Baby, Just Hold On - Chp. 25
Title: Baby, Just Hold On
Author: Jamie jamieall_over
Pairing: Jalex
Rating: NC-17 Overall
Warnings: Mpreg
“There’s no way I said that,” Alex protested quietly, his eyebrows scrunched together in disbelief. It was later that same day, afternoon visits having only started an hour prior, and Jack was relaying to him exactly how distressed he’d been about getting a blow job not even twenty-four hours before. Both babies were asleep on the elder's chest, tiny fingers twitching and little mouths opening and closing every now and again.
It almost hurt Alex, knowing that his babies were nearly a month old. Days were moving much too quickly for his liking, and it seemed like he’d hardly had any time to spend with them as they grew-since they’d been born, they’d already gained a little over four pounds each. He was fine with his babies being chubby, was absolutely thrilled with the idea, but he missed when they were tiny, little eight pound infants that could quite literally fit in the palms of his and Jack’s hands.
From beside him, Jack was laughing away, too preoccupied to reply immediately. When the younger man had regained some semblance of composure, he was nodding his head and reaching up to rub at his face. “You did, baby,” he insisted. “You were crying, and I was so fucking worried that something had happened, and then you just… ‘we’re cannibals, Jack,’” he mocked, bursting into another fit of uncontrollable hysterics. He was really starting to regret not recording it because Alex would’ve been internet famous by that point, as well as the fact that he’d have actual proof and something to watch when he was feeling down.
“Hey, Jay?” Alex asked from out of the blue, lifting his head from where he’d been looking down at his babies and over to his husband. The tone he used had the younger sitting up a little straighter, face going blank and hysterics fading into nothingness almost immediately.
“What’s up, baby?” he pressed when Alex simply turned to stare down at the babies curled up on his chest once more, eyebrows slowly creeping closer to each other on his forehead and the corners of his mouth dropping into a pout.
The very last thing he wanted to do was cry about his babies growing up, especially not when he knew that he still had eighteen years at the least to get to watch them become their own individuals with their own thoughts and interests and personalities, to cherish and nurture them, and he bit his lip until the slight wetness that had gathered in his eyes could be blinked away. Then he was looking back up to Jack, forcing a small smile when a hand reached out to link with his.
“I just…” he started, squeezing his arms gently around his babies’ bodies in as best a hug he could manage given their size and position. A sigh, and he was trying again. “I know that we haven’t been able to do much recently, what with me having to spend so much time recovering and all, but when I get out, I wanna… I really wanna get some pictures of us.”
Jack didn’t catch on at first, instead furrowing his eyebrows and reaching for his phone from where it was stuffed in his back pocket. “We get pictures all the time…” he trailed out, clicking his phone to life and beginning the hunt for his photo gallery among his other useless apps. He didn’t stop to smile at the picture of Alex, Ashley, and Perspicacity that he’d taken when they’d all first been together because… well… he just didn’t.
“No, I want real pictures of us. Pictures done by professionals, with us all dressed up and together and looking like the family we are,” he emphasized, biting at his lip in a way he hoped was pleading enough. “Or… or even just pictures of the babies. We should’ve done something, like, a few days after they were born, and we didn’t, and I don’t… I feel like if we don’t do something soon, we’re gonna regret it in the long run. We didn’t take pictures for the birth announcement, or for Ashley’s gender announcement, and we haven’t…”
Then he could actually feel the tears starting up again, much worse than they had before. Not even just because of how fast his children were growing while he spent his days in the hospital or cooped up in bed, but also because of the fact that he felt like he’d missed his chance. He’d missed his chance to flaunt his babies and his pregnancy. He could remember how distressed he’d been only months prior when he’d realized that there would be pictures taken of him, stomach large and on display for pretty much everyone to see.
There, in that hospital room, he felt like he’d cheated himself out of so many important and irreplaceable memories that he’d never be able to go back on and see again. Even if he had another baby (or three), he wouldn’t be able to pull up as many pictures as he wished he’d be able to for his first born. He couldn’t take back everything he missed to give it another shot.
He hated it, honestly. Hated knowing that he’d just brushed it all off as if it was nothing, as if it wouldn’t matter down the road. His own mother had told him that he should think about it, think about birth announcements for other people and set up different appointments with photographers as each month passed, but he’d dismissed it. Why had he thought it wasn’t important? Why had he thought that the pictures he would get by himself (with Jack, their families’, and friends’ help, of course) would be enough to suffice?
