asked.

"It's all over your face," Miranda said, "and probably smeared on mine, too."

Andrea opened her desk drawer and pulled out her compact. "Miranda! How am I going to go to my meeting like this?!"

The older woman chuckled. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who was pouting. Here," she said, taking a small container of Vaseline petroleum jelly from her handbag. "This will break down the formula and you should be able to wipe it away. Give me some, too."

Once they had sufficiently cleaned up, Miranda gave Andrea a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll be home by 6:15," she said.

"We'll all be waiting. And tonight…do you think we can pick up where things left off?"

"Most certainly," Miranda said as she opened the office door. "Call me if you need anything. Love you."

"Love you, too. See you later."

"Okay, Mom. We'll be there in an hour."

"You make sure you don't distract your sister! It's getting dark out."

"Mom, we know. And we're both capable of driving in the dark. I'm going to hang up so we can focus on driving. Love you."

"Love you, Caroline. Tell your sister I love her, too," Miranda said.

"Okay. See ya," Caroline said, ending the call. "Jeez, I don't know what she thinks is going to happen to us, like, will this Escalade turn into a pumpkin when the sun sets?"

Cassidy giggled and shook her head. "Leave her alone. She's worried. Aaaand it's Mother's Day tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're right." Caroline slouched against the comfy leather seats of the Cadillac Escalade their mother insisted they drive. While she had her heart set on a white Mazda Miata, she knew a tiny sports car could never have seats this comfortable. "Cass," she said, gazing out the window at the sunset, "do you think Mom was always gay?"

They drove in silence for a few minutes before Cassidy answered. "I don't know. I never really thought about it. I mean, she got pregnant twice—from having sex with a guy."

"Well, technically, we don't know about the last time…"

"True. That was immaculate conception if you ask her."

Caroline laughed. "But I mean, seriously. Obviously she's had sex with dad, and probably a few other guys. But, do you think it was because it wasn't acceptable back then, or like, that she didn't discover those feelings until she met Andy?"

"You should probably ask her that, not me," Cassidy said with a shrug. "Why, are you wondering if it's like genetic or something?" she added with a snicker.

"No! No, I just, I don't know. I was thinking."

A few minutes went by in silence, and Cassidy pulled to a stop at the stoplight. "Hey, Care," she said, turning and picking up her sister's hand. "Are you—I mean—do you like girls like that?"

Caroline pulled her hand away. "I don't know. It's like…how do you know? What does it feel like?"

"Stace said she gets tingly and gets wet between her legs when Sean kisses her."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I know, and that just sounds like she's watched too many movies or something. I mean, I don't really feel any differently towards girls or boys. Do you?"

"I don't know. I guess sometimes when a really cute boy like Chris Schwartz or Erik Chandler walks by, it kind of gives me butterflies or something," Cassidy said.

"Have you ever done anything with a guy?"

"Not really. When Jason and I were together a few months ago, I mean, we kissed, duh, but no, I didn't do anything else with him. That's why we broke up."

"I thought…oh, that's right." She sighed.

"What about you? You and Brian were inseparable for a solid month, then I don't think I've seen him since, except in Pre-Calc."

"Uh, yeah."

"Yeah what?"

"Yeah, we did stuff."

"Did you go all the way?!" she asked, shocked.

"No, no," Caroline quickly reassured her. "I would have told you if we did that. But, um, we kissed a lot, and I let him put his hand in my pants, and I gave him a blow job."

"What! How did you not tell me about this?!"

"You and Jason just started seeing each other. And then, I don't know, you were so busy with that video. Whatever, it's fine. It's not like I need to talk about it," Caroline said.

"But you're my sister. I can't talk with Cate or Callie about this stuff," Cassidy said, taking a deep breath. "What was it like?"

"Which part?"

"Both, I guess. Well, I mean, what did he do when he put his hands in your pants?"

"First, it was just one hand. But, uh, he just rubbed me. It felt weird."

"Good weird, or just weird weird?"

"Jeez, Nancy Drew, enough with the questions. I guess it was good. It's not like I was crying out in ecstasy or anything, but I mean, if he wanted to do it again, I would have let him."

"So it turned you on? Sorry. Last question," Cassidy said.

