A Long Time Coming Ch. 08

"I love you too, Alex," she murmured.

Jade was starting to squirm against Alex when he gave her a quick kiss and said, "I'd love to explore that sexy body right now, but we don't have time. We have a very curious five year old in the living room watching television."

Sighing, Jade ran her hand through his hair, "Have I told you lately have beautiful you are?"

Caressing her buttocks through the towel, he replied, "Yeah, and we still don't have time."

Pouting, Jade stalked out to the bedroom as Alex chuckled.

He joined Briana while Jade got dressed. When he sat on the sofa, she scooted closer to him, leaning into his body.

"I had a good time at the movies," She said looking up at him, "can we do it again?"

Placing his arm around her, Alex promised, "Of course we can. I plan on doing a lot of fun things together with you and your mom and sometimes just you and me."

"Like Disney World?" Briana suggested with a hopeful look.

"Maybe, but, it'll have to wait. Your mom and I will be very busy for a few weeks with wedding plans and settling into my house after the honeymoon."

Having her curiosity sparked by a new word, Briana asked, "What's a honeymoon?"

Alex was panicked, but only for a second.

"How do you explain a honeymoon to a five year old?" he asked himself.

Quickly on the heels of that thought came, "Keep it simple."

"A honeymoon is the time after the wedding when your mom and I will get to go on a vacation, just the two of us," he explained.

"Why can't I go," Briana asked with a concerned look.

"Shit!" Alex thought, "I can't screw this up."

Seeing her waiting patiently for an answer, his heart melted. This was what having children entailed. He'd better be prepared for a lot more questions down the road.

"Well, you can't come with us because it's a trip that only adults go on after they are married. Then, when we come back, you and your mom will move into my house," he said trying to gauge her reaction.

Just for good measure he added, "After you get settled in your new home, we'll all go some place fun. I can't tell you where we'll go; it has to be a surprise."

Briana's serious expression turned to a grin in a split second when she heard the word surprise.

"A surprise?!" she yelped.

"Yes, a surprise," Alex said relieve that she accepted the explanation or maybe she just forgot the question since she was so thrilled about a surprise. Either way, he would address the question if it came up again.

"But first, your mom and I will leave right after the wedding reception."

Then, thinking she probably didn't know what a reception was either, Alex said, "The reception is a party for your mom and me. We'll eat dinner and cake, listen to music and dance after we get married. Understand?"

Looking at him and nodding, Briana said, "Can I come to the party?"

"Yes, baby. You'll be there with all the people who came to the wedding, including your grandmas and grandpa. Then, you mom and I will go on our honeymoon. You'll stay with your grandparents until we get back. "

"Mommy said I will be a flower girl. I thought I had to dress like a flower, but she said I only have to throw them on the ground so that she can walk on them." Briana giggled, "That's funny."

"Actually, you don't get to throw the entire flower, just the petals, but it does sound kind of funny," Alex agreed with a chuckle.

When Jade came out fully dressed, she found Alex and Briana engrossed in another episode of Good Luck Charlie.

When Alex saw her, he grinned and said, "This really is a pretty good show with a good premise. Maybe we can start a video log for Briana for the important events in her life and ours. It'll be part of our family history."

"That's a great idea," Jade agreed. "I wished I would have had something like that to caption my life. I just don't remember the early years that much. Just think, it could have been Good Luck Jade," she said with feigned regret.

"With an exaggerated sigh, she continued, "I could have been somebody. I could have been a TV star, not just a glorified secretary, which is what I am."

"Yeah, right," Alex chuckled.

Sheepishly, she said, "Too much, huh?"

"Uh, huh, just a tad," Alex agreed trying to keep from laughing.

"Huh! I was channeling my inner Marlon Brando," Jade pouted.

"Well, babe, you need to turn that channel," Alex said unable to stop himself from laughing.

Jade laughed too, almost going into hysterics when Briana said,

"I don't wanna change the channel, Alex."

Alex and Jade looked at each other and had to tamp down their desire to go off into hysterical fits.

"We're not going to turn the channel, baby," Alex assured Briana.

Smiling, Briana said, "Good. But, I do want to be on TV."