Because you’ll have them all your life, is what his heart told him in that moment. That’s all he heard. And he knew that was exactly the case. He would be there to see them in person as they learned to walk and talk and color in the lines, and therefore he wouldn’t need the pictures of his rounded stomach as it expanded or the babies sleeping with nothing but blankets draped over them-which was something he was sure every parent had of their child.
And he’d never, not once in his life, thought about how the present and the future wouldn’t matter. Not in comparison to everything he’d been through at that point. Not when he thought about how there was a chance that his pregnancy may have been his only one. What if he didn’t get pregnant again? What if two proved to be too much for them to handle? What if they tried, genuinely tried, and it just… didn’t work?
Meanwhile, Jack was still sitting in silence, trying to understand why pictures would make Alex so distraught. Was there something that he’d missed? Had he zoned out and not been paying attention when Alex had told him why they were such a big deal?
Alex sniffled, blinking quickly to cease the flow of tears he hadn’t realized had started and looking down as a wiggling against his chest brought him back into reality. Ashley was merely adjusting his position, but the elder man knew that it would only be a matter of time before they both woke up again; it was only a matter of time before they all had to leave him for the night again.
He looked back up to Jack, breathing deeply to further calm himself before reiterating, just so that he’d be able to fully get his point across. “I want to get pictures.”
--- ---
“Do you know any places around here that do, like, cheap photography sessions that are both decent and creative?” Jack called out to his mother as soon as he and the babies made it through the front door of their apartment. There was the smell of mac n’ cheese, chicken, and broccoli from in the kitchen, and Mrs. Barakat peeked her head from the around the corner of the living room. She bustled out into the small front hall not too long afterward, assisting Jack in lifting the babies from their individual seats and bringing them into the living room and instead buckling them into their seats there.
Joyce shrugged after a moment of thinking about the question. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d paid someone to take pictures for her. If anything, she took pictures herself. They never came out looking magnificent or anything, but they were… well, they weren’t the best or even remotely decent, by any means.
“I could look around for you tomorrow, if you’d like?” she offered, following her son’s lead and lifting the carriers from the table in the middle of the room and heading towards the dining room.
Jack shook his head. “You don’t have to do that,” he dismissed, setting Perspicacity’s carrier onto the ground next to his seat before sitting down himself. The utensils and plates had already been set out, and he didn’t hesitate in pulling the cover off of the bowl between him and his mother, using the large ladle to scoop out a mound of the mixture onto his plate, mouth watering at just the sight. “It’s just, I don’t know, Alex said something about wanting to get pictures of all four of us once he gets out of the hospital, and it seems pretty important to him. We just… we can’t spend too much money right now, especially with all of the bills piling up and stuff, y’know?”
“Well, there’s that place in the mall,” Joyce recalled as she waited for Jack to finish adding even more food to his plate so that she could get a share of it as well. “They have all sorts of different props and backgrounds, and there are usually specials going on down there, right?”
Jack shook his head, handing the spoon over. “It closed a while ago. Least that’s what Alex said. I suggested that place, too, but I guess it’s not an option anymore. I was thinking about asking Vic or something. I know he has someone go on tour with him and the guys a lot, and the pictures I’ve seen have always been really awesome. Would that be weird? To ask a concert photographer to come take pictures of us?” he mused aloud. He took advantage of his own silence and dug into his food, humming in content at the taste.
Before Joyce could respond, a giggle was heard from the ground. Both adults glanced over to see that Cocoa had invited herself to climb into Perspicacity’s chair, wet nose pressing to the infant's as she waved her arms happily. The cat didn’t like that, not really, and she was soon retreating just enough to make herself comfortable on Ashley’s lap who had, at some point, fallen asleep again. He didn’t wake up, only huffed in his sleep as the kitten draped her body over his legs, and Jack could only groan with the knowledge that it was going to be a long night for him and his baby boy.
Joyce cleared her throat after a few minutes of them cooing quietly over the babies and the kitten (who Perspicacity was desperately trying to gain the attention of, all to no avail), causing Jack to look back up to her, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as he once again scooped another bite into his mouth.
“I think that if you talk to him or her about it, and they’re okay with taking time out of their day to photograph you, then it should be fine. Find out prices and hours and things like that first, then work from there. It’s not his job to go around taking pictures of random families, but if he’s up for it, then go for it,” she finally answered, and Jack nodded.
“So,” he started, wanting something to fill the silence while they ate that wasn’t just the cat’s purring from below them, “how was Cocoa while we were gone?”
