"You don't have to come if you don't want to." Jade says to Beck as she looks in the mirror, applying mascara "I doubt I'm going to be gone very long anyway."
"I'll do whatever you want me to, s'not a big deal." Beck assures her as he finishes changing Liam's diaper "If you want the support, I'm more than happy to come with you. If you want me to stay here, I'm more than happy to stay here. S'your call."
"You should stay here..." Jade sighs, looking over at her boyfriend and son "You've barely seen Liam today, and I always feel bad asking my mom to watch him last minute."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah..." She nods "It'll be better if he's only mad at one of us at a time anyway."
"He'll be mad at me too." Beck laughs "Dad's always blame the boyfriends in these kinds of situations."
"Well, I'll spare you that uncomfortableness then."
The Friday following Jade's birthday has arrived, marking her celebration dinner with her father. John had offered to let Jade bring Beck along, but as she mentioned...he's barely spent any time with the baby yet today and she doesn't want to take that opportunity away from him. Liam is getting older, and with his newborn days now behind him...Beck doesn't want to miss out on any more time with his son than he has to.
"Tell Mommy that she looks pretty, Bud." Beck says as he picks Liam up off of the bed where he had been changing him "He says you look very pretty."
"Thank you, Liam." Jade smiles, pressing a kiss to the baby's cheek before pressing another to her boyfriend's "I'll see you two in a little bit?"
"See you in a little bit." Beck nods "Feel free to take as much time as you want. I've got everything under control here."
"We'll see what happens once I tell him." Jade shrugs, headed for the stairs that will take her to the home's main level "Love you both."
"We love you back."
Her father had chosen the restaurant, despite his previous offer of allowing her to choose, and it's much more upscale than what she would have picked herself. It offers a valet service, but she opts to park in a garage about a block away and make the short walk on foot instead. It gives her a few extra minutes to herself that she wouldn't normally get, and while she's grateful for those few extra minutes...she can't help but miss the baby just a little bit.
Upon entering the establishment, Jade immediately feels underdressed. Her tank top, jeans, and sandals pale in comparison to the much more formal attire everyone else around her seems to be wearing. She gives her father's name to the maître de and is lead to the table where he is already seated and looking at his menu.
"Hey, Dad..."
"Jade!" John grins as he looks up from his menu "Hi!"
He stands up immediately and offers her a hug, which she returns. They exchange their pleasantries, the 'nice to see you's and 'it's been too long's, before each taking their seats on their respective sides of the table.
"Each time I see you, you look more and more grown up." John smiles "I can't believe you're twenty-one already, and about to be a senior in college on top of that!"
"Yeah..." Jade chuckles ironically "Life seems to be moving pretty fast these days."
They make small talk about the traffic in Los Angeles and how hot the weather had been that week while they wait for their waitress to come take their order. John orders a steak, Jade gets chicken, and John allows Jade to choose a bottle of wine for them to split. She opts for white, trying not to allude to the fact that she's engaged in enough under-age drinking to prefer white to red.
John is mostly interested in hearing about school. He briefly asks about Beck, and she lies and excuses his absence from dinner by saying that he had dinner plans with his own parents that he didn't want to break. It seems a satisfactory enough answer for the time being, and they quickly return to discussing school...specifically the internship she'll be required to complete before getting her degree.
"Every major studio in the industry takes on interns." Jade explains as they finish their meal "It's just a matter of if I'm qualified enough for any of them, or if I'll have to look elsewhere."
"I'm not sure how many major studios set their interns up in New York." John tells her honestly "Would they be willing to put you up somewhere out here?"
"Potentially." She shrugs "Most of the major networks have a headquarters on both coasts. It really all depends on where things go and where my grades are at the end of the semester."
"Well, knowing you...grades won't be a problem." John smiles "You've always been good with school."
"When I'm only worrying about school, I'm good at school." Jade tells him "You throw some other things in there, and it takes a bit more effort for me to stay focused."
"Things like?"
"Work...and..."
"And...?"
"I need to tell you something, Dad."
"Sure." John nods "What is it? You can tell me anything."
"I'm not back in LA just for the summer. I'm kind of here indefinitely, and so is Beck." Jade tells him "We won't be going back to New York in a few weeks when everyone else is going back to school. We're going to stay here, and I'm going to take the rest of my classes online."
