Chapter 50: Arriving in the Hamptons
A/N: Chapter 50! YAY! I can't believe it.
Fair warning, my knowledge of the Hamptons is heavily reliant on the TV show Royal Pains (and Google).
Also, some of you may have seen that I asked about what is considered a long chapter on Twitter and Facebook. Despite the fact that all three initially showed different "peaks," after a day or so, all of them centered on 5,000+ words. I asked for a few different reasons, but one of the initial reasons was to decide how to divide this chapter. In the end, the answer to that question didn't influence how I divided this chapter (it ended up having very natural breaks). FYI, one chapter became three. 😉
Jane: September, Present Day
Finn woke up the next morning acting like her normal self, and the bickering among all four kids returned to a more reasonable level. Jane still wasn't sure what had upset Finn, but she vowed to keep a close eye on her in the coming days and weeks. There was only one more day of school that week since the kids had Friday and the following Monday off for Labor Day weekend. They were planning to spend a long weekend in the Hamptons with Maura's parents at their beach house.
Therefore, while Maura returned to the morgue on Thursday to finish her work on the case, Jane spent the day packing for their trip. Luckily, even though they were home, Harper and Sophie weren't as disruptive to the process as they could have been, and Jane was able to get pretty much everything back for herself and the girls before Emma and Finn arrived home on the school bus.
"We only have two more people," Jane said teasingly. "How is it possible that we have more than twice as much stuff as we usually have when we travel?" Jane was packing the car while the girls ate lunch, and Maura had followed her upstairs on her latest trip.
Maura laughed. Instead of answering, she playfully threw Finn's stuffed bunny and Emma's stuffed dog at Jane, who caught them easily, laughing along with Maura.
Jane dropped the stuffed animals on the bed and wrapped her arms around Maura. "I love you," she whispered against Maura's lips before capturing them in a loving kiss.
Maura instantly returned the embrace. "I love you, too," she replied softly. Maura threaded her fingers into Jane's hair and pulled her into another kiss. "Also, I'm really looking forward to traveling together as a family. Sometimes, I forget that Sophie and I have only been home for three months, and we still have so many firsts ahead of us."
Jane raised her eyebrow. "Have you ever travelled four hours in the car with four kids?" she asked.
Maura laughed. "How bad could it be?" she asked.
Six hours later when they finally pulled into the driveway of the Isles' Hamptons' summer home, Jane would have sworn that the kids had heard their conversation and were determined to prove just how much 'fun' traveling with four kids could be.
Jane had thought it was a good idea to leave right after lunch in the hopes that at least Sophie and Harper would take their usual afternoon naps in the car. However, it turned out to be a bad choice. Despite never having struggled with carsickness before, Emma ended up getting nauseated every time she tried to read, probably from eating too close to leaving. That meant that not only was she beyond cranky, but she also struggled to entertain herself. She spent the first half of the drive interrupting Finn's reading, which only served to make Finn just as unhappy as she was.
Harper realized she desperately needed to use the bathroom within thirty minutes of leaving home. Then, they hadn't even been back on the road for 20 minutes when Sophie realized that she also had to go, too. Jane was having a hard time hiding her annoyance, causing Maura to get frustrated at Jane for making the girls feel bad about having to stop.
Just after the hallway point, Maura suggested a car game to the girls. It went over well with Emma and Finn, but when Harper felt tricked during Finn's turn for 20 questions, she had a meltdown that only led to more fighting amongst all four of the kids.
Jane heard Maura sigh in exasperation, and despite their earlier annoyance at each other, Jane felt a bit bad for Maura. Jane was used to this; the kids – especially Harper, who wasn't great at entertaining herself – had never done long car trips well. She reached over and squeezed Maura's hand in an attempt to offer some comfort.
Maura intertwined their fingers and grasped Jane's hand between both of hers as they shared a commiserating smile over the center console.
And to top it off, all four girls fell asleep just as they exited the Long Island Expressway.
"Oh my god," Maura whispered, exhaustion evident in her voice, when the car was mercifully silent for the first time since they left home.
Jane laughed. "I tried to warn you," she teased. "No, actually, that was worse than normal. Usually, Emma and Finn can at least entertain themselves with their books. I hope Emma's carsickness doesn't become a regular thing."
