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crazyk-imagine · 2 years

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The Good, The Bad, and The Working on It

Pairing: (Stepdad) Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Mom!Reader

Characters: (Stepdad) Jake “Hangman” Seresin, Mom!Reader, Edwin and Maryanne (the kiddos), Penny Benjamin, Amelia Benjamin, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Natasha "Phoenix" Trace, Robert "Bob" Floyd, Reuben "Payback" Fitch, Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia, Javy "Coyote" Machado, Billy "Fritz" Avalone, Callie "Halo" Bassett, Neil "Omaha" Vikander, Bringham "Harvard" Lennox, Logan "Yale" Lee, Marty and Cody (the other bartenders)

Warnings: Fluff, minor angst, not enough communication (always communicate with your partner), minor cursing (very brief), drama, nicknames (gorgeous, darlin’, etc.), Fanboy is the man when it comes to photography, Bob is the best guy for the job of being a DJ, Javy "Coyote" Machado is a good friend, Jake being a softie, Penny acts as a protective mother figure over reader, Bradley judges our favorite cocky pilot, everyone teases Jake, Cute quick Penny and Pete moment.

Word Count: 11,575

A/N: This can easily become a series, still thinking about it though (even though I have notes and drafts all revolving around this imagine and I made a header for it not even 10 min ago)

Answers to TGTBATWOI

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Three and a half years ago…

After the father of your kids decided that he had enough of being tied down and left with little to no goodbye, it was safe to say you didn’t think or care about dating after that shitty experience.

So, you can fully admit (as well as Jake and his pilot buddies) that it was no surprise when you met said pilot at the Hard Deck.

You work there a little more than part time, being a bartender there is your “out of the house” job (as you like to say) and you do a type of telemarketing at home when the company you’ve been emailing with asks you too.

Luckily it doesn’t happen all the time but sometimes it can be pretty inconvenient on days when your babies have a part in a play and they’re the lead star or when they have their first soccer game (it was a bit of a hassle to accomplish but you did it).

And then again, it was no surprise when Jake was a jackass when you two first met.

You (and anyone else, yes, including Bradley and Pete) can admit that it was nice when he actually started to act like a human being with emotions and not some douche with a huge ego.

Today however, will be the test to see how everything will be if you and Jake decide to take your relationship (or pining) a step further… even though he hasn’t officially asked you out.

“Are you sure you can’t watch them for another three-ish hours?” You ask your babysitter and get a lame excuse saying she can’t because she has to study when she actually has plans to go out with her friends and her boyfriend (the kids told you yesterday about all this).

You sigh, hanging up your phone before shoving it into your pocket. You rest your hands on the edge of the bar top, closing your eyes with your head down to the floor.

“You, okay?” Penny asks.

You quickly straighten your posture, “yep, all good.”

“Your babysitter cancel on you?”

You avert your gaze, “maybe.”

“You get off early tonight, why not bring them here? Pete and the others will be here. They could go swimming.”

“I don’t have any of their swim things and no sunscreen. Plus, I need them to focus on their homework right now. I don’t want to have another meeting with their teachers over something as minor as homework.”

She nods, “alright. We can have them sit over at one of the tables until the lunch rush shows. And, before you say anything, breath. We’ll be fine. I’ve got Marty and Cody coming in for their shifts in an hour which will give you more than enough time to go pick them up and come back here… even though we won’t need you.”

“I’m gonna ignore that last part because we both know it’s not true. Thank you.”

You check the clock on the wall, “crap. I gotta go. I’ll be back soon.”

“Looks like your girlfriends not here,” Javy comments.

“She’s not- shut up, man.” Jake shoves his buddy away from him as he enters the bar, immediately aiming for the center station. He can’t take these conversations seriously without a drink.

“Where’s the only sensible woman Bagman hasn’t managed to sink his claws into?” Natasha asks, standing behind him.

“He’s in one of his moods,” Javy says before leaning down to “whisper”, “she’s not here. Her car wasn’t in the parking lot.”

“Guess she came to her senses,” she pats him on the shoulder.

Logan, Billy, and Callie wave her over, pointing to the pool table.

She walks away from the two, wanting to place some bets (knowing she’ll make a quick buck or two).

“She’s gonna be here soon, you know. Don’t pout, man.” Javy pats Jake’s shoulder, not wanting to have to console the dude for something so minor but willing to do so anyway.

“Would you stop saying that? I don’t care, alright?”

His friend makes an attempt to respond but doesn’t because he starts coughing, choking on his saliva.

“You good?”

His buddy shakes his head, covering his mouth with a clenched fist, using his free hand to point over at you.

The blonde turns, his eyes widen ever so slightly. “She has kids?” He mutters to himself, wondering who else may have known and if this is why you continue to turn him down.

He thinks back to the times when he’s asked you out and if you wear a wedding ring or have mentioned having a boyfriend, but the answer is no.

“Alright, today we can focus on your homework a little more because Pen has a couple extra hands. We ready?”

“Do we have to?” Edwin, Ed (or Eddie) asks with a whining tone.

“Don’t give me that pouty lip, Mister. If we can get this done before we go home, I know for a fact you would feel better.”

“What if I don’t want to feel better?”

“You should.”

You turn to your daughter, Maryanne, who’s older by three years looks back down at her own work. “Thank you, sweetheart, but I don’t need you to chime in with your insightful thoughts.”

“But he needs to focus. He’s already gotten a warning from his teacher.”

“He’s what?” You turn to look at your son, “Edwin, is this true?”

He looks down, not saying anything.

“Why did you get a warning?”

“She wouldn’t let me ask my friend for help.”

“Were you talking to your friend during class time when you know you’re not supposed to?”

He purses his lips, “that’s ervelant.”

“Irrelevant, sweetheart. How long ago did you get your warning?”

“He got it on his first day and we’re on our third day of school now.”

You turn to your daughter, “do you know if it was a verbal warning or is there something I need to sign?”

She shakes your head, “the first one. It’s okay though. His teacher tells me what I need to tell you when I’m waiting for him in his class after school.”

Your son is upset that you two are talking about and “acting” like he’s not even there. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!”

“Eddie, I need you to calm down-”

“No!”

You open your mouth to say his name again when he hops off the chair and runs off. Your eyes widen. “Sweetheart, you’re coming with me. Hold my hand.”

“Mom,” she groans.

“There is a small crowd already. I will not lose both of my children in it.”

She lets out a dramatic, long sigh, “fine.”

You grab her hand, “thank you.”

Javy opens the bathroom door, stopping when something bounces off his legs. He freezes when he sees a little boy sitting on his butt, looking up at him, ready to cry. “Oh no.”

“Hey, what’re you doing? Get out of the doorway, man,” Jake says.

“There’s a tearful kid in the way.”

“What?” He looks over his buddy’s shoulder to find Edwin sitting there with a wobbly lip.

“What do I do?”

“Pick the kid- move out of my way.” Jake scoffs, “Coyote.” The blond bends down, holding his hand out for the little boy to take.

Edwin hesitantly reaches up for the man’s hand.

Jake helps him off the ground, giving him a gentle smile. “Atta boy, you’re looking better already. Is your mom or dad here?”

He nods.