"That's just it. I don't know. How can you tell if you're on or off? I mean, it didn't feel that different, so I don't think it turned me on. I mean, it doesn't matter," she said.

"You should talk to Andy. She used to live with that guy when she first started working for Mom, remember? She'd be honest with you."

Caroline shrugged. "I'm going to close my eyes. Wake me up when we're near Sag."

"Okay. But please don't ruin Mom and Andy's weekend. We worked on that video for a long time," Cassidy said.

"I know. I won't say anything."

Thirty minutes later, Caroline woke to the sound of the crushed stone crunching beneath their tires. She looked out the window and saw her mom and Andy curled up on the swing on the front porch. Andy was holding a glass of white wine, and her mother seemed to be holding a glass of scotch or something.

Cassidy parked next to their mom's BMW SUV, and turned the engine off. "Hey Care," she said, before opening the door, "you know you can talk to me, right? I mean, when I'm not asking you a million questions?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "Thanks, Cass. Same goes for you."

They climbed out of the car and grabbed their bags from the back. Caroline elbowed her sister as they approached the house. "Mom's drunk. Look at her," she whispered, giggling. They watched as Andy whispered something into Miranda's ear, then took the drink from her hand.

"Bobbseys…I'm so glad you made it," she said, hugging and kissing them each. "There's leftovers in the fridge if you want…just, don't wake the girls up."

"Okay, Mom. Love you," Cassidy said, leaning over to hug Andy. "Love you, too."

"I'll have what she's having," Caroline whispered, hugging and kissing Andy, who rolled her eyes.

"Maybe if you're good," Andrea said to the white-haired woman in her arms, "the girls will make you breakfast in the morning."

Miranda closed her eyes and curled up against Andrea's body. "I can be yare…I'll promise to be yare," Miranda said, wrapping her arm tighter around Andrea's waist.

"Seriously?" Caroline asked. "You two still haven't taken The Philadelphia Story out of the DVD player? It's been there since, like—"

"—since we replaced the VHS player, which had a copy of that same movie stuck in it. Remember?" Cassidy said. "Mom loves watching that movie—not at home, just here in the Hamptons."

"Okay, you two, go on inside. I think the girls are actually watching a movie upstairs. Will you check on them?" Andrea asked.

"Sure. Send us a text if you need help carrying her upstairs," Cassidy said, snickering.

Once the girls were inside, Andrea set their drinks on the table and snuggled closer to Miranda, who had already fallen asleep. She pressed a kiss to her forehead and tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. "Just when I think I can't possibly love you any more than I already do, you amaze me, and I fall in love with you all over again," Andrea whispered. She wrapped her arms tightly around the other woman and drifted off to sleep.

Several hours later, she woke to a loud shouting noise. Immediately, she jumped from the swing, intending to run into the house and upstairs to locate the source of the noise, but she apparently forgot that her feet were entangled with Miranda's. When Andrea went crashing to the ground on her hands and knees, Miranda, too, woke from her sleep.

"Darling, what is it?" Miranda asked, yawning.

"Fuck," she said, examining the broken skin on the palm of her hand. "That hurt."

"What are you doing down there?" Miranda asked.

"I heard the girls," she said.

Twin giggles filled the air, along with a "Cassy, stoop!" shout. Andrea breathed a sigh of relief.

"We better go check on them," Miranda said, sitting up and stretching her back. She stood to her feet and helped Andrea up off the ground and into the house. When they got upstairs, they stood in the doorway of their master bathroom, shocked at the scene in front of them. "What on earth…"

Cassidy and Caroline stood at opposite ends of the room, each holding a spritz bottle, presumably filled with water. Cate and Callie were in the bathtub, wearing their bathing suits, holding cans of their bath foam that were empty, judging by the looks of the bathroom.

"That's it," Andrea said. "Cate, Callie—bed. Now. Caroline, Cassidy—your room, now. Leave the water bottles here."

Andrea started to follow the eldest girls out of the bathroom, then paused.

"Go," Miranda said. "I'll get them cleaned up."

Andrea nodded and followed the girls into their room to have a serious chat. Miranda, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile at her adorable, innocent little angels.

"My babies, what did you get yourselves into?" she said, smiling.

"Sorry, Mom," Callie said, looking down at the ground.

