'Cause the last time you saw me
still burned in the back of your mind
Early the next afternoon, Addison, Alba, Pete and Jessica met up in a park in New York close to one of Alba's favourite playgrounds.
"Hey." Addison smiled softly at Pete and Jessica.
"Hey." Pete gave a smile back while Jessica just crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked down at her feet.
"Did you want a coffee? I can get one from a café just across the road." Addison asked and let go of Alba's hand.
"Sure, if you don't mind." He nodded.
"Do you want a hot chocolate or tea, Jessica?" Addison asked and looked at the teenager.
"No, thanks," she answered shortly and didn't look at her.
"Alba," Addison bent down to her daughter's level. "Be a good girl while mummy goes to the café, okay?" The little girl just nodded her head and glanced up at Pete and Jessica. "I'll be right back." She kissed her daughter's forehead and stood up.
"You sure you don't want anything, Pumpkin?" Pete looked at Jessica.
"I'm fine," Jessica mumbled and slightly turned away.
"You could go with Addison and see if they do anything you like," he suggested
"No," she replied, sharply.
"Okay then." Pete nodded.
"I'll be right back." Addison gave a smile and made her way over to the café.
Pete looked down at Alba and smiled as he held his hand out to her. "Do you want to go play on the playground, Alba?"
"Swings!" She grinned and took hold of Pete's hand.
"Come on then." He smiled softly and made his way over to the swings with her. Jessica hung back and watched the two of them. Pete placed her on the swing securely before he began to push her. Alba giggled and demanded to go higher. He continued to push her and glanced back at Jessica. "Why don't you come over to us, Jess?" The teenagers shrugged and dug her toes into the ground and her hands into her pockets. Pete gave a small sigh before he turned back to the swings.
"Higher!" Alba giggled. "Higher!"
"Alright." He smiled softy and pushed her a little higher. She squealed with laughter and held her hands up in the air. Pete laughed softly as he watched her. "Having fun, Alba?"
"Yes!" The three year old grinned and kicked her legs about in excitement. He just smiled and continued to push her. "Higher! Higher!" she demanded again.
"You can't go much higher, Alba."
"Higher!" She pouted.
"Alright, alright." Pete smiled softly and pushed her a little higher. Alba squealed and continued to kick her legs. Pete smiled and glanced back at Jessica again.
"Here we go." Addison smiled as she carried the coffees back.
"Thank you." He smiled back as Alba slowly stopped swinging.
"Higher!" Alba pouted.
"Sorry, sweetie." Pete gave her another push.
"Alba, be polite," Addison warned her daughter. Pete gave a smile and took hold of his coffee. "I'm not sure how you like it so I got it with milk," she explained.
"That's fine, thank you."
"Good." She smiled softly. Pete smiled and took a sip before he turned back to give Alba another push. "You don't have to keep pushing her," Addison told him.
"It doesn't bother me. She's having so much fun."
"Guess it'll tire her out." Addison smiled.
"Probably." Pete smiled as he heard Alba squealing on the swing.
"How did Jessica take it?" she asked, quietly.
"Okay, I guess." He gave a small sigh as he glanced at his older daughter.
"You guess?" She looked at him.
"She was a little upset."
Addison nodded and glanced at Jessica as well.
"It's always been just her and me, you know, she's a little scared."
"I didn't mean to ruin anything for you," she apologised.
"She'll be fine."
"Really?"
"I only told her last night, she just needs some time."
"Yeah, guess she does." Addison nodded.
"She has to get used to the idea."
"Things will be alright, won't they?" she asked, unsure, and looked at him.
"Things will be okay." He gave her a soft smile.
"I just…I don't want to make things awkward for her or anything."
"I know my daughter. She'll be okay, she just needs some time."
Addison nodded and watched Alba on the swing. Pete took another sip of his coffee and looked over at Jessica who was watching them. "How will your parents react?" she asked.
"Well, they'll be surprised at first but I'm sure they're going to be excited to meet her."
"Will they hate me?"
Pete looked at Addison before she shook his head. "They won't."
"I kept your daughter from you for three years."
"You said there was no way you could have found me."
"No, there wasn't." She shook her head. "But still," she mumbled.
"They won't hate you."
"Mine would hate me." Addison took a long sip on her coffee and was thankful for the warm feeling it left behind.
"It's not like you'll be seeing them that often anyway."
"I just…I don't want bad things being said about me in front of Alba." Addison looked at Pete.
