TW// ⚠️ mention of past abusive relationship⚠️
"Shh...it's okay baby girl, Mommy's got you." Betty hushed as she bounced her one year old daughter against her chest to try and get her to fall back asleep after she was startled awake, wanting a feed, which she hadn't done since she was about 4 months old. Betty enjoyed the moment however, cradling the little one to her chest as she nuzzled into her breast and suckled gently. Betty assumed that she just needed some comforting, or maybe she was coming down with something.
Betty slowly changed Sophie's position and placed her so that her head was resting against her shoulder, rubbing her nose against her mothers neck as her wails settled and the sounds of the baby sucking on a pacifier traveled through Betty's ears. Betty turned slightly to check the time on the clock in Sophie's room, shocked to see that it was 2am. Recently Sophie had been having trouble sleeping throughout the night and Betty had put it down to something being physically wrong with her but after taking her to the pediatricians office and getting every possible test run on her, they were given the all clear, leaving Betty in confusion.
After gently lowering Sophie down into her crib she began to trudge back to her room, letting out a relieved sigh, hearing her bed calling her name. As Betty settled herself amongst the sheets, she reached over to her phone, typing a quick message out to her boyfriend, keeping him in the loop with Sophie as he had asked her too.
B: Just been up with Soph again. I have no idea what's going on and it's starting to worry me. Hope you're having a good night's sleep. I'm jealous.
J: I'm sorry, honey. I've checked, thinking that maybe it was nightmares but they don't get them until they're at least two. Maybe having her in with you for the next couple of nights will help?
B: I didn't expect you to reply. Thought you'd be asleep. Look at you Mr Pediatrician.
J: I keep your notifications on loud. I'm worried about Soph. Don't judge me!
10 months ago when baby Sophie was just 2 months old, Betty had met Jughead and she felt like time had stopped. She was so scared that maybe the fact that she was a single mom whose baby daddy was in prison might be a little off putting but if anything, it made him more keen. Betty had been settled on a booth at Pops, having a couple hours spare due to her friend babysitting and decided to go to Pops to grab a burger. Whilst she was pregnant, she couldn't think of anything worse and since she'd been breastfeeding it was all she could think about. He slid into the booth opposite her and wooed her with his charm and confidence.
When Betty had made him aware that she had a baby daughter, his face hadn't changed and he shrugged as if she'd just told him tomorrow's weather. She'd told him about her abusive ex that was convicted after Betty was rushed to the hospital whilst pregnant with Sophie due to his abusive actions. The trial hadn't lasted long with the evidence against him, thankfully for Betty and she was able to relax for the remainder of her pregnancy, knowing that this man could never hurt her or her baby ever again now that he was behind bars. He'd cried and told her that she and Soph didn't deserve that and he held her close as she cried with him. The first time he met Sophie was the first time that she had laughed. He was blowing raspberries against her belly after volunteering to help with bath and bedtime, when she let out the cutest little giggly squeal that made the new couple break out in smiles and gasps. Later that evening Betty sat on his lap in the nursing chair as her baby girl fed from her breast. He had looked at her with such admiration that it took her breath away slightly. When he had finally told her that he loved her 2 months later, he had informed her that that moment was when he knew that he was in love with her, watching her content in being a mother and nourishing her child in such a natural environment that it had blown Jughead away. Ever since he had met Soph, he had treated her as his own and she was so grateful for that.
B: Baby, you should turn my notifications off. I don't want to disturb you.
Seconds later, Betty's phone was vibrating against her hand as the screen changed from their message conversation to a picture of Jughead with Sophie sat on his lap at a picnic, him gazing down softly at her with all the love in the world as Sophie's face was contoured in laughter as she reached for her toes and faced the camera, the cutest sundress and hat on her. She was about six months old in that picture and every time she saw it, she couldn't believe how well Jughead had settled into the role of a stepdad that early on, without them even being married. Betty smiled and swiped along the bottom of the screen to answer his facetime call and smiled when Jughead's face emerged, worry written across his face.
"Hey handsome." Betty smiled, watching as his face softened slightly.
"You could never disturb me." He replied, raising his eyebrows. "How's Soph?" He asked.
"I managed to get her down but I'm concerned. I don't know what to do. I've done a ton of googling but I can't find anything. Maybe it's just a little phase that she's going through. I think she might sense that I'm trying to stop breastfeeding." Betty sighed, rubbing her hand over her eyes.
"Maybe. I'll be over after work tomorrow and I'll watch Soph for you so you can catch up on some shut eye. No offence, honey, but you look like you could do with it." He chuckled. Betty giggled along.