“You want to point me in their direction-”

“Eddie! Edw-” Maryanne stops you, pointing to Jake.

You rush over to the two, kneeling beside Jake. “Edwin, I’ve told you too many times, not to run off like that.”

He sniffs, nodding his head.

You sigh, wiping his cheeks before turning to find- “Jake.”

“My favorite,” he glances between the two, “b-a-r-t-e-n-d-e-r.”

“I can spell,” Maryanne says with slight attitude.

“Maryanne.”

“Sorry mama.”

“These two are yours?”

“Obviously.”

“I’m really sorry,” Javy starts to apologize. “I didn’t see him and then he-”

You smile, “Javy, it’s okay. I know you didn’t do anything on purpose. He just got upset and ran off.”

“I’m still really sorry.”

“We accept your apology.” You stand up, “why don’t you two go join the rest of your crew. We’ve got some work to do.”

Your daughter pouts, leaning against you.

He stands up. “You go,” Jake whispers to Javy.

“Dude.”

“Just go.”

“Alright, alright.”

“So, what kind of homework do we have to do?”

You shake your head, holding both of your kids’ hands, “no, Jake. You go join your friends. You don’t want to stay and help out with homework, that’s not what you came here to do.”

“I came here to talk to some people, and I’d certainly enjoy talking to you three.”

You scoff through your nose, shaking your head to hide the fact that your cheeks are on fire.

“Let me carry little man and don’t tell me I don’t need to. I want to, gorgeous.” He lifts Edwin into his arms, holding the boy against his hip.

Maryanne starts walking ahead, pulling you with her.

You all settle into your seats, Jake across from you with the kids on each side of you.

“I finished my writing assignment before we went looking for Ed.”

You give her a small smile, “that’s good, what else do you have to do?”

She pouts, “math.”

You nod, “okay.”

“I can help,” Jake offers.

“You can?” You ask.

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that attitude and say yes.”

“Since when were you a math whiz?”

“Since I actually put in the effort to pass.”

“That’s always nice to hear...” You smirk, resting your head on your palm, “were you being threatened with detention?”

“Worse.”

“No car?”

“Bingo.”

“I bet it would have been hilarious to see teen, skinny armed, pasty Jake riding his bike through the neighborhood.”

“Oh, yeah. So, funny.” He turns to Maryanne, glancing down at her work, “you need help with math?”

“Yeah… can you help me?”

“Sure, I can. What are we doing today?”

“Is he actually being nice to kids?” Bradley mutters.

“He’s obviously doing it to impress her,” Reuben adds.

“I don’t think so. He’s actually good with kids. You should see him with his nieces and nephews,” says Javy.

“There’s more of him? There are little bagman’s running around out in the world?” Natasha asks, catching the last little bit of the conversation.

Javy dry laughs, “ha ha. Yeah, kind of. He just doesn’t want you all to see him as a softie.”

“I feel like I’m watching a rom com,” Mickey says.

“But it’s actually decent and well worth watching,” adds Bob.

“How long have you been there?” Reuben asks.

“A few minutes. I’m waiting on my soda.”

“Anyone want to play pool?” Javy asks.

“Or darts? Maybe next to them?” Natasha offers.

Javy smirks, “let’s go.” He wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her with him.

Mickey and Bob trail behind them, shaking their heads, not liking what the two may be planning.

Reuben runs over to the bar to grab their drinks.

“And how are we today?” Javy asks, wrapping his arm around is buddy’s shoulders. He turns to Edwin, “sorry about running into you little dude.”

“It’s okay and we’re good. Jake’s helping Maryanne with her math,” you tell him.

“You’ve got the best guy to help her.”

“How come we never met your mini me’s?” Mickey asks, pulling Javy away so he and Natasha can start their game of darts.

“My babysitter canceled.”

“That sucks. Why? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“She’s in high school, has a boyfriend. Need I say more.”

“Ah,” he nods, “got it. Well, if you ever need a babysitter, I’d happily offer my services.”

“Well, aren’t you sweet.”

Jake furrows his brows; he knows the kid isn’t hitting on you, but he can’t help but feel a little jealous very jealous. “Alright, that’s enough. Your partner in crime is calling you over to play darts.”

Mickey snickers as he walks away.

“You good, Seresin?” You ask with a raised brow.

“Always,” he smirks before helping Maryanne with her homework.

You smile, letting yourself daydream about a future with him and how nice it would be to be able to share a life with him, having family outings, potentially expanding your family, and growing old together… You shake your head, ridding your mind of these thoughts. You don’t want to get your hopes up (anymore, then you already have).

He glances over at you and smiles.

You fight the urge to smile for a second before you give up and give in, smiling with just as much, if not a skosh more happiness.

After about an hour or so, Maryanne was able to successfully finish her homework.

“You know if she gets a good grade on her homework, I’m gonna ask you to help her again. I can barely help her when she asks me. If it was me, I would have still been on problem two.”

Jake chuckles, “I’d be happy to help her out as long as I get to take you out.”

A nervous chuckle escapes you, “you mean like a- like a date?”

“If you wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

You bite the inside of your cheek, “I’ll see if I can find the time.”

He shakes his head.

You check your phone, seeing that it’s dinner time and you’ve been off your shift since- wow three hours ago. “Looks like it’s time to go home. I’ve still got to make dinner and figure out when I need to go grocery shopping. Do I need gas?” You push your chair in, helping the kids get ready.

Jake getting out of his seat makes you realize you, kind of, forgot about him for a second. “Oh, sorry, I got too into my head.”

“It’s alright, my sister is the same way.”

“Oh, how is everyone? I’ve been meaning to ask but every time I want to someone else needs a drink.”

“It’s okay. Maybe on our date we can talk more about things you’ve been wanting to ask me and… I can do the same.”

“Yeah?”

He nods, giving you a genuine smile, enjoying how he gets to see you all excited and jittery (and hopefully because of him, in a good way, of course), “yeah.”

“Can we go now?” Edwin asks, rubbing his eyes.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“I’ll walk you all out.”

“I’ll call you.”

“You don’t have my number,” you point out.

“Did you forget, I’m good with numbers.”

You’re not impressed right now. “Just give me your phone.”

“So bossy,” he teases, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“You love it, don’t lie.”

“Maybe I do but, I think that’s more of a later date thing.”

You return his phone back to him, “you think we’ll be going on more than one date?”

He nods. “I know we will.”

You shake your head, “goodnight, Jake.”

He leans in, giving you time to push him away; you don’t. He pecks your cheek.

You close your eyes, inhaling his cologne (something else you’ve grown to like about him).

He pulls back, opening the car door for you.

You shake your head, remembering what you have to do.

“Text me when you get home,” he says, leaning against the car and door.

“Only if you do them same.”

“’Course I will. Goodnight, gorgeous.”

“Night, Jake.”

After that night, he officially asked you out for a proper date and the two of you hit it off.

He didn’t take you to a fancy restaurant (since he asked the others and Penny for a few different ideas on where you’d like to go). Jake did NOT want to screw up (what felt like) his one chance to take you out.

The two of you found yourselves in his truck, laying in the back watching the stars, talking about whatever came to mind while you ate fast food.

“This has to be the best date I’ve been on in- well, ever honestly,” you admit, staring up at the night sky.

