#jrodriguez.

If I don’t include @kayoh5 and @jamesitorodriguez they’re both going to kill me so dropping their names. After that? @hfamemats and the rest is impossible, literally everyone is so hot! How do you all do it?

Typically a two hour train ride wouldn’t phase Alex one bit, she was used to all the travel time in her life but it had quickly become apparent to the new mother that two hours trying to sit still anywhere was near impossible at this stage of Charlie’s development. The seven month old was crawling everywhere and was fascinated and curious about everything. It certainly made for an interesting ride up to Liverpool but they both survived it relatively screaming fit free which was a relief given how exhausted Alex already was from her lack of sleep the night before. It wasn’t even because of Charlie, the little angel slept perfectly throughout the night but Alex’s mind reeling over James meeting Charlie for the first time had her heart racing and her stomach tied in knots. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea but she’d already made the plans and didn’t have much of an excuse to cancel. She couldn’t avoid the situation forever so here she was facing it head on more anxious about it than possibly anything else she’d ever been in her life.

The conductor made the announcement that they were arriving so Alex quickly gathered up all of Charlie’s belongings putting them back into the backpack she’d stuffed filled with toys and other things she knew would distract the toddler as best as possible. She took the airpod out of the one ear she had it in so she could listen to music while still being able to hear her daughter and fidgeted relentlessly with her hair and picking at her cuticles out of nerves. The striker took a deep breath and then smiled at Charlie smoothing the baby’s hair back gently hoping she couldn’t feel her mother’s stress. Alex was almost jealous at how blissfully unaware she was to the world still and wished she could keep her that way forever which reminded her of that Taylor Swift song Never Grow Up that she played for her often. 

“Okay, baby, here we go.” The brunette stood up, grabbed her own bag and Charlie’s slinging them over her shoulder and picked up the little girl to carry her off the train. Originally Alex planned to take a cab to James’ place but being the gentleman he was she wasn’t surprised when he insisted on picking her up at the station and Alex didn’t fight it because she actually wanted that moment of him meeting Charlie for the first time to be just between the three of them not them and whoever else James had visiting him at the moment. Of course she was excited for Charlie to meet and play with James’ kids her half siblings but that could come after. This was their moment even if neither of them new it yet.