--- ---
“Jaime! Hey, do you have a minute, man?” Jack asked later that night, his phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder. He couldn’t actually hold it, seeing as how he’d been right in thinking that Ashley sure as hell wouldn’t be sleeping and was instead cradled against his chest.
There was a quiet hum down the line before the older man replied, “Well, I only have another, like, thirty seconds now. Anything after is gonna cost ya.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “You get funnier every time we talk, y’know?”
“I do. But what d’ya need, bro?”
“Who’s that guy who tours with you guys? The one who takes all the pictures for you?” Jack inquired, sitting down on his bed for the evening the couch and leaning back until he was comfortable. Ashley wiggled, eyes looking at nothing in particular yet still so wide with a wonder that only children could possess. Joyce was in the bedroom with Perspicacity, Ashley’s crib having been moved out from the bedroom so that they each had a child with them… not like it would stop either baby waking up when their sibling did.
“Elmakias,” Jaime answered without much of a thought, grabbing Jack’s attention once more. “Adam Elmakias. He does a lot of other bands’ pictures, too. A Day to Remember and Warped Tour and stuff, y’know?”
“Right. Is he there now? Do you think you could ask him something for me?” Jack pressed. His freehand moved to rub at Ashley stomach in a way that he hoped would, for whatever reason, tire the child, before he had a brief thought about a quick bath with some lavender soap that would lull the baby to sleep.
“Uh… hold on a sec,” came the response, which was followed by some muffled shouting and shuffling.
“Hello?” asked another voice, one Jack definitely wasn’t accustomed to.
“Um… Adam?” he questioned cautiously, almost sighing in relief when there was an answering hum of agreement. “I’m Jack -Gaskarth-Barakat; I’m a friend of the band. You’re a photographer, right?”
“That I am, Jack Gaskarth-Barakat,” Adam said, nodding on the other end of the line as he watched Vic tackle Mike for what appeared to be no reason across the lot.
“Awesome. Well, listen, my husband and I just had twins, and, uh… say no if you want to, like, I can find some other place, but I was wondering if you’d mind stopping by here sometime soon and taking some pictures of us? They were born about a month ago, and we haven’t really done anything about professional photography yet. He was really distressed about it earlier, for whatever reason, and I’m not sure where else we would go for it or anything, y’know?”
It was silent on the other end of the line, save some far-off whooping that sounded like it came from one (or probably both) of the Fuentes brothers. “Where’s here, exactly?”
“Baltimore, Maryland,” Jack explained. “I know that the guys are coming back soon to record for the next album, and if you’re not too busy, maybe you could come out with them for a day or two? I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you being around a little longer, since they keep asking you to go out on tours with them and all.”
Adam laughed. “Yeah, I guess you have a point. That, or I’m just too damn good at my job for them to be willing to lose me.”
“Fair point,” Jack said with a shrug, beginning to rock his baby in his arms as Ashley began to flail and blubber quietly. “Oh, but another thing: how much would you, like, charge? We’re kinda starting to get really tight on money and everything.” He wasn’t embarrassed by that, of course. Not in the slightest.
Adam puffed out a breath as he thought about it. He usually got paid pretty damn handsomely for going on tours, and he also sold prints that had his income increasing just that little bit more. Not to mention how much he made through his new merchandise line…
If anything, he could spend the day helping out a friend of a friend, right?
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll make a detour with them and we can discuss settings and shit like that, cool?”
“What do you mean, don’t… I…” Jack stuttered. He was a little worried, if he was being honest. What if Adam made the journey just to name a price that he simply couldn’t afford?
“Hey, look, dude, I gotta get going. It’s, like, two in the morning here. Do you want me to give you back to Jaime, or…?”
“No, it’s fine,” Jack decided.
“Alright, well, later, dude,” Adam said as a farewell, waiting until Jack hummed a goodnight before hanging up.
Jack was careful in removing his phone from his shoulder, shutting the screen off and tossing it on the couch to his left before looking down to Ashley, who was starting to get just the slightest bit louder with his whimpers.
A sigh, and the infant’s father was struggling to his feet, heading into the guest bathroom to pull all of the bath supplies from under the sink before heading out into the kitchen.
“If you don’t sleep after this,” he grumbled, plugging the sink and filling it with warm water before getting the Puj Tub situated, “then your daddy’s a liar about this whole lavender thing, and he’s gonna be the one to deal with you the next time you decide you don’t wanna sleep.”
