"Hey Char, come here food ready." I called from the kitchen but did not hear a response or the pitter patter of her feet on the hard wood. I walked out and looked around.
"Charlie?" I called again, I heard faint giggled. I smirked knowing exactly what was happening.
"Charlotte? Where are you?" I grinned walking broadly around the den.
"Hm I wonder where she went. Is she behind the couch? Hm no not there. Is she under the table? Huh not there. Is she in the coat closet? Nope. I wonder where she could be. Charlie!" I exaggerated, hearing more and more giggled from behind the floor length curtains, my mother hung those when I moved in seems to come in handy now, I smiled.
"Darn I guess I'll just have to eat all this pizza alone then..." I shrugged aloud, dramatically sighing.
"I want pizza..." I heard softly, I quietly laughed to myself.
"Wait maybe... maybe she's in the curtains," I called walking to each window slowly, starting at one farthest from her, and looking behind them. Until I got to hers. I slowly creeped up but before I could act she jumps out giggling.
"Boo!" She yelled, I pretended to be scared. But maybe she scared me... a little. I laughed at Charlie, god maybe this will be better than I thought. Life with another person but a person who's clean. Clean as in her soul, her mind, her world. She hasn't been tainted my the world as adults would know it.
"Come one kiddo, lets go eat pizza!" I cheered, she nodded and followed me into the kitchen.
"What do ya wanna drink love?" I asked with a smile, she thought.
"Juice? Water?" I further asked, more simpler of a question than broad open ended ones.
"Juice please," She smiled. I nodded and grabbed her a juice box, placing it on the table. Then sitting across from her and passing a piece onto her plate. I grabbed one for myself quickly starting to eat it, Char just watched. As if she didn't know what to do.
"Do you like pizza? Is there something wrong?" I asked concerned I had messed up our first dinner as a family. She shook her head no and looked down.
"Mommy and I don't eat together..." she mumbled shyly, I looked at her. How do you not eat with your daughter? Who was Mary?
"Well you don't need to worry about that darling, we can eat dinner together. We can eat and talk, it's my house not Mommy's." I assured, she nodded affirmatively and slowly started eating little bites of pizza. We lightly talked about colors, they really interested her. She wanted to know all their names, I should get her crayons, I smiled.
After she ate one slice and I had three we moved back to the den. Char was up drinking the remained of her juice box as I sat on the couch and put on some nighttime rerun of a kids show.
"He Char, smile," I snapped a picture of her with my phone, she giggled. Charlotte then sat next to me on the couch and slowly became more cuddly which I took as her getting tired. But I knew she needed a bath, and to get ready for bed.
"Kiddo, lets go get ready for bed..." I suggest, she nodded and yawned. I picked her up and carried her up stairs to her bathroom.
"I'm gonna grab a towel," I said as walking to the closet in the hall, grabbing a blue towel, and returning to the bathroom. I turned on the water and waited for it to get warm then plugging the tub. I turned around and looked at Char.
"I don't know how to un-do the thingies Alex..." she sighed trying to unclip the overall clasps with no avail. I smiled waving her closer and helping her get ready for her bath. As I pulled her top over her head I saw two parallel bruises over her shoulders, my guess from the restraints in her car seat when the crash happened. She didn't seem fazed by them anyway. I turned around to see the bathtub a little more filled than I'd like it.
"I'm new at this." I giggled, Charlotte laughed at me. "Is this too warm?" I continued, letting some of the water out of the tub. She shook her head no in response. I helped her into the tub, she started splashing around and giggling.
"So how much of this do you do alone?" I asked just wondering if she could wash herself or if she needed assistance. She shrugged and sighed.
"I take baths alone when Mommy's at work late..." she confessed, I looked at her shocked. I may be a first time dad, you know thrown into this last night and all; but I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to let a little kid sit in a bath alone. That's dangerous right? Yeah, it's gotta be.
"Oh okay but we aren't gonna do that here okay? That can be dangerous." I suggested, she nodded and mumbled an "okay".
"Well show me how you wash your hair; here's hair wash..." I pasted the bottle to her, she took a quarter sized amount, maybe a little more, and started washing her scalp. After about a minute she washed her hands under the water and cupped them to pouring water over her head.
"Good job, do you use conditioner? Rian went all out for you." I smiled, we are such manly men... we all use shampoo AND conditioner.
"No mommy doesn't want me to use all of hers." She sighed. Knowing Mary and knowing how old she was, she wasn't mature enough to not think of herself. God that's makes me mad. If only we both could have been older.
"Well this is all yours! You don't need to worry about it." I grinned covering how I really feel. She doesn't need to know how I feel about her mom. She smiled as I showed her how to use conditioner.
"And here's the magic tip, if you leave it sit for a little it will make your hair even softer! So let's do body wash now." She nodded at my suggestion and grabbed the watermelon body wash then washing up. After we rinsed her hair one last then I helped her out of the bath and into a towel. She giggled as I danced with her in my arms and sang. We then brushed her teeth, and combed out her hair. After I helped her get dressed for bed.
"Do you wanna sleep in your bed, or in my bed Charlie?" I asked to see if she had changed her mind.
"Your bed..." she grinned, I smiled and nodded. We walked to my room and I tucked her into bed, she sighed.
"Can you get bunny?" She wondered, I nodded and went downstairs grabbing him from the couch. Then bringing him back upstairs to her.
"Good night Alex..." she mumbled, now tired. I smiled, this is the moment I want. A quiet goodnight.
"Good night love... I'm going to go downstairs and come back up later, okay?" I question.
"Alex can you please sing that song to me? If it's okay." I smiled and nodded an "of course". I sat on the side of the bed and started lightly singing Daydream Away to her until I finished at that point I was sure she was asleep. I then quietly snuck out and downstairs. I grabbed my phone for the coffee table and opened he band groupchat.
Alex: Dinner, bath, teeth brushed, and asleep. Night one success. I think she's got me wrapped around her finger already...
After hitting send I put on music lightly and went into the kitchen to clean up, after I was done I sat down on a chair.
Rian: Good, only a couple thousand more to go!
Jack: I think she has us all in the palm of her hand
I laughed, truly a couple thousand, it will get more routine but I hope it never gets boring. I moved to Instagram and scrolled for a little bit but then couldn't stop thinking about the picture of Charlie I had taken. I want the world to know, but do I want the world to question?
@-AlexGaskarth: I've been all over the world, I have seen so much but by far the prettiest thing in the world is you. This is gonna be a wild ride, love.
I hit post and threw my phone practically, our secret is now the world to have. At least it was at my doing not anyone else's. After that I decided it was bedtime, let that stew over night and we'll see in the morning. I walked up stairs quiet and plugged my phone in, then grabbing some shorts and just leaving my tee shirt. As I went to get into bed I realize Charlotte, the blanket, and bunny are gone. I jump to action and see if she had fallen off the bed or is sitting on the side. She wasn't.
"Charlie?" I called lightly, walking into her room. I noticed that the closet door was slightly opened, I opened and looked to see Char snugged up in the blanket lying on the floor.
"Charlotte..." I sighed, she hummed and rolled over. I giggled lightly picked her up and snuggled her into the blanket as I walked her back into my room. I put her down lightly, then laying down next to her and pulling the comforter over me.
"I like this life." I thought to myself.
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Ah hi friends! A longer chapter, thank you for all the votes, reads, and comments. It all means a lot to me!