"Do we have to go and pick up Ava?" Grace questioned as soon as Jacob opened the driver's side door.
Frowning, Jacob sat down and shut the door against the cold wind that was whipping around outside. He thought for a moment how Grace had been acting around her sister before replying, "I think she's fine where she is, and I think you and me need a proper afternoon together. I'm thinking a terrible movie, hot chocolates and a pillow fort, what do you say?"
"A pillow fort? I'm not 5." Grace laughed, though she secretly still loved pillow forts. They made her feel safe, and right now that was exactly what she needed.
Two hours later, two empty hot chocolate mugs rested on a table and a pillow fort had been erected, but while the movie was on, neither of them were watching it. Jacob was still thinking of Connie and Grace, and wondering why everything seemed to have escalated so suddenly when they arrived back on holiday. Grace was worrying whether, now they knew it would upset her, Jacob and her mother would still fight but in private so she wouldn't hear and wouldn't be able to help. In her office, Connie was thinking of her family and what she could do.
"...Jacob?"
"Mm?" He turned his head to look at his step-daughter.
"...Can we sent mum a selfie to show her we're okay in case she's worried?" Though she asked quietly, Grace was soon giggling as Jacob attempted to perfect a pouting pose. A few minutes later, Connie got several picture messages at once, mostly of Grace laughing.
"Ready?"
"Do you really need to ask?"
He chuckled as Connie took her bag and coat from the stand, taking his hand as they walked out of the ED.
"Are the girls-"
"In the car, and they're fine. Come on, let's get you home." He pressed a kiss to her head.
...
They lay in bed hours later, his arms wrapped around her as she nestled into his side.
"I think that very nearly made up for what we missed out on last night, sweet cheeks."
"Mmm, I think so." She brought her head up to kiss him before nestling back down in the covers again. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. He twisted strands of her hair around in his fingers, smiling as it fell in curly tendrils that splayed on the pillow and tickled his nose.
"I love you." She heard him murmur into her hair, and she smiled, thinking back to the messages he had sent her after the picture of Grace earlier.
"I love you too."
"Mhmm. You know, I think we should do something with the girls this weekend."
"Such as?"
"Well, that I don't know."
"Useless, you are." She muttered affectionately, before closing her eyes and eventually drifting off to sleep.
Connie was woken the next morning in her favourite way. Gentle kisses were dropped to her lips, there was the smell of fresh, warm coffee in the air, and she could hear laughter in the house. She had been so reluctant to be the sort of woman who married and had a family, but now-
"You left your shoes by the door again, and the girls are having high heel races down the hallway."
Connie groaned and nestled her face into the pillow a little more. "Which shoes?"
"Your favourites." Jacob replied, grinning as Connie was immediately out of bed and pulling on her dressing gown. She rushed out of the bedroom, but her footsteps slowed when she reached the hallway at the front of the house. Her favourite shoes were still sitting neatly side by side next to the front door.
"What-"
"Surprise!" Grace was stood in the doorway of the kitchen smiling as she held out a cup of coffee for her mother. "We all made you breakfast."
Smiling widely, Connie made her way into the kitchen to find all manner of breakfast foods on the table, flour all over the surfaces and her daughters, and a large stack of washing up.
"'Prise!" Ava grinned widely, her mouth already full of the pancake her sister had told her not to eat until Connie had started eating.
A few years ago, perhaps, the mess would have annoyed her, and she knew Grace still remembered that because though she smiled, her eyes looked wary. These days however, Connie was trying to give up the strong control she held over everything, and so instead of yelling, she pulled her eldest into her arms.
"This is perfect, Gracie. Thank you." She dropped a kiss to her head.
"Me too!" Ava rushed towards them like a little flour monster, and when Jacob came into the room a few seconds later, it was to find all three of them laughing and chasing one another with flour all over themselves.
…
Of course Connie was left with the washing up her surprise had made.
"Quite the domestic goddess now, aren't you?"
"Shut up!" She flicked soapy bubbles at Jacob's face, giggling as he put down the tea towel and reached around her waist to take a handful of bubbles from the sink and place them on her nose. "Get off!"
"N-uh, I'm not going anywhere."
"Jacob, I need to finish this-"
"Or we could just go back upstairs and do it later..." He bent around her shoulders to kiss her, noticing how her fingers were now clenched tightly at the rim of the sink. "Or not, I mean upstairs is pretty overrated..."
"We can't." She kissed him once before pushing him away, moving over to take the tea towel from where he had dropped it to start drying up the pan Grace had used earlier.
"At least I know my tactics work..."
"What tactics?"
"Those shoes are like your lifeline, aren't they?"
She raised an eyebrow at him before hitting him gently with the tea towel in response.
"Mummy!?"
Connie sighed before stepping quickly from the room and pausing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Mummy!?"
"Ava?"
"Mummy I can't find my trousers, and Grace says that if I don't then, then I'll have to go to school in my pyjama bottoms!"
"You go. I'll finish this." Jacob took the tea towel from her. "I wonder if anyone would believe me if I told them I'd seen you doing dishes."
"You wouldn't dare!" Connie gave him a glare before slipping from the room.
"Mum, can I come with you to work again? I won't be any trouble." Grace appeared at her mother's elbow as she searched through the ironing basket for her youngest's clothes.
"Have you still got a headache?" She frowned, touching Grace's face gently. "They're usually gone after a sleep.."
Grace shrugged, unwilling to lie even though she didn't want to leave her mother and Jacob alone together.
"Are we having a meeting in laundry?" Jacob gave a loud whisper from the doorway, Ava in his arms.
Grace turned to look at him, as did Connie. They exchanged a quick glance, half of panic and half of amusement before Jacob cleared his throat and bounced Ava gently in his arms.
"Sorry Grace, I didn't realise-"
"It's fine, Jacob. I've lived in this house long enough now, I think I'm used to your ridiculously intimate relationship."
"You do speak like your mother."
This earned a small smile from Connie, who turned back to the ironing basket to fish out a pair of small, pale pink trousers.
"Right Ava, Daddy will go and iron these for you..." She took her daughter from Jacob's arms, exchanging her for the trousers that he held, his expression one of disbelief. "Domestic God?" She whispered in his ear, her lips tickling against his skin, as she left the room, leaving Jacob and Grace.
"Is she okay?" Grace asked as Jacob searched for the iron.
"Your mum? She's fine, Grace." Jacob replied as he stood up. "How are you?"
"Fine." Grace offered, turning away to go and finish her conversation with her mother, but Jacob reached out and took hold of her forearm.
"You don't need to worry, Grace. Me and your mum are okay, i promise."
"It's 'your mother and I'" Grace replied smartly before leaving the room.
"Women." Jacob muttered to himself as he plugged in the iron.
"Mum?" Grace called as she stomped up the stairs. "So can I come to work with you?"
"Gracie, I am a little worried about the fact that it's not gone..."
"It's not really bad-"
She stopped speaking at the clear disapproving look that passed across he mother's face.
"Grace... I'm not going to be around much, and nor will Jacob. I'm just worried..."
"Mum, you don't need to worry. If it goes away in the morning then maybe I will go to school in the afternoon." She had no intention of doing this, but knew that this was a likely compromise. If her mother was so busy then she wouldn't notice if she was still in the department anyway.
"Fine. But bring something to do."
"Thanks, Mum."
Connie ruffled her hair gently before running quickly downstairs and then back up, bringing her shoes with her so that Ava wouldn't wander down to break her ankle in them.