Raising Laila

Chapter 24 - Jade's Date with Jed: Part 1

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i want you to be happy because you deserve it. I want you to be happy because it makes me happy to see you the way you were meant to be.

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March 11, 2018: 2.17pm.

"Jade?" Perrie asked across the make up room. "Are you going to see Jed?" she asked having just seen an Instagram post announcing that he had just landed at Heathrow airport. 

"Oh, he's going to try and come down tomorrow night, neither of us have a show," Jade explained. 

"Are you going to go out?" Leigh Anne chimed in from where she was getting her hair done. 

"No, I don't think so-" Jade started before being interrupted by Perrie. 

"What?! He's coming and you're not going out!?" Perrie said shocked. 

"Yeah, with Laila and everything with her I really just can't leave her," Jade admitted. 

"Leave her with us... we'd look after her," Leigh Anne advised. 

"I don't know, Leigh-" 

"You've got to Jade! You don't get to see each that often and now he's here!" Perrie encouraged. 

"I know, and I want too! But Laila, I've got to think about her now too," 

"And you are, but you've got to think about you as well! You've been with her all the time for months, you need some 'Jade' time!" Leigh Anne cheered. 

"And some Jed time!" Perrie joked. 

"Okay, okay! Fine!" Jade gave in, as her make up was finished. 

"Great! You text Jed and we'll look after Laila for the night," Perrie finalised. 

"Mmmm- I don't think she's going to particularly thrilled but..." 

"We'll have fun, it'll be fine," Leigh Anne said confidently. 

Jade nodded along with the others, dreading when she had to tell Laila that she was going out for the night. Despite Leigh Anne's confidence they knew it as well, Laila wasn't going to be best pleased... But Jade was thrilled that her friends loved her and Laila enough that they were willing to look after her for the night. 

March 11, 2018: 11.28am. 

Jade sat in the living room area of the tour bus, with Laila snuggled into her shoulder and Leigh Anne, Perrie and Jesy next to and opposite her. She was going out with Jed this evening, a taxi picking her up from the hotel at 6pm and she had to tell the six year old what was going on. She had delayed and delayed it enough, not wanting to give Laila too much time to panic over it but telling her right before she walked out of the door wasn't going to work either! 

"Do you want to tell her?" Jade whispered to Jesy, jokingly. 

"No, that one's down to you. I'll deal with her once you've left later," Jesy responded smiling. 

"Maybe I'll tell her later..." Jade hesitated. 

"No Jade! Stop putting it off!" Perrie hissed from across the bus walkway. 

"Fine, fine," Jade muttered, "Laila, sweetheart. Sit up, we need to have a quick chat before lunch," 

"Why?" 

"Because I want to talk to you," Jade said before quickly starting what she wanted to say before she looses the girls attention, "You know, Jed? Well he's in England now, and he isn't normally so he's coming down to the hotel and we're going out on a little date for the night. And you- you're going to stay with Perrie, Leigh and Jess and have your own special night with them!" Jade explains calmly.