Of course, as she looked down at her baby girl, it was impossible for her to imagine anyone not loving her like crazy. She was more beautiful and wonderful than anyone could ever imagine.
Trinity was also very grateful to have Jasmine, especially with Drew being gone for such a long period of time. The home was so large and she was really lonely. Jasmine had been coming over often to keep her company. She said she got lonely herself, with Derek working and Jacob at school.
Both women were extremely excited for the new shop to open. Today was their last day of getting the final touches done. The next morning was their Grand Opening. They had hired a few employees and Jasmine had a nanny who would be at the shop to help with the two babies. It all seemed too unreal to be true.
She’d been too worn out from the hard pregnancy and delivery to close her old shop down and it was bittersweet to go into the empty shop, after it was cleared out, to make sure everything had been done correctly.
She was moving on to a better place so it wasn’t like it was the end but it had still been sad for her. She’d been grateful to have Jasmine with her when she’d done the final walk through.
Drew had hired a staff for the house so she was never truly alone but it wasn’t the same thing as having her husband there, or her best friend. She was getting pretty close to Maria, their cook. She was about the age her mom would be and full of life and laughter. The woman was a phenomenal cook as well. Even Jasmine liked her food and she was most definitely a critic.
Trinity heard Jasmine’s laughter about two seconds before she entered the room. “I love that little dress. She looks so adorable today. I can’t believe how much she keeps growing,” Jasmine said, as she pulled Stephanie into her arms. The baby coo’d at her, which had Jasmine laughing more.
“It’s really amazing how quickly they grow,” Trinity said in awe. “Where’s Britney?” she asked.
“I left her home with the nanny because we’re going to be putting the final merchandise out and I thought it would be easier. She’s walking all over now,” she said as she nuzzled the baby.
“I love Stephanie getting bigger but I’m grateful she can’t get away right now. It would be much harder to keep an eye on her while we’re down there,” she said.
“Ryan got the cribs and swings all set up for us. I think the girls are going to do great but our first few days are going to be hectic so I’ll leave Britney home, although it will kill me a little bit. If she was still nursing, I couldn’t do that,” she said.
“Yes, nursing can definitely be a blessing and a curse,” Trinity said. She was the food source for her daughter and since she was still so tiny, she ate far more often.
“I’m desperately trying to fight those baby blues right now. Britney is almost a year old already and holding Stephanie all the time is making my womb jump. Of course Derek is ready anytime I want to have another one but I want to wait at least six more months before we start trying. Of course I never get tired of practicing,” she said with a huge grin.
Trinity was a little jealous of her friend. Drew hadn’t even touched her since the week before the baby had been born. He blamed himself for sending her into early labor, which was ridiculous but she figured that was more of an excuse. She still had baby weight to get off and she was always so worn out she was sure she wasn’t looking her best. She figured he wasn’t even kissing her because she looked a wreck all the time. It would be nice if he felt about her the same way Derek felt about Jasmine. She had to push those thoughts aside because they didn’t do her any good. The important thing was they were making things work, so their daughter could have security and love, which was far more important than her own needs.
“Are you ready to head out?” Jasmine asked her.
“Yes, I want to get going before I lose too much steam. I’m afraid I’m going to spend far too much time in that heavenly room Ryan built us,” she said, with a laugh.
“I was so excited to see that. He thought of everything. The man is an absolute genius at building,” Jasmine agreed.
The two women climbed into Jasmine’s car and drove the short distance to their shop. Trinity still felt awe as they pulled up to the front doors. It was beautiful, inside and out, due to the creative building skills of Ryan. He was doing some final painting to the outside of the building, as they stepped from the vehicle.
He dropped what he was doing as soon as he spotted the ladies. “You’re arriving a bit late,” he said, as he opened the back door and pulled out Stephanie’s car seat. She thankfully, was fast asleep so Trinity could get things done.
“It’s so hard to get out the door when you’re dealing with babies. They need changed and fed and then when you think you’re ready to go, they spit up all over you and them and you have to start all over again,” Jasmine said, with fondness. She adored being a mother.
“I wouldn’t know anything about that,” Ryan said. His words may have said he was relieved but the way he adored his nieces and nephew contradicted his words. At that moment he was carefully carrying Stephanie inside, gazing at her as if she was the greatest thing in the universe. The two women looked at each other with knowing eyes.
“Yes Ryan, you’re a confirmed bachelor, for sure,” Jasmine said with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Do you want me to take her out of the seat and put her in the crib?” he asked Trinity.
