steve harrington x single mom!reader
Steve has officially proposed a real date to you, but you can't help but be on the fence about it. Your best friend from the city, and even your own son, takes a stand to convince you of what to do.
you're a catch: chapter four
It had been three days since Steve gave you his number, now Sunday.
You were worried that the day immediately after he gave you his number at practice, it would be painfully awkward since you hadnât called him. So, you lingered as long as you could at the high school, refilling the printers with paper and tidying every desk you could find, before you eventually had to make your way over to the baseball field.Â
When you arrived, you took your usual spot, the second row on the bleachers, four down from the group of women who always spoke above you. It was close enough that you could still listen to them if you wanted, but far enough that it wasnât awkward that you werenât included in the conversation.Â
This particular day, as soon as you sat down, you'd heard their conversation about Steveâs new tracksuit. The one that could hardly contain his muscular thighs, and the matching sweatshirt that made his shoulders look even broader than they were. They were right, and thatâs when youâd decided that you couldnât hear their biased opinions when you were still on the fence about deciding to see him or not, so you opted to tune them out that day
The second obstacle came when Steve realised youâd finally arrived. He found out through the 8th-grade history teacher, whose wife works in the high school, that you were the new receptionist, and that's where you were always coming from before practice. Since finding that out, heâd spent each day counting down the minutes after the high school released that youâd be walking over.Â
Since youâd stalled so much, he was that much more excited to see you and sent a wave and more than a friendly smile your way when he caught sight of you. You didnât miss the âoffer still standsâ heâd mouthed your way either, even though you pretended to. It made your head spin. Of course, Steve would be the kind of guy to still do that even though you hadnât called him yet; he just had to make this a harder choice for you, didnât he?
Which is exactly what you were telling Rachel, a dear friend of yours from the city, on this rainy Sunday afternoon.Â
âHe really is great, Rachel, a really kind guy. Did I tell you that he said Nathan could come with us if I couldnât find a babysitter?â You laughed dreamily into the phone, sinking into a dining chair while Nathan watched a movie in the living room across the hall.
You heard Rachelâs laugh crackle through the phone; your heart ached. You missed her and her contagious laugh.
âSo whatâs stopping you from saying yes to him?â Her words are long and exaggerated, like sheâs tired of having this conversation with you, like she thinks you're being completely irrational.
âYou know Hawkins isnât⌠permanent. What if Nathan gets attached, then we have to leave? Or he isnât good with him, and Nathan hates him! Or⌠or literally anything else!â You sigh, âIâm just scared to bring a man around Nathan. I donât want to confuse him.â
Rachel lets out a soft sigh as well. âI know, hon, I get that. But let's be rational, okay?â You nod at her words, and despite her not being able to see you, youre confident that she knows you did it.Â
âYou deserve to be happy, too. Having Nathan wasnât the end of your life, it was the start, isnât that what you always say?â Her voice was airy; it had a lightness to it that always made even the hard conversations just a bit easier.Â
âYeahâŚâ You admit begrudgingly.Â
âAnd heâs a teacher, isnât he? Plus, he already coaches Nathan, Iâm sure they will have no problem getting along.â You knew she was right. Youâd seen Steve with the kids every day at practice this past week, and they all adored him.Â
âAs for Hawkins not being permanentâŚâ she trailed off, pausing for a second before continuing, âit sounds to me like youâre just scared it could go so well you donât want to come back. Or, crazy thought here, he comes with you.â Rachel pauses, clearly waiting to hear your input on the matter.
âIâm not scared! Itâs just been a long time, you know? I want to make sure Iâm making the right choice for Nathan.â You repeat, trying to avoid the subject matter of the conversation being yourself. It was easier to turn something good for yourself down if it was under the guise of it being bad for your son.
Rachel mustâve known that too, because she let out a long, heavy sigh. âWeâve already decided that Nathan will be fine. Make the best choice for you.â Her words were heavy, and it made you shift in your seat. For what felt like the thousandth time in your friendship with Rachel, she knew you better than you knew yourself, and she was reading you like a book.Â
âI know things are harder because you have to consider Nathan, but from what I can tell, heâs a good guy who wants to be good to both of you. Thats something to run to, not away from.â She said softly, not wanting to push the topic too hard. âI gotta go, but you let me know what happens, okay? Iâm always on your side, girl. Love you.â Her voice rings in your ears before the familiar buzz of the landline replaces it, indicating sheâd hung up.Â
You let out a soft sigh, the weight of her words settling in. You contemplated what she said, what she was implying. It wasnât like Steve was the first guy in all of Nathanâs life to ask you out, but he was definitely the first whoâd made it this far, and considering you hadnât even made it too a date yet, everyone else practically got nowhere.