"Why?"
Her abrupt and brief announcement doesn't make any sense to him. As far as John knows, his daughter loves living in New York and going to school there, he can't think of any reason that would make her want to leave.
"This is going to sound crazy, so I just need you to listen...okay?"
"Jade...?"
"Back in May, my roommate took me to the emergency room because I had cramps that were so strong they were making it almost impossible for me to walk." She continues "Only they weren't cramps, I was in labor...and I had a baby."
"That's not funny, Jade."
"I know it's not." She assures him, anxiety growing in the pit of her stomach "That's why I wouldn't joke about it. I had no idea I was pregnant, there's a medical explanation for it that I won't go into, but we kept the baby. His name is Liam and we-"
"Jade, stop it." John cuts her off "Do you seriously expect me to believe-"
"Yes!" She raises her voice a bit, then realizes her volume and lowers it "I'm sorry, yes. Yes, I do expect you to believe it. I have a camera roll full of pictures of him. Look."
She takes her phone out and opens up her pictures app. She scrolls through the hundreds of pictures of Liam she has on her phone, the most recent ones being taken that morning. Jade allows John to take the phone out of her hand and scroll himself, trying to read his expression as he looks through the photographs.
"His name is Liam Beckett Oliver." She can't help but smile "He's about ten weeks old and-"
"I'm very disappointed in you."
"I'm sorry?"
"You should have known better, especially knowing what your mother and I went through having you so young." John says to her "Children are a big responsibility."
"Believe me, I'm aware."
It's almost like she and Beck have been taking care of a child for two and a half months now.
"And to think I've had a grandson in this world for ten weeks and I'm only just now finding out about it?" John continues "That's heartbreaking, Jade. It really is."
"Maybe I wouldn't have had to wait so long to tell you if you were easier to get ahold of."
"I know I travel a lot and that's been hard on you." John admits "But I've always been just a phone call away, you know that."
"Only when you're not working." Jade scoffs "Which isn't often."
"Excuse me?"
"I've been second to your work my whole life!" Jade feels herself growing defensive "I get to see you twice a year, if I'm lucky, and you're only interested in my life when it's convenient for you to be. You know, when things are slow at work or you happen to be in town and have a night off. That's really hard on me as an adult, it was even harder on me when I was a kid-"
"You're still a kid!"
"I'm twenty-one with a baby of my own!" Jade reminds him "I might be young, but I'm definitely not a kid anymore. My priorities have changed, and Liam is the top one. I can't imagine a life where he isn't...which really just makes it that much more hurtful knowing that you see work as a priority over me..."
"Jade, that's not true."
"I don't have any evidence to suggest that it's not."
"I was working so I could make sure that you had the best life. The life that I thought you deserved."
"And a life that you were barely in." She reminds him "I don't want to end the night on a note like this...but I have a baby that I need to get home to."
"Hey, wait-"
"Thanks for dinner, Dad." She sighs "It was good to see you."
"We knew he wasn't going to take it well." Beck tries to comfort Jade as he sits beside her on the couch, feeding Liam
She had come home not exactly distraught, but more upset than he would have figured her to be. Like he said, both of them knew John likely wouldn't react well to the news of the baby...but that doesn't make his reaction any less hurtful.
"I know..." She sighs "But that doesn't make it any easier to process."
"I know." Beck agrees "Maybe he just needs time? Everyone else certainly did when we told them."
"No one else was quite as critical about it as he was though."
"Not even my mom?"
"Not even close." Jade shakes her head "Your mom and I don't get along, but she at least pretends to be supportive."
"She is supportive, she just...has a very special ways of showing it."
"I wish the same could be said for my dad..." Jade admits "He said he was disappointed in me."
"I'm sorry, babe." Beck wraps an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her temple "I wish I could change things."
"S'alright..." Jade shrugs "I'll get over this just like I've gotten over everything else."
The door at the top of the stairs opens, and the sound of footsteps descending can be heard. Eventually Kaitlyn appears, her expression hard to read for Beck and Jade both.
"Mom? What is it?"
"Well..." Kaitlyn sighs "Your father is here, and he wants to speak with you. I don't have a problem with sending him away, but I figured I would at least check with you to find out if you even want to see him."
