Fix Me || Jerrie

Chapter 17

"You sure it's okay if I come with you to get Mackenzie?" Jade asked for what felt like the millionth time since we'd left Jesy and Leigh.

I rolled my eyes and released an audible sigh. "Yes, course it is. Now hurry up or we'll be late and I've already been late picking her up before so we can't be late again."

About 5 minutes later we rounded a corner and the school gates come into view. A couple of kids were already making their way out of the school with their parents so I quickly glanced down at my phone to check the time: they were early, I still had two minutes. With that I pulled Jade in the direction of the nursery door and we leant back against the wall as we waited for it to open. We didn't have to wait long before the door opened and Mackenzie's nursery teacher appeared at the door. She started shouting kids names as she noticed their parents so I pulled myself off the wall so I was easier to spot.

"Mackenzie Edwards!" She shouted when we locked eyes and a couple of moments later Mackenzie appeared at the door with her coat fully zipped up and her little backpack firmly on her back. I dropped Jade's hand and took a couple of steps towards Mackenzie as I watched her glance around at the parents trying to find me. It was only when her teacher pointed me out that she finally spotted me, causing a big smile to break out on her face.

"Mommy!" She exclaimed as she ran towards me and she threw herself into my arms. I caught her securely and hoisted her up onto my hip, planting a kiss on her check.

"Hey Kenz! Have you had a good day?" I asked as I began to make my way back to where Jade was still awkwardly standing. Mackenzie nodded at me and began to rattle off all the things she'd done at nursery. She stopped suddenly when she spotted Jade.

"Jade's here?" She said questionably as she turned to look at me, confusion plastered on her face. No one had ever come with me to pick her up so this was a first.

"Yeah, is that okay?" I asked her slowly; I could see Jade listening intently for her reply. Mackenzie thought about my question for a moment before she nodded slowly and both me and Jade smiled gratefully. Mackenzie squirmed in my arms so I put her on the floor and she skipped off ahead of us. Jade and I followed behind her, our fingers brushing between us as we walked.

"Wait at the gate Mackenzie!" I called as I saw her approaching it and she did. It only took us a couple of moments to catch up with her and when we did I held her hand tightly to stop her running off near the roads.


*


"What you doing tonight?" Jade asked me a little while later.

"Looking after Mackenzie." I stated obviously. The confusion clearly plastered across my face made Jade smile.

"No, I mean both of you. Do you have plans?" She explained further.

"No."

"Do you want to come to mine; we can get a takeaway and watch a film?" Jade questioned nervously, her fingers pulling at the hem of her jumper. A smile grew across my face and I grabbed Jade's hand to stop her nervous fiddling. Instantly, she entwined our fingers.

"I'd like that." I answered genuinely and Jade grinned at me.


*


Jade had just messaged me to say she was finished with her uni work and was on her way round so I decided to get Mackenzie ready to go. We'd got back from nursery and she'd asked for cookies. Considering we didn't have any in the flat I decided we'd make some. Looking back now, we probably made more mess (I'd only just finished cleaning up after us an hour ago) than cookies but Mackenzie giggled the whole way through so it was worth it. Of course that meant Mackenzie had needed a bath, a baby wipe had sorted the greasy hands but it wouldn't get the flour out of her hair. As it was nap time after that I'd decided to just leave her in in her vest and nappy; she'd been like that ever since she woke up not long ago. I didn't want Jade to have to wait ages once she got her though so I got up to find Mackenzie.

I found her curled up on the sofa watching TV. She was clutching Mr Cuddles, sucking her thumb and wrapped in her blanket. Her hair was dishevelled from her nap but nothing a good brush couldn't fix.

"Hey baby, we need to get you dressed." I said quietly. She glanced my way before turning her attention back to the TV, clearly that was more interesting than me. "Are you ignoring me?" I teased playfully as I dropped onto the sofa beside her, a frown forming on my face. When I still failed to get a response I raised my hands to cover my face and pretended to cry. It wasn't long before I felt a weight clambering over my lap and little hands grasping my hands to pull them from my face. The pressure of her feet standing on my thighs made itself apparent as she wobbled a bit so I lifted my hands to her waist to stabilize her.

"No Mummy don't be sad! I'm sorry!" She exclaimed worriedly and her little face appeared inches from mine.

"Hmm, I think I need a hug to make me happy again." I replied and instantly she threw her arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder.

"Happy?" She questioned when she pulled back and I smiled at her.

"Yeah, Mummy's happy now - thank you." With that confirmation she settled herself onto my knee, grabbed Mr Cuddles and turned her attention back to the TV.

"Makka Pakka!" She exclaimed happily. Glancing at the TV, I realised In The Night Garden was playing and I knew I would not be able to hold her attention whilst that was on it the background so I grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.

Mackenzie's head snapped towards me, her eyebrows furrowed, "Iggle Piggle!" Her voice was accusing and she clambered for the remote still clutched in my hands. I lifted it out of her reach which did not leave her impressed.

