"I can't believe we made it through our first year of college." Cat grins, laying back on their blanket and adjusting her sunglasses on her face
"I can't believe how big he's gotten..." Jade sighs, watching Miles and Beck run around in the grass
The four of them are at a park near Cat and Jade's building. It's the third week of May, and their finals have just ended. Beck flew out from Los Angles for a few days to visit but when he leaves, Miles is going to be going with him. Per their custody agreement, as long as Jade is living in New York, Miles will spend summers with his father back in California.
"It'll be fine, Jade." Cat assures her friend "Like it'll suck for a day or two, but you'll get into a routine and before you know it he'll be back."
"Two months is a long time."
"Not really." Cat shrugs "I mean, not compared to the other ten that Beck has to go without seeing him regularly."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Mom!" Miles exclaims, running towards Jade and practically jumping into her arms
"Woah!" Jade laughs "Hey bud, you almost knocked me over."
Miles two months away from turning two years old. His eyes have lightened some since he was born, they're now the same crystal blue as his mother's. Actually, he looks a lot like her. The only attributes he seems to have inherited from Beck are his nose and smile, but everything else about him just screams Jade. He has her blue eyes, her sandy brown hair, and quite a bit of her personality as well. He's the sweetest little boy, and Beck and Jade consider themselves incredibly lucky to be his parents.
"Juice?" Miles asks Jade with hopeful eyes
"Try again." She tells him
"I have juice...please?" Miles rephrases his original question
"There ya go." Jade chuckles, reaching into the diaper bag to find his sippy cup "Of course you can have your juice."
"Thank you!"
Miles repositions himself so he's sitting comfortably on Jade's lap and begins drinking from the cup as Beck makes his way over to the blanket.
"He's got a lot of energy, I'll give him that." Beck laughs, plopping down next to Jade and Miles
"All kids have a lot of energy." Jade tells him, reaching back into the diaper bag and pulling out a bottle of water "Here."
"Thanks." Beck nods, twisting the cap off
"Hey." Cat sits up "What about-"
"Here." Jade pulls another water bottle out of the bag "There's one for everybody."
"Thanks, Mom." Cat smirks
"Yeah, yeah."
"How's the auditioning, Beck?" Cat asks him as she takes a sip from her own water bottle
"Not horrible but not great." Beck shrugs "I've done a few commercials, but nothing too major yet."
"Aw, I'm sorry."
"S'alright." Beck shrugs "It got me out of my parents' house."
With the money he had earned from the few commercial spots he had done, combined with the money he was making now working full time for the landscaping company, Beck was able to move out of the RV in his parents' driveway and into a two bedroom apartment in Central LA. The building itself was a bit out-dated in terms of style, his bathroom is floor to ceiling daffodil-yellow tile, but it's not a bad place to live. Not to mention that he was able to set up a real big boy room for Miles to have to himself when he visits.
"Isn't living on your own totally awesome but totally terrifying?" Jade laughs
"Oh totally." Beck smiles in agreement "It's so much fun paying my own bills and cooking for myself."
"Dada, occer." Miles tugs on Beck's shirt, pointing to the miniature soccer ball that they had brought along with them
"Soccer?" Beck asks him, picking up the ball
"Uh huh!"
"Alright." Beck nods, getting to his feet and reaching out for his son's hand "Let's go."
Jade tries her best not to cry when she sees Beck and Miles off at the airport, but she can't help but shed a few tears as she watches the two of them disappear through the security checkpoint. This is going to be the longest she's ever been apart from her son, and is finding it hard to imagine what it will be like without him for so long.
Beck, on the other hand, is thrilled to have Miles with him for the summer. Granted, he's never had him on his own for such a long extended period of time, but he knows his parents will be there to help him if he needs. James and Priya haven't seen their grandson since Christmas, and Beck knows that they'll be anxious for some time with him as well.
"Welcome home, Little Man." Beck grins as he and Miles walk through the door to his apartment
He sets Miles down on the floor, and the toddler takes a few hesitant steps forward before looking back at his father.
