A/N: This story was co-written by AO3's obsessivedaydreamer and posted here with her permission.
James
James runs his hands over Juliet's shoulder blades, her skin slick from the sunscreen he's rubbing in. She makes a soft, contented noise and he smiles.
"We should do this more often," she says quietly, looking at the water with a distant look in her eyes.
He squeezes more sunscreen into his palm. "What? Stay at resorts on tropical islands that cost thousands 'a dollars?"
She narrows her eyes at him over her shoulder and then turns back around. He slides his hand down her lower back. "I wouldn't mind doing that more. But no, I mean all of us doing stuff together. Family trips, and holidays."
He frowns. "I don't know, 'cause you divorced the guy."
"James. He's still David's father, and I think it's good for him to have this."
He bites his tongue, stifling a comment about how David doesn't seem too happy about the arrangement. He stopped him this morning after breakfast, checking in and making sure he was okay. His I'm fine was lacking genuinity.
"You're good," he says, sad to let his hands slip from her body. She turns around, and his disappointment is quickly replaced with joy when she slides her arms around his neck and smiles at him.
"Thank you."
"'Course."
She looks beautiful. She always does. The blue of her bikini pulls from the color of her eyes, and he can't stop staring at the thin fabric. Or really, everything it doesn't cover.
"I love you," she says, and it still makes his heart buzz.
He leans in and kisses her lips, and then the tip of her nose and smiles. "Love you too."
They settle down into the two lounge chairs they picked out, perfectly in the shade of a large umbrella. She pulls her book from her bag and sets it on her lap. Then, she pulls out his, reaching it over with his glasses set on top.
He leaves the glasses on the chair beside his leg and opens the book.
"James." He looks at her. She gestures to the glasses. "Put them on."
He frowns. "I don't want to."
"And I don't want to listen to you complain about a headache all night."
He sighs and begrudgingly pulls them on. She's right, and they both know it. She always is.
This is truly his happy space. The absolute beauty of the clear ocean, the warmth of the sun, a good book, and the love of his life beside him.
The fantasy dissipates into nothing when Jack's voice sounds from behind him.
"Oh, hey."
He whips his head around, fighting a scowl when he sees Jack and Kate—holding Auggie on her hip—approaching them on the sand.
"Hey," Juliet says, smiling completely unphased. "Looks like we had the same idea."
Kate laughs and smiles. James wonders if she's as uncomfortable with this whole situation as he is, the other outsider. If she is, she's faking it pretty well. Though she has the baby to distract her.
Juliet sits up and reaches her hands out toward the baby. Kate seems to hesitate a moment, and then hands him over. He's completely comfortable in her arms, babbling and waving his chubby fists.
Juliet looks so happy. She's grinning, lit up as she talks to the baby and wiggles her fingers in his eyesight. He grabs onto her hand and she laughs.
It tugs on his heart, pulling so hard.
A year ago, when Auggie was born, the conversation came up. If they wanted another kid. Despite how much he meant it, it's absurd to him still that he said yes. It's crazy that he even has a kid, let alone willingly wants another. But he isn't the same person he was a long time ago. The idea of doing it again, but with Juliet from the start, was better than anything. And besides, Clementine loves babies more than anything. She'd be thrilled.
Juliet wanted it too, and so, for a year, they've been trying. For a year, nothing. They don't talk about it, but he knows it weighs on her. He also knows there's nothing he can do to fix that.
Watching her be so happy with the baby fills his heart, but it also tears him apart.
"Nice glasses," Jack says, a smile and a compliment weakly disguising his taunting rudeness.
James pulls them off and gives the man a performative, forced smile. "Thanks, Doc. Really appreciate it."
"Play nice, boys," Juliet teasingly scolds. James bites back a sarcastic response and simply lies back in his seat.
"You're so good with him," Kate says softly, watching Juliet with Auggie. He seems utterly transfixed by her, eyes wide and hands grabbing at her fingers and her hair and the sunglasses on her face.
She just smiles. "He's a happy boy."
"Oh, just wait until he gets angry," Kate jokes. "He throws quite a fit."
Juliet glances up at Jack. "I see he inherited something from his father."