He turns his head, studying your side profile, “really?”

“Without a shadow of a doubt.”

He gulps, unsure if he should ask this now or ever. “I know this is too soon to ask and I might be overstepping some boundaries but, what happened with Maryanne and Edwin’s dad? Is he going to come back into their lives at any point in the future?”

You scoff, leaning up to rest on your elbow with your head angled down towards him. “I can assure you that he will never come back into their lives until they turn eighteen then they can make the decision, but I will take the role of a bad guy if it means I keep that asshole away from them and out of their lives.”

You sigh, resting on your back once more, “he decided that when Edwin was three months old, and Maryanne was close two and a half that he wasn’t cut out for the life of being a dad or being tied down, so he left, and I haven’t looked back since. He hasn’t called or texted since then so why should I go looking for him. He made his choice.”

“And you made yours.”

“What’s that?”

Jake shuffles closer to you, cupping your cheek with his thumb brushing across your cheekbone every so often as he stares into your eyes. “You are raising two amazing kids all by yourself and you look damn good doing it.”

You let out a quiet playful laugh.

“I’m not gonna lie, a part of me wishes that they were mine.”

“Yeah? What about the other part of you?”

“Which one? I’ve got two more.”

You raise your hand, placing it against the base of his neck, brushing your thumb back and forth against the edge of his hair, “what’s the second part of you say?”

“How much I want to ask you to marry me even though it might be too soon.”

“And the other?”

“If it’d be stupid of me to ask if you’d be my gorgeous girl and let me in, help you raise those two troublemakers.”

You sink your teeth into your bottom lip, preventing yourself from getting too emotional. “Seems to me like you just want to get in my house to see my bedroom.”

“That would certainly be a plus, wouldn’t it?”

“For you maybe.”

“Damn straight.” He leans down, whispering in your ear, “I’d get to see what you wear underneath your pretty little clothes without asking you to strip for me.”

You scoff, slapping your hands against his chest.

He chuckles, pulling back to see you relaxed and happy, something he doesn’t think he’s ever seen before. “There’s another part of me that wants to do something.”

“Like what?”

“Kiss you.”

You don’t realize it until a second later, but your lips tugged upwards, and you know you’re smiling. “Do it,” you whisper.

He hums, blinking owlishly at you clearly coming out of his thoughts.

You lean up and lightly brush your lips against his before pulling back. You switch from staring one eye to the next, waiting to see panic or disgust, only to find the stars twinkling in his eyes. “Kiss me.”

“Are you sure? Because I don’t think I’ll be able to stop once I start.”

You both lean into one another sharing a passionate first kiss (with many more to come).

Two years later...

“Do you think she’s gonna say yes?” asks Jake, to his friend who has a bored look on his face.

“I hope so. I’m tired of hearing you complain and whine about “if she says no” and how you’ll “die” with whatever answer she does give you,” Javy slaps his hands on the blond man’s shoulders, “shut up. She’s gonna say yes.”

Jake says nothing as he purses his lips, “I hear you but what if-”

“Shut up,” Javy hands him a handful of darts, “and play. Have a drink, just do something- anything to calm your nerves… please. And you hear that? I’m asking you nicely.”

He stares at Javy with a deadpan expression. “I’m talking to you in confidence. You’re supposed to boost me up and help me feel better.”

“I am.”

“You’re not being honest with me,” Jake complains.

“I am.” He sees the look his fellow pilot is giving him out of the corner of his eye while he throws the dart at the dartboard, it lands, and he turns around. “Look, you’re an asshole-”

“Thank you, keep telling me things I need to hear,” the blond says with sass.

“But you’re an asshole in love and you’re,” Javy pokes his chest, “just too scared to admit it.”

“Yeah,” he nods, until he repeats what his friend said in his head and glares at Javy. “I hate you sometimes,” he throws a dart at the dart board, it lands way off base from the center.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Bob walks over to the two, glancing over Jake with a concerned expression. “Is he okay?”

“Him? Oh, yeah. He’s fine.”

“He’s nervous she’s gonna say no, huh?”

Jake spins around, using a dart to point at Bob. “No, I’m not.”

Javy leans closer to the WSO, “he’s in the denial stage.”

“I can see that.”

“You two are messing up my concentration. Go gossip about me somewhere else.”

“You know,” Javy pats his shoulder, “it’s okay to be scared.”

“I’m not scared,” he denies.

“Lying is only gonna make this worse.”

“Can it, Baby on Board.”

Bob raises his hands, staring at the ground with a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Your girl’s here,” Billy says, handing Javy a drink and Bob his beer nuts.

Jake spins around just as the dart hits the center of the dart board. A boyish grin tugs at the corner of his mouth, “yes, she is.” He hands Bob the third dart, “have fun boys. Oh, and use protection, especially you,” he points to the WSO before talking off.

“What?”

“Ignore him. He’s in love, you know, it makes people do and say crazy things,” Javy assures Bob.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he greets you, placing a hand on your lower back.

“Hey.” You turn around, leaning into him. You see the guys standing there, watching the two of you. “Are we gonna go say hi?”

He shakes his head, “nope. Come on.” He leads you towards the walls, wanting to get away from the crowd, not lose you in it.

“Where are we going?”

“I want to go outside and see how much more beautiful you can look tonight.”

You scoff, smacking his shoulder, “you can be such an adorable suck up.”

“Only for you,” he pecks your lips, “did it work?”

You roll your eyes, “shut up.” You grab his hand, pulling him along behind you. You happily wave over at the three, who return “cool” waves, except for Bob (he always waves back with just as much enthusiasm as you do to him).

Jake shoves you out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

He pulls you back, spinning you around once, and wraps his arms around your waist. “Hi.”

You can’t resist his charm and smile back at him, “hi.”

“Let’s walk along the beach, yeah?”

You nod, “if that’s what you want to do.”

“Come on,” he tucks you into his side and starts walking.

You begin to wonder what he has planned. Jake usually doesn’t like to walk along the beach at night (he can’t see your gorgeous face as he likes to say whenever you ask… which is always).

You turn to look at him, he’s nervous but you can’t tell why. You know there’s nothing important coming up such as birthdays, holidays, or anniversaries. The kids haven’t been giving him too much of a hard time (it’s a tough process but they do seem to act like they like him when he comes over or when you all go out).

You’re left even more confused than when you first exited the bar.

He stops, staring out into the ocean.

You watch him, curious as to what’s floating around in his head, “are you okay?”

He turns his head looking at you, wondering how he got so lucky to have meet you and hoping you’ll say yes because he wants the married life with you and to be another parent figure that Maryanne and Edwin can look up too. He knows he wants to live out the rest of his life with you and the kids. Jake gulps, “you should ring me?”

You jerk your head back, blinking owlishly at him, “what?”

“We should rings.” He closes his eyes with a clenched jaw, shaking his head.

You tilt your head, “are you feeling okay?” You place your hand on the back of his forehead.

He nods, reaching into his pocket, pulling the box out of his pocket, practically shoving it in his face.

You grab his wrist pulling it down, out of your face and look down, realizing what he’s planning to do. “Jake?”

“I don’t know how to say it.”

“What- uh- what do you want to do?”

“I think it’s pretty obvious what I want to do.”