Ashley merely flailed, trying to get a good look at the running water as it splashed against the steel.
Author: Jamie jamieall_over
Pairing: Jalex
Rating: NC-17 Overall
Warnings: Mpreg
“There’s no way I said that,” Alex protested quietly, his eyebrows scrunched together in disbelief. It was later that same day, afternoon visits having only started an hour prior, and Jack was relaying to him exactly how distressed he’d been about getting a blow job not even twenty-four hours before. Both babies were asleep on the elder's chest, tiny fingers twitching and little mouths opening and closing every now and again.
It almost hurt Alex, knowing that his babies were nearly a month old. Days were moving much too quickly for his liking, and it seemed like he’d hardly had any time to spend with them as they grew-since they’d been born, they’d already gained a little over four pounds each. He was fine with his babies being chubby, was absolutely thrilled with the idea, but he missed when they were tiny, little eight pound infants that could quite literally fit in the palms of his and Jack’s hands.
From beside him, Jack was laughing away, too preoccupied to reply immediately. When the younger man had regained some semblance of composure, he was nodding his head and reaching up to rub at his face. “You did, baby,” he insisted. “You were crying, and I was so fucking worried that something had happened, and then you just… ‘we’re cannibals, Jack,’” he mocked, bursting into another fit of uncontrollable hysterics. He was really starting to regret not recording it because Alex would’ve been internet famous by that point, as well as the fact that he’d have actual proof and something to watch when he was feeling down.
“Hey, Jay?” Alex asked from out of the blue, lifting his head from where he’d been looking down at his babies and over to his husband. The tone he used had the younger sitting up a little straighter, face going blank and hysterics fading into nothingness almost immediately.
“What’s up, baby?” he pressed when Alex simply turned to stare down at the babies curled up on his chest once more, eyebrows slowly creeping closer to each other on his forehead and the corners of his mouth dropping into a pout.
The very last thing he wanted to do was cry about his babies growing up, especially not when he knew that he still had eighteen years at the least to get to watch them become their own individuals with their own thoughts and interests and personalities, to cherish and nurture them, and he bit his lip until the slight wetness that had gathered in his eyes could be blinked away. Then he was looking back up to Jack, forcing a small smile when a hand reached out to link with his.
“I just…” he started, squeezing his arms gently around his babies’ bodies in as best a hug he could manage given their size and position. A sigh, and he was trying again. “I know that we haven’t been able to do much recently, what with me having to spend so much time recovering and all, but when I get out, I wanna… I really wanna get some pictures of us.”
Jack didn’t catch on at first, instead furrowing his eyebrows and reaching for his phone from where it was stuffed in his back pocket. “We get pictures all the time…” he trailed out, clicking his phone to life and beginning the hunt for his photo gallery among his other useless apps. He didn’t stop to smile at the picture of Alex, Ashley, and Perspicacity that he’d taken when they’d all first been together because… well… he just didn’t.
“No, I want real pictures of us. Pictures done by professionals, with us all dressed up and together and looking like the family we are,” he emphasized, biting at his lip in a way he hoped was pleading enough. “Or… or even just pictures of the babies. We should’ve done something, like, a few days after they were born, and we didn’t, and I don’t… I feel like if we don’t do something soon, we’re gonna regret it in the long run. We didn’t take pictures for the birth announcement, or for Ashley’s gender announcement, and we haven’t…”
Then he could actually feel the tears starting up again, much worse than they had before. Not even just because of how fast his children were growing while he spent his days in the hospital or cooped up in bed, but also because of the fact that he felt like he’d missed his chance. He’d missed his chance to flaunt his babies and his pregnancy. He could remember how distressed he’d been only months prior when he’d realized that there would be pictures taken of him, stomach large and on display for pretty much everyone to see.
There, in that hospital room, he felt like he’d cheated himself out of so many important and irreplaceable memories that he’d never be able to go back on and see again. Even if he had another baby (or three), he wouldn’t be able to pull up as many pictures as he wished he’d be able to for his first born. He couldn’t take back everything he missed to give it another shot.
He hated it, honestly. Hated knowing that he’d just brushed it all off as if it was nothing, as if it wouldn’t matter down the road. His own mother had told him that he should think about it, think about birth announcements for other people and set up different appointments with photographers as each month passed, but he’d dismissed it. Why had he thought it wasn’t important? Why had he thought that the pictures he would get by himself (with Jack, their families’, and friends’ help, of course) would be enough to suffice?
