5 Months Later
April stood behind the kitchen island, staring at Jackson's bare back as he made them breakfast.
"It was a sign from God, it was a sign from God" she chanted in her mind
She and Lydia had spent the night at his apartment, and as the little girl slept, the two adults tried their best to not get sexual in any way.
April saw the constant interruptions as a weird sign from God, telling her she should abstain from sex, and she decided to at least try. Jackson didn't understand her logic, but respected it all the same. All this however, didn't change the fact that it was hard to keep their hands off each other, even five months later. Every look, touch or gesture seemed sexual, even if it wasn't meant to be. The two had spent the night on his bed, with their backs facing each other. It was a bit easier to not get tempted if you couldn't see what was tempting you right? WRONG! For some reason, that made it worse.
She was now standing there, staring at him, the lust from the night before building up.
"Why does this have to be so hard?" she asked herself and God
She bit her lips as she stared at the moving muscles on his back.
"Get it together April" she whispered to herself
But her little pep talk didn't help as she found herself walking around the island towards him.
"God help me" she silently prayed
As if on cue, Lydia appeared out of no where.
"Good morning" she groggily said, Mr. Avery Bear tucked under her arms
"Thank you" she whispered looking up, before turning to her daughter "Good morning sweetie"
Jackson turned around and spotted the two standing there smiling at him. He could certainly get used to this every morning.
"Good morning ladies" he smiled "Made us breakfast"
The two took a seat on the stools, Lydia needing a little boost. Jackson turned to Lydia.
"What would you like? Toast or cereal?" he asked
"Cereal!" she cheered
"Ok. What about you?" he asked April
She didn't answer, instead, she was staring at his abs. Jackson waved his hands to get her attention.
"Huh?" she asked finally looking up at him
"What would you like?" he asked
"Uh…..toast" she answered
April watched as Jackson poured a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crush for Lydia and made her plate. Why did putting eggs into plate look so sexy? She knew he didn't mean for to be sexy, but it was.
"You should really put a shirt on" she stated
"Why?" he asked walking over to them and placing their breakfast in front of them
He knew why he should put a shirt on, he just wanted to see what she'll say.
"Daddy, you could get burned" Lydia answered his question instead
"True" he answered "But if I do, Mommy could kiss it and make it better" he added with a smirk
Ok, that was definitely meant to be sexual. She narrowed her eyes at him before digging into her food.
"This just keeps getting harder" she whispered to herself
"Hello Mother" Jackson said
He was walking down the hallway when his mother called.
"Have you made a decision?" she asked, getting to the point
"I don't know if you can handle her" Jackson answered
"I am her grandmother, of coarse I can"
School would be closed in about a week or two and Lydia would be free for summer break. Catherine wanted her to spend that summer break in Boston.
"Dealing with a five year old these days isn't so easy mom"
"It can't be that hard, I dealt with you at five"
"Yeah but Lydia isn't going to want to drive toy cars and watch crazy cartoons all day" he explained "She likes fairies and mermaids and imaginary unicorns named Phoenix"
"I can deal with that" Catherine said, trying to convince her self more than Jackson
"Well, can you deal with her showing up at Harper Avery Foundation board meetings?" he asked
"What?" Jackson could imagine the confused look on her face
He explained that he had just went to the daycare a while ago, to drop Lydia back off. She had executed her famous "Daycare escape plan". This time, she found herself in the hospital board meeting, wearing her customized pink lab coat, with "Dr. Lydia Avery" on it, a gift from Harper. The members of the board found it cute, except Cristina, who found it a bit funny.
"Thank you for planting the Avery legacy in her head" Jackson said "Now she's convinced that since she's an Avery, and the foundation funds the hospital, that she has to be apart of, and I quote, 'the decision making process of the hospital'"
Catherine laughed "She must've looked so adorable"
"And that was the problem. No one could be serious after she came in demanding to know what was going on with her hospital"
"That would certainly lift the spirits in the foundation's board meetings" Catherine thought aloud "You should really send her to Boston. It'll give you and April some alone time"
"April and I don't need alone time" he stated, thinking of all the "almost sex" moments they'd had
"Everyone needs a lone time" Catherine said "How else would you two plan the wedding"
"Here we go again", Jackson thought to himself
That was the million dollar question these days, "When are you and April getting married?", "Are you two ever gonna get married?", "Shut up and get married already!". They kind of lived together and have a child together, why not right? There was no denying that he loved April, but getting married was a big step that he wasn't sure he was ready for. As for April, he wasn't so sure where she stood; it wasn't something that the two talked about.
