Finding the Light

A Promise for the Future

Charlie's POV
Jocelyn is laying beside me, fast asleep, and she is clinging to me for dear life. I hadn't been able to fall asleep, so now I'm just here watching her. Her long black hair is a mess, covering her face and flowing out over her pillow, her mouth is open slightly and she is snoring so quietly that if I wasn't paying attention I wouldn't even hear it. I don't know what I've done that could possibly make me worthy of having her in my bed right now, but I'm thankful that I am. I push her hair off her face, and she stirs a little, but then snuggles back into my shoulder. She is so beautiful it actually hurts. Half of her is uncovered, and she is still naked, so I trace my fingers along the curve of her breast, my body aching to be closer to her. I'm starting to sweat, not only because I'm touching her, but because, even though she is tiny, she puts off so much heat when she sleeps, I don't think I'll ever need to heat the house again. I lean down and kiss her forehead, and whisper in her ear.
"I love you baby, more than you know." I hear the door open, and when I look up Derrick is standing there.
"Damnit Derrick." I curse at him quietly, trying to cover Jocelyn up again. I don't know why he insists on not knocking, but he isn't getting anymore free shows.
"Sorry, I didn't know you'd be sleeping. Wait, are you guys naked again?" He is such an idiot.
"I wasn't sleeping, and yes we are. Now what do you want?" I look at him, and he looks down at Jocelyn.
"Is she alright?" I look at her too, and I wonder the same thing.
"I don't know really. Yes, I think, or at least she will be. Are you going to tell me why you are in here, AGAIN, while my girlfriend is undressed?" His face gets red and he looks back at me and clears his throat.
"Oh, right, her parents are here. So maybe put on some clothes, and throw a shirt on her or something. I'm pretty sure her dad wouldn't be too happy finding her naked in your bed. Mom's keeping them busy in the kitchen so hurry up." He shuts the door behind him leaving me alone with my girl again. She has herself wrapped around my arm, so I'm not sure how I'm going to get out of bed without waking her. I move slowly, and it takes me a full minute, but I finally have my arm free. She starts searching for me in her sleep, and it breaks my heart, so I put my pillow into her grasp and she hugs it, breathing in the scent of me. This only makes me love her more, if that's even possible. I kiss her cheek before I walk to the closet and get dressed. I want to make a good impression on her parents, so I put on some nice jeans and a t-shirt. It's not exactly formal attire, but we're at my house, so I'm not going to wear a suit. Finally, I brush my hair out and tie it up in a knot. I check on her again, and before I leave the room, I pull out her fleece pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, setting them on the bed beside her. I don't know how long she will sleep, but at least she can just get dressed without searching for her clothes. I shut the door behind me, and take a deep breath before walking down the hall and into the kitchen. My mom, being the generous host she is, already has dinner started and is talking up a storm, trying to keep Jocelyn's parents entertained. She beams at me once I walk into the room.
"Charlie, there you are. These are Jocelyn's parents." Her parents turn around and look at me. I see where Jocelyn gets her good looks from, her mom is the spitting image of her, but she is at least five inches taller, and blonde. Her dad is eyeing me down, rightfully so, and he looks like someone you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. His eyes are the same light gray as Jocelyn's but his have a little more green to them. His black hair is littered with gray pieces, making him seem older than he actually is. I realize I've been silent and I need to say something.
"Hi, it's so great to meet you. I'm Charlie, Jocelyn's boyfriend." I reach out and shake her dad's hand. He is about six inches shorter than me, but he grips my hand so tight, it lets me know not to mess with him.
"My name is Anthony. This is my wife Kate." He lets go of my hand and Kate comes over to hug me.
"It is so nice to meet you. Even though until today, we had no idea you existed." I internally roll my eyes. Jocelyn is so secretive, of course her parents wouldn't know about me.
"That doesn't really surprise me actually. Jocelyn likes to be mysterious." I laugh, trying to hide my discomfort.
"Where is our babygirl, Charlie?" Her mom looks behind me, like she thinks Jocelyn is hiding behind the door or something.
"She's in the bedroom asleep. I didn't feel right waking her, she's had such a long day, and she's only been asleep for about an hour. Would you mind letting her rest just a little while longer?" Her mom smiles at me, I hope impressed that I'm taking care of her daughter, but her dad doesn't look as pleased.
