Andrea looked around the table; Miranda was next to her whilst Caroline was opposite her and Cassidy was beside Caroline with Louise in a highchair in between the twins. The girls had both insisted that they sit next to Louise so Miranda reluctantly agreed that the little one could sit on the opposite side instead. Andrea found herself feeling so grateful that she hadn't left that day in Paris. If she had left then she wouldn't have been offered the writing position at Runway, she wouldn't still be answering Miranda's calls at all hours (despite not being her assistant - sometimes Miranda would just call to rant about her day), she may not have been able to get as many freelance projects as she had done, and she would not sat at the table with the woman she was secretly in love with beside her.
On the table was a variety of foods from Miranda's favourite Italian restaurant. She only ever went there or ordered in from there with her girls. The only other time that she had eaten there with anyone else was with Andrea. There were two different types of pizza and three different types of pasta along with some garlic and rosemary focaccia.
Louise had a few pieces of pasta and a piece of focaccia on her highchair as well as a piece of pizza in her hand. She had started off with a scoop of conchiglie pasta on her highchair plate but the twins either side of her had been passing her pieces of food from their own plate. So far she had decided that the pasta from Caroline's plate tasted better than the pasta from Cassidy's plate and the pizza tasted better from Cassidy's plate than it did Caroline's. She had also determined that food in general tasted better from their plates than from the serving plates and bowls that were on the table. Neither of them minded, however, and were rather happy to be sharing their food with the little one.
"Can you say Pasta?" Cassidy asked as she offered Louise a piece of pasta from her own fork.
"Pa-ta," Louise repeated back to her but when Cassidy moved the fork forward to offer her some, the little girl shook her head, "Ah-Ro Pa-ta." She turned her head to Caroline and opened her mouth, smacking her lips together, "Pa-ta? Ah-Ro?".
Cassidy pouted but Caroline laughed as she offered her pasta up instead.
"Maybe she would prefer your pizza, Bobsey?" Miranda suggested to Cassidy.
"Pizza?" Cassidy offered up a section of her slice of pizza to the little girl, "Can you say pizza?"
"Psha," Louise replied with a grin and cheeks covered in sauce from the food, "Ah-Dee Psha, Ah-Ah-Dee."
Cassidy grinned happily, forgetting instantly that her pasta was rejected by the small child and just happy that she wanted her pizza. She overjoyed with the excitement that Louise showed at being given the piece of pizza.
It was clear that Louise was loving the attention (and the food) from both of the older girls and that both twins were loving having Louise around. Caroline was, however, wondering what they would have to do to end up with Louise and Andy living with them on a permanent basis rather than just for dinner.
The five of them ate together happily with the occasional talking from the three children as they shared their food. Miranda had her fork in her left hand as she ate and about half way through the meal she moved her right hand down to rest gently on Andrea's thigh. Silently she smiled at Andrea and gently squeezed her thigh as the two older children giggled at the sight of Louise copying them. They had picked up some focaccia and had eaten holes in the middle to look through. So Louise had attempted the same thing.
Andrea was glad that she didn't have a mouthful of food as she thought in that moment that if she had she would have choked on it for sure. She found herself wondering what Miranda's aim was with that movement and whether she knew what effect she was having on her.
Once they had finished their dinner, Miranda smiled, "I'm going to put these in the dishwasher, If you take the children back upstairs then I'll join you shortly."
"How about we help you take the dishes out first?" Andrea counter-offered with a smile, knowing that Louise would be perfectly fine strapped into her highchair for a moment whilst they took all of the dishes and plates off of the table and into the kitchen.
"Acceptable," Came her simple answer.
Each of the twins started by taking their own plates out to the kitchen before returning to grab some more whilst Miranda and Andrea also piled some up and took them out.
For a brief moment Louise was on her own in the dining room and she made it known that she was not fond of that concept at all by screaming out, "Mammama mamamama mamama!" repeatedly.
Andrea smiled and shook her head, "In the apartment she can see me in the kitchen from the dining room." She commented with a smile.
Miranda nodded, "In future, maybe we should eat at the table in here instead?"
"I… I think she'd like that," Andrea responded with a bright smile.
The twins were helping their mother load the dishwasher as Andrea returned to her now screeching child in the dining room.
"Mammamma mamammmamamama mamamamama!" Louise shouted out loudly with her arms in the air.
"I'm here, baby," Andrea said softly as she carefully undid the straps of the highchair and got her out of the chair to place her on her hip. Bouncing her up and down a little, but being cautious of the fact that she had just eaten, "I'm here."
"No Mamma, Mammama Mamama," Louise said with a frown putting her arms out to the door.
Andrea chuckled at her daughter's action, "Oh, I think I know who you want." She said with amusement in her voice.
She carried Louise out of the dining room and through into the kitchen where she repeated her screech of Mamma with excitement as she bounced in her arms and put her arms out to Miranda.
"I think that she's wanting you, Miranda," Andrea said with a smile as she got closer to them.
The girls both laughed at the fact that Louise practically threw herself into Miranda's arms.
"She calls you both Mamma?" Cassidy questioned, clearly highly amused by the situation.
"Yep!" Andrea responded simply with a smile.
"Isn't it going to get a little confusing that she calls you both Mamma?" Caroline questioned.
"I did try to get her to say my name but she can't quite manage that yet," Miranda explained.
"How about Mommy?" Caroline suggested, "Can you say Mommy?" She asked her as she pointed at her own mother.
Louise babbled a little and grinned, "Mom-ee".
"That doesn't quite solve the issue of her being able to pronounce my name now, does it Bobsey?" Miranda mentioned with a slight raise of her eyebrow despite not minding the new name.
"Let's go and play with Louise upstairs," Caroline said, changing the conversation and putting her arms out to the child.
Louise happily went into the arms of the twelve-year-old twin and all three girls went upstairs.
As they disappeared up the stairs, the two women heard Cassidy say, "If Louise can call our Mom, Mommy and Mamma, does that mean we get to call Andy Mamma too?"
"Maybe next week?" Caroline answered simply.
They left behind two rather surprised women.