"There is no wedding mom" Jackson said
"Don't you want Lydia to have a stable family?" she asked
"She does have a stable family"
"You call spending a week at your apartment then spending the week at April's stable?"
His mother did have a point.
"We're fine mom" he said with a sigh
"If you say so" she said "Just think about sending Lydia to Boston ok?"
"April and I will talk about it"
After saying their goodbyes, the two hung up.
________________________________
On another floor of the hospital, April was going through the same predicament her boyfriend was.
"What's with everyone and this wedding talk?" she asked annoyed
She was in the attendings' lounge, where Jo, Meredith and Callie had cornered her, questioning about her hypothetical nuptials. Cristina had tagged along for fun.
"We think it's about time you two did" Meredith said
"We've been dating for seven months. It's too early to get married" April said
"Oh please" Callie rolled her eyes "I've seen people get married in less"
Cristina coughed, saying "Mathew" in between, getting a stare from April.
"Plus you guys have known each other for years" Jo said
"I, I don't know if now's the right time" April sighed
"Well you already have a five year old" Callie said
"And you're shakin' up" Cristina added
"We're not shaking up" April defended "We just spend the night with each other sometimes"
"Call it what you want" Cristina shrugged
"Those aren't the only reason to get married" April said
"Well, there's the whole being in love crap" Cristina said
"She's right" Meredith agreed
"Yeah but…." April stuttered
"You love him, he loves you, you have a child together, and you practically live together! Getting married is the next logical step" Callie said
Her friends had a point. There was no denying that she loved Jackson and that he loved her back. They have a wonderful daughter, and Cristina was right, they kind of were shaking up.
So what was the problem? Why was getting married not an option for her right now? She had her reasons, reasons that showed itself as the months passed, reasons she knew that made perfect sense. Reasons that she wasn't ready to discuss with anyone just yet.
______________________________
April walked out of the hospital entrance towards the bench. She smiled when she saw Jackson sitting there, with Lydia right next to him, swinging her legs back and forth.
"Hey guys" she greeted once she reached them
"Hey" Jackson smiled looking up
"Mommy!" Lydia grinned jumping off the bench and running to her mother
She wrapped her small arms around April's waist, and she hugged the little girl back.
"Hey sweetie, how was your day?"
"Gooooood" Lydia stressed
"And did you behave yourself at daycare?"
"Yes!"
"No" Jackson said right after "She snuck out again" he added lifting himself off the bench
"Lydia?" April said narrowing her eyes at her daughter
"I was being an Avery mommy" Lydia simply answered
"Being an Avery?" April asked looking up at Jackson for answers
"She snuck into our board meeting, claiming she needed to know what was going on with her hospital" he explained
"Really?" April asked looking down at Lydia who nodded "This sneaking out all the time is a little too much now"
"Maybe we should send her to Boston" Jackson said as they walked towards the car
"Boston?"
"My mom wants Lydia to spend the summer with her in Boston" he explained
"I wanna go to Boston" Lydia said
"With all this sneaking out you've been doing, we might actually send you away for a while" he said getting a big grin from the little girl
"I don't know about that" April said
"Why not?" Jackson asked
"Well…she'll be all the way in Boston and I'll be here. I don't know if I can be away from her that long" she explained
April hadn't been away from Lydia since she was born. The only time they were ever apart was when she had to work and, recently, when she and Jackson went out on dates. The thought of her spending the summer in another state scared her a bit.
"It's just the summer" Jackson said
"I know but….." she trailed off
"You haven't been away from, her that long have you?" he asked
"No" April sighed "I've always had her with me, where ever I went, she went"
"Well maybe you need a break from her"
"But I'll miss her" April pouted
"Mommy you can come with me! And daddy too" Lydia suggested
April was against the idea at first, but then she thought maybe going to Boston might give her some ease her doubts about getting married. Plus she'd never been to Boston before, so it would be nice to finally see the city.
