Grant Me the Serenity || Lippa

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A Few Days Later
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The Miranda-Soo family and Noah settled into the beach house the night before, after a long travel day. Today was day one aka relaxation day in order to recover from the jet lag.

Everyone sat around in their bathing suits at the backyard breakfast table that was surrounded by tall green hedges that acted like fencing for privacy. Pancakes and fruit plates were passed back and forth in the 85 degree weather that baited the family to jump into the massive pool. "Daddy, can we swim today?" Feather asked, two right answers away from blowing up her floaters. Enzo chuckled as he grabbed a sausage link from one of the serving plates.

"I guess so," he replied, ensuring that he had just made his daughters day. Allie giggled at something Noah whispered in her ear while popping a blueberry into her mouth.

"Oh, mom can we go to the baby boutique in town that we saw yesterday?" She asked. To keep suspicions down Pippa agreed, making Allie unusually happy.

"Can I tag along?" Lesley asked, earning some looks of confusion. "What? I'd like to get out and explore so might as well go while they are out," she covered. Allie shrugged as if you say "whatever".

"What are you two going to get into?" Lin asked, directing his question to Lizzie and Mason. The couple looked to one another and shrugged.

"The girls said they wanted to check out the beach, so I guess we're gonna do that," Mason answered. The twins and Nova high fived each other excitedly. They had never been to a vacation beach before. The one at home didn't count because it was home.

"That leaves you Noah, what are you going to do?" Lin asked. Noah sighed, heavily.

"I have some paper work I need to turn in before I can enjoy anything. I have some housing things to set up for Allie and I next summer and some cases to review. So I'll be working," he sadly answered. While yes, he was on leave, he still had one week left of work to finish before he could truly enjoy home.

"What about you?" Pippa asked. Lin shook his head.

"I'm going to read,"  he simply answered. "I'm making a mojito and I'm reading a new book." Pippa pecked his cheek and started to really dig into breakfast as her daughters went on and on about some old Netflix show that had the same name as the place they were staying in.

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Pippa and Allie walked down the street in sundresses and shades on their way to the boutique. Lesley had planned to join them, but her morning sickness caught up to her at the last minute, so she stayed back. "I talked to Noah the other night," Allie started. Pippa caught a  hitch in her breath.

"That was fast. What did he say?" She questioned, knowing that the infertility conversation was never an easy one.

"You know, the same old, I'm here for you. I love you no matter what stuff. And when I asked him about the baby he had questions, so I said I'd ask you," she answered. Pippa braced herself as they walked into the cold store out of the Carolina heat.

"Shoot."

"Well, he first wanted to know if the adoption would be through a private agent. Would it be virtually impossible to trace any adoption papers at all? If we took the baby and raised it as our own, we don't want the tabloids to expose this for the baby's sake," she asked.

"Oh, yeah umm think of this more a surrogacy. I'm just carrying your baby. You and Noah would go on the birth certificate, he or she would be all yours," Pippa answered. Allie nodded and pulled up her next question.