“Okay, smart ass. Get down on one knee and ask me.”

“That’s the thing. I can’t figure out how to ask you.” He bends down on one knee, “I’ve got too much running through my head. and I don’t know what to say. Then before I know words just start spewing out of my mouth.”

You take a deep breath, placing your hands on his shoulders, “what’s the first thing that pops into your head when you think about wanting to marry me?”

“I don’t want to marry you. I am gonna marry you. So,” he reaches for your left hand, placing a gentle kiss on top, “you can’t get rid of me easily.”

An emotional chuckle escapes you, “what a sap you are.”

“The first thing that pops into my head when I think about us being married is how there isn’t going to much of a difference because we’re already a family. But there is one thing I do know and that’s wanting to grow old with you. You know, I want us to be the older fun couple who still act like they did their first year of dating and I want to listen to your old lady problems.”

You smack his shoulder.

He chuckles, “while you listen to my old man issues.”

“Something tells me there’s gonna be a lot.”

“Let me finish then we can add the commentary later… I also want to be able to help with the kids more.”

“You already do so much.”

“I know but, I think it’s best if we don’t have a lunch issue 2.0.”

You nod, wiping your cheeks, “that’s very true. You almost got kicked out. They called me to make sure you were who you said you were.”

“I told them not to.”

“Oh, yeah because that always goes well when a strange man they hadn’t actually seen before says “don’t call their mom”. Really, Jake? I mean honestly.”

“Ask her already!” Javy, Bob, Natasha, Bradley, Pete, and Penny shout.

You two turn to see some of the gang standing there, waiting for Jake to pop the question.

“If you don’t do it tonight, you’re doing all my paperwork,” Pete shouts.

“I already do.”

“Yeah, well… then you’ll have more.”

“Can you guys turn towards me a little?” Mickey asks, holding up his phone. “You’re gonna regret it, if you don’t.”

You two do as he asked.

“Perfect, thank you! And… propose.”

“What are we in a movie or something? Geez,” you roll your eyes.

“I’m gonna ask you now.”

“Okay, shutting up now.”

“Will you marry me?”

“Can I think about it?”

“What?” He asks with his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

“I’m joking, you idiot. Of course, I will!” You throw your arms around his neck causing the two of you to fall back.

The two of you start laughing.

You push yourself off him, opting to lay on your side.

“Oh shit.”

“What?”

“Where’s the ring?”

“Right here,” answers Bradley, holding the ring box up for him.

“Give it to me.”

“No.”

“Give it to me, chicken.”

“See that, that right there is exactly why I won’t.”

“I swear to-”

“Shut up,” Natasha snatches the box from him and hands it to Jake. “Don’t be an idiot.”

“I wasn’t,” Bradley pouts.

“Sure, you weren’t.”

Jake lifts your hand up and slides the ring on, kissing your knuckles.

You give him an excited smile, wondering how you got so lucky and he’s doing the same.

Your scooped up before you know it, squealing until you find yourself taller than everyone else. “Guys,” you giggle, “put me down.”

“Nope,” a certain mustached man responds.

“Nat? Help?”

“Mickey’s getting a good shot of you up there,” she says, looking over said pilot’s shoulder.

“We can do a better photoshoot tomorrow. Put me down.”

“Can I have my fiancée back?”

“After the old timer,” Penny pats Pete’s shoulder, “buys a round for everybody.”

You all holler, shouting excitedly.

“Not the whole bar, right?” Pete asks his girl.

She smirks, “no, only a lucky few. I promise… as long as your phone doesn’t wind up on the bar top.”

“You’re a cruel, cruel woman.”

“I’ve gotta be stern when running a bar.”

“I was hoping that wouldn’t apply to me.”

“Alright, one round on the old man then we’re outta here,” Jake announces.

Numerous “aw’s” and “boo’s” come his way.

“We gotta go home and get the kids ready for school.”

“Who knew Bagman could be such a softie?” Natasha adds.

“You couldn’t have done this on a Saturday?”

“Shut up, chicken.”

“I’m just saying, you should have planned better.”

“And we’re out of here.”

You let out a soft chuckle, squeezing his hand as you two exit the bar. “Jake, I wanted to say by to everyone.”

“I did too, but they pissed me off.”

“You’re such an old man.”

He lightly pushes you against the car door, “hey, I’m your old man, gorgeous.”

You smirk, “that makes me your old lady?”

“Or if you prefer, my gorgeous.” He kisses your cheek.

“That’s a bit of an open ending, don’t you think?”

“No because you can add anything you want to it.”

“You’re such a sappy suck up,” you tell him before reaching up to peck his cheek.

“Only for you.”

“I don’t know how they’re gonna react.” You glance over at the front door of your shared home.

"We don’t have to get married right away.”

You look over at him, “Jake…”

“No,” he shakes his head. “It’s not just because of Maryanne and Edwin, alright. I want us to take our time and plan it. Invite the people we actually want to be there because I can tell you no one from my family would actually come. I mean, my sister might but… I want to make this a special day for us.”

“I don’t want to argue about this, even though all I have to say is that I know whenever or wherever we have this wedding it will be special.”

“Now who’s a sappy suck up,” he reaches over the middle console to cup your cheek.

“What are we gonna do if the kids don’t accept this?”

“We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

“I don’t want you to be the one who’s hurt.”

He shakes his head, “I won’t be. If I can be a part of their life in any other way, I’ll do it. And I get their hesitancy towards me. I do.”

“I know you do and that’s so, so nice of you but you don’t deserve to be treated like this.” He rests his forehead against yours, “like I told you, I would do anything to be in their lives.” He pecks the corner of your mouth, “and yours.”

Jake pulls back, staring into your eyes. His thumb brushes back and forth against your cheekbone. “Let’s go inside, yeah?” He knows he can only distract you from your worries for so long.

You nod, not wanting to worry about this anymore. “Okay.”

A month and a half ago…

The credits play across the screen. The sound is off because he muted the TV, wanting to talk to you.

"It happened again," Jake sighs.

You quietly groan to yourself, rubbing your face with both hands before slapping your thighs. You scoot yourself into an upright position, legs still resting in his lap, "I'm sorry, honey. I can talk to them again or-"

"No, it's okay. I- uh-” He gulps, “I was thinking maybe I should go stay somewhere else for a few days."

You shake your head, "no. No, absolutely not."

He doesn’t say anything for a few minutes. "Our kids don’t care about me."

You scoff through your nose, "they do. How could you ever think otherwise?" Your chest puffs out with every breath you take, your vision blurs as tears pool in your water line.

He cups your cheeks, "they're not going to warm up to me because they think I'm trying to replace their deadbeat dumbass of a father, or they think I’m gonna be exactly like him and leave. They’re not ready to trust me."

"They know you’re not trying to replace him," you weakly argue.

"You could be right, but they won't listen to you because you’re mom."

You sniff, "please, don’t leave."

"I'm doing this to save yours and the kids relationship."

"You staying here and being a part of the kids’ lives hasn't changed that."

"But it will."

This is it. It feels like it’s the end of your relationship, but you know it’s not. You refuse to believe that you two won’t find your way back to one another and have a better improved relationship with yourself and the kids. His bag falls to the ground.

