Synopsis: You never thought Joe would put you in such a difficult position and have you wondering if it's time to drop Burrow as a last name
Pairing: Husband!Joe Burrow x Wife!Reader
Series Masterlist
Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere
It was making Joe worry how much you were taking on while also being a present wife and mother as he stared at you knocked out on the couch opposite of him as you had fallen asleep mid conversation.
And trying to balance everything else going on in your life, he took notice of you failing miserably.
Your attempt to do everything had been good for a while, but when more things started to pile up on your plate, it proved to be more difficult than you had originally anticipated.
Kiran was now fourteen months old and walking and getting into every possible thing around the house. As the two of you previously discussed, you began to work part time from home and would slowly make the transition of being full time when he was officially old enough to go to school.
If you happened to get pregnant again, the plan was to do the same thing all over.
But truth be told the stay at home mom life was looking more appealing every day.
Joe had an idea but knowing how his wife was, he knew you probably weren't going to go for it.
However, he would bring up the idea to you anyway. For now, Kiran was occupied as Joe was playing with him while you were still out of it.
Once you fluttered your eyes open, that was all Kiran had to see as he jumped off of Joe and ran across the living room to you.
He didn't even bother waiting for you to help him up onto the couch and did it himself. When he was satisfied with being right up under you with your noses touching, he turned his face to kiss your cheek and snuggled up to you making you smile.
“Hi KK.” You said as you slowly rubbed his back.
“Damn, he just forgot about me over here.” Joe commented and you let out a laugh.
“You know that he switches back and forth about who his favorite parent is.” You replied as Kiran smirked at Joe and hugged you tighter.
“Babe…”
“Yes?”
“I want to suggest something, but just listen to me before you say no.” Joe told you as you looked over at him.
“What is it?”
“That I was thinking we could use a nanny.”
“No.” You immediately responded, not even giving him a chance to explain.
“Babe! Just listen to me for a minute.”
“Your sixty seconds start now Joseph.” You replied as you slowly sat up and took Kiran with you.
“It'll help take some of the pressure off of you. You're constantly running around and trying to keep up with everything. I know you're stubborn as hell, but baby we could use the help. You're starting to work more and take on more patients and I don't want you to burn yourself out.”
“I'm fine, Joey.”
“You literally fell asleep in the middle of a conversation with me earlier. You are in fact not fine.” He shot back and you immediately frowned.
“I'm just a little tired. No harm in that.”
“Yeah, I noticed and you would be less tired if you went with my suggestion.”
“I don't know how Kiran will adjust. He's literally always around us and no one else. Who knows if it will be good for him?”
“He's our child and will adjust just fine. I'm really starting to worry about you. Can you just think about it before giving me your final answer?” Joe pleaded with you as you sighed and slowly nodded your head.
“Okay, I'll think about it.”
“Thank you.” Joe replied before getting up and coming over to lean down to place several kisses on your lips, much to Kiran's protest who tried to push Joe away.
“Uh? Excuse me little man, if it wasn't for me loving on your mother, you wouldn't be here.” Joe told him and all he did was give him a blank stare.
You laughed as you looked down at Kiran and thoughts began running through your head.
It honestly wouldn't be a bad idea and you would be able to focus a little bit more on your patients and get an adequate amount of sleep.
Because right now you couldn't remember a night where you slept for more than four or five hours.
“Joey?”
“Mmm?”
“If I say yes, do we have any recommendations of who to get?”
“I can ask around and see if anyone knows anybody and then I'll let you know. We'll interview them and then make a final decision.”
“Hopefully it's someone that will fit right in with us. Please don't make me regret saying yes to you about this.”
—
Gabriela.
That was her name and she was quickly being added to your shit list.
She interviewed extremely well and you and Joe both saw nothing but green flags.
Now she was about six months in, making Kiran twenty months old when something deep in your gut started not to feel right. You couldn't quite put your finger on it but her interactions that she had with you seemed as if you were annoying her when you asked her to do something.
But with Joe, she was all smiles.
You tried to brush it off, but too many incidents had been happening and you wanted her out.
But bringing that up to Joe fell on deaf ears.
“Babe, I… there's something about her that I don't like and I want her gone.” You honestly told him one night as the two of you were laying down.
“What? I thought you were okay with having her around and now you're backing out? She's made our lives ten times easier.”
“And I will give her credit all day for the good things that she has done, but… I have a bad feeling.”
“Honestly? This might be you feeling guilty about not being around Kiran as much as you were before.”
“Joey, no it's not. I have a very bad gut feeling about her and it's never been wrong about these types of things before. Like I obviously don't know what it is, but…” You said before trailing off and Joe cut you off with a kiss.
“It's nothing, babe. I promise.” He said as he tried to reassure you, but all you did was sigh.
He wrapped his arms around you and you quickly hugged him back tighter as his hands went up and down your spine.
“Everything is finally falling into place and this is helping us more than we could have ever hoped.”
“I just… maybe I can stay home a little more so she doesn't have to be over here so much.”
“You are literally making up imaginary problems in your head about Gabriela.”
“Then Gabriela needs to change my mind about her and she is the only person that can do that. And why did you say her name like that?”
“Like what? I literally just said her name.” Joe replied, which made you roll your eyes.
“And I also don't like how close she has to get to you when the two of you are in the same room.”
“Baby, what in the world are you even talking about?”
“The way she interacts with me and the way she interacts with you is very different.”
All Joe did was look at you.
“Oh, so you don't believe me?”
“I… I don't want to say that, but I just haven't noticed things about her that you have noticed.”
“She wants you to herself I bet.” You replied and Joe's eyes went wide.
“Wants me to herself for what? I don’t want that girl.”
“Hmm, apparently she's the one who didn't get the memo so you might have to spell it out for her.”
“Spell it out how? I wear a damn ring on my finger.”
“Doesn't mean anything nowadays.”
“Well to me it does! I would never do anything to mess up what we have.”
“Then you'll fire her?” You asked as you batted your eyelashes at him.
“Baby, no. I don't have a legit reason.”
“Uh? Your legit reason is that your wife doesn't like her.”
“That isn't exactly…”
“Yes it is because I said so. Happy wife, happy life and I'm not happy right now.”
“Just… let's see how it goes. If we eventually have to do it, then we will.”
“And why not now?”
“Because we're in the middle of the season, babe. At least wait until it's over.”
“Joey, that is at least two months from now.” You whined as you lightly hit his shoulder.
“And we need her if you want to admit it or not. Let's just sleep on this, okay?”
“We can sleep on it all we want except my answer is not changing. I want her gone.”
“Would me eating you out take your mind off of it?” Joe asked as he slowly reached under the shirt you were currently wearing, which was one you stole from him and lifted it above your head.
Once he tossed it to the side, he placed several kisses on your lips and you eagerly nodded.
“Maybe a little.”
“Then come and sit on my face.”
–
Another week or so had passed and to ease your concerns, Joe spent the better part of the morning installing cameras around your house on the inside to keep a closer eye on Gabriela while she kept Kiran occupied.
They were hidden around different areas of the house and if someone walked in, they honestly wouldn't be able to tell where they were. As soon as you got back to the house from dealing with patients all day, he would show you where each one was and also install the app on your phone so that you would be able to watch the cameras wherever you were.
For now, Gabriela had just put Kiran down for a nap and made her way downstairs to leave out while Joe was reviewing film to focus on the upcoming game this week.
