âącinnamon girl* | (dbf/neighbor!joel)
You and your parents rent a lakeside cabin, Joel and Sarah Miller are your neighbors. Youâre all grown up, and youâll do anything to prove to Joel youâre a woman now.Â
âąpsycho* | (brat tamer!joel)
You're Joel's little psycho girlfriend, and sometimes you take things just a little too far.
âącherry thrill* | (tattoo artist daddy dom!joel miller x virgin sub f!reader)
Trust and devotion. Ink meets innocence. Your tattoo artist, Joel Miller, shows you what it really means to give up control. Reeling from the loss of your job, youâre running out of options, until a passing comment from Joel and a video camera give you just the right idea.
âądelicate | co-authored with @thetriumphantpanda
Sarah decides, with a year until she leaves home for good, that it's time for her dad to start dating again. Joel doesn't understand the fuss, he's more than happy with how life is for him right now, but decides if it's for Sarah, he'll give it a go. After wading through the dating apps, he comes across someone new, someone who might just be able to be the company he's needed all along.
âąone shots / requests
frankie morales
series
âątable for two* | (linecook!frankie x waitress f!reader)
Tommyâs Diner is where dreams go to die and burnouts clock-in for work. Waitressing would be boring without the flirtatious distractions of line cook Frankie Morales.
mike schmidt
âąevery rose has its thorns*
Mike really likes your white panties with the pretty rose on the front.
series summary: Tommyâs Diner is where dreams go to die and burnouts clock-in for work. Waitressing would be boring without the flirtatious distractions of line cook Frankie Morales.
chapter one: slow shift*
You and Frankie do a small celebration in honor of your manager's birthday. Frankie distracts you while trying to cut the cake.
chapter two: surfing the crimson wave*
You lash out at Frankie, he unexpectedly does you a kindness. You thank him in his truck the best way you know how.Â
chapter three: playing hooky*
Frankie calls in sick for his shift. You simply must investigate.Â
chapter four: sunnyside cemetery*
A ghost haunts the kitchen. Or does it? A spooky night at the cemetery forces your feelings for Frankie to come to a head.Â
chapter five: tequila!*
A night off and some well deserved drinks put you and Frankie in the same spot on a Friday night.Â
chapter six - mini chapter: when you know, you know
A flashback shows Tommyâs crew enjoying Christmas Eve at the diner. Frankie makes his first move with a New Yearâs kiss.Â
chapter seven: think later*
Frankie asks you out on your first official date. Â It doesn't go as planned.
chapter eight: uneasy hearts weigh the most*
Benny hosts the party of the year where broken pieces of Frankie's past are unearthed.
chapter nine: ungodly and unprofessional*
Who said anything about falling in love? you're just co-workers.
chapter ten: titanic*
Frankie sees his father for the first time in years over a tense birthday dinner.
chapter eleven: fireworks in your eyes*
frankie's romantic fourth of july plans go awry when your boss pulls the plug on your beloved jukebox.
chapter twelve: who knows anymore!
â§ïœ„ïŸ: *â§ïœ„ïŸ:*
extras:
âą table for two moodboard by @cavillscurls
âą table for two commission by @kenobiwanx
âą table for two moodboard by @almostfoxglove
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javier peña x reader | one shot | fluff | read on ao3
after a long, tough weekend at work for you both, javi shows up and interrupts you just as youâre about to take your âeverything showerâ.
the harvest festival
frankie morales x reader | one shot | fluff | read on ao3
you agree to take your nephew to his first harvest festival where he meets a new friend⊠and you get to meet her hot dad. jolabrew + withcheese fall challenge by jolapeno and goodwithcheese
the bright green string of fate
joel miller x ofc!reader | one shot | fluff | read on ao3
after moving to an apartment in austin, texas, you meet your new neighbor, joel. soulmate au
post-it note pursuit
javier peña x reader | one shot | fluff | read on ao3
someone in the office is leaving you post-it notes. dear-uary epistolary challenge by jolapeno
"baby, where's your underwear?"
javier peña x reader | drabble | mild spice | read on ao3
javi persuades you to go commando in the office. never have i ever challenge by yxtkiwiyxt
"that won't ever be me, bebita."
javier peña x reader | one shot | angst | read on ao3
javi and steve go missing. with los pepes at large, you and connie wait up and worry for your loves. angst challenge by almostfoxglove
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frankie morales x diabetic!reader | one shot | fluff | read on ao3
frankie takes care of you when your blood sugars crash. disability visibility challenge by romanarose
like breathing
javier peña x f!reader | one shot | angst/smut | read on ao3
you try to get javier peña to come home.
best day ever!
javier peña x f!reader | drabble | fluff | read on ao3
javi takes you to disneyworld and you try to convince him to wear the damn ears. trope search by jolacheese b&b
amor prohibido
javier peña x !reader | one shot | smut | read on ao3
javier peña is catching feelings for the last person on earth that he should. đ¶summer tunes writing challengeđ¶ by burntheedges
the morning commute
javier peña x reader | completed series | action | read on ao3
in the midst of escobarâs desperate war for control in colombia, your morning commute is disrupted when you find yourself tangled up in his latest bomb threat. speed (1994) au
the inbetween
joel miller & trauma surgeon!ofc | series | angst | read on ao3
it's been five years since the incident and someone has something to tell joel miller.
more
reading and recs blog | iknowisoundcrazyreads
a little bit more about me | from iknowisoundcrazyreads
dividers by me, but with canva measurements from @saradika-graphics (thank you!)
OMG YES!! The left one is âI canât believe sheâs my wifeâ Harry, and the right one is âI got my wife back and Iâm never letting her go againâ Harry đđ€
[SUMMARY: Joel is forced to take Ellie while dealing with his seven month pregnant wife.]
âIâm not taking you out there, youâre pregnant itâs too much of a riskâ he whispered leaning close to you.
Joel was pissed making his way back to you, he shouldâve known Marlene would have something up her sleeve. Now here he was responsible for a young girl he knew nothing of other than the fact that she had a real sarcastic attitude. How the hell did this fall on him? How the hell did this become his responsibility? Joel had enough on his plate with you eight months pregnant, the thought of stressing you out only angered him more.
âSo uh, do you stay by yourself?â The young girl began to ask questions curiously.
âNoâ he responded blandly as he continued to walk.
âWho do you live with?â It was hard to hide how he felt and in that moment he was irritated.
âKeep walking kidâ he mumbled under his breath.
âMy name is Ellieâ she snapped back at him but he barely acknowledged her response. Concerned of what your reaction would be once he arrived and you learned of what he had to do, he couldnât think straight.
âWhy do you look so worried?â Ellieâs voice interrupting his thoughts making him look up.
âIâm notâ
âOkayâŠwhatever you sayâ she raised her brows looking away.
For the rest of the walk she didnât say much which relieved Joel. Once arriving to where he stayed he stopped before the door and turned to her.
âListen, you do not say a word. You do not question, you do not argue, you simply do as your told and thatâs it. Understood?â She nodded pressing her lips together.
The sound of Joel opening the door making you practically run towards him as you held your belly.
âJoel?â You yelled out as the door opened and to your relief, there he was. He hated whenever he had to leave your side, he knew how anxious it always left you, afraid he wouldnât make it back. Noticing blood on the side of his face you gasped grabbing him gently.
âWhat happened?â
âIâm fineâ he assured you knowing you hadnât noticed Ellie behind him.
âThereâs something we need to talk aboutâ just as he began to explain, the sound of a sneeze made you furrow your brows. Slowly looking behind him you saw a young girl looking down at the ground anxiously.
âWhoâs this?â
Joel took a deep breath before turning to her and motioning towards the other side of the room.
âGo stand over thereâ she did as he asked as Joel took your hand leading you to the kitchen.
âJoel, what happened out there?â You asked as you leaned back on the counter.
âWhen I got to Marlene, they had just been attacked, Marlene was shot and they no longer had a functioning car for us to use.â You sighed brushing your hair back.
âShe asked me to take her with me, her name is Ellie.â You looked over at her across the room before looking back at him confused.
âShe needs to be taken somewhere and there, Marlene promised a car would be ready for us.â
âSo what does this mean?â
You asked still struggling to understand.
âYouâre gonna wait here for me while I go take her where she needs to go and I get the car-â before he could even finish you already began shaking your head.
âNo, no, Iâm not waiting here again for God knows how longâ Joel took a deep breath rubbing the back of his neck.
âIâll come right back here and weâll finally be able to get you to that doctor-â
âNo. No,â you continued shaking your head stubbornly.
âIâm not taking you out there, youâre pregnant itâs too much of a riskâ he whispered leaning close to you.
âOh yeah? And what if something happens while youâre gone? Then what?â Joel knew you were right but the thought of you being out there didnât sit well with him either.
âYouâre staying hereâ he insisted.
âNo, Joel neither of us have any idea how long you will be gone. I could have the baby within the next few weeksâ you began to cry out of frustration which only made him guilty.
âOk, ok câmereâ he pulled you to him leaning his chin over your head. He couldnât stand seeing you stress out especially at this point in your pregnancy.
âI can do it, Joel. Just please donât leave me alone here, plus where youâre going is in route to where we are suppose to go. Thereâs no point coming back and fourthâ he didnât say a word. He didnât like the idea of leaving you alone this far long nor taking you out into the danger. Looking over at Ellie he caught her looking at the both of you before she quickly looked away.
âFine,â he looked back at you.
âBut the second anything goes wrong or you feel anything, weâre coming back.â
You sighed in relief knowing you wouldnât be left alone.
Joel packed whatever he could in his bag that he thought you might need for the journey. He hated that he somehow was put into this mess responsible for Ellieâs delivery, but if it meant a car to get you a doctor, he was willing to do so.
As the three of you began to walk he wouldnât stop looking your way, concerned with each step you took while also aware of his surroundings. Ellie noticed he seemed paranoid looking behind every couple of minutes but she didnât say a word of it.
âSo uh, are you having a boy or girl?â Ellie couldnât help but ask after what felt like an hour of silence.
âEllie-â
âWe donât knowâ you responded in a friendly tone cutting off Joel. She noticed you seemed more open to speak than Joel did and immediately took a liking to you.
âSo do you want a boy or girl?â She asked making Joel look back at her with a warning glare.
âHm, I donât know, I always imagined Iâd have a girlâ your response distracting Joel, making him look back at you intrigued.
âEither way, as long as the baby is ok Iâll be happy, but I have a feeling itâs a girl.â Joel didnât say a word but Ellie noticed his expression soften. One thing she was quick to notice was that if you said green, then green it was for Joel. He listened to you, his concern for you overlapped any grumpiness he seemed to have at times.
Stopping in front of what seemed like broken giant scraps of metal, Joel looked around to see if there was another way through that road.
âLetâs goâ you looked over at him as Ellie quickly skipped past you and hopped on a metal box.
âItâs not so badâ she shrugged as Joel looked over at your belly before your eyes.
âAlright well, youâre gonna hold on to meâ Joel went onto grab your hand as you sighed.
âJoel, itâs not that messy hereâ ignoring you he proceeded to walk leading you over the scraps of
metal and glass. Taking step by step he didnât let go of your hand, trying his best to push aside anything in the way to make a trail for you. Ellie watched how careful Joel was with you as you walked close behind him. She ran ahead the both of you as Joel called out for her to slow down.
âAlmost thereâ he whispered to himself finally reaching the end. Breathing in relief he quickly turned to you helping you down the last step when your foot slid on a pipe. Before you could fall he quickly caught you with panic in his eyes.
âIâm okâ you assured him seeing the concerned look he had. In silence he nodded before looking up at Ellie.
âLetâs keep movingâ your voice making him turn back down to you. He still hadnât let go of you but he did as you asked and calmly continued the walk.
Walking down a quiet block you happened to pass an abanonded ice cream shop. You sighed rubbing your belly, one of your biggest craving through out your entire pregnancy.
âOh what Iâd do for some chocolate ice creamâ Ellie looked at the store you stared at remembering she had some snacks in her backpack. Rushing looking through it she found a chocolate bar she had been saving for later.
âHeads upâ you both looked over at her as she threw something small your way. Once you caught it you had realized it was a chocolate bar.
âWhereâd you get this?!â
âMarleneâ Ellie shrugged.
âAre you sure, Ellie?â You felt guilty taking candy from a kid.
âGo ahead, Iâve had enough of those anywaysâ she lied with a smile.
âThank youâ excitedly you rushed to open it and take a bite as Joel watched in silence. He knew how much you loved chocolate. A smirk appearing on his lips as he watched you sigh savoring the taste of it.
âThis is so goodâ you whispered taking another bite. Joel looked over at Ellie who watched you excitedly eat, feeling a little guilty about being so hard on her in the beginning.
âThank youâ his voice making her look up at him. She didnât say much but he could tell she felt good about herself in that moment.
After another half hour of walking you began to feel tired. Joel could tell you were beginning to look exhausted and began looking around for a place to rest.
âAlright, we gotta find shelterâ he began looking at the surroundings for a place.
âIâm fine, Joelâ
âYouâre exhausted-â
âIâm fine. I can keep goingâ you assured him but he knew you were lying.
âHow much longer is it?â Ellie asked.
âAnother hour or soâ Joel responded not taking his eyes off you. He leaned in closer noticing you lean on the wall beside you for support.
Something didnât feel right but it only made you want to rush faster to where you had to go to get the car. Yet, you refused to tell Joel knowing he would stop anything right there.
âMaybe she needs waterâ Ellie suggested.
âShe needs restâ
âNo. Letâs goâ you pushed yourself forward and continued to walk taking deep breaths as you did. Joel stayed close behind you, keeping a close eye on you while also continuing to make sure the surroundings were clear.
âAlright weâre stopping right hereâ Joel insisted after another half hour went by.
âStopping where?â You asked as he proceeded to open a door of an abandoned shop. Quickly checking around the small store he motioned for you both to follow him in as you sighed.
âWhat are we doing?â You raised a brow as Joel double checked the place.
âWeâre taking a break. Im gonna see what I can find around here while you get some rest and Ellie stays with you-â just as you were about to ask question Joel cut you off knowing what it would be.
âIm not going farâ he assured you.
âYou need me you just call out for me, Iâll hear you.â He knew you didnât like this but he also knew how stubborn of a woman you could be.
âWe are delaying timeâ
Joel ignored your words as he pulled a massive box to the door to help block any entry.
âSo Iâm suppose to watch her?â Ellie asked a bit confused making Joel stop what he was doing to turn directly to her.
âYou donât take your eyes off her even for a secondâ he pointed his index finger at her as he spoke.
âIâm perfectly fineâ you insisted.
âIâll be right backâ Joel made sure the door was blocked behind him as he made his way out while Ellie looked at you awkwardly.
âIs he always this friendly?â She asked sarcastically making you sigh.
âHeâs not too bad, heâs justâŠworriedâ you looked down at your belly before slowly taking a seat on a chair against the wall.
âI might as well get my restâ you shrugged as Ellie looked around quickly noticing a hall that led to a comic book section. Looking back at you she watched as you closed your eyes leaning your head against the wall. Wait for a bit she slowly made her way to the back without waking you.
Before you could realize twenty minutes had passed and you opened your eyes with Ellie nowhere in sight.
âEllie?â You called out for her wondering where she had gone.
âEllie?!â You called for her again as she walked further into the back, distracted with her excitement reading the books she hadnât heard a thing.
âDammitâ you whispered pushing yourself to stand up when a sudden sharp pain struck your belly making you gasp and lean forward. Holding your belly you winced feeling another stronger pain.
âWoahâ you whispered.
Attempting to sit back in the seat you lost your balance from the pain and fell to the side.
Squeezing your eyes shut tightly you felt a rush from your lower back into your lower abdomen like you had never felt before. Fear setting in, you called Ellie again to no avail when you heard the main door open. Joel pushed the box out of the way instantly seeing you on the floor.
âWhat happened? Whatâs hurting you?â He rushed falling to his knees before you trying to sit you up.
âI donât know I just felt a pain, I went to get up and-â
âWhere the hell is Ellie?â He looked behind him as the sound of you in discomfort made him quickly turn back to you.