"She's asleep in her own bed, or in yours?" Crap, he is not happy. Now I wish I had woken her up and made her get dressed. If her dad goes in there and finds her naked, I think I might have reason to fear for my life. Derrick is giving me the most irritating look and he has an infuriating grin on his face. I look back to her dad and try not to fumble over my words.
"Well, it's our bed actually. Jocelyn lives here now. Not completely, we still have to get the rest of her things from her old apartment, but she will be living here from now on." He looks at me like I've lost my mind.
"What do you mean she lives here now? When did this happen? What about Cayla and Kathryn?" I really wish Jocelyn was here with me. She's like a safety net, but I'm alone, drowning in open water.
"There was a problem with her roommates, I'll let her explain that to you, but we decided that the best thing for her was to be here with me, where she's safe." Her dad sighs, and Kate puts a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down.
"Honey, as soon as she wakes up, she can tell us what happened. I'm sure it's fine." He looks at his wife, and nods. I let out the breath I was holding and feel my shoulders relax. My mom starts putting everything for burgers on the table.
"Charlie, can you get the buns off the top shelf. I don't know why you keep them up so high. How do you expect Jocelyn to be able to reach those?" I shake my head at her.
"Well, I hadn't thought of that yet, considering that she's only lived here a day mom. I'm sure I can get her a step stool or something." Everyone laughs and I relax the rest of my discomfort away. I help my mom finish setting the table, and I start to wonder if Jocelyn will wake up to eat. It's strange having my family and hers here together, but it's also kind of nice. These aren't ideal circumstances, of course, but my mom already adores her, and I hope her parents will think the same of me. Suddenly my heart stops. Everyone else pauses their conversations, but I'm already half way down the hall. Jocelyn is screaming. I burst in through the bedroom door, and she is flailing around again, still asleep. I go to her and wrap her in my arms, trying to wake her.
"Jocelyn, baby wake up. Please wake up." She stops suddenly and starts breathing heavy.
"Charlie? Where were you? You left and I was alone. Why would you leave me?" She is weeping into my chest now, holding herself to me. I rub the back of her head, trying to calm her sobs.
"I'm here baby. You're safe now, I promise." Derrick is the first to arrive through the door, and I wrap the blanket around Jocelyn, covering her body. Her parents rush in and come straight to the bed.
"Jocelyn, honey are you alright? What's going on?" Her mom looks terrified, and there are tears littering her cheeks. Jocelyn looks up, and starts crying harder once she sees her parents.
"Mom, daddy, I didn't know you were here." She moves to hug her mom, but I hold tight onto her. She looks at me confused, then her eyes go to my hands and she remembers that she is still naked. Her face turns red and when I look at her dad, his face is full of rage. Well I guess him liking me is out of the question now.
"Um, mom, daddy, can I have, like, five minutes and I will see you guys out in the kitchen." Jocelyn starts wiping her eyes, and smoothing her hair from her face. I kiss her temple and she leans into me involuntarily, but her dad clears his throat and I sit up away from her. We are constantly touching each other, so I'm not really sure how this is going to go if I can't touch her at all when her dad is around. Her mom must just realize that she is so exposed because she covers her mouth with her hand.
"Ok, honey, we will leave you two alone." She climbs off the bed, forcing her husband and everyone else out of the room, and shuts the door behind her. I sigh and rest my head on top of Jocelyn's.
"Your dad is never going to like me." She giggles and forces me to look at her.
"Now why on earth would you think that?"
"Oh I don't know, maybe because he just found you completely naked in my bed." She starts laughing at me again.
"Yeah, you're pretty much doomed. But I'm an adult Charlie, he will get over it. And I thought this was our bed now?" She leans up and kisses my cheek and I start to feel a little better.
"It is our bed, but that doesn't mean he has to like it, or me." She grins at me as I unwrap her from the blankets. She stands to stretch her back, and I hand her the pajama pants and shirt I got out earlier. She looks at me and cocks her head to the side, a silly grin coming across her face.
"What?"
"Don't you think maybe, since our families are here, that I should wear at least some underwear, possibly a bra too?" I didn't even think of that, and she laughs at me again. I pull her bag out and fish out some clean under things for her to wear.
"Thank you Charlie." I watch her closely as she dresses, never taking my eyes off her. She seems fine, but something is still bothering me.
"Baby, can you tell me what the nightmare was about?" She stops and wraps her arms around herself. I've noticed she does this a lot when she's stressed, almost like she's trying to keep herself from breaking.