“No, she’s comfortable in there. Just undo the latches and tuck her blanket around her. I just changed and fed her, so she should sleep for a couple hours,” she answered him. He seemed disappointed by that. She’d have to keep an eye on him, to make sure he didn’t wake her on purpose just to carry her around. She’d noticed all the men doing that. “Don’t you dare wake her, Ryan,” she added.
“I won’t,” he said with a slight pout. How could she not love these strong, masculine guys, when they absolutely adored her daughter? She gave him a hug, then wandered around the building.
Ryan truly had done an amazing job. The floor space was huge, with custom built display shelves. Her coolers were framed in wood and there was so much color everywhere she looked. She wandered over to the play area and smiled. It was safe and completely enclosed so the girls wouldn’t be able to sneak out.
She walked behind the custom made counters and was still amazed by the amount of space. She had a huge work station to make any kind of bouquet she wanted. Beyond that area he had not only added a large bathroom but had created a break room. There was a soft sofa, she had the feeling she’d take many naps on, a changing table, two cribs and a luxurious rocking chair.
She and Jasmine would never need to leave their business. It was already stocked with full supplies so they wouldn’t have to tote diapers or rags back and forth. Everything was there and easy to use. He’d even made a small nook for a stackable washer and dryer, to clean their bedding right there in the shop. For a confirmed bachelor, he sure was smart when it came to the needs of the new mothers.
She reluctantly walked from the break room and over to Jasmine’s side of the shop. She had the most perfect kitchen imaginable. The counter matched Trinity’s, except it was longer and had stools attached in front.
She already had several glass cases set out, just waiting for her goodies to fill them up. The kitchen had top of the line appliances in it and plenty of room for several people to move around. She had a very limited menu and was only serving breakfast and lunch but Trinity had the feeling she was going to be full day and night because her food was excellent.
“What are you working on?” Trinity asked as she walked into the kitchen.
“I’m getting the soup of the day ready for tomorrow. This one is much better if it has a night to sit in the fridge and marinate before it’s cooked. I’m making a few pots because I think we’ll be busier than normal tomorrow. It will slow down after our opening weekend though,” she said.
There were a couple of people busy working on different things for the next day but Jasmine was huge on freshness and some things had to wait till the next morning. She had bread rising, which would be ready for the ovens in the morning and more pastries than she could imagine.
“I’ve got to get out of here and set up fans to blow the smell away from me because I’ll never lose this weight with you cooking such amazing food,” she said, then practically ran from the kitchen. Jasmine’s laughter followed her across the shop.
She soon got busy setting out the last of her gift items on the pristine shelves and with the help of her two employees’, began making several bouquets. She wanted the cases full of everything imaginable, from single rose vases, to huge baskets. She’d be incredibly happy if she sold even half of the display. It would be her biggest day ever.
She was just finishing a basket when the monitor signaled Stephanie was waking up. She went to get her but Ryan beat her to it. He was pulling her out of the seat and talking baby talk to her. She blew bubbles at him, as she stared up at her uncle with her big blue eyes. He carried her around for a while, until she decided it was time to eat and he reluctantly handed her over.
Trinity was more than happy to take her back to the break room and have some alone time with her daughter. She sat back in the rocking chair and enjoyed the sounds of her hungry slurps, as she gulped down her milk, like it was the last meal she’d get. Her daughter had liked eating from day one. It was a good thing for her putting on weight. Trinity rubbed her head, as she sang softly to her.
She could feel her eyes getting heavy as she finished feeding her and raised her to her shoulder for burping. She couldn’t wait until she was back to having full energy again because she hadn’t made it through one day since the birth without a nap.
The two women finally were satisfied everything was perfect for their next day and headed out of the shop. They were both worn out but had a great sense of pride at what they accomplished. The shop looked spectacular and they knew it would be a success. The men had hung up huge Grand Opening signs and she’d noticed several cars driving by slowly to see what the new business was.
As Trinity laid Stephanie down for the night and slipped into her huge bed all alone, she had to fight back tears. She had really wanted Drew to be there with her for the Grand Opening. She knew her little business was nothing compared to the billion dollar resorts he owned but it was special to her. She knew he had to be away but she was still saddened. She fell asleep with a tear on her cheek.
“You guys have done an excellent job at getting this cleared up in time. I won’t be available to come back over here for at least a month, so anything you need will have to go through the home office,” Drew told the table of men surrounding him.
He’d been stuck on the small island off the coast of Spain for two weeks and had to leave within the next hour or he was going to miss the Grand Opening of his wife’s shop. She hadn’t pled with him to come back but he knew it meant a lot to her and he wouldn’t have cared if it ended up costing him the deal, he was leaving one way or the other that day.