âEllie!â He called out not taking his eyes off you.
âJoel I think Iâm getting contractionsâ you spoke in between breaths.
âItâs too early, itâs not time yetâ you shook your head seeing the concern in his deep brown eyes.
âCalm down, Iâm gonna get you out of here-â
âThat was pretty fast, Joelâ Ellie appeared quickly noticing you on the floor.
âIs she okay?â She ran up beside you as Joel narrowed his eyes on her.
âI told you to stay with her.â
âJoel, she was sleeping, is that I saw-â
âI donât care what you saw, I asked you to stay with her didnât I? â he spoke coldly.
âJoel stop, sheâs a child. Donât blame herâ you placed your hand on the side of his face turning him to you. He could still see the pain you felt, panic settling in he took a deep breath.
âThereâs a place close by I saw while I was out there. Thereâs guards, I think itâs Marleneâs people, weâll get you there and get helpâ
Joel wasnât one to trust anyone but you could see the desperation in his eyes for you.
âYou think thatâs a good-â before you could even finish you cried out as another rush of pain took over. Joel hated seeing you in pain, he felt helpless. Without saying a word he stood up and lifted you up in his arms.
âLetâs goâ he looked over at Ellie as she quickly grabbed your bag and followed.
Joel walked as fast as he could as Ellie ran ahead hoping to find someone to help them in.
âJoel I think itâs over here!â Ellie yelled out to him noticing something from afar. He ran side by side with her, you hid your face in Joelâs neck with your arms wrapped around him.
Arriving at the place Joel noticed large doors with guards out front making you all stop in your tracks.
âStop right there!â A man yelled out holding a gun.
âWeâre not sick!â Joel quickly yelled out as a dark flashback in his mind of him in this exact position with his daughter.
âSheâs pregnantâ he tried to explain in desperation as the doors suddenly opened and Joel came face to face with someone he never thought heâd see again.
âTommyâ he whispered in disbelief at the sight of his brother before him. Dealing with so much pain you could barely make out what was being said, your eyes closing as Tommy ran towards you.
Tommy looked at his brother before looking down at you in Joelâs arms.
âP-please help her..â he could barely make out his words, all kinds of thoughts and feelings running through him at once. Tommy could see the deep fear and exhaustion his brother had and quickly called for help, taking you from his arms he ran inside and had him follow.
Ellie quickly followed behind Joel as he entered the room you were taken to. In the short time she had spent with him she had never seen him like this. He watched as a man came rushing in quickly with equipment as you continued to moan in pain. He watched the man connect an IV to you before pulling out a needle.
âWhat are you giving her?â He quickly ran beside you as Tommy tried to push him back.
âItâs ok, Joel heâs a doctorâ Tommy explained noticing the dark bags under Joelâs eyes.
âYou should sit down, brotherâ
He didnât say a word, simply shaking his head not taking his eyes off you. A belt being placed around your belly, Joel couldnât believe all the equipment they had for you.
âIs the baby ok?â You winced trying not to cry. The doctor didnât respond as he tried to move as fast as possible.
âHey, sheâs asking you a questionâ Joel spoke up defensively making the doctor look at him.
âJoel, maybe we should wait outsideâ Tommy suggested.
âIâm not leaving herâ he responded as Ellie watched on.
âThere it isâ the doctor placed a wand against your stomach and the clear sound of a heartbeat could be heard. You breathed in relief looking at the screen.
âYour water hasnât broken so I can give you something to stop the contractions. They should be easing up soon, if they havenât alreadyâ you nodded in agreement calmly laying back on the bed. Joel looked down at you brushing your hair back as you looked up at him.
âIâll be right outside if Iâm neededâ the doctor made his way out as Joel thanked him before looking over at Tommy.
Exhaustion taking over you, you sighed before realizing what Joel had said earlier.
âDid you say Tommy?â You asked in a sleepy voice as the medicine began to settle in. Never had you met his brother but you always heard about him.
âYesâ Joel cracked a smiled as he looked over at him. Ellie had no idea what was going on but slowly walked up to the other side of you.
âYou ok?â Ellie asked softly making Joel look up, he could see the guilt in her eyes.
âItâs not your fault, kid.â Joel quickly responded as you eyes began to close, too tired to speak.
A couple hours went by and you woke up to the doctor checking you again. Joel anxiously beside you holding your hand as the doctor placed the wand against your belly again.
âEverything ok?â You whispered as Ellie stood by your feet.
âEverything is working great. Contractions stopped and babyâs kicking just fineâ you smiled taking a deep breath.
âWould you like to know the sex?â The doctor suddenly asked making you look at Joel. He nodded with a wink as you quickly turned to the doctor with a look of approval.
âYouâre having a baby girlâ you looked at Joel in shock but your smile quickly disappeared as he seemed to have lost color in his face.
âJoel?â You whispered.
âOh thatâs awesome just what you wanted!â Ellie cheered excitedly before realizing how concerned you looked at Joel. His mind going to a distant place remembering the day Sarah was bornâŠstill something he was unable to share with you.
âJoel?â You whispered again snapping him out of it.
âDid you want a boy?â You asked a bit confused.
âNoâ he responded quickly letting out a breath, realizing he was in fact secretly hoping for a girl.
âWeâre having a baby girlâ a smile appeared with tears in his eyes as you sighed in relief. Tommy stood by the door silently hearing the news, he could tell his brother hadnât told anyone about Sarah, but he knew he would when he was ready. Still, Tommy smiled seeing a bit of Joel heal in that very moment..
[SUMMARY: You struggle with Joel being so distant and break up with him, he does everything he can to get you back.]
Angst
Joel had always been difficult to reach, he wasnât cruel to you, never mistreated you..but he was always distant. Sometimes it felt like standing outside a house with all the lights on and knowing someone was inside, but every door remained locked. You tried to be understanding to it, his ways, his habits, but sometimes it became harder than others to just let things be.
Heâd brush his fingers against yours while walking through town. Heâd quietly hand you the better portion of food without saying a word, heâd stand between you and danger before you even noticed it existed. Joel showed he cared in his own ways, you always noticed this. The problem was that caring was where he stopped, communication was always limited. The closer you got, the further he seemed to be. When he didnât look fine, heâd insist he was, that was when heâd shut down the most.
Every time you needed reassurance, heâd look at you like you were asking him to translate a language heâd never learned. Yet, you kept trying, kept yourself hopeful that eventually something would change. You knew what heâd gone through and that was only because Tommy told you.
âJoel, talk to me.â
âNothinâ to talk about.â
âYes there is..â
âNo.â
It happened so often it became routine. You reaching and reaching, him withdrawing. He disappeared further and before you knew it, months turned into years of the same cycle. You somehow convinced yourself to accept the scraps, a hand on your lower back, a kiss before he left.
The occasional âYou alright?â muttered while cleaning a rifle. But the words you desperately needed never came.
No âI need youâ or âI love you.â
Not even âIâm scared youâll leave.â
You started telling yourself you didnât need those things although your heart yearned for it. You convinced yourself that maybe this was simply who Joel was. Maybe loving him meant accepting less.
Until one night you simply couldnât take it any longer..
You had a terrible day..enough small things piling together until your chest felt too heavy. You found Joel on the porch looking out into the sunset.
âCan I sit with you?â He nodded.
You sat beside him as he remained silent. The silence felt like forever until eventually you whispered-
âI donât think you know me.â
Joel frowned.
âWhat?â
âI donât think you want to.â
His jaw tightened.
âHere we go.â The words hit harder than if heâd yelled.
Here we go.
Like your pain was an inconvenience, as if your heart was a chore. You stared at him lost in thought.
âIâve spent years trying to let you in.â
âYou know me.â He uttered low.
âNo.â
Your voice cracked.
âI know what you let me know.â
Joel looked away immediately and that told you everything.
You laughed softly..the kind of laugh that comes right before crying.
âI donât know what scares you more, Joel. Losing me or needing me.â His face tense, he wouldnât dare look at you.
âYou done?â You froze then slowly nodded.
âMhm.â
That was the first time you stopped trying..Joel didnât notice. Not at first.
Avoidant people rarely notice when someone starts pulling away because theyâre used to the distance themselves. You stopped asking questions, stopped seeking comfort. You even stopped waiting up for him.
Joel just thought things had finally settled down.No more difficult conversations or emotional confrontations. For a while he actually felt relieved.
Then he noticed you didnât smile at him anymore.Not a real smile at least..the one that used to light up your entire face. A few weeks later he realized you hadnât touched him first in over a month.
A month after that he woke up and discovered he couldnât remember the last time youâd said âI love you.âSomething cold settled in his chest, fear..
He ignored it.
Until the night he came home and found a packed bag sitting beside the door.
Joel stared at it, then at you.
âWhat is that?â
You folded a shirt, not answering him.
His pulse began accelerating.
âWhat is that?â Finally you looked up and the exhaustion in your eyes nearly stopped his heart.
âIâm leaving.â Joelâs heart sunk.
âWhat?â He walked towards you.
âIâm leaving, Joel.â
âNo.â He responded instantly like a reflex.
âI canât do this anymore.â Exhaustion in your voice.
âThe hell are you talkinâ about? You been fineâ he took a step closer, confused, defensive.
You smiled sadly.
âIâve been fine becuase I havenât been talking to you. Thatâs what you consider fine?â You shook your head as if that was all the confirmation you needed.
The realization hit him all at once, you werenât fine. You had just given up..
âSo thatâs it huh?â He spoke louder, you could hear the anger in his voice. He was pissed but not at you, at himself.
Every conversation heâd dismissed, every time heâd watched you cry and convinced himself giving you space was enough. Every damn excuse he made.
You wouldnât respond, swallowing your tears as he watched you, shoulders tense.
âAnd where the hell you gonna go at this time?â
âMaria said I could stay with her until they find somewhere else for me-â
âMy brother?â He cut you off defensively, still you wouldnât look at him.
âTommy knew about this?â
âJoel, I just told her about an hour ago.â You spoke softly as you zipped up the bag. A wave of emotions coming over him, anger turned into guilt. Guilt that he had pushed you awayâŠthat he made you feel unloved. It couldnât have been farther from the truth.
You turned placing your bag over your shoulder and thatâs when it set in over himâŠpanic. Joelâs expression changed.
âWait a minute, baby-â he rushed towards you, his hand brushing over your waist.
âLetâs talk about this, you donât need to go.â A knot in your throat forming, a look of desperation in his eyes you hadnât ever seen.
âItâs too late to talk-â
âYou donât mean that, come on, put your bag down. Well- weâll fix this, whatever you need me to doâ He took your hand in his as you slowly shook your head.
âI canât-â
âThe hell do you want me to do dammit?!â He suddenly yelled, anger taking over him, his tone harsher than he meant it to be. Never had he spoken like this to you before.
âThe hell you want me to say huh?! What is it?! What do you need from me?!â
âI needed you!â You finally yelled back with tears. You pulled your hand away, Joel stood in shock. Just like that he watched you walk out of his life without turning back..
His chest felt tight, he stumbled slowly towards the wall and placed his back against it. He knew this feeling all too well. The walls feeling like they were caving in, he loosened a button at the top of his shirt as he closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. His fear becoming a reality.
~~
The first week after you left was the quietest Joel had ever known..your absence followed him everywhere. He hated it. The worst part was at night, heâd reach for you half asleep only to feel the cold sheets beside him.
I needed you.
Joel could hear your voice over and over again saying this, the pain in your voice haunted him.
He sat on his porch long after sunset, staring at the house a few doors down where Tommy and Maria had taken you in. He could see the light from the kitchen window. He could imagine you inside, laughing, safe..without him.
The thought made his chest ache, he looked away trying to shake the image out of his head.
~~
The next morning, Tommy found Joel repairing a fence that didnât need repairing.
âYou fixed that last week.â
Joel hammered another nail.
âItâs loose.â
âIt ainât loose.â
Joel eyes narrowed on him, Tommy sighed.
âStill thinkinâ about her?â
Joel stopped moving.
As if there had been a moment when he wasnât. He stared silently at the screw.
âI screwed up.â
Tommy nodded.
âYeah.â
âI didnât mean to, Tommy. I swear I didnâtâ he looked up at his brother who gave him a silent nod.
âShe..she ok?â
âSheâs not talkinâ much but sheâs fineâ Tommy responded, Joel looked down pressing his lips together.
âCome on, letâs have a drink, you look like you need one.â He proceeded to turn towards his door.
âI canât-â
âAnd why not?â
âSheâs-sheâs in there ainât she?â
âShe went to check on the horses with Maria, they wonât be back for a bit. Besides Iâll be damned if I canât have a drink with my own brother in my houseâ Tommy chuckled as he led the way in.
As soon as Joel walked in he could see your shoes by the door, your favorite indoor slip ons he had found for you brand new a while back. He kept his head down following his brother to the kitchen, hadnât even noticed his brother was talking till he slammed a cup on the counter before him.
âYou there, Joel?â He quickly looked up.
âHuh, yeah. Iâm readyâ
Tommy laughed as he grabbed the bottle and poured them both a drink. He could see how hurt his brother was, how distracted he was.
âShit, brother if you canât let me in, at least let her in. You got yourself a good woman. Not much that would put up with your shitâ he smiled before taking a sip. He tried to break a smile out of his brother but it was harder than he thought.
Then they both heard the door open.
Both men turned toward the door to see you and Maria walking in, a smile on your face as you spoke about how being around the horses felt relaxing. How you enjoyed taking care of them. So lost in the conversation you hadnât noticed Tommy was sitting at the table with someone else across from him, until you looked up. You stopped right in your tracks, your smile instantly disappearing. Joel stood up awkwardly clearing his throat, he knew he wasnât wanted there. The last thing he wanted to do was make you uncomfortable. He could see Maria giving Tommy a look, a hand on her hip piercing him with her eyes.
âHey-â Mariaâs eyes softened as she turned to you.
âLet me show you what I was working on earlierâ she took your hand and pulled you up the stairs. Joelâs eyes didnât move from where you had stood, the hurt of the realization that you didnât even want to look at him. He threw his head back chugging back the last of the alcohol in his cup and slammed the glass down. Without saying a word he walked out.
~~
Maria could see how distracted you were, seeing Joel completely threw you off.
âSorry about that, Iâll have a talk with Tommy. He shouldâve known-â
âNo, itâs fine. Theyâre brothers MariaâŠdonât say anything. Iâm not mad Iâm justâŠI wasnât expecting to see him.â You stared off into space thinking about how tired he looked. Maybe he was having trouble sleeping again.
Maybe he wasnât eating right again.
You shook off those thoughts the best you could and sighed.
~~
Joel didnât step near Tommyâs house for a couple weeks, giving you space but still he could see you from afar when youâd step out.
A few days later Joel showed up at Tommyâs house carrying a basket.
Maria opened the door then blinked with slight confusion.
âIs that bread?â
Joel awkwardly held it up.
Youâd once mentioned loving fresh bread. So Joel had spent three miserable hours trying to learn. The loaf looked lopsided, burned on one side.
Maria stared, then couldnât help but laugh.
Joel looked offended.
âIt ainât funny.â
âIt absolutely is.â
She laughed harder.
Joel shoved the basket toward her.
âJust give it to her.â
Maria folded her arms.
âNo.â
Joel frowned.
âWhat do you mean no?â
âYou canât buy your way out of this.â
âIt ainât buying.â
âIt kind of is.â
Joel sighed heavily.
âMaria, please. Iâm tryinââ
Maria sighed, she knew Joel long enough to see when he had regret. To see when something was hurting him to his core.
Maria continued. âJoelâŠshe spent months feeling lonely while standing right next to you.â
Joel looked down, he knew she was right.
âDidnât mean toâŠto push her away. Didnât mean to hurt herâ the more he thought about the pain he caused, the angrier he became with himself.
âGive her time.â
âHow much time?âHis voice came out rough as he looked up.
âAs much as she needs.â
Joel hated that answer but he nodded anyway.
~~
He tried. God, he tried. For almost three weeks he didnât knock on your door. Didnât force conversations, instead he began to quietly change his habits.