You take a step forward and rest your head on his shoulder, silently crying into his shirt, bunching it in your clenched fists, "Jake…"

He shushes you, wrapping his arms around you, pulling you closer. His hand finds its way up to its rightful resting place, cupping your cheek, "hey, look at me. Look at me please.”

You lift your head up, with wet cheeks.

His thumb sweeps across your cheek, wiping away your tears, “you know I love you, right?"

You don’t think you’ve ever heard him sound so emotional (except for when he told you about his past and his family, the day he asked to marry you, when he repeated what you said about moving in, and the first time he said I love you). "Course I do.” You lean in closer, whispering, “I love you so much."

It feels like you’re sharing a secret (which you are about Jake’s departure… from the kids for the time being).

"I'll text you when I make it to my place."

You nod, "okay."

Jake leans down, kissing you, reminding you of how much he loves you. He takes a step back, one hand on your back as he leans over to grab his bag.

You two stare at one another with tears in your eyes (yes, even Jake’s on the verge of crying- or maybe he already is but your own tear-filled eyes blur your vision, preventing you from seeing so).

His hand slides off your back after he opens the door. He steps outside, feeling like a stranger on the porch of his own home. Jake tries to walk away before things could get even more depressing.

You reach out, hand squeezing his bicep, silently pleading for him to stay. “Be careful?”

The corner of his lips tug upward into a farewell cocky smirk, “always am, gorgeous. Always am.”

You watch as he gets in his car and wave him off (breaking your hearts into a million pieces).

Jake disappears from you view and you stand there for a few seconds, unwilling to move because if you do, you’ll be home alone… you’ll be alone.

You close the door, resting your forehead on the wooden frame. Your shoulders shake as you struggle to keep your cries quiet. You raise your hand, covering your mouth; whimpers escape you before you can even try and stop them.

As much as you don’t want to, you make your way to your bedroom. You swear you hear your heart break when you walk in. It doesn’t look like much has changed but you know if you open your dresser drawers and check the closet, his clothes won’t be there. You won’t be able to admire his uniform or shake your head at the way he organizes his sock and underwear drawer.

You try to not to think about the little things you’ll miss while taking of your shoes. You lay down on your side, bending your legs, curling into yourself.

After about an hour of laying down, you text Penny.

SoonToBeMrs.S

Hey Pen Sent Read 1:58pm

PickaPenny

Are you alright? You only say my name when something’s happened Sent Read 2:00pm

SoonToBeMrs.S

All good here. Can you pick up Maryanne and Edwin? Sent Read 2:00pm

PickaPenny

You got it. Sent Read 2:01pm

PickaPenny typing…

“What are you doing here?”

Jake turns around, his shoulders sag, “needed a drink.”

“Why am I getting a text from your fiancé about picking up the kids?” asks Penny.

He gulps, “I- uh- I’m gonna be out of the house for a while.”

“Oh, I didn’t hear you were deployed.”

“I’m not.”

The bar owner looks back at him after giving another customer her drink. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Did you break it off with her?”

“No, God no. Penny I-”

“You what?”

“I’m doing this to save the family relationship.”

“What do you mean?”

“The kids don’t like me.”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“They don’t listen to a thing I say and when I pick them up from school, they don’t talk to me.”

“Have you tried talking to them?”

“Of course, I have.”

“No, no. Not ask them questions, talk to them about the whole situation?”

“I’ve tried but they won’t put in the effort to listen. And, yeah, I know they’re kids and that’s how they are, but I want them to know that I’m not trying to replace their bio dad and I want them to stop thinking I’ll leave ‘em just like he did. I just- I can’t get through to them. And I’m not going to be the reason they hate their mom for marrying someone they don’t like. I grew up that way. My mom married someone we weren’t all huge fans of, and he didn’t care. He never tried to talk to us, not even after mom died.”

“Jake-”

He takes out his wallet, setting a few bills down. “Don’t tell her you saw me.”

“Fine,” she sighs. “Can you at least tell me where you’re staying?”

“I’ll be crashing on Coyote’s couch for a few days.”

“And then?” He shrugs, “see you around Penny.”

You open your eyes, glancing over your shoulder to see Penny standing there, and jolt. “Jeez!”

“Sorry, hon. I tried to be gentle, but you wouldn’t budge.”

You push yourself up, “sorry. I take it since you’re here, you picked the kids up?”

“No, I left them to run the bar.”

“You’ve been hanging out with Pete for too long. His- whatever is rubbing off on you.”

She scoffs, “oh, please. If anything, it’s me making him less of an old man.” She sits down beside your legs, rubbing your knee in a comforting manner. “I saw him earlier.”

You don’t say anything, your eyes shift downwards.

“He looked really upset.”

“Did he?”

“He already misses you and the kids.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t give me that fake “I don’t care attitude”. I know you’re upset he’s gone but it’s not like you won’t see him. He just doesn’t want to come between you, Maryanne, or Edwin but he still cares about all of you and wants to help out.”

You wrap your arms around your abdomen, “I know that.”

“Why can’t you two talk it out?”

“I’ve tried to have us talk but no one wants to listen.”

“Okay, okay. Breathe.”

“I am but- it’s all gotten so complicated.”

Penny leaves before dinner time.

You finish preparing their plates, setting them on the dining table. “You two start eating, I’ve got to make sure my makeshift office space is ready after dinner.”

“Where’s Jake? We always have dinner together,” says Edwin.

You freeze, handing the two their utensils. “Oh- um- he’s got- he got caught up with work and won’t be here for a little while.”

“Is he gonna be, okay?” Maryanne asks.

You slowly stand up, giving them a sad smile, “yeah, yeah, he is.” You exit the kitchen.

“Is mama not gonna eat with us since Jake’s gone?” Edwin asks his sister.

“I don’t know, Eddie. I don’t like this.”

“Same.”

“After dinner we can watch a movie. Maybe mama won’t be so busy.”

He nods, “okay.”

“Go pick a movie.” Maryanne pushes her brother towards the living room and realizes what she said. “No Ice Age!”

“Ice Age is a good movie!”

A knock on your door gets you moving faster, you pat your face dry, hoping the bloodshot look will go away soon. “Come in, Maryanne.”

“How did you know it was me?”

“You and your brother have very different knocks.”

“Obviously if you can tell who’s who when we knock. Do you want- were you crying?”

“No, what makes you say that?”

“Your eyes are puffy. Is it because of Jake? Did he make you cry?”

You chuckle, “no, sweetheart.”

“Well, then where is he?”

“I told you; he has a few work things he needs to do.”

“If he’s leaving like dad just tell me, I can handle it.”

You swoop her into a hug after seeing the way her bottom lip quivers. You take a step back, sitting on the edge of your bed. “No, no, no. He’s not leaving. He’s just- he doesn’t want to- he says he wants us to have a better relationship with one another.”

“We already do.”

“You think so?”

She nods.

You sweep the hair covering her eyes out of her way, “what do you think of him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you like him?”

“I… yeah.”

“Do you not like, Jake?”

“He’s nice and tries...”

“Can I ask you why you two are hesitant on letting him into our life?”

She doesn’t say anything.

“Do you think he’s gonna be like your dad?”

“I don’t want him to leave,” says Edwin from your bedroom door.

