Chapter 26
“R ight there!” Charlie said, pointing.
Currently, I was at Benjamin’s. His furniture was starting to come in and Charlie’s room was the first thing he wanted to put together. We’d… well, he’d spent most of the morning assembling it while Charlie and I put away items in the kitchen. I wasn’t sure how he liked things organized, so I put them where they made sense.
Now that the bedroom furniture was put together, Charlie was instructing us where to put it all.
“No, wait! Over here!”
Benjamin huffed. “Charlotte Grace. Pick a spot.”
“It’s hard, Daddy. It’s so much space!”
I stifled a laugh. She’d said that same thing when she first saw the house and picked out her room. Baby girl was overly excited when Benny allowed her to pick out her bedroom furniture. All day long, she’d been running up and down the stairs to see if he was finished putting it together.
“I know, princess,” Benny said. “If you want to change the room later, we can do that. Right now, we just need to put things in a space.”
Charlie tapped her chin like she was thinking hard, something she often did. Benny and I waited patiently for her decision.
“Okay!” she said excitedly, clapping her hands. “Right here.”
We maneuvered her bed back to the exact same spot she originally said. After another twenty minutes of putting furniture in designated spots, we were done. I had to admit that she made good decisions as far as her layout. It gave her so much space to play in.
She’d already talked about having a sleepover with her friends from school. The amount of floor space will allow her to invite at least five or six little girls. Benjamin wasn’t looking forward to that, but I promised I would come over to help out.
“Do you like it?” Benny asked once we finished putting her bedding on.
“I love it! Thank you, Daddy!”
She ran over to her father and lifted her arms for him to pick her up. Benny scooped her up, tossing her in the air, and she erupted in a fit of giggles as he smothered her chubby cheeks with kisses. I just love the way he loved her. It reminded me so much of me and my daddy as a kid.
“Ms. Willow, can you help me put my stuff up?” Charlie asked.
“Of course, buttercup. Why don’t I put away your clothes and you put away your toys?”
“Deal.”
She ran to grab the bags of toys from her birthday party last week, while Benjamin and I grabbed her suitcases and bags of clothes.
“I’m going to leave you two to this,” Benny said. “I would like to sleep in my bed instead of on a blowup mattress tonight, so I’m going to go put it together.”
“Okay, baby.”
He pulled me in for a kiss before leaving the room. I turned to Charlie, who was watching with a huge smile on her face.
“What?” I asked, hands on my hips.
“Do you love my daddy, Ms. Willow?”
I reached for her, and she abandoned her toys to come to me. Scooping her up in my arms, I sat on her bed.
“I love your daddy very much, Charlie. And I love you, too. I love spending time with you both. I love reading you bedtime stories and taking you to the park. You, my little love, make me smile like no one else can because you’re so special to me, Charlie.”
“You’re special to me, too.” She kissed my cheeks and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I love you back.”
She hopped off my lap and went back to putting her toys away while I busied myself putting her clothes in the closet. She started singing something from Gracie’s corner and I joined in.
If someone had told me a few months ago that I would be dating a man with a child and falling in love with that child, I would have laughed. I loved children and I wanted to be a mother someday, but men with kids hadn’t been for me because of the exact thing happening with Tierra.
The baby mama drama.
This wasn’t the typical drama, though. I was dealing with a whole addict who thought I stole her man. I still couldn’t believe Shirah and I had gotten into a fight with her. Like, how old were we? We hadn’t heard from or seen her in the two weeks that passed, but I couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling that we hadn’t seen the last of her.
“Ms. Willow?” Charlie called.
“Yes ma’am?”
“Are you gonna move in with us?”
I turned to her little inquisitive self. “Why? Do you want me to stay?”
She nodded. “I don’t want you to ever leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere, baby.”
“Yes, you are. You're going back to your house and leaving me and daddy alone. What if you don’t come back one day? What if I never see you again?”
“Why would you think I wouldn’t come back?”
“My—” She wiped her eyes and swallowed hard. “My mommy left me. She doesn’t like me.”
She started crying and I dropped everything in my hands to go to her. Dropping to the floor in front of her, I pulled her into my lap and rocked her like the little baby she was.
Fucking Tierra.
I could strangle that bitch.
“Shhh, shhh, shhh,” I said, kissing her temple. “It’s okay. I’m right here. I promise, you can see me whenever you want. Even if things don’t work out with me and your dad. I promise to always be around for you.”
“Cross your heart?” she asked, muffled.
“Cross my heart. Who else is gonna be my best friend?”
She looked up at me and wiped her eyes. “What about Ms. Shirah?”
I laughed. “We just won’t tell her you’re my ultimate bestie, okay?”
She giggled. “Okay.”
“Let’s finish up in here so we can make dinner. I’m thinking nachos.”
“I love nachos!”
“I know. Since you guys don’t have a couch yet, what do you think about a picnic in the living room while we watch a movie?”
“Like movies in the square?”
“Just like that. You can pick the movie.”
“I pick Princess and the Frog. Can I wear my Tiana dress?”
“Of course. I’ll leave it out for you. Come on. Let’s get to work.”
Just like that, she was happy again. She wasn’t even mine, and I was willing to do anything to keep that smile on her beautiful face. I watched her for a moment, putting away her toys and singing to herself.
Could she eventually be mine?
Could Benny and I really be happy forever? I wasn’t sure what the future held for us, but I knew for certain I wanted this life with the two of them for as long as I could have it.
