TWO YEARS LATER

THE SMALL CAT'S MEOWS echoed through the living room as she sat in Ruby's lap while Nola fetched a bowl of water from the kitchen, a babbling Henry perched on her hip. One of his habits was to play with Nola's hair whenever he had the chance.

"Wanna bring this Ruby and the cat, hm?", the blonde asked her son as she nudged the tip of his nose with hers.

"Yes!" he sing-sang, his words still a bit slurred but understandable. "Mommy, pway!"

"We're going to the playground later, we're just waiting for Daddy." With a soft hum, Nola strolled back into the living room and crouched down next to Ruby. "Here, baby, maybe she's thirsty."

"Thanks, Mommy!" The five-year-old beamed at her mother, then patted Nola's baby bump, as she often did, before placing the cat in her lap and pointing to the bowl. "This is all for you!"

Nola watched in awe as Ruby lovingly cared for the cat they had found frightened in their garden this morning. Apparently, the cat had slipped through the fence and sought refuge. Its orange fur shone in the sun shining through the large, floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, highlighting the bald patch on her back.

Because it had a small wound, Nola had earlier taken the cat to the vet and had it checked to see if it had a microchipᅳ it didn't. Also, not a single missing report matched the description, so, as the vet had suspected, the cat had probably been abandoned.

The doctor had offered to take the cat to the animal shelter, but Ruby had immediately started crying, and Nola hadn't had the heart to do it either.

Now they just had to convince Happy, who was definitely not a cat person. Otherwise, Nola would just ask Ginny and Jax to take the cat in.

Yep, the two had finally managed to find each other after Jax had had the guts to divorce Tara almost two years ago, who now lived in Oregon and had taken Thomas with her. Nevertheless, they tried to manage co-parenting as best they could, especially so Abel could still see his brother regularly.

The best part was, not only she but Ginny was pregnant at the moment, and the kids would probably only be a few weeks apart in age.

"Have you decided on a name for her yet, baby?" After Nola had placed Henry on the floor, she sat behind Ruby and ran her fingers through her daughter's dark curls. "If not, we can choose one together."

"No, I already have one", the five-year-old exclaimed proudly, leaning against her mom as she watched the cat drink. "I wanna call her Daisy!"

"Daisy", Henry repeated as he walked with wobbly steps over to where his toys were scattered all over the carpet.

"Oh wow, that's a pretty name", Nola nodded eagerly, wrapping her arms around Ruby before chuckling softly as Henry seemed equally delighted. "Daisy it is, I guess."

"Daddy!" Ruby whirled around when she heard the rumble of her father's motorcycle. She immediately scrambled to her feet and ran to the door, which Nola could still see from the living room.

Henry, too, was immediately distracted, his toys long forgotten, as he followed his sister, squealing loudly, excited that his daddy was finally home after a three-day tour with the guys to handle some club business in Nevada. God, Nola had missed him.

The door opened, and the kids didn't give Happy a chance to even step inside. Instead, Ruby immediately threw herself into his arms, and Henry clung to his leg, jumping up and down. With a chuckle, Happy dropped his duffel bag from his shoulders and scooped them both into his arms.

"There's no better sight", Nola smirked as she slowly approached the trio, standing on tip toes so she could steal a kiss from Happy's lips. "Hi, handsome, I've missed you."

"With three kids, that's going to be a lot harder", he rasped, an amused grin dancing on his lips before he he kissed his Old Lady again. "Missed you too, little girl. The whole gang here."

"You can't leave that long again, Daddy", Ruby protested immediately with a pout, her arms wrapped tightly around Happy's neck. "We have a surprise for you!"

"Surpwise", Henry repeated as he rocked from side to side in Happy's arms while clapping his hands, enjoying the fact that his father was back.

Even though Henry, unlike Ruby, was more of a mama's boy, he was still extremely attached to Happy, and every time he was away for a few days, the two-year-old became more restless.

"A surprise, huh?" Happy arched an eyebrow, just about to place a hand on Nola's stomach to also greet his unborn daughter. But his head snapped to the right, his dark eyes staring at the small orange cat. "What the hell is a cat doin' in our house?"

"Well, living here, Daddy", Ruby replied in a sassy duh-tone, receiving a stern look from Happy, to which she simply smiled sweetly. "Her name is Daisy! Mommy and I found her in the garden today."

"You don't say", the SAA muttered as he glared at his wife, yet he couldn't even be really mad at her. "Let me guess, you wanna keep her, too?"

"Well, that was our plan, yes..", the blonde trailed with a sheepish smile, gently rubbing her bump as she placed her other hand against his cheek. "She was injured and really scared, we even had her checked by the vet. She's healthy, flea-free, and now vaccinated."

"Stop this, woman", Happy warned calmly as she looked at him with that irresistible smile. "You know I don't like cats."

