Hi! Sorry I haven't updated. Don't Slip Up is taking over my fanfiction life. Oh and THANK YOU SO MUCH for getting me over 100 reviews and over 11,000 hits! That's awesome. Anyways...here's chapter fourteen! With some big milestones for everyone. Hope you enjoy!
Okay, I've published and deleted this chapter a lot because it's not sending out alerts. Normally when I update one of my stories I get an email, but now it's not working. I'm not sure if it's just me that's not getting the email, or all my readers as well. I really hope it works this time!
Engagements, Divorce, and Baby Cereal- (4 Months Old)
"Beck! Beck! Jade! Wake up! Oh my gosh! You won't believe it!"
Beck shoots up in bed, convinced there's a fire or burglar, and Jade yawns lazily and sits up more slowly. Standing in their doorway is Julia, in her pink bathrobe, phone in hand.
"What's wrong?" Beck asks. Jade looks from him, to Julia, to the clock which says 6am in confusion.
"Nothing's wrong!" She says with a huge smile. She waves the phone in their faces. "That was your sister, Beck. Andrew proposed!"
"He did?"
"Yes! She's engaged! My baby's engaged!"
Jade groans.
"Why did she call so early?"
"She's still in France, silly goose! It's three in the afternoon over there. She just couldn't wait any longer to tell me."
"Does dad know?"
"Yeah, I just told him." She replies, less enthusiastically.
"Well...that's great, mom. I'm really happy for her. I'll have to call her later."
Jade nods and plops back down on her pillow, but apparently Julia isn't done yet. "Wait! There's even better news!"
The raven haired girl sits up again with an audible groan. Julia is practically jumping up and down. "Your sister's twenty third birthday is in a few weeks, and she's coming here to celebrate it! With her fiancé! I get to see my baby girl for the first time in eight months!"
Beck smiles. "Wow. That's awesome, mom. We'll have to all get together sometime. Maybe we can do dinner here one night."
"She'd love that!" She pauses and turns to Jade. "Are you excited? You'll finally get to meet Genevieve!"
Jade nods. "Yeah. That's great. Do you think I can express my excitement after I sleep on it for a few more hours?"
Julia nods. "Sure," she says softly. Then Jade notices how the woman is looking at her awkwardly, and she realizes she's not wearing a shirt. Damn. She was hot last night and took it off. She dives back under the covers, her face turning red, and Julia smiles a little before she turns to leave. "It's okay. Oh, Beck? Your father wants you to help him clear out the shed today. He needs to start getting his stuff out of there." Beck nods. "Okay, mom. Tell him I'll do it in a couple hours." Julia nods and with one last joyful squeal, bounces away, not even bothering to close their bedroom door before leaving the apartment.
"Ugh," Jade mumbles into her pillow. "I can't believe your mother just saw me topless."
"Well," he replies, tickling her back, "She is your unofficial soon to be mother-in-law now."
"Just don't tell her that. She'll be so happy she'll have a stroke."
Jade smiles and he kisses her cheek.
/-/-/-/
Three hours later, Beck is starting at a shed packed with so much stuff things tumble out when you open the door. "How long do you think this will take? Cuz Jade and I were gonna take Sophia to the park today."
"Should only be a couple hours," his dad says expressionlessly. He starts throwing stuff out onto the grass. "Most of this crap is your mother's anyways."
"You mean like the crap she used to landscape this whole yard for you?" Beck snaps.
"Cut the attitude."
Beck rolls his eyes and throws a broken flower pot in the garbage can. It may be nine in the morning, but there's already sweat dripping down his forehead, and the heavy work gloves aren't helping. He just wants to get this done as soon as possible so he can go spend time with his family. His new family. His real family. Not his dad.
He pulls out a stone and blows the dust off of it as a smile creeps onto his face. He remembers this. They made it for his mom for her birthday one year. On the stone there are two hand prints, both tiny. One says "Genevieve, 8 years old." The other, "Beck, 3 years old." He hands it to his dad. "You better let mom keep this." The man nods and examines the stone for a minute before setting it down in the garden.
Over the next hour, they fill four garbage cans with broken tools and furniture, empty boxes, dead potted plants, overused toys, melted candles, outdated artwork, ripped garden gloves, old Christmas decorations, and dozens of other miscellaneous things that shouldn't even be in a shed. So far the only thing they've even packed for Beck's father to take is some fishing gear. Beck pulls a small red fishing pole out of the pile with a chuckle.
"This was mine." He twirls it around in his hand. "This was mine when I was what? Five?"
"Maybe younger," His dad replies. "I think you started fishing before you could talk."
Beck's smile fades. "When did we stop fishing?"
"I don't know. It's been at least a year. Jade got pregnant. You had to focus on her and your new baby. No time for fishing, I guess."
Beck sighs, thinking of what Jade told him last night, after he had rudely kicked her dad out of the apartment. "Maybe we can go again sometime. You know, when you get settled into your new house and everything."