Because you’ll have them all your life, is what his heart told him in that moment. That’s all he heard. And he knew that was exactly the case. He would be there to see them in person as they learned to walk and talk and color in the lines, and therefore he wouldn’t need the pictures of his rounded stomach as it expanded or the babies sleeping with nothing but blankets draped over them-which was something he was sure every parent had of their child.
And he’d never, not once in his life, thought about how the present and the future wouldn’t matter. Not in comparison to everything he’d been through at that point. Not when he thought about how there was a chance that his pregnancy may have been his only one. What if he didn’t get pregnant again? What if two proved to be too much for them to handle? What if they tried, genuinely tried, and it just… didn’t work?
Meanwhile, Jack was still sitting in silence, trying to understand why pictures would make Alex so distraught. Was there something that he’d missed? Had he zoned out and not been paying attention when Alex had told him why they were such a big deal?
Alex sniffled, blinking quickly to cease the flow of tears he hadn’t realized had started and looking down as a wiggling against his chest brought him back into reality. Ashley was merely adjusting his position, but the elder man knew that it would only be a matter of time before they both woke up again; it was only a matter of time before they all had to leave him for the night again.
He looked back up to Jack, breathing deeply to further calm himself before reiterating, just so that he’d be able to fully get his point across. “I want to get pictures.”
--- ---
“Do you know any places around here that do, like, cheap photography sessions that are both decent and creative?” Jack called out to his mother as soon as he and the babies made it through the front door of their apartment. There was the smell of mac n’ cheese, chicken, and broccoli from in the kitchen, and Mrs. Barakat peeked her head from the around the corner of the living room. She bustled out into the small front hall not too long afterward, assisting Jack in lifting the babies from their individual seats and bringing them into the living room and instead buckling them into their seats there.
Joyce shrugged after a moment of thinking about the question. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d paid someone to take pictures for her. If anything, she took pictures herself. They never came out looking magnificent or anything, but they were… well, they weren’t the best or even remotely decent, by any means.
“I could look around for you tomorrow, if you’d like?” she offered, following her son’s lead and lifting the carriers from the table in the middle of the room and heading towards the dining room.
Jack shook his head. “You don’t have to do that,” he dismissed, setting Perspicacity’s carrier onto the ground next to his seat before sitting down himself. The utensils and plates had already been set out, and he didn’t hesitate in pulling the cover off of the bowl between him and his mother, using the large ladle to scoop out a mound of the mixture onto his plate, mouth watering at just the sight. “It’s just, I don’t know, Alex said something about wanting to get pictures of all four of us once he gets out of the hospital, and it seems pretty important to him. We just… we can’t spend too much money right now, especially with all of the bills piling up and stuff, y’know?”
“Well, there’s that place in the mall,” Joyce recalled as she waited for Jack to finish adding even more food to his plate so that she could get a share of it as well. “They have all sorts of different props and backgrounds, and there are usually specials going on down there, right?”
Jack shook his head, handing the spoon over. “It closed a while ago. Least that’s what Alex said. I suggested that place, too, but I guess it’s not an option anymore. I was thinking about asking Vic or something. I know he has someone go on tour with him and the guys a lot, and the pictures I’ve seen have always been really awesome. Would that be weird? To ask a concert photographer to come take pictures of us?” he mused aloud. He took advantage of his own silence and dug into his food, humming in content at the taste.
Before Joyce could respond, a giggle was heard from the ground. Both adults glanced over to see that Cocoa had invited herself to climb into Perspicacity’s chair, wet nose pressing to the infant's as she waved her arms happily. The cat didn’t like that, not really, and she was soon retreating just enough to make herself comfortable on Ashley’s lap who had, at some point, fallen asleep again. He didn’t wake up, only huffed in his sleep as the kitten draped her body over his legs, and Jack could only groan with the knowledge that it was going to be a long night for him and his baby boy.
Joyce cleared her throat after a few minutes of them cooing quietly over the babies and the kitten (who Perspicacity was desperately trying to gain the attention of, all to no avail), causing Jack to look back up to her, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as he once again scooped another bite into his mouth.
“I think that if you talk to him or her about it, and they’re okay with taking time out of their day to photograph you, then it should be fine. Find out prices and hours and things like that first, then work from there. It’s not his job to go around taking pictures of random families, but if he’s up for it, then go for it,” she finally answered, and Jack nodded.
“So,” he started, wanting something to fill the silence while they ate that wasn’t just the cat’s purring from below them, “how was Cocoa while we were gone?”