The way you always wished he would..
He started showing up to community dinners.
Actually talking to people. He helped Eugeneâs widow repair her roof, fixed playground equipment for the children. He thought of you as he did everything. He thought about how he shut everyone out..including you.
Especially you.
~~
One afternoon you were helping Maria hang laundry when Ellie appeared.
âYou should go talk to him.â
You rolled your eyes.
âNot you too.â
Ellie shrugged. âIâm serious.â
âIâm not ready.â
âOkay.â You paused, that was suspiciously easy.
âOkay?â
Ellie nodded.
âYeah.â
Then she smirked.
âBut you should know heâs becoming annoying.â
You sighed.
âWhat?â
âGuyâs like a sad country song.â
You laughed despite yourself. Ellie pointed toward Joelâs house. âHe stares at your window.â
âOh my God.â
âNot in a creepy way.â
âThat doesnât help.â
Ellie snorted.
âHeâs pathetic.â
Your smile faded slightly. Because a small part of you wondered if Joel really was hurting as much as everyone claimed.
~~
It had been a month.
A month since you told Joel you couldnât keep loving someone who acted like he could take you or leave you. A month since you packed a small bag and moved into Tommy and Mariaâs spare room. A month without feeling the warmth of his body beside yours in bed.
Youâd cried enough that you simply felt numb.
The front door opened, Tommy stepped inside first as you chopped up potatoes on the counter.
âNeed a hand with the rest?â he called over his shoulder.
A familiar voice answered.
âAlready got it.â
Your knife stopped against the potato.
Joel. Your stomach turnedâŠbut not exactly in a dreadful way.
He walked in carrying two heavy sacks of flour over one shoulder and a crate of canned goods in his arms. His sleeves were rolled to his forearms, a light sheen of sweat on his skin. He set everything down without a word, nodding politely to Maria.
âFound coffee beans too,â he said.
Maria smiled knowingly. âYouâre a lifesaver.â
Joel shrugged.
âFigured Iâd save Tommy another trip.â
Tommy snorted.
âYou hate making trips into town.â
Joel scratched the back of his neck.
âGuess I donât mind so much lately.â
You knew exactly who that comment was for.
You refused to look up.
~~
For the next hour he stayed busy. He helped out Tommy with a few things that needed fixing around the house. Eventually it was just you and Joel, you on one side of the room cutting vegetables and him on the other, fixing God knows what.
He never once asked for attention, he never looked to see if you were watching. Which somehow made it worse.
Because you wereâŠevery single second.
So much so as you began to chop up some carrots you werenât paying attention and your hand slipped. You gasped loudly as the sharpness of the knife came into contact with your skin. Joel instantly looked up to see you quickly looking for a rag to cover the wound. Without thinking he put down what he was working on and rushed towards you. He had already seen the blood dripping down your finger so he knew it mustâve been deep.
âYou alright?â Without hesitation he grabbed your hands but you held the rag still against it as he attempted to pull your hands apart.
âNo itâs bleeding-donât-â
âLet me take a lookâ his eyes met yours and you suddenly didnât know how to speak. You watched as he gently removed the rag, his brows furrowed noticing the deep cut. In that moment you wished Tommy and Maria would appear from wherever the hell they were.
âItâs fine, Joelâ
âIt ainât fine, you got yourself pretty good. Sit down-â
âJoel-â
âDamn it baby, just sit downâ your heart jumped. He caught himself as he called you baby but he didnât take it back.
After grabbing what he could find around the house he pushed everything on the table aside and placed a bottle of whiskey down with a first aid kit. Instead of sitting across from you at the table, he pulled a chair up beside you and turned your chair to face him, pulling it toward him.
âCouldâve just told me to turnâ you rolled your eyes.
âFigure Iâd move quicker.â He responded as you looked over at the bottle of liquor.
âNot the whiskeyâ you sighed.
âYes the whiskey.â He responded without looking at you.
An entire month since the two of you had spoken more than a passing hello. A month since everything fell apart. Yet somehow you still found yourself sitting in the chair beside him without another word.
He unscrewed the bottle as you swallowed anxiously.
âThisâll sting.â
âI remember.â
His eyes looked up to yours.
âSo do I.â
He tipped your hand over the table, his fingers warm around your wrist.
âReady?â You nodded and he poured.
The whiskey hit the cut like fire.
âShit-â You jerked forward with a sharp gasp, eyes squeezing shut.
Without thinkinf you grabbed onto something, or rather..someone.
Your free hand had wrapped tightly around Joelâs. Your fingers dug into his calloused skin hard enough that your knuckles turned white.
He didnât flinch or let go, instead he leaned in closer and softly blew across the cut.
The cool air eased the burning just enough that you slowly opened your eyes.
Joel was still there. Close enough that you could see every little line around his eyes, every fleck of gray in his beard. His knees against yours, you didnât want to pull away.
His thumb absentmindedly rubbed small circles against the side of your wrist while he continued inspecting the cut.
âLittle deeper than I thought.â He spoke low.
âBut youâll keep the hand.â A tiny laugh escaped you. It surprised both of you, he couldnât help but smirk.
âThere she is.â Then there was silence, your smile faded.
Joel finally looked down, then over and landed his eyes on your intertwined hands. Only then did you realize you were still holding his.
Your fingers hadnât loosened once.
âOhâŠâ
You started to pull away. Joelâs hand instinctively tightened just enough to stop you.
You didnât move.
His eyes lifted back to yours.
âYou okay?â
There was so much hidden inside those two words. Not just about a stupid cut but about everything thatâs happened.
You simply nodded.
ââŠYeah.â
He studied you for another second like he wanted to ask a hundred more questions. Instead, he let out a deep breath.
âAlright.â
He didnât want to pull away but he did so slowly to finish cleaning up your cut. Very carefully, he cleaned the last of the blood away. His fingers were gentle as he spread antibiotic ointment over the cut.
âYouâll wanna keep this dry today.â You nodded again.
He wrapped the gauze around your palm before securing it with tape.
âThere.â He turned your hand over once to check his work.
âShould heal fine.â
You looked down at the neat bandage.
â..Thank you.â
Joelâs eyes lingered on your face.
âYou donât gotta thank me.â
âI know.â For a moment neither of you moved.
Then the back door opened.
âThere you two are-â
Tommy stopped mid sentence.
Maria looked between the two of you sitting close together. Joel immediately leaned back, still holding your hand.
You quickly pulled your hand into your lap and looked away.
Maria frowned.
âWhat the hell happened?â
You stood a little too fast, nearly knocking the chair over.
âI-â
You held up your bandaged hand.
âI cut myself chopping carrots.â
Tommyâs eyes widened.
âBad?â
âNo.â You forced a small smile.
âIâm fine.â
Maria looked at Joel, then back at you.
Joel had already capped the whiskey bottle and closed the first aid kit, expression carefully unreadable.
âItâll be alright,â he said simply.
âReallyâŠim fine.â
âI think Iâm just gonnaâŠgo lie down for a bit.â
Without waiting for anyone to answer, you slipped past Maria and Tommy, keeping your head down as you hurried toward the guest room. The bedroom door clicked shut behind you. Only then did you lean back against it, closing your eyes. Your hand still tingled beneath the bandage.
But what lingered far more vividly was the memory of Joelâs rough hand in yoursâŠ
And how, for just a few quiet moments, neither of you had wanted to let go.
You overheard Maria telling Joel to stay for dinner, a part of you not sure how to feel about it.
You didnât hear Joel say much, his mind still lost in the moment of being so damn close to you.
Well feeling so close, yet so far.
~~
Everyone settled around the table. Ellie was away helping Dina with patrol schedules keeping herself busy. Conversation flowed around you. Tommy talked about a broken fence, Maria laughed about someoneâs escaped chickens.
Joel mostly listened. Once in a while heâd look your way, not enough to make it obvious but still enough that you caught him every time.
~~
Halfway through dinner your fork slipped from your hand, clattering onto the floor.
Before you could bend, Joel was already kneeling.He picked it up then reached for another clean fork from the drawer.
âThere.â
His voice was quiet, your fingers brushed when you took it. Neither of you pulled away immediately.
âThanks.â
He nodded once.
âYouâre welcome.â
Later that evening Tommy disappeared outside with Maria to check on the horses.
Leaving the two of you alone on the porch.
Neither of them was subtle.You sat on the swing, staring out toward the fading sunset.
Joel leaned against the porch railing, hands shoved into his pockets.
âYour hand ok?â He asked as if it hadnât just happened a couple hours ago. He knew you were fine, but the silence killed him.
âMhm, itâs fine,â you spoke softly as you looked down at your hand not noticing the way he looked over his shoulder back to you.
âI ainât here to make things hard.â
âI know.â
âI told myself Iâd leave you alone.â
âSo why are you here?â You looked up at him. A slight smirk appeared on his lips.
âI lasted twenty eight days.â
âYou counted?â
âEvery one.â He looked down at the porch boards.
âI kept thinkinâ youâd be happier.â
âWell, I wasnât.â
âI wasnât either.â He spoke gently, he rubbed the back of his neck.
âI spent a lotta years thinkinâ if I kept people far enough awayâŠcouldnât lose âem.â
You stayed quiet.
âI realized all that did was make me lose âem anyway.â You watched him carefully.
A month ago he wouldâve shut down, changed the subject, hell not even have begun this conversation.
Now he stood there, uncomfortable as hell, saying the things heâd spent years refusing to admit.
His eyes finally met yours.
âBaby, I miss you. Every. Damn. Day.â His voice cracked.
âIâd wake up thinkinâ Iâd hear you movinâ around the house. Hell, I still catch myself makinâ enough coffee for two.â
You looked down your lap, his stare too intense.
He continued carefully.
âI know itâs only been a month but Iâve done a lot of thinkinâ and I know what you need me to be and Iâm sorry I failed you for so damn long.â His eyes teared up but you still couldnât look up at him. Instead you fiddled with your fingers on your lap, your heart racing. And thatâs when he slowly got down on his knee before you, his hands gently cradling yours.
âI canât lose you, baby. You and Ellie are the only thing that keeps me goinâ.â For some reason as happy as you were to hear his feelings, you almost also felt..angry. You pulled your hands away and shoved them into his chest but he held his balance.
âWhy the hell did it take you so long to realize that?!â He began to shake his head.
âYou donât get it, baby I always realized it. I justâŠI just was too damn stupid to say it.â He noticed a tear falling from your eye and it pulled at his heart. He couldnât take seeing you cry. He looked down at the floor and clenched his jaw, his heart pounding hard in his chest.
âPlease come home, baby. I canâtâŠI ainât sleepinâ without you. I need you with me,â you looked up, his eyes big and puppy like. Youâd never seen him so broken. You parted your lips but couldnât speak at first.
âIâm..Iâm not ready,â you spoke barely a whisper. Your words breaking him. You stood up with him still on his knees before you and rushed back inside into your room, holding your tears in until you locked the door.
Joel held his tears in feeling the burning knot in his throat, he looked down at the ground disappointed in himself. He knew you had every right to feel how you did.
Just as Tommy and Maria walked back towards their home they saw Joel leave with a clear look of disappointment. Tommy sighed and shook his head.
When he walked inside he found you in the kitchen washing dishes, Maria gave Tommy a nod and left you two alone.
âShouldâve left the dishes so your hand can healâ Tommy stood at the doorway. You jumped up at the sound of his voice not having heard the front door open.
âItâs fineâ you shrugged. After a moment of silence he continued.
âI saw Joel leave.â
You shut off the water and took a slow breath.
âDid you?â You answered low.
âI havenât seen him this broken in a while,â
âIf youâre trying to make me feel bad itâs not working-â
âAinât trynna make you feel bad. My brother can be a bit of an idiot but heâs an idiot whoâs crazy for you.â You didnât respond nor turn to face him either.
âHeâs tryinâ, sisâ
You slowly faced him.
âNow after all this time. It took me to leave for him to show-â
âI know, I know. I told you, heâs an idiot.â You sighed.
âGive him one more chance, let him show you who he really is.â
~~
That night you sat in your room in the dark, contemplating to see Joel. Thinking of what to say, what to do. Eventually you pushed yourself out of the room, Tommy and Maria both asleep you quietly walked out the front door.
You could see Joelâs light still on, of course he was awake. Taking a deep breath walking towards his steps you whispered to yourself what you would say, so lost in thought you were taken by surprise when Joel appeared out the side of the house carrying a lantern. He himself surprised to see you stood speechless. You suddenly felt stupid.
âSorry, I shouldnât have comeâ you proceeded to turn back but Joel quickly caught up.
âNoâ he caught your hand gently turning you back.
âPlease, donât goâ he whispered. You stood silent for a moment, his eyes tracing your features.
âI thought about what you saidâ you whispered. âAnd I donât know what to think, I donât wanna feel what I felt for so long-â
âYou wonâtâ he assured you stepping closer.
âI promise you Iâll give you every damn piece of me, whatever you need, baby I just canât lose you again.â His eyes desperate, he meant every word he said. You didnât respond at first, just quietly looked up at him before taking a deep breath.
âCan I stay the night?â You whispered as a look of relief took over him. He pulled you in closer, God he wanted to kiss you and you knew he did but you watched him stop himself.
âKiss me you-â Joel dropped the lantern and slammed your body against him taking your lips with his. You could feel the urgency he had for you, how much he missed your touch. You could feel how badly he never wanted to lose you again.
summary: five years later and life with harry has been everything you ever dreamed of.
pairing: harry castillo x fem!reader
content warning(s): EXPLICIT CONTENT (18+ MDNI), established relationship/family, slight age gap, (harry now in early 50s, reader now in mid-30s), time jump, talks about the difficulty of getting pregnant, harry insecurities, smut - missionary, unprotected piv, light dirty talk, harry pins your hands down and covers your mouth, creampie, oral (m receiving), no use of y/n.
word count: 8.8k
a/n: surprise - update comin' early this week! did y'all miss this story as much as i did? just as an fyi - this takes place 5 years after then came you, so they have 3 kids (stevie - 11, frankie - 6, youngest (you'll find out their name in this chapter) - 5). hope y'all enjoy! this is gonna be a different vibe than vol. 1⊠it's the calm before the storm <3
pt. 2 || series masterlist. || read on ao3.
Five years later and your life with Harry looked the same, yet different altogether. You both moved into a bigger home, away from the city, but closer to his parents and yours. And two children became three, with hopes for another child.Â
You ended up closing your chapter with the diner when Sammyâthe youngestâwas born five years ago. It had been a decision you didnât take lightly either. The diner and the people there had become your family, long before Harry and long before Stevie. They saw you grow up, so when you decided to leave, it was an emotional goodbye.Â
But it made sense. You wanted to be part of your childrenâs lives without worrying about missing special moments, and there were times that you wondered if Stevie ever resented you for it.Â
Her siblings managed to get all of your attentionâsomething she didnât quite have the luxury of when she was younger.Â
Yet, she never complained. Stevie was still the same sassy little girl that Harry met all those years ago, except now, she was just a couple of years away of being a teenager and it showed too. She wanted to spend more time with her friends, asked relentlessly for a phone so she can be like everyone else (Harry caved, like always), but she was still the same girl who had the biggest heart.
Because sheâd help you around the house.Â
She slipped into the role of being the big sister so easily too.Â
Frankie admired herâwanted to do everything her big sister did.Â
And Sammyâshort for Samuel after the singer, Sam Cookeâwas a sensitive little boy who was the spitting image of Harry, who just wanted to be part of whatever his older sisters were doing.
And Harry, he started working more, especially since his parents retired from the company and named him and his brother as co-CEOs.Â
But he still made time for you, for the family you both created. Harry still looked at you like the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, would come home every night and hold you.Â
Five years later, and everything just felt right.Â
âDad,â Stevie sighed, leaning against Harry at the kitchen counter. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, blinking up at him afterwards. âCan I try a sip of your coffee?âÂ
Harry looked down at her and smiled. âNo chance, Stevie girl.âÂ
âBut Iâm tired,â she said.Â
âThen maybe you shouldâve gone to bed on time,â he said, gently tapping the tip of her nose.
