1They say high school relationships never last, that they are fleeting moments of dumb love destined to be broken by the harsh realities of life in the real world. But Troy and Gabriella Bolton truly felt that they were the exception to that rule. It had been over a decade since they had met on that fateful New Year's Eve over karaoke, and most days they still felt like those happy teenagers in love that saw nothing but possibility ahead of them, even now, after five years of marriage.
They had the three kids that they had always dreamed of now. Alex and Zoey were their three-year-old twins, and baby Aria was four months old and the final piece of their family. Their lives were a peaceful hum of routine: wake up, get kids to preschool, go to work or do home maintenance, get home, cook dinner, put kids to bed, and wake up and start all over. They loved their routine and found peace in it. But they had recently decided that it was time to mix it up and try something new. Troy and Gabriella's anniversary was coming up, and they thought it only right to show their kids around the place where their love had bloomed. Today, the family was off to embark on a weeklong stay in Albuquerque.
"Are you sure we have everything?" Gabriella said, stress evident in her voice. She had a backpack on her back and Zoey and Alex holding her hands on either side of her, as well as baby Aria strapped to her front in a carrier. Troy had offered to help her wrangle the kids, but to his chagrin, she insisted that she had it covered.
"Babe, we got this," Troy chuckled at his wife. He knew that she was nervous to take on this new experience with the kids, but he had faith everything would turn out.
Gabriella smiled at her husband and sighed. "If you say so," she laughed as they carried on walking through the airport. Alex tapped her on the leg, and she turned to look at him.
"Mommy, my legs are tired!" the boy whined. "Is it time to go on the plane?" Alex asked. "I don't wanna walk anymore!"
Gabriella laughed lightly at her son and then looked at her phone. "Just a little longer, bud. We can get on the plane in an hour, but first we're going to go over here and have some food," she pointed to the area of the airport terminal where there were restaurants and places to sit. "My hands are full, but you can ask Daddy to carry you," she said, and then turned to Troy. "Will you please just carry him?"
Troy nodded and lifted his son to his hip. "Hey, bud, did you hear your momma talk about going on the plane in an hour?" Troy said. "What do you think about that? You ready?" Troy asked Alex who shrugged slightly. He had never been on a plane before; he had no idea what it would be like. "I don't know, is it scary?" he asked his father. Troy couldn't help but laugh a bit at his son's innocence.
Troy shook his head. "No, buddy, I promise it isn't scary. I have been on planes before with Mommy," he explained to the boy. "It's kinda like riding in a big car. You get to sit in a cool chair, but you have to wear a seatbelt and be in your car seat, just like in the car. You can play with your toys, or watch a movie, or take a nap. Then after a little bit, they give out a drink and a snack. Then you can play some more and then the plane will land, and we'll go to Grandpa Jack and Mimi Luci's house. Does that sound good?"
"Yeah!" Alex exclaimed excitedly. "Thank you for explaining it, Daddy,"
"Of course, buddy," Troy smiled and kissed the top of his son's head. They had reached the food court area of the airport now, and the kids were settled in at a table. "Who's ready for some dinner?" Gabriella asked the twins. Aria was now asleep in her carrier, clearly nonplussed by any of the action.
Both of the twins nodded. "We're hungry," they said together. Gabriella nodded. "What would you like to eat?" she scanned the options in the food court. "Do you want chicken nuggets, pizza, or grilled cheese?"
The kids paused, thinking for a second. Then Alex spoke again. "I want pizza!" he said enthusiastically.
"Me too!" Zoey said. "Can I get pizza too?"
Gabriella chuckled. "Sure, why not," she said and then went over to pay for the food.
The Bolton's enjoyed their family meal and then it was time for the big moment, to board the plane, aka the "sky bus" as Zoey had taken to calling it. Troy and Gabriella helped their kids into their seats (they had checked their car seats onto the plane, knowing that they would probably be more comfortable and sit more quietly in them) and waited for the take off.
The plane ride itself passed without much fuss; the kids were happy to watch movies and play with their toys and loved that they got a free cookie and soda from the flight attendant. Around four hours later, the plane landed safe and sound, and all three kids were asleep, having been lulled by the motion and sound of the plane.
Once the plane came to a complete stop, Troy gently shook their sleeping children. "Guys, wake up," he said softly. He felt bad waking them, but both he and Gabriella knew that they couldn't carry the baggage and all three kids.
Alex blinked his eyes awake as his mom rubbed his back soothingly. He yawned and looked out the window. "Is that Albuquerque?" he asked, feeling grown up that he was able to say such a big word. The kids stared in wonder.
"This is it," Troy said and looked at his family. "Our big adventure awaits us,"
Once they got off the plane, Troy and Gabriella carried their luggage along with their kids, as they made their way down the stairs towards the baggage claim.
"Mommy!" Alex squealed when he saw the large amount of people milling around them, trying to push past the crowds. "I've never seen so many people!" They had gotten their bags and were about to reach the exit when Troy's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the text message, it was his dad.
"Gabi," he said, showing his wife his phone. "They're outside,"
"Perfect," Gabriella said. "Right on time," she took the kids by the hands again. "Let's go see Grandpa and Mimi!"
The children grinned and followed Gabriella out the airport exit. As soon as they were out on the sidewalk, they ran to hug their grandfather and grandma.
"Hey guys," Jack greeted, grinning brightly at Gabriella and the family. "Come on, you guys must be tired," Jack and Lucile helped the kids into the car and drove them to their house.
Troy helped Gabriella with the kids and then opened the trunk to retrieve their suitcases. Gabriella put the kids' things in the room where they would all be staying. Jack and Lucille only had one guest room, so they would all have to share the room for the week. Gabriella was a bit nervous about that, but thankfully the kids were still small enough that they would all fit. She finished setting up the sleeping areas for the kids and sat down on the bed to rest for a moment. Zoey came into the room and sat on her lap. "Mommy?" she whispered. Gabriella kissed her cheek and looked at the girl. "You're tired, aren't you, Z?"
Zoey nodded. "I'm sleepy," she yawned and snuggled into her mother. "Can I go to bed?"
Gabriella smiled. "Of course, sweet girl. Come on, let's get you changed into your pajamas. You can brush your teeth in the bathroom. And then come into the bedroom to sleep."
Zoey climbed off her mother's lap and started making her way to the bathroom. Gabriella supervised as she brushed her teeth and changed into her PJ's, and then carried and set her down on the little cot in the corner.
"I love you, Mommy," Zoey told her mother and hugged her tightly. Gabriella stroked her hair gently and returned the embrace. "I love you too, baby girl." She pressed another kiss against her daughter's temple. "Now, you need some sleep," she said and stood. "Sweet dreams, Zo," Zoey giggled and nodded and fell asleep quickly and deeply.
Gabriella smiled at her daughter and then went into the bathroom to change herself, and then she went to go and find Alex and put him to bed.
It took some work, but eventually Gabriella got all three kids to bed. She and Troy crawled into the bed next to each other as they listened to their children sleep.
Troy placed his arm around his wife and kissed the side of her neck. Troy asked softly as Gabriella laid there in his arms. "Do you think that the teenage versions of us would believe that someday we'd be in my parents guest bedroom with our three kids?" he whispered.
Gabriella hummed. "I mean I doubt it. We were so young, I'm sure we wouldn't have imagined this exactly, but it's where we were meant to be,"
Troy thought for a moment before kissing his wife again. "Yeah, you're right," he murmured against her lips.
Gabriella wrapped her arm around her husband and sighed. She closed her eyes and relaxed against Troy's embrace, falling asleep shortly after.