𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝙿𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚜

A Small Surprise

James comes home from a trip to the farm supply store with a wild surprise — dad!farmer!james x mom!reader

Warnings: arguing and a little bit of parental nervousness but it's not angsty at all

Words: 1.3k

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James came home right when you were starting to prepare dinner, much to the joy of you and both your children. You scooped up your baby girl from her play mat on the ground, then right on cue, your toddler showed up at your side, rushing to the front door with you.

"I guess you heard the door too, Haz?" You asked your son, holding out your hand for him to take.

As he looked up at you and nodded, he took your free hand so that the three of you were all going together to see James.

Once you saw your husband at the door, all you felt were the butterflies in your stomach that still hadn't flown away even after all these years. But then, you noticed how he was leaving very little space between him and the door as he closed it, and how he was covered in little strands of fur even though he was just running a few quick errands.

Before you could even ask him about it, he wrapped his strong arm around your waist and pressed his lips against yours. It took you a bit of time to register what was even happening, but as soon as you started to melt into the kiss, James pulled away and flashed you a sweet smile.

He then bent down to greet both Ivy on your hip and Harry standing beside you.

"I have a surprise for you and the kids." James said, mostly excited with a hint of guilt.

You raised an eyebrow at your husband. "What are you talking about?"

He shrugged and touched the door handle, ready to open it. "I can't really tell you. It's better if I show you."

He opened the front door to reveal a ridiculously small horse standing fifteen feet away from you and tied up to the bannister outside.

It was half your size and incredibly fluffy. You had to resist going over to pet it just because you were so in shock at the fact that your husband came home from the farm supply store and surprised you with a whole horse—or maybe just a third of a horse, based on its size.

A thousand and one thoughts raced through your head but before you could make sense of any of them, Harry giggled loudly and began to run towards the horse in front of you all.

Panicking, you called your son back and walked him back to the porch. You used your free hand to hold him tightly against your thigh so he wouldn't run back the animal James just surprised you with.

"You bought a pony on a whim?" You asked your husband.

"No, of course not." He shook his head. "She's a miniature horse. They're totally different. The guy I bought it from told me all about them!"

Of course. Now that the horse's title is settled, everything is fine.

"James, we need to speak in private. Stay here."

His face flushed. He knew you were mad because you almost never called him by anything other than your various pet names for him unless you were upset.

You then ushered Harry back inside the house to the living room, where you set Ivy back down on her play mat.

"Play with your sister for a minute, Haz. If she gets fussy at all, you can come get me outside, okay?"

He smiled and nodded, sitting down next to the one year-old. "Can we play with the pony soon?"

You exhaled, unsure of how to respond. "Your dad says it's a miniature horse, not a pony. And maybe, if you're good."

The boy seemed satisfied with that, so you pressed a kiss to the top of his head and walked back outside, where you found your husband looking extremely guilty as he awaited your return.

Once you closed the door behind you, he immediately tried to make the situation better.

"Lovie, I knew you'd be reluctant about all of this, but I swear I can explain—"

"You bought a horse, James! You were only supposed to be going out for a new shovel and some paint, then you come back with a horse?!"

"Well, I got the other stuff, too, it's just in the truck. I just got to talking with a man at the supply store and he said he was selling some of those cuties right out of his horse trailer in the parking lot."

You sighed and crossed your arms. "How much did it cost?"

"Not much at all! The guy was selling them for bottom dollar 'cause he's moving soon and needs 'em gone!" James rested his hand on your upper arm and stroked lightly. His voice softened, and so did his expression. "Believe me, I wouldn't have bought her if we couldn't afford her. I'm always thinking about our family."

You were trying real hard not to look into your husband's pretty eyes because you knew the second you did, you would have no choice but to give in. You stared at the porch swing, the miniature horse, the chicken coop, anything but James.

And he could clearly tell you weren't convinced just yet, so he kept going.

"Look, I know we got rid of most of the animals before Harry was born, but those were the more unstable ones, and that was back when we were nervous about everything. Now we're more experienced, and she's just the sweetest thing."

You exhaled, peeking through the window to check on Harry and Ivy playing on the living room carpet.

"They're just babies, Jamie."

He bit back a smile at the use of his nickname, letting him know you were warming up to the idea.

"Harry's already three, love." He removed his hand from your arm and gestured at himself. "I was just barely older than him when I started riding the real horses, and now look at me!"

He smiled and posed with open arms, which in turn made you smile.

"I love looking at you." You said sincerely. "You're the best."

"Your words, not mine."

You giggled, then pulled him in for a kiss. And not just one to distract like when he first came home. A real kiss, and a good one too.

When you pulled away, you left your hands where they were and caressed softly.

"Next time you want to do something extravagant for the kids like this, talk to me about it first, okay? If you kiss me enough, I'll say yes to anything."

James raised an eyebrow, insinuating things that made you glad the kids were inside.

Your jaw dropped in mock stun. "Not like that, Jamie! What do you take me for?!"

The two of you both laughed, and he pulled you in for a sweet hug. "My wife, the mother of my incredible kids, the love of my life. I could go on."

You would have claimed he was just flattering you as an apology for buying the horse, but you had already told him he could keep it. Plus, he says things like that far more than he had ever bought something crazy and needed forgiveness.

"So I can go introduce the kids to the horse for real now?"

Your gaze moved over to the animal a few feet away from you, and you nodded as a response to your husband's question.

"As long as you have a saddle for that thing."

He grinned, then kissed your nose quickly before darting away. "Thank you! It's in the truck! I love you!"

You laughed to yourself, and shook your head amusedly while you walked towards the miniature horse that you now owned.

"Hi there, sweetheart." You greeted, brushing her mane with your fingers. "Welcome to the family. James there can be a bit daft, but I think you'll like it here."

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