paint the grass green | tom holland

Chapter One

"Okay, how about...after daycare, we go to the playground and I'm gonna buy you ice cream, does that sound good?" Theo keeps pouting at your offer. It's just your luck that the only day that neither Kenzie nor your mum can look after him, he doesn't feel like going to daycare in the slightest. And you've got an important meeting, so taking the day off was out of the question. You nudge his little shoulder slightly and if it was any other day his big brown eyes would make you cave in, but you can't.

He had definitely gotten his eyes from his father, just like everything else apparently. You had seen a few pictures of Tom when he was a kid, and Theo looks exactly like him. There's no doubt he is Tom's son, and sometimes you wonder if there's anything he got from you or if he's just Tom's clone. But then again his earlobes do look more like yours.

"Okay." Your son's small voice pulls you out of your thoughts and you let out a relieved sigh.

"C'mon then." You help him into his jacket and pick up his backpack before reaching for your own purse and the keys. You're already running a little late so you try to get downstairs as quick as you can with a three-and-a-half-year-old on your hip. Normally you'd let him walk down the stairs by himself but you don't have the time for that today. When you reach the street you're once again grateful that you got a parking spot right in front of the house last night and quickly get Theo in his booster seat. He is still holding onto his favourite toy, a little stuffed rabbit, a grumpy pout on his face, but at least he isn't crying.

When you arrive at the daycare he walks inside without even saying goodbye. He's good at keeping a grudge.

"Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" You ask as gently as you can. As much as you know you'll have to rush to work, you are not leaving without saying goodbye to your son. Theo looks over his shoulder and, with an exaggerated sigh, comes stomping back towards you. "I'm sorry you couldn't stay with grandma today, but I promise we'll visit her tomorrow, yeah?" You brush his brown curls away from his forehead while he nods. Then you wrap your arms around his little body and place a kiss on his cheek. His arms wind around your neck and you relish the feeling of your son in your arms. Every time you leave him here, or with Kenzie or even your mum you miss him. "Be good for Clara okay? I'll come pick you up after I'm done with work." He nods again and you give him one last kiss before he lets go of you and follows Clara, the owner of the daycare, to where the other kids are. You wave goodbye to them and then get back into your car.

It isn't typical of Theo to be so quiet. Usually, he's a pretty energetic and talkative kid. You're a little worried that he might be getting sick and now you feel guilty leaving him, but you have no choice. This meeting is important, your boss was pretty clear that if you don't manage to satisfy the customer he'll have no choice but to fire you. You can't afford that. You're already two months behind on rent and bills keep piling up. If you screw this up, there's way more on the line than just your job.

***

During the meeting, your mind keeps drifting to Theo. You try to push the worry about your son as far away as possible, but there's nothing you can do. So with Theo always in the back of your mind, you give your presentation. It's not the best work you've ever done, but it has to suffice.

After work, you get to the daycare to pick up Theo. As soon as you walk in you see him running around the hallway chasing one of his friends and you let out a relieved sigh. If he's running around he's surly back to being his normal self.

"Mummy!" He exclaims as soon as he sees you and instead of chasing after his friend comes running towards you.

"Hey, bubba. Did you have fun?" He nods eagerly and immediately starts listing all the things he's done today.