Stevie huffed and then yawned dramatically.Â
Harry narrowed his eyes.Â
She blinked up at him. Pleading.Â
He sighed. Harry could never say to no to her.Â
âFine. One sip.âÂ
Her eyes widened with excitement and she nodded, leaning up on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. âYes, yes, of course. Just one sip. Thatâs all I need.âÂ
Harry narrowed his eyes and then set the mug down in front of her. He knew Stevie wouldnât like his taste in coffeeâblack, no sugar or milk.Â
âDonât tell mom?â Stevie asked, reaching for the mug.Â
âYou kidding me? Of course not. I donât want to get in trouble either,â he grinned.Â
Stevie smiled and then brought the mug closer to her lips. She kept her eyes on Harry before she leaned forward to take a sip. Quickly, the dark and hot liquid hit her senses and she made a face. It was bitter.Â
âGross,â she said, turning around and spitting what she had sipped into the sink. âWhy didnât you tell me it wasnât good?âÂ
Harry laughed, shaking his head as he looked at her. âWould you have believed me if I did?â
Stevie narrowed her eyes and shook her head. âWell, noâŠâÂ
âExactly,â he smiled, gently reaching for her hand and kissing the crown of her head. âHad to let you figure it out for yourself, Stevie girl.âÂ
Stevie leaned against him. âDo all coffee drinks taste like that?âÂ
Harry wrapped an arm around her and shook his head. âNo, just mine.âÂ
âSo⊠Iâm hearing that I might like momâs coffee?âÂ
He chuckled. âOh, Iâm positive you will. She likes her coffee with lots of sugar.âÂ
Stevieâs eyes widened. She smiled. âThen, Iâll give coffee another try.âÂ
âMaybe when youâre older.âÂ
âIâm eleven, dad.âÂ
âYeah, older,â he repeated.Â
She huffed and then tried to reach for his mug, but he clicked his tongue and took the mug before she could get to it.Â
âFine,â she said.Â
âI said one sip.âÂ
Stevie giggled. âI know. Figured Iâd try my luck.âÂ
Harry smiled. âNice try. I can say no to you.âÂ
âYeah, sure⊠but you rarely do.â Stevie smiled, pulling away from him. âBy the way, mom said it was okay that I stay after school today. Taylorâs mom will be bringing me home.âÂ
Harry narrowed his eyes. âTaylor?âÂ
âYes.âÂ
âHave we met this Taylor?âÂ
âDad,â she sighed. âHeâs cool! We both like the same things and weâre volunteering to help clean up at the school. Itâs fine.âÂ
âHe?â Harry asked. âTaylor is a boy?âÂ
âDadââ
âIâll pick you up,â he interjected. âWhat time will you be finished?âÂ
She sighed. âAround four.âÂ
âGreat. Iâll be there. To pick you up.â
âYouâre overreacting.â
âOh, Stevie girl⊠if I was overreacting, youâd know it. Now, go get ready for school.âÂ
She sighed loudly and then walked away from him, disappearing around the corner and down the hallway.Â
âI love you!â He yelled out to her. Harry sighed, hearing the door shut as a response as he looked down at his coffee. Seeing Stevie grow upâseeing his other two children grow up tooâhave been such an amazing thing to witness, but he did feel sad about it as well.
There would come a day where they wouldnât need him anymore and Harry was just trying to hold on as long as he could before that day came.Â
Harry stepped in the bedroom and noticed you come out of the closet with a towel wrapped around your head and a robe covering your body. He bit his lower lip and walked over to you, wrapping his arms around you from behind.Â
âHey,â he whispered.Â
You smiled and turned in his arms, looking up at him. Your hand moved to his cheek, gently brushing his facial hair. He had gone a bit more grey as the years passed, crows feet more prominent at the corners of his eyes. He aged, just like you did, but he still looked so damn good. If not better.Â
âMorning, baby.âÂ
âIâm picking Stevie up from school later. After her⊠event or something.âÂ
âOh, Taylorâs mom canât take her home?âÂ
He sighed. âDid you know Taylorâs a boy?âÂ
âYes,â you answered. âHarry, theyâre just kids.âÂ
He shook his head. âI donât feel comfortable with it.âÂ
âOkay,â you said quietly, nodding. âThatâs okay.Â
âAm I overreacting?â Harry asked, his lower lip jutting out unintentionally.Â
You cupped his cheek and leaned forward to peck his lips. âNo,â you answered. âYouâre just a protective daddy.âÂ
Harry sighed and nodded, hands moving to your hips. âSheâs not gonna need me anymore, will she?âÂ
âYou know thatâs not true.âÂ
âFeels like it.âÂ
You shook your head and walked away from him to shut the bedroom door, locking it behind you. With three kids in the house, you both started locking the door, especially when adult activities were happening.Â
âBaby?â
You walked over to him and gently pressed your hands on his shoulders, pushing him to sit at the edge of the bed. He huffed quietly and unbuttoned his suit jacket, looking up at you as you straddled his waist and undid your robe to reveal your bare front to him.Â
Harry cleared his throat.Â
âYou know thatâs not true,â you repeated. âThat little girl looks at you like you hung the moon, baby. Sheâs growing up, but sheâs always going to need you.âÂ
âWhat if she doesnât?âÂ
âShe will.âÂ
âYouâre trying to distract me,â Harry pointed out. âTrying to get me to not think about my little girl having a possible crush on a boy who wonât ever be good for her.âÂ
âSheâs eleven.â
âYou telling me you never had a crush at that age?âÂ
âWell, noâŠâ
âExactly,â Harry said, eyes dipping lower.Â
âWhat will you do when she gets married?âÂ
His eyes narrowed. Harry wrapped his arms around your waist and slowly stood up only to lay you on your back with him above you. âShe wonât.âÂ
You smiled and leaned up to cup his cheek. âI love you.â
âThis isnât amusing.â
âI know.â
âYouâre looking at me like this is funny.âÂ
âHarry,â you sighed quietly, grabbing one hand and bringing to to rest against your chest. âShe will always love you, okay?âÂ
âI know,â he sighed. âI know. I justâsheâs my Stevie girl.âÂ
âI know, baby.âÂ
Harry bit his lower lip. âI should trust her, huh?âÂ
You nodded. âAnd trust me too.â
He nodded, moving his hand from your chest to your breast, covering it with his hand. Harry watched you gasp quietly, looking up at him with lips parted. âYouâre good,â he whispered. âYou know how to get me out of my head.âÂ
You smiled, grabbing his other hand and bringing it to your lips. You wrapped your mouth around the tip of his thumb, swirling your tongue around it as you felt him suddenly push into you.Â
âBaby,â Harry groaned. âWeâre gonna be late.âÂ
âI know,â you giggled, pulling his thumb from your mouth as his hand continued to massage your breast into his palm. âMmm, donât see you trying to pull away.âÂ
âGod, how can I? Look at you.â Harry cleared his throat as he pulled away from you, standing upright between your legs as you remained on your back. âHow much time do we have?âÂ
âAbout half an hour.âÂ
He grunted. âCan you stay quiet?âÂ
You grinned. âYou know Iâll try.âÂ
Harry smirked, reaching down to undo his belt, followed by unbuttoning his slacks and lowering his zipper. He pushed his pants and boxers down to his ankles as he spit into his palm before wrapping a hand around himself. âOh, I know what you want me to do.âÂ
âYeah?â You asked, biting your lower lip as you parted your legs for him even further.Â
âYeah, baby,â Harry said, eyes taking in every inch of your bare frame. He leaned forward, rubbing the tip of his manhood along you, applying pressure to your clit. âYou always did like it when I covered your mouth.âÂ
A strained whimper escaped your lips. You felt him slide the length of his hardened member along your lips, gathering your arousal with each movement. He was hot, throbbing against you lower half and you impatiently reached down to grab a hold of him.Â
âAnd you always liked to take your time,â you whispered, guiding him to your entrance. âPlease, HarryâŠâÂ
âGod, I love it when you beg,â he smirked, sliding into you in one full thrust. Harryâs eyes flutteredâlike it always did whenever he slid into you. Your walls were tight and wet, wrapping around him and sucking him in with each movement.Â
When you felt him fill you to the hilt, you let out a relieved moan. It always felt like your first time with himâeven five years later, you still looked at each other like you both just realized you were both in love.Â
âHmm, Iâll beg anytime,â you whimpered, sitting up just so you could remove the robe and the towel from your head. Now completely exposed for him, Harry delivered a rough thrust, causing your body to jerk upwards.Â
âYou promise?â He asked, hands moving to grip your hips. Harry was still in his jacket, dress shirt and tie, but he was completely bare from his lower half. He watched himself slide into you with ease, his length glistening with your own arousal. Harry tried to keep it slow, tried to force himself not to just hammer into you, but it was hard. He never could control himself around you.Â
âHâHarry,â you moaned, hands moving to grip the end of his tie as you slowly pulled him down.Â
He grinned and leaned down, brushing his lips along your own. Harry rolled his hips into you, savoring the feel of himself sliding along your walls. âFeel so good, baby.âÂ
âFuck,â you moaned. The grip around his tie tightened, but he grabbed your hands only to pin them above your head.Â
âCanât have you ruining my suit,â he grinned. âBecause if you do, Iâll have to change and Iââ Harry groaned, one sharp thrust into you. âI actually like this one.âÂ
âOh fuck,â you said loudly, his free hand coming up to cover your mouth. It was still early, and he certainly didnât want any of his children barging in either.Â
âLook at you⊠at my fucking mercy,â he said, his hips speeding up but being very careful in ensuring he didnât make too much noise either.Â
Your moans muffled against his palm, legs loosely wrapped around his hips as you arched your back. He wasnât going as fast as youâd like him to, but he was still hitting that spongy part deep inside of you with each hard thrust.Â
âHow am I supposed to go to work now?â He asked, growling lowly under his breath. âWhen all Iâll be thinking about is how good you fucking feel around me, baby.âÂ
You moaned again.Â
He pressed his hand over your mouth more firmly.Â
âGonna let go of your hands now, okay? Be a good girl and grip the sheets if you need to,â Harry smiled, releasing your wrists only to bring the same hand between your legs.Â
Your hands needed to hold onto something, especially when you felt him begin to apply pressure to your clit and rub it in circles. Instantly, your hands flew to the sheets, gripping them tightly as Harry continued his movements.Â
He wouldnât ever get tired of this, of you. You were an absolute dream. The way you looked as you were nearing the peak of your climaxâheâd commit it to memory every chance he could get and still, it felt like it wasnât enough.Â
âHarry,â you mumbled into his palm, tightening your legs around his hips to pull him closer.Â
He grinned. Harry was close too. He sped up his thrusts, but still remaining careful to not make it sound like skin slapping against one another.Â
You were moaning against his hand, gripping the sheets even tighter, as you felt the pressure build and build until it finally spilled over. Your legs pulled him in, body trembling against the bed, as Harry smirked down at you.Â
âFuck,â he groaned, pulling out to his tip only to slide back into you with ease. He could feel how fucking wet you were, how tight your walls were sucking him back in. He moved both hands now to your hips, hearing you gasp loudly as he gripped you tightly.Â
You bit your lower lipâhard. You couldnât moan or make any noise as you normally would, but you knew that Harry was close too. You could feel it in the way he gripped your hips, could see it in his face too.Â
His hips stuttered, eyes shut tight once he felt himself get closer and closer to the edge. Harryâs hands on your hips tightened even further, fingertips digging into your flesh.Â
Then suddenly, after a few more rough thrusts, Harry slammed into you and came. Hard. He dragged his fingertips down your hips to the side of your legs and back up, growling under his breath as he filled you with his come.Â
You smiled up at him and sat up, careful not to wrinkle his shirt or his jacket as you tugged on the edge of his tie to pull him down. He groaned quietly, rolling his hips slowly before pulling out, biting his lower lip as he looked down between your legs.Â
âFuck,â he muttered.Â
âMorning, baby,â you teased, leaning up and pecking his lips. âGonna feel you all day now.âÂ
Harryâs eyes narrowed down at you. âI love you.âÂ
You chuckled quietly. âI love you too. Help me clean up?âÂ
âAlways,â he said softly, licking his lip as he looked down to see his come trickle out of you. âGod, youâre fucking beautiful.âÂ
Then, he stepped away and pulled up his boxers and pants, walking to the bathroom afterwards to grab a small towel to clean you up.Â
âYou ready for the day?â You asked, teasingly.Â
Harry chuckled and nodded, stepping back between your legs and carefully cleaning up the mess that seeped out of you. âI am now, yeah.âÂ
âGood.âÂ
âBut Iâm still picking Stevie up,â he said.Â
You smiled. âI know, baby.âÂ
Then, the both of you heard quiet sounds of footsteps down the hallway. You both looked at each other and smiled.Â
âGuess the other two are now awake,â you said.Â
Harry smiled. âCome on, baby. Letâs get the cavalry ready for school.âÂ
Later that morning once all three kids were dressed and ready for school, the three of them sat at the kitchen table each with a plate of pancakes. Harry smiled to himself at the sight of the three of them, keeping an arm around your waist.Â
âMama,â Frankie said, looking up at both you and Harry. âWeâre going to the park after school today, right?âÂ
âHow about we go after we pick up Stevie? That way, itâs all of us.â You replied, walking over to her and kissing the crown of her head.
âAnd we get pizza?â Sammy, your youngest, asked. You looked across the table at him and grinnedâdeep brown eyes and dark curls that matched Harryâs. Â
âOh, of course,â Harry chimed in. âItâs pizza night.âÂ
Stevie couldnât help but smile. âI guess⊠itâs okay that you pick me up then, dad.âÂ
Harry sighed in relief. âOh good,â he said, walking towards her and kissing her cheek. âIâm glad I have your approval, Stevie girl.âÂ
Frankie giggled and looked over at her older sister. While Stevie had always cared about dressing up and doing her hair now that she was older, Frankie was the complete opposite. She was messyâlike Stevie had been at the same ageâbut she didnât like dresses or putting her hair in bows. She liked sports, always managed to get dirty and giggle about it too.Â
Sammy had finished his pancakes first, sliding off his chair and walking towards the kitchen to put his plate away. Harry looked over at him and smiled, following him and picking him up into his arms. âYouâve got syrup all over your face, Sammy.âÂ
The younger boy giggled and then stuck his tongue out to try and clean his mouth. âMmm, still good!âÂ
Harry chuckled and shook his head. âLetâs wash our hands and face, buddy.â Then, he held Sammy at sink level for the younger boy to reach. While Stevie and Frankie had the same attitude and features as you, Sammy had reminded Harry of himself when he was younger. A sensitive boy who felt so many emotions, but still had the biggest heart like his two older sisters.Â
âI think Iâm clean now, daddy,â he smiled, turning the sink off and reaching for a towel to dry off his hands and face.Â
âGood job, buddy. You ready for school?â Harry asked.Â
Sammy nodded. âMy teacher said Iâll be able to write my name soon.âÂ
âOh yeah?â Harry smiled. âYou excited?âÂ
The young boy grinned. Dimples appeared at his cheeks. âYes, then I can start writing you and mama letters too.âÂ
âYouâre so sweet, buddy,â Harry chuckled, kissing the tip of his nose. His attention was pulled briefly when he heard laughter coming from the kitchen table, glancing over to see you, Frankie and Stevie giggling amongst one another.