"That sounds like a great idea sweetie" April smiled at Lydia
The two looked up at Jackson with grins.
"Uh, I don't know about that" he said
He knew how things got when his daughter, girlfriend and mother got together, he fared that the "Catherine Avery environment" would make it worse.
"Pleeeeease" they both said, putting on the signature pouty face
"No fair, you can't do the face" he said to April "Only she can" he pointed to Lydia
He was hit with a double pout. He was barely able to resist one, how was he going to resist two?
He groaned defeatedly "Fine"
"Yes!" Lydia cheered
"We're going to Boston" April cheered along
The two sang their "We're going to Boston" chant as they walked towards the car.
"What did I get myself into" Jackson mumbled to himself as he followed the cheering duo to the car
___________________________
"This place is gargantuan!" Lydia commented, looking around the house
It was the month of July and Jackson, April and Lydia had just arrived at Harper's house, which was more like a Mansion than a simple house.
"Gargantuan?" Harper asked, hearing her choice of word
"It's a big girl word" Lydia simply answered
"I see" he said
"You have a beautiful home Harper" April complimented looking around
This place was definitely bigger than her farm house back in Moline, which was considered a large house there.
"Thank you" he smiled "It took a lot of hard work to get it"
"Daddy, can we get a house like this?" Lydia asked looking up at Jackson
"You will once your parents get married" they all heard
All heads turned to the door and saw Catherine standing there. She ignored the unsettling look from April and the really-mom look from Jackson and focused on her granddaughter.
"Grandma Cat!" Lydia grinned running towards Catherine
"Hi sweetheart" Catherine said stooping down, giving her granddaughter a tight hug.
After a few seconds of embrace, she let go of Lydia and walked towards Jackson.
"Hello baby" she said grabbing his face, placing a kiss on his cheek
"Hey mom" she said
"You look good" she said doing her usual inspection
She then turned to April.
"April" she smiled opening her arms
"Hello Catherine" April said stepping into her arms and the two hugged
"It's good to finally see you guys here in Boston" Catherine said after stepping out of the embrace
"We're glad to be here" April smiled
"Well, let's get you guys settled in, and it's off to the Harper Avery Foundation building" she said clapping her hands
"Why are we going there?" Jackson asked
"For the grand tour of course" she answered
The three settled in, not without getting queries from Catherine as to why Jackson and April were in separate rooms. How were they supposed to explain why they wanted to resist the sexual tension between them?
Thirty minutes later they were at the HAF building, getting their tour. Their third stop was a large conference room, with a large rectangular table, with chair all around it.
"And this is our board room. It's where we have our board meetings" Catherine said "Lydia, this is where you get to sit once you turn 15"
"Coooool" Lydia said looking around
"And you too April" Catherine added
"What?" April asked confused
"Once you and Jackson get married, you'll be a voting member of the board, and you'll get to sit here too" Catherine smiled
Jackson shot his mother a 'seriously?' look. That had been about the tenth time that day she mentioned marriage in front of April. Her hinting was begging to get annoying.
"Do I get to sit next to mommy?" Lydia asked
"Yes you do" Catherine answered. Smiling down at the little girl
April stared blankly at the table before her. She knew that marrying Jackson would require her to have some kind of involvement in the foundation, but she didn't think it went as far as being a voting member of the board. Could she even handle that?
Catherine left a few minutes later, claiming she had an emergency meeting. The three headed back to the house, with April thinking more deeply into what marrying Jackson meant.
____________________________
It was a week later, the day of the Harper Avery Foundation annual Summer Gala. Catherine had arrived at the house that morning, practically dragging April out.
"Where are we going?" April finally decided to ask while they were sitting in the back of the car
"To get your dress for the Gala" Catherine simply answered
"Dress?"
"I know this may seem last minute, but I already picked out two dresses for you, you just have to choose the one you want and make sure it fits perfectly" she explained
April got uneasy in her seat, she had no intension of going to the Gala.
