B O N U S # 4

J A C K S O N

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... I don't like math so I'm not going to kill myself trying to calculate when this chapter takes place

...brace yourself for all this cuteness

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When I saved a life, when I pulled a body out of fiery flames, I always thought that that feeling was the most invigorating thing ever.

In the last few years, I came to realize that the real reason I became a firefighter wasn't because my father was one. It was because I wanted to feel needed.

I became a firefighter to give my life meaning, to give myself a purpose. Every time I saved a life, that purpose felt as though it was fulfilled.

I could've never imagined how wrong I was.

My life was no longer centered around putting myself in danger, trying to find some deluded form of gratification.

My life resides with my wife and our beautiful baby girl.

Going to work used to be the highlight of my day and even then, I went about it without an inkling of excitement.

Now, I'm excited to wake up every single day. My life was blessed. I was blessed.

And I was so very grateful.

"Papa," Freya screamed as she ran and clung to my leg.

This is why

"Hey peanut," I greeted happily, my jaw aching from smiling so hard.

I lifted her up in my arms and hugged her to my body, planting kisses all over her chubby cheeks.

"Miss you papa," she said, struggling to get the words out with how fast she was trying to talk. She had just turned two and was at that stage where her words and sentences were muffled.

I don't care if it makes me a bad parent to say this but I wish she never learns to speak properly. Hearing her try to talk makes my life worth it.

It also pertains to the fact that I never want her to grow up.

"Papa missed you too my little angel," I whispered, placing her hair away from her face.

She got her mother's hair and with it came Nerida's refusal to comb her own hair. Half the time Freya looked like a little rugrat.

It warmed my heart.

"Where's your mommy baby girl?" I asked, taking her attention away from trying to climb my chest.

"Mama kitch'n makin' din," she answered, pointing in the direction.

I chuckled at her words and I saw Nerida giggling in the background.

When she caught my eyes she slyly looked up and down my body, immediately sending chills throughout me. We've known each other for more than eight years and I still have the same reaction when she looks at me with those darn eyes.

I strolled towards her, wrapped my arms around her body and swooped down, kissing the living daylights out her.

The situation was starting to grow steamy but count on Freya to diffuse it.

It's hard to think about pounding your wife on the nearest table when your baby is yelling, "Kish! Kish!" in the background.

"I've missed you Jackie," she whispered against my lips. I nuzzled her nose against mine, basking in the comfort of having my family so close to me.

"Papa hungy?" Freya asked and my heart just melted at her little serious face.

"Papa is starving baby. Did you help mama cook dinner?" I questioned, walking us all into the dining room.

"Yesh papa! Mama make me shtir," she happily informed, bouncing in my arms.

"Then I can't wait to try it, peanut."

We started walking towards the kitchen and I not so subtly grabbed Nerida's ass, drawing out a quiet gasp from her.

"Don't do that in front of the baby," she scolded lowly.

"Don't tell me what to do with my ass," I said, internally laughing at the blush that started coating her skin. "We'll deal with this later."

The house was fragrant with the distinct scent of cream of pumpkin soup and I already knew I was going to fuck the almighty shit out of Nerida tonight.

"Do you want my help babe?" I asked as I placed Freya on the island in front of me.

"No," Nerida answered immediately. "I like to cook for you."

Definitely going to fuck the almighty shit out of her.

I sat on the bar chair in front of Freya, holding under her arm carefully. As usual, Freya started her daily recap, trying to tell me every last detail about what happened today.

My favourite part about being a father is simply looking at my daughter. She's the epitome of my love for her mother. She's my heart in human form,

I feel like a poet whenever I saw her. There were all these intense emotions surging through me and I felt as though the only way to express them was through some sort of art form.

The joy I felt on the day Nerida told me she was pregnant...

Unimaginable

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FLASHBACK

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"Hey Nerida," I called out, walking into the bathroom. "What do you want for dinn-"

I trailed off when I saw the mass of reddish brown hair in the bathtub, curled up into a fetal position. My heart dropped, terrified of the possibility of something being wrong with her.

"What's wrong? Why are you in the tub?" I questioned, kneeling at the side of said tub.

She turned towards me, her eyes wide and bright. "I don't know. It's so comfortable in here."

My eyebrows rose and I blinked a few times, unsure about how to reply to that.

I picked her up out of the tub and nestled her on my lap. I kissed her forehead and tried my best to gather all her hair and remove it from her face. Easier said than done.

"Now, my gorgeous wife, would you like to tell me why you were hanging out in our bathtub?"

Her eyes widened and she looked down at the rock on her finger. "That's right! I'm your wife!"

Okay, now I was confused.

"Yes, you are my wife. I distinctly remember you walking down the aisle to me a few short months ago," I replied slowly. Maybe she was having a breakdown of sorts. Should I call Nina?

"That's right too. We only got married a few months ago," she muttered, speaking more to herself than to me.

I snorted a laugh. I think Nerida was going through some sort of dilemma and needed me to bounce the pros and cons off of.

Maybe she and Juliette were planning something?

"Neri? Would you like to go out for dinner? Maybe some fresh air would be good for you? We could even go out for drinks after."

She gasped so hard I swore I heard her lungs constrict and then she smacked me across the chest.

I hunched over in pain and grabbed my pulsating chest, wondering what I'd done to deserve such pain. This is why I always thread lightly when it comes to Nerida.

