#boatlovers

Rebecca was devastated, heartbroken that they wouldn’t be able to treat Jelka for her birthday, but Matthijs had promised they would go as soon as they could. It was hard for her not to be able to work so soon after taking a vacation, especially with a new team starting its first season. But she was able to work from home some and keep her blood pressure stable, resulting in delivering her baby girl safely. Her labor was intense and fast, lasting only about five hours from start to finish, and the birth itself had taken no time at all. She was able to push her daughter out in two tries. Her midwife and nurses were impressed considering she was a first-timer, but Rebecca was grateful it had all happened so quickly. She remembered that with Nora, Sassy’s labor had seemed to last for days. 

Tessa Madelief Welton Van Aalsburg had come screeching into the world on her predicted due date, tiny and pink, weighing six pounds and three ounces. She had tufts of brown hair on her head, long dark eyelashes, and a button nose. While she reclined against her mother’s chest, her eyes opened revealing that they matched her father’s shade of blue. Rebecca held her long-awaited baby girl, watching as she latched on effortlessly to her breast—her rosebud red lips suckling hard as she fed—and gently rubbed the back of her finger along a little red cheek. She lifted a hand, letting delicate fingers curl around her thumb, her grip strong for such a small person and after Tessa finished eating, Rebecca cradled two dainty feet in the palm of her hand, marveling at ten tiny toes. The baby released a yawn, staring up at her mother, and Rebecca chuckled, remarking to Matthijs (who hovered above them) how sweet she was. She was perfect and Rebecca felt her eyes sting with tears as relief washed over her. Their parents had arrived later that evening to see the newborn, and the next morning, Keeley brought Jelka by to meet her baby sister. 

Four months after giving birth and with the women’s season well underway, Matthijs had finally been able to take them to Greece. Unbeknownst to Rebecca and Thijs, his parents had secretly been setting up the house before they came, decorating all of the rooms except the nursery, leaving it for Rebecca to do. It only took a few weeks before she was satisfied with it, and once they were settled in their new home, they were able to make friends with their neighbors. Soon, they were inviting couples over for dinner, and there was a family that lived further down the beach who had a daughter the same age as Jelka.

They had stayed about a month with Rebecca going back to Richmond just once to check on things, and a few days later, had joined her family again. Before she had left, she and Thijs discussed coming to Corfu more often. They decided they liked it so much that they wanted to visit whenever they could no matter the time of year, and of course they wanted Jelka to come too. So after a long discussion, they had reached an agreement with Jelka’s mother that she could go with them as long as her schooling wasn’t neglected. While Rebecca was in Richmond at the time, she hired a tutor who they would bring along with them and who would be off for school holidays and during the summer. As such, they had been able to visit two more times since. 

Now, it was early July and they had just come back over, intending to spend the rest of the summer here. Jelka had turned eight two weeks previously and they had thrown a party for her in Amsterdam. Matthijs’s parents and Deborah were planning to come for Tessa’s first birthday in August, but before that Keeley and Roy would be coming to visit for a week. They would be arriving in a couple of days to stay prior to hopping over to Italy for their own babymoon as Keeley was seven months pregnant with a little girl they planned on naming Sunny Rebecca Kent. With things at both the club and Keeley’s PR firm being hectic, she and Rebecca hadn’t been able to see each other as much. They often found themselves canceling their lunch dates or missing their scheduled calls. So even though they wouldn’t be alone, Rebecca was looking forward to spending time with her best friend before she embarked on her journey of motherhood.

Today, Jelka had asked if they could have a picnic on the beach, and Matthijs had gotten all of the food prepared while Rebecca got the girls ready in her room. She had lathered both of them (and herself) in sunscreen before they dressed, wanting to protect her babies from the sun. Jelka put on her new yellow bathing suit that she had gotten for her birthday and strapped her feet into a pair of white sandals while Rebecca dressed Tessa. She sat on the floor as she dressed her daughter in a light pink bathing suit that had different colored popsicles all over it and a matching hat to go with it. Before she could put shoes on her daughter’s feet, Tessa crawled over to the giant gold mirror that was perched against one of the bedroom walls and pulled herself up. She smiled at her reflection, her dummy still in her mouth, and Rebecca quickly snapped a photo on her phone. 