"I really could. I always sleep better with you by my side though." She sighed, shutting her eyes for a few seconds.
"Maybe I'll just have to cuddle you to sleep then." Betty could hear his smile through the phone.
"You're more than welcome to." She smiled. "Oh! When you come over this weekend, I was thinking that we could cook together, you know when Sophie's in bed. It'll be our little date night." Betty suggested, as she saw a smile spread over his face.
"That sounds nice...very romantic." He teased. "But I was actually thinking that you could come stay with me this weekend..." He spoke, sounding hopeful.
Betty had loved her little family home the second she saw it. She'd bought a two bedroom house for her little family, when at the age of 23, Betty had found out that she was pregnant. She was utterly shocked but a little part of her heart glowed at the idea of being a mother...however she was slightly concerned about her current boyfriend's role as a father. After the trial, Betty had set the second bedroom up as a calming, peaceful place that her baby could grow up in, making her a beautiful little nursery. Jughead, on the other hand, lived in a beautiful 3 bedroom penthouse suite. Ever since the release of his Oscar-nominated movie, he'd definitely come into quite a bit of money, allowing him to buy the home that was fit for a king. Betty remembered feeling embarrassed and her face warming up when he'd told her his job, as she didn't recognise him and hadn't seen any of his work. Being a single mom sort of took her TV watching down to a bare minimum. Jughead had loved it though, he got to be in a relationship that he knew had no ulterior motives, which was a very different situation to his past relationships.
"I don't know if I can get a babysitter for this weekend, Jug, and it's not exactly going to be easy when we're worrying 24/7 that Sophie's sleepi-"
"Betty, I mean both of you!" He chuckled as she listed off the reasons that it wasn't a good idea. It wasn't that Betty didn't like his apartment or hadn't been there before, it was the fact that she didn't know how safe it was for a baby.
"Okay...but is the apartment baby proofed? How am I supposed to bring everything over, her crib, her rocking chair, she won't go to sleep if she's not breastfed in her rocking chair before I put her down, Jug." Jughead smiled as he let her ramble. He knew that she had trouble with things that weren't planned and that she often panicked when things didn't go as per routine.
"Sweetie, calm down. It's all sorted..." He reassured her, a smirk on his face.
"And...what does that mean exactly?" She asked, a suspicious look on her face. Betty saw the camera wobble and go off his face slightly as he got up from the bed. "Jug, what are you doing?" She giggled as he skipped across his apartment, his furniture whizzing past in a blur in the background.
"It means that...it's all sorted." He said before he turned the camera around. Betty gasped in shock at what he was showing her.
"Jug...w-what?" She breathed, her eyes wide.
"I thought that maybe you guys could stay here more often. Soph needs a place to sleep whilst she's here so I've made it my mission over the past two weeks to make her a little nursery." Jughead spoke from behind the phone. The camera showed a beautiful set up with a crib in the centre of the wall, Sophie's name in lilac wood above it, a mobile hanging from the ceiling. As he turned the camera, there was a changing table on the wall opposite tucked in the corner, full with diapers and wipes. He turned the camera in the opposite direction, a closet against the wall, parallel to the changing table, in the other corner of the room, it was open to show all of the new outfits he'd bought her along with blankets and muslin cloths on the shelves below it. Betty couldn't hold back her tears when Jughead walked over to the end of the crib to show her a loveseat rocking chair, big enough for all three of them to sit on. "I know this is a little big but you know that I love sitting with you when you nurse her." He explained, before turning the camera back to his face. Betty let out a gentle sob.
"Baby...you didn't have to do this." Betty said as her tears continued to fall.
"You don't like it?" He asked, a heat of embarrassment in the pit of his stomach, thinking he'd crossed a line.
"No, of course I do. I love it...I love you and Sophie is going to love it, Jug. I just mean that, we hardly stay at your place and now I feel guilty that you've spent all this money." Betty said, shaking her head slightly.
"There is no better use for my money than spending it on my family." Jughead said as he sat down on the rocking chair.
"Your family?" Betty asked as she gulped slightly.
"Can I come over?" Jughead asked, a hint of desperation on his face. "I need to be with you right now." He smiled, feeling slightly choked up.
"Of course. Please do. I want a cuddle." She giggled. He smiled at her before ending the call and making her way over. Nothing made Betty more excited than knowing that Jughead now had a lot of his belongings in her place, dotted randomly around the house. She also knew deep down that this meant that he'd be here faster which excited her to no end.
—————
Before long, Jughead was pulling into the drive in his car, smiling as he got out, seeing this beautiful girlfriend sitting on the porch swing, a woollen cardigan wrapped around her and a mug of warm tea in her hand.