"Go on." Beck assures him "You can explore."
"Okay!" Miles giggles, running into the apartment
It's a bit bigger than Cat and Jade's, and the layout is different too. Miles has a smile on his face as he takes a lap around the living room and then takes off running down the hallway towards the bedrooms and bathroom.
"Hey buddy, look in here." Beck suggests, pushing open the door to Miles' room "This is your room."
There's a toddler bed pushed up against the far wall with a night stand right beside it. The adjacent wall has a bookshelf and a toy box, both stocked full of books and toys for Miles to enjoy. There's some clothes in his closet, but Beck will fill it with the things Jade has sent along with them as well.
"Mine?" Miles walks hesitantly towards the doorway "And Mommy?"
"No, not for Mommy." Beck explains "Just for Miles."
"But..."
"But what?"
"Mommy..." Miles says quietly, looking as if he could begin crying at any moment
His bottom lip begins to quiver as he looks down at his feet, and Beck knows he needs to act quickly before a full-on tantrum ensues.
"We can call Mommy a little later, okay?" Beck offers, kneeling down to be closer to his son's height "She's probably at work right now. But look at this cool big boy room just for you!"
"I want Mommy!" Miles pouts
"I know." Beck nods, suddenly realizing this adjustment isn't going to be quite as easy as he thought "You'll get to talk to Mommy, but right now it's Miles and Daddy time. Okay? Just Daddy and Miles. We're going to have so much fun together! We can play, and we can go to the park, and to the pool, and get ice cream, and go visit Grandma and Grandpa!"
"Okay..." Miles sighs "We play?"
"Sure." Beck smiles, sitting on the ground now and shrugging his backpack off of his shoulders "What do you want to play?"
"Trucks!"
"Alright." Beck nods, crawling towards the toy box "Let's see if we can find some trucks."
Their routine is the same as it was when Beck was in high school, he drops Miles off in the mornings with Priya before he goes to work and then picks him up again in the evening. The bond between father and son grows much stronger, although Miles does still sometimes ask for Jade. Beck isn't offended, he knows there have been times when Miles has been with her and asked for him. It's just how children are, and there's no need to be upset about it.
Robbie and Andre both come back to Los Angeles for the summer, so the two of them will often spend time with Beck and Miles. Miles loves to sit on their laps when they play video games and use a controller of his own, that is never actually connected to the console, just like his daddy and his uncles.
The summer seems to be going relatively smoothly. Miles is happy. Beck is happy to be spending this precious time with him, and while Jade misses Miles terribly, she gets to have some time to herself as well. Ever since Miles was born almost two years prior, she's been his primary caretaker, she hasn't had a whole lot of time to well...be eighteen.
She and Cat both work over the summer, but during their spare time in the evenings they do all kinds of things. They go out with friends from school who are also staying in the city for the summer, they binge watch entire TV shows in a week, they stay up too late doing pointless things. Jade remembers that she's more than just someone's mom, not that she'd ever imagine being anything but.
"There's open casting calls this weekend for Chicago." Cat tells her one morning while they carry their laundry baskets to the basement of their building "There's a few open spots in the company. You should audition."
"Why don't you audition?" Jade asks
"Acting isn't really my thing much anymore." Cat shrugs "I think I want to focus more on music."
"It's musical theater." Jade laughs
"Yeah, but it's not the same." Cat tells her "I want to write my own songs and put out albums and tour the world, not do the exact same show every night in the same theater. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a slut for a good broadway show. But I'm more of a fan these days than a participant."
"Alright fair enough." Jade shrugs, opening to the door to the laundry room "But why should I bother? It's been over a year since I've been in a real production."
"Because you're crazy fucking talented." Cat reminds her "And the show is right up your alley. Who knows? They could even make you an understudy!"
"That I really doubt..." Jade chuckles "But it would be amazing to be in a real Broadway musical...even just as part of a company. It's been a while since I've danced though."
