Unconditional Love

The Mundane, Small Things

In each other's company, they had unknowingly let time escape them. The sun beginning to set, a glow of violet warmed the room. Movie after movie played as they just sat and laughed and smiled together.

The chemistry between them was innate. Jacob and Grace so easily connected and she found it hard to remember why she had resisted his relationship with her mother. These last few weeks had more than assuaged her earlier fear of, once again, being forgotten.

As Grace returned to school, Jacob took some time off in order to keep an eye on her, ensuring she was careful not to put too much strain on her, still healing, body. And while Connie was busy, he prevented her daughter from feeling even slightly neglected.

After being distant from the ED during Grace's recovery, Connie was now swept under, surrounded in relentless paperwork, having to regularly stay at the office until the late evening. Jacob being there, while she wasn't able to, was all that could alleviate her ceaseless concern for Grace.

The young girl was understanding more clearly each day why it was that Connie had given her heart to him. He proved himself to be attentive and caring, comforting her with a new sense of security, and providing stability as piece by piece their life was falling into place.

It was the most mundane, smallest of things that made a difference. Having Jacob take her to and from school when Connie was otherwise occupied, coming home to the scent of a freshly-cooked meal and him being there, give her his full attention while she talked endlessly about the day's events were the aspects of her new routine that she loved most. In only a short amount of time she had developed a bond with Jacob who cared for her as if she was his own.

Connie and Jacob had seemingly skipped the typical early stages of a relationship as their circumstances caused them to take steps at a hastened pace. Officially, he hadn't moved in but the majority of his time was spent at her place and she had shown no resistance to him becoming so involved.

It was uncharacteristic for Connie to allow things to progress so quickly, to let a man into her life with such ease and yet, it all felt so natural. She would never admit, not even to herself in solitude, that she struggled to raise Grace alone. She strived to be the woman who had it all but there were growing cracks beneath the surface, each became harder to ignore with every day that Grace spent in America. Without Jacob to strengthen and support her as she rebuilt the broken bridges with her daughter, Connie would have shattered. And she knew that. He was almost solely responsible for her happiness.

'Hey, are you guys hungry?'

Grace had been drifting in and out of sleep for the last half of the movie and Connie's mind had run so far away with itself, Jacob was left to receive no response from either.

'Connie?'

Snapped away from her train of thought, she looked to Jacob, still wearing a rather vacant expression.

'You okay, sweetcheeks?'

'Yeah, fine.' She replied quickly, still not convincing him that she didn't have anything on her mind. But Grace began to stir, waking up gently.

'Hey, firecracker.' He chuckled at her as she untangled herself from her contorted sleeping position with a tired look of confusion as to how she wound herself into it in the first place.

'Mum. I'm hungry.' She spoke through a yawn, stretching out across Connie and Jacob before sitting up to lean into her mother's side.

'Okay, sweetheart. I'll put something on.' Connie carefully ran her hand through Grace's hair remaining seated for a moment longer. As she went to stand, Jacob quickly moved towards her.

'Actually, how about I cook tonight? You can catch up on some sleep...or paperwork... or both.'

'No, it's fine, I don't mind.'

'Connie.' His firmer tone gained her attention as she looked to him with raised eyebrows.

'Sleep. I'll cook.'

She hesitated a second before replying through an easy smile.

'You sure?' She asked, feeling slightly guilty that he'd already been cooking almost every meal recently.

'Positive.'

He caught her hand to pull her closer, kissing her tenderly as she smiled against his lips.

'Off you go.'

'Thank you,' she whispered. 'Call me down if you need anything.'

'Mhm, okay, go on now.' He steered her through the hallway as she laughed.

'Okay, okay, I'm gone.' She lifted her hands in surrender, smiling with radiance as she climbed the stairs.

Jacob walked back to the living room, shaking his head and smiling to himself. Turning to Grace with false sincerity, he spoke in a low tone. 'You owe me. I just saved you from food poisoning.'

'I heard that.' Connie called from a distance, sounding highly unamused, as Jacob and Grace attempted to stifle their laughter until she was out of earshot.

'Fancy giving me a hand, little one?'

'Ermmmm,' Grace replied as she turned to pick up the TV remote.

She screamed in laughter as Jacob began to tickle her, pulling the remote control from her grasp as she giggled uncontrollably.

'Okay!' She managed to shout through her hysteria.

Jacob paused.

'Okay what?'

'Okay I'll help you with the cooking,' she sighed.

'Aw thanks firecracker, how sweet.'