“Hi”, Jonah calls and jogs into the kitchen where I prepare lunch, “We practiced for our Christmas play. Will you come and watch it?"
"Of course, I will, honey. Who are you playing?”
“I forgot.” He stands on a chair to reach the sink and wash his hands, “What’s for lunch Hazzie?”
“Lasagne, how’s that?”
“Good”, he shouts and then he frowns. “Why your nails like that?”
Shit, I’m not ready for that, not yet.
“I like it. Painted them. Don’t you like it?”
He frowns, inspecting them. “No.”
It hurts a little hearing him say that, if I’m being honest. I just can’t deal with anyone not liking it yet, not even a five-year-old.
“I don’t like green.”
I smile. Okay, I can deal with that.
“And you’d like it if they were another colour?”
He nods and climbs of the chair. “Yeah, is pretty.”
“It really is”, Louis, who’s now entering the kitchen says and comes over to press a kiss to my cheek.
“Lunch is ready”, I say and place the food on the table.
“Jonah, honey”, Louis says and sits down on a chair across from him, “Would you be alright with staying with Liam and Niall tonight?”
Jonah shrugs and takes a sip from his water. “Why?”
“Because I’d like to go out with Harry tonight.”
“No.”
Louis rolls his eyes and I put some Lasagne on all our tables while listening to their conversation.
“Why not, love? Last time you told me it was a lot of fun with them. You even said you wanted to spend more time with them.”
“I rather want to spend time with you or Hazzie.”
Louis nods, taking a bite from the food and leaning forward to talk to Jonah. “Look, I totally get that love, but you can spend nearly every weekend with me, you might even be asleep already when we leave and tomorrow morning I’ll be back and we can spend the Sunday together, just us two or three, as you’d like.”
Jonah pokes his fork into the food and shakes his head again, pouting. “No. I do not want that. I wanna come with you.”
“Baby, that’s too late and sometimes us adults want to spend time together alone, you know? When you’re hanging with Betty or Milan, you don’t want me around all the time either.”
Jonah stuffs a bite into his mouth and chews slowly without answering.
“Louis?” I ask, wanting to offer to postpone our date for one weekend but he just shakes his head, still concentrating on Jonah.
“No, daddy, I want you to stay home.”
“Darling”, Louis starts again but Jonah shakes his head and jumps off his chair.
“You’re both stupid”, he shouts and runs off to his room.
I don’t really know how to deal with him acting like this because he is really, really sweet most of the time and I never really saw him angry.
“Sorry”, I mumble, “You should stay with him tonight.”
“No”, Louis says, sounding annoyed, “Sorry, shouldn’t talk to you like this.”
I shrug. “It’s fine and I’d get it, he’s just a child.”
“I know Harry, but he also needs to accept that I sometimes have to be alone. I’ve spent those last five years of my life concentrating only on him and I know that’s what you do as a father, but I also need to start having time for myself and I know that might be confusing for him right now, but he’ll have to learn it.”
Louis eats a bit more of the Lasagne, looking at the door of Jonah’s room, probably considering whether he should try to talk to him or not.
“Okay”, I say, “Does he really think I’m stupid?”
“Haz, baby, no. He’s angry, he said worse stuff. Told me he hated me more times than I could count but he’ll be fine in a few minutes, if he isn’t back in a few minutes, I’ll go talk to him. But don’t worry, he doesn’t think that, he just needs to learn to deal with his emotions a little better.”
I smile, nodding. I know he’s right but it still hurt a little, hearing Jonah say that.
“Sorry for ruining your lunch, tastes amazing.”
I smile, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “No need to apologize.”
After a few minutes of just us two continuing to eat, Jonah comes trudging into the room, arms still crossed in front of his chest.
He doesn’t say anything but falls onto his chair and starts eating silently. Louis just looks at me and shrugs, rolling his eyes with an amused smile.
“Is the food any good, at least?”, Louis asks, “Does it make your horrible day a little better?”
“Dad”, Jonah says, “Don’t make fun.”
I try not to laugh, but seeing Jonah’s angry face makes it a little hard because he looks adorable, even when he’s mad.
“Sorry, honey.”
“Me too”, he whispers, “You’re not stupid.”
“Come here?”, Louis asks, patting his lap and Jonah nods before getting up and climbing into Louis’ lap.
“I got a suggestion”, Louis says, “I’d say you listen to me and then you tell me what you think, alright?”
Jonah nods, snuggling into Louis’ sweater. “Okay, listen, darling. Tonight, me and Harry read you your goodnight story, Niall and Liam are here too, but they’re just waiting in the living room in case you wake up later. We tuck you in and kiss you goodnight and I’ll wait until you’re asleep.”
Jonah nods, now smiling a little. I smile too because how is Louis not only the most perfect boyfriend but also the best dad anyone could ask for?
“Okay. And then me and Harry leave, but you won’t even notice, for you everything is just like always, and in case you wake up, Liam and Niall are there and if nothing works, you’ll call me and I’ll come home earlier. How does that sound?”
Jonah nods slowly. “Okay. Sounds okay. But tomorrow morning you’ll be there, promise?”
“Of course, love, promise.”
He presses a kiss to Louis cheeks and Louis whispers something in his ear so Jonah gets up and walks to me.
“Sorry, Hazzie. You’re not stupid. I can understand that you also want to be with my dad alone.”
I smile and ruffle through his hair. “Don’t worry, honey, it’s all good.”
“You’re not mad?”, he asks, smile on his lips.
“No. We’re friends, right? I could never be mad at my best friend.”
He grins and nods before tiptoeing and pulling my head down to whisper something in my ear. “You make better Lasagne than daddy, don’t tell him, okay?”
I laugh and nod. “Okay.”
“Hey”, Louis says, “Who’s keeping secrets from me?”
“It’s for your own good”, I say, pointing to the Lasagne, “Guess I’ll have to cook in the future.”
~~~
about ten chapters more <3
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three hearts in one home (l.s.)
FanfictionLouis is a single dad having problems raising his son, Jonah all by himself. Harry is a student at university. His part-time job is to teach children how to swim. What if a rather unpleasing incident forces them closer together than Harry ever coul...
