Three Years and One Lifetime

8

Hailey pulls up to Jay's apartment, heart thumping in her chest. She unbuckles her seatbelt and steps out from the car with an umbrella, making her way to the back and opening the rear door. Jaiyana is already reaching up from her car seat as Hailey unbuckles her and retrieves her little purple backpack from the floor. No one has made their way down to pick them up, so she takes the extra time to quickly fix her daughter's hair. It's up in a ponytail today, as is her own. She opted for a more pulled back style today, after the hectic laundry basket game they got themselves into last time. She swings Jaiyana onto her hip, shuts the car door and speed walks to the complex main door, trying to avoid the light downpour of rain. She's about to ring the doorbell for apartment 300 when the door suddenly opens, revealing Jay on the other side.

"Hi Hailey" he says, before turning to his daughter. "Hi Jaiyana" he waves.

"Hi daddeeeee" Jaiyana chirps back. Jay's breath hitches a little, still not used to hearing those amazing words. 

"Come in, Will's already here."

He leads them up to his apartment. Hailey takes a deep breath before Jay opens the front door. They walk into the living room, then into the kitchen. Hailey notices the high chair, new pillows on the couch, as well as a few extra empty photo frames, waiting to be filled. She makes a mental note to send him Jaiyana's baby photos sometime. 

"Oh hi Hailey" she hears. She sees Will standing in the kitchen, cooking something over the stove. He turns off the gas and rinses his hands quickly before properly greeting them. 

"Nice to see you again" he says as he side hugs her, careful not to squish the little girl she's holding. 

"Hi Will" she replies, grateful that the reunion isn't too awkward. 

"You must be Jaiyana" he says, turning to the little girl. 

"Hi" says Jaiyana brightly, unfaised by the sudden appearance of another close family member in her life. 

"This is your uncle Will" says Hailey, encouraging her daughter to greet him.

"Hi uncle Will!" chirps Jaiyana, waving at him.

"Hi little one" says Will, before turning to Hailey. "She's beautiful" he smiles. "She looks just like you, except those eyes." 

Hailey smiles, involuntarily. So does Jay. 

"I'll finish up dinner in here, you go and spend some time with Jaiyana" says Jay to his brother.

"Oh, sure" replies Will, glad to be given the opportunity to spend time with his niece. 

Jaiyana has no problem dragging Will into the living room, as Hailey watches, amused. "Gosh this little girl is strong, she definitely gets it from both of you" comments Will. "Yeah well she has no problem bossing people around, that's for sure" laughs Hailey. 

They sit on the floor, playing with a few blocks Hailey brought in Jaiyana's backpack. Jaiyana chatters happily, while the two adults accompany her in silence, a little unsure of what to do or say. 

Suddenly, Hailey asks "you don't blame me for what happened, right?"

Will looks up in shock. "God no" he replies. "I was there when Jay realised everything for the first time. I know what happened. You were both operating under false information, and there's no point in blaming anyone at this point, okay?"

With that, Hailey sighs in relief. 

...

Jay is much more prepared this time, having cooked a proper homemade meal of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. Jaiyana chatters happily, and enjoys the mashed potatoes so much that she manages to get it everywhere.