Austin's POV
I pulled my rental into the driveway at Charlotte's parents house, putting it in park as I leaned over and placed a delicate kiss on her lips, my left hand coming up to gently cup the side of her face as I rubbed my thumb slowly over her cheek. I pulled away from her after a few moments giving her a shy smile as her eyes nervously started dancing with mine.
I wasn't quite sure what it was but something seemed off about her ever since the kind waitress at the diner asked me for my photograph. The action had caught me off guard as well as I wasn't expecting to be noticed in Syracuse in a small diner that was off the beaten path, and to be honest outside of LA I wasn't expected to be noticed at all.
I took a minute to try to read her mind as she gave me a friendly head shake as if to tell me that she wasn't going to tell me what she was thinking even if I had asked. I didn't know if this was a good sign or a bad sign. I wanted her to be open with me as much as she could, and typically she was. But her harboring this information was giving me flashbacks of her holding out the information about that amazing boy that was sitting in the back seat. She was doing it because she was afraid that she was going to ruin something, but what was she so afraid to tell me?
I let the thought go as I returned her kind smile with a head nod letting her know that I understood, but at the same time I wasn't going to let it go. I watched her as she undid her seatbelt, letting the fabric slide through her hands as it rested itself up against the door jam before she placed her perfectly manicured hand on the door handle and pushed it open.
"I got him Charlotte" I said with a smile as I saw her grabbing for the door handle to the back passenger side door. She smiled as she stepped back, watching me intently as I removed our son from his seat, his arms wrapping around my neck as he gave me a tight squeeze.
"I love you Daddy and I so glad that you is here" he said, a huge smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he looked me straight in the eye.
"I am glad that I'm here too buddy" I said, my lips pressing against his forehead as I reached out to grab Charlotte's hand as we walked the short distance towards the side door that I nervously stood at last night as I waited to see where my fate lied with Charlotte.
She turned the door handle pushing the door open as the smell of fresh cooked bacon and freshly brewed coffee wafted throughout the house, a scent I remembered that always hung heavily in her house on the weekends. Her parents were sitting comfortably at the island in the kitchen, her Mom glancing at the paper that she had clutched in her hand and her Dad giving me some serious eyes as he looked over the rim of his extra large coffee cup.
"Pop!" Austy said as he struggled to get out of my arms.
I set him down on the ground, as soon as his feet touched the solid surface he started running as he ran right into Charlotte's Dad's arms. I smiled as he embraced him tightly before sitting back in his lap giving him a happy stare. The bond that they had was indescribable and something that I was hoping I would have with my son as well. I knew I had a lot of making up to do and I was going to do everything in my power to do it.
"Morning little man. How was breakfast?" he asked him with a smile.
"It was great! We went to Stellas" he said happily, giving Charlotte's Dad a quick head nod as he continued. "And guess what Pop!?" he said excitedly.
"What?" her Dad said, his eyes leaving him briefly as he looked over in my direction.
"Daddy is here Pop!" he said with excitement. I started to smile as I felt Charlotte's arms circle around my waist, my left arm wrapping around her as she rested her head on my chest. I carefully looked to gauge the reaction of her parents as I saw her Mom smiling like a child on Christmas morning behind the paper, her Dad giving me a curious glance but one that was more welcomed then what I had received last night.
Noting that tensions weren't as high as they were just a few hours ago, I placed a kiss on the top of her head, my left arm squeezing her tightly as I felt her arms reciprocate the action, the both of us staring at the interaction between our son and her Dad.
"He is is he?" her Dad asked.
"Uh huh. I saw him for the first time this morning" he said happily turning his head to look over at me with a smile. "We lay in bed with Momma this morning and he watch Puppy Dog Pals with me and Momma" he said as he continued to tell his Pop everything that we had done this morning.
"Are you glad your Daddy is here little man?" her Dad asked him, my body becoming tense as I anticipated the answer.
"Very" he said with a smile. "Pop?" he asked, his head tilting to the side as he looked at him.
"Yes buddy?" he asked with a smile, shifting him so he was sitting on one knee making it easier for him to continue to drink his coffee while still holding the conversation with what appeared to be his most favorite person in the world.
"Do you know Momma and I are gonna live in a different house?" he asked, his gaze looking down at his fingers as he started fidgeting himself on his Pop's lap.
"You are!? When are you leaving?" he asked him. I knew that he was pretending to know none of these details, a tactic to see what he could get out of him about how he felt about moving away.
"Tonight" he said, his voice sounding sad as it stabbed at my heart. I immediately started to wonder if I was doing the right thing by removing him from the place he knew so well. The only place that he knew from the time he was born with the only people he truly felt comfortable with. Was I being selfish for wanting them to move out with me? Was there a way that I could make my career work by moving to Syracuse or any state that was closer than California?
"Baby you okay?" I heard Charlotte ask me quietly as she looked up at me through her thick lashes.
"Oh yeah, sorry. We'll talk about it later okay?" I said to her. I didn't want to lie and tell her nothing was wrong, but I also didn't want to hide anything from her so I made it abundantly clear that we were going to discuss what ran across my mind in hopes that she would open up to me about what ran across hers earlier. I gave her a warm smile as she laid her head back against my chest before I focused my attention back on Charlotte's Dad and Austy.
