cw: single mom!reader, a child
Jack isn't stubborn enough to admit that he's not the greatest neighbor ever. In his defense, he works odd hours. He works for the block parties, he's never home to help when new families move in, and he can't say he even knows both his direct neighbors anymore. He knows that his neighbors to the left have retired to Florida, and his new neighbors to the right, well, they're more headstrong than he is.
You came over to introduce yourself just a few days after he'd seen the moving trucks. You came bearing a plate full of cookies and an outgoing toddler with uneven pigtails who threw herself at his legs with a huge smile. He immediately falls head over heels for the both of you.
He was rarely home during normal hours and a lot of his free days were spent working with the SWAT team, but still, he often found plates of leftover meals left on his doorstep or different desserts boxed up along with scribbled artwork that goes up on his fridge until he gets the next piece. He appreciates it more than he ever gets the chance to voice, so he makes it up to you in small ways. He'll take your mail up to your doorstep, bring in your bins, or even weed your garden. You've never asked him to, but he feels its the least he can do after you've kept him so well-fed these last few months.
Today, he figures he has the chance to actually tell you. He's taken the day off, actually taken it off. Your small talk when he gets home from work and youâre leaving or vice versa just isnât enough for him anymore. Youâre the human embodiment of sunshine, bringing a smile to his face after a rough shift while you wrangle your three year old into her car seat and the girl shouts her hellos. The two of you are magnetic, drawing him in without even knowing it.
He's been able to get some chores done before he hears your house next door spring to life. He can hear music pouring out of your windows and both you and your daughter's voice singing along. He doesn't even try to fight the smile that stretches across his face.
Before he gets a chance to second guess himself, he makes his way over. He knocks three times, waits only a second before he hears, "Mommy! It's my best friend, Dr. Jack!"
You pull open the door, still in your pajamas with a powder-dusted apron covering your front. You must be cleaning up after breakfast. "Good morning, Dr. Jack!" You smile brightly.
Your daughter squeezes past you and hugs Jack's legs with an identical bright smile, "we're gonna go water my plants!"
"Sounds so fun, princess," he smiles down at the girl before lifting his face to met your eyes, "I wanted to invite the two of you over for dinner tonight, as a thank you for all the treats and meals."
"We're free for dinner, aren't we, missy?" You ask whilst trying to pry your daughter off of him.
"Yep!" She nods, slipping away from you as she rounds Jack with a mischievous smile, "come look at my garden, Dr. Jack."
"He's busy!" You chide, reaching for her again unsuccessfully.
"But I wanna show him my plants!" She whines, tiny hands tugging at his shirt as she pouts up at him, "please!"
"I can spare a few minutes. If it's alright with you, of course," Jack reassures with a nod.
Just a few minutes later, due to a few pit stops to look at drawings and new toys, Jack finds himself in you backyard looking at a thriving garden. He's shocked into silent wonder. He was expecting a few plastic planters with wilting plants, but there's a whole raised plant box decorated with multicolored hand prints and lush plants.
Your laugh fills his ears as you lay a gentle hand on his shoulder, voice low as you explain, "the preschool she goes to has a partnership with a community garden. The school has a few plants and the gardeners sent all the kids home with a few plants. We have tomatoes, peppers, and basil so far.â
"We use it to make our sauce! Did you like it, Dr. Jack?" The girl asks as she rips a cherry tomato off the vine and holds it out to Jack.
"We used the tomatoes to make the spaghetti sauce we took over a few weeks ago," you clarify again.
"I loved it," Jack lies, hardly remembering any spaghetti, but not wanting to disappoint the toddler. He hums pleasantly as he chews on the tomato, not ashamed to admit that it's a very good tomato.
His immediate answer makes you smile. He's always so kind with your daughter, making her happy and smile like very few people can. You love your happy girl and Jack makes her happyâ the both of you.
The girl chatters on and on about the plant life cycle while pointing at all the different produce in various stages of ripeness. She smiles up at Jack proudly, "I have green hands."
You and Jack laugh heartily, as you reach to push her hair away from her face, "a green thumb, baby. Just your thumb."
Jack crouches down beside her, "maybe I can use some of this in my dinner for us tonight. You can come over and help me. How does making our own pizzas sound?"
She claps her hands with an excited nod, "I love pizza! And mommy loves wine too!"
You clap a hand over her mouth, face burning with embarrassment, "that's a secret between us girls!"
"But he's my best friend!" She pouts up at you with her bottom lip jutted out dramatically.
You wave her away under the guise of her picking veggies for Jack's dinner. She grabs her basket and starts her work with devotion. You keep your voice low, "she's exaggerating about my love of wine."
Jack throws his head back with a laugh, "I've learned to take her comments with a grain of salt. I can get us a bottle though, I've been told I have a petty decent palate."
You shake your head, an almost forgotten feeling of bashfulness refusing to let you make eye contact, "save your skills for a more deserving girl. A fancy date or something."
"I think you're plenty deserving. I'd be honored to have you two girls be my first date in a long time if you'd be interested in that," Jack murmurs, his voice warm with sincerity.
Your head snaps in his direction, eyes wide with disbelief and cheeks warm, "you don't mean that..."
"I don't take kindly to being called a liar. Now, I'll have to cancel dessert, and I buy a mean store bought cake," Jack playfully chides before softening his tone, "I'm being serious about it being a date. You can tell me no or you can tell me yes and we can see where it goes. No pressure."
"Dr. Jack! Look at this worm!" Your daughter screeches, thankfully giving you a moment to calm your racing heartbeat and catch your breath.
He kneels beside her and feigns awe. His voice is gentle as he tells her all about how helpful worms are in gardens. She hangs on his every word, eyes bright with adoration.
The sight makes your heart skip a beat. You know there are worse men to keep around for you and especially your daughter and Jack is very far from that. You bite your bottom lip, meeting Jack's eyes as he looks over your daughter's shoulder and nod. It's a date.
feedback is appreciated! divider from cursed-carmine <3