"I honestly thought you were being overdramatic," Maura admitted. "I was not expecting five-and-a-half hours of headache inducing chaos on what was supposed to be a four-hour drive."
"First, you should know that only adding 50% to the drive is pretty good with kids," Jane said with a hint of sympathy for Maura.
"I'd really like to think you're exaggerating, but I have a feeling you're not," Maura all but whined.
Jane laughed again and found Maura's hand with her own. Giving it a reassuring squeeze, she added, "It gets better as they get older. I promise."
Jane saw Maura glance at the sleeping kids in the backseat before speaking again. "That was truly painful, but still, there's absolutely no where I'd rather be," she said truthfully.
"Me either," Jane replied, flashing Maura a smile before focusing back on the road.
They fell into a comfortable silence for a while. When they passed through East Hampton, Jane asked, "Will you text your parents and let them know we're about 20 minutes away?"
"Sure," Maura said, leaning forward to pull her phone from her purse.
Maura: September, Present Day
After texting her mother, Maura watched the once familiar scenery pass by the window. The sun was low on the horizon behind them, the sunset imminent, and it already looked like twilight over the ocean to their right. Her parents' home was off of Old Montauk Highway on the far end of Long Island. She hadn't been to this house in years, even before she left Boston.
Her parents owned a number of homes both in the United States and abroad. When she was really young, before they had moved to Europe, they had spent most of their summers at one of three of their vacation homes in New England – Cape Cod, Nantucket, and the Hamptons – but Maura's favorite had always been their home in the Hamptons. She supposed this probably had more to do with the fact that because they visited their home in the Hamptons less frequently, when they did visit, both her parents tended to be there. On the other hand, her mother would sometimes take her to their Cape Cod and Nantucket homes on her own, and other times, her nanny would just take her.
Maura was pulled out of her memories as they pulled into the driveway. Once the car was off, Maura unbuckled and stretched in her seat while Jane turned around and shook Emma and Finn's knees in turn to wake them.
"We're here," Jane said gently.
"We're here?" Emma asked sleepily.
Maura turned in time to watch Emma stretch while Finn rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Harper and Sophie started stirring in the back row.
"We're finally here!" Harper squealed loudly, causing Finn to whine, "Too loud!"
Jane chuckled before getting out of the car and opening the door to the backseat. Finn scrambled out, quickly followed by Harper and Sophie. Emma opened the door on her side before Maura could even get fully out of the car. Finally, glad to be free of their car seats and booster seats, all four kids sprinted towards the house.
A nervousness she hadn't expected caused Maura to pause next to the car after she closed the door. She didn't notice Jane walking over to her until Jane wrapped her arm around Maura's waist and pulled her close. Maura snaked her arm around Jane's waist and leaned into her. The kids had already disappeared into the house, so Maura and Jane had a moment alone. They stood together in silence for a few moments as Maura readied herself to enter the house.
Jane gently kissed the side of Maura's head and asked, "Are you okay?"
Maura nodded as she turned into Jane and pulled her into a real hug. "I'm okay," she whispered into Jane's hair. "I just wasn't expecting to be so emotional about this."
Jane rubbed her hand up and down Maura's back. "Take all the time you need," she said.
Maura sighed. "Somebody's going to come looking for us any minute now," she said resignedly.
"Eh, there are four of them to keep your parents occupied for a few more minutes," Jane teased softly.
Maura laughed lightly as she let go of Jane. They shared a soft smile as Maura took Jane's hand in hers and linked their fingers together. They walked up the path hand-in-hand, and Maura felt like she was drawing strength directly from Jane as they did so.
Maura reluctantly let go of Jane's hand as they stepped into the house so that she could greet her parents properly, but she could still feel Jane's presence as the other woman stayed close to her the entire time.
Maura saw Harper dragging Sophie upstairs, quickly followed by Emma and Finn. It was weird to watch her kids know exactly where to go when she hadn't been here in so long. Once again, she was pulled from her thoughts, this time by her mother. She hadn't even noticed that her father had left the entryway.
"We have you two in your usual room," Constance said, and Maura wasn't sure which room she was talking about. She was even more confused when her mother continued, "We moved the kids to the bedroom at the end of the hall so that all four of them could stay together," because that was the room Maura was used to staying in. "We redid the room with two sets of bunk beds. I told them that they could go look, but that they had to come back down for dinner. I also told them that Emma and Finn had to take the top bunks, though, because it makes me nervous for the younger girls to be that high."