“Hey, he's finally down so I was going to head out. Anything else you need from me?” She asked as she gently placed her hand on his shoulder before sitting down next to him a little too close for his comfort and instantly moved away from her.
It was no secret that Joe didn't really like being touched, especially by someone he didn't particularly know that well. And she was entirely too close for his comfort.
“Oh no. I'm good, you can go. Y/N should be here soon.” He said without even bothering to glance at her.
“Well I'll be here tomorrow around seven.” She replied as she stood up from the couch and began to walk away.
She looked back to see if Joe was paying her any attention and much to her dismay, he wasn't and she instantly got a frown on her face.
“Yep, see you tomorrow.” He finally replied and waited to hear the front door close so he could finally be by himself to wait for you.
He was missing you more than usual and blamed it on it being the middle of the season and you beginning to transition back into the office for a few hours a day.
It was usually only four hours Monday through Thursday but it still took some getting used to.
Joe quickly pressed pause on the film and quickly grabbed his phone that was placed on the table in front of him.
Opening it with his pass code which happened to be your birthday, he went to his hidden folder that had a series of pictures and videos with his wife being the main character. He knew that you would be back soon, but couldn't wait any longer.
He quickly opened the one that you two were in Cabo and your back was facing him as you were riding him and he slowly began to palm himself through his boxers.
It took no time at all for him to get bricked up and pre cum slowly leaked out as he had suddenly flipped you over in the video and was pounding into you as you whimpered underneath him and begged for him not to stop.
“Fuck.” He quietly said as it slipped between his lips and he stroked himself to the sound of your voice and skin slapping against skin.
He couldn't wait until you walked through the front door so he could have his way with you and prayed that Kiran stayed asleep.
Just as Joe was about to reach his peak, he was rudely interrupted by the door opening and once again hearing Gabriela's voice which made him roll his eyes and curse to himself, seeing as he forgot to lock it.
First thing he did was lock his phone.
“Did you need something?” Joe flatly asked as he sat up and placed his hands in his lap so she couldn't see any evidence of what he had been doing.
“I just forgot my jacket. Are you okay? You look a little flushed.”
“I'm fine.”
“Are you sure? Because…”
“Yes I'm sure. Anything else?” Joe replied as he got annoyed and was trying to get his release as soon as possible.
“You know I would do absolutely anything for you, Mr. Burrow. Just name it.”
“Gabriela, I don't know how many times I tell you that you don't have to call me that.”
“I know, but I just like it.”
She walked over to the couch across from him and reached to the back of it to grab her jacket making sure her dress rode up in the back with the goal that Joe could see her red thong even though he wasn't even looking at her before promptly walking back over to him and sitting in his lap and straddling him.
“Uh!? What the hell are you doing!?”
“Giving you what your wife has been neglecting to do for you. I overheard you talking the other day. She doesn't have as much time for you as you want so I'm filling that void.”
“I… what the hell you need to do is get off me and get out of my house before I throw you out. And that is none of your business.”
“You sure? Because your body is telling me otherwise.” Gabriela replied as she had already begun to grind on him and was surprised to feel how hard he was, not knowing that the entire reasoning behind it was you.
“You want me just as bad as I want you. I can take better care of you then your wife can, just let me show you.”
“Uh let's not.”
Gabriela had him pinned and the last thing he wanted was to cause her any harm, but he needed to get her off of him as soon as possible and it looked like the only way that it was about to happen is if he pushed her off.
As soon as Joe was about to push her off, you walked into the living room and dropped the bag that you were holding in your hand which made him quickly force her off of his lap.
Once he did, he then stood up from the couch and there was no denying how hard he was and you narrowed your eyes at him.
He stood there awkwardly as you and him made eye contact before you opened your mouth.
“I fucking knew it.”
“Babe! No, it's not what it looks like! I swear!” Joe pleaded immediately as he shook his head.
This would have to fucking happen when all he wanted to do was spend time with you.
“That is the oldest saying in the fucking book, Joseph do you think I'm dumb? And as for you…” You started to say and trailed off as you were looking down at her since Joe had pushed her to the floor.
“You're lucky that I have a license to protect because if I didn't, I guarantee you that you would not have thirty two teeth sitting in your mouth right now. Get the fuck out of my house and do not ever come back.”
“I… but I need this job. This is how I pay for school!” Gabriela said as tears began to form in her eyes but all you did was roll yours.
“Should have thought about that before you did what you did. You have three seconds to get out of my sight before I drag you out.”
As Gabriela got up off the floor, you had opened the front door and held your hand out for her to give back the spare key that you and Joe had given her.
“And you won't be getting your last check so your bitch ass better not ask me for one.”
Once you closed the front door behind you, you turned around to see your husband making his way towards you and you quickly held up your hand telling him to stop.
“So other bitches get you hard that aren't me? And make pre cum leak out of you?”
“Babe…”
“Answer the FUCKING question.”
“I…”
“You were about to fuck her weren’t you?”
“No! Now would you please let me explain? I just…”
“No, because I don't want to hear it. No wonder why you wanted to keep her around and pushed so hard to do so. You've been cheating on me with her behind my back all while my child is in the house. I should have known. And you're still fucking hard now. I can't do this anymore, I'm out.” You told him as you hopped up the steps two at a time with him quickly coming right up behind you.
“You're not going anywhere until we talk about this. Because what you think happened didn't and I would never do that to you. I've told you this from day one! Just please let me explain, baby.”
“There is literally nothing you could possibly say to me right now that would make me want to stay within a ten mile radius of you.” You replied as you were throwing different clothes and shoes in your suitcase before moving to Kiran's room.
“You aren't taking my child.”
“Last time I checked, I'm the one who gave birth to him and he's OUR child and I damn sure am taking him. I don't want him near his cheating ass father.”
“I didn't cheat on you! And I never would!”
“Well your dick proved otherwise.”
You tried to be as quiet as possible, but failed as Kiran woke up as you were packing his bag while Joe stood in the doorway running his hands through his hair.
“Y/N, where are you going? You know that we have a rule and neither of us is allowed to leave the house angry or upset. We work through everything and talk about it.”
“That rule went out the window the second I saw what I saw.” You told him as you grabbed a few of Kiran's toys.
“So therefore we have nothing to talk about.” You added as you picked up Kiran and walked past him.
After you had packed a bag for both you and Kiran, you loaded him into the car and began driving with no destination in mind to go, despite the protests coming from your husband.
At least thirty minutes had passed before you ultimately decided that you needed to get out of Ohio. Looking down at how full your gas tank was, you looked at the time and saw that it was close to 5 in the evening. Kiran was knocked out cold once again, so you figured why not?
Home it is.
Home as in Maryland.
Attempting to dry your tears as well as put the address in your GPS, you set out on the almost nine hour journey.
The long drive would give you time to think about what you witnessed, which you never thought would happen in your marriage in a million years.
Caught your husband in the act of cheating on you with the nanny that HE hired. It was true that you had accused him of cheating in the past, but maybe the intuition that you had wasn't far off.
Your phone began ringing once again with Joe's ringtone and you quickly hit ignore. You weren’t quite sure how many times he had called you since you had left the house, but it was getting close to double digits.
Before you began driving, you made sure to turn off your location on every device you had and take the car that did not have a GPS tracker on it so Joe had absolutely no way of knowing where you were.
At this point, he didn't deserve to.
He had broken your trust and the only thing you had to do now was move forward.
You never thought in a million years that you would be a single mother, but it looked as if that was slowly becoming your reality.