Having gotten herself under control, Jade said,

"I don't know about TV baby, but we'll make sure to put you on video. It'll be nice for you to have when you get older. You'll be able to see what you looked like and what you did when you were a kid."

"That'll be great. I could show Lisa and all of my friends too." Briana agreed.

"Yes, you could," Jade said, then noted the time on the kitchen wall clock.

"You only have thirty five minutes before bedtime; you want to continue watching television?"

"Can I watch Cinderella on the DVD?"

"Yes, we can start the video, but you won't be able to see the entire thing before you need to get ready for bed."

"That's ok Mommy, I can watch the rest tomorrow."

So, the three of them sat on the sofa and watched the movie with Jade and Alex on either side of Briana. Jade notice that her daughter, leaned against Alex and that he looked totally comfortable in the position of step-father to be.

She was happy that Jackson was making positive changes toward Briana, but she knew Alex was the man they were meant to be with. She wouldn't trade what she had now for a boatload of childhood fantasies come true.



The next few weeks were a whirlwind of activities. Alex won a couple of major cases and managed to clear the entire month of May and the first week of June for the wedding and honeymoon. Everything was in place and they were counting down the weeks until the big event.

*

It was the twenty third of March and Jade was coming off a fairly easy week at work. Her landlord decided to let her out of her lease without any penalty since he had a waiting list. With a new tenant he'd be able to charge a higher rental rate.

She and Alex talked about her job and agreed that she'd stay on until they decided to have another child, which they figured would be at least a couple of years. She was doing very well handling work and family with only one child, but she knew that would become exponentially harder as their family grew. She was in a position where she could be a stay at home mom and that's exactly what she wanted, eventually.

For once she was going to let someone else take care of her and Briana. She wouldn't have to be the bread winner and that took away a lot of the everyday stress. However, she held on to the option to go back to work, even part time, if she felt the need.



*

Jade was driving up to her apartment complex with Briana in the back seat when her cell phone rang. Thinking it would be Alex, she didn't look at the caller ID. Parking quickly, she answered,

"Hello."

"Hey, Jade, this is Jackson."

Jackson? She wondered what was wrong. Old habits die hard.

"Hi, Jackson, what's up?"

"Nothing much, I just wanted to see if I could come by tonight and talk to you about something. It's nothing earth shattering, but It's something I think we need to discuss."

Jade hoped that whatever it was wouldn't cause a problem for her or Briana. Things had been going so well with Jackson the past few months, but whatever it was she'd deal with it, as usual.

"Ok, Jackson. I just got home, but you can come by in an hour."

"That would be great," he agreed. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. I'll see you then, bye."

"Bye, Jackson."

Still puzzled, she looked at the phone as if it could provide answers.

When Alex got home she told him about the call from Jackson.

"We'll find out soon enough what it is," Alex told her. "No need to worry about something that might be nothing."

"I know, I know." Jade said a bit anxiously. "It's just that things have been going so well. I admit I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, I hope this isn't it."

Holding her close as he leaned against the kitchen corner, Alex assured her that there was nothing that couldn't be dealt with.

"I didn't like the guy because of how he treated you and Briana," Alex said softly. "But, I must say that he's made a big turn around; I have to respect that. It just goes to show that people can change if that's what they want."

"While I'm still curious about his motivation," he continued, "I can't deny that he's doing more to be the father that Briana deserves than I ever imagined. I admit, too, that I'm jealous that he's her father. But no matter what, I will always think of her as my little girl."

Jade signed, taking comfort from Alex's words.

"Briana loves you as much as any kid could love a father. Her relationship with Jackson won't change how she feels about you."

"I know," he said. "She may not be the child of my flesh, but she will always be the child of my heart. I could never love her any less than I will love the children we will have together."

For a long moment, they just stood there holding each other. Some time later, the door bell rang to jostle them out of their thoughts.

"Door bell, Mommy," Briana called from where she sat on the floor putting a puzzle together.

Sighing, Jade gave Alex a quick kiss and released her hold on him.

She opened the door to Jackson. He was dressed in Jeans and a knit shirt and he was smiling. Taken aback, she'd almost forgotten how good looking he was.

"Hi, Jackson, come in," she said backing up to let him in.

