Bughead Oneshots part 3

Little Family

Jughead's POV
Betty is nervously bites into her lower lip, while glancing between me and Everleigh, who is playing with her dolls on the floor. I see the wheels turning in her head, and I step forward so I can place my hands on her waist. 

"Betts, we will be just fine here. Go out and have a nice night with Veronica and Cheryl. We will both be alive and well when you come back home tonight." I assure her. I see her relax a little at my words, and she nods her head. 

"Okay you're right. I trust you, and I know that Ev loves you. Okay, I'm gonna go out and have fun." She says, trying to convince herself. I give her a soft kiss on the lips, and lightly push her toward the front door. 

"I love you." I tell her. 

"I love you too." She kneels a little and waves at Everleigh, "Bye baby! I love you! Have fun with Juggie." She says in her baby voice. Everleigh doesn't even glance up from her toys. Betty turns around, saying bye one more time, and then she's out the door. 

I rub my hands together and sit on the floor next to Everleigh. 

"Okay, so what do you wanna do?" I ask her. I watch as her gaze flickers between me and the dolls on the floor. She picks up one that has blonde hair, and is wearing a pink frilly dress. I take it from her chubby little hands, and she gives me one of her cute little smiles. 

"Play." She says, and so I do. 

For the next hour, we spend it playing dolls, dressing up, watching tv, and playing house. I stop us in the middle of our intense game of barbies, and tell her it's time to eat. I scoop her into my arms and blow on her belly. She lets out a giggle that brings a smile to my face. I set her down in her highchair, and scan the fridge for something that I can put together for her. I'm no cook like Betty is, so making an actual dinner is out of the picture. I end up giving her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (cut up into little squares), with sliced strawberries, goldfish, and a juice box. I place the plate down in front of her, and she squeals in delight at the food on her pink princess plate. I chuckle and sit down beside her. I help her eat when she needs it, but for the most part I just listen to her talk about nonsense. The thing is though, I'm perfectly content listening to her talk. I love this girl as if she were my own, and I would do anything for her. 

"All done!" She announces and I take her plate over to the sink. I turn the tap on warm water, and start scrubbing all the crumbs and peanut butter that are stuck to it. I turn the water off and grab the towel to dry it, when she says something that makes my heart stop. 

"Thank you, daddy. I love you." It feels as if the world stops spinning. The plate in my hand clatters to the floor, frightening Everleigh. I turn around and stare at her sweet, pudgy face. Her blonde hair falling into her hazel eyes, and her little button nose that scrunches up when she's sad. Her little hands, that always grab mine when walking with me, or wanting to take me somewhere. She looks so much like her mother, and that is just one of the many reasons why I love her. I rush forward and grab her into my arms. I twirl her around, and her laughs are melodic. I hug her tightly to my chest, as tears of joy threaten to spill out of my eyes. 

"Oh Ev, I love you too. I love you so much. I'm here for you whenever you need me, and if you want me to be your daddy then I want nothing more." She stares at me, and wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes. She leaves a sloppy kiss on my cheek, and I return the affection by placing one on her head. She lays her head on my shoulder as I sway her from side to side, while humming a lullaby my dad used to sing to me when I was little. I feel her grip loosen and I feel her small body relax against mine. I continue holding her, and just relish in the fact that she called me her 'daddy'. I hear light snores come from her mouth and I smile softly. I slowly walk over to the couch, and gingerly lay her down. I cover her with a blanket laying on the couch, and go to sit on the floor in front of her. I try to be as quiet as possible, but having my luck, I stub my toe on the corner of the coffee table. I hold in my curse words, but let out a grunt. Everleigh turns on her side, and opens her eyes just slightly, but falls back asleep almost instantly. I breathe out a sigh of relief and sit down on the carpeted floor. I turn the TV on, but make sure it's on low volume as to not wake her up. I turn my body to the side and rub her back in an up and down motion to comfort her, while staring at the screen. We stay like this for the next hour while we wait for Betty to get home. 

I hear the door click open, and I silently stand up. Betty comes through the door, and I motion for her to be quiet while gesturing to the sleeping angel on the couch. She nods, and I help her take her coat off, before walking into the kitchen with her following. I go to stand behind the island, and Betty stands beside me. She studies me with confusion on her face, and I know she can tell I'm hiding something. 

"Jug what is it?" She asks me with concern lacing her voice. I take a deep breath before meeting her green eyes. She cups my face with her hands and tilts her head a little to the right. 

"Everleigh called me daddy." I whisper to her. I see her eyes go wide, and tears immediately from and build on her bottom lashes. She chokes back a sob and embraces me. I shove my face into her neck, and nuzzle the soft skin there. I press a light kiss to the side of it, as I feel droplets of water wet the back of my shirt. I pull away from her, and wipe the tears off her face. 

"Betty I get it if you don't want her to call me that, but just so you know, I love that little girl with all my heart. I wish she were my real daughter, and I wish that I could've helped create her. I would die for her. So it's your decision to make on whether or not you're comfortable with that." I finish, and a huge grin grows on her face, while she rubs my cheek with the pad of her thumb. 

"And that right there is why I wouldn't want anyone else to be her dad. You love her and me unconditionally and treat us so well. I want you to be the father figure in her life. I want you to help me raise her. She has already deemed you her dad, and I couldn't be happier with that. I love you so so much, and, I want you to be her dad." She tells me. A goofy grin grows on my face, and I pull her lips onto mine. Our lips move in perfect harmony, and the kiss grows more passionate. I pull away and peck her lips one more time before hugging her again. She rests her head on my chest and I put my hand on her hair. I kiss her temple and rest my chin on the top of her head. 

"I love you so much more baby. You and Everleigh." I feel her cheeks turn up in a smile, and she lifts her head to kiss my lips. I grab her hand and bring her into the living room where Ev is sleeping. Together we kneel in front of the couch, and whisper to her to get her to wake up. When she opens her eyes, she smiles, and sits up. I pick her up in my arms and she curls up into my chest, and closes her eyes again. I pull Betty into the hug, and she wraps her arms around me and Everleigh. Then, she whispers so softly if I hadn't been listening I wouldn't have heard it: 

"I love you mommy and daddy." 

I find Betty's gaze over Everleigh's head and we smile at each other. Here in this moment, I've never felt more content. This is where I belong-right here- with both my girls in my arms. This is our little family.