They fell into a routine quite quickly, living in their new house together. Once the alarm went off (and after Rachel snoozed it twice), Rachel would roll out of bed, eat breakfast and get lunches ready, while Jake got ready for work. Once Ruby sleepily shuffled out of her bed (straight into the arms of either her mother or Jake), Rachel would then have a quick shower while Jake and Ruby ate breakfast. The three then departed for the day, Jake heading towards the station while Rachel and Ruby headed towards her preschool, talking animatedly about their day ahead.
And on the way home, Jake would meet Rachel, and together they would go to the preschool to pick up Ruby, the little girl holding both their hands and swinging between them, laughing all the way, telling them about her day and everything that had happened.
They had been living in their new house for almost a month, the three of them, and Jake couldn't believe the life he had found for himself.
While others they knew- their entire graduating class in high school- went out to party and get absolutely hammered so they didn't even remember the night before, Jake and Rachel settled in for the night with a bowl of microwave popcorn between them and a movie on their television. Their life meant having tea parties with Ruby's dozen imaginary friends and comforting the little girl when she scraped her knee.
It meant pancakes (the one thing that Rachel had actually mastered) on a Saturday morning, as the three of them wandered around sleepy eyed and tousle haired, wearing their pyjamas until late.
But most importantly, it meant the three of them.