It's teasing, but James knows she means it. He thinks Jack does too.
"I'm going to take him down to the water," Kate says and picks Auggie up out of Juliet's lap. He's quick to turn and latch onto his mom instead.
Jack puts his hand on her waist and waves to Juliet with the other as they walk down the sand toward the water.
When they return, they set up near them, but a little ways away, which James appreciates.
He and Juliet spend a bit of time just relaxing, reading their books, and soaking in the sun. But when Kate sits down in the sand with Auggie, guiding him in building what he can only guess is an attempt at a sandcastle, Juliet gets up and joins them. James watches her, unable to wipe the smile from his face.
A little while later, Clementine and David make their way across the sand, calling out to them.
"What've you two been up to?" James asks.
Clementine wastes no time jumping into a recap of their morning. "There was this koi fish pond by the Japanese restaurant, so we watched them for a while. And we wanted to play ping pong, but we waited forever and these guys wouldn't leave, so we ended up playing basketball. There's a court right on the beach."
"Better to wait 'til I'm there to beat you, anyway," James jokes about the ping pong, and she rolls her eyes.
"There was this ice cream shop, too," David adds. "They have these crazy banana splits."
"Sounds healthy," Juliet says, joking.
David keeps talking, ignoring the comment, "Also, I wanted to go kayaking. You can get them right over there."
"That sounds fun," Juliet says, getting up to her feet and dusting the sand from her skin. "I'll go."
"Me too." James is up for utilizing all the amenities the resort has to offer.
"You should go, Jack," Kate says, "I'll stay with Auggie."
"You sure?"
She nods, and Jack gets up from his lounge chair.
"Can I stay with Kate?" Clementine asks.
James looks at her with a frown. "You don't wanna go?"
"I wanna stay with the baby."
He looks at Kate. "You good with that?"
She smiles. "Yeah, of course."
Clementine grins and walks over to where they are on the sand, quick to make a silly face towards Auggie and get laughter out of him.
The rest of them head in the direction of the kayaks, quiet as they make their way through the sand. When they get there, they find they have to rent the boats, which is unfortunate. But James gives them his room number, giving in.
Jack looks at David. "Do you want the front or the back?"
He frowns. "I wanted to go with Mom."
They all look at each other. Clearly, they'd all assumed something that David hadn't.
"Are you sure?" Juliet asks. "It would be nice for you to go with your dad."
He shakes his head. "No, I want to go with you. Dad sucks at this stuff. Besides, if you go with James you two are gonna make out the whole time and slow everyone down."
James playfully ruffles his hair, teasing, "Watch it, kid."
"Ok, David, that's fine," Juliet says, looking at Jack over his head. He's quiet, but his face is drawn up in a scowl. He's clearly bothered by his son's unwillingness to spend time with him.
Then, it hits James what David and Juliet going out together means for him.
"I'm thinking I might not go," he says.
"What? Why not?" Juliet asks.
He shrugs, avoiding her eyes. "Gonna check on Clementine. Don't wanna leave her."
"She's been roaming the hotel by herself, James. She's fine. Kate's got her. And Jack needs someone to go with."
The two men stare at each other. Maybe this is good. He can drown their boat and put them both out of their misery.
"I don't have to go," Jack says.
Juliet narrows her eyes. "You two are going."
James sighs, knowing that voice means she isn't relenting. He guesses Jack knows it too.
As they head to the water, dragging the boats with them, James walks beside David.
"You put sunscreen on before you come out here?"
"Yeah, I put it on in the room."
"You sure? Don't want ya to burn." He's just like his mom, in the sense that he turns as red as a lobster in the sun.
He nods. "I'm good. Thanks, James."
He pats him on the back. "Great. Take care 'a your mom out there."
He smiles. "She can take care of herself."
"Atta boy," James says, chuckling. He catches Jack watching them and gives a snarky smile. It's wrong to say, but he takes a lot of pride in the fact that he has a better relationship with the kid than he does with his own father. If he wasn't intent on pleasing Juliet, he'd rub it in Jack's face.