"Clearly you've never met my parents. That's not going to happen. I wouldn't let that happen."
"No, I haven't met your parents," she agreed. "I just don't want Alba finding out that I'm not this amazing person she thinks I am until she's older."
"Addison...what are you talking about?" he sighed.
"I just…I don't want to hear bad things about me."
"You won't, okay?"
"Okay." Addison nodded. Pete nodded as well and threw his empty cup into the bin. "Come on, Alba, let's get off the swings now." Pete looked at them before he walked over to Jessica. Addison threw her coffee cup out before she picked Alba up out of the swing. Pete and Jessica waited for the two of them to join them before they slowly began to walk out of the park.
"Where do you want to go now?" Addison asked.
"I don't mind, what about you, Jess?" Pete looked at the teenager who just shrugged and crossed her arms. "Nothing you want to do?"
"No."
"Jess." He gave a small sigh.
"What?" she mumbled.
"I thought we talked about this," he spoke, quietly.
"There's nothing I want to do."
"How about ice skating? Shopping? Are you hungry?"
"No." She shook her head.
Pete nodded slightly as he watched her before he looked at Addison. "Maybe we'll leave it for today."
"Okay…" She nodded slightly and looked at him.
"Yeah," he sighed. "I'll give you a call."
"Sure." Addison held onto Alba's hand. "Say bye, Alba."
"Bye, sweetie." Pete smiled softly at the little girl.
"Bye." Alba grinned and leaned into Addison's leg as she waved.
He smiled softly before he looked back at Jessica. "Come on, let's go." Jessica nodded and followed her father. "Back to the hotel then."
"Come on then, Petal." Addison smiled at Alba before they began to walk in the opposite direction.
That night, Pete was sat on his bed in the hotel room with a book in his lap when he felt Jessica's presence in the doorway. The teenager watched her father before she walked further into the room and crawled onto the bed. Pete watched her and closed the book before he leaned against the headboard. She pulled the covers back and snuggled down underneath them so that only her face was visible.
"Don't you have your own bed?" He smiled softly.
"It's cold," Jessica murmured.
"I can turn the heater up."
Jessica nodded and looked up at her father. Pete nodded as well and placed his book on the nightstand. "We're not going to move, are we?" she asked, quietly.
"No." He leaned back again and shook his head. "We live in LA."
"Will Addison and Alba move?"
"No, I don't expect them to move."
"Then how are you meant to see Alba?" she asked and pulled the covers tighter around her body.
"I'll have to fly over here more often. On weekends, school holidays. And they are going to visit us as well."
"Okay," Jessica whispered and nodded slightly.
"But things between you and me won't change, Pumpkin, you know that, right?"
"You have another daughter," she pointed out. To Jessica, having another daughter was a big deal.
"But I'm still your dad."
"Your Alba's as well."
"I know." Pete nodded and looked at her. "I know this is hard for you, Baby, but you don't have to be afraid. I'm still your dad, I still love you the same."
"Everything will change, though," she whispered.
"Change isn't always a bad thing though."
"Maybe." She shrugged.
"You get a little sister."
"Not the same, though."
"What do you mean?" Pete shifted and faced her as he leaned against the headboard.
"My friends with younger brothers and sisters have known them since their mum was pregnant. They met them as soon as they were born. They have a bond. They get to see them every day. What do I have with Alba? A few days here and there. We're never going to be close. She'll never know me as her big sister. She won't come to me for advice on clothes, make-up, boys. I'll just be this person she sees every now and then because she has to."
"She's still your sister. You can still have a bond. Of course you have to get to know her first but so do I. I know it's not exactly how it's supposed to be but it can. We'll figure something out."
"We won't have a bond." Jessica shook her head. "Whenever we meet she'll be with you because you're her dad."
"And you're her sister. Why wouldn't she be with you?"
"Because you're her dad and you'll want a bond." She could feel the tears stinging the backs of her eyes but she refused to let them fall.
"But that doesn't mean you two can't bond as well. I know she likes you. She did from the moment you asked her to play with you in the café."
"It's not the same, dad." Jessica shook her head, sadly.
"But it can be. You have to give it time, Jess."
"It'll never be the same. We'll never be a family. There is Addison as well."
Pete sighed and ran a hand over this face tiredly as he looked ahead of him.
"It's not the same, dad," Jessica whispered and got out of bed before she made her way to her room.