"Let's do a zumba class at the gym this week then!" Cat suggests "Get you warmed up again."
"What good will that do?"
"Dancing is dancing." Cat shrugs "You go get back into the swing of things and then you're ready to learn next weekend at auditions."
"I could quit the diner..." Jade smiles at the thought of no longer having to waitress "I mean, being in the company doesn't pay well, but it pays more than I'm making now."
"Please do it!" Cat begs "Even if you don't make it, it's still a good experience. But if you do make it..."
"Don't get me all excited if we don't know what's going to happen yet." Jade stops her "But...help me pick an audition song as soon as we get back upstairs."
For her audition, Jade sings 'City Lights' from the musical 'The Act'. It's lesser known by most, but written by the same composers that wrote Chicago, so Jade feels that it showcases her ability to sing that sort of music. She feels like the casting director's eyes are burning a hole right through her during the dance auditions, even though there's five other girls in her group. There are four spots open, two male and two female, and everyone leaves the audition with the promise that the casting directors will be in touch.
Jade slings her bag over her shoulder and pulls out her phone, checking her missed messages as she walks out the door. There's a picture from Beck, of Miles smiling widely as he plays with a bubbler at the community pool. She can't help but smile too, knowing that her son is having fun and being taken care of even though she misses him terribly. She doesn't even notice the man walking towards her, also on his phone and also not paying attention to where he's going. They run right into each other, and both of them drop their phones.
"Shit! I'm sorry." Jade apologizes as she bends down to pick up both phones
After being in the city for close to a year now, she knows how important it is to pay attention to where you're walking. You could pay a nasty price if you don't.
"No worries." The man assures her as Jade hands his phone back to him "Hey, you're Jade. Right?"
"Yeah?"
"You nailed your audition." The man tells her "Seriously, great job."
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Jade asks
His face is familiar, but she can't quite place him. Does he go to NYU? Maybe they've had a class together at some point?
"Oh, duh. Sorry. I'm Brandon Andrews." He extends his hand to shake Jade's "I was playing the piano accompaniment for all of the voice auditions. I play in the orchestra for the production. You did City Lights, didn't you? Great choice."
"Thanks." Jade smiles "You really think I did okay? Or are you just saying that to all of the pretty girls here."
"I would tell you if you sucked." Brandon admits "There were definitely a few people who should have stayed home. You were not one of them though."
"Good to know." Jade smirks "I uh, need to get going. I'm meeting my roommate."
"No worries." Brandon assures her as she starts to walk away "Hey Jade?"
"Hm?"
"Would you maybe like to grab a drink sometime?"
"Uh..." Jade chuckles nervously "I'm eighteen. Almost nineteen! But still underage..."
"S'alright." Brandon assures her "I'm only newly twenty-one myself. Maybe dinner then?"
"Sure." Jade says, much to her own surprise "Dinner would be nice."
Jade and Brandon do in fact get dinner together, and it actually turns into a celebration of her landing one of the female spots in the company. She feels the need to ask him if he has anything to do with the selection process, and he assures her that it doesn't. His opinion matters about as much as those of the janitors and stage hands do. She starts rehearsals in mid-June and will make her debut in late August, around the same time that classes start back up. It's going to be hard for her to juggle, especially with Miles being back at that point. But her mother, Cat, and Brandon all assure her that she'll be able to handle it all.
She and Brandon spend a lot of time together in rehearsals, but quite a lot of time together outside of them as well. Jade hasn't crushed this hard on someone probably since she met Beck. Brandon is handsome, and funny, and genuinely listens to her when she's talking. It's exciting, being with someone again. It's been basically two years since Jade has been interested in anyone. He has deep blue eyes and dark hair, and adorable dimples when he laughs or smiles. Their one dinner turns into seven, and those dinners turn into walks through Central Park while they hold hands and eat ice cream and kiss under lampposts...and other dates around the city, and those dates eventually turn into her bringing him home. She doesn't think she's ready to sleep with him, she's only ever been with one other person and even then they had been together for a few months, but she wants him to feel welcome at her apartment. She makes sure Cat is home and present if she needs to stop anything from going too far.