"Hey." He whispered, as he climbed the porch steps and made his way over to Betty. "You look beautiful." He said, before leaning down to place a soft kiss to her lips before sitting down next to her and wrapping his arm around her, allowing her to lay her head on his shoulder.
"I'm happy you're here." Betty smiled up at him, placing another kiss on his lips. She loved this man more than anything. What other human being would get up at 2am and come to her house because she was worried about her daughter?
"How's the munchkin?" Jughead asked, placing a kiss to her forehead as she laid her head back down.
"She's in dreamland - for once." Betty said, lifting up the baby monitor to show him Sophie sleeping peacefully in her crib, sucking on her pacifier. He reached for the monitor to look at the little angel.
"I don't think I've ever been more in love with anything than I am with her." He mumbled, looking at the baby.
Betty cleared her throat as his eyes were still trained on the monitor. "Baby, you know that I love you endlessly, but the love I have for my baby is different, it's something else." Jughead said, eyes still on the screen, not noticing the tears in Betty's eyes.
"Your baby?" She whispered, turning to face him. Jughead seemed to freeze, turning towards her.
"God...I-I'm sorry. I didn't think, it just came out." Jughead said as he shook his head. Betty let out a breath as her lips quivered. "I just...I just think of her as my own. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." He sighed, tearing up, wiping away one of the tears that had escaped her eye. Before he could say anything else, she leaned forward and placed an intense kiss to his lips.
"I'm not upset." Betty breathed, holding his face in her hands as she shook her head. "It's just...I never thought Sophie would have a father figure in her life. Honestly, I was okay with that. My life had never felt more beautiful than the moment she was born. Michael didn't deserve to be in her life and I'm so glad that he isn't. But you...you are everything. To me and to Soph. She loves you so much. Baby, you make our family. You're kind, you're loving, you're patient, you're caring - you're everything that a dad should be." She said, her voice breaking as the word 'dad' got caught in her throat. Before she could say anything else Jughead started crying, shocking Betty slightly. "Hey, hey, hey, what's all this about?" Betty spoke as she laughed sadly.
"I wish I was her dad. So badly." Jughead said, as his face crumbled.
"Oh, honey. You are. In every sense of the word. Anyone can be a father, but it takes a really special person to be a dad. And you are that special person to Soph. She's not going to care that you didn't make her. She'll care that you're there for her. She'll care that...that you don't hurt her mommy the way that her biological father did. She's going to be grateful to have you in her life, for the rest of her life." Betty sighed as she brushed a hand through his hair, sweeping it out of his eyes.
"The rest of her life, huh?" He sniffled, as his tears dried on her face. "Is it safe to say that I'll be with you for the rest of your life too?" He questioned, a slight smirk on his face.
"I really hope so." She whispered, leaning her forehead and the length of her nose against his. "But can you promise me something?" She asked, sounding as if she was begging.
"Anything." He breathed, pulling his head away from hers to look into her eyes.
"No matter what happens to us...you'll always be there for her. If...God forbid, we don't...work out-"
"Hey, don't say stuff like that." Jughead said, shaking his head, slight frustration in his tone.
"I'm not saying it to upset you...I'm saying it so that you know that I want you to be in her life. Whether that's as my partner or not." Betty said as she tucked some of his overgrown hair behind his ear.
"I promise. I'm always going to be there for her no matter what. But that is never going to happen, okay?" He said, reciprocating her action by tucking some hair behind her ear.
Before long, their gaze was broken when they heard a wail come from the monitor, Sophie's pacifier, now laying next to her.
"Let me get her." Jughead muttered, standing up and making his way into the house. Betty smiled as she watched him walk away.
He was Sophie's dad.
She was his daughter.
A few moments later, Betty watched the screen as she saw Jughead walk up to the crib and pick her up, taking her pacifier with him. He cradled her in the crook of his arm as he put the pacifier in her mouth, muffling her cries slightly as he bounced her, trying to calm her even more. Betty watched in awe as she listened to his words as he tried to sooth her daughter.
"You're safe, baby girl. I promise." He rocked her gently in his arms, using one hand to brush the ever-growing mousy brown hair. He eventually moved her up to his chest so that she could rest her head on his shoulder and he could reach her head to place light kisses there. "I love you, darling." He said, his husky voice muffled slightly by the poor quality of the monitor. Betty picked up her mug and began to walk back into her home, locking the front door behind her and walking into the kitchen to put the mug in the sink.
Betty could hear a little mumble from her baby girl as she began to make her way up the stairs.
"Ma...ma." She stuttered, clutching to the string on Jughead's hoodie.
