March 9

Jenny sat and watched her Papa J cleaning the kitchen and humming along with the iPod that she'd plugged in after dinner. She'd offered to help him out, knowing that he got tired easier these days, but he'd waved her off and set her up with her iPad, looking up iron-on appliqués to make onsies for Sunbeam.

And then, the next time she was over at Britin, they were planning to put together several onsies and pajamas for Sunbeam. She'd already found several that she wanted him to order, including a set of baby wild animal appliqués that she thought would look cute on the basic striped pajamas they bought, some full animal appliqués with various animal sayings on them for the onsies, and some underwater creatures for both.

She should probably look for some more, but as always, she was just caught up in spending time with her Papa J, as he had always been one of her favorite 'family members.' Oh, she knew he wasn't really her Papa, and she knew that calling him that upset her actual father; but she did it anyways because, if there was anyone she'd want as a Papa, it would be Justin.

He'd always been there for her for as long as she could remember, and unlike her dad, he didn't try to push his interests onto her; but rather, he'd sit there and talk to her for hours about what she liked to do. Even when she could tell that he wasn't really that interested in the topic. The point was, he knew that she was interested in it, and he would go out of his way to find out whatever he could about it, just so he could ask her the right questions and engage her in something other than comics.

Besides, her first memory was of Papa J; so, maybe that's why she loved him best. The memory was all blurry, in that way they were when you couldn't quite remember all the details; but in it, she'd fallen over and hit the back of her head on a brick. And of course she'd cried, and everyone came running, but Papa J had gotten there first. And he'd swooped her up and patted her on her back and gave her kisses before handing her off to Eema.

And then later, while she was resting, he drew for her, making up stories for all the animals she'd demanded that he draw for her. She still had all of the drawings, bound into a book that Eema had made for her years ago. He was the perfect daddy in her eyes; and she couldn't help feeling a bit envious of Sunbeam because Papa J was his or her real dad.

It's probably why he was making it a point to include her in that making the onsies and and pajamas; so that she'd always know that she was his 'Jenny girl,' and always would be.

She really loved spending time with him for that reason; he never forgot about her, and he was always happy to spend time with her. Plus, when he got like this, all happy and dancing around and singing in the kitchen, it was so cute. Uncle Brian was always teasing him about it, calling him his 'little ray of sunshine.' Although, sometimes it sounded like he didn't mean it, especially when he had to wake Papa J up in the morning.

The song switched to something that he obviously knew rather well, because Papa J started singing and bopping along to it; and really, she loved his voice. It was so pretty and she'd often wished that he would sing more often. She watched as he did a little dip and slide to the music and then giggled, blushing when she'd been caught watching him.

Papa J looked up, and smiled, that goofy one he always got when he knew that he'd been caught doing something silly. He shrugged and continued putting the leftovers away and setting the dishes into the sink; so, that he could rinse them off before he loaded them into the dish washer. He didn't dare just put them in or he would never hear the end of it from Anna; or so he said.

"So how is the science project going?" he asked, stacking the containers on top of each other and carrying them to the fridge. "Have you driven your mothers spare yet?"

"It's been fun," Jenny gushed, excited to be talking about her latest project; it had been something that Gus had never understood. He didn't know why she would seek out extra homework on her own; but, then again, he was a boy, so what did they know? She couldn't help it if she loved science and found everything so fascinating. "I've made three different perfumes so far – an orange and honeysuckle one; one that has various types of citrus and one with apples, cloves and cinnamon."

"I'm sure they're proud of your initiative," Papa J said, looking over his shoulder with a smile, the one that told her that he was just as proud, if not more so, of her than her own Mama and Daddy were.

"Eema is proud enough to burst," Jenny confessed shyly, doodling on her iPad. "She likes that I take after her when it comes to math and science, even if she decided on law in the end. Mama…" Jenny hesitated, not wanting to say anything bad about her Mama; but she sometimes had the feeling that her Mama was disappointed that she wasn't more girly like her. "Mama tries but... she's always complaining that her children didn't take after her artistically."

Papa J frowned, and his eyes darkened for a moment; but they quickly cleared up as he smiled at her again, instantly shaking off whatever had made him sad or angry. He ruffled her hair as he walked past into the pantry, making her giggle again. She could hear him moving some things around in the pantry and then he made an 'ah ha,' sound and came back out with a tin of cocoa. He held it up and she nodded, looking forward to what had become their treat; since Gus preferred cider and Uncle Brian looked horrified and muttered something about carbs and seven o'clock.

She didn't really understand that, but it never failed to make Papa J laugh and tease Uncle Brian about getting old. To which, Uncle Brian would make funny choking noises and then spank Papa J on the ass and call him a smart ass.

Papa J walked back towards the fridge, dropping a kiss on the top of her head on his way, and pulled out the milk. He grabbed a sauce pan and dumped some milk into it, and set it to heating on a low flame. So that way the milk wouldn't burn he said. It was better to take your time and do something right, than to rush it and make a mess of everything, was his motto he'd said.

