charlie - corbyn besson

chapter nine

After a long night filled with emotions and tea parties, all three of you were sound asleep. The house was silent, you and Corbyn sleeping in his room and Charlie in her own bed. You and Corbyn fell asleep facing each other, your face buried in his collarbone and his arm snugly placed across your waist. You and Corbyn slept very intimately, always attached to one another in some shape or form. You'd always been like this and it made Corbyn excited to go to sleep every night since you started staying over on a nightly basis. The only sound that could be heard throughout the house was the wind blowing the curtains through the cracked bedroom window and the soft hum of Charlie's plug-in night light. That is, until the door to Corbyn's bedroom creaked open.

The sound of small feet shuffling on carpet and quiet whimpers came from the edge of the bed, the sudden tug on the blanket stirring you in your sleep. You rolled out of Corbyn's arms and sat up, rubbing your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Corbyn's arm fell limp onto the mattress where you once lay, still fast asleep. You squinted through the dark to see Charlie standing with her hands at her sides, her cheeks wet from crying. She didn't say anything, she just kept quietly weeping at the end of the bed. You moved the covers off of your lap, reaching out to her. "Hey sweetheart, come here." you whispered. She sulked over to your side of the bed and crawled into your lap, leaning into your chest. You rocked her back and forth, running your hand over her hair to try and soothe her tears. Corbyn shifted in his sleep at the movement, propping himself up on his elbow. "Everything okay?" he said, his voice low and raspy from sleep. Despite the situation, you'd be lying if you said his tired voice made your heart jump. You brushed off the thought and brought your attention back to Charlie. "I think it was just a bad dream, hm?" you cooed, looking down at Charlie. She mumbled a yes in between hiccups and you sighed, holding her tighter. "Oh baby, it's okay. You're safe, it was only a scary dream I promise." Corbyn said, reaching over to rub her back. Charlie pulled back slightly to look up at you, her hair sticking to her sweaty forehead. You brought your hand up to smooth the hairs away, gently caressing her cheek. "Mommy, I'm scared." she whimpered and it felt like someone poured ice water down your back.

You tried to keep your facial expression neutral, but you immediately looked to Corbyn who seemed to have the same reaction. His eyes widened and he sat up more, kissing Charlie's head. "There's no need to be scared, princess. Do you wanna stay in here with us?" he asked gently and she nodded. He whispered an 'okay', scooting over and making room for her on the bed in between you two. As she got herself settled he grabbed your hand, causing you to look at him. "I'm sorry." he whispered, barely loud enough for you to hear. You were thankful for the lack of light in the room because it was hiding the blush on your cheeks, and you shook your head. "It's okay, really." you assured, readjusting the blankets to accommodate the extra person in the bed. "Just try to go to back to sleep, Char. We'll be here all night." Corbyn said, holding his little girl close to his chest and kissing her head. He laid back down, slinging his arm over Charlie and back onto your waist. You tensed for a split second but forced yourself to relax, resting your arm on top of his and falling back to sleep.

The next morning you woke up to an almost empty bed. Corbyn was gone, but Charlie's small figure was sprawled out in the middle of his usual spot. You got out of bed, pulling the covers back over her and pushing her hair out of her face. You trotted down the stairs, startled by the smell of bacon wafting through the hall. Once you got to the kitchen, you were met with Corbyn's bare back and messy blonde bedhead. "Good morning." you said, grabbing a mug from the cabinet and pouring yourself some juice. "Morning." Corbyn smiled, sliding a plate of freshly cooked bacon towards you. "Since when do you get up before 10 and make breakfast?" you said, biting down on a piece. "I don't know, I just woke up and felt like it today." he shrugged, his sentence trailing off into silence. Suddenly, he wiped his hands and stood up straight. "Listen," he cleared his throat, "about last night—" "Hey, I said it was okay! She was scared, it's all right." Corbyn sighed, "But it's not. She doesn't really have any concept of who her mom is." You sipped your juice silently, your heart pounding in your chest. You put your mug down and pulled at your fingers, afraid that nothing would come out if you tried to speak. Corbyn ran his hand through his hair and started to clean up the kitchen, "Maybe I'm just overthinking this, I don't know. I just don't know what to tell her and I'm scared to leave when she's gonna start asking about it." You took a deep breath while his back was turned to you, preparing to say it. "Tell her it's me." you blurted, his head whipping around once the words left your mouth. "Wait, what?" he said in shock. You took in another deep breath, this one being a little shakier. "Tell Charlie that I'm her mom." Corbyn's jaw was still hung open and his eyes still wide, almost like he couldn't process what you were saying. "Are you, are you serious?" he stuttered and you took a step towards him. "Yes." you said, "Corbyn, I've been around since she was born. I'm the only real mother figure that she's had in her life for as long as she can remember. When I talk to her, play with her, kiss her goodnight, it doesn't feel like she's somebody else's daughter. She feels like my baby. She's going to be in my life regardless of who I am to her, but I love her like she's my own." you ranted, coming off sternly but passionately. You thought that your words would comfort him at least a little, maybe ease his mind but he only seemed to tense up more. You immediately regretted coming off so strongly. "I'm sorry, that was a lot. I should've brought that up to you differently. I—" "No, it's okay. There's just one thing that might ruin this." he said, looking down at his feet. At this point you could see his palms starting to sweat and you could hear the blood pumping in your ears. "What?" you questioned and he swiped his tongue across his bottom lip. "I want you to be her mom, but I also want you to be my girl."