"You want mama?" He asked rhetorically, still rocking her. When Betty reached the nursery door, she turned off the monitor to listen in through the door that was cracked ajar. "Me too. I want her for the rest of my life. I want you for the rest of my life too." He said, softly. Sophie gazed up at him in awe, reaching her little hand up to play with his bottom lip. Jughead pretended to bite one of her fingers, causing the little girl to grin widely and giggle quietly, her pacifier slipping down her lip slightly. "You have no idea what I'm saying do you, sweetheart?" He mumbled, grinning down at her.
"All okay?" Betty asked as she slowly walked into the room, causing Jughead to turn around to look at her. He smiled at her, tears still lining his eyes from their earlier conversation.
"Yeah, she's not crying anymore but I think she wants her mama." He grinned, walking towards her.
"Oh, she definitely wants her mama." Betty giggled looking at the baby in his arms. Jughead gave her a confused look before looking down to see Sophie sucking on his shirt, where his nipple was.
"Oh God!" He laughed, gently pulling his shirt away from her. "I'm sorry, baby, you're barking up the wrong tree." He managed to get out whilst still laughing, Betty clutching her stomach in laughter.
"I'm gonna feed her in bed." Betty said, wiping under her eyes and reaching for Sophie.
"I got her." Jughead mumbled, twisting his body so that she couldn't reach the baby.
"Hun, I need to feed her." Betty giggled, trying to grab her again.
"Yeah, well you spend more time with her than I do. I'll carry her to the bedroom until you get settled to feed her." He spoke, smirking slightly.
"She has you wrapped around her little finger." She sighed, turning to walk out of Sophie's room and into hers. Jughead grinned down at the baby as he followed her.
—————
By the time that Jughead had caught up with Betty and made it to her bedroom, she had already taken off her shirt, sitting topless in bed and scrolling through her phone.
"Jesus, Betts. I know they're reserved for Soph right now but I love your mommy boobies." He sighed, chuckling slightly.
"You get your turn, mister, and you know it." She giggled as she reached for Sophie, holding her in her arms as she immediately latched on. Jughead smirked at her, raising his eyebrows as he stripped down to his boxers and got into bed with her. "Get your mind out of the gutters." She giggled, looking back down at her baby, her entire hand wrapping around her mother's finger. "Honestly, right now, I don't think you could even touch my nipples without me screaming." Betty said.
"Oh, is that right?" Jughead asked, grinning.
"You know what I mean! They're sore. I'm not used to feeding her this much. I haven't done so many feeds since she was a newborn and I was up every two hours with her." She sighed. Jughead looked up from Sophie to look at Betty, noticing the tears in her eyes. Jughead wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Hey, what's wrong, honey?" He asked, placing a kiss to her forehead.
"It hurts." Betty cried, wincing slightly as Sophie continued to suckle. "I've slowly been trying to wean her onto the bottle but she's just not having it. She just cries and cries until I give in and nurse her." Betty explained. Jughead leaned the side of his face onto the top of her head as he listened to her sniffles.
"I'm sorry, honey. I wish there was something I could do. I hate seeing you in pain. You know, maybe Soph is just telling you how much she loves you." He thought out loud. Betty looked at him as if he had grown another head. Jughead shook his head slightly, before gently pushing her head back to his shoulder. "I just mean that I think it's pretty obvious that she doesn't want to stop breastfeeding. She wants to keep having these special bonding moments with you." He spoke.
"That's bullshit, Jug! She just wants my milk because she's stubborn." She ranted, getting slightly upset. "Just like Michael." She muttered under her breath. Jughead seemed shocked that Betty had mentioned him. She had never compared Sophie to him before.
"Michael was stubborn?" He asked, not really sure why he was asking the question.
"The most stubborn person I've ever met. Sometimes I hated that about him but other times I admired it." She spoke.
"Does she look like Michael?" Jughead asked tentatively.
"Not really..." She said as she thought about the question. "Other than her hair colour. She still has my waves though." She replied. Jughead nodded along as she spoke. She turned to look at him. "Sorry." She mumbled. He looked at her, confused.
"What are you sorry for?" He asked, placing a kiss on her head.
"Bringing him up." She said, looking up at him.
"Betty, whether we like it or not...this man gave us a gift. You and Sophie are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I know that she is the best thing that ever happened to you. We wouldn't have her without him." He smiled gently down to her.
"I know." She smiled, tears in her eyes. "A part of me wants to hate him but no matter how hard I try I just can't. He gave me my baby." She muttered, placing a kiss on the baby's hand. "I am getting worried about her feeding patterns though." Betty sighed as Sophie unlatched from her breast. "I was just looking at a mommy blog and I can't find anything..."
