Chapter 133 Big Brother Questions

Chapter 133 Big Brother Questions


Naomi chose the moment carefully.

She had learned, over the years, that timing mattered with Charles. For a child so young, he carried thoughts too big for his age, questions that arrived fully formed, emotions that refused to stay small. 
That afternoon, the house was calm in the way Naomi loved best.

Sunlight spilled through the living room windows, warming the rug where Charles sat cross-legged, assembling a puzzle far too advanced for most children his age. His brow was furrowed in concentration, tongue caught briefly between his teeth as he fitted pieces together with meticulous care.

Lucas stood by the bookshelf pretending to read, but Naomi knew he was watching too. Waiting.

She rested a hand unconsciously on her stomach.

“Charles,” Naomi said gently.

He didn’t look up. “One second, Mommy. This piece doesn’t belong to the sky, it belongs to the reflection.”

Lucas smiled faintly.

Naomi crouched beside him. “You’re right. Very observant.”

Charles beamed, then finally lifted his head. “What is it?”

Naomi exchanged a glance with Lucas.

Lucas nodded. Go ahead.

Naomi took a breath. “Daddy and I want to tell you something important.”

That got his attention.

He straightened immediately, puzzle forgotten. “Important like… important-important?”

“Yes,” Lucas said, coming to sit on the couch across from him. “The good kind.”

Charles studied their faces carefully, as if scanning for clues. “Am I in trouble?”

Naomi laughed softly. “No, sweetheart. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Okay,” he said cautiously. “Then what?”

Naomi reached for his small hand. “You know how families can grow?”

Charles frowned. “Like plants?”

Lucas chuckled. “Sort of.”

Naomi squeezed his fingers. “Our family is growing.”

Silence.

Charles blinked once. Then again.

“…How?” he asked.

Naomi swallowed, smiling gently. “You’re going to have a little brother or sister.”

The words hung in the air, light and heavy all at once.

Charles’s mouth opened slightly.

Then closed.

Then his face… changed.

“Oh,” he said.

Lucas leaned forward. “Hey, buddy…”

But Charles pulled his hand back gently, standing up from the floor.

“Oh,” he repeated, softer this time.

He walked a few steps away, arms crossing over his chest, staring at the window.

Naomi’s heart sank.

“Charles?” she said carefully.

He didn’t answer right away.

Finally, he asked, without turning around, “Does that mean… you won’t have time for me anymore?”

Lucas looked at Naomi, his expression immediately serious.

Naomi stood and crossed the room slowly, kneeling in front of her son so she could see his face.

“Why would you think that?” she asked softly.

Charles shrugged, eyes fixed somewhere over her shoulder. “Babies need a lot of attention. They cry all the time. Everyone talks about them. My friend Leo’s baby sister cries and his mom is always tired.”

Naomi felt tears prick her eyes.

Lucas stood and joined them, kneeling too.

“Hey,” Lucas said gently. “Look at me.”

Charles hesitated, then met his father’s eyes.

“You’re not being replaced,” Lucas said firmly. “Ever.”

“But…”

“But nothing,” Lucas continued. “You’re our first. That doesn’t disappear.”

Charles bit his lip. “But will you still play chess with me?”

Lucas smiled. “I’ll still lose to you at chess.”

“And bedtime stories?” Charles asked Naomi quietly.

Naomi cupped his cheek. “Every single night.”

“What about when the baby cries?” he asked. “What if you’re tired?”

Naomi didn’t rush the answer. “Sometimes Mommy and Daddy might be tired. But tired doesn’t mean we stop loving you. It just means we’ll need your help sometimes.”

“Help?” Charles echoed.

Lucas nodded. “Being a big brother means being important.”

Charles frowned slightly. “Important how?”

Naomi smiled through the ache in her chest. “It means you’ll teach your little sibling things. Like puzzles. And reading. And how to be brave.”

Charles considered this.

“But what if I don’t like them?” he asked honestly.

Lucas laughed softly. “That’s okay too.”

Charles looked surprised. “It is?”

“Yes,” Lucas said. “Love grows. Sometimes it takes time.”

Naomi brushed Charles’s hair back gently. “We won’t ever stop choosing you.”

The word seemed to land.

Choosing.

Charles’s shoulders relaxed just a little.

“So…” he said slowly. “You won’t forget me?”

Naomi pulled him into her arms, holding him close. “Never. Not for a second.”

Lucas wrapped his arms around them both. “You’re our son. That’s forever.”

Charles stayed quiet in Naomi’s embrace for a long moment.

Then he whispered, “Will the baby be loud?”

Lucas snorted. “Very.”

Charles grimaced. “That’s unfortunate.”

Naomi laughed through her tears.

Later that evening, Charles sat at the dining table, poking at his food thoughtfully.

“So,” he said, glancing up. “When will the baby come out?”

Naomi nearly choked on her water. “Charles!”

“What?” he asked innocently. “That’s how it works, right?”

Lucas laughed. “In several months.”

Charles nodded. “That’s a long time.”

“Yes,” Naomi agreed.

He chewed quietly, then asked, “Do babies know things?”

“Like what?” Lucas asked.

“Like… math?” Charles asked hopefully.

Naomi smiled. “Not at first.”

Charles sighed. “I’ll teach them.”

Later, Naomi tucked Charles into bed.

She lingered longer than usual, smoothing his sheets, memorizing the curve of his cheek.

“Mommy?” he asked sleepily.

“Yes, baby?”

“Will you still call me baby sometimes?”

Her heart cracked wide open.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Always.”

He nodded, satisfied, and drifted off to sleep.

When Naomi finally left the room, Lucas was waiting in the hallway.

“She handled that better than I expected,” he murmured.

Naomi leaned into him, exhausted. “He was scared.”

Lucas wrapped an arm around her. “So was I.”

She looked up at him. “You were?”

He nodded. “That he’d feel left out. That we’d get it wrong.”

Naomi rested her head against his chest. “We won’t.”

The next morning, Charles surprised them.

He walked into the kitchen holding a piece of paper.

“I made a list,” he announced.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “A list of what?”

“Rules,” Charles said seriously. “For when the baby comes.”

Naomi smiled. “May we see it?”

He handed it over.

Rule One: Mommy and Daddy still hug Charles every day.
Rule Two: Baby is not allowed to take Charles’s books without asking.
Rule Three: Charles will help, but not with diapers.
Rule Four: Everyone still listens to Charles’s ideas.

Naomi laughed, eyes shining. “These are very reasonable.”

Lucas nodded solemnly. “We’ll consider them carefully.”

Charles hesitated, then added quietly, “Rule Five… Charles will try to be patient.”

Naomi crouched and hugged him again. “That’s all we ask.”

As the days passed, Charles slowly began to change his questions.

From Will you forget me?
To What if the baby likes dinosaurs too?
To Can I teach them chess when they’re older?

One night, as Naomi lay in bed, hand resting on her stomach, Charles padded in quietly.

“I can’t sleep,” he said.

Lucas shifted. “Bad dreams?”

Charles shook his head. “Thinking.”

Naomi opened her arms. “Come here.”

Charles climbed in carefully, resting his head against her side.

“Mommy,” he said softly. “I think… I might like being a big brother.”

Naomi kissed the top of his head. “I think you’ll be wonderful at it.”

He yawned. “As long as you still love me.”

She held him close, heart full. “I always will.”