| Happy Lowman x OC |
When Tessa stormed into the Sons' clubhouse one Friday night, looking for Happy to tell him that he had to come back with her to Bakersfield to check on his mother, Tessa didn't know that from that day on her future would chan...
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THE SUN BEAT DOWN the asphalt, casting a golden glow over the deserted area as the small family took a short break at a gas station and shared a pizza on one of the picnic tables outside. This time of year could be pure torture if you weren't used to the heat in some Californian areas.
Despite the short, black hot pants and an equally black top that was so thin Tessa could barely feel it on her skin, it still felt like too much clothing. The worst thing was her platform boots; but Tessa refused to swap them for sneakers or flip flops during summer since she had found her style almost six years ago.
The Laney girl threw her head back with a groan, her eyes squinting against the sun as it blinded her. There was a shiny layer on her skin, the lightest film of sweat, while Happy's damp shirt, which he wore under his kutte, was already clinging to his body and he regularly wiped beads of sweat from his forehead.
Baxter didn't seem to be a fan of the heat either. Protected from the sun, he lay under the table, which at least gave him some shade, and dozed off. The only one who didn't seem to have a problem with the heat was Sawyer.
With his green sun hat and half a tube of sunscreen on his body, he ate his pizza comfortably, his feet dangling under the table while he told them what kind of animals he wanted in his future terrarium.
"And, and..then I have to buy lots of food for all the animals", he announced excitedly, as if he had eaten a pack of sugarᅳ but he was just happy. "And Baxter is gonna love them, too!"
A mix of amusement and pride crossing their faces, Tessa and Happy shared a chuckle before the former placed a hand on Sawyer's sun hat and turned his head slightly towards her.
"Slow down, baby." There was gentleness in her voice as she spoke, trying to teach her son that he also had to be patient. "You'll get a terrarium at some point, but first we have to buy things for your room so that the Lady who visited us a few days ago is happy, okay? And that costs money."
It was important to Tessa that Sawyer knew that certain things cost money and as much as she would like to buy him everything he wanted, she couldn't. She simply didn't have the money. Her boss paid well, yes, but Tessa also wanted to save some money so she could pay for daycare, even if she had to find one first, and to set up a savings account for Sawyer so she could leave him a little help for later in life.
Sawyer adjusted his glasses, a carefree smile dancing on his lips. "That's okay, mommy. I can waitᅳ besides, I already have Baxter."
"That's right, buddy", Happy interjected, his gruff tone tinged with a certain gentleness as he reached across the table and pinched Sawyer's nose, making the boy giggle. "Who knows, maybe everything will work out faster than you think. And until then, just keep looking for animals outside."
It was getting harder for him not to tell Tessa or Sawyer about the surprise, but he wanted it to remain just thatᅳ a surprise.
"I'll do that", the four-year-old chirped, wiping his greasy hands on his shirt, whereupon Tessa only gasped, ready to say something. But what the heck, he was a kid, they did things like that. So Tessa let it go. "Can I go play?"
