CHAPTER FIFTY ONE – Right?
The morning following Jellybean's return to town, she eventually strolled out of her niece's bedroom close to midday to find Betty and Bailey who have already been carrying out their day as quietly as possible.
By the time that the raven-haired teenager finally gets up and walks through to the open-plan kitchen and living area with a yawn, Betty has moved onto making lunch while Bailey is preoccupied with colouring busily at the dining table.
Upon hearing footsteps, Bailey's head bolts up with a bright grin at the sight of her aunt trailing into the room, giving Jellybean an excited wave as she takes a seat beside her at the dining table.
In the day since the unfamiliar young girl turned up to her grandfather's trailer last night, the three-year-old has certainly warmed up to her aunty.
"Aunty Jeeb!"
While Bailey had been able to pronounce 'Jellybean', when her parents had encouraged her to call her 'Aunty JB', as per the eighteen-year-olds name of choice, Bailey hadn't been bothered with trying to enunciate the two letters which seemed like just too much work.
"Morning, sleeping beauty" Betty says, greeting her guest with a warm smile from where she's chopping up various ingredients and fillings for salad sandwiches. "Help yourself to whatever you can find if you feel like breakfast, but otherwise if you want to wait a few minutes, I'm just finishing up with making lunch."
Jellybean nods, getting up and ruffling Bailey's golden locks from beside her before accepting Betty's offer and joining her by the kitchen benches as she rifles through for something for breakfast, eventually settling on the box of Coco Pop's that she find in the cupboards.
The rustling, the pouring of cereal and milk and the clinking of spoons and bowls eventually grabs the three-year-olds attention as she looks up with interest over what her aunt is doing.
"Mummy! Can I have some, too, please?!"
"No, Bailey. You've already had breakfast and a banana. Your lunch will be ready very soon" Betty explains to her daughter sternly, biting her lip to hide her amusement at the look of disdain she receives from the three-year-old as she crosses her arms unhappily with a little pout. "Geez, you two girls both have the Jones appetite, too..."
Meanwhile, with the same amusement as Betty over her niece's sulking, Jellybean has to turn around and direct her attention to the fridge that she's standing in front of in order to stop herself from laughing out loud at the three-year-olds sassy little moment so as to not give the impression that her behaviour is entertaining them.
So, as she's studying Betty's fridge that is covered in photos ranging from the newest selfie of Betty, Jughead and Bailey which has been added proudly on her fridge, one photo in particular jumps out at the young girl.
"Hey Betty… Whose wedding were you in?" Jellybean asks, looking over the photo that has Betty as a maid-of-honour along with Bailey as the flower girl while they stand beside the woman that she doesn't recognise dressed in white.
However, as she looks at the other side of the photo, looking at the groomsmen Jellybean releases a little gasp of shock, answering her own question.
"No way! Is that Archie?! Is he married?!"
"Yeah... He married my other best friend Veronica a year ago. Veronica moved here about five years back. They'd been dating on-and-off since high school."
Nodding at Betty's explanation, the bold eighteen-year-old looks between her brother's girlfriend and the picture on the fridge.
"Huh, I always thought you had a thing for him."
At her boyfriend's younger sister's probes, Betty's cheeks almost instantly flush with a slight pink wash of colour. Honestly, despite the fact that her crush on Archie had spanned such a long period of time, it feels like such ancient history that Betty completely forgets about the feelings she'd harboured for her best friend.
"Honestly, for the longest time, I did. But, that didn't work out the way I thought it would and I got burnt. Besides, things worked out better for both of us, anyway. We were always better as friends but I just had to learn that lesson the hard way."
Jellybean nods with interest, taking another scoop of cereal as she gives Betty a little smirk.
"Well, if it's any consolation, my brother always had a thing for you. I could tell."
Once again, Jellybean's remark causes the flush of colour on Betty's cheeks which is accompanied by a shy smile.
"We got there eventually, but it just took me a little longer to realise the connection between us than it did for him."
The two girls share a smile before the younger of the two turns her attention back to the wedding photo on Betty's fridge, looking at it a little more wistfully this time.
"You know, I haven't been in a wedding before... I guess I'll have to wait until you and Jughead get married."
There's no suggestiveness or questioning in her tone; there's no 'if' about it. Rather, the certainty is a 'when'.
