"Why is Uncle Austin being so weird?"
Jace looked up from where he was setting the table to see Savannah skipping into the kitchen, blonde curly pigtails bouncing atop her head and Liam trailing close behind. He shot a confused glance at Liam, who just shrugged before making his way to the cupboard to select his cereal for the morning.
Briefly glaring at Ryan, who was sitting at the end of the table, snickering into his tea cup, Jace helped Savannah climb into her chair. "What do you mean, Sav?"
"He won't let me play with his hair." Her eyes were wide as she gazed up at her father, her bottom lip jutted out as though Austin had committed a major travesty. Though to her, he probably had; she loved sticking her fingers in his thick curls and molding them to her liking.
"I'm sorry, babe," Jace shrugged, pouring her Cheerios into her bowl and watching her pick up her plastic handled spoon. He couldn't very well force Austin to make Savannah his permanent hair stylist, no matter how much the five year old's pout made his heart melt.
"And he changed his shirt six times." She said it matter of factly because she'd sat in the middle of his bed and practiced her counting against the button ups of various colors that Austin and shrugged on and off his shoulders.
This was surprising to all of the boys. Austin Jenson was many things, but fashion conscious was not one of them. He practically lived in jeans and t-shirts.
Jace, Liam, and Ryan exchanged curious glances as they slipped into their chairs around the table, silently racking their brains as to what could possibly have made Austin uptight before Ryan's eyes sparked with recognition and his lips stretched into a wide grin.
"It's Valentine's Day."
Jace and Liam let out simultaneous sounds of understanding, nodding their heads as they began to stir their cereal into their milk.
Austin had recently begun casually seeing a girl he'd met at a friend's New Year's Eve party and for the first time in a while, he felt as though it could actually be going somewhere. Valentine's Day would be the first big milestone in their relationship, so it made sense that he was nervous for the night ahead.
"What a sucker," Ryan muttered, shoving a spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth.
"No plans tonight, Ryan?" Liam asked.
Ryan shrugged, swallowing before he responded. "I might see Kayla."
Kayla was a girl Ryan hooked up with whenever one of them was feeling lonely. Valentine's Day seemed like an appropriate occasion for them to meet.
"Do you guys ever, like, go on dates?" Jace asked, genuinely curious.
"Nah, man," Ryan shook his head. "I have rules against taking girls out on Valentine's Day. They start expecting too much."
Jace snorted into his cereal bowl as Liam rolled his eyes and fixed the lead guitarist with a sarcastic glare. "You're such a catch, Ryan."
"Hey, not all of us can have it as together as you," Ryan said defensively.
About six months ago, Liam had reconnected with a former flame and they'd decided to give it another chance. So far, things were going well and Liam wasn't freaked out about the night ahead because he'd planned the date about two weeks in advance.
If this situation had occurred five years before, Liam would have would have given Ryan the finger, but the boys had learned to be sensitive to innocent eyes and ears, so Liam settled for sticking his tongue out instead.
"What's Valentine's Day?"
Savannah's question came just as Austin strolled into the kitchen, dressed in his usual outfit of jeans and a loose t-shirt, giving no indication that he'd considered other clothing options. Stopping behind the five year old's chair, he quickly kissed her on top of the head as a morning greeting before taking his seat at the table and reaching over for the box of Cheerios.
Jace held in a laugh because Austin was completely unaware that Savannah had let out his little secret and set his gaze on his daughter, reaching out with his thumb to wipe away a line of milk that had dribbled down her chin. "Valentine's Day is a holiday where people tell each other how much they love each other."
"They don't love each other every day?" she asked, wide eyed and befuddled because she couldn't remember a day when her father and uncles hadn't told her they loved her at least three times each. She wasn't really old enough to fully understand what it meant, but she knew it made her feel warm and happy and safe.
"No, they do," Jace quickly replied. "Today's just a day where they show it."
"Show?" She tilted her head to the side, causing one of her pigtails to fall against her cheek.
He was doing a horrible job of explaining, so he was grateful when Austin piped up.
"They give each other things," he said, "Like presents. To show that they love the other person."
She still looked utterly confused and the boys looked at each, at a complete loss for words at how to make the situation better, but a quick glance at their phones for the time made them realize it was a conversation that had to be finished later.
"You guys gotta get going," Liam said after checking his phone.
The boys had been itching to work with music producer Rocky Hollis for months and they'd recently found out that he was going to be in Sydney for a short period of time, so they'd jumped on the chance to go in for couple writing sessions. Jace and Austin were booked to work with him today, while Ryan and Liam would go tomorrow.
"Right," Jace nodded, taking one last bite of his cereal before picking up his and Savannah's now empty bowl. "Sav, baby, can you go get ready for school? Uncle Liam is gonna take you."