"Yeah, definitely not," Jane said with a laugh. "I can pretty much guarantee Harper would manage to fall off. But thank you, that was really sweet of you guys to do that so that they could all share a room."
"Oh, it was nothing," Constance replied, waving her hand to dismiss Jane's thanks, but Maura couldn't help but notice the satisfied smile that crept onto her mother's face.
The evening passed pleasantly, and thankfully, the kids fell asleep easily since they had only slept for a short time in the car. They were exhausted from traveling.
Maura and Jane retired to their room relatively early after sharing a cup of tea with her parents once the kids were asleep. Jane let Maura use the bathroom first, so she was changed and ready for bed before Jane. When Jane was in the bathroom, Maura sat on the edge of the bed. She had never actually stayed in this room, which made Maura assume that her mother had been referring to the room Jane usually stayed in when they visited in her earlier comment.
She knew she was emotional tonight, but she still wasn't expecting the onslaught of tears that consumed her as she looked around the room. Maura buried her face in her hands as sobs wracked her body. She didn't hear Jane come out of the bathroom, but when Jane wrapped her arms around her, Maura collapsed into the embrace. She had no idea how long she cried in Jane's arms like that, but Jane just let her ride it out as she whispered loving words of comfort and support into her ear.
When Maura calmed down, Jane asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Maura sat up slightly – just enough to wipe the tears from her face but not enough to pull out of Jane's embrace. "No," she said thickly. "It's nothing new. I'm just grieving the time we lost, the vacations I missed."
"I'm sorry, Maur," Jane said quietly. She reached up to push Maura's hair behind her ear before kissing her lightly on the lips.
Maura shook her head. "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for," she said.
"I should have realized that this would be hard for you," Jane replied, her gaze unconsciously dropping to Maura's lips before returning to meet her eyes.
"I honestly didn't expect this," Maura said. Maura paused to give Jane a kiss, unable to resist when Jane's eyes once again flitted to her lips. "I'm okay now, though. It's just weird after so many years to be back here, and honestly, it's weird how comfortable you and the kids seem here. I know that sounds terrible, but I don't mean it that way. I'm glad you're comfortable here; I just…"
"Hey, it's okay," Jane cut in softly. "I know what you mean, and you don't sound terrible. I wish we had been coming here together all these years, too."
"I can't believe I didn't ask this before, but how many years have you been coming here?" Maura asked. She turned and leaned into Jane's side.
"Five…well, this is the sixth year, but the fifth time. We didn't come the summer I was pregnant with Harper," Jane replied as she rested her cheek on the top of Maura's head, which was laying on her shoulder.
"You know," Maura said, lifting her head to look at Jane while she wrapped her arms around Jane's waist, "I'm not sure if I ever said this to you, or if I did, I haven't said it enough, but thank you for making sure my parents were a part of Emma and Finn's lives. It means more to me than you will ever know. I know this isn't your type of vacation. Honestly, I would have been touched just to find out you vacationed here with my parents once, let alone almost every year."
Jane rested her forehead against Maura's. "I would die for you and the kids, vacationing in the Hamptons is the least I could do," Jane said. "Although, I have to tell you, I do not fit in here." Jane laughed before continuing, "I'm not sure I will ever be comfortable having someone else unpack the car or cook for us. It's weird." Jane scrunched her nose at the thought, causing Maura to laugh. Truthfully, none of this was news to Maura.
Maura didn't know how to respond, so she said the only thing that made sense, "I love you."
"I love you, too," Jane replied with a smile.
Jane: September, Five Years Ago
Jane thought her eyes might pop out of her head as she took in the house in front of her. They had just pulled into the driveway of the Isles' summer home in the Hamptons. Jane was certain that this house was bigger than the five biggest houses she had ever been in combined. She was also slightly terrified that she was going to lose one of the kids in the house.
Knowing it would look suspicious if she just sat in the car in the driveway, Jane forced herself to get out of the car. With a kid on each hip, she walked to the front door. It took her a minute to figure out how to push the doorbell with her arms full, but once she did, she stepped back and waited nervously.