He wasn’t going to hurt you again because you weren't going to give him the opportunity to.
As you pulled into the gas station, you opened your phone to see a notification of you being tagged on Joe's story on Instagram. You rolled your eyes before opening it and once you did, your jaw dropped.
If anyone sees my wife and son around Cincy, contact me immediately
Shit.
The sooner you get out of Ohio, the better.
It was close to two in the morning when you finally pulled up to your house on the family compound property and much to your surprise, Kiran was awake.
“Come on baby, so we can sleep in a comfy bed.” You told him as he gave you a small smile.
As you opened the back door and unstrapped him from his car seat, he clung to you as you placed the key in the lock and opened the front door.
You sat him on the couch with a few toys in front of him so that you could grab all the bags out of the car uninterrupted.
Once everything was in the house and after giving him a bath, the two of you settled in for the night.
Since Kiran probably wasn't used to sleeping at the compound just yet, you placed him next to you in your bed and he was looking around and taking in his new environment.
Once your head hit the pillow everything but sleep came to you.
It was finally hitting you what had happened earlier in the day and you were still in disbelief on how and why he would do something like that.
You finally grabbed your phone from the nightstand to see all of the missed calls from Joe, Isabella, Mallory, Ms. Jackie, and your in-laws and simply sighed before plugging your phone in.
The good thing was that you highly doubt anyone would come all the way down here to look for you and probably think that you're still somewhere in Ohio.
Your thoughts were interrupted as you heard Kiran's small voice.
“Daddy?”
Him missing Joe broke your heart all over again.
“Daddy's not here right now, baby. It's just me and you.” You replied and he looked at you confused.
“Want daddy.”
“I…. You'll see him soon, okay? Right now go back to sleep.” You told him as he hugged a small stuffed version of Who Dey tightly to his chest and kept looking at the bedroom door to see if Joe would appear.
Once you turned out the light, it took Kiran at least another hour before finally falling asleep while you were laying wide awake.
You knew a headache would follow soon after because you hadn't slept, but you would deal with it when the time came.
The next morning, you woke up to Kiran pulling on your arm and you were actually surprised that you got any sleep at all.
It was around ten in the morning and since you would usually let your parents know when you were coming so that way they could stock the fridge, this was obviously a last minute thing so you knew it was empty and quickly opened your door dash app on your phone to grab something for the two of you.
“KK, pancakes?” You asked him and his eyes instantly lit up as he eagerly nodded.
“Pancakes it is for my favorite boy.” You told him as you added it to the cart.
Before you could hit the cart to check out, you were interrupted by a knock on the door and your heart immediately sank.
Was it him?
No, it couldn't be. There was no way in the world he knew that you were here.
With Kiran on your hip, you padded downstairs to open the door and were face to face with no one other than your mother.
“What's wrong? Because you obviously got here in the middle of the night. I looked out the window this morning and saw your car and I had to come and check on you.”
“Hi to you too, mom.” You replied as you moved to the side and let her in to close the door.
“Just saying. Hi Kiran! Look how big you are!” She said as she took him from you and bounced him up and down.
“So, are you going to talk? Where's your husband?”
“At home, I guess.”
“What do you mean you guess?” She asked as she stopped playing with Kiran to look at you.
“Exactly what I said.”
“Does he even know where you are?”
“No and you aren't going to tell him.” You told her as you added some French toast to the cart before you checked out.
“Y/N!!!”
“No and I don't want to hear it.”
“Touchdown is his baby too and he would at least want to know that you two are safe.”
“The least you can do is let me handle this on my own as I see fit. I wouldn't have done this if I didn't have a reason.”
“So, what is the reason?”
“You're clearly already on his side so is there any point in telling you?” You asked as once again your phone began ringing in your hand with Joe on the opposite end of it.
“I'm not taking sides! I just want the two of you to fix whatever this is. And is that him?”
“It can't be fixed and why does it matter?”
“It can't be fixed or you don't want it to be fixed?”
“I love him but…”
“But?”
“What happened is something that you can't come back from. If I have to get used to being by myself then so be it.”
“Y/N, did you even talk to him about it?”
“There's nothing to even talk about at this point.”
“I highly doubt that. You're just as stubborn now as the day you were born.”
“Okay, can we be done with this conversation?” You asked as your mom sighed as Kiran was looking towards the door before he suddenly turned to you.
“Want daddy.”
—
Meanwhile Joe was losing his mind trying to get you to answer the phone and talk to him and lost track of how many people he called trying to figure out if they knew where you were or had seen you.
When the call went to voicemail for what felt like the hundredth time, he simply tossed his phone to the side of him and deeply sighed.
A few minutes had passed before he heard it ringing and immediately jumped up hoping it was you, but a look of disappointment went across his face when he saw it was a facetime call from his mom.
“Hey mom.”
“Hey, I saw your Instagram story. Where is my daughter and my grandbaby?” She asked, getting straight to the point.
“I actually don't know.”
“What do you mean you don't know!?”
“I…. We got into a disagreement and last night she took off and took Kiran with her.”
“Would this have anything to do with that nanny you pushed for the two of you to get?” Jimmy asked as he poked his head in the frame and eyed him.
“Something like that, but she wouldn't even let me explain and went straight off the deep end. We have a rule to not go to bed upset or mad at each other but I guess all she saw was red and said "forget it.” Joe replied as he ran a hand through his hair.
“I was hoping that I might have heard from her by now because literally no one has and I don't know what to do anymore. I can't even focus on anything because I'm worried about them.”
“Just have to give her time, I guess. She'll come around.”
“As stubborn as she is?”
“Well what is your other option at this point? And I know you're not talking about anyone being stubborn.”
“Calling her mom was my next option.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, sure enough his phone vibrated to let him know he had a text message from your mom and quickly opened it.
Mom-In-Law- Y/N and Kiran are here. She didn't want me to tell you but KK keeps asking for you. I know she's going to be mad at me but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
“She's in Maryland. I need to hurry up and look at flights.”
—
It was around eight at night when you and Kiran were having a Disney movie marathon when there was a knock on the door.
Kiran was munching on a piece of cheese that he had been holding onto for at least two hours when you paused The Lion King and walked to the front door to see who it was.
“Hold on KK, let mommy see who that is. I'll be right back.”
Once you opened it, your breath hitched in your throat.
There your mom was…
And your husband.
“I thought I told you not to tell him where I was! So it's just fuck my feelings at this point!?” You said as you looked at her.
“Y/N, baby girl I know you're mad at me….”
“Pissed is more like it!”
“Language Y/N!” Your mom scolded as you rolled your eyes.
“I just need you to hear me out because it's not what you think.” Joe said as you gave him a blank stare.
You guess that Kiran had heard the commotion at the door and was now hugging your legs from behind to try and be nosey.
Once his eyes landed on Joe, it was a wrap.
“Daddy!”
He squeezed past you and immediately went to Joe who squatted down to hug him and pick him up.
“Hey, KK.”
“The two of you need to talk about whatever it is and get on the same page because this one is counting on the both of you.” Your mom stated as she pointed to Kiran which in turn made you roll your eyes.
“I cannot believe you.” You told her as you had your arms crossed.
“You'll thank me later.” She said as she turned and began to walk back to your parents house.
“I highly doubt that.”
“So, can we talk now?” Joe asked and the only thing you did in response was move to the side so that he could walk inside the house.
Once you closed the door behind you, you made your way back into the living room to see Kiran climbing all over Joe and sat on the opposite couch.
