Thanks to @multi_shows :)
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"Hi, JJ." Amelia greeted JJ who opened the door for his girlfriend's family, "How are you, sweetie?"
"Very good, Mrs. Thomas. Haven't seen you in a while, you been alright?" JJ politely gestured for Amelia to come in along with Rian, Ashton and Daylon following behind.
"Yes, yes. I am so sorry we haven't came by in a while. We've all just been working crazy hours. What have you been up to?" Amelia walked in.
"Oh, you know," He shrugged, "Just work. Avie and Riv keep me busy when I'm not."
Rian smiled wearily at the mention of his daughter, "Hello, JJ." Rian had never gotten passed what JJ had done. Seeing his daughter struggle alone with a screaming infant for a week straight hurt his heart more than JJ would ever know yet he wouldn't ever wish for him to witness the same thing.
"Mr. Thomas." He nodded, "How are you?"
"Not bad." Rian responded.
"What's good, man?" Ashton nodded his head at JJ as he walked in. Ashton still held some old, bitter feelings towards him but had learned to put them aside for his sister and niece. Daylon, on the other hand, kept quiet around their family but didn't hide the fact he was still resentful since they had moved into the apartment.
It was pretty hard to get passed your little sister's boyfriend leaving her and their daughter alone for a week.
"Hey." JJ pressed his lips into a thin line as he nodded.
"Where's the kid?" Daylon looked around, eager to see his niece. It was funny for someone who had hated his sister's pregnancy the most, he was probably the most attached to the little girl. Besides JJ of course.
"Oh uh," JJ scratched the back of his neck and looked towards his bedroom door, "Avie's just finishing up her bath."
"You couldn't help?" Daylon asked.
"I came to get the do-"
"Daylon, don't even start today. We came to have a nice family day." Amelia warned her son. Considering Daylon was not the biggest fan of the young father, he rarely ever came by their apartment. He would wait until Avie brought Riv over to their house to see her.
Daylon rolled his eyes and plopped himself on the couch.
Ashton stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around, "You keep it clean here, huh?" He noticed how things around the apartment were straightened up, very different from when the two first became parents. Avie's room was a disaster and neither of them bothered to clean it. Even when they lived at the chateau for a bit, it became messier than before.
"Um yeah," JJ answered, "Avie's got her while I work so I just clean it for them when I get home and they're in bed."
Daylon squinted his eyes at JJ as he listened to his words, taking into account the selflessness JJ always had in him.
"That's very nice of you, JJ." Amelia smiled. Amelia was always the first to forgive JJ whenever he did something unacceptable. While she never allowed him back into her house until Avie's graduation party, she knew his potential. He needed support. Not more people tearing him down.
JJ nodded awkwardly before all their heads turned to the sound of little feet running out of the bedroom. River revealed herself as she ran with a smile on her face, wearing just a diaper and a necklace that resembled the one her father wore around his neck.
Riv was fascinated by the shark tooth necklace so JJ had decided to surprise her with a matching one of her own. Since receiving it, she refused to take it off.
"River!" Avie called from the bedroom.
They all grinned at the happy child, finding it amusing that she was giggling from running from her mother.
"Riv!" Ashton smiled at her.
"Hi, sweet girl!" Amelia knelt down. Rian stood beside her and stared at Riv in awe.
Riv stopped smiling and looked up at everybody with a worried look on her face. Her eyes darted to every single one of them before landing on her dad.
"Dada.." she whispered and wearily stepped towards him to hide behind his legs.
"Riv," JJ chuckled, "It's okay, you know everyone." He reassured her. He assumed it was probably overwhelming for a child to walk out and see her entire family in her living room that was empty earlier. It was confusing for an almost two year old.
"Ugh," Avie groaned, "She won't let me- oh hi guys." Avie paused when she realized her family was there.
Amelia chuckled to herself and walked to hug her daughter whose shirt was soaked from bathing her child, "Hi, love."
Avie hugged her mother from the side and looked at her family, "I totally forgot you guys were coming today. She's been so crazy lately, I keep forgetting everything."
Rian laughed and shook his head, "It's alright. We understand."
"Meh." Daylon shrugged.
Avie looked at Daylon and tilted her head with a smile, "Hello to you, too." He smiled in return.
"Hey, Aves." Ashton hugged her gently.
"Hi, Ash."
"Da.." River tugged on JJ's pants and looked up at him, wanting to be held.
"Riv, you're naked." He chuckled and picked up his daughter, sitting her comfortably on his hip. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek to his shoulder and turning her head away from her family shyly.