And then Uncle Brian would chime in, and say that had always been his motto too; to which Papa J would glare at him and smack him on the back of the head.

They were really funny sometimes.

"But you did," Papa J said, stirring the cocoa in slowly. "You just show it differently; after all, you can't just throw different scents together and call it perfume, can you? It takes a certain level of artistry to combine them into something that's going to smell good. "

"I wish she'd see it that way," Jenny sighed; she bit her bottom lip and peeked through her bangs, happy to see that her Papa J was looking at her with pride.

"Well, I think that it takes great talent to do what you're doing," Papa J said, grabbing a couple of mugs from the cupboard and setting them on the counter. "I mean, yes, it's chemistry and a science project; but the science is all in how you prepare the ingredients and the method you use to scent the water. Just because you take all the right steps, doesn't make it perfume. That's where your artistry comes in."

"You think so?" Jenny asked, twisting a strand of her hair; she wanted to believe him, because she wanted to have something in common with her Mama. But sometimes, it just seemed that she couldn't do anything right where her Mama was concerned.

"I know so," Papa J said, pouring the chocolate into the mugs and bringing them over to the table. He set one down in front of her and then sat down himself.

And then he paused, taking a sip of his cocoa, as he thought of what he wanted to say. Jenny took a sip of hers too, waiting for Papa J to start talking again. These were always the best times, because Papa J was really smart, and always saw things in a different way than she did; and he always knew the right thing to say.

"Art comes in many forms," Papa J said, setting his mug on the table; he stared off to the side, his mouth pressed together in that way that said he was thinking hard about something. "It isn't just painting or sketching or sculpting."

He scratched his chin and then turned back to her with a smile.

"For example, a chef displays his artistry by putting together various ingredients to take food to another level, making it both pleasing to the palate and visually stunning," he said, gesturing with his hands as he always did when he talked about something he loved. "Or, Auntie Em...he displays his artistry by taking what the brides' want and builds fantasy environments, crafting them into their perfect days."

Jenny nodded; she could see how those could seem like art when done the right way; and if things like that could be art, well, then why not making perfume?

"Your Eema displays her artistry through the carefully worded arguments she uses in courts to convince the judge or jury to rule in her favor," Papa J continued, grinning at her, because he was right; no one could beat her Eema when it came to arguing. "And you do it too, when you work out an intricate problem or create your science projects so that they, not only do what they are supposed to do, but you also make them better than what you started with. It's all about how you look at things."

Jenny grinned, drinking her chocolate in silence, and feeling a whole lot better about it after hearing her Papa J's perspective. He always did know how to make her feel good.

"Your Papa J is right," Uncle Brian said, startling both her and Papa J; and then Papa J did that thing he always did when Uncle Brian was around; he smiled big and wide, and full of teeth – his Sunshine smile, just as she'd said earlier.

And then Uncle Brian smiled back; and Jenny couldn't help wiggling in her chair a bit at it because she was just so happy that they were happy. And she knew that she wanted that someday; and she hoped that one day, she would be as lucky as they were.

After all, she may be only nine, but she knows what love looks like; she sees it every time her Papa J and Uncle Brian are in the room together. It's in the way their eyes light up whenever they see each other and the way they smile; as if there is no one else in the world, but the two of them. She sometimes wished her mothers would act that way. It made her sad that her Mama was too busy worrying about things going on in other people's lives to see the sadness in Eema's eyes.

Sometimes, she just didn't understand why they were still together when neither of them were very happy with each other. It would make more sense to her that they broke-up and found someone that would make them feel the way Uncle Brian and Papa J felt about each other.

"And where do you display your artistry, Uncle Brian?" Jenny asked, not wanting to think about her mothers; she would have to face that when she got home from school tomorrow, and that was soon enough. Right now, she preferred to just enjoy the time she had to spend with her other family.

"Well…" Uncle Brian drawled, his tongue pressing into his cheek as he shot a teasing look Papa J's way.

"Brian…" Papa J hissed, pointing a warning finger at Uncle Brian, who just laughed.

"I wasn't going there, you perv," Uncle Brian smirked, shaking his own finger at Papa J. "What I was going to say, was I obviously display it when I'm trying to convince a client that I know the best way to present their product; and then again, when I come up with the campaigns to make others want to buy the products."

"Do I want to now what Papa J thought you were going to say," Jenny asked innocently, even though she had some murky idea that it had to do with sex. It was the only thing that could make Papa J blush like that; and it was the only topic that they wouldn't talk about in front of her. But it was better to pretend that she didn't know what they were talking about.

And funnier that way too.

"Nope," Uncle Brian said, his eyes filled with laughter as he stared a blushing Papa J, who just stuck his tongue out at Uncle Brian. "Papa J's mind was in the gutter; where it usually is these days. But we'll just ignore that because he's pregnant and not himself."