“It's past his bedtime.” Was all you said as Joe looked at you.
“Well how about I give him a bath, put him to sleep and then we can talk?”
“I guess.” You replied as you started to clean up Kiran's toys that he had out.
When Joe went upstairs with him, the only thing you could think about was your mother telling him where you were when you had specifically told her not to.
Well you know if something happened in the future that she would be the last person you told and you probably wouldn't be back to visit them any time soon.
Joe was upstairs for about an hour and a half before he made his way back down to where you were and promptly sat down next to you.
He opened up his phone and handed it to you.
“What are you handing this to me for?” You asked as your arms were crossed.
“It's my proof about what happened because I told you that I didn't cheat on you and that I didn't want anything to do with that girl.”
Sighing deeply, you took his phone from him and pressed play.
“I installed the cameras just like you asked and it's a good thing I did because otherwise I would have had no way of proving it.”
You watched with curious eyes as the scene unfolded before you as it first showed Joe watching film and what looked as if Gabriela was gathering her things to leave and Joe paying her absolutely no attention and only replying when he needed to but not even bothering to look in her direction.
It then moves onto Joe unlocking his phone and beginning to what it looks to be jerking off before Gabriela quickly comes back into the frame.
You saw the frustrated look on his face before she proceeded to straddle him which made his look of frustration turn to a look of being startled. As he pushed her off, you then see yourself walk into the frame and begin to yell at the both of them.
“The only reason why I was hard was because I was watching a video of the both of us before she walked in and straddled me saying all this shit that she knows I'm not satisfied, and that she can treat me better than you can and I shut that shit down immediately. As I was pushing her off of me, you walked in and then you started yelling at me which obviously made me get even harder seeing you like that and now we're here. So again like I said, I would never ever do anything to mess up what we have.”
You sat there for a minute taking it all in and proceeded to hand him his phone back.
“Only woman that I get hard for is my wife. That's it and that's all. I just wished you would have heard me out so we could have avoided all this. And don't be mad at your mom, she only wants the best for us. I actually didn't even get a chance to ask her if you were here, she just simply told me.”
“I'm sorry I accused you and didn't hear you out. But it was a little hard not to believe what I saw in front of me.”
“And I'm sorry for not believing you when you originally told me about Gabriela. I should have shut it down right then and there.”
“But…” You started to say as you looked at him.
“What baby?”
“You are too nice sometimes to these women and it gives them the wrong idea. And I've told you that before. Be a little mean and say that my wife knows how to fight.”
“Which she actually does and okay, Laila Ali.” Joe replied as he smirked and you shook your head.
“And another thing. You know we have our rule.”
“Yes, I know and at that moment, I didn't want to catch a charge for knocking you upside the head so I left the house.”
“Hmm, fair enough. So, are we good now and can you come home?”
“Yes, but on one condition.”
“And what is that?”
“No more nannies. Ever.”
“Fair enough, but I need to do something else first.” He said as he leaned over to kiss you.
“What's that?”
“Our son is asleep so you should already know.”
“I'm going to need a girls trip after this.”
“Just tell me where you want to go and it's a done deal.”
—
Joe's body was moving against yours at a slow and even pace and you knew for a fact that you were about to lose it.
Thank goodness that he actually put Kiran in his room across the hall and that he was knocked out cold.
“Yeah, I feel you baby. That's my good girl. So damn tight. I told you this was your dick. Didn't I tell you?”
“Fuck, I'm about to cum.” You blurted out as he smirked down at you.
“Oh, I know, baby. Cum on daddy’s dick like a good girl, get that nut. Use this dick, it’s yours and no one else's.”
“Shiiit. I…”
“What baby girl? Let it out. Tell daddy what you need.”
“Mmm.” Was the only thing you could mutter as Joe captured your lips in a kiss and it was broken by you moaning into his mouth.
“I'm still waiting for you to cum all over this dick. What are you waiting for, baby?” He asked as he dug in deeper at an even slower pace, making you absolutely lose your mind.
The scratches up and down Joe's back from your nails digging into him were evident, but right now were the least of his worries because his only mission at the moment was making you feel good.
Your back arched off the bed as you had finally squirted all over him while he had kept his same pace.
Joe cut your moans off with a series of kisses in the hopes that you wouldn't wake up your sleeping child.
“That's it, baby. But I want more and need more from you. Do it again.” He told you as he leaned down and his tongue lightly grazed over both of your nipples as he didn't let up his pace for one second.
“Oh fuck, baby you're going to make me cum again.”
“Oh really? I think you can show me better than you can tell me.”
He put you over the edge once more and still didn't let up and you couldn't even form a coherent sentence with how good he was making you feel.
“You're the only woman I want. You understand?”
“Yes!”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, daddy. FUCK!” You screamed and squirted for a third time all over him as he laughed to himself.
He slowly slid out of you before slapping his dick on your clit, making another moan escape from your mouth.
“I hope you know I'm not done with you yet.” He whispered against your lips before kissing them and sliding back in making you gasp.
“You forgive me now? Or do I need to apologize again?”
“Say it again, I want to hear it.”
“I'm sorry baby. You hear me? I promise nothing like this will ever happen again. I don't want anybody but you. I only want this pussy.” He told you as he bottomed out, pulled all the way out and slammed back in making your eyes roll back.
“Shiiit!”
“This pussy is so fucking good and I wouldn't think about being with anyone else.”
As Joe flipped you over on your stomach and sped up his pace without warning, you knew that you were about to lose it.
“You going to talk to your husband instead of running?”
“YESSSSSS!”
“Yes? You going to stop disappearing so I don't have to call the police to look for your ass?” Joe asked you as a hard slap came down on your ass.
“YESSS DADDY! FUCK!”
“Good fucking girl. Go ahead and cum on your dick.” Was the last thing you heard before once again squirting all over him and feeling him release inside of you.
You collapsed on your stomach on the bed before Joe promptly flipped you over.
“You're mine and I'm yours and you better not fucking forget it.”
The next day, you woke up to an empty bed and Joe's space being cold which you knew meant that he hadn't been laying next to you for awhile.
Grabbing your phone from the nightstand, the numbers 3:45 were staring back at you and you did a double take.
You wasted no time in going into the bathroom and brushing your teeth along with washing your face before taking a quick shower.
Joe heard your light footsteps come down the stairs and turned to look at you.
You wanted to wipe that smirk immediately off of his face.
“So, how'd you sleep baby?” He asked before you rolled your eyes and proceeded to straddle him.
“Why do you proceed to fuck me like an animal when you have a point to prove? And where is my baby?”
“Because I do. Had to let you know you're not going anywhere. Ever. And he's with your sister.”
“Still got hard for another woman and had a leaky ass dick.” You quietly mumbled, but the slap that landed on your ass let you know that he heard it.
“Another round, you said?”
“Ow! I can barely walk as it is! Them heavy ass hands!”
“That's exactly what I thought so cut the shit.”
“Still doesn't change what happened.”
“I was already hard thinking about MY WIFE when her ass walked in and hopped on my lap uninvited. Like I told you.”
“You should have pushed her off faster.”
“Oh trust me, I just didn't want her ass hitting her head on the floor with the force I was about to use.”
“I…”
“Imagine you getting ready to beat your meat to a video of you fucking your wife and the nanny plops in your lap right as your wife gets home. And then he remains hard during confrontation because he likes it when she yells at him and can’t explain it. Like I said, I would never do that.”
“Um..”