Jackson immediately saw Alex standing in the kitchen and lost some of his smile. He nodded to Alex who nodded back.

Alex walked into the living room and picked up his brief case from the sofa. Looking at Jade, he said, "I'll let you two have some privacy," and headed to Jade's bedroom.

Briana was paying close attention to the adults. She watched as Alex left the room then turned her attention to Jackson and her mother.

"Hey, baby," Jackson said as he neared Briana. "Come give me a hug."

Getting up without being coaxed by her mother, Briana held up her arms to her father. Jackson picked her up and gave her a hug, which she returned. He smiled at her and she surprised him by giving him a tentative smile back. He hugged her tighter before setting her back on her feet.

"I need to talk to your Mom in the kitchen for a minute," he said.

"Ok," Briana nodded and sat back down to work on her puzzle.

Jackson walked to the kitchen and sat down at the table, Jade followed.

Looking nervous, he pulled an envelope out of his back pocket. But before he gave it to Jade, he looked her in the eyes and said softly, "I know I wasn't much of a boyfriend to you and I was even a worse father to Briana."

Jade started to say something, but then stopped and nodded for him to go on.

"I don't know what was going on in my head," he said, "but I seem to have gotten over it. I realize that it's way past due. I'm sorry for everything I put the both of you through. I'm especially sorry and ashamed for not claiming my daughter from the beginning."

Looking at him, Jade could see that he was sincere and she was happy not only for Briana, but for Jackson.

She didn't hate him, but she'd been so hurt by his lack of concern for Briana and she was frustrated by the absence of direction and purpose in his life. She knew that deep down he couldn't have been happy.

"Apology accepted," Jade said. She didn't hold grudges and she wanted him to be in his daughter's life in a positive way.

"I've worked out a few things and I'm working on having a good relationship with Briana. I think I'm beginning to have some success, at least she's not afraid of me and she even smiled at me. So, I want you to accept this," he said, pushing the envelope across the table towards her.

Jade eyed the envelope cautiously and asked, "What is it?"

Smiling at her uncertainty or suspicion, it was hard to tell, Jackson just said, "Open it."

Jade opened the envelope and was surprise to see that it contained money.

"What's this for," she asked, confused.

"It's for Briana; two hundred dollars. I know it's not much, but it's what I can afford to give you for her each month. I'm giving my mom a little each week and saving to get my own place. As I make more money, I'll be able to give more."

Frowning, Jade said, "Jackson, I don't know what to say. Briana doesn't..."

She never got to finish because Jackson held up his hand, cutting her off.

"I know. I know you can take care of her. You've had that responsibility all her life, but I'm her father and it should have been my responsibility. I'm coming late to the game and I can't bring much to the table, but I want my daughter to grow up knowing that I.... that I love her and that I take my responsibility as her father seriously. So, whatever you do, don't say no."

Jade looked at him for a moment realizing that's exactly what she was about to do. She was about to say that Briana didn't need the money. While that was true, she did need to know that her biological father cared about her. For the first time, she had heard Jackson say that he loved his daughter. If that wasn't a miracle, she didn't know what was.

There were a lot of dead beat dads out there and they came in all colors. Jackson decided to make changes in his life. He decided not to be a cliché or a statistic any longer. It had to be hard for him and Jade knew that she had no right to deny him what was a matter of pride. She was even proud of him.

This is the Jackson that she had wanted him to be when she told him she was pregnant. This is the Jackson that she prayed he would be one day, for their daughter.

"Of course I'll accept this for Briana, Jackson. Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me; you put up with a lot in the past. Again, I'm really sorry for my attitude and lack of support."

Feeling tears prick at the back of her eyes, Jade told him, "I knew you could be the man I'm looking at right now. I'm just so glad that you decided that you wanted to be him too. I'm really proud of you, Jackson. I'll let Briana know that the money came from you.

Smiling, he said, "Thanks for saying that. It means a lot to me that you're proud of me. It was high time that I grew up, I just didn't know it would feel this good."

Standing up, he said, "I'd better get going."

As he walked toward the living room, Briana got up and rushed to him asking, "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving, baby. How about coming with me to Lee's Park this next weekend? They have lots of rides and games. Would you like to go?"

