"Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma-"
"Little Man..." James Oliver chuckles softly as he bounces his grandson in his arms "Shh...just a few more minutes and then you can have your mama and dada, okay?"
He's pacing back and forth in the back of the Hollywood Arts auditorium as Principal Helen reads off the names of each member of the graduating class. The ceremony has fallen on one of Beck's weekends, so Miles stays with James and Priya throughout the duration. The now ten month-old isn't really one for being quiet or sitting still these days, he'd much rather be crawling around on the floor or climbing all over Daddy's shoulders or singing something, so he was growing a bit restless just sitting on Priya's lap not doing anything but watching the people in funny outfits walk across the stage. His grandmother, however, was beginning to lose patience with him. Her baby boy is graduating high school, and he isn't going to college so this will probably be the first and last time she ever sees him graduate anything, she wants to be taking as many pictures as possible. Comforting a fussy grandson is not on the list of things she wants to be doing in that moment, as much as she really does love Miles, so James is the one who opts to stand up with him and keep him from distracting the other parents sitting around them in the auditorium. Priya already took countless pictures of Miles and Beck together, with Beck is his graduation cap and gown, before they left for the ceremony, but once he has his diploma she wants to get a few more. Then they'll pass Miles off to Jade and her family so they can get their own pictures together as well.
James has to admit, he is quite proud of his son. Even though he's choosing not to attend a university like the rest of his friends are in the fall, he still has a lot to show for himself upon graduating from high school. He's really stepped up over the past eighteen months or so and become quite the responsible individual, and a very caring father to a beautiful little boy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Hollywood Arts graduating class of 2014!" Helen exclaims
The auditorium erupts with applause and confetti canons in the front shoot off a plethora of streamers, and all of the noise startles Miles. His bottom lip begins to quiver as he looks up at his grandfather, before hiding his face in his shoulder.
"Oh buddy..." James laughs, bouncing the baby a bit in his arms as he weaves through the crowd of people to return to his wife "It's alright! It's just noise!"
"We should meet him out in the lobby!" Priya suggests as her husband approaches her "It's too loud in here for the baby."
"I think you're right." James nods, and immediately turns around to find the exit
There are still quite a few people in the auditorium's lobby, but it's much more open and nowhere near as cramped as inside. Miles seems much happier, and is quite entertained by laughing at his reflection in the large glass windows on the exterior walls.
"Mom! Dad!" Beck calls out to them
He's still in his gown, but has removed his cap by now and is carrying it along with his official diploma.
"My baby!" Priya opens her arms to hug him "I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks Ma." Beck kisses her cheek "Dad."
"Son." James shakes Beck's hand "Congratulations."
"Thanks Dad." Beck grins "Hey Miles!"
"Ma ma ma ma"
"No." Beck chuckles, taking the baby from his father "Da-da. I'm Dada."
"He'll get there." Priya assures him "The 'm' sound is a lot easier for them to make than the 'd', it's more natural."
"I know, I actually think it's kind of funny." Beck admits "And he is quite the mama's boy. Aren't you, Little Man?"
"Oh, see if he'll let you put your cap on him." Priya suggests "Oh my goodness, that is just precious!"
"Take the picture quick." Beck tells her through smiling teeth "Who knows how long he'll put up with this."
But Miles doesn't mind the cap. In fact, he's actually quite mesmerized by the tassel hanging off of it.
"Oh stop." A voice from behind them gasps "That's too cute!"
"Hi Mommy!" Beck turns Miles around to face Jade "Look Miles!"
"Mama!" Miles exclaims, clapping his hands
"Hey dude!" Jade tickles her son's stomach "Do you guys want me to take a picture of the four of you real quick?"
"If you wouldn't mind, yeah." Beck tells her, placing his cap back on top of his own head "That would be great."
"Mama..." Miles whines as Jade grabs Priya's camera and steps back from all of them
"Just a second, baby!" Jade says in a happy voice "Look at me please! Smile!"
"Smile, Miles." Beck bounces the baby up and down "Did you get one?"
"I think so." Jade nods as she hands the camera back to Priya "He smiled a bit, but I can't promise he was looking."
"That's okay." Priya assures her "We got some good ones back at the house."
"That's good." Jade smiles as she takes Miles in her arms "Beck? I'll just drop him off after we're done with our pictures, you don't need to wait around for us to finish if you don't want to."
"Alright." Beck shrugs "Thanks, Jade."
"No problem."
"Let's get one of the three of you!" James suggests "Something for Miles to look back on when he's older."
"That okay?" Beck asks Jade
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"Alright." He smirks, slipping an arm around her waist and smiling into his mother's camera "Smile for Grandma, Miles!"
"Where are Cat and Jade tonight?" Andre asks, wading into Tori's pool
It wasn't too often that both girls were absent from group get togethers, especially when it gave Jade a chance to see Miles on a weekend that he's with Beck. The two are getting along much better now, but neither of them would ever turn down the opportunity to spend extra time with their son.
"They're in New York for the weekend." Robbie explains
"Yeah." Beck nods in agreement as Miles splashes around in his arms "They're looking for an apartment."
It's the middle of June and they're still quite a ways away from anyone moving or going away to school, but Cat and Jade's parents didn't want to save the apartment shopping until the last minute. Especially in that competitive of a market.
"They're not going to stay in dorms?" Andre raises an eyebrow at them
"Jade can't." Beck nods towards the baby in his arms "No kids."
"And you know those two, they're inseparable. They don't want to find other roommates." Robbie adds "So, they're going to find an apartment somewhere."
"Ah. That makes sense." Andre nods "How ya doin' with that, man? The whole 'kid moving to the other side of the country' thing?"
