"Trevor!" Jade chases after her energetic toddler "Watch where you're swinging that!"
"I a baseball player!" Trevor exclaims, wielding his plastic baseball bat "Look!"
"Yes, you certainly are..." Jade chuckles as she catches him "But you have to be careful with your bat, okay? You almost hit baby Nico!"
"Oh..." Trevor looks at the baseball bat again "Sorry Nico."
"He's okay." Tori assures him as she kneels beside her son "He's got a hard head, just like his dad."
"Hey!" Andre exclaims
"It's not a bad thing." Tori laughs
"Well, he should still be careful." Jade remarks, turning to the two and a half year-old "Right Trev?"
"Right." Trevor nods "I sorry, Mama."
"It's okay." Jade ruffles her hair "I'm not mad, I just wanted you to be careful so no one got hurt."
Nico Vega Harris was born just eleven months after Trevor was. Although Nico is still an infant and Trevor has grown into more of a toddler, Jade and Tori are confident that they'll become close friends as they grow up together. Beck and Andre are already excited about the possibility of coaching little league and peewee football together.
"Have you seen Chelsea?" Jade asks her husband as he steps out of the house and onto the back patio, holding a plate of hot dogs to put on the grill
"Uh..." Beck scans the backyard "Oh! Trampoline."
"Thanks."
Chelsea's twelfth birthday happened to fall on a Saturday that summer, and Beck and Jade took the opportunity to celebrate her birthday on the actual day itself. They invited Beck's parents, Tori, Andre, and Nico over for lunch and for cake and ice cream. Cat and Robbie, newly engaged, drove up from New York City to be there. Chris and Tyler even flew in to help them celebrate as well.
Thankfully, Jade hasn't heard from her biological father since the day he showed up at work while she was pregnant with Trevor. Although it is very sad that her relationship with him has basically been completely severed, ultimately Jade knows its for the best. She frustrates him by not following the path he had chosen for her, and he frustrates her by trying to push his own wishes on her. They're not good for each other, and Jade doesn't want her children around him, so it's best that they stay out of each other's orbits. Not that Jade really minds all that much, he had never been overly involved in her life...and the family that she does still have in her life provides her with all of the love and support she could ever need.
"Chels!" Jade calls out to her daughter
"Wh-h-h-h-at?" Chelsea giggles as she bounces up and down on the trampoline
She's laying on her side, hugging her knees while Cat and Aspen bounce around her. Jade recognizes this as the 'popcorn game' where one person curls up into a ball and everyone else bounces around them, trying to get them to uncurl and 'pop' like a popcorn kernel. She and Cat had played it as kids, and it seems as if her friend has passed the game down to her own children.
"Are you guys playing the popcorn game?" Jade smirks as she leans up against the trampoline's net
"Yeah!" Aspen cheers "Aunt Cat taught us!"
"Did she now?"
"You should play with us, Jadey!" Cat insists as she bounces over to the edge of the trampoline "Indulge your inner child a little!"
"Maybe in a little bit." Jade tells them "I actually wanted to see if I can borrow the birthday girl for a few minutes?"
"Me?" Chelsea looks surprised as she sits up
"You're the birthday girl, aren't you?" Cat chuckles "Go ahead. We'll still be here when you get back."
Jade unzips the trampoline's net, then helps Chelsea jump down. She motions for her to follow her across the yard and into the house, then into the master bedroom.
"What's up, Mom?" Chelsea asks, sitting down on the bed
"I wanted to give you one of your birthday presents early." Jade explains as she opens her jewelry box "So...my mom gave me this necklace when I turned twelve. I wore it almost every day for thirteen years until your dad gave me the diamond one I have now. I thought...I guess that since I don't wear it anymore, I should pass it to you. Oldest daughter to oldest daughter."
The necklace in question is the one Jade wore almost regularly until her first Christmas with Beck. The golden dove charm on a simple gold chain. She had kept it safe all of these years, unable to part with it, hoping that one day it would find a purpose again.
"Really?" Chelsea smiles as Jade takes the gold necklace out of her jewelry box and carries it over to her bed "Thanks, Mom..."
She had known from a very early point in the relationship between them that Jade's mother had died, it was something that bonded them originally because Chelsea's own birth mother wasn't around anymore either. As the years had gone by, and Chelsea started to mature and realize that Jade was more of a mother to her than Alyssa ever was...and she started to understand just how much not having a mother at all must hurt. The twelve year-old understands how special that necklace is to her mother, and how big of a deal it is that she's trusting her with it.