Nodding, she wiggled her little feet to the floor and slipped out of her chair, skipping out of the room and up the stairs to get her things. She'd only recently started school, an experience that was emotional for all of them as they had grown so accustomed to having her around all the time and Jace knew it was only the start of her journey to becoming a grown up.
She absolutely loved it, though, and she'd come home in the afternoons with her arms full of crafts they'd made in art class and chatter on about the books her teacher read them and the friends she'd made, and he'd let out a sigh of relief at the knowledge that it was going well.
The boys cleared the table and cleaned up the kitchen as much as they could before going to their rooms to get ready for the day. Jace had just finished the last check of his hair and shoved his wallet and phone into the pockets of his jeans when Savannah wandered into his room, ready to go in her yellow sundress, Velcro strapped white sneakers, and the straps of her pink plastic backpack securely hitched on her shoulders, an ensemble that she and Liam had chosen together that morning.
"Ready!" She smiled up at him brightly when he emerged from the bathroom.
"You look very beautiful, Miss Savannah," he said, reaching down to pick her up when she extended her arms, easily bringing her up to his hip, where her small legs immediately locked against his waist.
"Thank you," she said shyly, remembering what her father had taught her about manners.
Scrunching up his nose, he rubbed it against hers, causing her to giggle and thus his heart to soar, before carrying her down the stairs, where Liam was waiting by the front door, twirling his car keys around his finger.
"You pumped for school, Savi?" Liam grinned, wiggling his fingers at the five year old, whose hands were busy playing with the hair on the back of her father's head.
"Yeah!" She exclaimed, smiling widely at her uncle as Austin and Ryan entered the front hall to say their goodbyes.
"Yay!" Jace laughed, turning his head to look at his daughter. "Alright, babe. Uncle Austin and I have to go, but I'll see you when I get home. Uncle Ryan's gonna pick you up from school, okay?"
"Okay," she nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her face to his cheek. "Have a good day, Daddy."
"Thank you, baby," he grinned, rubbing her back with his hand until she pulled away and then leaning forward to give her a goodbye kiss. "Love you."
"Love you," she chimed, wriggling in Jace's arms and reaching out towards Austin, who took the opportunity to lift her into his chest and hug her tight before accepting a goodbye kiss as well. "Love you, Uncle Austin!"
"Love you, too, Sav," Austin laughed as he set her down on the ground.
Jace and Austin and headed out the car, waving goodbye to the boys and Savannah standing in the doorway before driving towards the studio.
The writing session went better than they could have hoped and they ended up with a song they were proud of and didn't embarrass themselves in front of a producer they admired. They arrived home in the late afternoon, satisfied with the day's accomplishments.
"Daddydaddydaddydaddy!"
They heard Savannah before they saw her, her voice ringing throughout the house, followed by the pitter pattering of her feet from upstairs. His immediate thoughts were dark, that someone had broken into the house and she was yelling for help, but he felt his muscles relax when he saw her at the top of the stairs, her smile like sunshine.
"What's up, princess?" he sighed in relief, hearing Austin do the same to his right.
"Come see what I did! You too, Uncle Austin!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining bright and her pigtails bouncing along to the beat of her knees.
That sounded vaguely ominous, but seeing as he hadn't received any texts from Ryan or Liam with the word 'catastrophe', he assumed everything was fine and obliged with her request, walking up the stairs with Austin at his heels.
She wrapped her tiny hands around his wrist when he reached the top, dragging him down the hallway to her enchanted forest themed bedroom. Liam and Ryan sat cross legged on the floor, their legs stretched out in front of them, each holding what looked to be a paper heart. They looked up when Austin, Jace, and Savannah entered, their eyes shining as though they were trying not to cry.
'What's going on?' Jace mouthed to them, still completely confused.
Before they could respond, Savannah was tugging on Jace's arm again, urging him to look down.
"Daddy, look what I made!"
He glanced down to see what she was attempting to shove into his face: a large heart cut out of red paper, decorated with small sticker hearts of varying sizes and colors. Blinking slowly, he reached to take the heart from his daughter, squatting down to her level as he read the words scribbled in the middle with black marker in her big, messy handwriting.
Daddy,
You are the bestest daddy in the whole world.
Will you be my valentine?
I love you,
Savannah
Eyes watery and lips parted in shock, he raised his gaze to meet his daughter's, unsure of what to say because he felt as though his heart was about to burst.
"Savannah, this is..." his words came out in a whisper as he stared at her in awe, his eyes momentarily lifting to see his friends attempting not to cry as they held their own versions of the handmade valentines. Looking back at her, he reached out and pulled her into an embrace against his chest, squeezing her as tight as he could without worrying about breaking her tiny body. "This is amazing."
"You like it?" she squeaked when he pulled away, her eyes wide in excitement, her gaze slowly drifting to each of her uncles as her words began to come out faster and faster. "You said that today we show people we love them and I love you so I wanted to show you. Miss Amy helped me write it. Do you like it?"