Jackson took the chance that Jade wouldn't object.

Smiling, she said, "Yep, I wanna go. Can mommy and Alex come?"

At that request, Jackson felt a twinge in his heart, but Jade step in quickly.

"Baby, Alex and I can't come this time; we're going to be working on some plans for the wedding."

Jade knew the small lie was necessary.

"You and your dad can have fun together and we'll come another time, ok?"

"All right, Mommy," Briana answered.

Smiling, Jackson nodded at Jade.

"Well, I have to go now."

Looking down at Briana, he said, "Give me a hug before I go, baby."

Lifting Briana up, Jackson felt her little arms lock behind his neck. He breathed in her sweet scent and gave a silent prayer in the hope that his daughter would learned to love him.

Pulling back so that he could see her face, Jackson kissed Briana on her forehead. To his surprised, Briana kissed him on his cheek.

He thought his heart would burst.

Putting her down he said, "Ok, baby, I'll pick you up on Saturday at 9 o'clock, but I'll call you before then."

"Okey Dokey," she said with a smile.

Jackson continued to the door with Jade right behind. He opened the door and was about to step out when he turned back to face Jade.

"Jade, I....." seeing her expectant expression, he lost his courage to say what he really wanted to say. Instead, the words that came out were, "I just wanted to say, again, how sorry I am."

Knowing that there was something else, but having no clue as to what it might be, Jade decided to ignore her instinct to press him.

"You've already apologized Jackson and I've accepted it. You don't need to keep doing it. I believe you are truly sorry and I want us to move forward."

Jackson nodded and said firmly, "Yes, you're right. It's in the past."

He quietly stepped across the threshold.

"I'll see you on Saturday. Bye."

"Goodbye, Jackson."

As Jackson walked to his car, he felt an ache of regret in his heart. He'd lost his chance to be with Jade. He accepted that nothing he could do would change that now. She was in love with Alex McCord and would soon be married to the man. He would have to find a way to live with that.

*

The day of the wedding arrived. All the preparations were made and everything had gone like clock work. With Mrs. McCord at the helm, there was no doubt that this day would come upon smooth waters. However, she didn't try to take the decision making from Jade. Diana lent her expertise where it was needed and made sure that whatever Jade wanted was carried out to the letter.

Waking up in the big bed at Alex's house, Jade's first thought was, "Where's Alex?"

The second thought came with a smile. She knew they were bucking all kinds of tradition, but she already felt married to Alex, the paper was just a formality. She saw no point in them staying apart, even for a few days, bowing to some archaic wedding tradition.

Thankfully, Alex had agreed.

She still felt the warmth in the spot beside her and knew that he hadn't been up long. The lingering heat and soreness of her body reminded her that he rode her long and hard before they fell asleep, exhausted. The memories were igniting her intimate parts again, and as she slid her hand down her body, her pussy started to tingle.

Groaning, Jade stroked the tender lips of her sex, bringing forth the liquid essence of growing desire. Her body arched off of the bed as her fingers sank into her throbbing core.

She was fully engaged in tending her body when Alex came into the room and stopped in his tracks at the scene before him.

Since she was still under the covers, he couldn't see what she was doing, but had no doubt about what she was doing. The mental vision made his cock jerk. Her body was bowed and by the urgency of her panting, she was close to climax.

Jade's eyes were closed, her fingers deep inside her body, working in and out with dizzying speed, her heels firmly planted on the bed.

The fingers of her other hand were busy squeezing the tight buds crowing her breasts, working her body into a roaring furnace. Rubbing her palm feverishly against her swollen clit, Jade hurled herself into a screeching climax. She quickly clamped her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.

Alex cock was at full mast, aching to be deep in the place where Jade continued to stroke as she rode through her orgasm, her body spasming.

Alex stroked his cock, slicking it up with pre-cum which seeped in copious amounts. Through with voyeurism, he strode toward Jade, startling her as he yanked the comforter from her body, exposing her luscious warm glowing body as he stood at the foot of the bed.

Eyes wide open, Jade's breath caught at the sight of a naked and fully aroused Alex, crawling up from the foot of the bed, just like a panther stalking its prey. Her heart skipped a beat as he said,