Chapter Five
Looking down at his sleeping daughter, JC couldn’t help but smile. She was too cute. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her nose before looking over to his wife, who was staring at him intently.
“What?”
“Julie and Abbi are lucky to have such a wonderful daddy.” She smiled when she noticed the crimson blush creep onto his cheeks as he ducked his head shyly.
“Oh come on. Don’t say that. I’m not THAT great.”
“Yes you are Jace. When I see the way Abbi looks up at you, it just… completely fills my heart. And you know, even seeing how upset Julie got over this whole ordeal… she thinks so highly of you, honey. She never wants you to be disappointed in her.”
By now, he had a faint smile on his face as he let the words sink in. Truthfully, he was a good father. He had no problem admitting it. He did everything in his power to provide for and care for his children and wife. But it was a job that he was glad to have.
~*~
The next morning, JC was woken up to smell of cinnamon French toast. When he opened his eyes, he was met by the three beautiful women in his life.
“Hey guys,” he greeted sleepily, pushing himself up. “What are you doing?”
“Well, we just wanted to do something nice for you, daddy. So Abbi and I got up early to wake Jenny and we fixed you breakfast,” Julie explained, taking the tray from her step mother with a smile. JC couldn’t help but laugh. His girls were so thoughtful!
“Wow… this looks good!” He said, his eyes widening when the tray was placed in his lap. “Are my girls going to share with me, or is it all for me?” He asked with a laugh.
“Well, you know… since you asked and all…” Jen smirked, sliding into her place beside him, quickly joined by Abbi and Julie. He grinned and pulled his eldest daughter to his side, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.
Looking up at him, Julie offered him a sweet smile. In a way, this was her plan to get back in her father’s good graces. What she didn’t know was that it made no difference what she did, his opinion of his first born never faltered.
~*~
“Ugh! Guys! Slow down! I’m getting to old for this crap,” JC mumbled as he trudged along behind his children, his pregnant wife beside him. She let out a hearty laugh and shook her head. The family of four had decided on an impromptu trip to Disney. JC was beginning to regret his suggestion.
“I swear to Christ, I’m going to be so sore tomorrow, Jen. This was the worst suggestion I’ve ever made.”
She stood on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek.
“Well, dear, you’re about to be on your own. I’m going to find a bench to park myself on for awhile. My feet are killing me,” she complained softly. JC’s face softened and his own pain was quickly forgotten.
“I’ll tell you what, babe. Give me your phone,” he requested, holding his hand out. Once he had it, he gave a loud whistle for his daughters, who quickly stopped in their tracks. They turned and walked back to their parents.
Jen walked over to the nearest park bench and took a seat, letting out a soft moan at the feeling of relief she felt.
“All this walking around is really hard on me and Jen. Julie, I want you to take Jen’s phone and check in every hour. You and Abbi go on and Jen and I are going to find something to do.”
With a squeal of thanks, both girls took off running, leaving their parents in the dust. When JC returned to his wife, he gave a weak laugh as he sank down beside her.
“We’re getting old!”
~*~
By the time the family had met up again, it was well after dark. Both Julie and Abbi looked absolutely worn out. Even though she was much too big, JC lifted his youngest daughter into his arms and carried her to the car as she rested her tired head against his shoulder. Julie glanced over at her father and secretly wished SHE was small enough for the same privilege.
Jen wrapped her arms around her step-daughter’s shoulders, smiling when the girl leaned her head against her shoulder.
“Did you guys have a good time?”
“Oh yeah. Abbi’s awesome, Jen. I swear. So many little kids would have been completely freaked to get on some of the rides we went on, but she never batted an eyelash.”
“See? And you couldn’t stand her when you were little!”
“No way!”
“I’m serious! At her first birthday party, you got so aggravated that no one was paying you any attention and you rushed out of the room all dramatically. Your dad and I found you in her room later that night singing her to sleep when the storm woke her up.”
With a smile, Jen lifted her head up and looked to her step-mother. Unexpectedly, she wrapped her arms around the older woman and pulled her into a hug.
“What was that for?” Jen asked with a laugh.
“I don’t think I ever thanked you for being an awesome mother.”
With a final squeeze, Julie released the woman and skipped up to join her father and help him open up the door so that he could put Abbi down. Jen brought her hand up to her eyes and wiped away the single tear that had slid down her cheek.
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