Expecting Constance, maybe Arthur, to answer the door, Jane was surprised when a young man opened the door. If he hadn't immediately greeted her with, "Good afternoon, detective Rizzoli," Jane would have thought they were at the wrong house.
"G-good afternoon," Jane said lamely.
"Please come in, Dr. and Mrs. Isles are waiting for you in the sitting room."
"Oh, uh, thank you," Jane replied as she stepped into the house. She filed awkwardly behind him as he led her through the house to a room overlooking the backyard and the oceanfront.
"Jane, hello," Constance said, standing to greet her. Before Constance could give Jane the customary (and slightly awkward in Jane's opinion) kiss on each cheek, Emma held out her arms and screeched, "Na Na!" (her slightly off version of nana), so Constance pulled the little girl into her arms.
Arthur stood slightly behind his wife and held out his hand to shake Jane's now free hand. "Thank you for coming, Jane," he said somewhat formally.
"Thank you for inviting us," Jane replied. Jane noticed Arthur looking back and forth between the two girls, and she realized that he was unsure which twin was which. "Finley, can you say hi to grandpa?" she said to her daughter.
"Guh-pa!" Finn said shyly as she rested her head on Jane's shoulder and smiled at her grandfather.
"Hello, Finley," Arthur said, and Jane had to bite back the smile that threatened to escape in response to how formally he addressed an eighteen-month-old. Arthur turned to Emma and Constance and added, "Hello, Emma."
"Um, do you think you guys could watch the girls while I get our stuff out of the car?" Jane asked.
"Oh, nonsense," Constance said. "Give your keeps to Warren. He will bring everything up to your room."
"Oh, I don't mind…" Jane started to protest, but she was cut off.
"It's not a problem," Constance said.
"Ma'am, I can take your keys," Warren said from behind Jane, making her jump slightly.
"Okay, thank you," Jane said, somewhat reluctantly. She didn't like the idea of people waiting on her, but she sensed that it would only be more awkward to argue. She handed him her keys before turning back to Constance and Arthur.
Maura: July, Two Years Ago
Maura stepped carefully as she walked across the low sand dune to the beach with Sophie propped on her hip and her beach bag on her shoulder. She had rented a one-bedroom condo that sat just on the other side of the dune from the beach. This was the first vacation she had taken since entering the witness protection program, and honestly, she probably never would have taken one if it weren't for Sophie.
At eighteen months old, Sophie was at the age where she needed to expand her world beyond just their home and her daycare. Maybe she couldn't give Sophie everything she wanted to give her daughter, but she could give her memories. So, Maura had put aside her own fears and planned a vacation at the Great Salt Lake. The privacy of the one-bedroom condo offered her the security she needed to feel safe, and the new environment provided the stimulation and new experiences that Sophie needed.
Maura set Sophie on the sand so that she could pull the beach blanket from her bag. Maura actually laughed out loud at the shocked look on Sophie's face in response to the sand underneath her. While the daycare had a sand table, the toddler had never actually sat directly on sand. She awkwardly lifted her arms and legs in an attempt to get away from the sand as she looked at Maura for help. Losing her balance, Sophie rolled onto her back and let out an ear-splitting shriek.
"Oh, sweetie, it's okay," Maura cooed as she picked up Sophie, but despite Sophie's distress, Maura couldn't help laughing. She brushed the sand off of Sophie's legs as her daughter settled again on her hip. Sophie instantly stopped crying once she was safely back in Maura's arms. "If you give it a chance, I think you'll like the sand," Maura said to Sophie as she used her other hand to straighten the beach blanket.
Once everything was set up the way Maura liked it, she set Sophie down on the beach blanket, which was more of a large towel than an actual blanket. She glanced around to see who was around before she decided to remove her cover up. She laid on her stomach next to Sophie. "Do you like this, sweetie?" she asked.
"Mama, fun," Sophie said happily as her chubby little hand reached for Maura's sunglasses.
Maura laughed as she tried to redirect Sophie's attention to the beach. It didn't take long for Sophie to start exploring the sand just next to the beach blanket, and within 30 minutes, Sophie was brave enough to crawl out onto the sand. It only took her 45 minutes to start throwing the sand at Maura.