"Oh really? Who are you going to live with?" he asked him, Austy's eyes coming up to meet with my and his Mom as we both smiled at him, the tiniest flicker of a smile pulling on his lips.
"Daddy and Momma in California" he said looking at us before looking at his Nana and Pop, his gaze finally resting on his hands as he rested them in between his legs.
"You seem sad about that buddy?" her Dad prodded, Charlotte's fingers softly rubbing over my back through the fabric of my thin white shirt, the slight feel of her reassuring me that no matter what he was going to be okay with this.
"Well" he said, pausing for what felt like years before he started to answer him again. "I happy I get to live with Daddy and Mommy, but" he said, pausing again each pause seeming to be longer than the last. "I going to miss you Pop and you too Nana" he said.
I watched as Charlotte's Mom got up from her seat and walked over to crouch down next to Austy, her arms wrapping him in a hug as he returned it lovingly. She pulled away from him after a few seconds, her gaze meeting with Tim's as he let out what appeared to be a defeated sigh.
"I know you are going to miss us Austy, but you are going to have your Momma with you and you are going to be able to get to know your Daddy. We can talk to you every morning you wake up and every night before you go to bed. We love you so much Austy and we will always be thinking about you" her Mom said in her soft sweet reassuring voice.
"You promise?" he asked looking between the both of them.
"We promise" she said with a smile as she pressed her lips to the top of his head, her hand reaching out to grab Tim's as the three of them sat in each other's embrace. "Why don't you go play with your Daddy and Momma buddy? Nana and Pop have to go to the store for a few things and we will be back okay?" she said sweetly.
"Okay Nana" he said as he hopped off of his Pop's lap and ran over towards us, Charlotte immediately breaking her connection with me allowing me to scoop him up in my arms as I placed a kiss on his cheek.
"What do you want to do buddy?" I asked him with a smile as he looked up at the ceiling as if he was thinking of the perfect thing to do.
"Can we watch Sesame Street and color?" he asked me, his arms wrapping around my neck as he squeezed me tightly.
"Austin, can we speak with you for a second?" I heard Charlotte's Dad ask. I gave him a polite sure as I sat Austy down on the floor telling him to go pick out his favorite coloring book and I would be right over.
"I'm going to go start packing baby" Charlotte said, standing on her toes as she placed a chaste kiss on my lips, my eyes following her as I watched her ascend the stairs until she was completely out of my view.
I cleared my throat as I nervously walked over towards her parents, pulling out a chair at their farmhouse kitchen table, sitting in it so I was facing them as I anticipated what their conversation was going to be.
"Austin" her Mom said sweetly as she looked at me, her head tilting to the side just slightly. "You do understand the big undertaking that you are about to take on don't you?" she asked me, her tone never condescending as if I couldn't do it but questioning as if she wanted to know that I knew what I was getting myself into.
"Yes ma'am" I said with a curt head nod waiting for her to continue as I knew this wasn't the end of the conversation.
"Charlotte and Austy are very special to us Austin. I know that you've made some horrible mistakes in the past regarding things between you and Charlotte, and I'm willing to forget that they even happened because I feel like everyone deserves a fair shot" she said, her words warming me from the inside out as I gave her a quick smile.
"But, you also have to understand that life with Austy is going to be different. You aren't going to have Charlotte to yourself 24/7. You have to share her with your son. She won't be able to go out with you every night, she won't be able to do a lot of things with you because she still has to be a Mother" her Mom said, her eyes connecting with mine as if she was hoping I got the message.
"Yes ma'am. I've thought about this and I've talked to Charlotte about a few things" I said, my leg bouncing up and down nervously as she continued to talk with me.
"Okay as long as you have taken the time to think about that. And as far as Austy Austin, he loves you. I know you don't know him but Charlotte made sure that he knows you and he loves you so much. I know that you aren't going to be there for him as much as Charlotte can, but please promise us that you are going to give him the attention that he deserves whenever you can" she said, her eyebrows raised and her tone sad as she flicked her eyes over towards her Grandson who was patiently waiting for me to come over and color with him.
"I promise ma'am. I know the way I acted in Dallas probably has y'all skeptical of my actions, but I've talked to my Dad and Jodie long and hard about this decision and the three of us feel like I am ready to handle this. I know that it isn't going to be easy, and I know that there are going to have to be a lot of sacrifices to make but I'm ready and more than willing to make them" I said, my gaze dancing between the both of them as I tried to read their expressions.
"I want to make this work with Charlotte and not just for the short future but for the long-term. It's going to be a big change for everyone but if we are truly meant to be then we will make this work" I said.
Her Mom flashed me a smile as she walked over towards me. I stood up from my chair as she wrapped me in a hug, my now taller than her body towering over her as she looked up at me.
"Austin, you've matured in ways that I didn't expect. Please just promise me you will always try and always communicate" she said. I gave her a quick head nod as I focused my attention on her Dad who also had stood up from his chair to address me.