"So, uh, this is my room." Jade says as she switches on the light and leads him in "Kinda small, but it works."
"It's nice." He tells her "I like it."
"Thanks." She blushes, hanging up her purse "Are you hungry? We could-"
She looks up and sees Brandon looking at Miles' toddler bed in the corner of her room.
"I take it that's not a dog bed?" He raises an eyebrow at her
"No, uh...my son sleeps there." She explains "Miles. He's almost two. He's visiting his dad back in California right now."
"Is that the ex?"
"That's the ex." She nods
Brandon knows about Beck, how the two of them had been together for three years before everything fell apart practically overnight. She knew about his ex-girlfriends too, and there were only two. They hadn't talked about Miles yet though, Jade was waiting for the right time. She didn't want to scare him.
"How often does he bounce back and forth?"
"Just for the summers." Jade says "Normally he's with me full time, but being on seperate coasts...I have to make sure he sees his dad sometimes too."
"Alright." Brandon shrugs, flopping down on Jade's bed "Well, I can't wait to meet him."
"He doesn't scare you?"
"Course not." He practically laughs "I mean, kids are a big responsibility, yeah. But c'mon, they're not that scary. And if you're raising him? I bet he's a great kid."
"You're really okay with it?"
"I really am." He assures her "Now come over here and cuddle with me."
A few weeks later, Cat and Jade fly home for Miles' birthday. The little boy is thrilled to see them both, but Jade especially. He doesn't leave her side for about an hour after her arrival at his birthday party at Beck's parents' house, and is only torn away when he opens his presents and discovers all of the new toys he has to play with. With Miles under the supervision of his grandparents, Beck and Jade have the opportunity to slip into the next room to talk.
"When are you planning on taking him back?" Beck asks her, looking a bit sad
"I'm off until the first of August." Jade tells him "I got us tickets to fly home on the thirty-first."
"So we still have a few days then, good." Beck smiles "Can he still stay with me? I want to take advantage of the last few days."
"Of course." Jade nods "Cat and I want to spend some time with Tori, and I think our whole group should hang out at some point too. Plus, I want to spend some time with my parents and with Tyler."
"Right, yeah sure." Beck agrees "Your parents and your step-parents have seen him a bunch this summer, by the way. So has Tyler. I made sure of it."
"I heard." Jade smiles "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Uh, so there's something else I want to talk to you about." Jade tells him
"Alright?" Beck slips his hands into his pockets with a shrug "What's up?"
"I met someone."
"That's awesome." Beck says "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Jade nods "His name is Brandon, he plays piano for the orchestra-"
"Congratulations on booking that part too, by the way." Beck interrupts her "That's huge."
"Thank you." Jade says again "But as I was saying. His name is Brandon Andrews, he plays piano for the orchestra. He's twenty-one, and he and I have been seeing each other since early June."
"Does Cat like him?"
"If Cat didn't have Robbie, I'm pretty sure she'd try to take him." Jade laughs
"Okay good."
"I want to introduce him too Miles."
"Oh."
"I know. Neither one of us has ever really been serious enough with someone to want to introduce them to him." Jade reminds him "But...I really like him, and I'm serious about him. He seems serious about me, and I mean...they're both going to be around me quite a bit...so I'd like them to meet."
"Right, of course you'd want that. Of course." Beck nods "I mean...I guess if you're really serious about him...and if he has Cat's stamp of approval...then you have my blessing to introduce them to one another."
"Thank you, Beck." Jade goes to hug him "That means a lot."
"I know." Beck hugs her back "I just want...well, you deserve to be happy."
"That means a lot too."
"So..."
"You have my permission to grill Cat for information on him." Jade rolls her eyes with a smile "Go ahead."
"Thanks." Beck winks "If you need me, I'll be with Cat. Oh and uh, hey Jade?"
"Hm?"
"Happy Birthday to you as well."