Maura took plenty of pictures of Sophie as they explored the beach and relaxed in the condo over the long weekend. She even remembered to make sure to take a couple of selfies of the two of them. Even if it felt awkward to do so, she knew Sophie would one day want to see family vacation pictures. Maura figured that Sophie deserved to have some pictures of their family, even if it was just the two of them.
Sophie ended up falling in love with the sand. Maura carried Sophie into the lake once to see how she liked it, and they played in the ankle-deep water a few times, but overall, Sophie preferred to stay away from the water. Maura built small sandcastles only for Sophie to destroy them, her giggles filling Maura's heart with joy. They collected a handful of shells that Maura decided to bring home and find a way to display, maybe along with a picture of the two of them from the trip, in their home.
The weekend was wonderful. Maura absolutely cherished the time she got to spend with Sophie, and she loved seeing Sophie so happy. Still, during some of the quite moments, Maura found herself imagining her and Sophie being here with Sophie's older sisters and Jane. She thought about the way Jane could make kids laugh hysterically, and she wished Sophie would get to experience that. She wished that Sophie would have memories of vacations with siblings – secret memories that they were convinced their parents didn't know about. She wished that Sophie got to experience the chaotic but full of love and laughter family vacations that Maura only saw in the movies or heard about from Jane and their friends.
This was easily the best weekend that Maura had had since leaving Boston, but Maura couldn't help but regret that she couldn't give Sophie so much more.
Jane: September, Present Day
"Okay, wait, which of you guys already have sunscreen?" Maura asked. The kids had begged them to go in the pool after breakfast, so while Jane helped the girls get their swimsuits on, Maura was lathering them up with sunscreen.
"I do!" Emma said raising her hand.
"Me!" Finn replied.
"Uh?" Sophie looked down at herself. "I dunno."
"You need sunscreen still, babe," Jane said, pushing Sophie gently towards Maura. "You're the only one who doesn't have sunscreen on yet. Harper's done, too."
Maura laughed. "Thank you," she said; she really had lost track of who had sunscreen on at this point.
"Can I go to the pool then?" Harper asked excitedly.
"No," Jane said firmly. "First of all, you're waiting for Sophie, and second, you know you're not allowed in the pool without an adult."
"Yeah, but I can wait next to the pool," Harper said, somewhat dramatically.
"No," Jane said firmly. "Do not leave this room until Sophie is ready, too, and do not go outside until an adult goes with you."
"Fine," Harper huffed impatiently.
Maura bit her lip as she tried not to laugh at Harper's annoyance.
Jane, who had the foresight to change into her own suit while the kids helped with the breakfast dishes, said, "Okay, I'm going to take the kids out before they get sunscreen all over the expensive furniture. You're going to join us, right?"
"Yes, just let me change and apply sunscreen," Maura replied, giving Jane a light kiss.
"'Kay, let's go, you little monsters," Jane said, directing the kids out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She followed them out to the pool before peeling off her shirt and shorts.
"Can we go in?" Emma asked excitedly.
"Yes," Jane said, and Emma, Finn, and Harper instantly jumped into the pool.
Jane watched as Emma helped Harper back to the side. Harper had absolutely zero fear of the water, but she was a little overconfident in her own swimming abilities. When she was sure Harper was safely at the wall, she turned to Sophie, who was standing at the side of the pool, chewing on the side of her thumb. Jane wondered for a moment if Sophie had picked up this habit from her, and the idea made her heart swell with happiness.
"Sweetie, do you want to come in with me?" Jane asked, squatting next to Sophie. She still kept an eye on the kids in the water out of the corner of her eye.
Sophie nodded timidly.
"Okay, let me get in first," Jane said, sitting on the side of the pool and sliding in. The pool was only four feet deep at this end, so she turned and held her arms out to Sophie.
Harper had walked along the wall to where Jane and Sophie were standing. "It's fun!" Harper said excitedly. "Are you gonna come in?"
Sophie looked back at Jane, and Jane could see the fear in her eyes.
"It's okay," Jane said gently. "I won't let go. I promise."
Sophie stepped forward and let Jane pull her onto her hip. She held onto Jane tightly as Jane moved deeper into the pool, lowering both of them so that the water was mid-chest. Harper followed, doggy paddling in their wake until she could hold onto Jane's shoulder.