Daylon and Ashton watched intently, focusing on JJ's body language and the emotional support he was giving the nervous child. Rian took note of the way JJ faintly swayed with her and rubbed her back, feeling warmth spread across his chest when he saw the way JJ comforted her.
"Awh, what's this?" Amelia walked over and pinched Riv's cheek, "You're never shy when you come to Grandma's house." She hinted at all the times her granddaughter would be so excited to be at her grandparents house, playing with her uncles and getting spoiled rotten by Amelia and Rian.
Avie smiled holding her daughter's clothes in her hands, "I don't think she was expecting all of you at once."
"What's around her neck?" Amelia stroked her hair and noticed the shark tooth necklace.
"Oh," Avie turned her gaze to Riv's neck, "JJ got her that. It's the same one he has and she was obsessed with his." She looked at the necklace around her boyfriend's neck and smiled softly, thinking of how much connection the pair had even when they weren't together.
"That's sweet, JJ." Amelia rubbed his shoulder and noticed the matching pieces, her heart warming with how much the blond man had grown the passed couple years.
"Matching jewelry," Ashton smirked and nodded his head, "That's cute, man." He patted his back.
JJ chuckled and shook his head, "She wouldn't take mine off so I got her her own." Riv turned her head to look at her uncle, smiling shyly when his eyes met her and a grin formed on his face as he noticed her pink cheeks.
"Ash." She pointed at him, barely able to pronounce the 'sh' correctly.
Ashton held his hands out to her without saying a word. She reached out for him and JJ allowed her to slip into Ashton's arms, hers quickly wrapping around his neck to hug him.
"Hey, kid." He smiled as she pulled back and stared at his face, examine his features then poking his nose with her small index finger, "Oo, you got me."
She pulled her hands back and tucked them into her belly, giggling at his comment.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." JJ told the family and walked away.
Daylon stood up from the couch and made his way towards his brother and niece, "What's up, pogue?" He smiled widely at her but she stared at her father sadly as he walked away.
"Dada." She pointed towards JJ and looked at Daylon as if to have a conversation.
"Daddy went potty, Riv. Say hi to Uncle Day." Avie responded and sat on the couch.
"Day?" She questioned and stared at her uncle longer.
"Yeah," He chuckled and held out his hands for her, "Come. I'm better than Uncle Ash."
She glanced down at his hands then made eye contact with him before slapping his hands in a joyful manner.
"No, the fuck, you're not." Ashton begged to differ. The two always got into mini arguments over which uncle she preferred over the other. It was safe to say Daylon probably was since he was the one to let her eat candy, play his video games, and take over his entire bed when she would sleep over their house. Ashton tried his best to play by Avie and JJ's rules, though he caved once in a while when she would cry that she didn't get her way.
"Ashton, watch your language." Rian scolded his son. Neither Ashton nor Daylon ever watched their language so even with a child they tended to continue their ways.
Ashton rolled his eyes, "She can barely talk."
"She ain't gonna repeat it." Daylon laughed as he scooped his hands under Riv's armpits to lift her out of Ashton's embrace. She stared at Daylon's face as he held her over his front torso, her small hands playing with his gold chain around his neck.
"Eh," Avie started, "She might." She thought back to all the times her daughter attempted to repeat swear words when they, mostly JJ, would disregard her copying.
"Nah." Daylon grinned at her.
"Here, since you think you're her favorite," Avie tossed him the child's clothes from after her bath, "Get her dressed."
Daylon dodged her throw as he moved his head out of way, lifting one hand to catch the clothes as his other held his niece against his chest, "Jeez." He huffed, "I got this." He got down on his knees and placed River on her feet in front of him. She stood there and shivered as she fiddled with the shark tooth against her chest.
"Alright," Daylon mumbled to himself as he fixed the little shirt to open the hole for her head, "Come here, kid." She looked at the shirt then back up to him, giving him an almost judge mental look.
Amelia and Rian stood there and crossed their arms, amused by their youngest son who tried to convince River to get dressed.
"C'mon, I'll make it quick." Daylon sighed as she turned away from, crossing her arms over her belly, "Aren't you cold?" He opened the shirt in attempt to pull it over her head but she was quick to slap his arm.
"No!"
"River!" Avie shouted and gently pulled her away from Daylon which made her furrow her eyebrows, "That was not nice." Avie looked at her brother as she knelt next to her daughter, "I'm sorry, Day. She never does that."
"It's all good." He shrugged and stood up.
Ashton chuckled and shook his head as he sat on the couch, watching in amusement after noticing how innocent his niece looked despite being angry.
Amelia and Rian watched concerned, wondering when she started hitting. No matter how frustrated the child ever got she was never one to hit anybody.