Jelka went to sit on her knees beside her sister, keeping her occupied while Rebecca went into the bathroom to change. It was the first time she had worn a bathing suit since she had Tessa, but she had bought a new bikini for her trip and wanted to try it out. Rebecca stood at the sink and looked at herself in the mirror, noticing the green colored fabric popped brightly against her skin. Her hands went to her tummy which she stared at silently for a few moments. After giving birth, she had quickly lost the weight that she had gained, but her stomach wasn’t completely flat and it unnerved her. Rebecca had never been too slim or overweight in her life, having curves from the time she had hit puberty so she was used to looking different from most women. She was proud that her body had carried her daughter safely for nine months, but still, she was self-conscious about how she looked now. Her body hadn’t changed much, however her stomach muscles were stretched from where her daughter grew, her breasts were larger and saggier, and her hips were a bit wider. Rebecca wished she looked and felt the way she had before she got pregnant. 

To his credit, Thijs loved her postpartum body. He worshiped her tummy while they made love, showering her in kisses and whispering platitudes of praise hotly against her flesh. He’d run his hands over her skin and lovingly refer to that part of her stomach as her ‘kangoeroe zakje.’ But he did those things even when they didn’t have sex. If ever Matthijs walked into their bedroom and found her staring at herself unhappily, he would say whatever he could to make her feel better. Sometimes he would even say things out of the blue just to remind her that he cared and loved her body all the same. And it did help to an extent, but there were often days when she struggled. Today was one of those days. 

Rebecca had sighed and pulled her coverup dress over her head, opening the bathroom door to find Thijs in the room. He held Tessa in his arms, laughing as Jelka said something, and when she stepped out, he knew by the look on her face. Rebecca had grabbed her Prada sunglasses and floppy straw hat from the bed, walking straight past him without a word. 

When they made it to their spot on the beach, Rebecca had quietly placed a blanket on the ground and began unloading their picnic basket. Matthijs kept the girls busy, handing paper plates and napkins from the basket to Jelka who repeated both the Dutch and English words to her sister. The baby cooed back and Thijs stood, walking over to Rebecca.

He knelt beside her and gently whispered, “Jij bent de mooiste vrouw die ik ooit heb gezien. Ik wou dat ik je kon helpen weer van je lichaam te houden.” 

Rebecca turned, her eyes clouded with tears and sniffed, placing a hand on his cheek. “You do,” she told him, giving him a little smile. “It’s just…some days are hard. But…” She sighed. “I have to learn to love it again on my own.”

Matthijs nodded silently. He was about to speak again when Jelka shrieked, pulling their attention away from each other. Rebecca quickly dried her eyes, focusing on her stepdaughter. 

“Nee, Tessa, dat is een mes! You can’t play with it!” Jelka was reaching for a knife that Tessa was crawling towards and Thijs shot up quickly, going over to the baby.

“Dat is gevaarlik, Tessie,” he said, lifting Tessa into his arms and grabbing the knife, taking it to Rebecca who placed it in the basket.

“Thank you for keeping an eye out, Jelka,” she told her. “You are a good big sister.” Rebecca stood and moved to pull her eldest daughter into a hug. 

“She wants to grab everything,” Jelka said exasperated and Rebecca chuckled a bit. 

“It’s because she’s curious.”

“You were that curious once upon a time, schatje.”

“I was?”

Thijs nodded. “Ja, your moeder and I had to put locks all over the house. We never knew when you were going to get into something you shouldn’t. You were faster than us.”

“So that’s where Tessa gets it from,” Rebecca stated. She moved over to Matthijs, grabbing one of Tessa's feet, and tugged on it playfully. “We’re going to have to lock you up, kleine cheetah.”

“Ja!” Tessa squawked at her mother. 

The family shared a laugh and sat down to enjoy their picnic, eating the sandwiches Thijs had made. After they had finished their lunch, Matthijs took the girls down to the water and Rebecca stayed behind, promising to join them soon. She began cleaning up the picnic, putting things back into the basket, but leaving crackers and some fruit out for them to snack on later. With everything put away, Rebecca reclined on her arms, her face lifted to the sun, soaking up some vitamin D.

“Kom op, Tessie. Je kunt het!” 

Rebecca’s attention was drawn towards her family by Jelka’s voice, and she looked overto see Thijs holding Tessa by the hands, standing behind her as she took a step towards her sister. She smiled. It didn’t surprise her that the baby was already trying to walk. She would be a year old next month. 

Tessa had reached most of her milestones sooner than they expected. She had started crawling at the age of six and a half months. Rebecca remembered watching as Tessa pulled her legs under herself from where she had been playing on her tummy, going after a toy she wanted across the room. Once she had gotten to her knees, she had taken off and reached the toy within minutes. She had sat on her bottom and clapped her hands, looking at her mother with a toothy grin. Days later, Rebecca came home and found her chasing Jelka around the upstairs lounge they had converted into a playroom, and Matthijs had joked that she would be running tomorrow. 