"Can we take her to Dr Johnson next week?" Jughead suggested.
"Yeah that sounds like a good idea." She sighed. "I already took her for tests but I'm just going to ask for suggestions on how to soothe her." She explained as she sat up slowly. Jughead took her from his girlfriend's arms, laying her on his chest as he laid back himself, watching as the girl's eyes fluttered closed with the strokes of his finger against her nose. "She's so beautiful." She whispered, leaning her head against his chest, eye to eye with her daughter as she laid down next to Jughead.
"She looks just like her Mom." Jughead smirked, looking down at her.
"I love you, Jug." Betty whispered, closing her eyes.
"I love you too. Both of you." Jughead smiled, feeling himself getting tired as both of his girls fell asleep on his chest.
—————
"I still can't believe you've done this." Betty grinned as she strolled into the new nursery. It was the weekend after Jughead had told her about the new room and Sophie's first time staying here. In the past, whenever Betty stayed here, Sophie was always with her mother, her friend or some other sitter. "Do you love it, sweetie?" Betty asked in a baby voice as she readjusted Sophie on her hip as the little girl clapped slightly, a little smile on her face. Betty turned back around to face her boyfriend. "See, I told you she would love it!" Betty assured him. He walked over and wrapped his arms around the two of them.
"I'm glad. I never want to disappoint either of you." Jug said as he leaned down to place a kiss on her shoulder.
"You could never." Betty responded, leaning into his embrace at the feeling of his lips on her skin.
"So what are you fancying for dinner tonight?" Jughead asked.
"Anything..." Betty mumbled, a content smile on his face.
—————
Jughead was awoken to a small clicking sound, causing his eyes to flutter open and look in the direction of the noise. Betty was sitting upright against his headboard. eyes wide open in a daze as she flicked her fingernails together.
"Betts?" He mumbled sleepily, catching her attention. "Honey, come here. Get some sleep. It's only..." Jughead leaned back to look at the clock on his bedside table. "5am." He sighed. "What on earth are you doing up?" He asked incredulously.
"She's sleeping..." She spoke thoughtfully.
"Soph? Yeah she is." He replied, glancing at the monitor on his bedside table.
"She hasn't slept through the night in weeks and now we're here and she is." Betty said, her voice still a hushed whisper as she tried to wrap her head around it. "It's you, she misses you. She wants you." Betty realised.
"That's not true." Jughead scoffed slightly, shaking his head in disbelief as he sat up next to her. "The other day when I was over, you got up with her three times all together." He concluded.
"Yeah...all before she was with you. When you came over and cuddled with her she was asleep in minutes. She needs you to get to sleep." Betty said as it dawned upon her. It was as if her daughter was pushing her and her relationship with Jughead. "Jug..." She murmured.
"What do you wanna do?" He asked, rubbing his hand up and down her thigh.
"Well, I can't struggle with her every night for any longer before I lose my damn mind. I guess you could just come over every night before bedtime for cuddles." She giggled. Jughead smiled at the dreamy look she gave him.
"Or...we could just move in together?" Jughead suggested, knowing that they were both thinking it. Betty leaned over and caught his lips in an intense kiss, before it broke apart at Jughead's laughter. "I'm guessing you think that's a good idea." He deadpanned. Betty laughed at his silliness.
"Yes, a very good idea. So...my place or yours?" She asked shyly.
"Well...what about a whole new place?" He asked, watching as her eyes grew wide.
"A new place? But you haven't long moved in here, Jug, and you've just spent a lot of money on her new nursery." She said, feeling bad.
"That doesn't matter to me, Betts. I'm just happy to be moving into a home with my family. A clean slate. We could start looking." He said. Betty smiled at him.
"We could go speak to a realtor tomorrow and start looking at some listings." Betty smiled, suddenly excited by the idea.
"Leave that to me. I'll go down and pick out some nice houses and then we can go and look at them whenever they have viewings." He smirked.
"Okay...you're very romantic, you know?" She said, tracing his jaw.
"Well, when it comes to showing my gorgeous future wife how much I love her, I will stop at nothing." He smiled.
"Future wife, huh?" She giggled, as he rolled over on top of her.
"Oh yeah." He smirked mischievously, before showing her just how gorgeous he thought she was.
{A/N} ~ 4885 words (not including this)
I'm sorry it's been awhile. I'm currently writing a part 2 for "pining after you" because I felt bad for it being so short 😭 I'm going to be moving in 2 weeks so I'm not sure how much writing I will get done but I am hoping that I will be as regular as possible 😁 Hope you enjoy! Lots of love 🥰 - C x