Ever After

Chapter 29: Memories Of Old Friends

*The Next Day*

"Mommy how's Sadie?" I smile. "She's doing better sweetie. I'm sure she'd love for you to go color with her." She giggles unbuckling her belt running for the bedroom. I smile at her. We were headed home and have been for probably about seven hours now. Jackson pulls me from my seat falling into it before pulling me down into his lap. "Jackie..." I glare. "What love?" He says smiling. I shake my head with a pout.

He wraps me in his arms. "Hey what's that cute little pout for?" I sigh. "You don't have to just throw me around." He hums. "I'm sorry love." I smile. "It's okay." He pushes a piece of my hair back. "So how's our girls?" I hum. "Sadie's doing better and Emma's keeping her company." He smirks. "Then who's keeping you company." I hum.

"You I assume." I kiss him softly wrapping my arms around his neck. "I'm just fine with that." He whispers before kissing me again and his arms lock around my waist. I feel a hand tug on my leggings. I look down seeing Emma. "Hey sunshine." Jackson says and she giggles hiding behind her hands. "Hey daddy." He taps her nose. "What did you need pumpkin?" She hums contently. "Sadie says she wants to come sit out here. She says it's too dark back there." I peck his cheek. "I've got it." I get up and I can hear Emma's giggles as I head to the bedroom. "Daddy stop! No tickle monster!" He growls. "Too late!" I open the door softly.

"Sadie?" She groans. "Mommy?" I hum. "Can I please go sit with you out there? I've been in this room for too long." I nod. "Sure sweetie. Come on." I scoop her up. "Are you cold?" She nods and I grab a blanket. I head out of the bedroom and into the front of the plane. Emma and Jackson are now playing patty cake. I set her down and Emma is near her in a second. "Sadie wanna watch a movie?" She smiles. "Sure Emmy." Emma practically glows from the nickname jumping up and down and begging to watch a movie.

I hook up Netflix before putting on Homeward Bound. They sit watching it as I get them some juice. "Kids me and mommy are gonna be in the bedroom if you need us?" They incoherently nod. He takes me to the bedroom and I stop once we are inside. "Um Jackie..." I say fiddling with my hands. He stops them lifting my face. "Hey that's not what I had in mind. Just thought maybe you'd like to spend sometime with me. We had to cancel our Florida plans so this is probably as close to us time as we are gonna get for the next few days."

I huff nodding. He sits on the bed patting the other side and I sit down too. He lays down whining softly as he tugs on my shirt before making grabby hands at me like Emma does. I laugh. "Now I see where Emma gets it from." He glares and I fall into his arms. He hums in contentment. He cuddles me and I giggle softly. He smiles widely into my neck. "And she gets that from you." I blush knowing he's referring to my giggle. I run my fingers through his hair. I smile feeling him wrap his arms around me before tangling our legs together.

The silence takes us over and I find it rather peaceful. There is of course a knock that breaks our silence and I groan making him smile. "Come in." Freddie comes in with a tray. "I made lemonade." I smile. "Just leave it on the table." He nods leaving it before leaving. "You know what I miss as a teenager?" I hum.

He scuffs. "Standing on the beach with my friends. Watching the waves and the girls. You know just the summer dream." I frown. "Oh..." I sit up and he smiles turning my face to his. "You don't like that thought huh?" I shake my head. "How about I buy my princess a nice little bathing suit and then I can watch you on the beach all day?" I roll my eyes pushing him some. "Not happening mister."

He sets his face in my neck holding me from behind as I drink some lemonade. "But why not?" He pouts. "Because I don't want to prance around on the beach while you watch me in some sex crazed way." He nods. "Fair enough." He takes my wrist pulling the glass up so he can take a drink. "You have your own drink you know?" He smiles. "Yours is always better."

There's a pause. "Do you miss the freedom you used to have?" He smiles. "A piece of me does but those times I had probably wouldn't have lasted long and they weren't really all that fun. My friends and I partied but they were the ones getting laid every night. I just got piss drunk and passed out. I always hoped I'd find someone like you at those parties but I never did."

I sigh. "Is that where you met Sarah?" He nods softly. "I was messed up to think someone at one of those kinds of parties would be good to fall in love with but I just couldn't help it. There she was and I wasn't even drunk. I was sober and she was beautiful." I tense and lifts his face. "I'm sorry love. Let's just drop it."

I shake my head. "Then what was I?" He raised his eyebrows. "If she was beautiful....then what was I?" He smiles pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. "You were gorgeous. You were perfect. I remember being so scared to love again but with you it just felt right. I couldn't catch myself and I didn't want to." I smile at him. "You always did know just what to say."

He kisses me softly. "I mean every word. I'm not just saying it. Know that." I hum. "I do Jackie." He hums kissing me again. I set the cup down falling back onto the bed with him. "So tell me some of these stories with your friends."

He smiles. "Okay. Well there was this one time we got drunk and Jake went to the roof of my house and shouts 'I am Justin Bieber' before falling off the roof into some bushes breaking his arm." I stare blankly at him before snickering and when he smiles I laugh.

"Hey tell me some of yours." I frown. "I don't have any. No friends remember." He pins me to the bed. "What about that one nerdy kid who hit on you?" I roll my eyes. "He wasn't hitting on me he was lost and looking for his class." He wiped his brow. "And you picked me over him?!" I push him. "It's not funny Jackie." He falls next to me cuddling me softly. "Tell me some stories about you and Zane then." I smile widely. "Really?!" I say excitedly. He smiles into my neck before leaving a kiss. "Yeah."

I clear my throat. "Well one time we went to Disneyland and I got really scared at the giant Mickey and so Zane kicked him in the knee and we ran and hid behind the food carts until our parents found us. They weren't very happy and Zane refused to apologize. My parents never took us back to Disneyland." He smiles widely.

I run my fingers through his hair. "I miss him." He sighs and it sends a chill down my spine making me bite my lip. "You can always go see him." I sigh as well. "It won't ever be the same Jackie. He's got a life and I have my own but it would be great to just go back for a day if I could." He breathes against my neck again letting his lips brush against my sink lightly. "Maybe you guys should get together like old times someday." I tense but not in a bad way. "Y-yeah...m-maybe...." He hums. "Jackie..."

He presses his lips to my neck gently. "I..." He moves his head some and I don't really understand until my head falls back some and I tug on his hair humming. "What was that love?" I tug his hair pulling him back. "I said none of this Jackie." He presses his nose to my lip that's red and puffy from biting it as he skims his fingers down my spine. "Really? Because it doesn't look like you want too." I swallow. "Well I do Jackie. No means no." He nods laying his head on my shoulder. "Of course baby." I sigh harshly closing my eyes waiting for this plane to just land.

Enjoy!