And he stared at you for a few seconds longer.Â
Still, you were as beautiful as the day he met you.Â
You and Harry stood in front of the school as you dropped your children off. It was Stevieâs last year at this school before moving onto middle school next year, but still, it was convenient that all three of them were under the same school for now.Â
âFrankie,â Harry said, kneeling down in front of her. âIs it basketball or soccer today?âÂ
Frankie grinned. âBasketball,â she answered. âI think Iâll beat the boys this time.âÂ
He smiled and leaned in to kiss her forehead. âGive them hell, babygirl.âÂ
âHarry,â you chuckled, moving a hand to his shoulder.Â
Frankie giggled and then wrapped her arms around Harry, turning her head to kiss his cheek. âLove you daddy! Love you, mama!âÂ
âHave a good day at school, baby,â you said, leaning down to kiss the crown of her head before she turned on her heel to go into the school.Â
Sammy bit his lower lip. This was his first year in school and he was still trying to find his footing, trying to make friends.Â
âMama?â He called out.Â
You knelt down in front of him. âYouâre okay, baby.âÂ
Sammy nodded. âYouâll be here when school is done?âÂ
âYup, me and daddy will be here.âÂ
âOkay,â he said softly. âIâll see you soon?âÂ
You smiled and gently cupped his cheek. âIâll see you soon, baby.âÂ
âLove you,â he mumbled, wrapping his arms around you before moving onto Harry to do the same.Â
âLove you, Sammy,â Harry said, kissing the crown of his head.Â
Once Sammy walked into the school, Stevie was already about to turn on her heel before Harry gently tugged on her backpack.Â
âUm, hello?â He said.Â
You smiled and watched Stevie turn around.Â
âDadâŠâÂ
âGive us a hug and tell us you love us,â he said.Â
She rolled her eyes playfully. âBut my friendsââ
âWill see how much you love us,â Harry finished for her. âIsnât that a great thing?âÂ
You let out a quiet laugh and then gently pulled Stevie into your arms. âHave a good day at school, Stevie.âÂ
She let herself relax in your arms for a second. It felt like she was that same five year old all those years ago. Then, almost like she remembered where she was, Stevie pulled away.Â
âOkay, my turn,â Harry smiled, tugging Stevie into his arms. âBe good, Stevie girl.âÂ
âI always am,â she smiled.Â
âSee you later, okay?âÂ
Stevie nodded and pulled away to look between the both of you.Â
âYou really will pick me up?â Stevie asked.Â
Harry answered without pause. âYes, Stevie girl.âÂ
She nodded and then heard her name being called. She bit her lower lip and then noticed the both of you nod once.Â
âI love you guys,â she said.Â
Harry grinned.Â
You smiled.Â
âWe love you too,â you said, leaning against Harry.Â
âI love you, Stevie girl.â He repeated.Â
Stevie smiled and then turned on her heel, jogging to catch up with her friends as she walked into the school with them.Â
Harry sighed and looked down at you. âWhy does drop off feel so sad now?âÂ
You looked up at him. âBecause our babies are growing up,â you answered, turning around with him to begin walking back towards the car.Â
Harry nodded in agreement, keeping one arm draped over your shoulder. âGrowing up too fast,â he added.Â
Now that all three kids were in school, you had plenty of time to yourself when Harry was at work too. You had been so used to working that it took a very long time to get used to this. Even Harry had to constantly remind you that it was okay, that he wanted you to stay home. It was his way of taking care of you.Â
And everyday, youâd show up to his work with lunch. It was ironic, how you were now the one to make sure he was eating during his lunch break when he used to do it for you.Â
As you walked toward his office with the food you cooked, you heard Peter from behind you. Turning, you looked over to see the other man who was grinning at you.Â
âMy brotherâs lucky,â Peter said, now walking alongside you. âI should convince Charlotte to visit me during my lunch.âÂ
You laughed quietly and shook your head. âCharlotteâs seven months pregnant. Youâd be cruel to have her come here,â you teased.Â
âYouâre right,â Peter chuckled. âI should be going home to her to make sure sheâs resting.âÂ
âSecond pregnancy tough on her?â You asked.Â
He nodded. âYeah,â he sighed. âThat and it took a while for us to get pregnant a second time.âÂ
You nodded in understanding. Both you and Harry were experiencing your own troubles with getting pregnant again. âWell, just make sure youâre there. Iâm sure she appreciates it.âÂ
âWhat about you and Harry? Trying for a fourth?âÂ
You smiled. âTrying, yeah. No luck.âÂ
Peter gave you a look of understanding. Then, he reached to rest a hand over your shoulder comfortingly. âWell, you guys will figure it out. You always do.âÂ
You nodded and then glanced over at Harryâs office door. âIs he overworking himself?â You asked honestly.Â
Peter shrugged. âWeâre co-CEOs, but I feel like since Charlotte got pregnant, heâs been taking more of the responsibility.âÂ
âSo⊠thatâs a yes. Heâs overworking himself.â You bit your lower lip.Â
âI tried to tell him I can handle it,â he whispered. âButââ
âHe doesnât want to burden you,â you finished for him. Then, it was your turn to reach out to rest a hand on his forearm. âJust look out for him when you are here, okay?âÂ
âAlways will,â Peter smiled. He reached out and knocked lightly on Harryâs door.Â
Within seconds, Harry opened the door and you noticed the look on his face before he turned to look at you. You could tell he was stressedânoticed it in his features and his posture too.Â
âYouâre here,â he said, a hint of relief in his voice.Â
âDid you forget?â You asked.Â
Harry shook his head. He glanced over your shoulder at Peter and nodded. âLost track of time.âÂ
âTake a long lunch,â Peter said. âIâll get to the next meeting.âÂ
âYou should be going home,â Harry replied. âCharlotte isââ
âI can handle one meeting, Harry,â Peter interjected. âIâll go home after that one, that okay with you?âÂ
He sighed. Harry glanced at you and felt the tension in his shoulders loosen just at the sight of you. He finally nodded at Peter and gently reached for the bag of food you were carrying. âOkay, sure. Yeah, thanks,â Harry said. âBut if you need to goââ
âIâm fine,â he interrupted. Peter gave you a hug before leaving both of you at Harryâs office.Â
âIâm sorry, baby, come in, come in,â he said, opening the door further for you to step inside. Once you were, Harry shut the door and locked it, bringing the food to the coffee table where the couch was at.Â
âHow many cups of coffee have you had?â You asked, biting your lower lip.Â
âThree.â
âHarry.â
âItâs fine, Iâm fine.â Harry removed his blazer and set it against the back of his office chair before he walked back over to you, wrapped his arms around your waist. âMissed you, though.âÂ
âYou need a break,â you sighed. âYouâre⊠overworking yourself, baby.â
Harry shook his head and leaned in to kiss your cheek. âJust making sure this company doesnât go under. My parents trusted meââ
âTrusted both you and your brother,â you corrected.Â
âHeâs got a baby on the way,â Harry sighed.Â
âAnd you have a family too,â you replied. âYou know, if your mom ever found out how much youâre working, sheâdââ
âShe wouldnât let me hear the end of it,â Harry interrupted quietly. âYeah, I know.âÂ
âCan you justâtry to take it easy?â You asked.Â
He bit his lower lip. âOkay,â he answered. âIâll try.âÂ
âPromise?âÂ
Harry nodded and moved a hand to your cheek. âYeah, baby. I promise.âÂ
âGood, now, letâs eat?âÂ
He smiled and leaned in to peck your lips. This time, he lingered though. âWhat if⊠what if I want to do something else before we eat?âÂ
You hummed against his lips and moved your hands to his shoulders. âIs that why you locked your door?âÂ
He chuckled and nodded, moving his lips to your jawline now. âYouâre my stress relief,â he whispered. âWhenever youâre around, I donât feel the weight of this company on my shoulders. Feel like I can breathe.âÂ
âMaybe I should be here more often then,â you teased.Â
Harry pulled back to look down at you. âReally?âÂ
âWhat would I even do here?â You asked.Â
He shrugged. âJust⊠stay in my office? I donât know.âÂ
âHow about⊠when you feel like the walls are closing in on you, you send me a text and Iâll make my way over here?â You suggested. âOr⊠you can pencil me in everyday and we can take a walk in the park every morning.âÂ
Harry nodded. âHow about both?â
âYeah?âÂ
He leaned in and rested his forehead against yours. âI just⊠feel better whenever youâre around.âÂ
âOkay,â you said softly. âWeâll take a walk every morningâdoes ten sound good?âÂ
Harry kissed your cheek before releasing his hold on you to go back to his desk where his computer sat. He pulled up his calendar and nodded, setting a daily meeting every morning at ten. Now, his assistant would know to never schedule a meeting at that time.Â
âTen in the morning. Everyday. You and me,â Harry said.Â
You smiled and then reached for his hand once he made his way back over to you. âGood. For now, you need to eat.âÂ
He nodded and sat on the couch, tugging you onto his lap and holding you there for a few seconds longer. âI love you, baby.âÂ
You smiled and draped an arm around his shoulders, leaning in to kiss his temple. âI love you too, Harry.âÂ
He stared at you and let the corner of his lips. He rested his head against your shoulder as you reached for the Tupperware, opening the lid and handing it to him.Â
He knew he had been working a lot lately. More so than usual. But since his parents had retired and named him and Peter as co-CEOs, he had taken his role seriously. Harry had lots of ideas to expand the company, to make even more money than his parents could ever dream of, but he didnât want it to be at the cost of his relationship with you or his family. He was still trying to balance work and his home life.Â
Stevie was the last one to be picked up after her after school clean up with other kids, especially Taylor. Harry watched his little girl come out of the school building with a young boy standing next to her and he could have sworn he had never seen her this smitten before. The boy was inching closer to her and Stevie bit her lip from smiling. It wasnât until she looked up that she saw Harry with his arms crossed over his chest and his brows pulled together.Â
âIâll see you tomorrow, Taylor,â Stevie smiled.Â
âOh,â the boy said. âOkay. Thanks for volunteering with me.âÂ
She nodded. âIâm always happy to help.âÂ
The boy stopped walking and looked at her with nervous eyes. âDo you thinkâdo you think I could sit with you tomorrow at lunch or something?âÂ
Stevieâs eyes widened. Her smile grew. âYeah, I think thatâd be cool.âÂ
Taylor grinned. âCool, yeah, thatâs⊠thatâs awesome.â Then, he leaned in and gave her a one armed hug before he pulled away abruptly, turning on his heel and jogging to where his mother was parked.Â
Stevie could feel the warmth in her cheeks as she walked over to Harry, noticing that you were seated in the passenger seat of the car behind him.Â
âDadâŠâ
âHe hugged you,â Harry said. âWas that okay with you?âÂ
âYes,â she answered. âCan you⊠not make a scene? In case heâs looking,â Stevie whispered, turning to look over her shoulder in time for Taylor to wave at her. She waved back and then turned her gaze back on Harry. âPlease?âÂ
Harry sighed. He had been stressed at work. He didnât want to be stressed about this too. So, he gently reached out and took Stevieâs backpack from her. âOkay, I can be⊠cool.âÂ
âAre you sure? It looks like you want to say something.âÂ
âI justâitâs nothing.âÂ
âDad.âÂ
Harry sighed and gently took her hand, pulling her to his side as he let out a breath of relief when Stevie leaned into him. âYouâre just getting bigger,â he said. âOne minute youâre that same five year old girl who wanted to be around me all the time and now youâre⊠youâre a preteen with a crush.âÂ
âI do not have a crush!âÂ
Harry chuckled. âStevie girl, touch your cheeks. Theyâre warm, arenât they?âÂ
âSo?âÂ
âSo⊠youâre blushing.âÂ
She sighed. âFor the record,â Stevie said, opening the door to the car once they were close enough. âI still want to be around you all the time. Youâre just⊠busy with work.âÂ
Then, she climbed in and Harry felt his heart drop. He heard the muffled sounds of greeting as the door shut, biting his lower lip. Stevie had noticed it too. And if she noticed his stress, he was sure Frankie and Sammy did too.Â
Harry set her backpack in the trunk before rounding the car to the drivers side. He pulled his phone out and texted his mom. Simple, two words that meant so much more. Meant that he was struggling, meant that he was lost.Â
HARRY: Need advice.Â
His mother didnât waste a second to reply. He looked down at his phone at her response. Harry let out a breath. She replied and said that sheâd come by the office tomorrow.Â
After the five of you walked Central Park, Harry kept a tight hold on your hand as your three kids walked ahead of you to go to the same pizza shop that you had been going to with Stevie when it was just the two of you. Marco was like family now, watching your family grow over the years.Â
âStevie noticed that Iâve been busy at work,â Harry said with a sigh. âDo I make it that obvious?âÂ
You looked over at him, tightening your hold on his hand. âYou just⊠wear your heart on your sleeve and your expressions say everything.âÂ
âI expect you to notice that, but Stevie?âÂ
âHarry, sheâs always been aware of your emotions. Mine too. Even at a young age,â you answered.Â
He sighed. You were right. Stevie was such an empathâalways noticing and feeling other peopleâs emotions. âI should get better at hiding it.âÂ
You shook your head. âHiding it doesnât fix it.âÂ
He bit his lower lip. âRight.âÂ
âWill you at least reach out to your mom?â You asked.Â
Harry squeezed your hand. âAlready did, actually. Sheâs coming by the office tomorrow.âÂ
âGood,â you said, leaning up to kiss him cheek. âShe did this before too, you know. Both your parents.âÂ
âI know.âÂ
âYou donât have to be perfect,â you whispered. âNot for the company. Not for us.âÂ
Harryâs eyes softened down at you. âItâs hard,â he answered honestly. âI just want the best for you guys and for the company.â
âWeâve got it already,â you answered. âWeâve got you, baby.âÂ
The corner of his lips lifted. âYou know all the right things to say.âÂ
You smiled proudly. âI learn from the best. Not too long ago, you were the one saying all the right things.âÂ
Harry looked down at you. He noticed the age in your features now, the subtle strands of grey streaked in your hair. You were still younger than he was, but having three kids did tend to age you a bit.Â
And yet, you still looked like the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.Â
âI love you,â he said quietly. âThinking when we get back home, after the kids are asleep, we can have more alone time?âÂ
You smiled. âI think Iâd like that.âÂ
Harry smiled and kissed your temple. âGood.â
As the five of you approached Marcoâs, Sammy was the first one to speak.Â
âCannoli?â Sammy asked, looking over his shoulder at both you and Harry.Â
You smiled and nodded. âAfter dinner though, baby.âÂ
Harry pulled you closer, releasing your hand only to wrap an arm around your shoulders. âJust like Stevie,â he mumbled with a quiet chuckle.Â
âI think Frankieâs the only one who isnât too big on sweets like the other two,â you smiled. âOur little athlete.âÂ
The three of them jogged inside with excitement in their eyes. Harry chuckled and kissed your temple, nodding over to the same table. âIâll grab the food.âÂ
âYou sure?âÂ
âYeah, baby,â Harry said, hand moving from your lower back to give a gentle pat to your ass. âNow, go. Sit down.âÂ
âNaughty, Mr. Castillo.âÂ
He grinned. âYou like it, Mrs. Castillo,â Harry winked. He walked into the pizza shop as you moved to sit at the table, smiling to yourself as you watched the four of them with loving eyes. You couldnât believe that five years ago, you and Harry shared a pizza on the very first day you met.Â
And now, here you both were, five years later. Married. With three kids.Â
Sammy ran outside and climbed into your lap, snuggling closer to you as the two other girls remained inside with Harry.Â
âHi, baby,â you said, cradling Sammy in your arms. âHow was school?âÂ
âGood,â he answered. âI made a friend.â
You grinned. âYou did? Thatâs amazing, baby.âÂ
Sammy smiled to himself. âYeah, heâs nice. Heâs new to the school.âÂ
âOh, yeah?âÂ
Sammy nodded. âI volunteered to help him in class.âÂ
You looked down at him and cupped his cheek. âYouâre so sweet, Sammy. I bet it was nice of him to not feel alone on his first day.âÂ
âHe said he was sad,â he said. âBecause all his friends were back home where he used to live.âÂ
âAnd now heâs got one friend here,â you said, gently tapping the tip of his nose.Â
Sammy grinned and nodded to himself, nuzzling his cheek further into the crook of your neck now. You held him closer to your chest and shut your eyes, reveling in the sounds of the city.Â
âAlright, Frankie, Stevie, what are we getting?â Harry asked, keeping a hold on Frankieâs hand as she slid her own into his.Â
