"We Can Share Lunch"
NewSingleParent! Adam x 'Pro'SingleParent!Reader
Tw: Past mentions of cheating, drug use, divorce.
Fluff Warning: Super cute Moma!Reader moments and A parent helping another Parent out. Plus cute kid!Cain, Kid!Abel & Kid!Seth
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Adam who was a top lawyer at his fathers lawfirm, who had the "Picture Perfect" family his parents always forced down onto him.
He Had the good looks, the fantastic job, the hot wife and two rascal but cute sons. Everything that he was told to be perfect, to live up to his fathers expectations......
......Except it wasnt perfect behind closed doors, just like his childhood had been when he was blind to the reality.
His Hit wife was addicted to substances, so much that Adam had to keep his sons away with nannies and other care givers while he tried to help his wife pull herself together. Trying to save their marriage, his marriage with Eve.
His at home life causing him to lose cases which caused him to get reprimanded by his fathers and his position dropped cutting his once lavish budget as a way for Adam to "Get his priorities straight."
The sudden toght budget had Adam cutting off extra spending, trying to keep his boys in their good school amd trying to keep the house in check....Things had looked up when Eve seemed to finally, finally started to get back on track.
She was getting dressed more, being semi involved with their boys more, she even started being involved with their schooling. She had been passionate with him again, so much that Adam tried to rekindle it more by splurging on dates where he could....Yet, the financial situation brought up more arguments than ever before.
Eve wanted to go to her spas, her hair & nail appointments, wanted to go out with her friends for mimosas, even though she once again promised she would stay clean. She wanted to do the things she did when Adam had his higher position, and He tried beinf honest with her, telling her she and he can't live like that anymore, that his father would not budge and until he earned his position back, they had to stick toghether.
Something he thought she understood.
Something she said she had with a smile.
Yet when he was in the middle of trial on the courts break and he was on the way to a local gas station to buy an apple or something for lunch, and was checking his phone seeing his boys school called multiple times....His heart sank, some gutted feeling hitting him as he listened to the voicemessages left behind.
Payment failure, up to six months to his boys school.
"If the balance of ××,××× Is not paid by the 15th, Cain & Abel Edenson will be unenrolled at our institution."
Six months...
Adam found the apple he was going to purchase falling from his hand and rolling across the floor as he stared blankly at his phone....
That was the exact time period Eve had suddenly started to perk back up, suddenly was getting better, suddenly was 'the perfect wife' again.....
His chest tightened.
He moved fo check his banking information only to nearly crumble at the drained and closed accounts, leaving him with his basic backup checking and savings, the only two accounts that were not linked to anything where anyone could get too...
He experience his first panic attack in years, in the gas stations dirty bathroom cutting his chest as he hyper ventilated trying to call his wife. Wanting answers, wanting something, anything to what the fucking hell she was doing, what did she fucking do.
His thumb sliding decline on his fathers lawfirm calling him, his eyes moving to his phones clock seeing how court was supposed to go back into session, his client needing him to represent and he wasnt fucking there.
He was here, having a meltdown...
He knew his stand end will take over, he had the case in the bag. Yet he knew he would most definitely be fired from his own father. If he was lucky, his mother may give him just enough cash to find somewhere for him and his boys to move too, something so they could have a place to stay.
When his phone connected finally to Eve's phone, he nearly started shouting, his panic surging through him as his opened his lips to yell.
"Ah~ Luci! Ah Fuck! 💞 "
His phone chambered across the dirty bathroom floor, his hands on his chest as tears finally broke out from his eyes. He couldn't breath.
In the matter of an hour his entire life fell apart.
The divorce had been swift.
His father had made sure it was so, even though he reprimanded him for not being able to hold his life toghether. His mother had given him a check, urging him to leave town, to save face from media and start somewhere small.
He did, He and his two boys moved, to a different part of the city, the outskirts of it, far from the scandal but still relatively close for his mother to see her grandsons when she wanted to play grandma.
His boys had thankfully adjusted well, They were still young only being nine and seven. Their parents divorce went over their heads for the most part, sides the sudden disappearance of their mother which had been blow to them....Plus the complete down grade of everything in their lives....But his boys were shockingly greatful for what little he could give them now.
While Adam was crumbling in the new life situation,
His boys thrived.
They both went to public school now and thrived as the new popular kids. They both had made friends with this one kid who was between their ages, Seth.
Cain & Abel Loved Seth, they all got along and Seth for the most part kept the Edenson brothers from bickering. Their teacher would keep the three of them in a group toghether because the Edenson boys were a good social interaction influence to Seth.