"That would be nice." His dad bites his lips and looks like he wants to say something more, but then he shakes his head and gets back to work, throwing a box out of the shed. "I think that's gardening stuff. Your mom will want that."
He nods and moves the box to the "Julia Side." Then he turns back to Mike. "You know, we stopped doing a lot of things when Jade got pregnant." His dad shrugs. "It changed a lot of things around here. It affected all of us."
Beck opens his mouth and shuts it again.
"What?" His dad asks.
He sits down on the stone fence and runs his hands through his sweaty hair. Then he decides to ask the question that's been on his mind for ages. He sits up and looks his dad in the eye. "Did Jade and Sophia have anything to do with this divorce?"
Mike exhales deeply and plops down next to Beck. He starts talking slowly and carefully. "I won't say that your mom and I didn't fight more after you had the baby," he begins. "But I think this would have happened eventually either way. We've had a good twenty five years together, but we can't make it last any longer. We need to do our own thing now. You know?" Beck nods. "Yeah. I think so."
"Whatever you do, don't blame yourself. Or your family."
Beck nods. Maybe Jade is right about his dad. Maybe. But Beck still isn't convinced that his father and him will ever have the same relationship again.
/-/-/-/
Beck walks into their living room two hours later, just wanting a cool shower and a freshly made sandwich. Sophia is lying on her tummy on a big blue blanket, shaking a rattle and babbling loudly. She's wearing pink sweat pants, a white sparkly tank top, and a pink headband with a giant bow. Beck chuckles at her outfit, the exact opposite of what Jade would want her to wear. Unfortunately for her, Julia had filled Sophia's wardrobe with so many girly clothes, Jade barely had a choice anymore.
"Hi, munchkin." Beck says. Sophia squeals and puts the rattle in her mouth.
"Well, took you long enough," Jade says from the couch, where she's reading a book with a bloody knife on the cover.
"Sorry. You still wanna go to the park? It's only twelve thirty. We can pack a picnic lunch."
"A picnic lunch? Sounds like that would involve work."
"Not really."
"Are you going to make it?" She raises and eyebrow.
"Well, I have to go take a shower. But I can help after I'm done."
She snorts. "Yeah, right. You'll spend an hour fiddling with your hair and leave me to make the whole lunch. Besides, it's getting really hot outside. I vote no picnic."
"What do you vote, Sophia?"
She looks up at Beck with a smile. "Goo!"
Jade stands up and puts her book down. "I have an idea."
"Should I call the police?"
"No! This is a good idea. Involving Sophia."
"You're not touching my baby."
"Beck! I'm serious. It's a good idea. We're going to feed her solid food. For the first time ever." Her eyes widen for dramatic effect and an excited smile creeps onto her face.
"Can we?"
"Sure! According to the parenting book I just purchased, you can start feeding solid food at four to six months. I bought some baby cereal the other day at the grocery store. She's hungry right now, so maybe she'll eat it."
"Well. Okay. That's not such a bad idea. Wait. You bought a parenting book?"
"Never mind. Just make the cereal."
"Why should I?"
"Because I said so. Just add a tiny bit of cereal. We need her to get used to it."
"Okay."
"And warm it up."
"Yes ma'am."
Jade goes over to Sophia and scoops her up. "Let's go sit in your high chair." The infant drops her rattle and starts to scream and cry at the top of her lungs. Jade straps her into her high chair and gives her the toy again. How did she end up having a child with such a bad temper?
"It's ready!" Beck says. He brings over the bowl of baby cereal, which is really mostly milk and formula, and sets it on the high chair tray. "Sophia, do you want some yummy food?" He asks in an annoyingly high pitched voice. Sophia purses her lips and looks at the bowl, unimpressed. Beck picks up a spoonful of the cereal and presses it to her lips. She just stares at him.
"Open wide Sophia! It's so yummy!"
Sophia pushes the spoon away with her hand, spilling it on Beck's shirt. Beck shrugs and looks at Jade. "She doesn't want it." She rolls her eyes and grabs the spoon, piling it full of the baby cereal. "Don't just give up, you wimp!"
Jade forcibly opens Sophia's mouth with one hand and shoves the spoon in with the other. Sophia closes her eyes and makes a sour face, but then slowly swallows the cereal.
"I don't think she likes it," Beck says, shaking his head. "She's not ready to have solid food yet. Let's stick to bottles."
"Shut up. She loves it."
Sophia opens her mouth for more and Jade ends up feeding her the whole bowl, her face covered in it. Jade smirks and orders Beck to clean her face up. He does, pouting the whole time. Then he goes over and sits on the couch, crossing his arms. Jade picks Sophia up and sits down next to him.
"Who died?" Sophia is trying to stand on Jade's lap, and keeps kicking her legs and trying to push away from her.
"She can't just eat all that. She's too young."
"No, she's not. The book said four months is an okay age, as long as she's doing good holding her head up."