"Uh huh", Nola purred teasingly, knowing he'd probably be the first to form the closest bond with the furball. "Oh come on, at least give her a chance. No one wanted her."

Wasn't it always like this? The grumpy fathers and husbands who never wanted the animals in the first place ended up loving them the most.

"Don't play that card now", the SAA grumbled before lowering his children to the ground and staring at the cat as if she had done something to him. The orange fireball was sitting on her paws, meowing softly. "What are we supposed to do with her anyway? We don't have anything for her."

"We'll buy everything she needs", Ruby chirped as she sat down in front of the cat and stroked its orange fur. "Pleaaaase, Daddy!"

"Yes, please, baby", Nola batted her eyelashes, slowly wrapping her arms around Happy's torso as she snuggled up to him. "She's so cute!"

"No, absolutely not." Happy shook his head firmly, avoiding his wife and daughter's gaze with good reason. "We won't keep the cat."

"But Daddy, please", the five-year-old whined as she scrambled to her feet and clung to Happy's leg. Again, she looked up at him with those big, innocent puppy-dog eyes. "She can stay in my room!"

Shit, how could he not get all soft at that?

His facade slowly began to crumble as Ruby put on her best pout, staring up at him as if she wouldn't give up until she got the answer she wanted to hear.

"You don't have to take care of her at all", Nola promised, trying to convince her husband. "Ruby and I will do it, and Henry when he likes and is older."

"For fucks sake", Happy cursed so quietly under his breath that only Nola could hear, a wide grin already on her lips because she knew she had him. "We can give it a try. If she causes problems, we'll find another home for her."

"Really?" Ruby's eyes lit up, a squeal of joy rolling from her lips. "Thanks, Daddy!"

Happy just grunted while Ruby ran back to the cat and gently scooped the furball into her arms. Singing happily, she padded into the living room with Henry close at her heels.

"Thanks, baby", Nola smiled sweetly, tightening her grip on him a little. "I promise you won't regret it. How was the trip?"

"I hope so", the SAA grumbled, but couldn't suppress a grin. It was funny how much his life had changed. For his wife and kids to be happy was all he wanted. Even if it meant sharing his house with a cat. "It was good, everything's handled."

He slowly strolled into the living room with her and plopped down on the couch, pulling her with him and placing his arm loosely over her shoulder. "How have things been here? The kids been good?"

"That sounds good", she hummed, relieved that he was back; uninjured. With that, her muscles finally relaxed as she snuggled into his side. "They were two angels, you know them. I'm curious to see if the third will be just as tame."

"Who knows, maybe the complete opposite", the SAA croaked against her ear with a grin. "We'll see if it changes our minds about a huge family."

His chest vibrated with laughter as Nola swatted his chest, looking up at him sternly. "Hey, don't scare meᅳ our little Violet will be just as angelic."

"Mhm, right. Just like the kids after her", Happy winked, a hint of teasing in his toneᅳ but he meant it. He and Nola had long since decided that Violet wouldn't be their last child. "You've completely changed me, you know that? And that's a good thing, little girl."

"Exactly", the blonde agreed eagerly before her lips curled into a smile. Resting the back of her head on his chest, she looked up at him. "No, I haven't. You're still the same man I fell in love withᅳ just..softer, for our babies."

Happy snorted a laugh, his other hand already resting on Nola's belly, which was significantly smaller this time than when she was pregnant with Henry. But the baby was doing well, that was the all that mattered. "You never say that in front of the guys, you hear me?"

"Or what?" Nola asked teasingly, bursting into laughter when Happy suddenly flipped her underneath him, almost making them both fall off the couch; almost. "The kids are still here", she chuckled.

"Don't always think so dirty, we'll save that for later", he rasped against her lips, which he claimed for a feverish kiss, but released them shortly after when the kids stormed past them. "I love you, little girl."

"I love you too, Lowman", she whispered with a broad smile, rubbing the tip of her nose against his before Happy pulled them back into their previous position so the kids could sit down with them.

With a cat now on Ruby's lap, the newest family member, they all sat snuggled together on the couch. Before heading to the playground, Nola and Happy simply wanted to savor the moment.

As dramatic as their relationship had begun, they were all the more happy now, six years later and two, soon to be three, children richer.

word count; 1852

authors note; hey guys, that's it, this story is over! I'm a little sad about it but I'm not sure how to continue, they've been through enough trauma, lol. I'd really appreciate it if you could check my other stories out, especially GONE WITH THE SIN (a Happy Lowman fanfic) and DECODE (a Jax Teller fanfic). Also, there will be a new Happy fanfic out in a few weeks, I just have to work on my other stuff a bit first. So if you like to get notifications about any updates give me a follow! Thank you all for supporting this story and leaving so many votes and comments, I really appreciate it. 🤎