“And that's why I fuck you like I do because your ass doesn't know how to listen unless I'm drilling into you.”
“No need to call me out like that. Not too much on your wife.”
“Such a fucking brat.” He whispered in your ear as you scrunched up your face.
“You did this, you know! I'm a brat and spoiled because of you!”
“No, your parents did and they don’t accept returns after 60 days so I’m stuck and so are you. Till death do us part so get over it.”
–
As promised, when the season was over Joe sent you on a girls trip along with your sister, Mallory and Isabella and his current task was to pick you up from the airport.
After Joe threw your suitcase in the back and slid in the front passenger seat, he began driving and noticed how unusually quiet you were.
“Baby, everything okay? Why are you so quiet over there?” He asked as he took hold of your hand.
“I couldn't really enjoy my vacation because of how nauseous I was.”
“Wait, why was that happening? Is your period coming?”
“No.” You replied as you stared out the window.
“Then what is it, babe? Can't help you if you don't tell me.”
“I'm pregnant.”
Joe quickly looked at you in disbelief before looking back at the road.
“With WHAT?”
“A baby obviously. Yours to be exact.”
“We got to stop having make up sex.” Joe proposed as he got off the next exit, intending to find a McDonald's so that he could buy your chicken nuggets which he knew you were about to ask for.
“No shit, Sherlock.”
“Been going raw for years, but it only seems like you get pregnant when I'm making it up to you.”
“Joey, being forty and pregnant is literally INSANE. Like what the actual hell!?” You exclaimed as you were beginning to freak out.
“Just think about how beautiful you're going to look when your belly starts growing.”
“I didn't know how good I had it last time with not showing and now I'm going to be a whale.”
“I don't know about that but at least you don't look a day over 25. Black doesn't crack, and my white doesn't crack by association with having a black wife.”
“Joey, I'm going to need for you to be quiet the rest of the way home.”
Liked by joeyb_9, lahjay10_, bengalswags, teehiggins, mallory-marie, and 2,187,643 others
nursebae: 40 and pregnant is absolutely insane 😭
-> joeyb_9: and you'll look like a bad ass while doing it 😍😍
-> nursebae: my feet hurt and I want spicy pickles
-> lahjay10_ : surprised joe didn't put oops x2 as a caption
• joe pretends he's fine until you tell him to go to bed. Then suddenly he's the sickest man alive.
• joe refuses to let you leave the couch. If you get up for water, he's asking where you're going and tags along even though you told him to sit down.
• joe wants you to play with his hair while he naps, and even after he wakes up he still wanted you too, he always loves the feeling of being close to you.
• joe becomes surprisingly affectionate, almost like a little koala who keeps reaching for your hand without even realizing it.
• joe is his own doctor and insists he doesn't need medicine, but then he immediately asks if you brought him any.
• joe always falls asleep on your shoulder and gets annoyed when you try to move, he mumbles “stop moving so much.” while still spooning you from behind.
• joe mumbles a quiet "stay." whenever you try to leave the room while looking up at you with those gorgeous ocean eyes.
pairings: joe burrow x younger reader 🥺
wc: 2.3k
an: i know i said i was dropping lore tonight. it wasn't ready and i couldn't make it ready, so you're getting this instead — a request.
anon wanted her hiding an anxiety attack from him because she's scared he'll think it's childish, and him staying anyway. so. here.
usual note that i do not know this man. 🥺
banner by the lovely @moonstoneandmoonlight 🧡 thank you bb!
catch up on everything else here: masterlist
if you want to be added to the taglist don't be shy, just shoot me a message — there is no shame here 🧡
You’ve read the same paragraph about a hundred times.
It’s Sunday night and you’re on his couch with your laptop hot against your thighs, and the lit review is due Wednesday, and there’s a parent email sitting in your drafts that you’ve rewritten twice already — the one recommending reading intervention for a kid whose parents already decided at conferences that you’re the problem, the one that has to be worded so carefully it might as well be a hostage negotiation. Under that, in your texts, the estimate from the mechanic. Eight hundred and forty dollars. You did that math at a red light on the way over here. You did it again in his driveway with the engine off.
Joe’s at the other end of the couch with golf on, volume low, your feet in his lap. Every few minutes his hand wraps around your ankle and stays there a while, then goes back to his phone. He’s not watching the golf. You’re not reading the paragraph.
You highlight a sentence. Unhighlight it. Your thumbnail’s gone ragged on one side and you keep finding it with your finger anyway.
“Chef left the chicken thing,” he says. “Want me to heat it up?”
“I ate before I came.”
You didn’t. You had coffee at four and your stomach has been a closed fist since Friday, but eating means stopping, and stopping means the list catches up, and the list is fine. It’s a normal amount of things. Everyone has a normal amount of things.
He looks at you a second too long.
“You’ve been on that page a while,” he says.
“It’s dense.” You scroll down so the screen changes. “Education theory. Riveting stuff.”
He doesn’t push. His hand comes back to your ankle, thumb moving over the bone, and he goes back to the golf he isn’t watching.
—
You go up to bed a little after eleven.
You do the whole routine like your body isn’t humming — wash your face next to him at the double sink, take your side, let him pull you back against his chest the way he does. His breathing goes long and slow within minutes. He sleeps like a man with a clear conscience and a personal chef.
You lie there with your eyes open.
The email. The lit review. Eight hundred and forty dollars. The email again — the parents’ faces at conferences, the dad with his arms crossed saying she read fine last year, like you’d broken something in their kid by noticing it. You write the email in your head and hit the words wrong and start over. Then again. Your heart picks up somewhere in the fourth draft and doesn’t come back down.
The clock says 12:53 when you slide out from under his arm. You do it slow, one limb at a time, and he shifts and doesn’t wake. You take your phone off the nightstand and you don’t take the laptop, because the laptop isn’t the plan anymore. The plan is downstairs.
You put on Golden Girls with the volume at almost nothing. You don’t even have to scroll for it — it’s in his continue watching now, which is its own small thing you’re not going to look at directly. You pick an episode you’ve seen thirty times. Sophia’s already mid-story when it loads. Picture it: Sicily, 1922.
This is the show that works. It worked on your mom’s couch when you were eight and home sick, it worked through undergrad finals, it worked the whole week after your first parent conference went sideways. It’s not one of yours and his. It’s from before him. That’s the point. Nothing in it can touch the list.
Except the list came down the stairs with you.
Your breath stops going all the way down somewhere in the second act. You sit forward, elbows on your knees, and try the counting thing — four in, hold, seven out — and lose it at three because your heart is going too fast to count over. Your hands are doing the pins-and-needles thing. The room is too warm and then it isn’t. Blanche says something and the laugh track hisses about it at its almost-nothing volume and you slide off the couch onto the carpet because the couch suddenly feels like standing on something high.
You’re not — this is stupid. You’re sitting on the floor of your boyfriend’s basement at one in the morning trying to talk your own lungs into doing the one thing they’re for. He’s asleep. He’s two floors up. You just need to be quiet and ride it down and be back in bed before he ever—
The stairs.
You hear him on the stairs and you can’t fix your face in time, can’t get up off the floor, can’t do anything but sit there with your hands shaking in your lap while the show rolls on at a whisper.
“Hey.” He stops at the bottom. “Hey—”
You get a hand up before he’s even off the last step. “I’m fine.”
He stops where he is. You watch him take it in — you on the carpet with your knees pulled up, the shake in your hands, the show going at a whisper, one in the morning. You watch him do it and you wait for it. The look. You know the look. You’ve gotten it before, from people who were supposed to be safe — the one that lands somewhere between seriously? and what do you want me to do about this, the one that files you under too much.