"Well, I was alone. You left me, and told me you didn't want me anymore. I was so afraid, because I couldn't see anything, but I could hear you, so I was running around in the darkness trying to find you. You were saying over and over how you could never love me, and that you never wanted to see me again." I wrap her in my arms and hold her as close to me as possible.
"I would never do that baby, I do love you. Nothing is going to change that." She peeks up at me, and smiles.
"I love you too Charlie." I kiss her forehead and she sighs, content in where she is.
"Are you hungry? My mom already has dinner ready."
"Yes I am starving. Do you think your mom will care about the pajamas? I would change, but I don't really have much else, and I'm also really comfy." She looks down at herself, but honestly I wouldn't have her any other way.
"No, she won't mind. Besides you look too cute to change." I rub my nose against hers, and she giggles at me again.
"You think I'm cute"?
"Baby, you are the cutest thing I have ever seen." She stands on her tiptoes to kiss me, and I wrap my arms around her pulling her close. I hate to stop, but I also don't want her dad to think that I'm doing anything to his daughter.
"Baby, are you ready to go eat?" She grins at me, and nods her head. I take her hand in mine, and we walk out into the kitchen together. When her parents see us, her mom rushes over to her and squeezes her tight.
"Oh Jocelyn, I missed you so much. You haven't been home in months you know." Jocelyn shakes her head, but hugs her mom back.
"I know mom, I'm sorry it's been so long. Thank you for coming." Her dad stands up and Jocelyn moves from her mom to hug her dad.
"Hi babygirl." I can see a tear escape her eyes as she hugs him.
"Hi daddy. I'm so glad you're here." I can tell how much her dad means to her, and suddenly his overprotective nature makes more sense. I can only imagine what I would think of any man if I had a daughter who had been through what she had. The thought of having a mini version of Jocelyn running around makes my heart swell. Jocelyn turns back to me and wraps an arm around my waist.
"Mom, daddy, this is Charlie. I'm assuming you've already met, but I thought I should introduce him myself." She looks up at me and I can't help myself, I lean down and kiss her temple, wrapping my arms around her ,and she giggles at me. Her dad still looks unsure, but her mom is smiling at us.
"We have met, and thank you Charlie, for offering for us to stay here. It means more to us than you could know to be able to be so close to Jocelyn right now."
"It's my pleasure. My mom and brother will be staying a few days too, so it's going to be a full house for awhile."
"Where is everyone else? They didn't come with you?" Jocelyn is looking around, but I'm not sure who for.
"Your brothers and sister are still at home, they all work you know." Brothers and sister?
"Jocelyn, you never told me you had siblings?" I look at her and raise an eyebrow, wondering how much more about herself she is hiding. She blushes a little and shrugs a shoulder.
"I'm the oldest of four. I wasn't trying to hide it, it just never came up." My mom laughs from across the room.
"Charlie, you two have known each other a week, you can't expect to know everything there is to know about her already. Give the girl some room to breathe." Anthony's face is beet red.
"You've only known my daughter a week? And Jocelyn, you thought it was a good idea to move in with him?" Jocelyn rolls her eyes and sighs at her dad.
"Yes daddy, we met a week ago, but Charlie is a really good man, and I love him. I'll be safe here I promise." My jaw hits the floor. I wasn't expecting her to tell her dad that she loved me, I'm happy about it, but I wasn't ready for it. Tears threaten, as I look down at her and grin.
"I love you too baby." I know everyone is staring at us, but right now she is all I can see.
"Excuse me while I go throw up." Derrick fake gags and then starts laughing. My mom swats him on the arm.
"Shut up Derrick. You should be happy for your brother, and you could learn a lesson or two from him as well."
"Yeah, if a woman ever decided to give you the time of day." I smirk at him and he rolls his eyes. Jocelyn and my mom both giggle at Derrick and he gives a sarcastic laugh in return.
"Yeah yeah lets just eat, I'm starving."
After dinner we walk out back onto the patio and I start a fire, so we can all enjoy the warm evening air. Much to her father's disapproval Jocelyn cuddles up into my lap, leaving the chair I set beside me empty. I lean in close to whisper in her ear.
"Baby, I love holding you, but I think your dad is planning my murder." She peeks at her dad, and he is still watching us. She looks back at me and just snuggles in closer. She is going to be the death of me. Our moms seem to be getting along great, and are sitting in their own little world talking about anything and everything. This is actually really nice, having all of them here, and Jocelyn seems to be even happier now that she has her parents.
"Charlie, could I talk to you alone for a moment." Her father stands from his seat and walks toward the backyard. Jocelyn, hesitates, but I pick her up and set her on her feet so I can stand.
