Eighteen Years Later

Chapter 1 - Everything worked out

Charlies POV

I truly can't believe I spent so many years worrying about my future. I still kinda do worry but nothing like after I graduated university, god I was terrified for Nick and I. But we did do it in the end, everything we wanted together since we were teenagers. Because now I'm 34 and Nick is 36 with two kids and happy as ever.

After I graduated we already had an apartment together and Nick started working at Leeds primary school and I got a small job in publishing. Nick proposed to me on our favorite beach. We got married when I was 23 and I took Nick's last name, Nelson. Soon after some stressful years when I was 24 we moved to a city called Kingston, closer to London and the beach, and got a big family home for ourselves. It was in a good neighborhood close to schools, shops and malls, a big back garden, three floors, an open kitchen and more. We wanted a permanent home for the family we so desperately needed. The first floor is a big space with a living room, dining room and kids playroom all connected. The second floor has two small bedrooms and a joint bathroom. The top floor has a large master bedroom with a large en suite bathroom and a guest bedroom with a small en suite bathroom. My mental health has been improving like never before and I still only have required annual sessions iwth my therapist as a previous psych ward patient.

Nick started working at Kingston primary school as a classroom teacher and I started an office job in publishing, mostly working with authors to get their books printed. We had the room in our house and financial stability to get a kid so we contacted an adoption agency looking for a young baby to take in. Sure, 25 and 27 were young to get a kid but we always wanted one. As the adoption system is packed we got a call about a young baby boy who got dropped at a church doorstep when he was a couple days old and had been staying at the hospital nursery as he wasn't doing the best when he was found. When our social worker Mary Wilson told us he was good enough to be taken home and sent us a photo of him we melted and took him. God, when I first saw his chubby cheeks and bright green eyes I knew he was perfect. Nick did too. I remember him saying 'We should name him Alec' the second he saw him through the hospital glass, kinda like he knew. Needless to say we adopted him, our baby, Alec Luke Nelson, Luke being Nick's middle name and now his too. The first few years with Alec were hectic. At the time Nick had been promoted to Deputy Principal at the school and I was working with a large, well known author for publishing. But we made it work. Alec's hair turned out to be fluffy with small curls and blonde, a cute combination of mine and Nick's hair. He has freckles and loves football.

When Alec was 6 we wanted another kid but this time we wanted to go through surrogacy so we could have the baby from newborn to forever. Mary got us into a good surrogate company and our lovely surrogate Zoe was the absolute best. She kept us updated her whole pregnancy with our little baby girl, Millie Sarah Nelson. We loved the name Millie and Sarah came from Nick's mum (my mother in law). Millie has wavy brown hair and blue eyes. Adorable.

 Nick and I are 36 and 34, Alec is 10, Millie is 2 and I do still worry about our future as a family but I've leant to take things as they come, like as of right now I'm trying to get Millie to put on her shoes so we can get into the car and to nursery school.

"Please sweetie, we are going to be late soon." I try reasoning with her. I can't call Nick to deal with her as he has gone with Alec to school. Nick is the deputy principal at Alec's primary school, making morning drop off easy for them. And usually Alec will then walk home, Nick will finish his stuff, drive back and I drop Millie off on my way to work and pick her up on the way back. But she is 2 and likes to throw tantrums.

"No shoes papa." She says giggling and looking at me through her eyelashes. I pull out my last card to get her to move.

"Well I guess papa will just have to go then and you will be here alone..." I say moving towards the front door and grabbing the knob. Millie jumps up and runs her short chubby legs towards me and wraps her arms around my legs. She's wearing a pink shirt with white overalls, so adorable.

"No, please don't go papa! I'm sorry!" She yells into my legs, muffling the sound. I sigh and pick her up and sit down on the small bench we have at our entrance way and have her sit on my lap. I grab her Cinderella sneakers she refused to put on and slip them onto her feet and tighten the velcro. I should scold her for not listening but we are running late and she has apologized. It was only a small tantrum. I stand up with her on my hip, grab my work bag and her mini princess bag, open the front door, step out and lock it behind us.

It's really hard not having Nick sometimes but I've also learnt over the years that he has been my friend, straight boy crush, boyfriend, fiance, and now husband of 11 years so he isn't going anywhere and will always be there for me. What can't we do? We are Nick and Charlie after all.

990 words

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Hello!

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter with more to come! I know that this is pretty much all world building but I wanted everyone to see what's happened until now. You can expect some family drama, whiny toddler and some Nick's POV soon.

Stay, happy, healthy and hydrated

Thanks

thefruity1