"See!" Harper said excitedly.
Sophie nodded, offering a tentative smile, but she didn't loosen her tight grip on Jane.
"Mama," Emma whined. "We forgot the floaties and dive-thingies."
"Can we go get them?" Finn asked.
"No, you're already wet," Jane said. "I know it's the pool house, but I don't want you to go in there wet."
"But…" Emma started to complain.
"Mommy is going to be down soon," Jane cut her off. "I'm sure she'll get them for you if you ask nicely."
Maura: September, Present Day
Maura couldn't help herself. She was standing just inside the door watching Jane and the girls in the pool. She knew she should go out by them instead of secretly watching from a distance, and she would, but she wanted to enjoy watching her family for a few minutes first. Watching the five of them together was easily one of Maura's favorite things of all time.
As she watched Jane and the girls outside, Maura felt herself fall even deeper in love with Jane. The way Jane engaged all four kids, the way Jane made Sophie feel safe in her arms but still part of the fun, the way Jane never took her eyes off the kids while they were in the water, the way she made all four girls laugh hysterically.
Maura wiped the tears from her cheeks before she opened the door and stepped onto the back deck.
"Mommy!" Sophie called out happily. "Look at me!"
"Wow! You're such a big girl!" Maura said with a huge smile on her face, and she was proud of Sophie, who had been absolutely terrified of the water last summer.
"Me too!" Harper said, never one to be left out.
Maura laughed. "Yes, you are a big girl, too, Harper," she said.
"Mommy, will you get us the floaties and dive-thingies?" Finn asked.
"They're in the pool house," Emma added knowingly.
"Sure, but what exactly am I looking for?" she asked, she could probably figure out what the floaties were, but dive-thingies were a mystery to her.
"The blow-up things that you can float on…like big donuts," Emma said. "And those things you drop in the water and then dive down to find them."
"Oh, and the goggles," Finn added.
"Please," Emma interjected.
Maura looked to Jane since she still didn't know what the girls were talking about.
Jane laughed. "They're colorful sticks with white knobs on both end," Jane said. Then, holding her hands about eight inches apart without letting go of Sophie, she added, "They're like this long. All the pool toys are usually together, but honestly, whatever you can find will be fine."
Maura nodded. "I'll see what I can find, and I'll be right back.
Jane was right. Everything was together, so Maura was able to easily find the things the kids asked for – along with a couple of things they didn't ask for. She carried everything back outside, and uncharacteristically, she just dropped everything into the pool, making the girls laugh.
"Thank you, mommy," all four girls said together. Emma, Finn, and Harper swam to the side. Maura watched as Emma grabbed goggles and an inner tube for Sophie before going back for her own.
Sophie wasn't sure what to do with the glasses, so she just held onto them. Jane seemed to have everything under control, so Maura didn't say anything. Maura pulled a chair closer to the pool and sat in it so that she could watch the kids in the pool.
The splashing and laughter were so loud that Maura couldn't hear what Jane was saying to Sophie, but Maura surmised that she must be asking Sophie if she wanted to try the inner tube when Sophie gave the toy a dirty look and shook her head.
"Mommy, are you going to come in?" Harper called out suddenly.
"Oh, I will, but…" Maura started to say that she wanted to wait a little longer before coming in since she probably wouldn't want to be in the water as long as Jane and the kids, but when she was met with four adorable pleas to come in the pool, she couldn't resist.
Maura rolled her eyes when Jane smirked at her knowingly. What Maura really wanted was to tease Jane that she was even worse than Maura was at resisting the kids' requests, but she didn't think that was knowledge the kids really needed at this point.
Maura pulled her sundress over her head and turned to lay it neatly over the back of the chair. When she turned around, she noticed Jane checking her out shamelessly, and she felt a faint blush creep up her chest and cheeks. It occurred to her that while they'd obviously seen each other naked many, many times over the past three months, they hadn't seen each other in bathing suits, let alone bikinis in a very long time. She had to force herself to shove her desire back down with the kids around.
Maura's plans to keep her hair dry didn't even last 30 seconds before one of the kids splashed her – accidentally, this time, even though she was sure they would be splashing her on purpose soon.
Maura lost track of time as the six of them enjoyed playing together in the pool. Maura was impressed at how strong of swimmers Emma and Finn were as she watched them swim lengths of the pool and dive for the dive-thingies as they called them.
