tattoos || c.h.

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sᴇᴠᴇɴᴛʏ ғᴏᴜʀ

~ nine months later ~

mia

"we won!" calum spins me around when we enter his apartment. we just got the final notice that calum gets full custody, but reese is allowed visitation rights if calum states that it's okay. which everyone knows is never going to happen. he rather drop dead before letting reese get near julian.

"put me down." i cling onto his neck with a laugh. "we did win, but i can't breathe!" i catch my breath when cal puts me down.

"we won." his dimples are as deep when he's really joyful.

"we won." i cup his face and mirror his smile. i don't believe i've ever seen cal so triumphant. not even when we make battle breakfast and julian likes cal's breakfast more.

"i love you." calum leans in to kiss me and i gladly allow him to. he repeats the same three words after every short kiss. he's adorable.

"i love you too." i'm finally able to reciprocate the words, but calum pulls me back into more kisses. this boy and his kisses when he's overjoyed. "you're an amazing dad." i break our kisses and usually calum would pout, but these words only make his grin wider.

"thank you." he pecks my lips one more time and i just look at him. "i'm not taking the thank you back. no matter how many times i've already said it." i don't think anyone can bring his mood down today or for the next twenty years.

"i'm proud of you." i tell calum. and really, i am. "you strayed strong through this journey, and a lot of people wouldn't be able to do that." i caress his cheek and he pulls me in for a hug.

"i don't think i could've done it without you." cal admits and i shake my head, but before i can speak, he does. "you helped me with the attorney, you got the girls to help you find everything on reece, you were there every time we stood before the judge, you did a lot, mia."

"that's what you do for people you love." i kiss the side of his head, and this time i squeeze him to death. "mia, you gotta let go." i can hear him losing some breath and i do so.

"revenge." i smile and he does too.

nothing can ruin today. nothing.

"can we take julian to shake shack?" i ask calum and he chuckles. his laughter is adorable. i could listen to it all day. "it's a good idea. shake shack is the award for winning today." i explain and cal kisses my forehead.

"we can go to shake shack." he rests his chin on top of my head. god, do i love this man with my whole being. "after he does his homework," cal pauses for a second, "if he has any."

"he's in kindergarten he most likely doesn't." i rest my head against his chest. "if he does it's probably one short page."

"that's true." cal squeezes me by trying to hold me closer to him.

"can't breathe, hood." i barely get out from the short oxygen i have left and he lets go of the tight embrace, but still holds me in his arms.

"shake shack!" julian jumps out of the back seat the second i open the car door. i was correct when i told calum that julian most likely had no homework tonight. "let's go!" he grabs my hand and we walk to the door, but he stops and turns around. "hurry up!" julian continues to be energetic as he waits for his dad to catch up to us.

"calm down." cal easily and swiftly takes julian into his arms and i open the door for the two to walk in. "thank you." calum whispers to me and sometimes i want to smack him upside the head whenever he tells me that.

"can i guess your order?" julian questions me as i slide into the booth. julian made calum sit on the opposite side of us because he wanted me to sit next to him and not next to cal.

"be my guest." i hand him the menu, but he doesn't take it and just answers.

"bacon cheeseburger." it's like he read my mind. "did i get it right?" he smiles at me and i nod my head.

"how the heck did you know?"

"a magician never tells his secrets." he tries to be mysterious and i look to calum with the look of 'he gets this from you' and he laughs.

"what're you getting?" i drape my arm over the little kid's shoulders and he squints his eyes at the menu like he's trying to figure out what he's going to eat. everyone knows he's either going with a cheeseburger or the chicken bites.

"guess." i see his eyes land on the lower part of the menu before he tells me.

"chicken bites." i raise my eyebrows and he nods with a humongous smile. god, do i love this kid. "what're you getting?" i turn to calum who's stayed silent this whole time at the booth.

"how about you two choose." he smirks and oh boy has he made a mistake. julian and i look at each other and lift a menu up to hide our faces while we search through the menu. "i'm going to regret this." i hear calum lowly speak and i peak my head up from behind the menu.

"oh, you sure are." i give him the smirk he wore seconds ago before ducking behind the menu i've kept at julian's level. "what about the 'shroom burger? your dad isn't the biggest fan of mushrooms." i whisper the idea to julian and he nods with a mischievous grin.

"we know what we're ordering you." julian places down the menu and tries to act like scary, but it's only making me hold back a laugh and i can see calum is too.