𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘄 & 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗹𝘆, ℍ𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕪 𝕃𝕠𝕨𝕞𝕒𝕟

Three: Pizza Nights & I Love You's

Chapter Three: Pizza Nights & I Love You's

"One, two, three." Jolene counted with her hands over her eyes, and a smile on her face. "Ready or not, here I come." She moved slowly through the living room, checking Mateo's favorite hiding places. "Hmm, I wonder where he could be?" The brunette called out, tapping a finger against her chin.

Jolene walked quietly down the hallway towards Mateo's room. The three year old had a few go to hiding places for hide and seek, and since he wasn't in the living room she knew there was only one more place he could be. The brunette walked into her son's room, a small laugh escaping her mouth, there under a mountain of blankets and stuffed animals was Mateo.

"Oh no." She feigned sadness, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice. "I can't find Mateo Alexander, and now who's going to help me eat all the ice cream?"

The doctor watched as the stuffed animals fell to the floor and the blankets were pushed away quickly, his little face poking out from underneath them. "I'm right here mommy! You found me!" He announced with a giggle. "I can eat ice cream now." He said with a toothy smile.

"Yes you can." Jolene nodded, picking him up in her arms. She loved days like this, days where she could all her time with him. The long shifts she worked at St. Thomas often made her feel like a shit mom.

"What kind do you want booboo?" She asked, using her nickname for him while placing him on her hip, the both of them staring into the freezer. It was a pointless question for Jolene to ask, he always picked the same flavor.

"Uhh,"

A knock on the door interrupted Mateo's ice cream selection, causing the three year old to practically jump out of Jolene's arms and run towards the front door. The brunette closed the freezer and followed behind him. Shock took over her features as Mateo opened the door, she didn't think he'd actually show up. He had mastered the art of breaking promises.

"Daddy!" Mateo threw himself at the man, a large smile lighting up his small face. "Mommy look, it's daddy!" He took the man by his hand, dragging him into the house.

"I see that." She smiled once the shock had worn off.

"Let's go play with my toys!" Mateo said excitedly, dragging him down the hallway before the two adults could say a word to each other. "This is such a surprise." Jolene heard her son say before the father and son disappeared into his bedroom.

ꠋ⦁◊☈︕●◦○↶

It had been a few hours since he arrived, and Jolene was surprised he hadn't been called away for club business yet. The three of them sat on the couch, Mateo in between the two adults with a bowl of ice cream in his lap, and his eyes glued to his favorite movie playing on the tv.

"Isn't this too violent for him?" He rasped, taking his eyes off the tv and looking over at Jolene.

The brunette let out a small laugh. "Really?" She raised an eyebrow his way. Jolene found it hilarious that he of all people was asking her that question.

The loud generic ring tone stopped him from saying another word. Jolene kept her dark eyes glued to him as he quickly picked up his phone and walked into the kitchen. She let out a deep sigh, even though she couldn't hear his conversation, Jolene knew he would be leaving. That was the way his life worked, the club came before anything else. She couldn't really blame him though in a way she understood it. Her job came before mostly anything else too as fucked up as it sounded.

"I'll be there in a few." Jolene heard him say before he walked back into the living room. His eyes immediately found Jolene's. His face was blank of emotion, though that was nothing new. "I gotta go kid." He tore his eyes away from hers, looking over at Mateo.

"Okay daddy." Mateo looked away from the tv, a sad smile on his face. Unlike his dad the three year old wasn't good at hiding his emotions. "You'll come back soon, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I, uh, love you kid." He muttered, walking towards the door.

"I love you too, daddy." Mateo smiled like it was Christmas morning.

Jolene got up from the couch, walking towards the front door. "Mateo, I'll be right back. I'm going to walk your dad out."

"Okay." He nodded, turning his attention back to the tv.

The brunette doctor followed the man outside, watching as he immediately lit up a cigarette once they exited the house. It was painfully silent between them as they made the short walk to his bike. He was never a man of many words, which always annoyed her.

"Thanks for showing up today, Happy." Jolene said, watching him get onto his bike.

"Yeah." Happy said sticking to his simple one worded replies. "I'll see you soon." He nodded.

ꠋ⦁◊☈︕●◦○↶

The smell of pepperoni pizza filled the house, as Jolene and Mateo sat down at the small cherry wood table. The mother and son duo always enjoyed pizza night it was their favorite thing about Thursday nights. Jolene gave Mateo a smile as she chewed on her slice of pizza, the brunette could tell there was something on the three year old's mind. He had barely touched his food and was unusually quiet since Happy left.

"Are you feeling okay booboo?" She asked, reaching over to feel his forehead with the back of her hand. "Does your tummy hurt?" Jolene removed her hand, his forehand didn't feel feverish. Maybe he was coming down with a stomach bug, that would explain his loss of appetite but not his quietness.

Mateo shook his head, causing some of his dark curls to fall in front of his eyes. "Mommy, does daddy really love me?" His voice was small, his dark eyes look at her expectantly.

Jolene choked on the piece of food in her mouth, she grabbed the glass of water from in front of her and quickly took a few large gulps. It was a question she had been expecting for him to ask as sad as that sounded. She just didn't think he'd be asking her it at three years old.

"Of course he does." She said once she regained her composure. "Why do you ask that?" The brunette wondered, looking into his dark almost black eyes. His eyes were exactly like Happy's, so dark they looked like two pieces of coal. Jolene hated to admit it but, sometimes looking into Mateo's eyes hurt her heart.

"Because he's never here." He explained.

"That doesn't mean he doesn't love you. You know how mommy works a lot?" She asked, his small nod let her know he understood and she could continue. "Well, daddy works a lot too." Jolene knew it was a shitty excuse and terrible way to explain why Happy was hardly around but, it wasn't like she could tell the three year old the truth about his father.

"Oh." Mateo nodded slowly. "He works with Uncle Tig." The three year old stayed with a large smile. Mateo absolutely adored Tig, and vice-versa. Jolene always has a special bond with Tig, he was always there for her. He was her best friend. It warmed the doctor's heart to see the two interact and how much love they had for each other.

"Yes." Jolene said with a laugh. "He works with Uncle Tig."

"That's good." Mateo said, finally taking a bite of his pizza. "Uncle Tig will look after daddy and keep him safe."

"Yeah, he will." Jolene said softly.

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( A/N: Thank you for the votes&comments! It means a lot to me! Sorry if there's any mistakes. I didn't go over and edit it. Don't forget to vote/comment! )