You open your other arm, giving him room to squeeze in. “Did you like him?”

“We both do.”

“Eddie!”

“I’m tired of you not telling mama what you mean. We both like him.”

“You do?”

He nods, “uh-huh. But we don’t want him to be like dad.”

“Oh, he wouldn’t-”

“Where is he now?”

“...He’s giving us space because he thinks you don’t like him.”

“We do!” He bounces around, “we do! Call him. Make him come home.”

“We can’t make him come home, if he doesn’t want to,” Maryanne points out. “Can we call him tomorrow?”

“We’ll see.”

“Can we watch Ice Age now?” You chuckle, “I’m not leaving you alone with Jake again. He’s corrupted your movie likes and dislikes.”

The kids run out of your room.

You change into something a little comfier before exiting the room.

Maybe there is light at the end of this tunnel.

Edwin was the first to fall asleep, you went out next, leaving your little girl to be the sole survivor.

She grabs her phone off the side table, going to her camera app. She angles herself closer and takes a selfie with the three of you.

LittleDarlin

*image* Miss you Sent Read 8:39pm.

Jake puts his shirt on, checking his phone before winding down for bed. His heart starts to race a little when he sees it’s from his little girl. He opens the message and his heart melts.

SouthernSavior

Miss you too, darlin Sent Read 8:41pm.

Shouldn’t you be asleep? Sent Read 8:42pm.

LittleDarlin

Eddie put Ice Age on Sent Read 8:42pm.

SouthernSavior

Not a good excuse. Go to bed Sent Read 8:43pm.

LittleDarlin typing… Can you come home? Deleted

LittleDarlin

Night Jake Sent Read 8:45pm.

SouthernSavior

Night darlin Sent Read 8:45pm.

Before Jake turns his phone off and puts it on the charger, he sets the photo as his lockscreen.

Three days later…

A knock on the front door alerts you.

You’re confused until you realize it’s a school day and pop out of bed, running out of your room. You check their rooms, finding neither of them there. “Not in the living room or kitchen,” you gasp. “The kitchen.”

You run in, seeing your kids putting their dishes in the sink. “Was no one going to wake me up?”

“You know Jake takes us to school,” Maryanne argues.

“He does but with everything that’s going on, I didn’t know what we were gonna do.”

“I’m still on school duty.”

You scream, jumping just about ten feet in the air. You bring your hand up, placing it on your chest, “don’t. Do. That.”

“I have to get your heart pumping somehow,” he answers you with that damn cocky smirk you’ve grown to love.

“Yeah, and I can send you to work with a foot up your a-s-s.”

“We can spell,” your daughters chimes in.

“Pretend you can’t.”

“Come on, d- Jake. Let’s go before we’re late.”

The two try to walk past you, until you clear your throat.

“What?”

“Hug your mother, kids,” he says, standing beside you.

Edwin rolls his eyes and sighs in a joking way before launching himself into your arms.

Maryanne walks over to give you a quick hug before dragging her brother outside behind her.

Jake hesitates to place his hand on your lower back.

You turn, almost automatically curling into him. “Hey there, sailor.”

“Still not a sailor but, hello to you too, gorgeous.”

“Can we talk later?”

“Is it a good talk or a bad talk?”

“Depends, are you gonna listen to me or not?”

“When don’t I listen to you?”

You arch your brow.

“Fine, I’ll listen.” He walks to the door when you remember something.

“Oh, wait! Edwin has early day today.”

“What time?”

“Like Thursday.”

He quietly groans to himself, “I won’t be able to pick him up.”

“It’s okay. I planned on picking him up anyway. I just wanted you to know so you’re not sitting and waiting at the school for too long.”

“Are you always this thoughtful?”

There it is again. You give him a sarcastic smile, “are you always a pain in my ass?”

“I’d like to think otherwise.”

“In other words, yes.”

“If that’s what you want to call me then fine.”

A car honk alerts the two of you.

“I gotta go. I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“You can count on it. Bye, Jake.” You lean up and peck him on the lips. You aim to head back into the kitchen when you’re pulled back.

He cups your cheek, pulling you closer, “is this, okay?”

“I’d say it’s more than okay.”

The corner of his mouth tugs upwards, “knew you could never resist me.”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

“Yes ma’am.” His other hand wraps around your waist, bringing you closer to him.

You place your hands on his arms, one hand slides along his shoulders, stopping at the base of his neck. You scratch the back of his neck near the edge of his hairline.

He slightly shivers pulling back; he pecks your pink, wet, and swollen lips. “I gotta go drop them off,” his voice comes out hoarse and quiet.

You nod, “mmhmm.”

“You can kiss later! We’ve gotta go or we’ll be late!”

You cover your mouth, hiding your laughter. “You heard the girl.”

“Hey, I didn’t start this whole thing.”

“Neither did I.”

“Let’s call it a truce and you go take the kids to school.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, hon.”

“Bye, gorgeous.”

You and Edwin do his homework before you put on a movie (yes, Ice Age) for him. You turn your head to see the mess in the backyard.

You sigh, getting up off the couch to clean it up. You were doing good, making a lot of progress until you didn’t.

You fall, landing on your shoulder. You know you’re screwed, the pain radiating in your arm is too much, but you can’t freak out because your baby boy will freak out which won’t solve anything.

You push yourself off the ground (with great difficulty) and enter the house.

“Eds,” you whisper, sitting beside him with your arm close to you.

“Yeah?” he asks, slightly distracted by the movie.

“Can you call Aunt Penny for me and hold the phone to my ear?”

“Why?”

“I fell.”

“Are you okay?!”

You shush him, “breathe, sweetheart. Breathe.”

“Where’s your phone? Where’s your phone?”

“Look at the table beside you.”

“Okay, Penny… Penny… Aunt Penny? Mom wants to talk to you.” He holds the phone against your ear.

“Pen? Hey… can you come over and drive me to the emergency room? I fell and broke something.”

Jake rushes into the emergency center, frantically searching for you with Maryanne holding his left hand. He stops when he sees Penny waving, letting him know where you and Edwin are.

He rushes over to the two of you while the poor little girl is being yanked over to your bed. He makes sure Maryanne can hold your hand and get close to you before he sets his hand on top of your head. “Are you okay?”

“I will be if I can get out of here.”

He checks over you, stopping when he sees your arm resting across your stomach, “what happened?”

“I was in the backyard cleaning up-”

“I told you I would do it.”

“Yeah, and that was before you…” you trail off unsure of how to say it without making it sound mean, ‘before you left,’ yeah, not the nicest thing to say ever.

“You could have called me. No, you should have called me.”

You open your mouth to respond when Penny moves the kids away from the bed, having them sit in the seats (she grabbed earlier) giving you two more room to talk.

He reaches down for your hand without looking, letting you squeeze his hand, knowing you aren’t taking any of the morphine or other pain medication (because you don’t like how you feel afterwards). He leans down, letting you turn your head into his chest, “why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t know.”

“Didn’t know what?”

You look up at him through your wet lashes, blinking repeatedly so you can see him. “I didn’t know how we were. After this morning-”

“Hey, hey.” He brushes the few loose strands that cover your face back, “we are never gonna change.” He pecks your forehead before turning around.