"I hate the school food here." Cain had whined once as he stared down at the schools....'healthy chicken and plain veggies and warmed milk'. Abel had made a noise in agreement as he was in the stage where what his older brother doesn't like, he doesn't like too.
"We can share the lunch my moma made me." Seth had sweetly offered as he opened up his lunchbox to pull out what you had prepared him. A fat turkey and cheese sandwich loaded far better than even panera itself, with homemade cookies and chopped up into funshapes veggies with ranch cucumber dip.
It had the Two Edenson boys bewildered and happily agreeing to eat your son's lunch with him.
You had noticed your boys sudden intake of food when coming home from school, down right starving and rapidly eatting dinner and asking for seconds sometimes thirds.
Your son's sudden change had made you worried, as he was constantly starving when coming home from school and plus the sudden requests of certain meals, even ones you knew your son did not enjoy, yet he was persistent im you making some for him for lunch...
After a few weeks you finally sat down with your eight year old and asked the big question.
"Seth sweetie....Are you sharing your lunches with anyone?"
The wide eyed and panicked expression on his face, confirmed your suspicion but you moved to hold your son's face softly.
"Im not mad if you are sweetie, Momas just trying to figure out whats going on, cause I can't be feeding more kids honey." You told your son softly, assuring him he wasnt introuble by any means.
"...I been giving my friends Cain and Abel some of my lunch cause they dont like the school food." Seth had told you honestly as he looked down, eyes already brimming with tears that had your heart melting but you had to hold strong.
"Sweetie while thats super kind and compassionate of you, Moma can't afford feeding other kiddos just cause they dont want school lunch." You softly explained watching as your boy looked up with his e/c eyes at you tears already falling from them.
"But they dont have a moma anymore to make them lunches." Seth had blurted out as his tears fell more as he moved to hold your hands tightly.
"And Cain says his dad is always super sad, and has to work so much that they only eat yucky fast food."
Your heart was aching. as you watched your boy cry expressing himself to you and the worry of his friends. Your raised such a empathetic and compassionate little boy, that while you felt proud of yourself, you hurt for his little friends.
"Abel and cain really likes your cooking, moma, they say it feels like love....So I just..." His breathing picked up in that little kid fashion when they cry and he paused to wipe his eyes and nuzzles his little face into your hands as he looked up you in his tearful eyes.
"Wanted to share a moma's love with them."
Oh
How that had you pulling your boy to his chest holding him tightly as tears stung your own eyes. Your boy crying into your chest as you held him.
When you pulled away you were wiping his and your eyes as pressing a kiss to his forehead. Before moving to your counter grabbing out a empty recipe card and a pen writing down a note before moving to give it Seth for his backpack.
"How about, tomorrow you give this note to Cain and Abel for them to give to their dad to see of this weekend they would like to come over for dinner amd a movie?" You softly suggested watching your boys eyes widen and a wide smile forming on his face as he nodded taking the note tightly and rushing to his schoolbag.
While you had put your boy to bed, you spent the night up grabbing a small box and started to fill it with canned goods, dried beans and rice and an old crock pot you just couldn't throw out when you replaced it.
You stayed up writing out simple, easy but hardy and filling crock pot meals on recipe cards and put them inside of the crock pot.
It wasnt much, as you couldn't afford to give away a whole lot, but it was what you could do to help out a freshly separated parent juggling two kids and just needed a little push in the right direction. You hoped as you packed the box that the boys father wouldn't take offense to the note at all.
Adam had been getting home, leaving the office job he managed get himself after being turned away from the smaller lawfirms here, wind of his fuck up last court session had spread and right now Adam was deemed more a liability than a rescource....It forced him to find other work and he managed to land a small office job at some construction company..The work was heavy and the pay.......well theres a reason why he has a second job onto of it.
Exhausted, he moved to stop by a cheap pizza place, his mobile order ready as he took it and left, staring dowm at the greasy box im slight distan as he set it in the passager seat as he drove home to meet his boys at the bus stop and take them home.
The smell of the pizza was nauseating, as he drove staring ahead blankly....
He was so sick of pizza.
But he didnt know how to cook, and he couldn't afford one of those convent grocery shipped deals that came eith everything you needed and a simple card...
Adam didmt even know how to properly grocery shop, so he wasted money of buying quick heated up meals, and then on fast food, just something anything to keep his boys from starving.
His parents were ignoring his calls at the moment, so cries of help were pretty much ignored.
Adam placed his head against the steering wheel as he parked and waited for his boys bus to come and drop them off.
He was failing them.