"Iggle Piggle!" She exclaimed angrily. I just shook my head at her.

"We need to get you dressed Kenz."

"No Iggle Piggle!" She was not budging on this so I decided we'd make a deal.

"You need to get dressed than I'll put Iggle Piggle back on." I compromised. She opened her mouth to protest but I picked her up and settled her on my hip giving her no choice in the matter. She squirmed in my arms and made a noise of protest but she wasn't escaping until she was dressed and ready to go. She settled down once we reached the bedroom and when I put her on the bed to get her clothes from the wardrobe she didn't run away.
15 minutes later and she was dressed and I'd brushed her hair so I decided she could have In The Night Garden back on.

"Come on then, I'll put Iggle Piggle back on."

"Iggle Piggle!" This time it was an exclamation of excitement. She quickly climbed down from the bed and raced out the room, I followed behind her. By the time I reached the living room she was standing in front of the TV, the remote in her hands. She was unsuccessfully pressing buttons on the remote to try and turn the TV back on. I gave her a minute to see if she would manage but she quickly released a sigh of frustration and gave up. Holding the remote out, she turned to face me.

"Please play Iggle Piggle?" She asked and pride blossomed inside me at her manners so I complied with her request. When the TV flashed to laugh she smiled excitedly and climbed up onto the sofa, settling herself into the cushions when she got up there.

"Look Mummy! It's Iggle Piggle!" I indulged her excitement at the program for a little bit, though I didn't at all see the attraction. Luckily, I didn't have to indulge her long though as a knock at the door signalled Jade was here. Mackenzie's attention didn't even waver as I got up to answer the door.

When I opened the door I was met with Jade's radiant smile and deep brown eyes. My smile grew at the sight of her.

"Hey, fancy seeing you here." I greeted with a sing-song, teasing tone in my voice. Jade simply rolls her eyes fondly at me. With a light laugh I grabbed her hand and attempted to pull her into the flat. However, it seemed Jade had other plans as she rocked her weight back onto her heels to keep her rooted on the spot. I was not expecting the sudden resistance so I lurched forward and collided with Jade's chest. Her free hand came up to rest on the small of my back, effectively stabilizing me and she muffled my little squeal of surprise with her lips. Instantly, I melted into her as my noise of surprise turned into a murmur off approval. It was a fairly quick kiss we shared but Jade leaned in to press another quick kiss to my lips as we separated. Not wanting to break the contact, and being well aware that Mackenzie was thoroughly entertained with In The Night Garden, I linked my fingers together behind Jade's neck and stepped over the threshold to press my body fully against hers. Jade's other hand came up to join her first around my waist and her thumbs traced small circles over my hipbones.

Jade's eyes were alluring and before I could stop myself (not that I would of made much effort to anyway) I find myself leaning in and planting another kiss on Jade's lips. This kiss was longer than the previous ones. After a few seconds, I took Jade's bottom lip between my own and sucked softly. Jade squeezed my hips softly in approval and I felt a smile growing on her lips which meant I couldn't help the smile growing across mine. Eventually, we pulled away and Jade placed a playful kiss on the end of my nose before she rested her forehead on mine.

"What was that for?" I questioned softly, "not that I'm at all complaining," I added cheekily. Jade giggled softly at that.

"A couple of weeks back you told me I should always greet you like that so I'm just fulfilling my end of a deal." Jade replied in the same hushed tone and I smiled widely, surprised she remembered that little detail from that particular day. Our breath was intermingling in the small space between our lips and I revelled in the sense of intimacy it brought before I unlocked my hands from around Jade's neck. Almost instinctively, Jade entwined our fingers and let our hands hang in the space between our bodies

"You ready to come in now?" I teased and broke the contact between our foreheads.

"Yeah, I've properly greeted my girlfriend so I can come in now." She replied playfully. I didn't bother replying, I just shook my head and pulled her inside. The door swung shut behind us and Jade kicked off her shoes. I smiled at comfortable she was here.

"Where's Mackenzie?" She asked once I'd taken her coat off her and hung it up. I groaned.

"Watching In The Night Garden, she's been transfixed since she woke up from her nap." Jade threw her head back at my obvious distaste.

"I take it you're not a fan then."

"Absolutely not, I mean to be fair each episode does have a story but I just can't get over the names. I mean Iggle Piggle and Makka Pakka? Seriously? Where the writers on drugs when they came up with them? Mackenzie loves it though and it's kept her quiet whilst I've cleaned up after our messy baking session so I guess it does have some benefits." There was an amused twinkle in Jade's eyes as I rambled on but her face lit up when I mentioned baking.

"What have you made?" She asked excitedly.

"Cookies," I replied casually and before            I could blink Jade was headed off into the kitchen. She was as bad as Mackenzie. When I turned the corner into the kitchen I found her stood leaning against the counter with a half-eaten cookie hanging from her fingers.

"These are well nice." She mumbled around her cookie then with a playful smirk on her face: "you're a fabulous chef and make sure to let Mackenzie know she's an even better one."

