Love over Hate

Dinner Together

Of course the boys needed help getting their pajama's out of the drawers, and it became a chase around the house to get Shep to wear his shirt. By the time it was over his head, Tom had pulled out the rest of the clothes, trying to find his special sleep pants that he insisted he left at his dads.

Finally, both boys were dressed in their favorite pajama's, slippers on their feet. After leaving them to their toys in the den, you raced into the kitchen, quickly getting dinner into the over, knowing Jared would be home any minute. You wanted everything ready and prepared, so you didn't have to worry about anything once he was here.

Checking up on the boys once again, you went back to your room, pulling your shirt off and tossing it into the hamper. Ignoring your drawer full of sleep shirts, you pulled on one of Jared's flannels, needing that extra comfort his soft flannel provided. It still smelt like him, and cuddled deep into it for a moment before exchanging your jeans for a pair of shorts.

Hearing Jared pull up just as you pulled your hair into a ponytail, you took the stairs two at a time, hearing Tom and Shep cheering when they realized their Dad was home. Standing next to the hallway, you heard the door open, as Jared stepped inside.

He seemed tired, and you wanted nothing more than to wrap your arms around him, and spend the rest of the evening in his arms. But Tom and Shep ran past you, screaming Dad at the top of their lungs, throwing themselves into his arms.

Watching as his tired face turned from shock and confusion to upper happiness and love, you knew leaving it for a surprise had been the right move. Standing there, you felt tears prick your eyes as you watched the scene. Grateful that you were a little part of this wonderful family. Wondering if there would be a time to add another child to the mix. Hoping that your relationship would last for that to happen.

With one boy in each arm, he looked over to you, the tiredness gone. Noticing the tears in your eyes, he raised an eyebrow, and you smiled, waving away his concern. "Alright boys, let me talk to Y/N for a minute, then you'll have my full attention."

Rubbing their heads as they left him behind, he walked forward to you, and you stepped right into his arms, resting your head against his chest. "I've missed you." He whispered, pressing a kiss against the top of your hair.

"It's only been a couple of hours." You teased, letting him press a quick kiss to your lips.

"What were you thinking about? When you were looking at me? It looked like you had tears in your eyes." He asked as the two of you walked towards the kitchen.

"Us. You. Everything." You answered. "Seeing you with your boys, I couldn't believe how happy I was that we're back together. That we're working things out. Made me realize that someday I would like to add to the family." You admitted quietly, keeping your gaze down. Not ready to see how he reacted to your words.

His thin and long fingers came into your vision, gently grasping your chin and tilting it until you could stare into his hazel eyes. "Is that true?" He asked hopefully. "Because I would love nothing more than creating a bigger family with you. Today has been one of the best days I've had in quite some time. Having you back, not only at work, but here in my life, is exactly what I needed. I love you so freaking much it scares me at times."

"It scares me too." You agreed, just before the timer for the oven went off, and you turned away from him to pull the big pot of macaroni and cheese out of the oven. "But it also gives me hope. We've been through so much, maybe we'll finally have some blue sky up ahead."

"I sure hope so." He answered as the boys came in, pulling on their Dad's shirt. "Daddy, you're not in jama's!" Shep announced. "You gotta change!"

"I do, don't I?" He chuckled. "But Y/N's wearing my shirt, and I don't think I'll fit into hers. Whatcha think? Should I try?"

Giggling, the boys shook their heads before pulling Jared out of the kitchen and up the stairs to change. Hopefully not into your shirt. While they were gone, you took the time to set up dinner at the table, wanting to have a nice family dinner together before your evening of watching movies.

Loud footsteps sounded down the stairs, and Tom came running up to you, covering his mouth, trying to contain his laughter. "Daddy did it!" He exclaimed, just as Jared came into the dining room. You tried to stifle a laugh, wanting to at least pretend to be upset. But it was very hard when Jared had a purple shirt spread tight against his shoulders, almost to the point of ripping it. It was one of your sleep shirts, one that had seen better days. It barely went past his chest, and you knew if he bent down it would rip in half.

"Jared!" You exclaimed, before bursting out in laughter.

"Daddy's wearing a girl's shirt!" Shep giggled, holding a much bigger shirt in his hands. Jared came over to you, carefully leaning over and holding his arms out to you. Sighing, you helped pry the shirt from him, wondering for a minute if you would actually have to cut it off. But finally it came off, almost knocking you over in the process.

Laughing heartily, Jared pulled on his t-shirt, one that fit his large frame much better. "Alright, now that your Dad has stopped being a child, how about we have some dinner?"

The boys launched themselves at the table, but had enough manners to sit there as you dished out a plateful for each one. Smiling at Jared, you watched as the boys dug into the macaroni and cheese, exclaiming about how it was their favorite meal.

As you lifted your beer to your lips, you saw Jared smiling at you, his forkful forgotten. "What?" You asked him.

"Thank you." He said simply.

"For what? The macaroni and cheese? It was easy." You answered him, but he shook his head.

"No, for this. An evening with the most important people in my life. I needed this more than I've realized. I've missed my boys, and you. And tonight, has made me happier than I could ever imagine."

"Well, it's going to get even better. Because Tom has already picked out the movies for the evening." You answered him, but you couldn't help the blush that settled on your cheeks from his words.

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