He knew it, every day he looked at their faces and knew they deserved more, better.
Better than him.
He was a failure of a father.
Adams shoulders shook as he gripped the steering wheel tightly, tears burning at his already worn and dark circled eyes.
Ah yes, his daily pity party before he would have to hide it...terribly from his boys.
...He wanted to die...
The sound of the boys school bus had Adam jerking up and wiping his eyes breathing hard as he pulled himself together as he saw his boys run off the bus and to his car, already climbing into the backseat happily greeting him.
Adam tried his best to put on a happy front, enthusiastically asking how their day went, what they learned, what extra class they went today.
Both boys eagerly would tell him and expressed their feelings on what happened. It made him smile as it sounded like they had a good day.
"And then Seth and I-"
"Seth and me did this-"
"Seth got glitter in the-"
Adam looked at his rear view mirror for a second seeing his boys excitedly talk about their friend...one that always seem to come up in conversation.
From the sounds of it, this Seth kid was a good kid, raised good and was a really good influence on his own boys. Adam never even met the kid, but he already felt like he knew him because of how much his boys would talk about him.
Pulling to their ran down little home that Adam rented out of an apartment complex, his boys climbed out and were already running to the door, well Abel was.
Cain hadn't just jumped out yet as he heard his sons booking unzip and suddenly his boys hand was beside his face woth a card.
"Seths Mom wanted me to give this to you." Cain said excitedly before running out to join his younger brother, surely rushing to the tv to watch some cartoons.
Adam had stared at the card, reading over it, over and over again, his heart in his stomach and his eyes burning, that crushing feelimg of failing hitting him over again...and yet, a slight feeling of relief that someone had reached out...even if it was a total stranger.
Dear Cain & Abel's Dad,
I greatly hope you don't mind my intrusion,
But I have found out that my son Seth has been sharing his lunches with your boys for the past month.
Like any kid, our boys like to overshare with each other it seems. Seth has shared what was shared with him by your boys, that you are facing a rough place right now.
I can not do much, but if you are willing, I would like you and your boys to come over this weekend for dinner and a movie.
Its feels like the three of you could really use a warm home cooked meal, and some time to just have some fun.
Hoping to see you, Saturday at 4, at xxxxx, xxxxx, xxxxx.
With warm regards
Y/n L/n
There was a knock at your door, amd your boy was eagerly running to it with a quick,
"They're here!"
You were fast to dry your hands leaving the pot cooking on your stove as you quickly followed to the door to make sure ot was the expected guest and not a potential sign of danger.
Seeing the front door wide open and two boys rushing in to tackle your boy in a hug, made ease come to you and a smile, as the boys were eagerly chattering and grinning.
Your eyes moved past them to see the boys father, and for a second you paused.
Fuck he was hot.
And yet you could tell her was struggling, as he walked in more reserved than his boys his eyes warm on your children and then looking up to you nervously.
You smiled warmly as you moved to him, around the boys carefully as you heard Seth tell Cain & Abel to follow him to his room and the sound of rushing little feet.
"You must be Mr.Edenson." You warmly greeted ad you held out a hand to him, One which he glanced down at and carefully took.
"Just call me Adam." He greeted as he watched you smile more, warm and soft, just like your hand, your home as you led him inside.
"Im Y/n." You said softly as you led Adam to your kitchen, his eyes moved along your home, taking in all the warm decor, pictures of you and your son....Adam realized after the fourth one there was no father figure...when he turned and saw you, you were smiling sadly at the last picture he looked at.
You didn't comment just turned to the cooking pot and stirring something.
"Its just you two?" Adam found him asking the obvious amd before he could kick himself in the ass for it.
You turned back and set your stirring spoon and sat at your kitchen table and he followed in suit sitting across from you.
"Yeah." you said softly as you looked up at Adam.
"I got pregnant with Seth when I was finishing up college. His father, dipped out on us a month after he was born, never seen him since."
It left a bitter taste in Adams mouth, he didnt understand how a man could abandon his kid, a frown forming on his face before he offered you a sympathetic one.
"Thats shit of him, im sorry." He spoke out and he watched as you let out a bright and vibrant laugh....it was beautiful.
"Ah well, his loss, Seth is a blessing." You commented as you looked at him, your face changing to your own sympathetic one.
"So just the three of you?" You asked the obvious question he had with a gentle smile and it caused Adam to let out a too exhausted sigh.
"Yeah...Yeah.." He let out as he looked at the table.
