What is your dream vacation spot? - this is a funny question actually because I was just talking about this with my friend Graham today and I was saying that I'm not really into vacationing per say. I like going places for extended periods of time because I become attached and I just love the idea of basically living like a nomad and traveling all around the world and living in different places for a few months. not quite like a gypsy but more like a free spirit/hipster. if that makes sense. if I had to choose the first place I'd go though it would be either Switzerland (as you can probably tell from this chapter) or Australia.
Do you have a twitter or instagram? - Yes! Fl_GeorgieLine ... I have a YouTube as well, I'm just Georgina Snyder on there I think and all of my videos are like, school projects and one little movie I put together of my friend that's in the Marines surprising his family by coming home for Christmas. that one is actually cute so you can watch that one but yeah, the other ones are weird. I mean, if you're bored one day you can look me up. my profile picture is a ginger in a bright green shirt I believe.
"Hike mountains. Run through meadows. Explore forests. Swim the sea. Climb trees. Breathe the wild air. Gaze at the stars. Enjoy the natural world."
"Maxon, are you almost ready?" America called from her closet into their bedroom where Maxon was finishing some last minute reports.
"Almost!" he answered. "Ames, could you get me my purple tie?"
She smile and left her closet, walking to his. Christian and Georgina were inside with Mary and Lucy who were packing some last minute things for the kids. Georgina was holding on to a drawer tight as she stood on her small toddler legs but Christian ran toward his mother, hugger her legs. "Mama, when can we go?" he pleaded.
"When I say so," she told him, laughing. She waved and smiled to her maids as she passed them on her way to Maxon's tie rack, pulling the lavender one out. It may have been too summery for the time of year but she loved the way it made his eyes pop. Plus it matched her earrings and bracelet. She picked Georgina up and carried her on her hip out to where Maxon was sitting at the small desk they kept in their bedroom for more cursory work.
Draping the tie over his shoulder, she leaned down to kiss his temple and looked at the report he was working on. "Your mother again?"
"I can't just let her run around on the loose Ames." He had been persevering in his hunt for his mother for well over a year along with the hunt for May but they had found nothing and America could hear that he was tired.
"Well," she sighed, "I think you can let her do just that for these next couple weeks, okay? It'll just be us and the kids and Marlee and Carter in the mountains – with the obligatory guards – and it is our time to relax."
He nodded and ran a hand through his hair, reaching up to hold one of Georgina's small hands. "You excited G?" he asked, using his favorite nickname for her. Georgina laughed at her father and nodded. "Do you mind tying this for me?" he asked America.
"Sure," she agreed, setting Georgina in Maxon's lap. She bent over and started tying the tie for him. He was more than capable of tying his own ties but he knew how much she loved the small intimacy in her doing it for him.
They left the palace soon after, where they went to the airport and caught their private jet that would fly them to Swiss-Austria. The kids slept and played during the flight while their parents sat in quiet companionship, the plane landing amongst the snowy mountains late the next night. The guards drove them out to their chateau and they immediately got the kids settled in their respectable bedrooms.
America joined her husband in bed and they slept for just a few hours until the morning came, both being more than accustomed to jet lag. She got dressed and walked down to the kitchen where he already had a pot of tea water boiling on the stove. He was still in his pajama pants but he had slid a quarter zip up fleece on over his nightshirt. She hugged him from behind, breathing in the natural musky scent of him. "I love not having any maids around to disturb us," she sighed. "It's so quiet and peaceful."
He chuckled and turned, handing her a mug of tea. "Breakfast is on the table," he told her. She looked over her shoulder and saw French toast sitting on a large plate with fresh fruit, butter, chocolate chips and syrups.
"Teaching you how to cook was the best thing I've ever done," she said as she took a seat at the rustic oak table.
He smiled and said, "I'll wake up the kids. Eat as much as you want; you'll need your stamina because we are going snowboarding today."
She looked out the window and saw the sun shining down on the snow, reflecting off brightly. She smiled and clapped her hands in excitement. Maxon came back with Georgina and Christian a couple minutes later, both kids alert and eyes filled with anticipation for the plans of the day.
America cut up pieces of fruit and toast for Georgina and let her feed herself. They sat around the table eating breakfast, goofing around and drinking tea. Maxon agreed to do the dishes if America got the kids dressed. Christian was able to put on his clothes once she got them out for him but she still had to help Georgina dress herself. She had to smile at Georgina's full pink snow suit. She grabbed Maxon's clothes and laid them out for him, retrieving one of her favorite blue pullovers of his for him to wear.