"Of course sir. Baby I'll be right back." I can feel her watching us as I follow him further out into the yard. Grizzly is furiously digging a hole at the back fence, but he runs up to us once he notices us coming toward him. He trots along behind us as her father walks further into the yard.
"Charlie, you seem like a nice enough young man, but I want my daughter to be taken care of. She has been through a lot, and I'm not sure you really know what you're dealing with. Are you really prepared to take care of her the way she needs to be taken care of?" I'm not shocked by the question, because I asked myself this when I first met Jocelyn and found out about Chuck.
"Yes, sir. I love her, more than you could ever know, and I will never let anyone or anything hurt her again. I promise she will be safe with me." He stops and squares his shoulders to look me right in the eye.
"Has she told you all that he's done to her?"
"She told me everything she was comfortable telling, yes." He sighs and crosses his arms.
"Did she tell you about the baby, and that he blamed her for losing it. Did she tell you about the time she had to wrap her own broken ribs because he refused to let her go to a hospital. Did she tell you that when he found her three years ago, he broke her arm in three places, fractured her skull, and caused internal bleeding? There is so much more, probably more that I don't even know, that she hasn't told you." I can feel my face getting hot. I have to look away, because I don't want him to see my tears.
"Yes, I knew about the pregnancy, she told me that, but I didn't know the other details no. She is too kind, and I think she wanted to spare me, but she does have a lot of secrets." I rub my face with my hands and take a deep breath. I will never stop learning things about her.
"She seems to be happy with you. Ever since Chuck, she hasn't trusted anyone, but for some reason you are different. I don't want to scare you, but I also don't want you to take that for granted. Her mother and I were afraid she would never find someone because of her fears, but you found each other. I need you to promise me, man to man, that you are going to take care of her, and protect her." He reaches out to shake my hand and I take it nodding at him.
"Sir, on my life, I promise I will keep her safe. She means everything to me." I look back toward the house and Jocelyn is watching us, biting her fingers.
"Ok then." Her dad lets go of my hand and we start making our way back up to the others. It's already 10:00 so everyone is tired and I put out the fire so we can head inside for bed. I help Jocelyn's parents bring in their bags and show them to their room. Derrick is already passed out, and my mother is cleaning up the kitchen. I leave Jocelyn with her parents and meet my mom in the kitchen. She turns around from the sink and smiles at me.
"Did you have a nice talk with her dad? He seems to be a little protective of her." She giggles at me.
"Yeah, but I understand why. She has been through so much, and he just wants her to be safe." She comes around the island and hugs me.
"I know you love her Charlie, that much is clear. I have no doubt in my mind that you will keep her safe."
"Thanks for everything mom." She lets me go and goes back to the sink, drying the last of the plates and putting them away.
"You're welcome son. Now get to bed. I'm sure Jocelyn is exhausted, and it seems she doesn't sleep very well when you're not there." She winks at me, and I just roll my eyes and laugh. She is right though, my presence is the only thing that seems to keep Jocelyn calm through the night. I wonder if her night terrors will always be a problem. I walk down the hall and when I open the door Jocelyn is sitting on the bed waiting for me. Her face lights up into a huge smile when she sees me, making me see stars.
"What did my dad want? He wouldn't tell me what you two talked about. He didn't scare you did he?" I shake my head and sit down next to her. She immediately crawls into my lap, cuddling into my chest.
"No baby, he didn't scare me. He just wanted to make me promise that I was going to keep you safe." I decide not to tell her about the other things he told me, it would only upset her, and I didn't want that. I hold her tight though as I remember all the horrid details. She turns her tiny body so she is straddling me.
"I'm sorry Charlie. I feel like I'm such a burden on you." She wraps her arms around my neck and looks at me, almost ashamed.
"Baby, you are not a burden. One day, I'm hoping you believe me when I tell you that. Are you getting tired? We should probably get to bed, we have to entertain both of our families tomorrow."
"Well, I am tired, but I'm not ready to sleep." She runs her finger down my chest, and my body immediately responds. I want her so badly, but not with her dad two doors down.
"No baby, not tonight." She frowns at me.
"Why? Are you tired of me already?" She bites her bottom lip and pushes herself further down into my growing erection. She knows exactly what she's doing.