"Good job I wasn't saving them for anything particular hey, between you and Mackenzie they won't last the day." I told her sarcastically as I made my way over to stand in front of her.

"Oh please, we both know you can eat 10 times what I can, it's like your stomach is a bottomless pit."

We both knew that was true so I simply shrugged and didn't bother thinking of an argument. When Jade was finished with her cookie, she sucked the chocolate off her fingertips and wiped the crumbs on the trousers. I'll admit watching Jade innocently sucking her fingers sent my mind to places it hadn't been in a long time; places I wasn't sure it could still return to. At that thought my eyes drifted to her lips and I noticed a smudge of chocolate chip on her top lip. A smirk began to form on my face.

"Jade, you're too kind, you saved some for me!" I exclaimed as I traced her top lip with my finger, careful to avoid the chocolate. Jade's lips parted slightly and I heard her intake of breath.

"Well..." she started. "I was planning on saving it for later, you know just in case I get hungry, but as you said I am kind and I like to think of myself as a generous person so I'm sure I can make an exception and share it with you."

"God what did I do to deserve such a chivalrous girlfriend?" I questioned sarcastically whilst pretending to swoon and the room filled with Jade's bright laughter. I effectively shut her up when I leant in and placed my lips on hers, my hands coming to wrap around the small of her back so I could pull her closer. Our bodies were flush and Jade took no time responding to the kiss. I traced the path my finger had taken with my tongue but instead of avoiding the spot of chocolate, I ran my tongue over it once... twice... three times. My tongue seemed to have a mind of its own as it was soon tracing the seam of Jade's lips. Jade did not hesitate to part her lips and then my tongue was cautiously tracing the inside of her mouth. She seemed to sense my uncertainty; it had been a long time since I've been in a situation like this, so she took over. Her tongue wrapped around mine and I squeezed her hips lightly in approval. We continued to make out until the need to breath overtook my need for Jade and so I pulled away. My breath was coming hard and fast but I felt exhilarated. Raising my eyes slightly, I glanced at Jade's face: her breathing was a deep as mine and her pupils were blown. She was watching me carefully though.

"Was that okay?" She questioned cautiously when she realised I was watching her.

"Yeah it was better than okay – why wouldn't it be?" I asked with genuine confusion.

"I didn't know... I don't..." Jade seemed to struggle to find the words to express her thoughts.

"Hey, it's okay. You can tell me anything, now what's going through that pretty head of yours?"

"We've never kissed like that before and I just... I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with?" She replied uncertainly and it took me a minute to work out the meaning behind her words. When I finally worked it out I couldn't help the smile or the chaste kiss I pressed against her lips.

"I promise you're nothing like him. It's completely different and you could never make me uncomfortable but I promise to let you know if you ever do." I stated sincerely and I after a moment the doubt drained from her face.

"Okay good. Now are you ready to go?"

"Yeah let me just get Mackenzie and then you can lead the way." I replied as I headed towards the living room. Just as I reached the kitchen door Jade's voice floated towards me.

"Hey Pez!" I turned around to face her. "Just in case it wasn't absolutely clear, I really enjoyed what we just did."

"Me too Jade." With that I went to fetch Mackenzie.

She hadn't moved from the spot I'd left her in and another episode of In The Night Garden was playing.

"Come on Kenz, it's time to go." I told her.

"No Iggle Piggle is on!" She whined.

"And you can watch it later. We're going out." By now I'd moved to block the TV. Mackenzie was wriggling on the sofa trying to see past me but she gave up when she realised it wouldn't work.

"Come on! Let's get your shoes and coat on." She reluctantly took my hand when I held it out to her and we headed into the hall where Jade was waiting. When Mackenzie spotted Jade she dropped my hand and launched herself at Jade's legs.

"Jade." She squealed excitedly and Jade hoisted her up onto her hip.

"Hi Mackenzie." Jade replied affectionately and I smiled at them.

"Okay, come on. You only saw her earlier and she's coming out with us. Let's get your shoes on." I said as Jade passed me my daughter and I sat her on the last step."

"Where we going?" Mackenzie asked as she swung her little legs whilst I attempted to put on her shoes.

"We're going to have tea at Jade's house." I told her as I finished tying her shoe laces. Next to go on was her coat and then we were all ready to go. I grabbed Mackenzie's hand in one hand and went to open the door, only to see Jade standing and holding it open for us.

"Wait! Can I bring Mr Cuddles?" Mackenzie asked innocently and I nodded at her. She went scampering off to get Mr Cuddles from the sofa whilst we waited at the door. A minute later she was back with Mr Cuddles tucked safely under her arm. Knowing, he'd be dropped if Mackenzie carried him all the way I took him off her and put him in my bag before grabbing Mackenzie's hand once again. Once I'd shut the door and locked it behind us, I entwined mine and Jade's fingers.

"Lead the way Jade, your castle awaits." A smile graced Jade's face and we began walking.