Love Like This

Chaos Trips

There were a lot of firsts when it came to SJ. Olivia was able to be there for almost all of them, and on the few times Spencer missed a milestone, she was able to record it so he could still experience it. This was a completely different experience. SJ was in school, and his kindergarten class was going to the zoo for a field trip, it was time to be a chaperone.

"Mommy!" SJ called, running through the hallways searching for his mother. "Look what my teacher gave me!" He yelled as he pushed passed his way in between his father and mothers embrace.

Olivia read over the paper as she ran her hand through SJ's curls, smiling down at her son before reaching behind her for a pen. She quickly signed her name on the paper and instructed him to place it inside his backpack and give it to his teacher in the morning.

"Someone's excited about the zoo." Spencer said with a laugh as they watched SJ run away.

"He's been talking about it non stop." Olivia said as she turned to look for a snack to give Aaliyah. "He asked me to chaperone and everything, he truly can't wait."

Spencer stopped short, he hadn't known that SJ asked Liv to chaperone and if he was honest, he was surprised he didn't ask him.

"Babe, don't make that face." Olivia called, breaking him out of his stupor. "He wanted to ask you but you and I both know that you going is a security risk."

Spencer couldn't hide his frown, he loved his job, playing football professionally had always been a dream of his, but to know that his career was in the way of his ability to be present for his son was bothering him.

"There will be other field trips to go on and you can always try again with Aaliyah." Liv comforted, placing a kiss to his cheek before leaving the kitchen and leaving Spencer alone with his thoughts.

He quickly glanced at the calendar that Liv kept on the wall and made a note for himself, he was going on that field trip.

----

Olivia was currently driving from her parents home in Crenshaw to SJ's school after dropping Aaliyah off to her favorite person on the planet, Papa Billy. Her dad had quickly dismissed her so that he could spoil his only granddaughter, promising to check in every few hours for Olivia's piece of mind. 

SJ bounced around in the back seat, rambling on and on about which animals he was excited to see.

"Mommy, next time we can bring sissy with us. She might want to see the animals too." SJ squealed as they arrived at their destination, bringing a smile to his mothers face. Her kids really did love each other and that was something that she and Spencer always wanted for them. Yes, Jordan and Dillon had their moments when they were annoying, but at their core, they were two brothers who would do anything for their siblings and that's exactly what Spencer and Liv wanted for SJ and Aaliyah.

"Sure buddy, we can plan a trip with Li and with Daddy." Liv said as SJ led them into the school.

---- 

Spencer was just leaving his practice and film session and knew that if he drove fast enough, he could make it home to shower and to the zoo with enough time to experience all the sights with his son. The only thing he was mildly concerned about was how upset Olivia was going to be when she saw him. She'd been pretty clear about him not going on this trip and here he was, trying to make sure he was involved.

"I really hope this doesn't backfire." Spencer muttered as he turned out of the parking lot.

---

Between the hot sun and the screaming children, Olivia was overwhelmed. SJ was enjoying himself and that was the only silver lining. They'd seen almost every animal that was there and the trip was coming to a close. Liv was beyond ready to go home and lay down, where she would do her best to enjoy the peace and quiet. Her small bubble of peace was broken by the sound of adult screams. Not the kind that were related to danger, but the ones attached to excitement. She assumed that the noise was related to the neighboring seal exhibit, maybe it was finally feeding time, so she wasn't shocked at all when SJ wanted to make his way towards the commotion. She rounded the corner to see that the noise was related to an animal, a Ram, more specifically an LA Ram, her LA Ram. 

Standing in the middle of the walkway with a stuffed animal in a tiny Rams jersey was none other than Spencer James. SJ ran to his dad, beyond excited that he actually made the trip, while Olivia worked on picking her jaw off of the floor. Surrounding Spencer was a security team that kept him from the crowd of fans that wanted to get a picture with their favorite receiver as he embraced his son.

Liv listened as SJ ranted to his father about all the things he'd seen so far, even more excited now that he could share the day with both of his parents. As Spencer made his way closer to Liv, the security team kept people back so they could have a bit of space.

"Surprise." Spencer said before wrapping Liv into a tight hug.

While part of her wanted to voice her original concerns, the sight of her son obviously excited in the arms of the man she fell for all those years ago outweighed her desire to voice that she was right about him coming on this field trip.

She silently wrapped her arms around his neck, tucking her face into his embrace, before placing a soft kiss to his neck.

One look at SJ told her that Spencer's surprise was more than worth the risk. Here she was in the middle of the zoo with her five year old son dragging her and her husband from exhibit to exhibit, random people were staring at them with their phones out trying to get videos and pictures, and she couldn't be happier.

"I'm glad you came." Liv whispered as she and Spencer stood back and watched SJ take in the polar bear exhibit. "He's so happy that we're both here, look at the smile." 

Spencer gazed down at his son, in awe of the large amount of happiness that could come from such a little body.

"I'll plan a little better for the next field trip." Spencer joked before placing a soft kiss to the top of Liv's head.

"Mommy! Look at the otters, they're cuddling!" SJ called, before dragging his parents out of their bubble.

This may have been SJ's first field trip, but it wouldn't be the last time his Dad caused a security issue to show up for him. Spencer James was a parent before he was anything else, and if he had it his way, he'd be there for every single moment, no matter how small it seemed.

_ A/N: I've been MIA but I'm back! Posting another update next week, thanks for reading.