"You know how I feel from our conversation last night, and I'm willing to give you a fair shot. Please don't let me down" he said, holding out his hand as I grasped on to it, giving it a short firm shake before he let it go.
"I won't sir" I said.
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Charlie's POV
I finished up packing, remembering Austin's words that we would only need to take a few things and anything else we needed we could buy when we got there. Keeping that in mind I packed my one extra large suitcase as much as I could with clothes, shoes, hair care and tools and anything else I could think of, throwing my body weight on top of it as I forcefully slid the zipper closed around it.
Feeling tiny beads of sweat on my brow after my struggle I hoisted the bag from the bed and sat it on the floor, wheeling it over towards the hall where Austin could carry it to his car later before making my way to Austy's room to get a bag packed for him.
I grabbed the medium sized suitcase from my set as I carried it down to Austy's room. I laid it open on the floor as I emptied the contents of his dresser into the bag, the dresser containing practically every piece of clothing that he owns. I didn't worry about folding them nicely as I threw the lid over top of them and zipped it up with ease. I looked around his room quickly to make sure that I hadn't forgotten anything else, my hands grabbing onto his favorite blankie and lovie before I left the room.
Feeling like I had everything that I needed I made my way back downstairs towards Austin and Austy, the sound of laughter floating towards me as I got closer and closer towards my two favorite men. I quietly snuck up on them, resting my shoulder against the doorway to the living room as I watched them interacting with each other not wanting to intrude on their bonding as I carefully listened in on their conversations.
"What's your favorite color Daddy?" he asked Austin, the both of them sitting around the coffee table just as he and my Dad did every morning, coloring in one of his favorite books.
"Mmm green. What is your's?" he asked him.
"That's my favorite color too!" he said excitedly, his tiny body bouncing up and down. "Your favorite animal?" he asked him.
"I love dogs" Austin said happily.
"I love dogs too, but Nana and Pop said that we couldn't have one" he said sadly, his head drooping slightly as he focused on coloring.
"Well luckily for you, I have a dog at home" Austin said happily, his hand reaching out to mess his hair as he gave him a smile.
"You do!?" he asked, almost in disbelief that he heard what he heard.
"Yup, his name is Branson and I think you are going to love him" Austin laughed.
"What color is he?" Ausy asked, his full attention focused on Austin's dog that was soon going to be his too as he waited for his response.
"He's dark brown," Austin laughed. Austy nodded his head as he focused back on coloring, both he and Austin concentrating hard, their tongues resting between their teeth as they silently colored their pictures.
I couldn't help but laugh at the similarities between them as I watched them so intently focused on the task in front of them, the silence being broken every now and then by one of them asking for a color that the other one hand and vice versa. I was just about to go into the room when I heard Austy's tiny toddler voice break the silence.
"Daddy?" he asked, Austin's head lifting up immediately at the words, my body grateful that he picked up on the seriousness of Austy's question just by looking at his body posture. He placed his crayon down on the table as he focused on Austy, his hand reaching out as he pulled him in close and sat him in his lap.
"Yes buddy?" he asked, looking down at him as he waited for him to answer.
"Do you love Momma?" he asked him, his eyes filled with curiosity as I anxiously waited to see how he was going to answer.
"I do Austy, very very much. Why do you ask?" he said, his head tilting to the side as he waited to hear our son's response.
"Well, she used to cry a lot and I used to hear her talking to Nana about you and she always sounded sad" he said, fiddling with the green crayon that was clutched in his hand. "Nana and Pop love each other and Nana never sounds sad when she talks about Pop" he said.
I waited patiently to see if Austin was going to be able to explain this, getting myself ready to go save the day if need be when I heard him clear his throat, moving Austy so he could have a better view of him.
"Well Austy, Daddy didn't make some very good decisions when he moved to LA and he did a lot of things he shouldn't have done to Mommy. But, that doesn't mean that I didn't love her. And just because your Momma was sad didn't mean that she didn't love me either" he said. "Your Momma loves me so much and that's why she was so sad buddy. I never meant to make your Momma cry, as a matter of fact I hate when your Momma cries" he said with a chuckle.
"Me too" Austy said. "Do you promise that you will never make her cry no more?" he asked, tears welling in my eyes at the mature question that our four year old was asking of his Dad.
"I promise Austy, that I will never make your Momma cry again" he said, tears flowing out of my eyes at their interaction as I hoped with every part of my being that he was right, because I didn't want to cry anymore either. But some dark shadow looming over me made me feel like there were demons working against us and trying as hard as I could I couldn't push them away.
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A/N: Okay so this was kind of a filler chapter, giving you all a feel of where everyone stands on the newly decided togetherness of Austin and Charlie, including their son. What do you think? Is Charlie just being overly cautious with everything and anticipating the bad because that is what always happens? Is Austin really ready to give it his all? Is Charlie going to break this apart before it even begins? As always I love to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for the reads! We're almost at 10k reads which is fantastic for me, so thank you all so much!!
~Updates~
4-21-21: I Know You're Scared of the Unknown
4-22-21: What Happens In Vegas
4-23-21: I'm No Good At Goodbyes
4-24-21: Chance Encounters
4-25-21: Changed Since Texas