It wasn't always so good. When James first started dating Juliet, David was wary, treating him like a stranger no matter how much time they'd spent together. Maybe it came with the age, he was only seven at the time, or the freshness of his parents' divorce. But soon enough, after he moved in and Clementine started living with them—they arranged it so they'd get both kids on the same weeks, so they had each other and he and Juliet would have weeks to themselves—he warmed up. It helped that James made such an effort, sharing his favorite movies with him and bonding over music. Also that he gained a best friend out of it, in Clementine.
Things worked out better than James ever could've asked for. Jack probably can't say the same.
David walks forward, getting into the kayak with Juliet. James watches them as long as he can before he's forced to join Jack by the other one.
"You're in the back," he says as they push it out into the water.
"Why?"
"Because I paid for it."
Jack sighs and holds the boat as James climbs into the front. He gets into the back afterward, and James puts the paddle in the water.
"It's nice that you're so good with him," Jack says, and even without seeing him, James can feel how bitter the remark really is.
"David? He's a great kid." He smiles, and then says in a far too cheery voice, "I'm lucky to be his dad half the time."
David doesn't even call him Dad, and James doesn't think of himself as such. He knows his place. But he can't waste the opportunity to piss Jack off, especially when he started it
"I'm still his dad," Jack says, not succeeding very well in masking his frustration. "Even when he's with you guys."
"Yeah, of course." James keeps his voice ever so casual. "He's just got both of us now."
It's quiet for a moment, James focuses on the water, and then Jack speaks again.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you and Juliet aren't married."
He doesn't like where this is going. "We're engaged."
"Right. And how long has it been? Feels like forever ago."
"Two years," James says, frowning.
"And we haven't even gotten a save the date."
He bites back a comment about him not even being invited. "We ain't planning the wedding yet."
"Hm. Alright."
James grips his paddle tightly. "Guess it is a long time. Longer than you even knew Kate 'fore you knocked her up."
"What the hell—"
"You do realize we're heading in the complete wrong direction, don't you?"
In the midst of their arguing, they've been heading in the opposite direction of David and Juliet, as well as much farther out than they went.
"Well, whose fault is that?"
"Yours, for distracting me." He takes in their situation, trying to work out the best plan. He's never done this before, but he's got a pretty good idea of what to do. "Just paddle on the left, that should turn us the right way."
Jack shuts his mouth, finally, and they try to turn themselves around. They're not not in sync whatsoever, and they keep hitting each other's paddles. They bicker as they attempt to move, being left farther and farther in the distance by Juliet and David, who seem like professionals up ahead. They grow smaller and smaller in the distance. Meanwhile, James can't even pay attention to how clear and gorgeous the water is, too occupied with his frustration.
"If we go out any further, maybe they'll send the Coast Guard," he mutters.
"Can you shut up?" Jack shoots back at him.
He fights a smile, amused by how easy it is to piss him off.
James hits his paddle hard against the water, splashing both of them.
"What are you, five?" Jack snaps.
"I'd be thankful if I were you. I'm getting us back on the path."
"You're the one who got us off of it!"
James shakes his head. "I heard ya have a hard time accepting blame. I see it now."
"I'm this close to pushing you over."
"I dare you."
He doesn't expect Jack to have the guts, so it shocks him when he feels the hands on his shoulders. Jack is strong, but James doesn't go down without a fight. He attempts to turn around, and between the movement and the force of Jack's hands, they tip the kayak over and fall into the water with a loud splash.
The lifejackets don't let them fall too deep, and James comes up coughing and spitting out water.
"Sonofabitch." He shoves his wet hair back, watching Jack come up and wipe the water from his face. "Fuck you."
"Fuck you," Jack says back. "This wouldn't have happened if you weren't such an asshole."
"You tried to push me off!"
They argue until they get it out of their system, and then flip the kayak back on the right side and try to climb in. Thankfully, the water is still and the paddles are floating near them.
They seem to have tired themselves out, focused solely on getting themselves back to shore. When they do, Juliet and David are standing there waiting.
"What took you so long?" David asks, at the same time Juliet asks, "Why are you so wet?"
They both just shake their heads, getting out and dragging the boat up to shore.
"Did you fall in?" David asks, on the verge of laughter.
"Your dad pushed me."
"No, I didn't!"
