Milkshake Hearts

Chapter 110: Tiny Little Princess & Bachelor

A/N: Well, it's been a while... but MH is back! 

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The next three weeks in the lead up to the start of their wedding-related festivities pass quickly: between final organisation, work, and continuing to work out how their new house should be arranged, they have more than enough to keep them occupied, and Courtney soon finds herself driving out to Thousand Oaks on a Friday morning, Kari beside her, to pick up Rosie and Julie.

Chris and his family had arrived in California the previous afternoon, and Courtney was conveniently not on call for shooting at Smosh on the Friday, so between Kari, Julie and herself, they'd decided they could give Rosie a bit of a fun pre-wedding day, too, before the much less child-friendly parties to take place that evening and into Saturday.

"Hey, Rosie!" Courtney greets her (after Rob, who answers the door), Rosie rushing up as Courtney leans down to pull her into a hug.

"Hi Aunty Courtney and Aunty Kari!" Rosie's reply is exuberant, "Mum said we get to look at pretty dresses today!"

"Yeah, we do," Kari enthuses back at her, hand settling gently on Rosie's shoulder as Courtney and Rob lead them through the hallway further into the house to greet everyone else. They don't stay at Rob and Dianne's house for long, though, Rosie's impatience to get going driving them to step back out to their car – Shayne's, this time, for the extra space – only fifteen minutes after they arrive, with two additional passengers.

In truth – and Rosie did know the truth – they had already finalised absolutely everything about the wedding, including the flower girls' dresses, and they'd handled fittings (much easier for the under-7 crowd than Courtney and her bridesmaids) for all their nieces at a distance already with the help of the children's parents. Still, they did need to pick up the dresses, and Courtney quietly loved the idea of giving Rosie a day to feel like a tiny little princess.

They start their morning at a café, all three adults quickly deciding on their need for a good coffee.

"Can I get a hot chocolate, Mum?" Rosie asks, her small hands running in patterns over the drinks menu she'd taken from Kari thirty seconds earlier.

"Sure, honey," Julie replies, "you want to come order with me or stay here?"

"I'll stay," Rosie nods, "but please make sure you get marshmallows?"

Julie and Courtney end up stepping up from the table they're sitting at to handle the orders, as Kari and Rosie chat happily about nothing in particular. There's a small line at the counter, and they stand beside each other at the end of it, Julie turning to Courtney.

"You getting excited about everything?" she asks, Courtney laughing lightly and nodding.

"Yeah. Super excited. Not entirely sure how I'm going to handle having to work next week," she shakes her head, "did you decide whether you're going out with us tonight? You're definitely welcome."

"I don't want to like... intrude on your wedding party stuff, but Kari and you have both said I'm not and Rob and Dianne are happy to look after the kids..." Julie trails off.

"C'mon, I know you don't get to go out often. And I mean, you don't have to go crazy although some of us definitely will be, but we'd like you to be there," Courtney confirms.

"Okay, okay, sure, why not? And LA's gotta have some fun bars, right?" Julie grins, Courtney agreeing as their conversation ends for them to step up to the counter and order.

"You excited to try on your pretty flower girl dress?" Courtney asks Rosie, after they finish at the café and start wandering to the dress store just down the street where they had found said dresses.