"Open." He chuckled as she took a bite of the pizza from his hand, consciously rubbing at the side of her mouth to remove tomato as she took her wine glass from the bedside table. She was half sat up, the duvet bunched up around her and his arm draped around her shoulders, and every so often she would just look to him and smile, and he would kiss her.
"I think..." She paused, and shifted to face him. "I think I want her to know sooner rather than later, Jacob. Don't look at me like that, I know what you're thinking." He watched her with raised eyebrows, but said nothing. "I want it to be like this, and we can't do that if we 'wait and see.' I'm not going to let her put us through this again, I promise-" She said the last part as a near whisper, and he pressed another kiss to her lips, silencing her.
"I will do whatever you want us to do, sweet cheeks." She smiled at him, albeit unconvincingly, and at this he touched his fingers to her lips and traced their outline. "I know... That it could be difficult. Okay, and I'm prepared for that. God knows, I've had enough practice with you." This time she raised an eyebrow, but she allowed him to continue. "But I am not going to lose you, Connie. Today... I wish Grace could have..." He trailed off, and she took his fingers in hers and interlinked their fingers, as she had done in the Church. "I wish she could have seen how much I needed you."
"I wish she could see how much I need you every day." Connie replied softly. "Today, I was just returning the favour."
...
Though they fell into sleep soon after dinner, Connie was woken a couple of hours later because she felt cold. Her eyelids flickered and she reached out for Jacob, but she found his side empty and so cold he must have departed long ago. Eyes opening quickly, she saw his silhouette in front of the window, his head lowered and his arms folded tightly in front of him.
"Jacob?" Connie questioned softly. When she received no reply, she slipped from the bed and approached him hesitantly. She found him looking down at that same photo that had got her thinking. Two brothers together, laughing.
"Last time we spoke, we argued. Mia wanted to come for the holidays, and I said she couldn't because my place isn't big enough, and he asked me too late to get time off work. Now I'm doing exactly the same thing again. I'm leaving her, making my life more important than her happiness. But you know who encouraged me to take the job in Holby? Joe did. He always encouraged me and supported me, and all I did was tell him no, that I was too busy or that I didn't have the money." Jacob sighed, scrunching the photo up in his hand. "I made the wrong choice. I always make the wrong choice."
Stepping in front of him now, Connie put a hand to either bicep and then ran those hands down his arms, forcing him to relax them and let them unfold. "We're going to make that right. Together. Mia can come and stay at my house, on the weekends at first while she finishes the school year and things settle with Grace, then once everything has calmed down, we can find you a bigger place, or you can move in with me, and Mia can come and stay here. I have childcare sorted for Grace, so it won't be any trouble for Mia to be around, and I can sort a place at Gracie's school. We can sort this Jacob, I promise. You don't need to worry."