âPepperoni,â Frankie answered, looking up at Harry with a grin.Â
Stevie nodded in agreement. âAnd cannolis.âÂ
âAnd breadsticks!â Frankie added.Â
Stevie giggled. âYes, breadsticks.âÂ
Harry smiled. âOkay, so the works. Got it.â He glanced at Stevie for a moment and noticed her pull out her phone that he had gotten for her a few months ago before she left the pizza shop to go sit outside with you and Sammy. He sighed and then scooped Frankie into his arms.Â
âHow was school, babygirl?âÂ
Frankie leaned against him. âGood. Our team won the basketball game during recess.âÂ
âOoh,â Harry smiled. She was so different than Stevie and it had been great seeing the different personalities each child had. âSo, mama and I were thinking⊠do you wanna join a sports team or something? You know, outside of school.âÂ
Her eyes lit up. âReally?âÂ
âYeah, Frankie. Youâll get to go to practice, play games on the weekend. That sound like something you wanna do?âÂ
She nodded quickly. âYes!âÂ
He smiled to himself. He didnât know where Frankie got her athleticism from, but it excited himâgetting to go to soccer or basketball games every weekend to cheer her on.Â
âBut first, pizza?â She asked.Â
Harry chuckled and nodded, kissing her temple. âYeah, babygirl. First, pizza.âÂ
Frankie smiled and then rested her cheek on his shoulder, holding onto him tightly. Just like Stevie, Frankie was a daddyâs girl. Wherever he went, she wanted to join.Â
Dinner lasted for about an hour and a half before all three kids yawned, signaling that they were ready to go home and get ready for bed. Harry looked across the table at you, still cradling Sammy in your arms as Frankie leaned against your side, blinking slowly.Â
Harry glanced at Stevie, seated to his left who had her eyes glued to her phone.Â
âI think your screen time is done for the day, Stevie girl,â he whispered.Â
Stevie looked up at him and nodded. âOkay, dad.âÂ
âBeen glued to that thing ever since I got you it,â he said.Â
She shrugged. âJust texting my friends.âÂ
âFriends?â
Her eyes narrowed. âYes, friends.âÂ
Harry arched a brow. âTaylor being one of these friends youâre texting?âÂ
Stevie rolled her eyes playfully and put her phone away, shaking her head. âHe doesnât have a phone.âÂ
âOh? So, what Iâm hearing is that kids your age can live without a phone.âÂ
âWhat? NoâŠâÂ
He chuckled quietly and wrapped an arm around her. âUh huh,â he teased.Â
Stevie leaned against him then looked across the table at you. âMom?âÂ
âYeah, baby?â You said, looking over at her.Â
âCan you⊠can you curl my hair tomorrow?â Stevie asked.Â
Harry arched a brow. He looked at you and noticed your gaze shift to him. You gave him a look, one that said not to say anything. He sighed quietly and looked back down at Stevie.Â
âYeah, of course, baby. You gonna wake up early enough for me to do your hair though?âÂ
Stevie nodded. âIâll be up and ready, I promise⊠but if Iâm tired, can I get a sip of your coffee?âÂ
Harry looked over at you.Â
âCoffee?â You asked.Â
Stevie glanced at Harry. âYeah, coffee.âÂ
Your eyes narrowed suspiciously between the both of them. âStevie, I donât think youâd like coffee, baby.âÂ
âOnly one way to find out, right?âÂ
You shook your head.Â
Harry cleared his throat. âAlright, should we get going?â He interrupted.Â
You arched a brow at him. âYouâre acting⊠suspiciously weird, Harry.âÂ
âWhat?âÂ
Stevie gently elbowed his side. He looked down at the younger girl. She gave him the same look youâd give himâdonât say anything. He let the corner of his lips lift before he shook his head. âIâm fine, baby. Those two are ready to pass out and this one needs to sleep early so sheâs not sleepy when she wakes up tomorrow.âÂ
Stevie giggled.Â
Sammy stirred in your arms.Â
Frankie rubbed her eyes.Â
âOkay then,â you said, looking between Harry and Stevie again. âAre you two hiding something?âÂ
âNope!â They both said simultaneously.Â
Harry smiled and then stood up, gently reaching for Frankie and pulling her into his arms. âReady to go, baby?âÂ
You nodded slowly, standing from the seat as you reached for Stevieâs hand with your free one. âWhat are you guys hiding?âÂ
âNothing,â Stevie giggled, leaning against your side.Â
Sammy buried his face against your neck and yawned, his eyes now falling shut.Â
Harry walked ahead of you, whispering into Frankieâs ear as she giggled quietly. Her tiny arms tightened even further around his neck as her cheek rested against his shoulder.Â
âSo, curled hair tomorrow, huh?â You said, looking down at Stevie.Â
She nodded. âIâuh, Iâm having lunch with Taylor tomorrow, so I donât know. I just want to look nice.âÂ
You smiled and adjusted Sammy against your hip before your released Stevieâs hand only to wrap your arm around her shoulders. âOh, baby, you always look nice.âÂ
She sighed. âOkay, I want to look nicer.âÂ
You nodded and leaned down to kiss the crown of her head. âMy babyâs got a crush.âÂ
She rolled her eyes. âHeâs just⊠heâs nice.âÂ
âYeah?âÂ
Stevie bit her lower lip. âAnd heâs friendly⊠and kind to everyone.âÂ
You smiled and held her closer. âGood, baby. Thatâs really good.âÂ
âAnd you know his mom, soâŠâÂ
âYeah, sheâs kind too,â you said softly. âSometimes, I forget that youâre eleven. To me, youâre still that same little girl who would get syrup or ice cream all over her face. For a long time, it was just you and me, you know?âÂ
Stevie looked up at you and nodded. You reached up and gently stroked her hair back and away from her face. âI love you, mom. Our family⊠I love it. Itâs what I always dreamed of.âÂ
âAnd daddy? You know youâve got him wrapped around your finger from day one,â you smiled. âBut that doesnât mean you get to take advantage of that now that youâre older, okay?âÂ
âI know,â Stevie said.Â
âSo, whatâs this about coffee? Hm?âÂ
Her eyes widened. âNothing.â
âUh huh.âÂ
She giggled. âI asked for a one sip,â she admitted. âI didnât like it, but dad said that I might like yours⊠because you have sugar in yours.âÂ
You laughed quietly and shook your head. âYou know, I donât like daddyâs coffee either.âÂ
Stevie smiled.Â
Then, you continued. âAlso⊠heâs going to be overprotective, okay? Youâre his little girl. To him, no oneâs good enough.âÂ
Stevie nodded slowly, glancing over at Harry who kept Frankie close to his chest. âI know,â she whispered.Â
âYou know, heâd give you the world if he could,â you said, smiling to yourself as you crossed the street to walk towards the car. âSo⊠if heâs overreacting, itâs coming from a place of love⊠and fear.âÂ
âFear?â
You nodded, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. âYeah, baby. Us parents⊠when our kids get older, we think that they wonât need us anymore.â
âIâll always need you, mom. And Iâll always need him too,â Stevie said quietly.Â
Stevie gave you a quick hug before jogging towards the car after you all crossed the street. Harry buckled Frankie into her car seat before he felt Stevie collide against him, her arms snaking around his waist as she held onto him tightly.Â
âHeyâŠâ he said quietly, his arms coming to wrap around her too. âEverything okay?âÂ
Stevie looked up at him and nodded. âI love you,â she said.Â
Harryâs eyes softened. âAw, Stevie girl. I love you too.âÂ
She buried her face against him and tightened her hold. âDaddy?âÂ
He felt his heart rate pick up. Stevie had stopped calling him daddy for a while now and started calling him dadâjust another sign of her getting older.Â
âYeah, Stevie girl?âÂ
âNo matter how old I get, Iâm always going to need you.âÂ
His eyes watered. âYeah? Even when youâre adult and you have a family of your own?âÂ
Stevie nodded. âYes, even then. Especially then.â
Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around her even tighter. He kissed the crown of her head and sighed quietly, looking up to see you set Sammy in his own car seat. He knew this was your doing, so he mouthed thank you before you shut the door.Â
Later that night, after the kids were asleep, you climbed into bed where Harry was seated against the headboard. Before you could even move to lay on your side of the bed, he reached out for you and tugged you onto his lap instead.Â
âHey,â he whispered.Â
âHi, baby,â you said softly. âDinner was great tonight.âÂ
Harry nodded and rested his hands on your hips, leaning forward to peck your lips lightly. âYou talked to Stevie.âÂ
âI just⊠reminded her, thatâs all.â
âYou didnât need to,â he said quietly.Â
âI know,â you answered. âI wanted to. Sheâs going to get to that age where sheâll want nothing to do with you or me⊠but I just wanted to make sure she knew that weâre still her parents.âÂ
Harry nodded. âShe called me daddy tonight. I donât think Iâve heard her say that in a long time.âÂ
âSheâs always gonna be our little girl, Harry.âÂ
âI know that,â he whispered. âJust wish time would just freeze, you know? Keep them little forever.âÂ
âI know, me too,â you sighed. âBut hey, weâre doing this together.âÂ
He smiled at that. His hands moved from your hips to your ribcage, sliding his hands under your shirt. âHave I told you today how lucky I am?âÂ
You shook your head. âAh, I knew you were forgetting something.âÂ
Harry chuckled quietly. âIâm gonna do better, okay? I donât⊠want to miss anymore moments.âÂ
âOkay,â you whispered, leaning forward to pepper kisses along his jawline. âMaybe I should just show up at the office unannounced to distract you.âÂ
Harry felt his manhood stir beneath you. He tilted his head back against the headboard and shut his eyes, moving his hands further up your body until they covered your breasts. He brushed his thumbs of your nipples as you rolled your hips into his, lips moving down the side of his neck.Â
âHmm, that could work,â he mumbled, letting out a quiet groan.Â
You felt his hardening length against your core, grounding your hips further into his. âI love you, you know that?â You asked, pulling back to look down at him.
He looked up at you and smiled. âI know, baby. I love you too.âÂ
âSo⊠will you let me take care of you?âÂ
His brow arched. âWhat?âÂ
You pecked his lips and then slowly climbed off his lap only to settle himself between your legs. You palmed the center of his boxers, his hardened manhood against your palm now. âJust sit back⊠let me do all the work.âÂ
Harry groaned and nodded. He looked down at you and bit his lower lip. He couldnât believe that this was his life. Today was a wake up call for himâhe hadnât been present in his kidsâ lives and he certainly hadnât been present for you either.Â
âYou spoil me,â he mumbled.Â
âGood. Iâm trying to return the favor,â you grinned, moving your lips now to brush against his clothed manhood.Â
Harryâs hand darted out immediately to hold your hair back, biting his lower lip in anticipation. âMaybe⊠maybe you should do this every night,â he suggested.Â
You smiled up at him and pulled down his boxers, watching his manhood twitch against his lower half. âYeah? I wouldnât mind that,â you grinned.Â
âGod,â he groaned, watching your lips wrap around the tip of his manhood. Harry cleared his throat, your eyes still locked with his. âFuck, baby.âÂ
You pulled back and ran your tongue around his leaking tip. A smile still lined your lips. âHarry?âÂ
âYeah, baby?âÂ
âI fall in love with you every day,â you said.Â
Harry grinned. He reached out with his free hand to cup your cheek. âOh, baby⊠I fell in love with you five years ago and I havenât stopped falling since.âÂ
Before he could continue though, you wrapped your mouth back around him and began bobbing your head slowly. Harry tipped his head back and reveled in the way your lips felt around him, your tongue swirling around the base of him.Â
âFuck, babyâŠâ Harryâs hand around your hair tightened as he slowly lifted his hips off the bed. âWanna try for another baby, hm?âÂ
You nodded, but with his length in your mouth, caused you to just bob around him. He growled before he pulled out of your mouth, his free hand moving from your cheek to grab hold of his base.Â
âTake off your panties,â he said, licking his lower lip. âAnd then sit on it. Take what you need, baby.âÂ
You nodded quickly. You were already throbbing and wet between your legs, sliding your panties off like he said before you straddled his hips yet again.Â
Slowly, you lowered yourself onto him, feeling his tip breach your opening first followed by the rest of his girth, stretching you slowly.Â
Both of you moaned.Â
You stared into his eyes.
Harry stared back.Â
âGonna fill you up,â he whispered. âSo much that Iâll be dripping out of you in your sleep.âÂ
You gasped, lifting your hips before sliding back down. âGet me pregnant, Harry,â you added. âPlease.âÂ
Harry smiled. Both of you had been wanting to expand your family, but this time, it wasnât easy. At least not as easy as it had been with Frankie and Sammy.Â
He gripped your hips and pulled you firmly down onto him. As you sat firmly on his lap, his entire length filling you to the hilt, you both stared at each other and let out a breathy sigh.Â
âI love you,â he whispered.Â
âI love you too,â you replied, leaning forward to press your forehead against his.Â
It had been a while since you and Harry had sex twice in one day. You both just hoped that it was a sign that youâd end up pregnant this time around.Â
A/N: Just a smutty little drabble, no plot! I normally hold myself to a rule not to write Pbois if I haven't watched them, but as a thank you đ to @kokoluwie for making this amazing gifset, I had to break it đ„° Thank you for fulfilling my request and all your amazing gifs and edits from the Behemoth! trailer - we all benefit from your talent!! xoxox
Warnings: 18+ Content (MDNI pls), established relationship, fingering, nicknames.
Dividers by @saradika-graphics tyđđ
As soon as the front door closes behind him, Alex breaks from your heated, messy kiss and whispers your favourite words,
âLet me play you, darling.â
Giggling, you toe off your shoes and extend your hand to place onto top of his large palm, already upturned and reaching for you.Â
Both grinning dopily at one another, Alex raises your arm and spins you gracefully, much like youâve seen him do with his cello and its endpin â a playful performance trick that never fails to awe the audience. His smooth, gentle handling of your body always has the same effect on you; by the time Alex finishes your turns, youâre in the living room, naked, all your clothes having mysteriously fallen away.
Cupping your face, Alex resumes kissing you; the press of his lips fervent, the dig of his calloused fingers firm, the pulse of his tongue against yours a testament to his restraint. You smile against his perfect lips, letting him chase yours as you turn away from him, resuming the desired position.
âWhat would you like to play tonight, my love? Bach? Beethoven?â you close your eyes, voice dreamy.
Alex presses himself close and hooks his chin over your shoulder, eyes darkening at the sight of the curves of your body, open and bare for him and him only; you feel him hardening against your backside. âMaybe just the fundamentals tonight,â he murmurs, hands sliding into place â one palming the swells of your breasts, the other snaking past your belly, âa musician is only as good as his foundation.â
You loll your head back against Alexâs hard chest â he makes you feel so cherished and venerated when he holds you like this, holding you like he does his most beloved instrument. Alex had once explained to you why the relationship between cello and cellist is the most intimate in all the symphony,
She sits between my legs, shielded and well protected, but the hold I have on her is precious. I cannot be overbearing or ever try to restrain her, confine her; I can only cradle her just right, just enough, so that she balances, safe â only then does she trust me, and only then, can she sing.
He loves you with that same gentle, thoughtful heart, and for that you love him with all of yours.
Sliding the rough pads of his fingertips through your folds, he expertly manipulates your pleasure so that you sing for him â a response to your loverâs call.
You cry out as Alex turns you into an instrument for his genius, showing off and alternating the same techniques that have made him a world class violoncellist: fingers dancing along your slit, he switches between stroke lengths - long and smooth, short and detached - so seamlessly, it makes you dizzy; anchoring his thumb, he rocks over your swollen clit with just the right pressure for your entire body to vibrate in ecstasy; sliding one, then two thick fingers into you, he drags, controlled, along the hug of your warm walls, coaxing from you his favourite song.
Far from being idle, the hand on your chest is equally as skillful, shifting between your breasts - toying, pulling and releasing its fistful of flesh to a hypnotic rhythm; nimble fingers arpeggiate, roll, and snap your sensitive nipples â pulling your perky peaks harshly upwards and releasing them to the twang of your gasps and melodic moans. Reaching your arms back to grab onto Alexâs neck, you fist the soft curls at its nape and arch, exaggerating the bounce of your tits â the sight is so lascivious, Alex has to bite a moan into your shoulder.
