JJ kept one hand tightly wrapped around Henry's little palm to ensure he didn't run off. The boy's other hand was wrapped around his father's fingers, but that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't liable to make a break for it.
"Wanna see the LIONS," Henry hollered. He looked up at Will with a wide toothy grin, beyond excited to be spending the day with his father.
Will was a good father. A great one, even. But he didn't get to spend nearly as much time with Henry as either of them would have liked. He'd recently made it onto the police force and, being a rookie, was forced to take all the worst shifts...which made it rather difficult to coordinate his schedule with JJ's.
It didn't help either that JJ was keeping it a secret from him what exactly it was she did for a living...
Will ruffled Henry's shock of blond hair with his free hand. "Okay, bud, let's go see some lions."
JJ smiled brightly as she watched her two favourite boys interact. "He's been so excited to see you today," she informed Will. "He's been talking non-stop about it all week."
"That makes two of us," Will agreed. "I think my partner is sick to death of hearing me talk about you and Henry."
"Maybe he can convince your Captain to give you a few extra days off so you can spend more time with us..." JJ teased, only half joking. As much as she wanted Will to spend time with them, she knew that money was just too tight to make that a reality right now, much as it would've made Henry (and herself) happy.
Will just laughed, either not sensing the note of sadness behind it or knowing there was simply nothing to be done for it. "You know what they say: no rest for the wicked. We can spend time together when I'm retired." It was a joke, but a weak one.
With that, he bent down to scoop Henry into his arms, settling the boy on his shoulders. "Daddy!" Henry squealed with glee, "I sees the lions!"
"How about we get some ice cream after we're done watching the lions?" Will suggested.
JJ couldn't have said whether Henry was getting any of the pink and blue bubble gum flavoured ice cream in his mouth, judging by just how much was smeared across his face...and dribbling down his shirt. And, if she had to do a little extra laundry tomorrow, well, she couldn't bring herself to care all that much because a few stains were worth the smile splitting the boy's face.
"Mommy!" Henry said loudly. "Take a pi'ture!"
JJ bit down on a grin. "Could you ask politely?" she urged him to use his manners (it was a constant battle and she was pretty sure she was currently on the losing end...).
With a long-suffering sigh, Henry repeated, "Take a pi'ture please? I gotsta show Jayde the pandas!" He proceeded to strike a dramatic pose in front of the panda enclosure.
JJ thought about telling him to wipe the ice cream off his face first...but ultimately decided that the pink and blue stains on his face would make for a better teasing photo when he brought home his first girlfriend.
He posed for a few pictures, then announced, "Wanna see the monkeys!"
From his spot on the nearby bench, Will just chuckled at his son's enthusiasm. "Sure, bud. Just stay where we can see you, okay?" Apparently, he had more faith in the boy's self-restraint than JJ...but she decided that was his problem when Henry ultimately took off running.
JJ settled next to him on the bench, shimmying into his side and letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders, press a kiss to her forehead. "So, Cher...got any plans for tonight?"
"Plans?" she repeated, a faint hint of panic in her tone. She swallowed, tried to quash the alarm in her voice before saying, "No plans. Why? Why do you ask?"
He shrugged. "I just thought it might be nice to take my family out for dinner. I found a joint not far from the cop shop that serves a decent po' boy – not great, mind you, but decent enough..."
"I can't tonight," she said apologetically. It briefly crossed her mind to add, Because I've got to go dance topless in front of a bunch of sleazy guys old enough to be my father because it's the only job I can get... But only briefly because now was neither the time nor the place to drop that particular bombshell.
She was saved having to lie, though, because at that moment his phone chimed. "Nevermind," he said with a sigh, glancing down at the screen. "Captain needs me to cover a shift tonight..."
Plastering on a sad little pout, JJ lamented, "That's too bad – it would have been nice to spend the evening together."
Nodding his agreement, he said, "It feels like we never see each other anymore... Maybe we should finally bite the bullet and move in together."
She laughed a little like he'd made some big joke.
"I'm serious," he insisted. "Why not? We have a kid together, but we don't live together – that seems a little strange, doesn't it?"
She sighed. "I already explained it to you," she said, "You can't move into my apartment because it's women only." She and Emily had gotten their apartment through a women's shelter that worked to provide housing for low-income women and children and one of the rules was that men weren't allowed to live on the premises to prevent hooking and abuse.
"I know," he insisted, "But that doesn't mean you can't move into my place..."
"I can't just leave Emily," she insisted, another familiar excuse. "We're each other's childcare solution. Without her, we couldn't afford to pay a babysitter while I work."
Will pursed his lips for a moment, letting a heavy breath out through his nose. "It's starting to sound like you're making excuses because you don't actually want to live with me..."
"Will, you know that's not true!"
"Do I?" he countered.
She shut her eyes for a moment, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened. "Can we not do this here?" she begged. "I really don't want to ruin Henry's day."
He must've sensed her suddenly sombre mood because he gently embraced her. "I'm sorry," he murmured, lips pressed into her hair. "I don't want to upset you. I just don't want to be without you."