The certainty in the teenager's voice surprises Betty and she momentarily wonders if either she or her boyfriend have given his sister the wrong impression as to the stage of their recently rekindled relationship.
"Oh, we're not engaged, JB."
There's no surprise or embarrassment on the raven-haired-girl's face after Betty's comment as though she'd just gotten the wrong impression. In fact, she barely even flinches after Betty's clarification.
"Yet... But you will be. I was right about Jughead's crush, wasn't I?"
With a little smirk on her lips, Betty doesn't give her boyfriend's sister a response. Rather, she just looks away and turns her attention back to making lunch for the three of them. After all, she's not quite sure what to say to that.
Following the lack of response she receives from Betty after her tease, Jellybean returns to the seat beside her niece, watching her colour away passionately.
"So what are you girls up to today? My dad asked to meet up with me to have more of a chat, but I'm sure if something better came up I could get out of it."
Before Betty has a chance to respond with the fact that they're having a quiet day and might just go out for dinner with Jughead, her daughter beats her to it and jumps in with a question for her aunt first.
"Aunty Jeeb? Is daddy your daddy, too?!" Bailey asks inquisitively with the mention of her dad being really the only thing that the three-year-old heard in what the teenager had said more so to Betty than she had to Bailey.
Nonetheless, Jellybean looks down to the younger girl, brushing away a strand of hair that is hanging in front of her face and tucks it behind her ear before she answers her niece patiently.
"No, sweetie. Your daddy is my big brother, Bailey. Then my daddy is your grandpa."
"Grandpa!" Bailey exclaims with a little grin solely just from the mention of one of her most favourite people. Then, the three-year-old continues speaking and conversing seriously with her aunt. "Uncle Archie's my bru-va."
From where she'd been quietly preparing their lunch, Betty suddenly bursts out loud with laughter at hearing her daughter's serious remark during her conversation with her aunty, jumping in to correct her daughter kindly.
"No he's not, Bailey... Silly billy! You don't have any brothers, sweetie."
With furrowed eyebrows and a little pout developing on her lips, Bailey looks across the room to her mother, confused over being corrected, given her sound reasoning.
"But Uncle Archie's a boy and he plays toys with me! That's what Peppa Pig said her bru-va George is!"
Seeing the seriousness on her daughter's face, Betty nips her lip and realises that she shouldn't find quite so much amusement in what is bringing her daughter some serious confusion.
"Uncle Archie does play with you, but he's your uncle, Bailey; not your brother."
With her face falling a little in the confusion of the moment and at feeling like she has gotten something wrong, Jellybean steps in, clutching her heart at her nieces innocence as she listens to the discussion between the mother and daughter duo as she looks to her brother's girlfriend.
"She is just way too cute!"
From where she's standing at the small island in the kitchen and looking over to the dining table where Jellybean and Bailey are sitting together, Betty finishes cutting up the sandwiches that she's been preparing, wearing a proud smile over the admiration over her daughter.
"Thanks JB. I'm not biased at all but I've got to say that I agree with you completely."
As Betty dishes up lunch now that Jellybean has literally just finished her breakfast, she takes the plates of sandwiches that she's made over to the table just as there's a noise at the door and the delicate sound of a key meeting metal, followed by the door swinging open.
"Daddy!" Bailey exclaims with a little gasp, instantly jumping off her chair to race over to her father with arms open wide as he catches her and picks her up.
Jughead grins at the greeting, relishing in the feeling of his daughter's excitement upon seeing him. It never gets old.
"Hey Bay" he returns, pressing a kiss to the top of Bailey's loose curls, giving her a quick squeeze in his arms before placing her back down on the ground again.
"How are you girls?"
After putting Bailey down, Jughead walks across the room and over to his girlfriend. On the way over to Betty he ruffles his sister's own dark hair almost exactly like Jellybean had done to Bailey a little earlier that morning. Then, reaching his destination, Jughead's hand falls to the small of Betty's back as they meet each other halfway for a quick peck, leaving her grinning at him.
"Trust you to show up just as the food's ready, Jones."
Jughead just chuckles pressing another quick to her lips, before joining his sister, his daughter and most importantly the food at his girlfriend's dining table.
"I've got your parents to thank for that one, Betts. Your mum was feeling uncharacteristically generous and let me have an early minute from work."