You loved to write it off as protecting Nathan, but really, you think you were protecting yourself. Nathanâs father was a real piece of work, and having to heal from the way heâd treated you while raising a baby essentially alone was the most difficult thing youâd ever done. The idea of letting in another man who could do the exact same thing to you all over again was terrifying, especially after making so many hard choices lately.Â
You had to admit, though, he was really good with Nathan, and it might be nice to have someone to lean on in a town you feel so alone in.Â
You didnât have much more time to linger on the thought before you heard Nathanâs movie turn off and his feet against the floor, making their way to you.
âMama, Iâm hungry.â His voice is a murmur, and you can already tell he's sleepy. Heâs always been that way. Rainy days were for movies and sleeping for Nathan, and today was no different.Â
You smiled at him before standing up from your chair, placing the landline back on its hook, and scooping him into your arms.
It was getting harder, and he was getting bigger. It makes your heart do something funny that you werenât ready to unpack yet.Â
When you make it to the kitchen, you put him down dramatically, then look into your fridge with an exaggerated hum, pulling a laugh from him. You hate that it was as empty as it was. âHow would you feel about some soup? I think soup is great on rainy days.â You turn to him, closing the fridge and moving to the pantry.
âOnly if itâs the chicken noodle kind.â He says with a firm nod, his feet tapping on the linoleum of the kitchen, following just behind you.Â
âI think I can make that work.â You look down to him, pulling out a can and beginning to warm it for him on the stove.Â
While you waited, you and Nathan laughed together the way you always did in kitchens, and danced to his favourite CD that played in the stereo on the counter beside you. He liked Journey.Â
It was moments like this that really did make you think that turning down Steve would be good for Nathan. You held these pockets of time spent with him so near to your heart, and youâd hate to invite Steve into them only for it to go poorly.Â
âI really like baseball, Mama.â Nathan spoke softly, just after âFaithfullyâ had finished, and the next track was starting.Â
âYeah, baby? Whatâs your favourite part?â You hummed, separating from him to check on his soup. You had to say, even in just the week that heâd been playing, his behaviour in class had dramatically improved, and you (and his teacher) were so grateful for it.Â
âCoach Harrington is really nice.â His words almost made you drop your spoon. It was like the universe was trying to shove it in your face that he was perfect. Maybe the universe and Rachel were in cahoots.Â
âYeah? That's nice, honey.â You tell him gently, silently praying that he wonât continue, but of course, he does.Â
âI got in trouble on Thursday.â He admits sheepishly, his voice muffled as he speaks up to you.
âFor what, baby? Why didnât the school tell me?â You furrowed your brows in confusion as you poured his soup out, walking it and a spoon back over to the dining room table, setting it at his preferred chair before taking your own.Â
Nathan hops up into the chair. âI wasnât being mean or nothing⌠I was just excited for art class, and the teacher wasnât explaining fast enough⌠I just had an accident with the paint. But I was really sorry and helped clean it up!â He tells you quickly. You sigh and think back to the mysterious purple stain on his shirt from Thursday.
âThatâs okay, baby. Why didnât your teacher tell me?â You ask him again, hoping he could tell you why his school suddenly didnât need to discuss these things with you.Â
âWell, I was real sad that they were gonna tell you⌠I didnât want you to be mad at me.â You frowned at his words, but he kept going, âAnd Coach Harrington came by the office to talk to Ms Halbert about somethinâ about baseball, I think, and he saw me in the office.â Your heartbeat sped up at the mention of his name.
âWhat did Coach Harrington do?â You ask him gently, watching him blow cautiously on his soup before taking a big spoonful, slurping the noodle loud enough to make you laugh.
