what NHL!Rafe did for prettygirl!reader for mothers day…
she woke up to whispering.
aggressive whispering.
“isla, stop pushing me.”
“i’m not pushing you.”
“you literally elbowed me.”
“because you’re standing too close.”
then a loud crash echoed from downstairs followed by rafe hissing, “shit.”
she smiled before even opening her eyes.
mother’s day.
the second she walked into the hallway, she could smell coffee and something sweet drifting upstairs. probably pancakes if she had to guess. she made it halfway down before hearing tiny footsteps racing toward her.
“mama!”
her daughter launched herself directly into her legs while her son followed behind at a much slower pace, trying very hard to act cool despite the giant grin on his face.
“you weren’t supposed to wake up yet,” he informed her seriously.
“sorry,” she whispered dramatically. “i ruined the mission.”
her daughter gasped. “daddy said mission too!”
“yeah? where is daddy?”
both kids immediately looked toward the kitchen.
and there he was.
rafe stood at the stove in gray sweats and a black compression shirt, hair messy like he’d been running his hands through it for the past hour. there was flour on his shoulder somehow, pancake batter on the counter, and syrup dangerously close to spilling off the island.
he looked exhausted.
he also looked ridiculously pretty.
the second he noticed her standing there, his entire face softened.
“c’mere,” he said quietly.
she barely made it two steps before his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his chest while he kissed her slow and warm.
“happy mother’s day, pretty girl.”
“you made breakfast?”
“attempted breakfast,” their son corrected.
“i heard that,” rafe muttered.
their daughter proudly pointed toward the stove. “he burned six pancakes.”
“five,” rafe argued.
“six.”
“one was barely burned.”
she laughed against his shoulder while he pressed another kiss into her hair.
“go sit down,” he told her softly. “you’re not allowed to do anything today.”
“that sounds fake.”
“it’s not fake,” her son said immediately. “dad woke us up at six.”
“six?” she repeated.
rafe shrugged like it was nothing. “needed time to prep.”
“you mean needed time to fail multiple times,” the boy answered.
rafe narrowed his eyes. “watch it.”
their son only grinned before helping his little sister carry plates to the table. she watched the entire thing with warmth sitting heavy in her chest.
because rafe had always been intense about loving people.
everything with him was overwhelming. loud. consuming.
but fatherhood had softened him in places she didn’t think existed.
he still played rough on the ice. still got into fights. still had that mean streak when it came to literally anyone else.
but with them?
god.
with them, he was gentle.
she sat at the table while rafe brought over coffee exactly how she liked it without asking. then he placed a horribly misshapen pancake onto her plate like he was presenting fine dining
“be honest,” he said. “they look terrible, right?”
“they look beautiful.”
“liar.”
their daughter climbed into the chair beside her. “daddy almost cried earlier.”
“i did not cry.”
“you got frustrated.”
“that’s not crying.”
“you said a lotta bad words.”
he sighed heavily. “i’m surrounded by haters.”
their son snorted into his juice.
breakfast was honestly awful.
the pancakes were raw in the middle and somehow salty, the fruit was unevenly cut because apparently rafe let the kids help, and the bacon was nearly black.
she loved every second of it.
after breakfast, the kids disappeared upstairs while rafe cleaned the kitchen despite her trying to help.
“absolutely not,” he said firmly, pointing at her with the spatula. “sit down.”
“yes sir.”
his eyes darkened for half a second before rolling them. “don’t start.”
she smirked.
a few minutes later, both kids came running back downstairs carrying handmade cards.
their daughter’s had glitter glued so aggressively to the front that it was literally falling off.
their son’s was messier in a different way. older. less little kid-ish. he tried to act embarrassed handing it to her.
“dad said we had to make them.”
“because it’s mother’s day,” rafe defended.
“you made me redo mine twice.”
“because the first one said ‘happy birthday.’”
“i was tired.”
she laughed so hard she nearly cried.
then she actually did cry opening the cards.
because her daughter had drawn their family holding hands under a giant uneven heart.
and her son had written, in messy handwriting, thank you for always coming to my games even when dad’s games are bigger.
that one ruined her.
completely.
“oh, buddy,” she whispered, pulling him into her arms immediately.
he groaned dramatically about her embarrassing him, but still hugged her back tight.
rafe leaned against the counter watching all of them quietly.
softly.
like this was his favorite thing in the world.
later that afternoon, after flowers and gifts and an expensive necklace she’d already scolded him for buying, rafe drove them out to the lake house for the rest of the weekend.
the kids ran ahead toward the dock while she stayed behind beside the car, watching them.
watching him.
rafe came up behind her slowly, hands sliding around her waist.
“what?” he murmured against her temple.
“nothing.”
“you’re staring.”
she turned in his arms a little. “just thinking.”
“dangerous.”
she rolled her eyes.
his grin faded into something softer when he looked down at her.
“you happy today?”
the question caught her off guard.
not because of what he asked.
because he sounded nervous asking it.
like after all these years, after two kids and a million “i love you”s and every impossible thing they’d survived together, he still worried about getting it right.
she reached up, fixing the collar of his shirt gently.
“rafe.”
“hm?”
“this is my favorite mother’s day i’ve ever had.”
and the smile he gave her after that?
that one was hers. completely.
tags: @amelialovesrafe @alyisdead @illumoria @blissfulbutterfliess @sydneysslove @matthewswifeyy @meetmeintheemeraldpool @lcversvoid @sabrina-carpenter-stan-account @cokewithcameron @drewrry @harubunnyy @lifeonawhim @ar1ynx @tottassss @nessasmultiverseoflove @camerxnlove @mochibunnyyyy @starkeysfile @rosiecherie @faiux @my-fabulousness-has-arrived @angelicameron @p34rlzzz @maximumstructurearchivist @seraphiccrafe @graciegibsonn @obxobsessedbitch1 @dabishou @corallandtragedy3 @dxphhnnee @angxls @l1ttlebones @kavycakes @drewsbby @ghosttinvs @fiercetigerpoison @friedvoidstrawberry @ssugartalkin @whimsygayho @bonni-98 @sex-the1975 @juulsie @estrellabeatriz15 @heavenstolemyheart @baeeyar @lostinisara @outersbanksgirly @marsisonmarsrn @cruelpandapath