Juliet laughs, so hard she can't even catch her breath, and David joins in. James is unamused, shaking the water from his hair and walking past them with the boat.
Once he's returned, Juliet reaches up and tucks his hair behind his ears. "I'm sure it was refreshing."
"Mhm. Sure."
She grins, and he doesn't really feel anything but happy now. "We're gonna go get lunch."
"Sounds great." He kisses her. She grabs his hand, and David comes up to join them, talking about some fish that they had seen on their kayak.
He ignores Jack's glare that he can feel burning into his back. Whatever he's angry about, it isn't James' fault.
Kate
Kate is filled with gratitude when Juliet suggests they take a nap.
It feels like a genuine suggestion, like a mother's knowledgeable input on one of motherhood's most draining features.
Usually, Auggie was a good sleeper. At almost one, he was already sleeping through the night at home and they had a good routine with him. But on vacation, things were different.
This was the first time they'd left home for so long and the first time they'd changed timezones. He had slept on the flight on the way to Puerto Rico and, while Kate had been grateful at the time, since she'd been too worried he'd disturb the other passengers, she regretted letting him. He'd woken up so many times throughout the night, that she wasn't even sure if she'd gotten any sleep at all.
She thanks her, and so does Jack before they find their way back to their bedroom.
They lie down on the bed, all three of them, Auggie in the middle, and she doesn't even have time to think about how tired she is before sleep takes over.
When she wakes up, feeling slightly refreshed but still tired, Auggie is staring at her with big green eyes just like hers and a toothy grin. She can't help but smile back at him and pull him closer to her. He pats her chest, signaling hunger and she obliges.
She lets Jack sleep while she nurses; he had stayed up all night with them, trying to help settle Auggie, and Kate's grateful for him too. He always tries his best, and she can't complain.
Kate will never forget the day they met, on a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles.
He wore a suit and a frown, a glass of whiskey already in his hand courtesy of the flight attendant, and her first thought was pure dread that she'd have to sit next to someone who looked like he could snap at any moment.
She'd been exhausted after a long work trip, capturing the wonderful sights of Australia for one of the new travel books on the Outback and she was sure she looked like a mess. She'd only gotten to take a quick shower before she tossed all her things in a bag and left for the airport, forced to leave her hair to air dry and turn into something resembling a mane.
She'd excused herself as she sat beside him, earning nothing but a grumbly response. But it wasn't until he accidentally spilled some of his drink on her that they started talking, and to her surprise, she'd enjoyed it. By the time they landed, they'd switched numbers and they'd been inseparable since.
"Good morning," Jack mumbles, his fingers rubbing circles on her thigh.
"Good morning to you too, sleepy head."
"What time is it?"
"Just after 4. We should go back, thank James and Juliet for keeping the kids by giving them some alone time." She wiggles her eyebrows and Jack fakes a gag, they both burst out laughing.
"Okay, yeah, that's fair," Jack says and then he sits up, stretches and stands. He walks to the mini-fridge and picks up a bottle of water that he hands to her. She smiles, he's always taking care of her, of them, and it makes her heart swell. It's always the little things that make her feel loved and make her love him more.
When she finishes nursing Auggie, Jack takes him and burps him so she can get ready to go back down. She's not looking forward to the scorching sun and Jack suggests taking the kids to the hotel's arcade instead. "It'll be fun for them and we can just watch," he says and she agrees, still tired and longing to remain where there's air conditioning.
They find them at the pool. Clementine and Juliet are playing cards on the lounge chairs, so focused on Go Fish that they don't even notice them. James and David are in the water, in what looks like a swimming competition. When they emerge, and high-five each other, laughing and spitting out water, she feels Jack tense beside her.
"Hey," Kate says and the girls turn to look at them. Auggie wiggles around in her arms, reaching towards Juliet, who smiles and reaches out for him too.
Kate hands him over, less hesitant this time. Juliet is good with him and he seems to like her; she's been nothing but kind to both of them.
"You wanna play?" Clementine asks her.
"We were gonna see if you guys wanted to go to the arcade for a bit," Jack says, wrapping an arm around Kate's shoulder. "I hear there's some cool games there."