Rebecca stretched her legs out, her feet crossed at the ankles, and adjusted the white coverup over her knees, removing her straw hat, and brushed a hand through her hair. With her free hand, she shielded her eyes from the sun, unable to see well even with her sunglasses. It was a bright, beautiful day and Rebecca watched Tessa taking a step one at time towards Jelka’s open arms, Thijs still holding onto her hands. When they reached her, Jelka enveloped her sister in a hug.

“Goed gedaan, Tessie!” 

“Dat is mijn slimme meisje!” Thijs praised, lifting her onto his hip and tickling her, earning happy giggles. Jelka gathered their toys and the three of them walked back over to Rebecca. “Did you see, Mummy? We took a few steps,” Matthijs said, taking a seat beside his wife and handing her their daughter.

Rebecca smiled, bringing Tessa into her arms, and smothered her face in kisses. “I did,” she replied. “Ik ben zo trots op je, schat.”

“She’s almost walking, Rebecca!” Jelka exclaimed, dropping all of the toys onto the blanket and sitting down.

Rebecca placed Tessa in her lap, facing her sister. “I know and before long, she’ll be chasing after you on foot!”

“But I have long legs so I’ll be faster.”

“Until she grows and catches up with you,” Thijs teased. “She’s going to be tall too.”

“As long as she’s not taller than me,” Jelka stated, reaching for a leftover piece of fruit and popping it into her mouth.

“She may be,” Rebecca told her. “I was taller than most of the girls in my class by the time I was your age.”

Jelka groaned. The adults shared a laugh, and Tessa leaned forward in Rebecca’s arms for a cracker. Thijs gave one to her and she munched on it happily. He grabbed some fruit for himself, feeding some to Rebecca as well as they watched the waves on the shore. They stayed at the beach for another hour, and then they went back to the villa, bathing the girls and putting Tessa down for a nap. Matthijs walked Jelka to her friend’s house to play and Rebecca stayed behind to read a new book out on the veranda, leaving a nursery window cracked open to hear in case Tessa woke up early. 

When Thijs returned, he joined her outside with his own book, and sat beside her on the settee. He reached for one of her hands and she gave it to him blindly, smiling when he brushed her knuckles against his lips, kissing them. Rebecca let out a deep sigh, a light, cool breeze blowing in the air, and she took a moment to look around the garden. There was a small flock of birds that flew by in the distance, more birds chirping in the trees. There was a plopping sound that she heard coming from the direction of the pond and she turned just in time to see a little turtle head peek out of the water. Rebecca released another content sigh and gazed at her husband. She was happy here. They both were happy here in Corfu, out on the veranda at their vacation home, their nearly one-year-old daughter asleep upstairs in the nursery, and their older daughter off with a friend. Their parents would be coming over in another month, and soon, their two good friends would be arriving. Rebecca looked forward to seeing them all.

Her life felt complete after all the years of loneliness and heartache. She had so many wonderful people surrounding her that sometimes it felt like a dream. She was lucky and fortunate, and she pushed those old memories to the back of her mind, tucking them into a box that she would never forget, but dare not open again.

Rebecca chuckled to herself and Thijs looked at her, smiling in return without a word. Yes, this was everything she had ever dreamed of and more. 

xxxx

A couple of notes

*Tessa is a Greek name and Madelief is obviously Dutch, so Matthijs and Rebecca both got their wish. Her full name is Tessa Daisy Welton Van Aaslburg. Yes, I know it's long. Just go with it.

*The photos in the collage are just aesthetic photos, save for the one of the baby. That photo was actually the inspiration for part 2 of this fic.

*I may do a part 3 where Keeley and Roy come as I do have some dialogue for it that I nearly included here. It didn't end up fitting, but I’ll write it if people are interested.

Translations:

Kangoeroe zakje - kangaroo pouch

“Jij bent de mooiste vrouw die ik ooit heb gezien. Ik wou dat ik je kon helpen weer van je lichaam te houden.” - “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I wish I could help you love your body again.”

“Nee, Tessa, dat is een mes!” - “No, Tessa, that is a knife!”

“Dat is gevaarlik, Tessie.” - “That is dangerous, Tessie.”

“Kom op, Tessie. Je kunt het!” - “Come on, Tessie. You can do it!”

“Goed gedaan, Tessie!”  - “Well done, Tessie!”

“Dat is mijn slimme meisje!” - “That’s my smart girl!”