You never know when or where she was going to attack.

"What is wrong with you?" Nerida growled at me. "I can't drink! That'll hurt the baby!"

"Well, you could've just said that! You didn't have to temporarily stop my heart-"

I cut myself off and mentally jumped back to what she said.

"What baby?" I whispered.

She bit her lip and smiled, those hazel eyes of hers drawing me in. "The baby we created silly."

My jaw was wide open and Nerida giggled happily, taking my hands and placing it on her lower abdomen.

I felt my eyes fill up with tears and made no effort to wipe nor hide them.

"You're pregnant?" I breathed out, not even recognizing my own voice.

"I just found out," she answered, covering my hands with hers. "Are you happy?"

I gaped at her.

"Am I happy? I'm so happy I feel like I'm either going to puke or cry!"

She squealed happily and wrapped her arms around my neck in a hug.

I couldn't believe it.

My baby was going to have a baby

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And a baby she had.

My daughter and my wife were my everything. A part of me would die, and I don't mean this metaphorically, if anything happens to either of them.

God forbid, should something happen to them both... I don't even want to think about it.

I forced my mind to wander away from such negative thoughts. I recently realized that the more you had to lose, the more these thoughts seemed to creep in.

"Papa? No lishen?" Freya frowned at me and she looked so much like her mother in that moment that my heart ached.

"Papa is so sorry peanut. How do I make it up to you?"

She scrunched up her little face in thought and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from downright squealing.

We made a little Nerida.

"Kish?" She pointed to her cheek and a part of me melted.

I held her face and planted a lengthy kiss on her cheek, blowing raspberries and drawing little baby giggles from her.

Nerida finished cooking a few minutes later and served me a massive bowl of my guilty pleasure. We migrated to our dining table and I strapped Freya into her seat.

The sound of Freya gurgling down her pumpkin soup provided the happiest melody for our dinner.

Clearly, my kid had excellent taste in food.

Nerida and I took turns feeding her and by the time we were finished, Freya's entire face was an orange mess.

During dinner, I could see Nerida yawning a lot and I figured Freya probably gave her hell today. I loved my little girl but she was fast, she was mischievous and she loved hide and seek.

I hate to say this, but a small part of me is enjoying the fact that karma has finally bestowed unto Nerida the exact hell she gave to me.

"Why don't you run yourself a nice bath and I'll go bathe Freya and put her to bed," I said to Nerida and I saw her shoulders deflate.

"Thank you Jackie," she said and started cleaning up the table. I placed my hand over hers to stop it.

"No, leave this. I'll clean up the kitchen and then I'll come up to meet you." I kissed her deeply and she smiled against my lips.

"I'll keep the bed warm for you," she whispered in my ear, nibbling on the lobe

I needed to put Freya to sleep, asap.

I carried Freya upstairs and gave her a bath, making sure to put a little extra lavender essential oil since it makes her sleep better.

The bath was fine but when it came time to put her into some pajamas, a nightmare. She played football with my face every time I tried to buckle her onesie and when I did get those stupid buttons together, she'd just rip it open in one go.

I gave up and decided to just let her sleep in her diaper, only, she refused to sleep.

I walked all over the house, cradling her to my chest, but as soon as I think she's asleep, she just looks up with those darn hazel eyes and gives me a toothy, dimpled grin.

I decided to take off my shirt, hoping some skin to skin contact would work and when it did, I almost fell to my knees in praise.

I carried her back up to her bedroom and tucked her in, staying there for a little bit so I could watch her sleep. When Freya was younger, I had a really hard time letting her sleep on her own and it's only started getting better recently.

I left after giving her a kiss good night, suddenly having remembered that my wife was waiting for me. I went through the door that connected Freya's room to ours and Nerida wasn't in the bedroom so I had to assume she was still in the bath.

I was right and found Nerida resting in the tub, her eyes closed peacefully.

"Did she give you any trouble?" Nerida asked, keeping her eyes closed.

"When does she ever not give trouble?" I chuckled. "But she's my daughter so I don't mind at all."

Nerida hummed in response as I took a seat on the edge of the bathtub. I started massaging her shoulders and my back tensed when she tossed her head back and moaned.

"She gave you a lot of trouble today, huh?"

Nerida snorted and I laughed at her expense.

"When does she ever not give trouble?" Nerida said, quoting my words. "But she's my daughter so I don't mind at all."

We chuckled together and stayed silent for a few minutes after. I continued the massage, trying to control myself amidst her throaty groans and moans.

"Jackson?" Nerida called.

"Yeah baby?"

"How long is it going to take for you to get the memo and fuck me already?"

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okay, but Nerida is going to beat Jackson's ass when she wakes up in the morning and realizes he didn't do those dishes

anywho...

i think the fact that Jackson and Nerida waited until after marriage to have a baby is very important

i feel like it gives a lot of insight into the kind of person Jackson is as well as the type of relationship they share

i think waiting until marriage to have kids should be more openly expressed in literature

it's often frowned upon but in my opinion, it poses so many benefits towards a stable, happy home

you get to know and love each other as individuals, you commit to each other and then you create an emblem of that love

magical if you ask me

also, fun fact:

baby Freya is named after Nerida's mom, Freya Mulligan

✨d o r i s✨