Juliet watches them and Kate winks at her, making her giggle. "That sounds like a great idea, guys." James is quick to catch up on their chance for alone time and eagerly gets out of the pool, picking up the nearest towel.
Clementine seems to agree and starts bouncing on her feet, begging David to get out of the pool and dry off so they can go. David's scowl is reminiscent of his father's, their resemblance undeniable, especially when they're in a bad mood. He complies, but begrudgingly. Doesn't say a word.
It takes some time for him to be dry enough to put on his t-shirt and shorts. In the meantime, Kate tries to make conversation, but is unsuccessful, getting mere short yes-or-no answers out of him. James watches her attempts and she thinks he looks sorry for her.
She can't help but feel a little jealous of his relationship with the boy. She knows Jack is jealous too, of how easily he interacts with David, of how much David seems to want him around. But Kate can't help but feel like she's the outsider he chose to hate.
"'Aight, you guys go ahead and get some cool prizes, yeah? I wanna see them at dinner."
James ruffles David's hair and Kate swears she can hear him warn him to be good to them. She's grateful, nods in his direction and the blond man just smiles and nods back. At least the other adults don't seem to hate her.
Juliet kisses Auggie on the head before she returns him to Kate. He giggles and waves when she tells him to say bye-bye to them, ever the sociable child.
They make their way inside the hotel and Clementine is the one who points them in the direction of the arcade. The place is loud, buzzing with conversation and laser gun sound effects. It's not too crowded, but Jack comments into her ear how everyone seems to have had the same idea.
David rushes off to a motorcycle simulation game, completely ignoring Jack's request for them to always let them know where they're going and stay in sight. Kate can feel Jack's mood changing, the tension filling his body.
It takes her back to a conversation they've had more than once, about how he wants to be a better father, a better man, to be involved and patient with his son. To be the father he wished his father had been to him. She reminds him of it, of how it requires patience and effort and she can feel him ease a little bit.
"It's hard, Kate."
"I know, but you gotta try."
Jack holds and bounces Auggie in his arms while Kate plays Skeeball with Clementine. She's grateful at least the girl seems to take to her. They play together, not against each other, uniting forces to get as many tickets as they can so the girl can get a cool prize from the counter at the back.
When David sees them, he calls to Jack. "Dad, Dad, will you play this one with me?" It's the extreme shot basketball game and Kate's seen him play that before on one of their dates; he's good. She's always been impressed by how good at sports he is considering how stiff he always acts.
She takes the baby from Jack. "I can do both," she says. "You'll need both hands."
His smile is everything to her as he struts off to meet his son to play. This feels like the opening he was looking for to spend some quality time with his kid and she will do everything in her power to make it happen.
Auggie giggles whenever she leans over to play, clapping for her when the ball goes into any of the holes, no matter how few points she scores. Clementine seems even happier now, with Auggie cheering for her too. "I've always wanted a sibling," she says, teasing Auggie with one of her pigtails. He almost grabs it, but Kate pulls his hand away before he tugs on it and ends up hurting her.
She doesn't say anything, and Clementine changes the subject, talking about how she wants to try all the activities the hotel provides. They end up talking about the kayaking that happened earlier that day, how she regrets not trying it, how she wishes she'd been braver.
"If you want to try, I can go with you." Kate offers, gently. "But it's okay to be scared, there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone's scared sometimes."
"You never seem scared," Clementine throws back.
"But that doesn't mean there aren't things that scare me. I just… always try."
Clementine nods and leans into her, wrapping her arms around her waist. Kate rubs her back, comforting her the best she can. "Can we try before the trip's up?"
"Of course we can."
It isn't until Auggie starts to get fussy in her arms that they notice it's time for dinner. They take the older kids to the counter, but they don't find anything worth trading their tickets for. The pimply kid behind the counter says they can keep them and return later to collect some more and maybe trade them for a bigger prize and the kids settle on that.
Clementine and David walk ahead, discussing all the prizes they'd like to get if they earn enough tickets. Jack holds Kate's hand, baby on his side, babbling around and pointing at the lights that have since turned on.
When the kids spot James and Juliet waiting for them, they run ahead, yelling for them. Jack tells them to slow down, but it's of no use. He shakes his head, but Kate tells him it's okay.