"No I could never get tired of you. But you aren't exactly quiet, and the last thing I need is your dad hearing you screaming my name. He might actually kill me." She sighs but nods her head.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. We should just go to bed." She stands up, and then looks at me with a mischievous grin on her face. She lifts her arms up and slowly takes her shirt off, dropping it to the floor next to her. Then she takes a step back, turns around, so her backside is facing me, and slides her pants down her legs. She is standing in front me, in only her bra and sheer lace panties and my breathing gets heavy. She cocks her head to the side and smiles at me.
"What's wrong Charlie?" I take a deep breath and force myself to look at her face.
"Why are you doing this to me baby?"
"Doing what? You said we had to go to bed, so I'm just getting ready for bed." She reaches back and unhooks her bra, letting it fall to the floor. She walks to the door and turns the lock on the handle, then bends over as she slides her panties down her legs. The groan that escapes my lips is ridiculous, and she giggles at me.
"I think I'll go take a shower before bed." She saunters off into the bathroom and I strip my clothes off as fast as I can, before running after her. This is probably a bad idea, but who am I to deny the woman I love the physical attention she needs. When I walk into the bathroom, she is turning on the water, trying to find the temperature she wants, and then she looks at me, feigning surprise.
"Oh, you decided to join me?" She smiles at me, and I just sigh.
"I will always join you baby." She steps into the shower, and before I get in, I just watch as the water drips down over her. She runs her hands through her hair, and I am so hard it hurts. She opens her eyes, and the reflection of the light on the water makes the gray of them look blue. Like the sky before a storm.
"You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." She just grins at me, and I get in shutting the door behind me. I wrap my arms around her and press my lips to hers. It feels like forever since I've kissed her, and I force my tongue into her mouth, needing to taste her. She pulls me down to her, wrapping a fist into my hair. I reach down, and slide a finger inside her and she moans into my mouth. She is already wet, and I'm not sure how much longer I can stand not being inside her. I pull away from her and she looks at me, panting as I slide another finger into her.
"Are you going to be able to be quiet baby?" She nods her head, but I need her to tell me. I squeeze her swollen bud, and she bites her lip to keep herself from screaming.
"Yes, I can be quiet." I grin at her.
"Good, now bend over." I turn her around so she's out of the water and she does as she's told, bending forward, so her perfect ass is in the air. She braces herself on the wall of the shower, and I slide myself into her as far as I can. She lets out a quiet groan, and I clench my jaw. I grab onto her hips and start to move. She spreads her legs apart to give herself better balance, and she walks her hands further down the wall. I start moving faster, thrusting into her harder and harder.
"More Charlie, I need more." She moans in front of me and I groan. I grip her even harder and I give her all of me, as deep as I can go. I can feel her tightening around me, and I know she is close. I look down, watching as her backside bounces off me, and I know I won't last long.
"Give it up Jocelyn." Her head snaps back as her orgasm rips through her. It feels so good, and I can't hold onto my release any longer. I spill myself into her, as deep as I can, and then lay my head against her back. She is panting, and her legs are shaking. I put my arms around her and help her stand up straight.
"Are you ok baby?" She looks at me, clearly satisfied with herself and smiles.
"I am more than ok." I roll my eyes and smile at her.
"Lets get you cleaned up so you can get some rest." I wash her and myself quickly, because the hot water is starting to run out and I don't want her to be cold. I get out and grab the towel to dry her off, and hand her the other one so she can dry her hair. We walk back into the bedroom and I go to unlock the door, but she stops me.
"Leave it locked please." I look at her, and I know I look confused.
"Why baby, the last time I locked a door while you slept, you didn't respond very well.
"I know, but that was a different time. I want to keep it locked because I don't want anyone walking in on us again, and I also don't want to get dressed. So lets just leave it locked." I nod, but then I hear whimpering outside the door.
"Can we let Grizzly in? He usually does sleep in here." She smiles at me.
"Of course, maybe I'll actually be warm all night if he's cuddling with me too." I open the door and he rushes in, jumping into the bed.
"I don't know how you're cold at night. You are a literal hot box when you sleep." She laughs as she crawls into bed, and snuggles into her pillow. I get in behind her and pull her to my chest, kissing her hair.
"Goodnight baby. I love you."
"Hmm. I love you too." I relax into bed, holding her tight and she starts snoring almost instantly. I grin, and close my eyes. My thoughts go back to us having a little girl running around, and I start to wonder if that's something she would want. I can't imagine a life without her in it, but I'm not sure she wants more than what we have now. It's too soon for it, but I drift off to sleep thinking of ways to ask her to marry me.