She hadn't spoken with her daughter since she returned home from dinner, but Kaitlyn could have guessed how it had gone given the current situation.
"I don't think we should-" Beck begins, but Jade stops him
"It's fine. I'll talk to him." Jade says, sitting Liam up so she can readjust her shirt "Will you take him, please?"
"Of course."
"I made him wait outside." Kaitlyn tells her daughter as they both head upstairs "I thought it might be harder to kick him out once we had already let him in."
"Thanks, Mom..."
"Of course."
She of all people knows how John can be at times.
He's waiting for her in the driveway, leaning against his car as she makes her way down the front walk.
"Two visits in one day." She scoffs "What a special occasion."
"S'not every day that my only daughter turns twenty-one." John says sarcastically "Jade, I didn't like how we left things."
"Well, I didn't like how you were speaking to me." Jade informs him
"I know, and I'm sorry about that." John apologizes "It...it was just a lot to take in...hearing that news."
"Plenty of other people heard the same news without being as hurtful with their responses." Jade tells him "I know you're disappointed that I didn't break the cycle that you and Mom started...but you didn't have to be so degrading about it. I get enough of that from strangers as it is, I don't need it from my dad too."
"You're right, you don't." John agrees "As your parent, I'm supposed to protect you and support you...not hurt you more. I'm sure you know that now yourself a bit."
"I do."
Jade hears the front door open behind her and turns to see Beck coming out of the house. He keeps his hands in the pockets of his jeans and until he's close enough to wrap an arm protectively around his girlfriend's waist.
"Beck." John extends his hand to shake Beck's
"Mr. West." Beck accepts it, then allows his free arm to drop to his side "S'been a while."
"It has."
"Where's the baby?" Jade asks "Did he fall asleep?"
"No, he's with your mom." Beck tells her "I just wanted to be out here to...you know..."
"Back her up?" John raises an eyebrow at him
"Something like that."
"He was just apologizing, actually."
"I was." John nods "I used harsh words with you, and I'm sorry about that. And I'm sorry for... not always being as present for you as I could have been."
"Thank you for saying that." Jade tells him "And...I'm sorry for getting so defensive instead of hearing you out."
"That's alright." John assures her "I understand, you have a son to protect now."
"I do." Jade looks to Beck, and then back to her father "Um...do you want to meet him? It's almost his bedtime so he might be a little cranky but-"
"I would love to, yes." John stops her "But only if you're okay with it."
"Are you okay with it?" Jade asks Beck
"If you are." He nods "S'your call."
"Come inside." Jade nods towards the house "Hopefully he's still awake."
Sure enough, Liam is still awake and resting contently in Kaitlyn's arms. He smiles when he sees his mother, and snuggles up to her almost immediately as she takes him herself.
"Dad..." She turns to face John "I would like to formally introduce you to Liam Beckett Oliver, your grandson."
"Hey there, Liam." John smiles, gently stroking the baby's cheek with his thumb "S'nice to meet you."
Liam looks at his grandfather with a puzzled expression, but not discontent. He yawns and then buries his face in Jade's chest, clearly tired and close to falling asleep.
"I'd offer to let you hold him, but I don't think he'll budge right now." Jade sighs "I'm sorry."
"That's okay. Bedtime routines aren't something that should be tampered with." John smirks "We learned that all too well when you were a baby."
"We sure did." Kaitlyn laughs in agreement
"Jade, I know I've hurt you by not being as present in your life as I could have been..." John tells her "I can't go back and change that. But if you'll let me...I'd like to try to be more present for Liam."
"I..." Jade looks to Beck, waiting for him to nod in approval, which he does "I'd like that, Dad. Thank you."
"Of course."
"We should get him to bed." Beck suggests, offering Jade an out from the conversation "It's getting late, yeah?"
"Yeah." Jade nods "Sorry, Dad."
"S'quite alright, I know how it goes."
"I'll walk you out." Kaitlyn offers
Beck and Jade both retreat downstairs, Liam still clinging tightly to Jade as his eyelids start to grow heavy.
"Well that seemed...productive." Beck admits as he and Jade enter their bedroom "Don't you think?"
"For now." Jade sighs, rocking Liam gently "He's made empty promises before...let's see if he sticks to this one."