“Go back to bed,” you say. It comes out in pieces. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m fine, I just need a minute.”
He doesn’t go back to bed.
He doesn’t crouch in front of you and grab your shoulders and tell you to breathe, either. He crosses the room and lowers himself onto the floor next to you, back against the couch, legs out, like this is a place he sits. An arm’s length away. He doesn’t touch you.
“You don’t have to talk,” he says. Low, under the laugh track. “I’m just gonna sit here.”
You keep waiting for the rest of it. The questions. The fixing.
It doesn’t come.
Your lungs are still doing the thing where the top third works and nothing else does. The counting keeps falling apart. Some part of you is narrating the whole time — he’s seeing this, he’s seeing all of this, this is the version of you he has now — and that part won’t shut up, and your eyes are burning, and Dorothy says something to Rose that you know by heart and it goes past you like traffic.
“This is so stupid,” you get out. “I’m—”
“You’re not.”
He puts his hand on the carpet between you. Palm up. He doesn’t look at it.
“Whenever you want it,” he says.
You stare at it through two more breaths that don’t land.
Then you take it, and you grip it way too hard, nails and everything, and he doesn’t flinch.
“Squeeze,” he says. “You’re not gonna hurt me.”
His fingers close around yours and his thumb moves slow across your knuckles, the same lap of it, over and over, something to count that isn’t counting. When the wave picks back up and your grip goes tight again, he says it again — “Still here” — same two words, same volume, every time it comes back.
Four in. You lose it. Four in. Hold. Seven out.
It takes what it takes. The episode ends and autoplays into the next one. Sophia’s back in Sicily at a whisper. Your grip eases off his hand by degrees and he doesn’t take it back, and neither do you, and he stays on the floor.
At some point he gets up, and your stomach drops — there it is — and then he’s back before the thought can finish, a water bottle from the mini fridge behind the bar, cap already cracked. He puts it in your hands without saying anything. You drink because it’s something to do with your mouth that isn’t apologizing. Your whole body feels like a wrung-out towel, and the embarrassment is arriving now the way it always does, filling in behind the fear as soon as the fear clears out room.
“I’m sorry,” you say.
“For what.”
“You weren’t supposed to — ” You gesture with the bottle. The floor. The show. You. “See this.”
He doesn’t answer that. He’s still next to you, shoulder against the couch, watching the side of your face now instead of the TV. “What set it off?”
You laugh, one syllable, nothing in it. “An email. I’m sitting on your floor at one a.m. because of an email.”
“The reading one,” he says. “Maddox.”
You turn and look at him. You told him about Maddox once — weeks ago, in the car, the kid who holds the book three inches from his face and guesses at the long words. You hadn’t even said you were worried. You’d just talked too long about it, probably.
“His parents,” Joe says. “You said the dad’s a lot.”
“Yeah.” The label on the water bottle is coming apart under your thumbnail. “Yeah, it’s — I have to send it tomorrow. Today. And it’s not even the email, it’s the email and the lit review and my car and — it stacks. It’s a few times a year. It stacks and then my body just.” You don’t finish. There isn’t a verb.
“How long have you been doing this alone?”
“Joe.”
“How long.”
“Since always. College. It’s easier.”
“Easier than what?”
“Than someone watching me like I’m a flat tire.” It comes out before you can sand it down. “I dated a guy who used to sigh, Joe. Audibly. My roommate used to say just breathe like I hadn’t thought of it. People get one of these and then they get a tone with you. Like you’re doing it at them.“
He doesn’t say anything. You’re not done and he knows it. The show murmurs along.
“And you’re twenty-nine,” you say, to the water bottle. “You’ve got a chef and a stylist and a whole life that runs on time. I’m already the youngest thing in it. I wasn’t going to hand you this too. Cry on your floor about an email like a — ” You don’t say the word. It’s been in the room for months anyway. “I didn’t want to give you more math.”
He’s quiet long enough that you almost look at him.
“There are guys on my team who throw up before kickoff,” he says. “Every game. Grown men with mortgages. One of them breathes into a paper bag in the tunnel and then goes out and hits people for three hours.” His thumb finds your knuckles again. “Your body doing this isn’t an age thing.”
“Joe—”
“And the math is mine. I told you that.” His voice stays low. “You don’t get to start carrying it for me.”
He stands and takes the empty bottle with him, and his other hand comes down for you. You let him pull you up. Your legs have the after-shake in them. He picks up the remote and the screen goes dark mid-Sicily.
—
The clock on his nightstand says 2:05 when you get back in bed.
You take your side the way you took it at eleven — careful, an inch of space, hands to yourself. You’ve used up enough tonight. The floor. The hand. The forty-five minutes of him sitting on carpet in his own basement at one in the morning. There’s a version of this where you ask him to hold you too, and somewhere in your chest a meter is running on how much a person gets to need in one night.
He erases the inch before you finish the thought. Arm under you, pulls you across the mattress and into him, your cheek landing on his chest like that was always where it was going.
“You don’t have to—”
“I know.”
You lie there a second. His heart under your ear. His hand starts moving on your back, slow, the full length of it.
“I’m trying not to be clingy,” you say into his collarbone, and it comes out smaller than you wanted it to.
“You snuck out of bed to fall apart alone in my basement,” he says. “Clingy is not the thing you need to work on.”
You don’t have anything for that. His hand keeps moving.
“I knew something was up,” he says, after a while. “Since Friday. You were here all weekend and somewhere else the whole time. I was waiting for you to bring it to me.”
You lift your head an inch. “Why didn’t you ask?”
“Because you’d have said you were fine.” His hand doesn’t stop. “You said it down there. Hands shaking, couldn’t breathe, still telling me you’re fine.”
“Joe—”
“You kept looking at me like you were waiting for something.” He says it slow, like he’s still working it out. “Down there. Like any second I was gonna — I don’t know. Get up and leave you down there.”
You don’t answer. That’s its own answer.
“I’m not him,” he says. “Whoever taught you to do this in a basement with the volume off — I’m not him. You don’t have to be fine in this house, baby.”
The email is still in your drafts. The lit review is still due Wednesday. The car is still eight hundred and forty dollars. None of it has moved, and your body is going heavy anyway, the weight of him under you doing the thing the counting couldn’t.
i guess it’s a good thing our boy fezco is locked up bc i would not wanna see him getting involved with none of this mess. i’d only accept him and lexi side eyeing everyone from the comfort of their couch.
The house was quiet in the way it only ever was after midnight.
No TVs humming downstairs. No phone calls from coaches. No film playing from the iPad Joe practically carried like another limb during the season.
Just silence.
You blinked awake slowly, reaching across the bed toward the cold empty space beside you.
Your heart immediately tightened.
Ever since getting pregnant, you’d become hyperaware of everything — every missed call, every headache, every moment you woke up alone in the middle of the night.
You pushed yourself upright carefully and glanced toward the clock.
2:07 a.m.
A soft light glowed faintly from downstairs.
Of course.
You already knew where he was.
The nursery door sat cracked open when you reached the hallway downstairs. Warm yellow light spilled across the hardwood floor.
And there he was.
Joe Burrow sat cross-legged in the middle of the room wearing gray sweatpants and an old Bengals hoodie, surrounded by what looked like the aftermath of a hardware store explosion.
Wood panels.
Loose screws.