Maxon was only starting to teach Christian how to snowboard, which involved putting Christian on a slip-on snowboard and holding him tightly, both going down the small hill right outside the chateau. America held Georgina in her lap and they just sledded down the hill. They played in the snow all morning and then put the kids down for naps after lunch.
America and Maxon soon found themselves sitting in the living room, dozing in front of the fireplace. "I want another baby," she whispered.
He sat up suddenly, pulling away from her. "Wait, really?" She shrugged nonchalantly in response. "G is barely eighteen months old."
"I don't know. I guess just being here with you, acting like a family without any real disturbances…it's easy to be pulled into the idea of another child," she admitted. "We don't have to start trying now. We can hold off for a few more months, I just know I want another baby with you. And we've never really tried to have a baby…it always just happened."
With a sigh he pulled her closer and kissed her hair, leaving his face there to linger. The door to the bottom floor of the chateau opened and Carter and Marlee entered. "Your babysitters have arrived!" Marlee exclaimed, meeting America in the middle of the room for a hug. "Thanks for the invite by the way."
Carter and Maxon shook hands and Maxon gestured for them to keep their voices down. "The kids are asleep for now. There are some leftovers from lunch if you want something to eat."
Marlee nodded. "Okay. Can we just put our luggage anywhere?"
"Follow me, I'll show you where your room is upstairs." America led Marlee up the wooden steps to the room she and Carter would be sharing for the duration of their stay. "How are you doing?" America asked, her voice low and serious.
Marlee shrugged and set her suitcase down at the foot of the bed. "I'm fine. We think we're gonna start trying again soon. Honestly, spending so much time with your kids has made me realize how desperately I want my own children. And if it doesn't work out; it doesn't work out. Oh well. There are always orphans around the city who need to be adopted." Marlee and Carter had been trying to have kids for a year before Marlee found out that she has a condition that severely decreased her chances of carrying a child full term.
"That's true but I think it'll work out. You guys have suffered enough as it is; you deserve to have this blessing." America reached for Marlee's hand and squeezed it before they both went down to join their husbands. Maxon had his snow coat and pants on again and was talking to Carter in the kitchen. "What's up?"
"Carter said that he and Marlee could stay here and the kids if we wanted to go out by ourselves," Maxon said to America.
"Really? That sounds great!" she exclaimed. "Let me just go get my clothes on."
Maxon smiled and his eyes followed her out of the room. Within a half hour they were getting off the gondola at the top of the mountain in St. Anton, carrying their boards over to a blue square trail. "Starting slow?" America asked. She had only been snowboarding a couple time but she picked it up right away, feeling natural on a board. She loved to antagonize Maxon, who had been snowboarding his whole life and was only just getting to America's level.
He smirked. "Very funny," he said as he bent over to strap his boot in. "If you want to go down a black diamond by yourself, go ahead. I'm just not coming after you if you get hurt."
She rolled her eyes and jumped into place, starting to slide and not really waiting for Maxon. It was perfect how she was a goofy foot and he was regular because they were able to coordinate their turns so that they didn't hit each other. He fell halfway down the mountain but she kept going, drifting to a slow stop by the ski lifts. Maxon came flying by, calling out "On your left!" and then stopped quickly, falling right on his backside.
America laughed out loud and skated over to him to help him up. She brushed the snow off his pants for him and smiled up at him, just barely making out his eyes through the dark tinted goggles he had on so no one would recognize him. "You're silly," she laughed, holding on to the font of his jacket.
He shrugged. "I should probably work on that whole stopping thing," he said.
They spent the rest of the afternoon traveling up and down the mountain until finally they started to lose the sun and decided that they needed to go back to their kids. Marlee and Carter cooked dinner for all of them and then America and Maxon tucked the kids into bed shortly after that.
As Maxon slid into bed next to America, she was already lying on her side waiting for sleep to claim her but he obviously had different plans. He stroked her hip and positioned himself so that he was as close to her as he could possibly get. "I want another baby too," he whispered.
again, sorry about any typos because this one was typed on the iPad as well! so the next chapter skips ahead ten years I think. and yeah, I'm really excited for the One to come out. in fact, I was so desperate to download it earlier today that I switched my phone to UK time and my Nook app to the UK settings so at 7:00 I could hopefully download it because it's midnight in the UK then but it didn't work. oh well. I'm not sure if that's legal but it's whatever. I'm kind of freaking out though because I'm not going to have much time to read these next few days and I want to have it done by Thursday because that's when my AP English test is and I don't want to be taking the test and thinking "I just want to read, I want to read...SOMEONE GIVE ME MY NOOK." that wouldn't be good, so yeah...anyway, review please!
xoxo book nerd babies