"You're welcome." Jade tells her as she fastens the chain around her daughter's neck "And maybe one day if you ever have a daughter, you can give it to her when she turns twelve."
"Like a family thing?"
"Exactly like that." Jade nods "Chelsea, I want you to know something...I understand that your birth mom really hurt you when she left, and that you still struggle with that sometimes. But I promise you...I will never walk away from you, okay? Ever. You, your dad, your brother and your sister? You are the four greatest things that have ever happened to me. I love all of you so much. I'll be here for as long as I can be. Until I'm old and forgetful and you and your sister have to argue about which one of you I'll have to move in with."
The previous summer, after filling out a lot of paperwork and jumping through a lot of hoops, Jade had actually been able to adopt Chelsea and Aspen as legally her own. It was only a piece of paper, both girls had recognized her as their mom for quite some time, but making it official really brought everyone peace of mind. Jade hopes that her words to her oldest in this moment bring her even more peace, as she knows the little girl still struggles with the fear and anxiety of losing her after everything that she went through with Alyssa. She wants her to know that she's there, and always will be.
"Okay." Chelsea laughs, then turns serious again "I...I love you, Mom."
"I love you too." Jade says as she wraps her in a hug "Happy birthday."
"You're sure?" Chelsea asks
"Positive." Beck nods
"Like really really sure?" Chelsea clarifies
"Absolutely." Jade laughs
"You're not going to change your mind fifteen minutes in?"
"Nope." Beck assures her as he places the disc in the DVD drive
"Alright." Chelsea smiles as she snuggles into Jade's side "I'm excited."
"You and me both, kiddo." Beck grins "You have no idea."
With her turning twelve, Beck and Jade had decided that Chelsea is now old enough to watch Casablanca; one of both Beck and Jade's favorite movies, and the movie that had inspired her middle name. Although the movie is rated PG, it was given the rating in a time where PG-13 didn't yet exist. The girl's parents wanted to make sure she was old and mature enough to handle the content, and it seems as if the day has finally arrived.
They're watching it on Beck's movie screen in the basement, with a big bowl of popcorn; 'the way all movies should be enjoyed' as Beck would say. Both Aspen and Trevor are already fast asleep, exhausted from the birthday party earlier in the day and crashing from the sugar high they had been on after Cat had slipped them each more than one extra scoop of ice cream. One day they'll also show Aspen 'Giant', starring Elizabeth Taylor, and Trevor 'Notorious' starring Cary Grant, but for now...all of their attention is on Chelsea.
The newly twelve year-old watches the movie with the upmost interest, more than immersed in the storyline and the world that it's creating in front of her. Jade looks over now and again and notices Beck watching her, pride gleaming in his eyes as he witnesses his daughter's first viewing of the film that had inspired her name.
"What!?" Chelsea exclaims as the famous 'here's looking at you, kid' line is uttered at the end of the movie "That's it? He's not even going to fight for her?"
"Well, she's married, kiddo." Beck reminds his daughter "He wants her to go with him, because he knows she'll regret it if she doesn't."
"But...she loves him, doesn't she?"
"That's up to your own interpretation."
"That's stupid." Chelsea huffs, folding her arms across her chest and sinking back into the couch
"But did you like the movie?"
"...yeah." She smirks "It was really good."
"We're glad you liked it." Jade tells her "There's plenty more of Ingrid Bergman where that came from."
"Can we watch another one?" Chelsea sits up, excited "Please?"
"Not tonight..." Beck chuckles "It's way past your bedtime, even for your birthday."
The three of them retreat upstairs to go to bed, and bid each other goodnight in the hallway. Now that Chelsea is older, she doesn't need as much supervision getting ready for bed as she once had. On a normal night, she would sit in Beck and Jade's room with them for awhile while they all three read their own books, but as Beck had said...it's too late for any of that tonight.
Beck is startled awake a few hours later by a large crack of thunder. Strong summer thunderstorms are typical for their area, so he doesn't give it much of a thought as he rolls over in an attempt to go back to sleep.
"MOMMYDADDY MOMMYDADDY MOMMYDADDY!" Trevor's voice echoes through the top floor, along with the sound of his tiny footsteps padding across the floor "BIG BOOM! BIG BOOM!"