Instructions crumpled beside him.
And what was very obviously the side of the crib attached completely backwards.
You leaned against the doorway, trying not to laugh.
“Joseph.”
His head snapped up immediately.
The guilty expression on his face made it worse.
“I can explain.”
“You’ve built the crib inside out.”
“That feels dramatic.”
You stepped into the room, eyeing the disaster around him. “The bars are facing the wall.”
Joe stared at it for a long moment before sighing.
“…okay, maybe a little dramatic.”
You laughed softly, lowering yourself beside him onto the rug.
The nursery was still unfinished, but it already felt special.
Soft cream walls. Tiny stacks of baby clothes folded in baskets. A stuffed elephant someone had gifted you both sitting in the rocker by the window.
Pieces of your future scattered everywhere.
Joe rubbed a hand over his face. “I was trying to surprise you.”
“At two in the morning?”
“You were sleeping.”
“You should also be sleeping.”
“Couldn’t.”
That answer came quieter.
You glanced over at him.
The exhaustion sitting on his face lately had become harder to ignore. Long practices. Media. Pressure. Endless conversations about the upcoming season.
And underneath all of it — the baby.
You reached over, brushing sawdust off the sleeve of his hoodie.
“You know most dads hire people for this stuff.”
“Yeah, well.” He grabbed the instruction booklet again. “Most dads aren’t stubborn.”
“That’s probably not true.”
The corner of his mouth lifted.
Together, you started sorting through the mess. Joe handed you screws while you tried deciphering instructions that somehow looked more confusing than football playbooks.
“You’d think,” you muttered, “for the amount this thing costs, they’d make the directions understandable.”
Joe pointed toward the page. “That picture might actually just be a threat.”
You snorted.
For a while, it felt easy.
Quiet.
Domestic in a way neither of you were used to yet.
Your knee bumped his occasionally while you worked. Every now and then his hand settled instinctively against your back when you leaned forward.
Little touches.
Little reminders.
By the time the crib finally started resembling an actual crib, the room had gone still again.
Joe sat back on his hands, staring at it silently.
You watched his expression soften.
Not football-player Joe.
Not confident press-conference Joe.
Just him.
Tired. Quiet. Overwhelmed.
Your voice gentled. “What’s going on in that head?”
He exhaled slowly through his nose.
“Nothing.”
You gave him a look.
Joe dropped his gaze toward the floor. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
His jaw shifted slightly like he was debating whether to answer honestly.
Finally:
“I don’t know how to do this.”
You blinked. “Build furniture?”
A soft huff of laughter escaped him. “No.”
The vulnerability in his voice made your chest ache instantly.
Joe leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.
“I know football,” he said quietly. “I know how to study film and take hits and deal with pressure and all that.” His eyes flicked toward the crib again. “But this…”
You stayed silent.
“I keep thinking about everything that could go wrong.”
His voice had dropped almost to a whisper now.
“What if I’m gone too much?” he admitted. “What if I miss things? What if you need me and I’m somewhere across the country worrying about third downs instead of—”
“Joe.”
“What if I’m not good at this?”
That one broke your heart a little.
Because beneath all the confidence everyone saw, Joe carried pressure like it lived in his bones.
You shifted closer carefully until your shoulder rested against his.
“You already are.”
His eyes lifted to yours immediately.
“You care this much,” you whispered. “That’s kind of the whole point.”
Joe looked at you for a long moment.
Then his gaze dropped slowly toward your stomach beneath the oversized sweatshirt you stole from him weeks ago.
His hand settled there instinctively.
Gentle.
Protective.
“I don’t know how to handle loving something this much,” he admitted quietly.
Emotion climbed into your throat so fast it hurt.
You covered his hand with yours.
The room fell silent except for the soft hum of the heater.
Then Joe leaned forward suddenly, pressing his forehead carefully against yours.
“You know what scares me the most?”
“What?”
“That you both become my whole world…” His thumb brushed softly across your stomach. “…and football stops mattering as much.”
You smiled through burning eyes. “Pretty sure that’s supposed to happen.”
He laughed quietly at that, finally — really laughed.
The tension in his shoulders eased for the first time all night.
Later, after the crib was finally finished correctly, you found yourselves curled together in the nursery rocker near the window.
The sky outside had started turning pale blue with early morning.
Joe had you tucked against his chest, one arm wrapped around you while his other hand rested over your stomach absentmindedly.
Sleep tugged heavily at both of you.
Right before your eyes closed, you heard him murmur softly against your hair:
“I’m gonna be there for both of you. No matter what this league takes from me.”
And in that quiet half-finished nursery, with dawn breaking softly around you, you believed him completely.
3rd installment of the Flashing Lights series, must read Flashing Lights & Don't Like The Lights first to understand
series masterlist
9. All Of My Friends
The hotel buzzed with excitement.
Garment bags hung from the closet doors, shoes were scattered across the bedroom floor, and soft music drifted from Jack’s phone on the dresser. Outside, cars were already beginning to arrive at the hotel where the release party and his birthday celebration would be held.
Jack stood in front of the mirror adjusting the cuffs of his jacket, his curls slightly shorter now, falling naturally across his forehead. On the bed behind him, Maryse was finishing her makeup, leaning toward the small vanity mirror while carefully lining her lips.
It had been a long road to this night.
Finally, Jack turned and leaned against the dresser, watching her the way he always did, like he couldn’t quite believe she was real and his.
“Alright,” she said, capping the lipgloss and turning toward him. “Be honest.”
He raised a brow. “Always.”
She smiled softly and stood, smoothing the fabric of her dress before walking over to him.
“Are you nervous?”
Jack paused for a moment, actually thinking about it. A year ago he probably would’ve said yes without hesitation. An R&B album from a white rapper? People were definitely going to have opinions.
But tonight felt different.
He shook his head slowly.
“No,” he said. “Honestly… I feel relieved.”
Maryse tilted her head. “Relieved?”
“Yeah.” He exhaled, rubbing his hands together before resting them on her hips. “I’ve been sitting on this project for so long. Second guessing everything. Wondering how people were gonna take it. But now that it’s finally dropping…” He shrugged. “It just feels good to let it go.”
She studied his face for a moment, the nerves she expected to see not really there.
“I’m proud of you,” she said quietly.
Jack smiled, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. “Even if the internet cooks me for making an R&B album?”
Maryse laughed. “Please. The internet always drags you.”
He chuckled.
“And besides,” she continued, lightly tapping his chest, “you’re allowed to evolve. That’s what artists do.”
Jack looked at her like she’d just said the most obvious thing in the world but somehow it meant more coming from her.
“You always know exactly what to say,” he murmured.
Maryse leans closer and whispers into his lips “Yuck.” before giving him a kiss.
When Jack pulls away, “I’m more nervous about you opening your mouth and telling everybody something you’re not supposed to.” he said under his breath.
Maryse’s smile turned mischievous instantly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said innocently.
Jack gave her a look. “Maryse.”
“What?” she laughed. “I’ve been quiet for weeks.”
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “You’re not as slick as you think you are.”
She bit back a grin, eyes flicking down to his lips before back up to his eyes.
“Maybe I just think tonight’s a good night,” she said.
Jack shook his head, but he was smiling now. “You’re gonna stress me out before we even get there.”
Maryse laughed softly and reached up, fixing the collar of his jacket.
“You’ll survive,” she teased. “You always do.”
As they started heading for the door, she stopped in her tracks.
“Wait,” Maryse said suddenly, pulling back. “We need to call the babysitter.”