âAlex! Oh my god! Yes, please, pleaseâŠâ
âPlease what, my darling?â a smirk is kissed into your skin, soothing the sting of his canines. Both of Alexâs hands slow and you whimper a soft, pathetic plea when you feel him withdraw from your cunt. He hums a sweet little harmony in your ear as he tortuously draws the back of his fingers through your slick like he would a bow over the strings of his instrument - purposeful, intentional. Chuckling at the way you jump when he knuckles over your sensitive clit, Alex asks you again, tone soothing and indulgent, âYes?â
âPlease, let me come, my love,â you barely recognize your own voice, itâs so airy and light, like youâre not even here.
Alex answers before you even finish saying the words, his desire to bring you to your climax overriding his patience. Without ceremony, he plunges his fingers back into your sopping hole and begins to thrust - fiery, impassioned, furioso. When you body starts to shudder from its impending crescendo, Alex bands his arm across your chest to hold you upright, rasping hot against your neck, âIâve got you, darling.â
Continuing to piston in and out of your squelching cunt, his thumb circles your clit to an increasingly upbeat tempo, allegretto progressing to allegro; through your half-lidded eyes, you see Alex in your peripheral, his eyes closed, breathing laboured, soft curls bouncing wildly against his forehead. Heâs lost now, lost to your pleasure the way youâve seen him lost to the music, when he plays so passionately his arm becomes an extension of the bow. It occurs to you that tonight, itâs you whoâs become an extension of him, his talent, his love.
The thought snaps the tightly strung wires in your lower belly and you come sharply, singing the high note that Alex wills from you. Slumping against his protective hold, you let Alex pull you down onto the couch and into his arms, cuddling you through your high with soft and tender kisses to your brow. When you finally return to yourself, you lift onto your knees and meet Alexâs mouth with a long, grateful kiss. Eyes full of love and mischief, your hand trails down his broad body to find the bulge in his pants waiting for your eager touch; smiling, you murmur against his lips, âMy turn to play.â
Joel Miller was doing the best he can as a single dad, relying on his 'village' to raise his little girl after the sudden death of his wife. All was fine until his BabyGirl came home from her first day of school with a bruise on her arm, courtesy of the new girl in school.
WARNINGS: Enemy to Lovers, Secrets, Misunderstanding, Jealousy, Fluff, Pining, Loneliness, Helicopter Parenting, OverProtective Dad, More to add as story moves on.
MASTER LIST
Part 5
Disclaimer: I don't beta my work, and English is not my first language, so please excuse any errors.
âStop! Donât do that! Youâre hurting her!â Ellie shouted.
You turned to see the three kids locked onto each other, arms tangled in what could only be described as a three-way wrestle. Ellie was using her left hand to push Daniel away from Sarah, her right pulling Sarah back. He had a handful of his cousinâs hair in his hand, his other wrestling a pancake from Sarahâs plate. Sarahâs one hand was on top of his, stopping him from taking her final pancake, her other trying to detangle her cousinâs hand from her hair to no avail.
âThatâs hers! Donât take her food! Youâre mean!â Ellie yelled some more, pushing Daniel away as hard as she could. All three kids were on their knees on their chairs by this point, Daniel almost standing up to get leverage over the two smaller girls.
âDonât take it! You had your own! This is mine!â Sarah yelled, desperately trying to get her hair off her much bigger cousinâs grasp.
âIâm still hungry! Weâre family! You should share with me!â the boy yelled back, pulling the pancake away from under Sarahâs hand, squishing it in the process.
âIâm hungry! I want my pancakes!â Sarah shot back, now pushing Daniel away along with Ellie.
âHey, stop!â you got up and pulled Daniel away from the girls by his middle, having to use more force than you wanted to achieve that. âAll you had to do is ask for more, Iâm sure your mom can get you some more, donât take from Sarah,â you gently said, not wanting to rile him up further.
âDonât tell my son what to do, youâre not his mother!â Tess shot up, pulling Daniel by the hand. âAre you okay?â she asked him, checking him for injuries.
âSorry, he was pulling Sarahâs hair,â you apologized. âI didnât mean to pull him so hard.â
Joel was by Sarahâs side within seconds, checking her hair, worried Daniel had pulled some out. He checked Ellie too, but the girl shrunk away from him.
âHey, Iâm just checking if youâre injured, okay? Iâm not gonna hurt you,â he tried to coax. But Sarah pushed his hand away, putting her arm around Ellie protectively.
The two held on to each other, both protecting each other from everyone else.
âDid she hurt you?â Tess asked her son, the boy silent, a sourpuss on him. She turned towards you, âWhere do you get off pulling children away like that huh?â
You couldnât believe you ears. Surely she saw her son pulling Sarahâs hair, right? You did. It seemed like everyone else did, even Tommy and Maria were stunned.
But Tess didnât pay attention to you, fussing over her son, asking him if he was okay and checking him for injuries over and over again. Once she saw that he wasnât injured, she stood up, facing you, her face like thunder.
âIs that how you teach your daughter to deal with conflict? Push little boys away? Bad enough she injured my niece, and now she wants to do the same to my son?â she asked, red in the face.
âUh, your son pulled your nieceâs hair because she wouldnât let him have her pancake,â Maria chimed, her arms crossed, her face incredulous. âEllie was defending your niece from your son. He was pulling her hair and stealing her pancake. Why are you chastising Annie and Ellie for defending your niece, when you should have done that yourself?â
âDaniel go wash your hands, weâre leaving,â Tess instructed, looking angry. She waited until Daniel was out of earshot before facing Maria. âMy son has just lost his father. Heâs having a hard time dealing.â She turned to you, âAnd your daughter is not helping, bullying him like that!â
âHey,â Maria put herself between you and Tess, âI donât know what kind of rose-coloured glasses you have on, but it seems very clear that your son is the one doing the bullying. No matter what your sonâs situation is, it doesnât justify him bullying little girls either. And in case you didnât know, Ellieâs father passed too, but you donât see her stealing other peopleâs food and pulling peopleâs hair when they fight back!â
Tess looked affronted. âAre you accusing my son of bullying?â
Maria didnât answer, but she shrugged, raising her eyebrows, tilting her head simultaneously. It was pretty clear she was indeed accusing Daniel of bullying.
âThe girls have been fighting so much they injured each other, but my son is the one accused of bullying?â Tess questioned, looking at Joel exasperatedly, expecting him to defend her.
But Joel was just staring at her, unable to believe what he had just witnessed and heard.
He sat down with Sarah and Ellie, âSarah, did Ellie hurt you before? In school?â
Sarah shook her head, her arms tightening around Ellie.
âDid Daniel hurt you? Was he the one who stole your food and gave you and Ellie the bruises and scratches?â he tried again.
Sarah looked at Tess, wary, as if she was worried Tess was going to yell at her. Tess squatted in front of her and said it was okay, she could tell the truth.
Sarah nodded.
Tess looked shocked. She turned to face Daniel, who had just returned. âIs this true? Did you bully Sarah? You stole their food? Did you injure her and Ellie?â
Daniel stared at Sarah, who held on to Ellie tighter. Ellie immediately put her own body forward, ready to protect Sarah if needed.
âI donât like Ellie. Sarah is my cousin. Why does she like Ellie more than me? Sarah wonât play with me anymore.â
âYou steal my food,â Sarah said. âI said we can play, we can share food, but you take all my food! And then you take Ellieâs food too!â
Daniel started welling up. âI was hungry. I asked Sarah if I can have some of her food. But Sarah said she only wanted to share with me if Ellie can share too. Why does she have to be friends with Ellie too? Sheâs my friend first!â
Tess looked as if she was on the verge of tears too. âHoney, you know how you have more than one friend?â Daniel nodded. âWell, Sarah can have more than one friend too. Why would you be mad at her for wanting to have another friend?â
Daniel started crying. âI lost Dad, I donât want to lose Sarah too.â
Tess hugged her son, eyes directly at Joel, who didnât say anything. He didnât even move, his hands in fists on the table.
She picked Daniel up, quietly telling everyone she was leaving. She got her purse, left a twenty on the table and left.
Joel didnât move. Didnât say anything. Didnât react. He just sat there next to Sarah, his face expressionless.
And that made you irrationally angry.
You reached out for Ellie, who, upon seeing the expression on your face, did not protest and immediately climbed the table to get to you instead of waiting for Sarah and Joel to move. You took her hand and told Maria that you needed to go. She didnât wait, didnât give excuses. She went straight to the counter to pay and followed you out, unlocking the car and peeling away as fast as she could.
How dare he? He sat there like a robot and did not react upon finding out his nephew was the one bullying his daughter, but lost his head when he thought your daughter had done so?
It was hard for you not to cry discrimination.
This man accused your innocent daughter of bullying, screamed at you for it, got in your personal space to shout in your face, so completely blinded by rage and simply refused to listen to reason, and yet, when he found out it was his nephew who was the culprit, he didnât react?
Fuck him.
You couldnât forget the look on Ellieâs face as she punched the man, who was easily at least five to six times larger than her, her tiny, ineffectual fists not even making a mark against his thighs and hips. You couldnât forget the way your five year old put herself between you and the mean man, ready to defend you again when he came barging at you that second time. How she couldnât stop looking at you while you drove home those days, her eyes worried for you.
How you woke up to her staring at you, worry clear across her tiny features.
You hated that you were so fucking weak your five year old felt the need to defend you.
As if she hadnât been through enough because of your own weakness.
And you remained a passive participant when another man bullied you. Right in front of your daughter. Yet again.
Thank God she didnât seem to have inherited your stupidity.
As always, far too late, you spent the past few days having trouble sleeping, regretting your own passivity during those two times he attacked you. Now that you were no longer in the position where a deranged man who was so sweet to you mere hours before was screaming his head off at you, accusing your daughter of unspeakable things, you couldnât help but imagine the should haves.
You should have said something mean back to him. You should have screamed at him right back. You should have pointed your finger at him.
Maybe, just maybe, you should have jabbed him in that stupidly broad chest of his with your finger right after pointing it to his annoyingly attractive face. Maybe you should have spat in his face. Maybe you should have pushed him away as hard as you could when he got in your personal space. Maybe even punch him.
At that point, you almost wished he had yelled at you that morning when he discovered Sarah was with you and Ellie.
The maybes and should haves got worse and worse, to the point that you were almost laughing at yourself, knowing you would never have the balls to do any of them. What would you have done to him? Well, letâs just say the location was perfect for what you had in mind. Plenty of graves around. You could have hidden his body quite successfully and no one would ever find him.
All because he decided that he could just sit in silence when the real bully was revealed.
Seriously. The least he could do was yell at Tess as well.
So she was a single mom. Her husband died. So were you. So did yours. What, she got off scot-free just because they were related? Fuck that.
She got special treatment because they were related? What? Wasnât it the unwritten rule that family gets yelled at worse because they are family?
Jerk.
Your poor, innocent Ellie. Being accused of bullying, of stealing, all because her best friend had a psychotic father.
And because her mother was a weakling.
Even if all those thoughts were only in your mind, you were so steamed you didnât speak at all throughout the drive. All your morbid plans involving Joel Miller must have shown on your face, Maria driving in silence, not even side-eyeing you. Ellie went as far as not moving at all, staying perfectly still throughout the journey.
You were snapped out of your angry delusions, right about the time you were silently planning to scoop Joel Millerâs eyes out with teaspoons, when you realized the car had not stopped at your place.
âWhy are we here?â you asked when you saw Frank come running out, a huge smile on his face. He opened the door and helped Ellie out, telling you and Maria not to worry.
âWeâre gonna have fun painting, arenât we?â he asked your excited little girl, who nodded and quickly climbed onto his back as soon as he unbuckled her and turned around for a piggyback.
âUhâŠâ you started, unbuckling your seatbelt, wanting to stop whatever was going on right now. Ever since Eric passed, you had only been separated from Ellie during school hours, and that one week the investigation of his death took place.
The longest week of your life.
âNope,â Maria protested, buckling you back up. âWe are going for coffee and lunch â I am still hungry. Had like three bites of food at brunch.â
âButâŠâ
âNo buts Mama, go have fun, sheâll be alright. Itâs not like she doesnât know me. Get used to this Mama, sorry to say this, but you cannot boggart your little girl. Learn to share her with us. Learn to have some fun too. Go. Bye!â Frank ranted, slamming the door behind him, a squealing Ellie on his back, carelessly waving you good bye without even looking at you.
Oh, okay then.
Maria peeled off as soon as the two were clear off the car, worried you might try to get Ellie back. âSheâs with Frank, she knows him, you know him, I know him. Ellie loves him, she spends a lot of time with him at the store. Ellie loves Bill, and despite his demeanour, you and I both know he loves her too. He will risk his own neck on the line for her. And shockingly, Bill is a great cook, so please know that your daughter will have great food while she was there.â
You really couldnât protest. For one, you were starving too. It was really difficult to eat when that annoying grump was staring at you, trying to apologize again. It was also hard to eat when Tess kept asking you questions about your past. Thank God Maria was there to distract her.
Secondly, you needed to rant to Maria. This dissatisfaction you had for Joel Millerâs lack of reaction at the diner was weighing down on you. You hadnât had the chance to tell her about the whole drama, wanting to tell her face to face instead of via text. Plus, even if you did want to text or call her through out the week, sheâs a busy woman, and you had troubled her in these past two weeks more than you should in a lifetime.
You stayed quiet until she got to a drive thru, ordered, picked up the food and parked at a park. The two of you sat in her car, eating greasy fries and burger in silence.
âOkay,â she finally said as she crumpled the wrapper of the burger she just ate, taking a long drink from her cup. âWhat is it? Why were you stewing about?â
âI wasnât stewing,â you defensively said, putting your own trash away.
She raised her eyebrows. Damn, this woman knew you far too well.
You pushed the seat to the back, took your shoes off and crossed your legs. She followed suit, cracking the window open a little bit and switching the engine off, turning to face you.
âThat Joel Miller, you know him?â
âYeah, I mean, not well, but I know he owns that DIY store and that he had a daughter he practically keeps hostage.â
âWhat else do you know about him?â
Her face suddenly lit up, a cheeky, meaningful smile forming on her lips. âWhy⊠are you asking?â she teased. âAre we liking what we see? He is very handsome. I prefer the brother, personally, but Joel⊠heâs a dish. Do we like him?â she asked, an expectant look on her face, as if waiting for you to confirm her suspicion.
But one look at you stopped that.
âWhy? What happened?â
She looked worried now.
âThat boy had been bullying Sarah and Ellie. Hurt them to the point of bruising them, scratching them. Stole their food as well. Girls came home hungry. He actually shared his concerns with me, they were something we were concerned about. But then he simply assumed Ellie was the one bullying his daughter, and he screamed at me. Even accused Ellie of stealing. And then he found out his nephew was the one doing it all and he said nothing? I donât know, it just rubs me the wrong way.â
She stared at you, shocked.
âHe yelled at you?â
âYeah, right there in the school yard in front of everyone. Like, people were looking, Maria. He got so close to me that I actually thought he was gonna hit me. Ellie must have thought so too, she punched him as hard as she could. And he said some stuff that are, frankly, justâŠâ you stopped talking, not wanting to get emotional.
Maria took your hand in hers, looking angry.
âWhy didnât you tell me?â
You shrugged, shaking your head a little, âYouâre busy⊠I donâtâŠâ
âHey, look at me,â she urged, turning your face to face hers when you didnât oblige. âListen to me. Are you listening?â
You nodded.
âRemember when we were in pre-school? When I came in and no one wanted to be friends with me cause I didnât have brand new clothes and nice shiny shoes?â
You blinked at her.
âWho saw me hungry at lunch time and shared her PB&J with me and then held my hands when Missy Gabriels called me a piss poor pauper and pushed me off the swings?â
You blinked again.
âAnd who made sure her Momma packed an extra sandwich for me from that day on and made sure no one messed with me ever again?â
She squeezed your hands.
âYour Momma didnât have much, but she shared with me. Took me in when my Mom died. You think Iâm gonna care if Iâm tired when you need me?â
Silence.