Saturday's were always usually a short day for the paper, anyway, and even on a normal Saturday they'd only work until midday. However, for whatever reason, Alice had given Jughead a ticket out and a free pass to leave work early today to which he just utilised to head straight over to Betty's.
"So what have the beautiful women in my life been up to while I was off slaving away?"
Betty just rolls her eyes at her boyfriend's dramatics as she joins the three of them at the table, taking her seat beside Jughead. Then, seeing as Jellybean's already stuffing her face with sandwiches, Bailey is the first to speak up and answer her father.
"Daddy! Aunty Jeeb sleep-ded in Bailey's bed last night so Bailey got to sleep in mummy's bed!"
Chuckling at his daughter's excitement while a little smirk forms on his lips, Jughead toys with the idea of uttering his response that he knows will send him skating on thin ice.
"You have no idea how jealous I am, Bay!"
From the seat beside him, Betty's mouth falls open in surprise as she sends an elbow into her boyfriend's rib.
"Jughead!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, Jellybean's face scrunches up with disgust as her sandwich drops to her plate. Then, after she turns up her nose with disdain, a smirk slowly rises from the ashes.
"I must say, I'm rather disgusted with your despicable behaviour, Forsythe. You speak like that yet you still haven't even proposed to your woman... Speaking of, why exactly haven't you? Growing old here..."
After the eighteen-year-olds prompts that are the polar opposite of discreet, both Jughead and Betty turn their attention to each other as they share a quick look with one another to gauge each others reactions. After all, both of them are far more concerned with the other person's response to the hint than they are about Jellybean's hint itself.
Then, seeing that neither of them is wide-eyed and heading for the door, they both relax a little, sharing a little grin and an eye roll to counter Jellybean's suggestions that are so far from subtle before Jughead turns to his sister, lightheartedly trying to banish her before she's even spent twenty-four hours in town.
"So, aren't you supposed to be hanging out with dad or something?"
#
With FP and Jellybean meeting up to spend the day together, it left the remainder of the day for the family of three to spend with each other.
Jughead and Betty had taken their daughter to a different playground on the outskirts of town, staying there until Bailey got bored of the equipment before the three of them went for a little walk on the nearby walking track.
After the outing, they'd stopped at Pop's for dinner on the way where Jughead and Betty are currently curled up in a booth together, watching their daughter nearby as she plays around with the jukebox, picking song after song that leaves her father feeling very proud of his offsprings song selection.
With his legs completely entangled between hers, Jughead presses a lazy kiss to Betty's lips, grinning as he pulls away upon seeing their daughter dancing in the corner on her own behind them.
"We made one hell of a kid, Betty Cooper..."
Following his gaze over her shoulder to their three-year-old, Betty shares the smile on his face before looking back over to him and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"I've spent the last four years thinking that, Jug... It's nice having someone else to be just as biased and doting as me."
Tearing her eyes away from her boyfriend, Betty looks back over to their daughter too just as the little three-year-old glances around, quickly noting both her parents looking in her direction and watching her. Upon taking note of her parent's attention, Bailey gives them a little grin from across the room, along with a small wave that both Betty and Jughead return, making their daughter giggle from across the room.
While the moment is sweet while it lasts, very quickly Bailey turns back around and has her attention stolen and once again snatched up by the jukebox that has been keeping her occupied as her parents canoodle in the nearby booth.
After losing Bailey's attention both Betty and Jughead turn their attention back to each other as Betty presses a quick kiss to his lips, grinning proudly at her boyfriend.
"We did do a pretty great job... Didn't we?" Betty adds with a proud little grin that turns into a smirk. "But, hey, what can I say? She got it from her mama."
Betty's remark is supposed to be just a little tease as she smirks at her boyfriend with amusement. However, the look on Jughead's face is nothing but dead-serious as he fires back to his girlfriend with total conviction in his words.
"I have no question about it."
Betty sees this, seeing the seriousness in his eyes that she hadn't displayed which brings a flush of colour to her cheeks before she reaches out and ever so gently strokes his own.
"Aw, I was joking about that, Juggie. She's actually so much like you. So, so much..."
Holding his face within her hands, Jughead can't help but gaze into her enchanting green eyes, seeing for himself exactly how earnest her words are.