"Um, I wasn't going to go, thought I'd just stay back with Lydia" she said
"Don't be silly April, you have to be there" Catherine said
"I don't know if I'll like it that much"
"Well, you better get used to them sweetheart, because once you and Jackson tie the knot, you'll have to go to a lot of these"
Some silent minutes later they arrived at the store, and April was staring wide eyed at the dresses Catherine had picked out for her.
"Maybe I could get used to this" she thought to herself as she stared at what she thought was the most elegant dresses she had ever seen.
Once she began trying on the dresses, time seemed to be going faster than normal. Once she chose the dress, she returned back to the house. She only got to spend some time with Jackson and Lydia before she was whisked off by Catherine once again to get ready for the Gala. April insisted that she could style her own hair and do her own make-up, but apparently when you're an Avery, there are people hired to do those things for you.
Before she knew it, she was walking into the event, hand in hand with her boyfriend. His constant complimenting of how great she looked in her dress, lead her to believe that it was making the "no sex" rule really difficult to abide by.
"You know this is torture right?" he had said
"Yep" she smirked up at him
The rest of their night was spent being introduced to world class surgeons, who she had only heard about or read about in medical journals. She met their fancy spouses, who seemed to be a weird replica of Catherine, although, no one could pull off that "Catherine Avery Swag", that they all so desperately lacked and needed.
The more people she met, and the longer she stayed, the more she realized that she didn't quite fit into this world, confirming her original thoughts.
_______________________________
"So this is it huh?" April asked
"This is it" Catherine confirmed
They stepped into the room and walked towards the small rectangular desk. It was two days before Jackson, April and Lydia returned to Seattle and April was getting her last bit of the tour of the Harper Avery Foundation building. Catherine claimed that she saved the best place in the building for last, and April saw why she saw it as the best, it was her office.
April looked around the well decorated space. The room had a dark color, like browns and maroons, making it look very sophisticated and professional. Along the walls were certificates and shelves that held awards and more certificates. A black leather couch and a book shelf accompanied the desk and chairs in the room. What made the room look even better was the large glass window and the beautiful scene you saw when you looked through it.
As April approached the desk, she saw pictures. There was one of Catherine and Richard, there was one of Harper and there was one of a grinning Lydia. The last picture she saw kind of shocked her. The fact that Jackson was in it wasn't the shock, it was that she was in it too. She remembered the picture, it was the one Lydia snapped of them the Christmas they all spent together.
It was nice that Catherine had accepted her in her family to the point where she was in a picture frame on her desk, but a part of April was a scared nervous wreck.
"So this is it" Catherine repeated "The place I get to work and escape"
"I like it" April complimented
"Really?"
"Yeah" April said looking around, missing the proud smile on the older woman's face
Catherine walked behind her desk and pulled out the leather covered cushioned seat
"Come sit" she pointed to it
April turned, looked at her, then looked at the chair "In that?"
"Yes"
"Are you sure?" she asked, not sure what the purpose of her sitting in the chair was
"Positive" Catherine answered with a wide smile
April nervously smiled back before walking behind the desk, standing in front of the chair and slowly lowering herself into it.
She let out a relaxed sigh when her behind hit the soft seat, it was very comfortable.
"This is nice" she said leaning back
"It's comfy isn't it?" Catherine said stepping in front of the desk
"Very" April said resting her arms on the arm rest
"You like it?"
"Love it!"
"Good. You better get used to it…." Catherine said before pausing "…..because it's all going to be yours some day"
April's eyes shot up at Catherine.
'W-what?"
"Harper and I have built this massive institution with our blood and sweat. One day, Jackson will inherit it, and your children will control it. I have no doubt that Jackson will run this foundation the way he's supposed to, but from my experience, Avery men tend to over do things sometimes. In order for things to work, an Avery woman has to be around to keep things in check" Catherine explained with a smile "Jackson may not know this, but he'll need you when all of this is on his shoulders"
April stiffened in her "future seat". This was flattering, very flattering, but she couldn't help the scared feeling that washed over her. The feeling was now over bearing and she couldn't pretend anymore, she couldn't hide the fact that this whole becoming an Avery thing was scaring the crap out of her.
"I can't" she said getting up
"What?" Catherine asked confused
"I can't do this" April said stepping from behind the desk
"Can't do what?"