"Thunderstorm?" Jade groans as she slowly becomes conscious
"Yup." Beck sighs as another crack of thunder explodes through the sky
The door to their bedroom bursts open and Trevor toddles in, his stuffed teddy bear tucked under his arm as he makes his way to his parents' bed. Jade reaches down and lifts the little boy into bed with them, and he quickly makes himself comfortable resting on top her against her chest.
"It's just a little noise, Trev..." Beck assures his son as he rubs his back "You're okay."
"I scared..."
"I've got you, baby..." Jade whispers to him "You're safe."
"I want to come in too." Aspen appears in the doorway
"Pen..." Beck sighs "You're a big girl, you know thunder can't hurt you."
Thunder had never really bothered the five (soon to be six) year-old until her brother's fear of it surfaced earlier the previous year. Beck and Jade still aren't sure if she's actually afraid, or if she just wants the same attention that Trevor gets, but they're willing to entertain her behavior for another summer before they start putting limitations on it.
"It's fine." Jade tells him "Come on, Pen. Watch out for your brother."
Aspen moves quickly across the room and practically leaps into the bed, positioning herself beneath the covers in between Beck and Jade.
"You guys are almost as loud as the thunder..." Chelsea yawns as she into the room, her eyes still heavy with sleep
"Sorry, Chels." Jade apologizes "You know how the little ones feel about storms."
"S'okay..."
The older girl doesn't leave the room, but stands next to Jade's side of the bed as if she's expecting them to say something else to her.
"Do you want to lay with us too?" Beck sighs
"Sure!" Chelsea shrugs, walking around to the foot of the bed and then crawling in between her sister and father "Thanks."
She isn't afraid of storms, nor has she ever been. But Chelsea will admit she likes spending time with her parents and her siblings still, even if it is in the early morning hours during a storm. She doesn't want to be left out.
"Everyone comfy?" Jade laughs
Another crack of thunder booms overhead and she feels Trevor tense up as he grips her shirt tightly. Calmly, she rubs his back in her best attempt to comfort him.
"Yup!"
"Yeah!"
"Not really..." Beck admits
Between wanting to leave enough room for his wife and all three of his children, there's barely enough room left for him on his side of the bed.
"I think we might need to get a bigger bed, Dad..." Jade laughs
"We have a king, it doesn't get bigger than that!" He responds
In reality, he doesn't mind that much. He has his whole world laying here in this bed with him, and it's just one more reminder of how lucky he is. All of this is possible because he met Jade, the love of his life and the world's best mother. Life can't get better than this, it just can't. He's not the richest man alive, not by a long shot, but his family makes him feel like an absolute millionaire.
Eventually, all three children drift off to sleep as the strong cracks of thunder slowly decrease into low rumbles, a sign that the storm is moving out of the area. For a moment, Beck thinks Jade might've fallen asleep too, but then she speaks...her voice filling the otherwise silent room.
"They really don't leave much room for us, do they?"
"No..." Beck chuckles "They really don't."
"Imagine if there were four instead of three."
"Don't even joke about that." Beck smirks "I've already got half of my body hanging off the bed. If there were four of them, I would be on the floor."
"What if I wasn't joking?" Jade asks him "What if I was being serious?"
"Are..." He does his best to roll over to face her without waking Aspen or Chelsea, then lowers his voice as an extra precaution "Are you pregnant?"
"Mhm..." Jade nods with a smile
"Trevor is going to be a big brother?"
"Yeah, he is." Jade grins
If someone had told her when she left LA that within five years time she would be married to the most wonderful man in the world, with three great children and another on the way, there's not a doubt in Jade's mind that she would have laughed in their face and walked away. Never in a million years did she see herself here, but once she met Beck her fate was sealed. There wasn't anywhere else she'd rather be or any other people she'd rather be with. Sometimes the best plans are the one's that come our way unexpectedly...
"Shit..." Beck grins as well "I wish I could kiss you right now."
"I know, me too."
"In the morning?"
"In the morning."
"I love you, Jade..." Beck tells her, reaching across his children's sleeping bodies to take his wife's hand "Like...so much."
"I know." She tells him as she squeezes his hand tightly "I love you too."
The end :)
Thank you all so much for reading! I always get so nervous to publish new stories but the positive reaction to this one has been amazing! I appreciate all of your support! The playlist for this story has been updated on my bio! Go ahead and give it a listen if you would like! Until next time Xx.