âAnnie, you and your Momma took care of me. Let me take care of you. And maybe teach you how to stand up for yourself â cause girl, you can defend others to the death but would not stand up for your own damn self.â
She stopped for a while, âI couldnât protect you from Eric, not that we knew he would turn out to be the monster he was, but I can and will protect you now. And if Joel Miller is mean to you, I will push him off the swings for you.â
Your tears fell then, hugging her. The two of you held each other for a while, sobbing on each otherâs shoulders.
When you finally pulled away, you made a desperate attempt to get her to laugh. âWell, how can you push Joel Miller off the swings when you have the hots for his brother?â you teased.
She rolled her eyes. âI do not!â
âOh yes you do! You couldnât take your eyes off him!â
âThen how did I notice Joel Miller never taking his eyes off you?â she teased right back, souring your mood.
âHeâs just feeling guilty for all the things he said to me,â you dismissed.
But Maria knew you. All too well.
âOh my God,â she slowly said, her mouth in the shape of an O. âYou like him!â
You gasped. âNo I donât!â
âYes you do! You like him! And thatâs why youâre so angry at him. Because you like him!â
âAnd heâs a bully! Just like Eric! I sure know how to choose âem, huh?â you half screamed, shocking her.
You didnât want to think it. But you did. You felt stupid for liking the man â even if just a couple of days. You hated that for those brief moments, you were attracted to him.
But then he pulled the rug out from under you, and he pulled hard. When you finally looked up at your best friend, she had the most horrifying look on her face.
âAnnie,â she said, pulling you back in for a hug. âAnnie, Eric didnât start out as a bully. You know this. We knew him for years before you two even dated. You knew what changed him. Heâs gone. Just because he turned out to be a monster, doesnât mean you choose the wrong men. Donât do this to yourself!â she chastised.
You went quiet. After a while, you shook your head and brushed it off.
âAnyway, whether or not I liked him, itâs got nothing to do with the fact that he would rather accuse my child of bullying his daughter, and humiliate me in public, but not say anything when itâs his precious little girlfriend and nephew.â
Maria didnât say anything.
âI justâŠâ you said, rubbing your face, âI just need him to react to her too. To know that heâs an ass to everyone and not just me. Why do I deserve to be yelled at, humiliated, but not her?â
Maria couldnât answer.
âIs it just me? Iâm just someone people can just bully? Iâm a single mom too. My husband died too. Is it just because they are related?â
âMaybeâŠâ Maria hesitated. âBut⊠look, I donât want you to think Iâm not on your side or anything like that, but Tessâs husband just died. Itâs recent. And he died in a car crash, it was a huge thing, someone got drunk and just went into the opposite lane at full speed, crashed right into her husbandâs car. So maybe he just didnât want to add to what was already a traumatic thing? And Daniel⊠he must be acting out.â
God, you hated how much she was making sense right now.
âLook, I donât know them very well, but Iâve seen them around. They are a close-knit family. And Joel⊠well⊠everyone sort of knows him from the store. Heâs⊠extremely protective of his daughter. The whole town knows he keeps her close, doesnât even trust babysitters. He has a⊠village⊠and Tess, sheâs one of those in the village. Her late husband was his late wifeâs brother.â
You sat there, just absorbing everything she was telling you.
âAnd Joel⊠heâs kinda known as a grump, but I have never heard him to be a bully, or violent in any way. Heâs kinda well-liked, in a quiet, reliable kind of way.â
She waited for you to speak, but you didnât.
âDid he apologize?â she asked after a few moments of silence.
âNumerous times,â you admitted, nodding slowly. âAnnoying, reallyâŠâ
Maria laughed. âI think I caught a bit of that apology at brunch.â
You raised your eyebrows, scoffing. Â
âLook, if you want to continue hating him and Tess, Iâll be in your corner. But consider the situation. His, especially. You didnât even want to leave Ellie with Frank and Bill just now. You are protective of Ellie, rightfully so. But so is he, of Sarah. That reaction he had was extreme, thatâs true. But if it were me, I might have done the same. And he apologized for it. You donât have to date the guy, but you can stay away from him and not hate him for what he did. Donât let him affect you like this. Itâs not good for you, itâs not good for Ellie,â she begged.
âI need coffee,â you declared after a few minutes of silence.
âOkay,â she said, starting her car up. âJust⊠one more thing,â she said before putting the car into gear. âWhat you said⊠about picking menâŠâ
You hung your head.
âYou are not picking bullies. Donât let what happened with Eric prevent you from having a happy life one day. Donât think like that Annie. After everything, start fresh, clean slate. After what you and Ellie went through, you deserve it.â
Joel watched as Sarah climbed the monkey bars, telling her to be careful. He sat on a bench unoccupied by the mothers, whose eyes are now travelling all over his body, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
He had looked for you at drop off and pick up, but you were nowhere to be seen. He knew Ellie was at school. So you must have dropped her off. But he didnât see you. Either you had someone else drop her off and pick her up, or you made sure he didnât see you.
You didnât want to see him.
Not that he blamed you.
He could see you were angry at brunch. He was caught off guard when Daniel, his own nephew was revealed to be the one who had been hurting his daughter and her best friend, he froze.
He wanted to yell. He was so angry at Daniel he wanted to slap that boy into oblivion. That boy had starved his daughter and injured her. Starved and injured your daughter too.
And Tess.
Did she know? Did she lie when she said Ellieâs name? Was she keeping him in the dark just so he wouldnât be mad at her own son?
She said Ellieâs name as if it was a sure thing. Ellie Stevens. Just said it. And then she backed her up. Talking him down from his admittedly unjustified anger. And then it turned out it was her son all along.
She didnât even try to call him to explain. Neither she nor Daniel went to school today.
He just felt so stupid. He screamed at you. Accused your daughter of so many things, even insulted you with that crust and yolk comment. Sure, he apologized, but even he could tell that you werenât exactly in the mood to accept.
But at that moment, when he found out, all he could think of was how destroyed Tess and Daniel were at Eddieâs funeral. How different Daniel was from the boy he used to know when Eddie was still alive. Even he was badly affected by his death. There were moments still when he picked up the phone to call Eddie up for a drink, only to realize the man was no longer around. He couldnât even imagine what that must have been like for the two of them.
Daniel went from an active, happy go lucky boy to a quiet, moody one ever since they received the phone call about Eddieâs accident. He was so close to his dad, and Eddie was an excellent one. Tess had told him he had taken to locking himself in his room all day, rewatching videos of him and his dad on his phone over and over, just to hear his voice, to see his face.
Joel had actually planned on taking Daniel out for boys time, maybe go fishing, the arcade, play soccer together. But he was biding his time, it may be too soon, and Tess had been trying to keep their lives together, just the two of them until Daniel was dealing with things better before allowing him to go out with his uncle. There was a time when Tess talked about moving back to Rockford to be closer to her family, but so far, she hadnât decided. Maybe she was right, let the boy settle before making any changes. Too much change would have been too much for him.
Joel understood that.
So when he found out it was Daniel who had been causing all these troubles, he didnât know how to react. He didnât want to add to Tessâs troubles, he didnât want to traumatize Daniel further. But he was so angry he couldnât even make that known. He should have said something. Something between anger and logic. But he couldnât come up with anything.
He could see it affected you. It was so easy for him to react to you and Ellie, but not to Tess and Daniel. He could see how angry you were. But unlike him, you knew to walk away rather than scream at an innocent person.
He spent the entirety of his day at home when he got back from the diner with his phone in his hand, his text app open, your number on the recipient. He typed, deleted and retyped so many messages trying to explain himself to you, but the words felt empty. He had hoped to see you today, but he got too busy at the store, call after call for home services keeping him away from the store you worked at.
Fuck. How did his life turn around like this in a week? He was a completely normal human being last week. A bruise on Sarahâs arm changed everything.
âJoelâŠâ
That soft, pleading voice startled him. He turned to see Tess and Daniel standing there, his sister in law looking weary, his nephew looking apologetic.
âDaniel has something to say to you,â she said, giving her son a gentle push.
âIâm sorry Uncle Joel. Iâm sorry I was bad. I wonât do it again. I promise.â
Joel had to give the boy props. Although still angry, he gritted his teeth and forced a smile. He ruffled the boyâs hair and told him it was okay.
âYou have my number, right?â he asked. The boy nodded. âI told you that you can call me anytime you need to, right?â Another nod. âThat offer still stands, buddy. I can never replace your dad, but I can listen, if you want, okay?â
The boy gave yet another nod and hugged him.
Joel and Tess watched as Daniel went to Sarah to apologize. Sarah seemed accepting, and before long the two were playing together just like they used to.
Joel felt silly then. Children and their innocence. A simple talk, and theyâre back to playing together as if nothing had happened.
âJoel Iâm sorry,â Tess said, sitting down next to him. âI never thought⊠Iâm so sorry. I canât even think of anything else to say.â
âDid you know? Before yesterday, did you know? Were you lying when you told me it was Ellie?â
âI swear to God, I didnât. I asked Miss Lydia, and she told me Ellie and Sarah had a fight. After yesterday morning I called her. I thought she hid things from me, a lot of people have been walking on eggshells around me since Eddie. But she told me that if anything had happened between Daniel and the girls, she didnât know about it. It must happened during play time,â she begged. She placed a paper bag between the two of them, Sarahâs lunch box in it. âIâm so sorry, Joel. Please believe me, I didnât know. I would never have let him get away with it if I had known.â
Joel listened. He looked his sister in law in the eyes. Her eyes were earnest. There were no lies there. She was pleading with him.
âI accused another child of bullying, of stealing, Tess, I yelled at her mother. That woman still wonât look me in the eyes. The girl hates me. All because of this.â
âI will talk to them, Joel, I will make this right. I promise. Just, please, Joel, I canât lose you and Sarah too. Please,â she pleaded.
Just then, Sarahâs laughter rang out, along with Danielâs. The two looked over and saw the two trying their best to swing on the monkey bars, to no avail.
Joel got up and went over, teaching the two how to swing. Tess joined the three of them, and before long, the four of them were having a grand old time, Daniel merrily swinging from one bar to another, Sarah following. It was just like old times, the family back together again, sans Eddie.
âEllie!â Sarah yelled, âCome play! My Daddy is teaching us how to swing!â Sarah called out.
Joel stopped, turning around to see you and Ellie at the edge of the park.
But Ellie didnât come running. Instead, she went to the swings. You started pushing her, the little girl giggling, asking you to push higher. Sarah asked if she could join Ellie and ran off before Joel could say anything. Joel watched as you greeted Sarah with a smile on your face, hugging his daughter, welcoming her, before helping her on the swing next to Ellie, pushing her along as well. The two girls looked so happy to be playing together.
Next thing he knew, Daniel had joined you and the girls, meekly walking over.
From afar, he could see you stop pushing the girls, walking over to Daniel. He watched as Daniel spoke to you, his head down.
âMrs Ellieâs Mom, my name is Daniel,â the boy told you when he got near. âIâm sorry I was mean to Ellie. I wonât do it again. Ellie is nice to me, but I was mean to her. Iâm sorry. I wonât steal her food anymore. I wonât fight her anymore. I promise.â
You knelt in front of him. Your heart melting at the sincerity of the boyâs words. He was just a boy, after all.
âThank you for apologizing, Daniel. You made a promise, you know you have to keep it, right? No more fighting? No more bullying? No more stealing?â you gently asked.
The boy nodded vigorously.
âOkay, can you apologize to Ellie?â
He turned to Ellie, going to face her. âIâm sorry Ellie. Can I please be your friend?â
Ellie looked at you. You nodded.
âMama, can you push all of us?â she asked.
âSure sweetie,â you got up, holding the vacant swing for Daniel to get on.
And just like that, the three kids were laughing as if the past week didnât happen.
Tess joined not long after, begging for your mercy and forgiveness.
Joel watched from the monkey bar, his legs far too heavy to join you. What would he even say to you?
He went back to the bench and waited. He couldnât take his eyes off you, how gentle you were with the kids, how happy they were in your presence.
âOh, my God,â Tess teased, sitting back down next to him. âYou are smitten, arenât you?â
âShut up,â Joel blushed, eyes still on you.
âJust saying, if you had listened to me about not reacting emotionally, you could have been on a date with her!â she joked.
Still, Joelâs eyes were on you.
You were driving as fast as you could, but your old lemon of a car wasnât cooperating. It was making the most pathetic sound ever.
âPlease donât do this, just a little bit further,â you pleaded.
You were on your way to pick Ellie up from school, and the cheap car you bought had decided to start giving you problems right at that moment.
A further week had passed since the brunch, and you had been avoiding Joel Miller at all costs. You were frankly shocked at how easily you forgave Tess and Daniel, a good nightâs sleep doing wonders for you.
Of course it wasnât their fault. Tragedy like that, it would affect the strongest of children, and Daniel was a child. He was five, for Godâs sake. Children fight, but they are resilient and they forgive easily. Judging from Ellieâs stories, the three of them had become quite good friends now, spending all their playtime together. Even shared lunch together. Sarah and Daniel were all Ellie talked about these days, and you couldnât help but smile at the thought of them playing together. Ellie found both of them during their visit to the cemetery Sunday and had a fun time, short as it was. Tess even invited Ellie to Danielâs birthday party this coming Saturday, happy that all was well with the children again.
All was well indeed. But you took Mariaâs advice to heart.
You stayed away from Joel Miller.
You couldnât stand his incessant apologies. And his puppy dog eyes. And that voice. And that musk of his you couldnât help take in when he was sitting next to you at the diner, his shoulders so broad he was basically rubbing against you.
You were attracted to him, but you just couldnât trust him. If he was capable of losing his head over something he wasnât even sure of, what else would he be capable of doing?
You were not taking that chance. Not again.
The sad, final sputter of your car woke you up from your thoughts. The car jerked uncontrollably for a few seconds before stopping altogether, stranding you.
Fuck.
You took your phone out, finding Frankâs number. You called, but he didnât answer. Bill didnât answer either. Neither did Maria. You called the school and told them your predicament. Thankfully, they understood, telling you someone will stay with Ellie until you got there.
You called the tow truck next, frustrated that you had to wait for your call to be transferred. You just wanted to get it over with, arrange for a tow truck and call an Uber to get you to school. But they kept telling you to wait, promising you that your call was very important to them, that you were the next customer, over and over, that stupid Strauss elevator music playing on repeat annoying you so much you wanted to scream.
Your phone kept beeping. You looked at it, seeing a battery warning. Damn this old phone. You needed to charge it five times in a day to get the battery to last all day. You needed a new one, you knew that. But thereâs nothing you could do at that moment. Your car was dead, you couldnât charge it if you tried.
And of course, just as the call was connected, it died.
Fuck.
You had no choice. You locked the car and began walking. Thank God it wasnât the height of summer, or the depth of winter. You could walk five miles, right? Surely they would let you charge your phone at the school and get an Uber, right?
You were maybe a mile in when a familiar truck stopped next to you.
Oh God.
âSaw your car back there. You alright?â
Donât be stupid. Go get your kid. Thatâs more important than your ego.
âIt died on me. Phone ran out of battery,â you reluctantly answered.
âOn your way to school?â he asked. You simply nodded.
âHop in,â he said, opening the door for you.
Great, you were left with two choices. Stand your ground and walk, and have your daughter wait longer at school, or be stuck in a truck with the man you were trying not to see.
âCome on, we donât want to be late picking them up,â he said.
Damn it.
Miss Lydia was at her desk in the staff room, flipping through the dayâs drawings, counting them one last time before going home. Tess stopped at her table, looking at the drawing right at the top.
âGorgeous drawing,â she remarked. âA five year old drew this?â she asked, picking it up. It was indeed beautiful, far more detailed and a lot neater most.
âYep,â Miss Lydia said, peering at the drawing. âSheâs gonna be a great artist, that one,â she said, packing her bag up.
Tess flipped the drawing over, looking at the name behind it.
Hello everyone, just in advance, if you decide to make a Behemoth fanfic, please feel free to tag me because you don't know how long I've been waiting for an Alex Serian fanfic â€ïžđ„°đ