"I love it," Austin croaked, reaching a hand up to wipe a stray tear from his eye. "Thank you, Savi."
Liam and Ryan echoed his appreciation, both looking as though they might start bawling at any given moment.
Despite the high level of emotion in the room, Savannah seemed disappointed by their reactions. Jutting out her bottom lip, she planted her balled fists on her waist. "But you didn't answer me!"
It took Jace a moment to figure out what she was talking about, but when he did, he let out a watery laugh and scooped her into his arms, pressing kisses against her cheek to make her giggle. "Of course, Savi. Of course we'll be your valentines."
Laughing in understanding, the boys pushed themselves to their feet to join in a group hug, which had all of them smiling idiotically when they pulled apart.
"Alright," Austin laughed, sniffling slightly. "I should go get ready for my date."
"Can I help?" Savannah asked brightly, already trying to wriggle out of her father's arms.
Grinning, Austin nodded, pulling her against his chest and pressing a kiss to her cheek before they walked out the door.
For the next hour, Savannah toddled around the house, helping her uncles get ready for their various evening activities. She worked her little fingers into Austin's hair, playing with it until it looked effortlessly tousled. She advised Liam on which color shirt to wear and picked out Ryan's boots for him, choosing the ones that were shiniest. Despite his protests that he wasn't trying to make an impression, he couldn't say no to her stern glare.
"You look very pretty," she said with a satisfied smile as she sat between her father's outstretched legs on the bottom step, watching her uncles shrug on their respective jackets and blazers.
"Thanks, Sav!" Ryan grinned, running a hand through his hair.
Taking turns, they accepted good luck kisses from their niece before waving goodbye and heading out the door.
"What do you say, pretty girl?" Jace said to his daughter once they were alone, smiling when she turned her neck to face him. "Can I cook you some dinner?"
She nodded excitedly and he placed his hands beneath her shoulders to lift to her to her feet before following as she raced towards the kitchen, where they set out to cook their Valentine's meal of quesadillas and frozen French fries.
Parenthood hadn't made Jace any better of a cook, seeing as he still often called his mother for tips on easy recipes, but he had become more resourceful and could now cook the simplest versions of most foods. He let her sprinkle her own cheese on the tortillas in the pan and use mitts that were much too big for her hands to guide the tray of fries from the oven.
As they ate, Savannah sipped apple juice from her favorite plastic purple cup and told Jace about the new puppy her friend Aubrey had just got and made him laugh with the knock knock jokes her Uncle Ryan had told her the other day and not for the first time, Jace was overwhelmed with the sense that this was exactly the way his life was supposed to turn out.
She helped him wash up after dinner, standing on a plastic stool in front of the sink and splashing water at him, giggling when she managed to hit him the face. Then, they settled down on the couch to watch The Little Mermaid, Savannah tucked beneath Jace's arm until it was time for her to go to bed.
They were at the part where Ariel first got her legs when the front door opened and Ryan entered. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Jace checked the time, noting that it was still pretty early for his friend to be back from whatever plans he had.
"Hey," Jace greeted as Ryan collapsed in the chair to his left, stretching out his legs and kicking off his shoes. "Did it go alright?"
"Yeah," he shrugged. "We actually talked for a while, but I wasn't really feeling anything else, so I left."
"That's okay!" Savannah piped up before Jace could comment on how unlike Ryan it was to say no to a hook up. "You can watch with us! It's at the best part!"
Laughing, Ryan nodded, turning his attention to the screen and becoming engrossed in the movie, singing the songs along with Savannah.
Austin came back next, humming happily as he plopped down next to Jace on the couch, mentioning that it had been a great night but he didn't want things to move too fast, so he'd come home instead of staying over. By the time Liam returned, King Triton had made a rainbow in the sky and Savannah was fighting hard to keep her eyes open.
"What are you still doing awake, Miss Savannah?" Liam laughed, crouching down in front of the couch and placing a hand over her ankles. "It's way past your bedtime."
Jace had been so invested in the movie and Savannah's reenacting of the songs that he hadn't really noticed the time passing, figuring she'd nod off when she could no longer stand to stay awake and he'd carry her up to bed.
"I had to stay awake," she said, her voice labored with sleep and her little eyelids blinking rapidly as she snuggled closer to Jace's side.
"Why?" Liam tilted his head to the side, Austin and Ryan looking interested in the response as well.
"To say g'night to my valentines."
None of them could help the ridiculous smiles that stretched their lips and they lifted themselves to their feet so they could take turns kissing the top of her head as she drifted off to sleep, murmuring a soft 'love you' before sleep overcame her completely.
The boys went to their rooms with smiles plastered on their faces and Jace lifted his daughter to his chest to carry her to her room, brushing back her hair and pressing a kiss to her forehead as he lay her down, whispering to her before he turned on her nightlight and closed the door.
"Goodnight my valentine. I love you."