HAPPIER; jra ✓

051 | you can't make them

"Gorgeous," Jack ran his hand over her hair, causing her to stretch slightly while rubbing her eyes. "good morning," he softly chuckled, exchanging a couple kisses with her before she buried her head back into the pillow. "The girls are fed, been entertained by some shows, now they wanna go swimming."

"mh.."

"Could you please come help me watch them?" he continued. "I'll get them ready and get in the pool with them, I'd just appreciate if you'd come sit out there with us and just keep an eye on them since we only have one set of floaties.."

"mhm"

"Thank you, gorgeous," he gently ran his hand over her hair once again, make her turn to look at him as he lent down and placed a kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you," she replied, slightly adjusting how she was laying to get comfortable again.

"If you're not up in ten minutes, I'll send the girls in to wake you," he joked with a small chuckled while lightly patting her shoulder.

"sure," she said with a small on her face, watching her boyfriend as he left the room.

Continuing to lay there for a little while longer as she thought about getting up. And after a couple minutes, she reached over to the bedside table for her phone, quickly glancing over the notifications and the time before sitting up, inaudible yawning as she slightly stretched her arms.

Adalyn had stayed up significantly later than Jack the previous night, wanting to finish the new one season show she had started after dinner, hence why that morning he had left her to sleep in until just before midday while he took care of the little girls.

Getting up, she headed over to her suitcase and took a seat on the ground as she searched through her bag for the one bikini that was in there — when they were packing the night before leaving she expressed how much bring a bathing suit for herself was pointless but Jack made her pack just in case.

However after going to the bathroom and getting changed, she went back to that stance, her eyes beginning to water up as she stood there in the mirror looking at her body still riddled with scars in the areas she still hated, and mentally taking notes of them.

"Adalyn," Jack softly spoke in a sing-song way as he knocked on the door.

His actions quickly brought her out of her thoughts, grabbing the clothes that she had slept in off the floor and opening the bathroom door, attempting to push past her boyfriend but instead his arms wrapped around her.

"You look good," he smiled as his eyes flickered up and down her body.

"get off of me," she muttered, still avoiding to make eye contact with him.

"hey-"

"Go watch the girls!" she slightly raised her voice at him as she pulled a hoodie over herself. "I'll out in a minute.."

"um could you come get Ellie change, I don't know you organised suitcase and I don't wanna make a mess.."

"yeah, sure, whatever."

"Thank you," he sent her a smile as she kept searching through her to find a pair of shorts to wear. "And I did mean it, you do look good."

Jack subtly nodded to himself as she ignored him and continued looking for the clothing item, so instead of bothering her any more he decided to head back to the the girls in the living room.

"Is Addie coming?" Eliana asked the boy the second she saw him. "I wanna swim!"

"Yes," he smiled as he crouched down to her level. "Addie's getting changed out of her pj's right now and then she get you changed and then we can all go swimming!"

"Addie swimming?" Lavender turned her attention to her father.

"Addie will come out to the pool but it's up to her if she wants to swim with us," he explained.

"okayy."

After about half an hour passing and the couple getting the little girls completely ready to make use of the AirBnB's pool, the four were now outside. Jack and the girls were in the pool while Adalyn sat on the edge with her legs dangled in the water.

"Addie come swimming," her niece pleaded as she stood up on the pool step, resting her hands on her aunts thighs.

"I'm sorry princess I can't get in," Adalyn apologised, a small frown on her face as she watched her.

"pleaseee"

"No, I don't know how to swim," she let out a chuckle to lighten the mood.

"Yes you do?" she furrowed. "You swimmed with me before."

"Addie you should get innn," Lavender swam away from her father, as he closely followed behind over to the edge with the other two were.

"Why do you girls not like me?" Jack playfully gasped, wrapping one of his arms around Lavender to keep her above the water. "It's always Addie, Addie, Addie."

"Because you're boring," his daughter giggled.

"Hey!" he turned her around, shaking his head at her with a smile on her face. "Don't say that. Im the most fun!"

"Soorrryyy," she continued to giggle as he tickled her. "But we want Addie to swim."

"What Lav said!" Eliana added.

"I can't swim," Adalyn reiterated. "I'm not allowed, I big girl things going on which means I can't get in.."

Jack looked at her confused for a second until it clicked in his mind that she was referring to what the nurse told her when the lost of their daughter begun, and the fact she still had scars on her body which he knew the girls would instantly start questioning.

"Hey girls, look at me," he gained the attention of them. "Addie said no, okay, so no more asking. If someone doesn't want to do something and they say no, you can't make them do it and shouldn't force them into doing it. No means no.."

The small smile on Adalyn's face dropped as her gaze did too. His words impacting not only the girls brains as they respected her choice and continuing swimming with Jack, but her as well.

Hearing the genuineness in his tone as he spoke, she registered how much the situation a little over a week ago now effect him and only now she realised how much she truthfully regretted forcing him into having sex — despite how much she was hurting that night.

[ ₊✧ 💋 ∘* ☁️ ⋆ 🍒 ༉˚ ]

A/N

9 chapters left and i still can't make
up my mind on what to centre the final
chapter around/ if i wanna include
something AGHHH