"Be an Avery" she said turning her back to Catherine
"April sweetheart….." Catherine said, trying to calm her
"No, no, you know understand. This Avery thing is too much" she began "This isn't me. Going to fancy Galas and conversing with big shot doctors isn't my thing. Running a multi-million foundation isn't my thing!"
Catherine was about to interrupt, but she held it back. April looked she had a lot to say, so she allowed her to say it.
This whole "doubt of being an Avery" started when Lydia's interest in the foundation heightened. She wanted to know what the foundation was, what it did and when she would be able to get in on the huge family legacy. April would watch as Jackson tried his best to explain it to the little girl. It was during these explanations that she noticed how different things were with her and Jackson, and how all of her future plans for Lydia were no longer the same. The simplest of these was school. Avery's went to top notch boarding schools and Ivy League colleges. The colleges weren't a big deal, but the boarding school thing sure was. She wasn't there for sending her child away for school. The more complex of these was their beliefs. One believed in a god and the other didn't. Even though they had talked about it, and came to the compromise that Lydia would be the one to choose, she couldn't help but worry that her child would go a different route than she did. The more she listened to them, the more differences she saw, the more she noticed she didn't belong. It was times like this that reminded her why she had decided not to tell Jackson about Lydia in the first place. It would have been just the two of them, and all of these decisions would solely be on her. But now Jackson was there, and this was his child too, and he had as much of a say as she did. Raising an Avery was a lot, marrying one and becoming one would be more of a struggle to her, she thought.
"All this is different to what I'm used to, but for you and Harper and Jackson….this is all normal. I grew up on a farm, Jackson had a frickin' Mansion! I had a teacher and a farmer as parents, Jackson had world class surgeons. I had tons of chores to do, Jackson had maids waiting on him hand and foot. We have different backgrounds, different beliefs…we both come from different worlds, I don't fit into his and he doesn't fit into mine. Us being married would never work!"
A small smile appeared on Catherine's face. 'So that's what this is all about' she thought to herself. She wasn't unfamiliar with the feeling April was going through, actually, she knew exactly how the younger woman felt.
"I remember when I first came into this room…." Catherine began "Apart from the minor decorations, it looked he same as this. It was the 80's, sometime after Jackson's father had left. Harper said that he had something important to show to me and I followed him here. He asked me if I liked it, I said yes, then he said "Good, then it's yours'. I didn't quite get what he meant, and then he explained that his son had let him down, and all he and the foundation had left was me. Was I afraid? Of course I was. I didn't grow up on the fancy side of town. I was a young black woman, nobody took me seriously. But here this man was, wanting me to help him run his foundation. You know what happened next?"
"You accepted" April answered thinking what else could she had done, they were standing in her office after all
"Actually I ran, straight out the door Catherine pointed to the door "I didn't think I could do it, so I ran. I went to the house, packed up all Jackson and I's things, and I was ready to leave. I was going to leave the Avery Mansion, move far away, raise my son, and not bother about this whole Avery thing"
"What changed your mind?" April asked
"Jackson"
"Jackson?"
"While I was in his room packing his things away, he came in. He asked 'Why are you packing my cloths mama?' and I said 'We're going away for a while baby'. His face lit up and he asked 'are we going to see daddy?'And then it hit me, I was doing the same thing Henry did. I was running away from being an Avery, just like he did. I was being a coward, and I didn't want to be a coward. If Harper thought that I could do it, then who was I to doubt the great Harper Avery?" Catherine walked up to April and took her hands in hers "Harper believed in me, and I believe in you"
"But I'm not you" April said
"No you're not, you're you and that's exactly why I believe you can do this"
April looked up at Catherine; she couldn't believe the woman had so much faith in her. It helped to know that Catherine went through the same thing, and now, she was in this office, making a difference. She could be doing the same; she could be making a difference.
"You really think I can be an Avery?" she asked
"Yes I do. It's not going to be easy being apart of a family that's different from what you're used to, but you're a strong woman, you'll survive" Catherine smiled
April smiled back and pulled April into a bear hug.