The trip is going much better than she expected and she can only hope it stays that way.
James
When Jack and Kate volunteered to take the kids to the arcade, James was thrilled at the prospect of alone time with Juliet. Sure, they have their own room. But yesterday had been so exhausting and led them to fall asleep right after dinner, and they'd spent most of today with the others.
They held hands on the walk back, and he watched her look around the resort with awe in her eyes. It was beautiful, but not as much as she is. When they got to the room, he could hardly keep his hands off of her.
Right now, he's relishing in the feeling of having her in his arms, before they have to reunite with everyone and probably get into all the drama they're supposed to be avoiding. Right now, the ocean is outside their window and Juliet's head is on his chest, his fingers in her hair.
"I wish we could stay here forever," Juliet says, her eyes focused on the water beyond their balcony.
James hums in agreement. "It's perfect."
She presses a kiss to his neck. "I gotta get ready for dinner."
"Stay." He tightens his hold on her. He really doesn't want this moment to be over. He feels like the world slows when he's here, in bed with her. "We got time."
She gives in. They stay there, wrapped in each other for a moment longer. And then she gets up and goes to the bathroom.
After her shower, once she's dressed, he offers to comb her hair. She gives him the brush and he takes his time with it. He loves doing things for her, he loves being near her. It makes him feel like he's a better person. It makes him feel like he's the man she sees when she looks at him.
It takes him far less time to get ready, letting Juliet quickly blow dry his hair and throwing on an outfit from his luggage.
The breeze is nice outside, though Juliet complains about the humidity. The air does feel uncomfortably thick, so he can't argue. Her feelings are simply much more passionate since her hair has already doubled in size.
They meet up with the others outside the restaurant, and Clementine rambles all about the arcade. It seems she's becoming close with Kate, which is nice. She does remind him of Cassidy a little, so maybe that's it. But she's also friendly with everyone.
They sit around the table at the Italian restaurant on the property—Clementine, him, and Juliet on one side with David, Kate, and Jack on the other. Auggie sits in the high chair at the end, beside Jack.
David is clearly unhappy with his placement beside Kate, barely responding to Clementine as she talks to him across the table, and James contemplates saying something. He opts against it, trying to give Jack the chance to step in first. But he seems entirely too occupied with Auggie for that.
"I remember when we took David to Paris, with Jack's parents," Juliet's saying to Kate, "His sleep schedule was all messed up, it was awful."
"Yes! Exactly, that's what happened with us," Kate responds. "I hadn't expected it to be such an issue."
The two women are getting along surprisingly well, which James appreciates. One less rivalry is appreciated amongst the group of people who all seem to resent someone at the table. They keep themselves busy, which leaves Jack to focus on Auggie, who's quite busy with a toy plane that he hits repeatedly against the high chair.
When their food comes, Jack cuts up one of the strips of grilled chicken from his pasta, feeding the pieces to Auggie. It's one of the first times James has really noticed him parenting, and being good at it. He notices that David is much more focused on them than he is on his food.
Jack fills a plate for Auggie, but when he sets it down, the baby is quick to slam his hand down onto the edge, tipping it over and flinging food off onto the table. He giggles like it's the funniest thing in the world, and the entire table holds their breath in anticipation of an outburst.
But rather than yell or get angry, Jack just laughs.
"You're strong, huh?" he teases in a soft voice, moving Auggie's hands out of the way so he can clean it up. "You think it's funny?"
The baby just keeps laughing.
Suddenly, David stands up, his chair being pushed back with an echoing squeak. They all turn to look at him.
"Sweetheart," Juliet asks, "where are you going?"
"Bathroom," he mumbles and walks away.
James watches, and then says quietly to Juliet, "I'm gonna go check on him."
She nods, and he stands up, following in the direction he'd seen David disappear in. He didn't go to the bathroom like he'd said but is instead sitting on the bench outside of the restaurant. James opens the door and comes to sit beside him.
"Hey."
David looks up, and then back down. "Hey."
"What's up?"
He doesn't say anything, and James sighs.
"Look, kid. I get what it's like to feel things and not really wanna talk about them. Or maybe you don't know how to talk about them. But I can tell you, from all my years of experience, you'll feel a million times better once ya let it all out."
