Growing with J.A.C.I.E. (All Time Low Fanfiction | Jack Barakat)

Chapter 34

I was already waiting at the front door when there was a knock at it. Afterall, I had been the one to press the button on the intercom to open the communal door. Immediately, I swung the door open and smiled at the person on the other side. They had a large suitcase with them, ready to go on a long trip.

"Jacie!" Alex greeted warmly as he grinned.

"Hey, hey!" I wiggled my shoulders as I jumped aside to let him in. "Jack should be back in a bit. He's out getting more nipples, the old ones aren't good anymore."

Instead of stepping inside, he did a double take and gave me a very concerned frown.

"Plastic nipples for the bottles!" I gasped and glared at him. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

He laughed loudly, all the concern washing from his face. "I thought you were telling me he was out cheating in the weirdest way."

"No!" I started closing the door on him before he could come in.

"Jacie," he whined. "Babe."

"No, you're waiting out there until Jack returns."

"But I want to meet your baby!"

I kept pushing the door and warned, "not, with that attitude, you aren't."

Although I probably wasn't going to leave him out there, he was lucky. I could hear the elevator in the hallway opening and could still spot Jack walking out. Promptly, I opened the door again. He looked just as tired as I would have expected after a night of struggling to give Eliza her bottle. His hair hadn't been done, his white t-shirt was slightly crooked, sunglasses were covering his eyes, and the plastic bag with his purchases was rubbing against his bare lower legs, his shorts just not long enough to protect him.

"Alex!" Jack called out, spotting Alex at the doorway. He picked up his pace, a tired but genuine smile spreading across his face. "What's up, man?"

Alex's eyes widened in delight as he spotted Jack approaching. "Well, well, well! If it isn't the dad of the year, looking like he just survived a tornado."

Jack groaned, playfully rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Blame it on the baby who decided 3 am was the perfect time to be fussy."

Alex immediately pulled him into a hug, which Jack instantly returned. They clapped each other on the back a few times acknowledging that this was the first time they'd seen each other in over three months. They usually didn't go so long without seeing each other at all. Once they pulled away, they were still beaming at each other.

"So, where's my little niece?" Alex asked, rubbing his hands together in excitement, his gaze shifting between me and Jack.

"Inside, sleeping," I grinned at his enthusiasm and gestured for them both to come in.

They both stepped in and I shut the door behind them. Jack immediately went to the kitchen to sort out what he had bought, while Alex lingered in the entrance area with his suitcase. He'd been here before, but it had been a while. This time, he was here to spend the night before he and Jack flew out together from JFK for their tour in Europe.

"Guestroom still the same?" he asked, pointing at one of the doors to his right.

I nodded and led him to the room to show him in. "Just a little more cluttered with guitars and recording equipment."

"Nice," he looked around with intrigue as he pulled his suitcase inside, "don't mind me if you catch me doing some sneaky recording at night."

I chuckled as I went to check up on Jack in the kitchen, "only if Eliza's not the one to keep you up first."

Jack was standing at the counter, his brows furrowed as he looked over what he bought again. I walked up to him and wrapped an arm around his waist to see the items as well.

"I can't tell if I bought the right thing," he sighed as he compared an old bottle nipple to the new ones he got.

"Eliza will be the judge of that," I reminded him as my eyes scanned the text on the packaging. "But these are a size bigger, so I'm sure it's exactly what we needed."

He put both items back on the kitchen counter, and yawned loudly, "God, I need a nap."

Alex looked at Jack with a mischievous grin when he decided to join us. "Already sleep deprived before tour? Man, it's not looking good for you."

"Uninterrupted sleep sounds like a distant dream," Jack stared off in the distance longingly. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Come on, no time for daydreaming, I've got a baby to meet!"

We made our way over to the crib in the living room, where Eliza was peacefully asleep. Her little arms were sticking out beside her head, knees bent outwards, and toes just slightly curled. Alex peeked over the edge, his eyes widening in awe.

"Awe, man," he whispered, mockingly throwing his hands up in exasperation, "she's so fucking cute!"

"That's what I've been saying!" Jack nudged him and gestured dramatically to Eliza.

"You guys have outdone yourself. I didn't think it was possible to create something cuter than Jack."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, if she looks too much like Jacie, I'm going to have to fight off a lot of guys and girls."

Eliza made a soft grunting sound, stretching out her arms a little more, and continued to sleep.

Alex brought a hand to his heart. "How can you leave this?"

My eyes went wide and I immediately shook my head as if trying to cut him off. It was a very sensitive topic. This was probably the first time in our relationship that I felt perfectly confident that everything was going to be alright after Jack left and Jack was doubting everything. He'd been worried before, but he was never close to not going.

"Don't ask me that," Jack responded with a serious hint in his voice, "because I will stay home if you do."

Alex opened his mouth and exchanged a quick glance in my direction. I just gave him a subtle twitch of my lips to show that Jack was being completely serious. I'd gotten Jack so far to be okay with leaving, but it was hard on him. He was definitely going to miss Eliza more than me.

"Okay, well," noticing the gravity of the situation, Alex changed course, "I'm glad we're finally expanding the All Time Low dynasty."

I nodded in agreement, and steered the conversation further away. "I was about to wake Eliza before you arrived so she could eat. You don't mind me exposing my breasts, do you?"

Alex gave a sly smirk. "Of course not. If anything, I'm all for it."

Jack jokingly scowled at him and gave him a flick against his head. Alex quickly brought his hand up to the painful spot and mouthed and 'ouch.' I gave them a disdainful look and reached into the crib to gently start waking Eliza up by stroking her hand and cheek. Even though she was still sleeping deeply, we had a schedule we kept to, and that meant occasionally interrupting her for food.

As Eliza began stirring and her eyes fluttered open, Alex continued to watch with amazement. Jack just had a bittersweet look on his face, knowing that this was one of the last moments he'd see her waking up before leaving the next day.

But he was going to survive. It was all part of our lives anyway.