"Come here." Miranda hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. "As long as you're safe and happy, I don't care about this mess," she said.

"Really?" Cate asked as Miranda wrapped her other arm around her.

"Of course. You're my angels, and Mommy loves you so very much. Let's get you two rinsed off, then into some dry pjs and off to bed, okay?"

The girls eagerly nodded as Miranda retrieved two towels from the linen closet.

"Bathing suits off—just leave them over there," she said, pointing to the floor next to the tub. She turned on the spray in the giant walk-in shower and let the water heat up to an appropriate temperature. Then, she turned to them and secured their hair in a bun on the top of their heads before leading them into the shower. "Quick rinse," she said as she took the hand-held spray and got all the suds off their skin. "Arms up…okay, turn around. And, we're finished," she said, turning off the water.

She wrapped them in giant towels as they stepped out, then walked with them down the hall to their bedroom where they each put on clean underwear and a night shirt before Miranda tucked them in.

"Love you, Mom," Callie said.

"Yeah, you're the best," Cate added. "Love you."

Miranda hugged and kissed them again, then headed upstairs in search of the rest of her family, who all happened to be sitting on the floor, leaning up against the bed. "What did I miss?"

"We were just playing with the girls. We'll clean up your bathroom," Caroline said.

"Don't worry, it's fine," Miranda said.

"I was just telling them how you scared me half to death six years ago when you fainted," Andrea said.

Miranda looked at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Do you remember what we were arguing about?"

Miranda slowly shook her head. "I just remember I told you to stop acting childish, but I didn't mean to say it out loud. You got upset and said you were going to sleep downstairs on the couch," she said.

"Yeah, and then halfway down the stairs, I hear this thump and find your mother on the ground next to the bed."

"What happened that made you faint, Mom?" Cassidy asked.

"When you're pregnant, a lot of your blood and oxygen is going to the babies, so if you get up too fast, sometimes your body hasn't had a chance to pump all that oxygen-rich blood back around to your heart and brain."

"Isn't that dangerous, though?" Cass asked.

"Not really. It's the falling that's dangerous. Fainting is kind of like a power nap for your body. That's what the doctor told me when I was pregnant with you two, anyway," she said with a smile. "But yes, I did give Andrea quite a scare. See? That's why you should never storm out of the room on me," Miranda said with a wink.

Andrea glanced at the clock. "Oh, wow. It's quarter past midnight already," she said, getting up. "Why don't you girls get to bed so you can get up at a decent hour tomorrow?"

They nodded.

"Oh, wait," Caroline said. "Happy Mothers' Day."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Miranda said, hugging her.

"You, too, Andy," Cassidy said, hugging her. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Cass," she said.

The following day, after bringing their moms breakfast in bed and taking a long, leisurely walk along the beach, Cassidy led everyone to the living room while she put a DVD in the player.

"Sorry, Mom. I just need to take The Philadelphia Story out for a few minutes. I'll put it back, promise," she said.

Miranda smiled and pulled Cate onto her lap, hugging her tightly.

"Me and Cate helped on this, too!" Callie said, climbing onto Andrea's lap.

"Okay," Cassidy said, taking a deep breath. "Mom, Andy, happy Mothers' Day. Hope you like it. You both mean the world to the four of us, and we wanted to give you something special," she said, pressing the "play" button on the remote.

The video opened with Cassidy playing the guitar and softly singing an incredible version of The Beatles' "In My Life."

"Cassidy, sweetie, this is beautiful," Miranda said.

"Keep watching, there's more," she and Caroline said at the same time.

The camera slowly panned out to a table covered in photographs, then transitioned into a slideshow, all while Cassidy sang. It began with photos of Miranda's first pregnancy, and then photos and a few videos of when Cassidy and Caroline were babies. There were photos of their first day of school, their piano recitals—everything. Then, there were a few photos of Andrea from when she first started at Runway. In the first few photos, her hair was covering her face, or she was looking away, and then suddenly she was in pictures with the girls. There was a candid of Andrea and Miranda from their first New Years' together that neither of them had seen before.