âHe asked me what happened, then told me that sâokay to be excited, but I have to wait till the teachers are ready. Like how we have to wait in practice till he blows the whistle, because he doesnât blow the whistle till heâs ready. Said thatâs like why we have to wait in art.â He recalls the events to you, unknowingly making your heart nearly explode.Â
âHe got Ms Halbert not to call you. He told me itâs âcause she has a crush on him, but that Iâm not allowed to tell you that.â Nathan laughed at the memory. âHe doesnât know we donât keep secrets, yet.â
The âyetâ is what made your breath catch in your throat. Nathan said âyetâ like he was anticipating his baseball coach to soon learn the inner workings of your relationship with your son, and more importantly, like he wanted it to happen.Â
It was then that you decided youâd call Steve as soon as Nathan went to bed.
 So, you spent the rest of the evening in your own head, practising out what youâd say, but none of it ever sounded good enough. You were still thinking when you washed up the kitchen, or when you tucked Nathan into bed.Â
You were especially still thinking when you pulled Steveâs phone number off the fridge and made your way back to the phone. You leaned against the wall it was hooked on, and tentatively dialled the number, your fingers running across the messy handwriting as you took a breath to calm your nerves.Â
âHello?â His voice didnât sound as good over the phone, but it was still enough to make your knees weak.
âHi, Steve?â You spoke softly, and you could tell by the soft âohâ that hit your ears that heâd recognised who you were.Â
âYou called.â His voice was hardly above a whisper, and you could hear the smile on his face.Â
âYeah, well, I heard a really funny story tonight, and I thought you might like to hear it. What do you say?â You pull your bottom lip between your teeth briefly while you wait for his response, the anticipation making you feel like you were 17 again.
âOf course, hit me.â He laughed into the receiver, a beautiful noise. You made a note to apologise to Rachel and the universe. It would be okay if they were conspiring if it meant you got to hear his laugh more often.Â
âWell, Nateâs told me that heâd gotten into a little accident with some paint on Thursday, and that his receptionist has a crush on a certain coach of his, who may or may not have used that to keep her from telling me. Isnât that just hilarious?â You honestly do laugh a little when you recount the story; it does sound a bit ridiculous.Â
There is a pause on the other end before Steve is laughing again, but thereâs an underlying nervousness. âI told him not to tell you that!âÂ
âI know, he told me that too.â Itâs your turn to laugh now.
âWasnât trying to make you uncomfortable with that. He was just really upset that they were gonna tell you, figured as long as he learned his lesson, there was no harm. No reason to stress you out.â He admits, a bit more seriously now.Â
âNo, I uh- I actually wanted to tell you thank you. It is kind of nice knowing that someone else handled it for once.â You murmur, a bit embarrassed to tell him that the idea of him handling a school conflict for your son was a relief.Â
âOh..â He lets out a soft breath, almost like heâd been holding it in. âYeah, no problem at all.âÂ
Thereâs a moment of silence before he speaks up again. âI hate to push you about it butâŚhave you given any thought to that date?â His voice is shakier now, a clear sign that he was nervous to ask you. You think itâs cute.
âI have actually. Thatâs the real reason I wanted to call.â You tell him, your own voice a bit shaky now too.Â
âAnd? What do you think?â He asks, hopeful.
You bite the inside of your cheek. âI think I need to start looking for a babysitter.â
You swear you can hear him sigh in relief. âYeah? I know a great little girl, Holly Wheeler, whoâs amazing with kids. I can put you in touch. Or- Or he can come! I want to take you out, and if that means taking him out too, I'd be happy to.âÂ
You smile at the offer. âThatâs really sweet of you, Steve, but Iâd rather not have my son on my first date with you.â You laughed softly.
âRight. Right.â He says quickly. âSorry, Iâve justâŚIâve never dated someone with a kid and, not that it matters to me at all, because it doesnât, I just want to make sure IâmâŚyâknow, including him? I want to do it right.â Steve admits bashfully.Â
âThe fact that you want to do that means youâre already doing everything right, really.â Your voice is more of a whisper than anything, but at this point, you know Nathan is asleep, and youâd rather not wake him up because you were squealing like a schoolgirl over his baseball coach.Â
You bask in the tenderness of the moment, before opting to lighten the mood, âThe other moms are gonna hate my guts, you know?â You laugh.
The conversation fades into talk of anything and everything, when to have this date, what Steve had done that day, the new movie Nathan was watching, until eventually yawns were more frequent in the call than sentences, and you were tucked neatly into bed.
Thank you, Rachel and the universe.Â