--- ---
“Jaime! Hey, do you have a minute, man?” Jack asked later that night, his phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder. He couldn’t actually hold it, seeing as how he’d been right in thinking that Ashley sure as hell wouldn’t be sleeping and was instead cradled against his chest.
There was a quiet hum down the line before the older man replied, “Well, I only have another, like, thirty seconds now. Anything after is gonna cost ya.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “You get funnier every time we talk, y’know?”
“I do. But what d’ya need, bro?”
“Who’s that guy who tours with you guys? The one who takes all the pictures for you?” Jack inquired, sitting down on his bed for the evening the couch and leaning back until he was comfortable. Ashley wiggled, eyes looking at nothing in particular yet still so wide with a wonder that only children could possess. Joyce was in the bedroom with Perspicacity, Ashley’s crib having been moved out from the bedroom so that they each had a child with them… not like it would stop either baby waking up when their sibling did.
“Elmakias,” Jaime answered without much of a thought, grabbing Jack’s attention once more. “Adam Elmakias. He does a lot of other bands’ pictures, too. A Day to Remember and Warped Tour and stuff, y’know?”
“Right. Is he there now? Do you think you could ask him something for me?” Jack pressed. His freehand moved to rub at Ashley stomach in a way that he hoped would, for whatever reason, tire the child, before he had a brief thought about a quick bath with some lavender soap that would lull the baby to sleep.
“Uh… hold on a sec,” came the response, which was followed by some muffled shouting and shuffling.
“Hello?” asked another voice, one Jack definitely wasn’t accustomed to.
“Um… Adam?” he questioned cautiously, almost sighing in relief when there was an answering hum of agreement. “I’m Jack -Gaskarth-Barakat; I’m a friend of the band. You’re a photographer, right?”
“That I am, Jack Gaskarth-Barakat,” Adam said, nodding on the other end of the line as he watched Vic tackle Mike for what appeared to be no reason across the lot.
“Awesome. Well, listen, my husband and I just had twins, and, uh… say no if you want to, like, I can find some other place, but I was wondering if you’d mind stopping by here sometime soon and taking some pictures of us? They were born about a month ago, and we haven’t really done anything about professional photography yet. He was really distressed about it earlier, for whatever reason, and I’m not sure where else we would go for it or anything, y’know?”
It was silent on the other end of the line, save some far-off whooping that sounded like it came from one (or probably both) of the Fuentes brothers. “Where’s here, exactly?”
“Baltimore, Maryland,” Jack explained. “I know that the guys are coming back soon to record for the next album, and if you’re not too busy, maybe you could come out with them for a day or two? I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you being around a little longer, since they keep asking you to go out on tours with them and all.”
Adam laughed. “Yeah, I guess you have a point. That, or I’m just too damn good at my job for them to be willing to lose me.”
“Fair point,” Jack said with a shrug, beginning to rock his baby in his arms as Ashley began to flail and blubber quietly. “Oh, but another thing: how much would you, like, charge? We’re kinda starting to get really tight on money and everything.” He wasn’t embarrassed by that, of course. Not in the slightest.
Adam puffed out a breath as he thought about it. He usually got paid pretty damn handsomely for going on tours, and he also sold prints that had his income increasing just that little bit more. Not to mention how much he made through his new merchandise line…
If anything, he could spend the day helping out a friend of a friend, right?
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll make a detour with them and we can discuss settings and shit like that, cool?”
“What do you mean, don’t… I…” Jack stuttered. He was a little worried, if he was being honest. What if Adam made the journey just to name a price that he simply couldn’t afford?
“Hey, look, dude, I gotta get going. It’s, like, two in the morning here. Do you want me to give you back to Jaime, or…?”
“No, it’s fine,” Jack decided.
“Alright, well, later, dude,” Adam said as a farewell, waiting until Jack hummed a goodnight before hanging up.
Jack was careful in removing his phone from his shoulder, shutting the screen off and tossing it on the couch to his left before looking down to Ashley, who was starting to get just the slightest bit louder with his whimpers.
A sigh, and the infant’s father was struggling to his feet, heading into the guest bathroom to pull all of the bath supplies from under the sink before heading out into the kitchen.
“If you don’t sleep after this,” he grumbled, plugging the sink and filling it with warm water before getting the Puj Tub situated, “then your daddy’s a liar about this whole lavender thing, and he’s gonna be the one to deal with you the next time you decide you don’t wanna sleep.”
Ashley merely flailed, trying to get a good look at the running water as it splashed against the steel.