He takes a step closer to Penny, whispering, “can you take them somewhere else? Ice cream? Hospital cafeteria? Wherever. I don’t want them to see their mom in anymore pain. I know, Eddie is gonna have a hard time when we get home but I’m not letting them see any more of this.” He pulls out his wallet.

She places her hands on his stopping him, “you don’t need to do that. I’ve got it besides I’ve been wanting to show them a few shells I found the other day.”

He lets out a breath of relief, “thank you.”

“You can thank me by taking care of your wife.” She turns around, facing the two. “Come on, kids. We’re gonna go back to Aunt Penny’s place and look at the few seashells I found, and we can prank Pete. How’s that sound?”

“We don’t want to leave our mom, Aunt Penny,” Maryanne whispers to the older woman.

“I know but Jake thinks it would be smart if you two aren’t stuck in the emergency center for hours.”

The young girl glances over at the two of you, watching how Jake is consoling you and trying to distract you from the pain. She looks back at Penny and nods, “okay. Can we text Jake and ask him when we can go home?”

“Of course, we can,” she holds her hands out for the two to hold.

Maryanne looks back to see nothing but love between the two of you. Maybe she was wrong, maybe Jake won’t be like her dad.

He came just seconds after Penny called him and made sure that both of them could see and touch you.

She feels bad for how she’s been treating him and knows what she needs to do.

“You should have called me,” he whispers into your hair.

“I wanted to.”

“Why didn’t you? You know I would have been there in a second. Well, maybe not a second but,” he smirks but you can see the worry on his face.

You scoff, rolling your eyes, “don’t make me hit you.”

He hums, “it seems to me like you can’t.”

“I can do other things.”

“Oh, yeah. Like what?”

“Well, if I tell you then it won’t be a surprise.”

He sticks his bottom lip out, “come on, you know you want to tell me.”

“No, I really don’t.”

Jake hasn’t removed his arm from around your waist since you were released (after texting Penny).

“You can let go now.”

“I gotta make sure my girl is taken care of.”

“You are by making sure I can get to my car.”

“That was never the plan because that’s a, dangerous and b, penny took your car remember. Seems like you’re stuck with me, gorgeous.”

“Jake,” you start, ready to complain.

“No, no. Don’t give me that attitude. I’m making sure you get home back to the kids safely. End of story.”

You say nothing as he opens the door for you, letting you take your time getting the car.

Once your seated, he helps you with your seatbelt before running to the back, grabbing a pillow to place under your arm (that’s in a secure sling) but that doesn’t stop him.

The drive back to the house was quiet, at least, between the two of you, there was music softly playing filling some of the silence.

He jogs around to the other side of car, opening the door. He reaches in to unbuckle the seatbelt.

You scoot to the edge of the seat, swinging your legs out of the car. Jake holds his hand out for you to take. You slap your hand on his, “I’m gonna need a little help getting out. Take the pillow, first.”

He carefully removes the pillow, tossing it to the driver’s seat. He lets you push yourself out before he wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you closer.

You take a deep breath, staring at his collarbone (since your eye level with it), your eyes slowly trail up his neck, past his jawline and cheekbone.

It feels like you’ve lost your breath as you stare into his eyes, reminding you of when you two first started dating.

He moves your hand onto his shoulder before sliding his other arm to your waist, pulling you closer to hug you. He rests his head on your shoulder before tucking his head into the crook of your neck.

You slide your hand across his shoulder, stopping at his neck, brushing your thumb vertically against the base of his hair, feeling the top of his spinal cord.

The two of you wet the others shoulder with your salty, relief ridden tears.

He pulls back, staring at you without wiping his cheeks.

You reach up and wipe away his tears.

He does the same for you. “Let’s get you inside, yeah?” He removes one arm to close the car door, locking it right after.

He unlocks the front door, gently shoving you inside, following after you.

You let out a quiet breath of relief, you were scared he was going to leave after hugging you.

The kids run out of the living room, stopping in front of you.

You bend down, letting them hug your good side with Jake telling them to be careful and not tug your neck.

Maryanne steps away from you, telling Jake to bend down. She wraps her arms around his neck, giving him a hug.

Edwin does the same.

You wipe your cheeks, not wanting to cry even though this is what you’ve been waiting for.

Three months later...

Maryanne stands in front of you, “mama?”

“Yeah, baby?” You turn to look at her, seeing how she looks down at the ground. You furrow your brows, “what’s wrong? Are you feeling, okay?” You place the back of your hand on her forehead. She pulls your hand away from her forehead and shakes her head. “Did you break something?”

“No... I want to do something for Jake.”

You nod, smiling (happy to know no one’s hurt or sick). “Okay, like what?”

“I- we want to do something for him for… Father’s Day.”

The smile slowly falls from your face, “oh,” you gulp. “Did you two have something in mind? And know that just because we’re getting married doesn’t mean that you have to do anything. I know we’ve had a hard time adjusting with one another,” you move the few strands of hair that fell off her face. “He would be happy with anything whether we do something or not.”

She pouts, “I know but we want him to know that we like him and- and that we want him to be our dad.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?”

“Can he adopt us?”

You lift your hand up, covering your mouth, shocked at her surprising request.

“Mama?”

You shake your head, blinking your eyes rapidly to prevent the tears from falling. You wrap your arms around her shoulders pulling her in for a tight hug. “Oh, my sweet girl.” You detach yourself from her, holding her by her shoulders, “that is more than okay, sweetheart. And you’re sure this is something you and Edwin want?”

She nods as a smile tugs at the corners of her lips.

“We should start now if we want it ready by then huh?”

The wedding was a small one with only Jake’s fellow pilots, WSO’s, and other navy members invited. You both invited his sister, but she was pregnant with baby number four and was unable to fly over.

She was kind enough to call and say that she and her husband would drive over, but it’d take too long for them to arrive. You assured her that it was okay, and she would be missed (you were so close to getting to hear embarrassing stories about pre-pilot Jake).

You didn’t let Jake see you before the wedding (much to his displeasure).

You walk down the aisle with Penny and Amelia walking you down the aisle. When you asked the girls, it easily became one of the most emotional moments when it came to planning the wedding, but you have no regrets (even if the few photos of you three walking down the aisle were of the Benjamin girls crying the entire time).

It was something else when you two were married by Pete.

And, of course, Maryanne was the most adorable flower girl ever making sure used all the petals in her basket and Edwin was a handsome ring bearer.

Thank God you didn’t assign anyone with this task because when Mickey and Logan were asking you a while ago, they showed you the website where you could rent a bear. Of course, this was a joke… you hoped anyway but they did redeem themselves by helping out with all the guy’s suits (after giving them the “mom” look).

Almost everyone- that’s a lie, everyone was crying, no matter how hard you tried not to, you did.

The water works got worse when Jake gave his vows. The man may be cocky as hell, but the man knows when to put his heart and soul into something.

Jake could barely keep his hands to himself when Pete said, “you may now kiss the bride.”

“More like devour the bride,” Bradley mutters. Jake pulls back, needing air, knowing you need the same.

“Can it chicken, you’re just jealous.”

The mustache man scoffs, prepared to say something else when Javy pulls him off to the side, handing him a drink. “To the happy couple!”

