Harper

Chapter Twenty Seven: New York New York (part one)

I lean forward and look down the row, Wren is in the nook of Willa's arm snoozing, the flight from Manchester to New York isn't even two hours so this was perhaps the best kind of flight to trial her on.

Teddy sat beside me in the window, glancing out periodically, mama to my left, this was our first trip away as a family since Wrens arrival and I was certainly nervous to take a baby to the city. I had to suddenly consider all of the things I needed to take with us, diapers, clothes, bath time essentials, bottle sterilisers, a travel cot, the bouncy chair, her sling we wore her in, honestly my list went into two pages until Teddy took a pen to it and crossed out half of it and looked at me and said "Harper we aren't moving to New York permanently... it's two days..." and at that point I happily handed it to her "you pack her bag then please... and when something comes up missing I can kick you and not myself"

Of course Teddy didn't forget a thing, she succeeded me in that ability. I would put my forgetfulness down to baby brain, she at-least still had the working brain of a young twenty something... mine was mush.

"I can't believe she's sleeping through this entire flight" Teddy observed leaning over me slightly to have a look at her in Willa's arms "and is it me or have you noticed how blue her eyes are getting... I think they will be like yours Allie" Teddy says smiling.

Mama looks back to her "they do seem to be going icy don't they" she muses with a smile.

"It's your grandmother coming out in her" mama says to me and she squeezes my arm "you can't give her the name of Helena Anderson and not expect the eyes of ice to fight there way to the front of the genetic queue"

"True mama... true" I say and I sit and think of her for a moment. I missed her, my grandmother, but we felt her presence all of the time and I knew wherever she was, she was most definitely keeping an eye on us.

"I can't wait to see all of the Anderson's on the summer vacation" I say thinking about it.

I had been so looking forward to seeing my grandad Anderson, Gus, Merritt, Hyrum and Abe... not to mention all of the little cousins and significant others.

"Me too" mama says. "I'm just going to find the restroom before we get too close to landing" she says unbuckling and disappearing up the plane.

The Anderson's, my mamas side of the family were always an absolute joy to be with and they reminded me of Utah, the good in it, and I knew spending time with them would make me a little homesick for that.

I shake the thoughts away and rest my head back on the chair, my head falling sideways to look at Teddy who was right there, her head back, her face turned towards me, eyes shut, taking a moment to rest . I let myself linger on her features, my eyes wondering over her with an appreciative smile, the flicker of her long eyelashes, the fullness of her lips, the way they dip under her bottom lip, a little spot I remembered my lips slipping over, under, around, fuck the way she kissed me with those lips, the insane energy that sparked from one kiss... I sigh and she opens her eyes and my smile lifts to one of amusement because I've been caught out.

Her dimples pop "Harper Jameson... stop sexualising me" she remarks jovially.

"Why do you think I was sexualising you" I ask eyebrow cocked.

"Because I recognise the sigh... and it's not one I've heard for six months"

My bottom lip catches under my top teeth as her eyes look right there and back up to my eyes, slowly,almost hungrily "Well fuck if that's not the sexiest thing I've ever seen" she whispers and if we were alone I would have totally leant forward and kissed her.

She quickly sits up and picks up a magazine, the free ones you get in your seat pocket and she pulls it up right across her face and disappeared into it.