"Thank you" se smiled
"You're welcome"
Their hug was cut short by a knock on the door. The two pulled apart as the door opened. It was Catherine's secretary.
"Yes?" Catherine asked
"Someone's here to see you Grandma Cat" he said with a smile
He stepped aside and allowed a grinning Lydia to walk in
"Hi Grandma Cat, Hi mommy" she said as she walked in
"Hi" they both replied
Catherine thanked her secretary and then he left.
"Thought you were going to hang out with daddy?" April asked
"I was but he's having an important conversation with Grandpa Harper" Lydia answered, sounding out 'important' and 'conversation' slowly
"Oh, I see" April said
"How about we hang out here until they're done?" she suggested, getting a smile and nod in agreement from Lydia
____________________________
"So, what do you want to talk to me about? And please don't say it's about my hypothetical marriage" Jackson said
He was in his grandfather's office, where Harper had told him to meet him to talk.
"What else would it be about?" Harper said "Your mother won't stop talking about it and she won't stop asking me to talk to you about it, so, here we are"
Jackson groaned, this hypothetical marriage thing was really starting to get to him. He should have known that his mother would have Harper discuss it with him.
"Why is the whole idea of getting married bothering you? Don't you love April?" Harper asked, looking across his desk to his grandson
"Of course I do" he quickly responded
"Then what's the problem?"
Jackson sighed. He hadn't talked to anyone about his doubts, and he wasn't sure his grandfather was the right person to talk to. It was times like these that made him wish his mentor was around.
"There's more than one problem actually" he confessed after a moment
"What problems?" Harper asked raising his brow
"Well….there's the whole what if I'm not ready thing" he said
"Do you think you're ready?"
Jackson began to think. He loved April, he loved Lydia, and he loved the little family dynamic they had, but the idea of getting married scared him a bit. He could be a father, he loved being a father, bu being a husband was a whole different story. How could he know that he could be a good husband, the kind of husband April wanted, April needed.
"I don't know" he said, answering his grandfather's question
"Well, sadly, these are one of the things I can't help you with" Harper began "I don't know what's going on in your head, I don't know what you're feeling. Only you can tell if you're ready or not, only you can make that decision. Not April, certainly not your mother, not even Lydia!"
Jackson smiled. He knew if it was up to Lydia, he and April would have been married months ago. Phoenix would officiate and the fairies would be the bridesmaids. He knows because she had mentioned it more than a few times.
"I got it" he said
"So, what other problem is there?" Harper asked
"I don't know if she wants to be an Avery, or feels like she can be" hw answered
Jackson had studied April through out their little vacation. He noticed how uncomfortable she got when his mother told her that she would have a seat on the board once they were married. He saw how out of place she looked at the foundation gala. Whenever foundation business was bought up, he could see her slightly stiffen. He could tell the whole Avery Legacy thing scared her a bit.
"Jackie, April isn't the first in Avery women to doubt their abilities of being apart of the Avery Legacy. Your mother and grandmother went through that phase" Harper explained
"Mom? Grandma?" Jackson asked in disbelief. His grandmother being that way was believable, but his mother? No way!
"Yes. After your father left, your mother wondered if she could take on his responsibility, but she did it. Your grandmother went from wife of a simple Dr. Harper Avery to wife of world class cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Harper Avery and executive member of the Harper Avery foundation board. She wasn't sure if she could make that change, but she did. I haven't known April for long, but I know she'll make an excellent Avery, just like the women before her, One day, all of this will be yours…." He said pointing around his office "…and you'll need somebody to keep you grounded, April is that person, and Lydia too" he added with a smile
Jackson nodded at his words, he had a lot to think about. Turned out his grandfather was the right person to talk to about his problem.
__________________________
"So Lydia, are you ready to go back to Seattle tomorrow?" Catherine asked
Her, Richard, Jackson, April and Lydia were having dinner in the large dining room of the house, Harper had eaten an early dinner and went to bed.
"No" Lydia frowned "I like it here'
"Well, maybe your mother and father would let you stay another week" she said to the little girl before looking up at Jackson and April with a smile
Lydia looked up at her parents, giving them the best pouty face she could, but they, especially Jackson, were buying it this time. After what had happened the day before, bringing Lydia back with them was the right thing to do.
