Little Girl Don't Grow Up Too Fast

In This Together

"What are you doing?" Carrie asked noticing the blonde teenager going over to the counter where her phone sat.

    "Just checking my messages," Charlotte answered, not bothering to look up.

    "Is your homework done?"

    "Sort of," the teen sighed.

    "Is your science study guide finished?" Carrie questioned, knowing the answer. When Charlotte shook her head, Carrie walked up holding her hand out for Charlotte to give her the cell phone. "No homework done, no phone."

    "But Mom-"

    "You know my rules," Carrie cut her off. The teen gave her a glare before giving in and handing her mother the phone. "Travis can wait."

    "Mom!" Charlotte exclaimed, her eyes widening and cheeks flushing as her mom snooped her phone.

    "Chill out I only glanced and I won't again," the mother laughed. "Who's Travis anyways?"

    "Just a friend from school," the young blonde replied shortly, suddenly becoming very focused on her homework. "You know, you are way more strict than Dad is."

    "That's because your dad was never a teenage girl. Speaking of him though, he's coming over for dinner tonight."

    "Ooo, like a date?" Charlotte perked up, interested in her parents' love lives as weird as that sounded.

    "No," Carrie shook her head chuckling. "He misses you actually. We thought it would be nice to have dinner all together, like as a family."

    The phrase 'as a family' sent chills down both of their spines. Family was a heavy word for the three and it held a lot of meaning to them. Considering the three of them together becoming a family was everything they could have ever wanted, it scared all of them a little, but they knew together they were going to get past that fear and enjoy the company of one another.

    "I gotta get started on dinner," Carrie said immediately getting ingredients out to make pasta.

    "Can I help?"

    "Do you even know how to cook?"

    "No, but you can teach me," Charlotte suggested, batting her eyes to persuade her mother.

    "Finish up your homework and then you can," Carrie gave in.

    "Fair enough," Charlotte nodded before going back to her homework.

    Less than an hour later, the mother-daughter duo were interrupted by the doorbell ringing meaning that Mike had arrived. "Can you get it? I am very busy stirring the sauce," Charlotte dramatized at the fact that she was helping cook.

    Carrie rolled her eyes at the goofy teenager before going to open the door for her hockey hunk of a boyfriend. She grinned ear to ear at the sight of his blue eyes lighting up when looking at her. After all the damage and all of the pain, the two found it so easy to rekindle the happiness they had towards each other.

    "Hi," the blonde beauty squeaked, wanting to hit herself for sounding so giddy. She could not deny that she had been waiting all day to get to see him.

    "Hey," he grinned, leaning down to meet her lips, seeing that his daughter wasn't around. After a short peck, he pulled away, revealing the flowers he had in his hand.

    "Are those for me?" Carrie hinted at the beautiful bouquet.

    "No, they're definitely for Charlotte," Mike said with a straight face. When Carrie gave him a weird look, he cracked a smile unable to keep going. "I'm kidding, of course they're for you."