"Never does what?" JJ asked as he adjusted his shirt and walked out of the bathroom.
"She hit Daylon when he tried to get her dressed." Avie was still kneeling beside River with her small arm in her hand.
"Are you kidding?" JJ furrowed his eyebrows, "Riv," he looked down at her in disappointment, "C'mon."
She looked at him through her eyebrows sadly then looked down and played with her fingers that touched her belly.
"Can you try and dress her?" Avie pushed her daughter's hair behind her ear and stroked the back of her neck, noticing that she was sad to be yelled at. She never liked having to shout at her toddler, so she never really did. She was well-behaved and if she acted out, it was an easy fix.
"Mhm." JJ nodded pressing his lips together and held his hand out to Daylon for him to pass the clothes, "Come here, Riv." He stated with the clothes in one hand and held out his other for her to take. She held her shark tooth necklace in one hand as she looked at his before taking it gently, her small hand being embraced by his large one.
Avie and her family watched as the two walked over to the opening of their bedroom where they were still visible, but more secluded. JJ took note of how Riv was embarrassed, feeling bad that she was yelled at in front of other people though she needed to learn.
He knelt in front of her on his knees and sighed as he looked at her with a sad smile, "You can't hit your uncle, Rivvy. It's mean."
"Mm." She pouted and looked down.
"Hey," He pushed her chin up softly with the side of his index finger as they made eye contact, "being naked around your family isn't an option.." He scrunched his eyebrows and looked down as he thought, "Though being naked does sound more comfortable." He shook his head as the little girl giggled shyly at him.
The family sat around in the living room as they glanced over when hearing the soft giggles from the doorway.
"He's good with her, huh?" Ashton asked and nodded at his sister.
Avie smiled as she watched her boyfriend and daughter, somewhat, converse with each other, "Yeah. He knows all the tricks."
"Avery, I will admit; the boy has changed a lot." Rian nodded, surprised by how JJ had matured since before Riv was brought into the world.
Amelia nodded, "I'm proud of him. He really has come a long way, love. He's such a good daddy."
"The best." Avie tilted her head watching them in awe.
"You can tell by the way the damn kid clings to him. She's been like that since she was born." Ashton told them.
Avie laughed, "She really has."
"Alright, let's not give him a bigger head. He already knows it." Daylon chuckled. He once despised JJ for all of his dirty habits like smoking weed, his Juul, and sneaking around but now Daylon almost admired JJ for putting in the work to become a better man. He would never admit it but he saw the way JJ prioritized his daughter and girlfriend over anything and everything, "But yeah, he's alright." Daylon smiled softly at Riv who smiled up at her father.
"Can we put your clothes on, please? Will you let Daddy help you?" JJ asked Riv in a kind tone.
She held her hands behind her back without responding.
JJ sighed, "Let's put some clothes on then you gotta say sorry to Uncle Daylon because I know Mommy's gonna make you." He looked down and mumbled, "Even though he probably deserved a slap."
She giggled without understanding what he was saying, "Dada." She held her hands out to him and tried to step on his knees to get closer.
"Uh-uh," He took her hand and kissed the top of it, "Get dressed first."
"Tay.." She okayed his command and stood straight for him to dress her.
After putting on a shirt that read "Daddy's Favorite" which Amelia had gifted not too long ago and straight-legged jeans that might have been too big on her, she reached her arms up to JJ who stood up in front of her.
"Up." She demanded.
JJ chuckled and shook his head, "You're lucky you really are my favorite." He picked her up and kissed her cheek as he sat her on his waist, walking out to where everybody else was.
"Say sorry to Uncle Day. He's sad." JJ told her.
"No I'm-"
"You're sad." Avie told her brother in a serious tone as she didn't want to make River laugh.
"Oh," Daylon nodded and looked at his niece, "Um," he shifted in his seat, "I'm sad."
Riv looked at her father as if to see if her uncle was okay.
"Say sorry for hitting him." JJ told her again.
Riv tilted her head and leaned against JJ's shoulder, "Dorry.." She said softly.
"It's alright, Riv." Daylon grinned at her and tapped her shoulder.
"Good girl." JJ smiled and threw her up in the air before kissing her cheek as she laughed.
"That was really cute." Amelia smiled and watched the smile grow on her granddaughter's face.
Avie giggled and shook her head, "She's a nut."
"JJ, you're a good father." Rian patted his back.
JJ nearly froze as he placed River back on his hip, his eyes nearly widening and his body stiffened, "Um, thank you, sir. I, uh, I'm tryin' my best."
"Keep it up."
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This wound up being almost as long as a chapter LMFAO
Sorry if there's any typos!