* * *
Toys were put away.
Clothes were hung.
Beds were made.
Benny, Charlie, and I sat on the floor in the living room, eating our share of nachos and watching The Princess and the Frog as promised. I’d laid out a cozy blanket, so we didn’t make a mess. We dimmed the lights, giving the illusion of the ambiance at movies in the square.
Charlie sat in her Princess Tiana dress, singing along to the movie. I watched her with a smile, while Benny shook his head.
“You know, I thought you would give me a fighting chance at not having to watch so many Disney movies, but I stand corrected.”
I laughed. “I told you, I love Disney, too.”
“You did. I almost left y’all down here to watch this by yourselves.”
I rolled my eyes and playfully mushed him. “You love us. That’s why you’re still here.”
“Love makes you do crazy things.”
“Whatever, sir!”
He pulled me into him and kissed my lips. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“You spending the night?”
“If you want me to. I brought clothes just in case.”
“You know I want you here, Willow. I promised I wouldn’t pressure you. Even though you went and got an apartment, you always have a space here.”
“I know.” I looked out at Charlie. “She had a moment earlier.”
“A moment?”
“She’s worried I’ll leave and never come back. Then she said something that broke my heart, Benny. She said Tierra didn’t like her. When she started crying, all I could do was hold her and assure her that I loved her and I wasn’t going anywhere.”
Benny ran his hand down his face. “Thank you for that. With everything going on, I appreciate you being consistent with her.”
“Of course. She’s not mine, but that’s my lil’ baby.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I think I should petition the court for full custody. It’s the only way I can fully protect her from Tierra. Even if she gets clean, I can’t trust that woman with my child.”
“You think she’d do it?”
“I would hope so. She’d only use her against me and I refuse to let that happen.”
I nodded. At this point, I could agree with him. I could see Tierra using Charlie as a pawn or doing something spiteful just to get back at him. I hated to say that, especially because she was her mother, but she’d proven she only cared about Benjamin. She didn’t give a fuck about her daughter.
“Do what you have to do. I’ll be right here to support you. If you need character witnesses, I’ve got you. And I know Shirah and my parents would give statements, too.”
“That part, I’m not worried about. I’ve been everything to that little girl since she took her first breath. Me and my parents have always had her because Tierra’s people don’t mess with her or my baby by extension. Even if I had to do this by myself for the rest of my life, I’d eat that cause she deserves the world.”
“She does, but so do you. You deserve peace.”
He smiled as he cupped my chin. “You’re my peace. Just don’t take you away from me and I’ll be good.”
“You’ve got me as long as you want me, baby.”
We shared a sensual kiss. When our lips parted, we found Charlie watching us with a grin on her face. Any time we showed affection to each other, it seemed to do her heart all the good in the world.
“Daddy and Ms. Willow, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes Ms. Willow with the baby carriage!”
Benny snorted. “You funny, lil’ girl.”
“Daddy, if you and Ms. Willow get married, can I have a baby sister or brother?”
I laughed at her plotting on my womb. “You wanna be a big sister?”
“Yes! I promise, I’ll share my toys and take care of them. Don’t you want kids, Ms. Willow?”
“I do.”
“See, Daddy. She said yes. So can I have one? Pretty please?”
Benny palmed his face. “Can we get there first, baby girl?”
She huffed and turned back to the movie. Her father and I shook our heads. Kids said the craziest shit sometimes.
We finished watching the movie and made it halfway through another before Charlie was laid out on the floor, drifting off. Benny scooped her up and went to get her ready for bed while I cleaned up downstairs. When I was done, I grabbed my bag from the car, locked up, and headed upstairs to take a shower.
By the time I got out, Benny was returning from putting Charlie down.
“She out?” I asked.
“Like a light. She didn’t even make it through her bedtime story. I’m about to follow suit. I’m tired as shit.”
“You did a lot of work today, Mr. Handy Man.”
“Remind me to never move again.”
I laughed. “Go on and take your shower so you can come lay your head on these titties and cuddle with me.
He smirked as he headed into the bathroom while I made myself comfortable in his new bed. The rest of the bedroom furniture was still in boxes, but this bed was amazingly comfortable. I’d gotten so comfortable that I started to drift off. It wasn’t until I felt light kisses on my bare shoulder did my eyes pop open.
“Don’t go to sleep just yet,” Benny whispered in my ear.
He pulled back the covers and reached for me. That’s when I heard the soft sounds of “Softest Place On Earth” by Xscape playing.
“What are you doing?” I asked, slipping my hand into his palm.
“I just realized I never gave you that dance. I know you said you like to dance around the living room and sip your wine.”
I smiled at him remembering that.
“We don’t have any wine and this is a bedroom, but may I have this dance?”
I nodded as I stood to my feet. He pulled me into the large open area and into his arms. Holding me close to him, he pressed his forehead to mine. Eyes closed, we swayed back and forth to the song. A smile attached itself to my face. My heart was so full and I was so happy being here.
If I ever had any reservations, they disappeared any time he held me like this. This was the type of love I deserved. It was soft, yet strong. Passionate, but not suffocating. It was reciprocated and grounding. Most importantly, it was freeing.
I was free to be me. No masks. No facades. No gimmicks. This man loved and appreciated me, just as I was.
Pulling back, I peered up into his eyes. “I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you, too.”