Javy and Bradley are the first to raise a glass. “To the happy couple!”

“To my stunning and gorgeous wife,” he whispers in your ear.

“And to my charmingly cocky husband.”

“I see how it is. I compliment you and you insult me.”

“It’s all part of my charm.”

“You weren’t this mean when we first started going out.”

“I didn’t want to show you my dark side.”

“Sure, you didn’t.”

“Okay, enough you two,” Penny takes your drinks from you two, “it’s time for the first dance.”

You let out a dramatic sigh, “if we must.”

“Prepare to have your heels knocked off your feet.”

You place your hand on his shoulder, “play on the usual phrase, I see you’ve been studying with Edwin.”

He smirks, “’course I have. I wanted to impress you.”

“Oh,” you chuckle, “impress me? I see.”

“No more talking, more dancing.”

The song ends and you feel light tugging and look down to find your babies standing there.

“Looks like it’s time for family’s first dance,” DJ Bob announces, adding airhorns.

“I’m never letting baby on board DJ for us again.”

“Oh, c’mon, he’s doing good. Leave him be,” you tell your husband.

“This is a special request coming from the shortest guy here this evening and no, I’m not talking about Fanboy.”

Reuben, Natasha, and Billy cover their mouths to prevent them from spitting out their drinks.

Pete, Penny, Amelia, and Callie shake their heads.

Logan and Bradley shake their heads.

Javy and Bringham hold Mickey back from going after a power-hungry DJ Bob and Neil grabs the camera before the photographer of the evening, can drop it.

An Ice Age remix comes through the speakers and you three look down at Edwin, who innocently shrugs, “what?”

You and Jake glance back at one another and shake your heads, dancing until your feet begin to hurt.

Javy and Bob help back the car with wedding presents while Jake puts the kids in the back, letting them get comfortable and fall asleep.

“Thank you, boys.”

Javy gives you a rare, sweet smile, “anything for the newly Mrs. Seresin.”

Your lips quickly tug into an upward smile, “I haven’t heard that yet.”

“It feel weird?” “You know what? It doesn’t.”

“What doesn’t?” The man of the hour asks.

“Nothing.”

“And… we’re done. You two ready to go?” Bob interrupts.

“We are. Are one of you driving the car back to our place?”

“No, we’re gonna leave it here for the racoons to rip open and bring to you later tomorrow.”

“Just because you’re Jake’s friend, doesn’t mean that I won’t hesitate to kick your ass, Machado.”

Your husband wraps an arm around your waist pulling you back, “okay and that’s enough excitement for one day.”

“We’ll see you two there.”

Bob waves to you with his usual, adorable smile dancing across his lips.

You wave back before Jake holds you against the passenger door. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’m walking on air, husband of mine.”

“Glad to know I’m not the only one. Let’s go home.”

The day after the wedding…

You and Jake sit beside one another on the couch, looking through your wedding album, taking a break from opening presets.

“Aw,” you point to the photo Maryanne sent him a while ago. “When did we take this?”

“Our little darlin’ sent me this when we were- uh-” Jake scratches the back of his head, “away from each other.”

“Oh… why didn’t you ever show me this? Send it to me.”

“Can I never have a cute family photo for myself?”

You sigh, “I suppose you can.”

He shakes his head, “don’t you be trying to guilt trip me now, gorgeous.”

“Me? Guilt trip you, never.” You flip to another page, “wow!”

“Guess the kid is as good with a camera on the ground like he is in the air.”

“Yeah, I’ll say. We are so using him for the kid’s birthdays.”

You can feel the vibrations of him chuckling behind you.

“Guess that means we save a few bucks.”

“Don’t tell me now that we’re married, you’re going cheap on me.”

He scoffs, “never… I just didn’t expect Fanboy to be so good.”

“Wow, no wonder he was hesitant to ask me.” You shake your head, setting the album on the table and see the last gift on the table is the big one. “This one is from the kids, but we have to wait until they wake up.”

“What?” Jake whines.

“Please,” you plead.

“Fine, fine. Stop giving me those “sex” eyes.”

You scoff, “I am not giving you “sex” eyes. If anyone is giving those eyes, it’s you.”

“Wow!”

“I know, it sucks when your words come back to bite you in the ass, right?”

“I know something else that can bite you in the ass.”

“God! We just got married and it’s like you’ve become ten times hornier within twenty-four hours.”

“You just have that effect on me, gorgeous.”

“Did he open it yet?” Maryanne asks, scaring the shit out of you two.

You and Jake scream, the latter lets out an oof. “What happened? Are you okay?”

He shakes his head, holding his stomach, “no.”

You cringe, realizing what you did. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry, are you okay?”

“My poor, beautiful abs.”

You scoff, smacking his arm, “you’re fine.” You turn to look at the kids, “and no he did not. I wanted you two to be here with us.”

They run over to the couch, sitting on each side of him.

You grab the rectangular, thin box, handing it to him.

“You not gonna help me with this one?”

You shake your head, trying to hide your smile, “no, this one’s all you, honey.”

He narrows his eyes at you before looking back at the gift, ripping the gift open. He tosses the box to the side, holding a large manilla envelope. He stares at it with furrowed brows, “what-”

“Just open it,” you tell him.

He carefully opens it, pulling out the document. He starts to read it, “what-” his voice cracks. Jake scoots forward, setting everything on the coffee table so he can cover his eyes.

“Aw, honey,” you start.

The kids stare at you with wide eyes, unsure if this is a good reaction or not. They scoot off the couch, standing in front of him, wrapping their arms around his shoulders.

He returns the gesture. “I know we had a hard time gettin to know each other in the beginning,” he lifts his head, staring back and forth between the two, “but did you two really have to make a grown man cry?”

“We made you cry?” Your daughter asks.

“You should have been worried if I didn’t cry.”

“Fair point.”

You rub the back of his shoulder.

He looks back at you, “how long have you known about this?”

“Too long. I’m just happy your late/ early Father’s Day gift finally made its way to you."

“This is a- okay, new rule, give the old man a little warning so I have time to prepare myself.”

“Nah,” you shake your head, “this is better. We get the raw emotions.”

“Shut up,” he shoves your thigh.

You smile, leaning back against the couch.

“Let’s a movie… not Ice Age,” he pulls Edwin closer, “whispering”, “we’ll watch it when the girls aren’t here.”

The young boy nods, giggling, “okay.”

Maryanne settles in on your side with Jake on your left, an arm wrapped around your shoulders and Edwin on his left.

“Oh, wait. We need popcorn,” says your daughter.

“Let’s go.” Edwin pulls her into the kitchen, preparing the movie snacks.

He pulls you closer.

“I told you they like you.”

He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, “okay, maybe you were right.”

“I was so right, darlin.”

“Look at you trying to copy my accent.”

“Honey, I pull that accent off better than you.”

“Oh, is that how we’re playing it?”

“You bet.”

“How about we cut this competition short?”

“Oh, yeah. How’s that-”

He cups your cheek, pulling you in for a kiss.

“We’re done- ew!”

You can’t help but smile as you two part from one another.

“Alright, kids. Settle in,” he tells them.

They return to their previous seats.

You rest your head against his shoulder.

This is exactly how you pictured it, the family life with Jake.

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