"But..."
"If you kick me one more time I will tie your little legs together, Sophia."
"Jade. We should wait a while."
Jade blinks at Beck a few times and then finally seems to understand what he's saying. She stands up with an overly emotional smile. "Oh! Poor Beck! He's sad that his little girl is growing up!"
"No, it's not that."
"Poor Beck! His baby is old enough to have food now and it's killing him." She puts a hand over her heart.
He rolls his eyes but smiles and takes Sophia from Jade. She blows bubbles at him and grabs one of his hands with two of her tiny ones. "It just seems like yesterday that she was born, okay? I'm not ready yet."
"Beck, she tried baby cereal. She didn't graduate."
"I guess so." He sighs and kisses Sophia's head. "I'm gonna go rock her to sleep and put her down for her nap," he says before leaving the room.
"How on earth did I get stuck with such a sentimental dork for a boyfriend?"
"I heard that!" He calls.
"You were supposed to."
/-/-/-/
Two hours later, when Beck is showered and Sophia is fast asleep, the couple is cuddling on the couch, munching on popcorn.
"So..." Beck says through a mouthful of popcorn, "We should make dinner one night when my sister and her fiancé come visit."
"Ugh. Cooking?"
He pinches her nose. "It'll be fun!"
"Almost as much fun as getting each of my toenails ripped off one by one."
Beck rolls his eyes.
"Hey. How will your mom and dad have dinner with us? You know, in the same room?"
He shrugs. He hadn't really thought about that. Hopefully they'd be able to make it work for Genevieve.
"What is she like anyways?"
"Nice. Bubbly. Smart."
"Ugh."
"I think you'll get along with her. Or at least tolerate her."
"Maybe."
He pulls her close and kisses her hair, savoring this alone time that they rarely get now.
"Hi guys!"
Jade chucks a pillow across the room at the sound of Julia's voice. The middle aged woman just smiles and waves. "I'm leaving and I probably won't be back til late, okay?"
"Why are you all dressed up?" Beck asks, looking at her dark purple blouse and sleek black skirt.
"Don't you remember? We're going to court today."
Beck's heart sinks. He forgot. They're finalizing the divorce today. "Oh." He says grimly. "Good luck."
She offers a sympathetic smile. "Thank you. See you later, sweetie."
"Bye." She leaves and Beck pushes the bowl of popcorn away. Jade raises an eyebrow.
"Why are you so pouty today?"
"Maybe cuz tomorrow my parents won't be married anymore."
"If I got through it when I was eight, you can get through it when you're eighteen. Man up."
He just shakes his head and fiddles with the remote.
"Oh crap. You're not gonna cry, are you?"
This brings a little smile to his face and he pokes her side. "No, I'm not gonna cry you wacko."
"Good. Cuz I would have walked out."
"Thanks for your support."
/-/-/-/
"Beck?" Jade says gingerly that night.
"Hmm?"
"I made you this." She hands him a plate, and on it is a chocolate cake. The words "Sorry Beck" are sloppily piped on in vanilla frosting. "I just...made it. To say sorry for your parents and for me not being very...sensitive to the whole situation."
He laughs. Jade's super cute sensitive side would come out at the most random times, and he was usually the only one who got to see it. "Babe, this is the cutest thing ever. Thank you." He kisses her cheeks and takes a dab of frosting on his finger.
"Don't get too excited. It's just a cake mix from a box. And frosting from a can. And it's not meant to be cute."
"Okay. I still love it though. You're adorable."
She stomps her foot loudly and sticks out her lip. "I hate you! Don't say I'm adorable! I'm not!"
He holds his hands up in surrender and she's expecting him to apologize, but instead he takes some of the frosting and wipes it all over her face with a smirk. "Now you're adorable."
By the time she gets her hands on the cake, it's too crushed and broken to eat, and both of them have cake all over them.
"Good practice for our wedding day," Beck says with a smile.
"Are we really engaged?" She asks him innocently.
"Well...we will be. Someday. When I can afford to buy you a ring."
She rips a thread off Sophia's blanket and tells him to tie it on her finger.
"Why?" He asks.
"This will be my ring. At least for now."
Beck chuckles and ties the thread on her ring finger. He doesn't care what she says. Jade West is beyond adorable.
Okay...I don't even know if Beck and Jade are engaged or not. I mean...officially they're not, right? I'll do a chapter someday where he actually gets down on one knee and proposes. But for now I think this is cute.
I've been reading all of your suggestions...so next chapter will have Beck's sister. And we will see more of Jade's family soon too.
Also, I don't know if you noticed, but I changed my name from BeckandJadeForever to LoveLizMcGills. Just because that's my twitter name so it makes it easier, plus the old name was extremely unoriginal. Don't judge. ;)
So that's all the ranting, sorry! Please leave me a review and keep those suggestions coming. And I'd like to say thank you to the people who have left multiple reviews! Thanks for sticking with this story. :)