He considers James' words, digging his foot into the pavement. "It's stupid."
"It ain't stupid if you're feeling it." David doesn't seem to fully buy it, so he adds, "I won't tell your mom if you don't want me to. We don't got to ever talk about it again. But I'm worried about you, and I'd like it if you could tell me about what's going on."
He hopes that maybe it's easier to convince him to open up to him, rather than Juliet. Someone who's somewhat less connected to what he has to assume is weighing on him.
David sighs, and after a moment he speaks. "He was never like that with me."
"Your dad?"
He nods. "I don't know how to explain it. It's just . . . different. But he still treats me the same way he always does. He changed for him, but not for me. And it's like he already screwed me up, so he gave up and is using Auggie as like, a do-over."
James' heart breaks in his chest. He's stony when he says it, but the pain in his voice is evident. He can't hide how deep the hurt runs.
"That isn't true," he tries to say, but how can he lie when he's seeing the same thing David is? When it looks so close to what he's describing? "Your dad loves you."
"I know he loves me," David says roughly. "It's not about that."
James sighs. "I know. And I know nothing I say can make it better. But whatever your dad is doing, that's on him. It has nothing to do with you."
David doesn't say anything. He looks at the ground, his expression tightly wound. James knows the look of fighting tears.
"David, it is not your fault. You're a great kid, and if he don't see that, then he's missing out. But there is nothing that you should blame yourself for. Okay?"
He looks up at James now and nods. His voice is quiet. "Thanks, James."
He nods. "I got you."
They sit there a moment longer, and then James stands up. David follows, and James slings his arm around his shoulders.
"If ya want, I'll take you to the ice cream shop after we eat. Get you that banana split you were talking about."
He grins. "Really?"
"Yeah. It's a vacation, ain't it?"
By the time they get back to the table, David is smiling, and that was all he wanted. Though James can't help glaring at Jack when he sees him. It makes him so angry, to know that he's made David feel the way he has.
But he can't get involved. It isn't his place, and he knows it. He's done far too much already.
He just has to focus on the kid and try to make up for the space that Jack's left.
Kate
Jack is still reeling with anger when they get back to their room.
Kate steps into the bathroom to brush her teeth and he follows her after placing Auggie in his cot, pacing as she works on getting ready for bed.
She doesn't like it when he's like this, when every inch of his body is tense and it feels like he's a ticking time bomb, ready to explode with the slightest movement.
"Jack, it's not that big of a deal."
"Like hell it isn't, Kate!" He yells and she takes a step back toward the bed, shocked at his outburst, even if she'd been trying to prepare for it. "I don't know what to do with him anymore."
"Is this actually about David ignoring you or about his relationship with James?"
She regrets asking the moment the words come out of her mouth. The way he looks at her tells her she hit the nail on the head. Anger burns in his eyes, an anger she hasn't witnessed before, but that she's sure has something to do with the glasses of wine he had during dinner. He'd warned her about how he got when he drank and he hadn't had anything to drink since she got pregnant.
"That's out of line, Kate."
"No, it's not, Jack. You know it's true and there's nothing wrong with being jealous of the relationship James has with your kid." He gapes at her, waiting for her to continue, anger still all over his face. "If you want your relationship with David to be like that, you gotta work for it. You can't just expect it to come from him."
"How can I do that when he wants nothing to do with me? He wouldn't even sit in a kayak with me, Kate!"
"You show interest. You participate. How do you think I felt after my parents got divorced?" He nods, knowing the story really well already, but still, she continues. "The reason I still have a relationship with my dad is because, even though he only had me during the summer break, he cared. Show David you care. Ask him about his interests, participate, try to be more involved like you are with Auggie and things will change."
She puts her hand on his arm, trying to comfort him, reassure him. But it's of no use. He shrugs her hand off, still too mad — at David or himself, she's not sure anymore. "Yeah, because it's going so great for you, huh?"
His comment stings, the words burning deeper than either of them realized they would. Regret is instant on his face, but not enough to earn immediate forgiveness. "I'm going to bed. Good night, Jack."
She leaves him standing there, near the bathroom door and heads to bed. Feeding the fire would only burn the house down.