Next was the sonogram, some images of Miranda pregnant again, and then the first two photos of Cate and Callie that Andrea snapped before they were even named. The song switched over to One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful," and there were tons and tons of photos of their family. Some of them, Andrea recognized. Others, she had no idea how they could have even gotten that picture. The last few photos were of Andrea and Miranda on the porch swing, the twins covered in bath foam, and then the family walking along the beach earlier that day.

As the screen faded to black, simple white text crawled across the screen:

To the best moms in the whole wide world—
We love you and are lucky to have you.
Happy Mothers' Day.

All our love, your daughters,
Caroline, Cassidy, Callista, & Catherine

Andrea turned and looked at Miranda, but she had her face buried in Catherine's hair.

"Did you like it, Mom?" Callie asked.

"Yes, darling, I loved it. I'm going to treasure this gift forever and ever," she said, hugging her tightly. "Go give Mommy a hug," she whispered. Callie climbed onto Miranda's lap while Andrea hugged and kissed Caroline and Cassidy.

"I was really nervous you guys would think it was cheesy," Cassidy admitted. "So it was really okay?"

"Sweetheart, it was perfect. You and your sisters put so much thought into it—you know, you really screwed yourselves for next year, though," Andrea said with a chuckle.

Miranda turned and gave Andrea an I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that look.

"Seriously, if I made a video of all those looks that Mom gives you—like that one just now—you know that would top this," Caroline said.

"I'm glad the girls understand what I see in you," Miranda said quietly. "The girls and I got you something else, too." Miranda nodded and Callie ran and pulled the box out of the cabinet where it was hiding, then handed it to Andrea.

She unwrapped and opened the box, revealing a delicate gold necklace with five dangling heart charms—two with a tiny diamond, one with an emerald fleck, and two with a ruby fleck. "Thank you," Andrea said, immediately putting the necklace on. "This is beautiful. I love it."

"I'm glad. You and the girls got me this lovely ring last year, and, well, we wanted to make sure you had something special, too," Miranda said.

"The red ones are for Cate and me," Callie said, pointing, "and the white ones are for Caroline and Cassidy, and the green one is for Mommy."

"Oh wow, how cool is that!" Andrea said. She knew her daughter was proud of her explanation. "You know what else that means? That Mommy's birthday is coming up soon."

"Really?" Cate asked, looking up at Miranda.

She nodded and smiled. "For my birthday this year, I want—let me think about this. Breakfast in bed, lots and lots of hugs and kisses, snuggle time, a vanilla birthday cake, and more hugs and kisses." She smiled and looked at her two youngest daughters. "Did I forget anything?"

"I think we can get you everything on your list," Cassidy said, "right?"

"Yes!" the girls shouted in unison.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm ready for lunch," Andrea said. "Thank you again for the wonderful presents, girls. Who wants to help me in the kitchen?"

Cate, Callie, and Caroline eagerly followed Andrea into the kitchen while Cassidy took the DVD out and put The Philadelphia Story back in.

"Sweetheart," Miranda said, gesturing for Cassidy to sit next to her on the couch, "thank you again. It was a beautiful video, and I think you have some real talent, too. Would you like to take a photography or design class this summer, maybe?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, I never really thought about it. I mean, it couldn't hurt."

"Good. I'll ask Patrick for some information and then you can take a look. Um, I wanted to thank you, too, for making Andrea feel special this year, too."

"Of course, she's our mom, too," Cassidy said.

"I know, and I love it that you think of her that way—it's just, I think she still feels a little left out sometimes. So, thank you for that."

Cassidy reached over and hugged her mother. "Want to watch a few minutes while they finish lunch?"

Miranda nodded while Cassidy turned on the DVD player and fast-forwarded to her favorite scene the night before the wedding. "You always did love to watch this with me, why is that?"

Cassidy shrugged. "I remember hearing it a lot growing up. It seemed like it was always on, or I was always falling asleep to it or something. And you're not usually into movies, so that makes it even more special."

"Oh, Cassidy, I don't know what I would do without you," she said, wrapping her arms around her as she laid her head on her chest. "You're so grown-up already, but you'll always be my baby girl."

"Thanks, Mom," she said, squeezing her hand tightly.

TBC

A/N: Well…there's one chunk left. I can't decide whether I'll split it into two chapters or leave it as one. We'll see how many words it ends up. Thanks for following along! Reviews always appreciated. :-D