However, despite seeing exactly how much she might mean those words, Jughead can't bring himself to agree with her and attribute all that they love in their daughter to himself. So, he tactfully changes the subject after a few moments, changing course of the conversation altogether
"So, how's it going with JB staying? Thanks again for letting her stay with you girls."
The quick change of subject doesn't go unnoticed by Betty who makes a note to find a way to revisit his dwindling self-confidence when an appropriate moment arises. However, she leaves it be for the minute, answering her boyfriend's question instead.
"It's going good... She's really been no trouble at all. Besides, JB's family..." Betty replies with a little glimmer of a smile both on her lips and in her eyes as she sends a little shrug Jughead's way. "It's actually been great fun having her stay with us. Bailey really loves having her there, too."
At hearing how smoothly things have been between the three most important women in his life and how they are getting along together, Jughead's chapped lips crack a little grin. However, the moment doesn't last long before Jughead's face falls just a little as he remembers what he had walked into earlier that morning.
"Look, Betts, I'm sorry about this morning... My sister has no filter, whatsoever. And, in fact, I'm fairly certain that I left all of my self-confidence behind in our mother's womb for her to absorb."
With a little smile at his unnecessary apology for his sister indiscreet nudges as to why they aren't engaged yet, Betty runs her hands and down his arms, stroking them lovingly.
"It's okay, Jug. There's no need to apologise. I knew that she was just joking with us and messing around."
She can't quite pick the look on Jughead's face that instantly follows her comment. It's an expression that almost comes across as a little pained as it flits across his face before fading away just as quickly as his facial expressions seem to become more controlled and calculated.
"Yeah... I mean us getting engaged would be just a joke, right?"
Still finding his expression a little hard to read despite her seasoned knowledge of him results in Betty taking a few moments to pause and to watch him, analysing him before she answers his question.
"Of course it would be... Right?"
He is quick to begin nodding and Betty finds the expression on his face far easier to read this time around as he speaks up with the same word that has been bouncing back and forth between the two of them for a few minutes now.
"Right..."
However, this time, his single word seems to silence them as they pause; they look to each other and glance away again.
Then, after several minutes pass, Betty speaks up in little more than a whisper as she looks down, avoiding his gaze altogether as her eyes fall to her lap.
"You know, I don't think that the idea of us being engaged is the most obscene thing I've ever heard..."
While she is looking down, looking away and doing everything to keep her eyes from meeting his, Jughead can't tear his eyes off of her on the other hand as a little smile ripples across his lips.
"Right... You really think that?"
The tone of his voice says even more than his words do.
She can hear his disbelief. It's almost like a pure moment of childlike disbelief. And, Betty can't stop herself from smiling as she hears it in him, squeezing his hand from where hers is still tangled within his.
"Well, I'm not planning on going anywhere and marriage is something that I've always seen in the future... Besides, seeing as we have a kid, I wouldn't have thought that the question of commitment is really a question for us anymore. Right?"
Once again and in one, single word, the tone of his voice triggers the smile that spreads across her face after she had put her feelings out on the line along with her view of the future. Now, Jughead has taken that vulnerability, eased it and backed her up all in one, resounding word.
"Right."
Then and there and without even realising it Jellybean's well-meaning teases had pushed her brother and his girlfriend to just very lightly touch on the idea that she had initiated. Consequently, they had tested the waters and felt each other out about the idea, establishing the fact that they're both okay, they're both on the same page and that neither of them are heading for the hills as they exchange a warm and sure smile with each other.
What follows is almost a silent resolve and an understanding between them as he just presses a loving kiss to her temple as she leans into him with her hands running up and down his thighs, finding their place of absolute comfort and security within each other, experiencing highs in their relationship together that they had never even known to be possible...
I hope you guys liked that one! This chapter's up a little sooner than expected but felt like getting the long weekend off to a good start! I'd love to know what you guys are thinking about JB and the discussion that she gave Bughead a little push to have a chat about... Let me know anything and everything you thought about that chapter. Your feedback and thoughts as readers is extremely useful to me! Your reviews are what keep me motivated to post and update sooner and faster. Big thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last one.
Also, shameless plug but if anyone's interested in a bit more Bughead and you haven't already done so, you should totally go and take a look at my new story. It will be a collection of one-shots entitled 'We're Making It Through (I And You)'. The first one's up now.
Next chapter: JB demands the tough answers from her father. Then, later she confides in Betty.