"I mean, I don't love it." Beck admits "But it's what's best for him so how can I stop them?"
"Are they going to be there year-round?"
"That seemed to be their plan." Robbie nods "Obviously they'll come home for holidays and special occasions and stuff, but as far as I know they plan on staying there and working during the summer so that they don't lose the apartment."
"That also makes sense."
"Miles won't be there during the summer though."
"He won't?"
"Yeah, he won't?" Tori asks, emerging from the house
"Oh, hey Tor." Beck greets her "And no, that's part of our new custody agreement. He'll live in New York with Jade for a majority of the year, but he'll spend all of June and July here with me."
"How's he going to get back here?"
"Either she'll fly out here with him and then go back or I'll fly out to get him and bring him back." Beck shrugs "But it gives me time with him and it gives her an opportunity to work a little more in the summers, and have a bit more freedom to go out and have some fun maybe."
"Cat will make sure that happens." Robbie chuckles
"I know she will." Beck laughs "Which will be good for both of them."
"You're still going to fly out and visit them, aren't you?" Robbie asks him "I'm going to."
Robbie is going to be attending University of South Carolina in the fall, he'll still have to travel quite a ways to visit Cat, but not nearly as far as Beck will have to travel to visit Miles. Andre is attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, and Tori will be staying the closest out of all of the people going away to school and attending University of California -Berkeley.
"They've promised me that there will be a sofa bed for me to sleep on when I visit." Beck nods "So I plan to, yeah. It just all depends on work and what kind of auditions I can get."
"Maybe you'll land something that is filming out there." Tori says "Wouldn't that be convenient?
"It would be very convenient." Beck chuckles, looking down at Miles and kissing the top of his head "But convenient hasn't really been in the cards for me lately."
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Miles. Happy birthday to you."
The baby looks at the cake in front of him. Can he eat this? Mommy and Daddy aren't trying to pull it away from him, and everyone is smiling. He must be allowed to eat it, right? Hesitantly, Miles reaches out and grabs a fistful of cake and frosting in his hand and smashes it into his mouth, earning a chorus of laughter from everyone surrounding him.
He's clad only in a diaper, sitting in his high-chair in Chris and Kaitlyn's kitchen, smashing a white cake with a bright blue number one frosted on top of it. Beck and Jade are on either side of his high chair, encouraging him to tear into the cake and eat as much as he wants. All of his grandparents are in attendance for his party, as well as his Aunt Cat, Aunt Tori, Uncle Robbie, Uncle Andre, and Uncle Tyler.
"Is that yummy?" Jade asks him, brushing her hair behind her shoulders so that it doesn't get any frosting in it
Miles holds a fistful of cake out to her as if to say, 'Here Mama, try some! It's your birthday too!'
"Oh, no thank you, baby." Jade laughs, pushing his fist away "That cake is just for you."
Miles' interest in the cake doesn't last vey long once he smashes it to bits and licks up most of the frosting, so Jade carefully picks him up out of the high chair and carries him upstairs at an arm's length to give him a bath and change him into a fresh outfit before he opens presents.
"Wa!" Miles giggles, splashing around as the water fills up the tub around him
"Wa-ter." Jade articulates "Good job."
"How's it going in here?" Beck asks, appearing in the doorway
"Good." Jade tells him as Miles splashes some water onto her jeans "Hey watch it, mister. It's not just your birthday, remember?"
"Need any help?" Beck laughs, stepping into Jade and Tyler, and now Miles', shared bathroom "I care a little less about my outfit and hair."
"Sure." Jade scoots back a bit to make room for Beck to sit
"Dada! Wa!" Miles exclaims
"Yeah, wa-ter." Beck chuckles "Good job, bud."
"I can't believe it's already been a year..." Jade says quietly "Where did the time go?"
"They say that happens once you have kids." Beck sighs, gently rubbing baby shampoo into Miles' hair "The first year flies by, but the rest of them go even quicker."
"Do you remember how small he was?
"Yeah." Beck nods "Do you remember how scared we were?"
"Yeah." Jade nods "Honestly, I'm still pretty scared."
"Me too." Beck admits "I don't think I'll ever stop worrying about him."
"Me either." Jade agrees "But they say that happens once you become a parent too."
"Well, we kept him alive for a whole year." Beck reminds her "He's happy and he's healthy. And we went a whole year without slitting each other's throats too."
"We came close a few times..."
"But not as many times as we did while you were pregnant."
"That's true." Jade laughs "Look at us, growing up."
"Speaking of growing up..." Beck reaches into the chest pocket of his flannel shirt and pulls out a small, wrapped package "This is from Miles, he says 'Happy 18th Birthday'. Seriously, he had a card all picked out too. But he's been really into ripping things these days, and we didn't have time to replace it."
"Beck..." Jade takes the box in her hands "You didn't have t-"
"I didn't do anything." Beck assures her "It was all him."
Jade can't argue with him, Miles had done the same thing on his eighteenth birthday too. She bought him a new pair of work boots and signed the card from the baby.
She lifts the lid off the box to reveal a silver necklace with a simple charm in the shape of the letter 'M'.
"M for Miles?" She clarifies
"M for Miles." Beck nods "Happy birthday, Jade."
"Thank you, Miles." Jade smiles at the baby, securing the necklace around her neck "Thank you, Beck. I love it."
"What can I say?" Beck laughs "The kid has good taste."
"We should get him back to his party." Jade sighs "I'm sure all of those boxes downstairs are full of toys for him to open."
"I'm sure you're right." Beck chuckles "And I'm sure they all make a lot of noise."