"Bite me," Papa J huffed, flipping Uncle Brian off when he thought she wasn't looking; it was better to pretend she hadn't seen that either.

"Later," Uncle Brian smirked, walking over to the fridge to get a bottle of water from the fridge; and then he threw himself into a chair.

"Where's Gus?" Papa J asked as he got up and began rinsing the dishes and putting them into the dishwasher.

"He's holed up in his room, finishing that book report that he tried to tell me was finished," Uncle Brian huffed, scrubbing his hand over his face, and then he grimaced and sighed. "Like I believed that sh…tuff."

He cast a worried look Jenny's way, but she pretended that she was busy looking for more appliqués; he sighed in relief and turned back to Papa J, watching him the way he always did when they were in the same room. And God, she hoped one day that she would find someone that would love her that much.

"I'd say like father, like son," Papa J laughed, casting an amused look over at Uncle Brian. "But I know you actually like to read."

"How did I end up with a kid more interested in computers than anything else?" Uncle Brian lamented, rubbing his hand over his hair. "He used to love reading when he was a kid. I couldn't get him to sleep unless I read him a story."

"He still reads, Brian," Papa J said, shaking his head at Uncle Brian's antics. "He just does on the computer. Like everyone does these days."

"I don't," Uncle Brian grumbled, and then smiled as he watched Papa J sway to the music on the iPod.

"That's because you're old," Papa J said, snickering when Uncle Brian growled at him.

"You're just asking for it, brat," Uncle Brian said, glaring at Papa J, who just continued to laugh, not worried at all. And then uncle Brian smiled as the next song came on. Papa J looked over his shoulder and smiled as well.

Jenny always loved this Ed Sheeran song, especially when she found out that Papa J had bought the album just a month before their wedding and then changed their first dance song to Kiss Me instead of whatever it was going to be. No one could remember really, as they all agreed that the song just fit them as a couple.

Uncle Brian stood up, and walked over to Papa J and wrapped his arms around him; he began humming and swaying with Papa J. And then he turned off the water and spun Papa J around. Papa J grinned, and automatically wrapped his arms around Uncle Brian, and allowed him to sweep him into a slow dance.

"Settle down with me," Uncle Brian whispered along with the lyrics, bringing out that Sunshine smile again. "Cover me up, cuddle me in…"

Papa J giggled as Uncle Brian stepped away and spun him in a tight circle, and then pulled him back in again, continuing to sing slightly off key into his ear. Jenny watched, and wanted to clap her hands because it was so adorable, and she couldn't help being thrilled that she got to see them like this. But she also knew that few people ever got to witness Uncle Brian acting like a sap and she didn't want him to get uncomfortable.

"And your heart's against my chest," Uncle Brian sang, rubbing Papa J's cheek with his thumb as he leaned their foreheads together. "Your lips pressed to my neck, I'm falling for your eyes…"

"But they don't know me yet," Papa J sang the next line, grinning in that way that said that they were sharing a secret; Uncle Brian laughed and looked a little embarrassed at that. And Jenny was pretty sure that it had something to do with when they'd first met, but everyone refused to tell her that story, saying that she was too young to know.

"I'm in love now," Uncle Brian whispered, pressing his lips to Papa J's for a just moment; and then he closed his eyes, getting lost in the music through the chorus. Papa J rubbed his nose against Uncle Brian's and hummed along until the next verse.

"Settle down with me," Papa J sang, smiling up into Uncle Brian's eyes. "And I'll be your safety…"

"You'll be my lady…" Uncle Brian whispered, smirking when Papa J squawked and smacked him on the arm, and then muttered about showing him just how much of a man he really was if he didn't watch it. "I was made to keep your body warm…"

Uncle Brian wiggled his eyebrows, in that way adults did when they were talking about sex, but were yet again, trying not to talk about sex around her. Papa J laughed, especially when Uncle Brian dipped down, pulled them tightly together and did this little shimmy with their hips.

"Kiss me like you wanna be loved," Papa J sang, tipping his head back to look into Uncle Brian's eyes, while Uncle Brian just shook his head and called him a sap. "Takes one to know one. After all, I wasn't the one that started this."

"Point," Uncle Brian conceded, nuzzling his nose against Papa J's cheek as he sang the next lyrics. "This feels like falling in love, falling in love; we're falling in love." He pressed his lips to Papa J's ear, and crooned. "Yeah I've been feeling everything, from hate to love, from love to lust, from lust to truth. I guess that's how I know you. So, I hold you close to help you give it up."

Papa J laughed as Uncle Brian spun him in a series of small circles, and lead him into some intricate footwork until he was dizzy and Uncle Brian finished out the song out with a dip and a kiss.

And Jenny smiled, and vowed that one day; she'd find someone that made her smile the way Uncle Brian made Papa J smile.