Eventually, Maura took Sophie from Jane to give her a break from holding the little girl, but Maura wasn't sure it was much of a break since the other three girls instantly started requesting she throw them. Maura watched – first in concern and then in awe – as Jane lifted each girl out of the water and threw them a few feet in the air. The kids shrieked in happiness as they flew through the air until they splashed down in the pool. While she threw Emma and Finn without any floaties, at least she threw Harper with an inner tube around her waist. Maura was slightly concerned that Harper was going to slip out of the tube when she hit the water, and on the third time, she did, in fact, slip right out. She was completely fine, though, popping right back up to the surface and finding the inner tube easily.
"Hey, Soph," Jane said, stepping towards Maura and Sophie. "I promise not to throw you that high, but do you want to try getting in the inner tube. I promise I won't let go of you unless you ask me to."
Sophie glanced at Maura before looking back at Jane. She nodded and held her arms out to Jane. Jane took Sophie back into her arms, resting her on her hip.
"Here, put your head and arms through this," Jane said, holding the inner tube over Sophie's head. "Okay, hold onto the side of the tube. I promise I won't let go of you, but I'm going to help you float a bit, okay?" When Sophie nodded again, Jane held Sophie around the waist and moved her away from her body. The proud smile on Sophie's face made Maura's heart swell with love. She didn't even notice as her hand rested over her own heart as she watched.
"I'm going to bounce you a bit, okay, noodle, but I won't let go, promise," Jane said to Sophie. Maura noticed that the whole time Jane appeared to be focused on Sophie, she never failed to keep her eyes on the other kids to make sure they were okay. Maura wasn't quite sure how she could do it.
When Jane started bouncing Sophie in the water, Sophie gripped the tube harder, but once she realized that Jane wasn't going to let her fall, Maura saw her hands loosen their hold slightly.
"Mama?" Sophie asked. "Let go, please. But don't leave me, okay?"
"Okay, I won't go anywhere, and I'll grab you again as soon as you want me to," Jane assured her. "You ready?"
Sophie nodded with a mixture of nerves and excitement. Jane let go of Sophie's waist and held up both hands so that Sophie could see them. "Mommy, look!" Sophie squealed in excitement. "I'm doing it by myself!"
"Good job, sweetie!" Maura replied as she pushed down the tears of happiness that burned at the corners of her eyes.
"Throw me, too?" Sophie said suddenly, her face alight with excitement.
"Oh, I don't know…" Maura started nervously, but Jane caught her eye and shook her head quickly.
"It's okay," Jane said to Maura, and Maura could read the request in Jane's eyes asking Maura to trust her.
Maura nodded and stepped back against the side of the pool. Maura felt like this was too much too fast, but she did trust Jane.
"Okay, Soph, just a little one, okay?" Jane said, speaking to Sophie now.
Sophie nodded vigorously.
And of course, Maura never should have doubted Jane. She watched as Jane lifted Sophie out of the water just high enough and fast enough to make her feel like she was doing the same thing her sisters were doing, but Jane never actually let go of Sophie unless she was stationary in the water.
After a while, Jane tired out, and the four girls started playing together. Sophie was now confident enough to float in the inner tube as long as Jane or Maura were within an arm's reach of her. Jane moved to lean against the wall next to Maura, pulling Sophie just close enough that the girls' circle had to rotate, but they were still far enough that they felt like they were playing without their parents.
Maura slipped her arm around Jane's waist and pulled her closer, giving her a kiss on her cheek. "You're amazing," she whispered just loud enough for Jane to hear but not loud enough for the girls, who were only a few feet away, to hear.
Jane turned to give Maura a proper kiss. "I love this," Jane said, smiling at Maura.
"Me, too," Maura replied.
A/N: Fun fact about children's memories: a child's earliest memory changes as they grow. Therefore, while Harper (at age 4) can remember being in the Hamptons' vacation home the previous year (as a three-year-old or almost three-year-old), it's unlikely she'll remember that particular trip when she's older. However, if they keep visiting, she'll likely always remember the house.
Also, yes, I do know how close Cape Cod and Nantucket are to each other, but I figured Maura's family would have reasons to have property in both locations (among many others).