Falling ➳ Hennig [4]

➳ 44

"You didn't have to come with me, you know," Jack said, casting a sideways glance at Cara as they stood, waiting, at the airport, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his jeans.

          Cara didn't look at him, her gaze focused instead on Aurora as she tried to entertain Ollie by leaning into his push chair. His friend was smiling softly at her children, and Jack wondered briefly, fleetingly, if he would ever get to experience that himself; parenthood, and the way in which Cara watched her children as though they were her whole world, and Jack knew that they were, in fact, her whole world.

          "I did," Cara replied, gaze still locked on her daughter. "I don't— It's not that I don't trust you, Jackson. I don't trust her."

           Jack nodded, though Cara couldn't see it, and instead took to watching the O'Brien children instead. Rory was now waving a toy in front of the six-month-old, a gummy grin on her face as she listened to the baby laugh in response to her silliness.

          He wondered what his child would look like. Couldn't help but imagine a little brunet with his mismatched eyes, though unlikely. Wondered if he'd be a good father, when it came down to it. If he'd be as good a parent as Cara, as Dylan, as Daphne Blake, or his own. He knew he'd love the child no matter what, wouldn't let the world harm a hair on their head, but would he be good? 

          He knew it was useless to think about this kind of stuff when he wasn't even in a relationship, but he couldn't help it. He was thirty, after all, had been engaged once already, and while Cara and Dylan were the only friends of his that were married with children, he knew the others weren't far behind. Even Sprayberry and Moony were likely to get married before Jack. Just last week Spencer had asked the opinions on Jack, Cara, and Paisley on what kind of engagement ring he should get Hannah.

          "She's here," Cara said, voice rising over the rush of people, and swooped down to lift Rory up from the floor to prevent her from being washed away in the sea of people. Jack turned his head to look at her, and Cara nodded in the direction she was looking in.

          JJ looked a mess, even from where Jack was standing. Bags beneath her eyes, hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, and he was certain that sweatshirt dated back to their High School days. Even so, when Aniyah tugged at her hands to demand her attention, her whole face still lit up, smiling so wide that Jack thought maybe his face would split.

        He wanted to be a parent like Jasmine Jones, too. The kind of parent who even under all this stress, could push all that away just to be happy with their child.

        There were people looking at the woman as she passed through the crowd, people who had likely read about her on gossip sites or in magazines; the people that spent too much time judging celebrities' lives as if they were their own, without ever really knowing them. One teenage girl, in particular, glared at JJ, and for a moment Jack thought she was about to say something, until she saw the child tucked safely at JJ's side and stalked off.

        Jack raised his hand above the crowd, waving at the woman who visibly relaxed when she saw him, wrapping her arm tighter around her daughter's shoulder as she steered her in their direction.

       "Hey, Jack," she breathed, before hesitantly stepping into his open arms for a hug, one arm still wrapped around her daughter, just in case. JJ stepped back, and Aniyah took her place, eagerly taking the hug Jack offered her when he crouched down. Jack stood with Aniyah still in his arms, and watched as JJ smiled over at Cara. "Hi, Cara. Nice to see you."

        "It's nice to see you, too, JJ," Cara said, but they all knew she was lying through her teeth. Still, better that than something that could've potentially upset Aniyah, who was watching the two women with eyes like a hawk.  She'd always been observant, or so JJ said, and Jack couldn't imagine what these past few weeks must have been like for her, to hear what people were saying about her mother, not caring that her daughter was within earshot.

       "Let's go grab your bags, huh?" Jack suggested, setting Aniyah back onto her feet. "We're having a movie night at Shelley's tonight, you cool with that?"

       "Are you— Are you sure? I mean, is Shelley okay with that?" JJ asked, worrying her lip between her teeth as she followed Jack and Cara to the baggage claim, her hand wrapped around Aniyah's.

       "She's fine with it, JJ." Jack smiled at the woman. "I promise."

       She nodded, strands of blonde hair falling into her eyes at the movement. She was staring at the baggage claim, eyes following each suitcase that ambled past. "Okay. If you're sure."

      "I'm sure."

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late update, i'm sorry.