Lydia had spent the day with her grandmother, getting a little tour of the city, and going to the zoo. But their day was cut short when Catherine was called into the hospital for an emergency, which left Lydia in the Mass Gen daycare. By the time Catherine was done dealing with her patient, Lydia had went all prison break on the daycare, causing Catherine to go into a crazy panic attack, and not just any crazy panic attack, a "Grandma crazy panic attack"! Those were just as bad as a "Mother crazy panic attack", or worse. Seeing her reaction, Jackson and April knew that, against Catherine beliefs, Lydia would be too much for her.
"After that stunt you pulled yesterday? No ma'am" Jackson said looking down at his daughter
"It wasn't hat bad" Catherine said
"Mom you cursed out the people at the daycare and called the police" Jackson said
"I over reacted" she calmly said
"You sure did" Richard said under his breath
The rest of the dinner consisted of pleads from Catherine and Lydia, refusals from Jackson and April, and stifled chuckles from Richard, who was amused by the exchange he was witnessing between the pairs.
Catherine and Richard left soon after dinner was over, and Lydia was asleep after it took an hour to get her ready for bed and convince her to go to sleep.
"I was wondering when you were gonna bring me back here" April said as she and Jackson held hands, walking through the large garden that was in the Mansion's back yard "I've been staring at it from my window for two weeks"
"Sorry for taking so long, I just…..wanted it to be the right time" he said
April took in the scene.
"This place looks absolutely beautiful. I've never seen plants like these before, where did all they come from?" she asked
"I have no idea" he answered "I think Grandma had them shipped in from somewhere"
"It's super romantic" she smirked up at him "Did you ever bring a girl here?"
Jackson staggered as they walked and thought of his answer, April noticed.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you did, I mean, I know you've dated other girls before me, really rich pretty ones, who would really like a place like this and they're…."
"No" Jackson answered, cutting her off
"What?"
"No, I didn't bring girls back here, you're the first"
"Really?" she asked blushing
"Yeah" he looked down at her and smiled
A comfortable silence filled between them as they continued their walk.
Harper's words from the day before had been playing over and over in his head after their chat. He went to bed thinking about what he had said. It was his decision, only he would know. He thought of everything they had been through, intern year at Mercy West, the merger, the shooting, all the way to finding out they had a daughter. There was no doubt that he loved this woman, and there was no doubt that he wanted to marry her. The problem was, if he was ready.
That morning he had woken up, mind made, and a plan going through his head, a plan that involved the garden.
Jackson stopped abruptly in the middle of the path. April stopped beside him and looked up at him. He was thinking hard, she could tell.
"You ok?" she asked
He took a deep breath, this was it. He knew knew exactly what he wanted, he always had. Now, he knew that he was ready for it.
He turned to her, and slowly began lowering himself in front of her.
"Jackson?" April whispered looking down at him
"When you left, I thought that was it for us, I thought I would never see you again. I tried moving on, but it never worked out. Being with someone else just….never felt right. But one day I find out you came back, then I found out you had a daughter, then I found out she was mine too. I didn't take it so well at first but now, I'm the happiest I've ever been, because I have her, and I have you"
Jackson stuffed his hand into his jeans, and pulled out a black velvet box. He opened it, showing the most amazing ring she had ever seen. The hours he spent trying to find the perfect ring paid off when he saw her face as she stared at it.
"Jackson….." April whispered again, eyes welling up with tears
"April Kepner, will you marry me?"
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So, did you guys see that coming? I had no intention of making Jackson propose this chapter, but after my original plot sucked, I thought, hey, why not! You'll have to wait for the next chapter to see what her answer is, sorry.
As for when I'll post the next chapter, I have no idea. For some reason, the zeal isn't there to write anymore. But hopefully I'll get out of my funk and post the next chapter soon.
I know it's been ages since I posted and I'm so sorry. This chapter was hard to write. I had this plan for it and then I started writing, and it didn't make sense, so I had to scrap it and start over with a different plot. This chapter didn't come out as good as I expected, but maybe you liked it.
Comment and tell me what you think. Suggestions are always welcomed, so send me ideas, I NEED some!