"The boys mother...Got hooked onto that um Roo drug thats been going on...Tried getting her help, thought she was getting better, thought we were getting better.....And then I found out she was stealing money and was sleeping with a business partner behind my back...practically left me and the boys nothing...My parents semi helped so we weren't onnthe streets and its just been us.."
Wow...
.It sounded so far more fucked up once he said it aloud.
Yet he jumped at a gentle hand on his and looked up to see you softly staring at him.
"Im sorry you and your boys are going through this." You said to him, and he didmt know how much he needed a warm gentle hand on him until this moment. When you moved to get up your hand sliding off his he nearly wanted to grab it but he composed himself.
"I hope you dont mind." You spoke lightly as you came back to his view from your pantry holding a box and setting it on the table. "I made a pantry box for you."
Adam felt a sense of shame filled him as you showed him it filled with can goods and a crock pot, yet it didnt stick as you pulled out recipe cards and showed him.
"I've been where your at." You had said softly to him and it just made him feel in that moment seen as your eyes moved to him.
"Doing what you can to keep them warm and their bellies full.....Sometimes going hungry yourself. Its not easy without help."
"I feel like im failing them." He whispered as he moved cans back into the box.
Yet your hand on his arm made him look up as you gave him a knowing look.
"Kids dont know what their missing out on if their not shown." You said softly, before softly squeezing his arm. "Your doing the best you can, your doing great."
Adam nearly crumbled at your words, his eyes stinging and you moved to offer him a warm side hug and a few words of encouragement.
He didnt know how much he needed those warm gentle words.
Dinner was soom served, all the boys where at the table chattering to each other, You had made Adam stay sitting down as you filled bowls and carry them to the table for everyone to eat.
The Edenson boys pausing at the sight of the food, eyes wide before looking up at you in awe,something you missed as you leaned down and placed a kiss on top of Seth's head after he said a soft
"Thank you moma."
Homemade scratch Chicken and Dumplings with warm biscuits. It was you and Seth's favorite comfort meal and you thought tonight the Edenson boys and Father needed a bit of comfort.
"Boys what do you say?" Adams voice gently pushed his sons, which caused Cain and Abel to quit their gaping.
"Thank you Miss.L/n!" Cain said quickly before moving to quickly dove into his food.
"Thank you Miss. L/n!" Abel chirped out before grabbing his fork, "It looks really yummy!"
Your warm laugh had caused your own boy to giggle as you sat down back at your own bowl.
"Enjoy the meal kiddos."
His boys were groaning at the meal as they engulfed it fast paced and in a hurry, It would have been embarrassing if Adam too hadn't done the same.
Seth was giggling at his friends as he ate at a more slower pace, simply savoring the meal.
"I know! My momma makes the best food!" Seth bragged just a little bit as he munched on his biscuits, Cain and Abel were nodding along cheeks puffed out and full making Seth laugh at them.
"I'll pack you boys some more to take home." You had said as you looked at Adam kindly, there was a reason why you made this meal afterall.
"Thank you!" Abel chipped out again as he looked so eager at having more at home.
Cain smiled as he looked at his empty bowl,and back to you nervously.
"Miss. L/n...Can I have some more please?" He asked sheepishly, yet you had moved up walking over and taking his bowl.
"Oh course sweetie."
The boys had ran to the living room, a pallet on the floor for them that you and Seth had made earlier. You were setting up the tv and getting the movie ready while you heard the kitchen sink running and dishes moving around.
Adam had insisted on cleaning your dishes and you were not going to deny the man to show his gratitude by saying no. So while you jad popcorn popping and getting the boys settled.
Soon You and Adam were joining each lther on the couch with a bowl to share watching the boys settled beside each other laying down to watch some child's action movie, little hands grabbing snatching pop corn out of their shared bowl.
You and Adam talked softly to each other, getting to know each other and to talk about your boys.
"Thank you." Adam said softly and it warmed your heart as you saw just how greatful he seemed as he smiled warmly at you.
You returned it back to him as you popped a few pieces of popcorn in your mouth.
"If you'd like, we could always pantry share on the weekends and have shared dinners, I think the boys will like that." You offered, more than just a helping hand, it was a sense of normalcy, a small notion of having something close to a family, it was like a life send to him.
"I would appreciate that very much."
Three little boys had looked back behind him, Two watching their Dad smile again, One Watching their Mom almost seem to glow.
Cain, Abel and Seth looked at each other, all smiles widest on their cheeks as they turned to the movie.
"Do you think your dad will become my dad?"
"And your mom become our mom?"
The boys had whispered to each other before cuddling close with their blankets, while peeking back to their smiling and happy parents with their own wide smiling grins.
Maybe some lunches should be shared, Afterall.