"Grace, time to get up."
Grace groaned and rubbed her eyes as Jacob opened the curtains. "My alarm hasn't gone off yet." she grumbled, about to settle back down to sleep.
"I know, but I had to do it early or everyone would want some." Jacob replied, walking to sit on the end of her bed.
"...Want some what?" Grace finally asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"I've made you breakfast in bed. I went out early to get some warm croissants from the bakery. Don't tell your mum, but they're the chocolate ones!" Jacob was hoping maybe she was just sad about being back home after such a long holiday.
Pushing herself up, grace eyed the tray, with its fresh croissants and orange juice, before she glanced up at Jacob. "You went there just for me? Not for mum? I heard you two fighting last night..."
"Just for you." Jacob replied, smiling when Grace immediately reached out and then bit happily into a croissant. "I'm sorry you heard us, but you don't need to worry, we were both just tired."
"...Can we watch Neighbours?" Grace asked hopefully.
"One episode, and don't think this is going to become a regular thing, Missy!" Jacob moved to sit next to her, propping her iPad against his knees.
Fifteen minutes in, Jacob decided to broach the subject.
"I wanted to ask you how you're finding things."
"Things?"
"Well, me and your mum, you and Ava... You know we love you both to pieces, just because I'm not your biological dad doesn't mean I love you any less."
"Jacob, it's all cool."
He raised his eyebrows in response, before shaking her shoulder affectionately and bring her into his side.
"You know I know that's not the case. Come on firecracker, what's up?"
She didn't say anything for a while, her eyes watching the programme but her brain not processing anything that was going on in it.
"Jacob..."
"Yeah?"
She turned to look at him, her face a picture of both seriousness and sadness.
"You aren't going to leave, are you?"
"Of course I'm not, Grace! What on earth makes you think-"
"She's pushing you away."
He looked at her again, confused. "Grace, I don't understand."
"Mum. She's pushing you away, you need to push in. Before it gets worse."
"Grace, I know you heard us fighting but everyone argues, me and you're mum... Nothing big is going on, I promise."
"If everything was fine then you wouldn't have still been arguing when I went to sleep. She tells you everything, Jacob. It would have got sorted."
"She's just tired-"
"This is different. It's like it was when I was little, and I know what happens next."
Jacob sighed then and looked down at her attempting a smile. "Do you think I should take her that last croissant?"
"That won't work." Grace said earnestly.
"Worked on you, firecracker." Jacob replied, though his mind began working on the question that had kept him up all night- what had upset Connie?
"Didn't." Grace responded, but soon relented and added, "Well, only a little bit."
"Whatever happens, Gracie, I'm in your life for good. Have I ever lied to you?" Grace thought about his question for a moment and then honestly shook her head. "Exactly. So don't worry about me going anywhere. As for your mum, I'll work on it, and if she tells you anything, you tell me. Agreed?"
Grace nodded. "And take her the last croissant, too." She added, smiling when Jacob dropped a kiss to her head, but the smile soon vanished as Jacob left the room. Life had been too good, and she'd known deep down it wouldn't last long.
"Wakey wakey." Jacob slipped back into bed beside Connie, the croissant waiting for her downstairs with a pot of coffee and her favourite jam. She groaned before turning and brushing her hand against his face, smiling as she opened her eyes. Moments later it vanished, as she remembered what had happened the day before, and to his disappointment she quickly slipped from the bed muttering about checking Ava.
He sighed, following her for a few steps before taking her waist and cuddling her close to him.
"Jacob-"
"Ssh. She doesn't need to be woken up yet, we're early. Come downstairs." He kissed her neck, smiling as she instinctively rolled her head back against his chest. He led her down the stairs and into the kitchen, despite her pulling back reluctantly against him. They reached the door and he stood behind her again, and quickly covered her eyes with his hands.
"Jacob, let go, I can't-"
He then took his hands away and pulled a stool out from the island in the middle of the room, grinning as she turned to look at him, a soft smile gracing her features despite her sigh.
"It's going to take a bit more than a lovely breakfast-"
"Ssh, Con let me try. I'm sorry, I really am."
She sighed again before sitting down, unaware that Grace had now come from her room, her dressing gown wrapped tightly about her as she stood in the doorway, watching them.
Jacob stood behind Connie, wrapping his arms around her to continue to drop kisses to her neck as she took a sip of her coffee. "I love you," he murmured in her ear, but this only received a sigh, as did the tickling kiss he gave to her earlobe that usually got a smile and, if he was lucky, a giggle. Changing tack, Jacob moved away to pour himself a coffee. "I spoke to Grace."
At this, Connie lifted her head and looked at Jacob's back, her eyes flicking momentarily to the scar that was still evident on his arm from being shot. "What did she say?"
"Nothing." Grace said, entering the room. She didn't want Jacob to tell Connie what she'd said, because she was finally getting on with her mother and didn't want that to change. "He just woke me up early and I told him to go away."
"So you didn't talk to her then. thanks." Connie offered Jacob sarcastically.
Though he raised his eyebrows to look at Grace, she refused to meet his eye and instead looked at her mother. "Is there anything for me to take for lunch today?"
"Take this, I'm not hungry." Connie pushed the croissant towards her daughter, giving Jacob a frosty look before she walked from the room with a coffee in her hand.
"What was that all about?" Jacob questioned as soon as she was out of earshot.
"You can't just tell her what I said, it will upset her!" Grace replied, pushing the croissant into a bag as she wiped frustrated tears from her face. "Why can't you just sort it out like you usually do?!" With this, she stomped away, leaving Jacob alone, confused, and unsure what to do.
As Connie sat at her vanity upstairs, all she could think about was why all this had so suddenly started to escalate. Yes, she was irritated with Kate and Jacob yesterday, especially when he didn't seem to think it was necessary to tell her anything more about her, or seem to mind that she had forgotten to introduce herself as Mrs Masters, as soon as Kate had arrived. That was made worse by the whole dinner incident, and the fact that he seemed so reluctant to help her with Grace. She let out a growl of frustration as she tied her hair behind her and swept her fringe into place. She had thought that maybe today, he would put Kate down, and that later she would maybe apologise for being quite so distant and harsh. Now she was doubting that that would be the case.