Of course, Juniper was adorable as a flower girl. I suspected though that both my mother and mother-in-law were a bit peeved they didn’t get to implement the plans they’d developed over the decades for the world’s most elaborate wedding; they’d made a few comments here and there in the lead up to the wedding to suggest as such.
My mother even had an entire notebook prepared, complete with vendors and contractors she’d spent years evaluating. The whole thing was as impressive as it was frightening, a testament to her obsession. I hoped she now felt free.
In the end, it didn’t matter much. Or at least I didn’t care. Emily, Juniper, and I would be in Japan for two weeks. The mothers couldn’t do much to us there.
I thought about that as I sipped some water in a seat on my private jet. We’d gone straight from the reception to the airport. Neither mother really had an opportunity to complain. After all, they weren’t going to risk causing trouble at the wedding.
They’d both been all smiles at the reception and wedding. Honestly, it was hard to say. Even if we didn’t have some fancy affair, both mothers had achieved their goal. They’d successfully introduced us, and we ended up getting married. That was the ultimate end goal.
And another goal, at least for my mother, was already on its way to being completed. I glanced down at Emily, who was sitting beside me, reading through a magazine on an iPad. Her pregnancy wasn’t quite showing yet, but it would be soon enough.
Not that I cared if people did the math. She’d been living with me the last six months, so it wasn’t exactly a mystery that we’d been sleeping together.
Juniper cheered, and I looked over at her.
She was watching Moana, though she’d been getting up every once in a while to run back and forth, apparently thrilled with the idea that we were the only ones on the plane other than the pilot. I’d even decided against a flight attendant this trip. I wanted the whole thing to feel more homey and intimate, like a sort of camping trip. Just in the air in a private jet.
Still, I was happy I could give her a unique experience, even if Emily was worried about spoiling her. I could already tell we were going to have more than a few mild disagreements about that. I had every intention of spoiling Juniper and the child now growing in Emily’s womb.
I took another sip of water as I thought that over.
Emily sighed. I wondered if I had a weird look on my face.
“You can have some wine,” she said. “Just because I’m not having any doesn’t mean you can’t. I don’t want you to spend the rest of my pregnancy trying to worry too much about solidarity.”
I chuckled. “Well, just let me worry for the next few days then.”
“It’s a long flight. Some wine might help.”
“This isn’t exactly my first rodeo.” I winked. “It’s not even yours.”
“We’re going to the rodeo?” Juniper asked, her gaze still glued to the overhead screen.
“It’s an expression, sweet pea,” Emily said, sm
iling.
Juniper paused the movie and turned around to look at us. “I’m gonna have to share, aren’t I?”
“Huh?” I looked over at Emily, and she shrugged.
“What are you talking about” Emily asked.
“My LEGOs,” Juniper said. “I’m going to have to share them with the baby.” She stuck out her bottom lip.
I chuckled. “Aren’t you excited about being a big sister?”
The little girl nodded. “Yes, but I don’t want to share my LEGOs. The baby will drool all over them. I know it.”
Emily sighed. “Juniper, the baby can’t even play with your kind of LEGOs for several years. I wouldn’t worry about it anytime soon.”
“Oh.” Juniper’s face brightened, and she clapped. “Yay. We should buy some of those big baby LEGOs in Japan, and then the baby can play with them and not even be sad she doesn’t have my LEGOs.”
“That’s very kind of you to consider the baby’s feelings,” Emily said, chuckling. “Even if it’s going to be a while before the baby’s born.”
“You said ‘she.’ How do you know it’s going to be a girl?” I said. “Your mom and I don’t even know that.” It was still way too early for us to find out the sex of the baby.
Juniper nodded. “I’m sure of it. I had a dream it’d be a girl.”