Jack blinked. “Oh—yeah.”
He reached for his phone, and within a few seconds, the call connected. It rang once, twice—
Then chaos.
“DADDYYY!!” Noah’s voice yelled through the phone so loud Jack had to pull it back slightly.
Right behind him, London chimed in, even louder somehow. “MOMMY!! We three now!!”
The twins hadn’t stopped talking about their birthday since yesterday.
Maryse laughed immediately, leaning into Jack so she could be heard. “Yes, you are! My big three-year-olds!”
“Mommy, where you go?” London asked, her voice softening just a little.
“We’re going to Daddy’s party, baby,” Maryse said gently. “But we wanted to call and tell you goodnight first.”
“No stay!” Noah protested. “Come home!”
Jack’s face softened immediately. “Hey, hey… we’ll be home in the morning, okay? You be good for the babysitter.”
“We good!” London said proudly. “We not bad!”
Maryse smiled, her chest tightening just a little. “I know you’re not. We love you guys so much, okay?”
“Love you!” they both shouted at the same time.
“Love you more,” Jack replied.
“Nooo, I love you more!” Noah argued.
London gasped dramatically. “No, me love you more!”
Maryse laughed, shaking her head. “Okay, okay. Everybody loves everybody the most.”
“Okay,” Noah agreed.
“Okay,” London echoed.
“Alright, bedtime,” the babysitter said gently in the background.
“Night night!” London sang.
“Night!” Noah added.
“Goodnight, babies,” Maryse said softly.
“Love you,” Jack added before ending the call.
The room went quiet again.
Maryse exhaled, leaning into him. “They’re really three.”
Jack smiled softly. “Yeah… talking like they’re ten.”
She laughed quietly, then grabbed her bag.
“Alright,” she said, glancing at him. “Now we can go.”
Jack nodded, slipping his phone into his pocket before reaching for her hand.
“Let’s go celebrate,” he said.
Monica
The three-year stretch between Jackman. and Monica marks the longest gap between albums in Jack Harlow’s career and it was intentional. During an interview with Apple Music in March 2025, the Louisville-born rapper explained why he stepped back from the rapid-fire release schedule that helped define his rise.
“I’m trying to transcend,” he said. “I want to do something I’ve never done, and I’m slowly starting to accept that it’s going to take me longer than any of my past projects if I want it to be like nothing I’ve ever done.”
Part of that transformation happened off the mic. In the years between albums, Harlow quietly reshaped his life, leaving his hometown of Louisville and relocating with his longtime partner, Maryse Monet, and their twins. The move placed him in the heart of New York City, where he began recording much of Monica inside the legendary rooms of Electric Lady Studios.
The shift in scenery and mindset sparked something new. On Monica, Harlow largely steps away from the rap persona that first made him famous and instead leans fully into moody, late-night R&B. The album trades punchlines for confessionals, swagger for vulnerability. It’s a record steeped in candlelit soul grooves, soft piano runs, and jazz-tinged percussion, with Harlow delivering his most melodic and intimate performances to date.
Much of the album reads like a love letter, subtle, sometimes direct to Monet and the life they built together. The influence of her world as an R&B singer lingers in the album’s sonic palette, from the smoky textures to the romantic storytelling that unfolds track by track.
The contemplative Casanova appears frequently lost in reverie. On “Prague,” Harlow drifts into daydreams about a woman an ocean away. “Trade Places” takes the fantasy even further, imagining himself transforming into the lamppost his lover leans against on a quiet city street, while a loose jazz drums set the mood.
But romance on Monica isn’t simple. Passions intensify, doubts creep in, and the emotional stakes rise. Still, Harlow never fully abandons the hopeful romantic at his core. On the tender standout “All of My Friends,” he reflects on the early days of falling in love when everyone around him warned he was moving too fast.
“All of my friends say I keep falling / Falling in love way too often / Telling me slow down and be cautious,” he sings. “But if I had you…”
The moment feels like a quiet callback to the beginning of his relationship with Monet. A reminder that even before the fame, the family, and the music that followed, Harlow was simply a man who believed deeply in love.
With Monica, he still does.
***
The release party was louder than either of them expected.
Music pulsed through the room, glasses clinked, people laughed and shouted over the beat as industry friends, family, and artists filled the space. It was technically both an album release party and a birthday celebration, and the crowd reflected that label executives, producers, friends from Louisville, Maryse’s circle, and more than a few curious artists who wanted to hear the new direction from Jack Harlow.
But in the middle of all of it, Jack and Maryse felt like they were in their own little world.
They’d drifted onto the dance floor a few songs ago, though neither of them were really dancing. Jack had his arms loosely wrapped around her waist while Maryse rested her hands on his shoulders, the two of them swaying gently to the slow R&B track filling the room.
People moved around them, lights flickered across the floor, but they barely noticed.
Maryse leaned her head against his chest for a moment before tilting her face up toward him. Her eyes were warm, proud the kind of look that made Jack feel like he’d done something bigger than just release an album.
She leaned up and kissed him softly.
“I love you,” she said when she pulled back.
Jack smiled immediately, that familiar boyish grin creeping onto his face.
“Happy birthday,” she added, brushing her thumb along his jaw. “And congratulations. This album… you really did something special.”
He shrugged a little, suddenly shy under her praise.
Maryse shook her head gently, not letting him brush it off. “No, I’m serious. You’re the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
She paused, then smirked slightly.
“Well… besides the kids.”
Jack laughed under his breath, but his ears had already started turning red.
“Oh my God,” she teased, noticing immediately. “You’re blushing.”
“I am not,” he muttered, looking away for a second.
“You are.”
Jack tried to hide it by pulling her closer, burying his face briefly against her hair like that would somehow conceal it.
“You can’t say stuff like that in public,” he mumbled.
Maryse laughed softly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Too late,” she whispered.
And while the music kept playing and the crowd kept celebrating, Jack held her a little tighter because for all the success, the attention, the new chapter of music… this was still the part of his life that meant the most.
LifeOfMonet
Liked by urbanwyatt, claybornharlow, dojacat, maggieharlowspreaks, nemoachida, yungskylark, and 956,789 others
LifeOfMonet: Happy birthday to the most hardworking, passionate, and stubbornly dedicated man I know. Watching you create this album from the ground up has been one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. The late nights, the second-guessing, the moments you thought you weren’t getting it right and then watching you push through and make something this special. I’m so proud of you.
This album is different. It’s vulnerable, soulful, and somehow still so you. You really put your whole heart into this one and I hope everyone hears that the same way I did sitting in the studio night after night.
And getting to sneak onto a few songs to do backup vocals? Yeah… I’m not gonna lie, that was pretty cool. Honored is an understatement.
Happy 28th birthday, my love. I hope tonight you feel even a fraction of the pride the rest of us feel for you.
Now everyone go stream the album… because I’ve been hearing it for months and it’s finally your turn.
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user: WHATTTTTTTTT
user: he proposed?!!!!!!!!
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dojacat: bitch what the hell?!!!
saweetie: call me immediately!!! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me 😭
Latto: that ring tho 😍
user: the streets lost a real one
jackharlow: I knew you were gonna spill it 🤎
user: adding the last photo like we wouldn’t notice smh
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maggieharlowspeaks: finally ❤️
urbanwyatt: took him long enough
*****
AN: whewwww surprise!!!! They’re engaged finally!!! Had a slight time jump 🥳 sorry this took so long I miss them so much
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