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“And what a road game it was. Three and oh to start the season—I like those odds. Are you hungry?” he asks, already grabbing the ingredients for a grilled cheese. “Want to stay for lunch?”
“I’m starving,” I say, and I take a seat at the island. “Do you want some help?”
“Nope. Talk to me. How is the nanny gig going?”
“It’s going well. June is so easy. I don’t have a lot to compare her against, but she’s very smart. She’s polite, and she always says please and thank you. She rarely acts out, and when she does, it’s because of something that’s easily fixable like hunger,tiredness or overstimulation. I was worried when I first agreed to help Dallas because this stage of life is such a big part of their development, but I think I’m doing a good job. I’m balancing the fun we have together with helping her learn things. Plus, she hasn’t ended up in the hospital and I haven’t been fired, so I think it’s a win-win.”
“That doesn’t surprise me at all.” He puts the bread and cheese in the pan and pulls a plate down from the cabinet. “You’ve always been a helper. The kid that wanted to make sure everyone knew how to do things. It makes sense that it’s transferred to this role, too.”
“I know I’m not her parent, and I’d never claim responsibility for who she is as a person, but she’s teaching me things, too.”
“Like what?”
“Like patience and empathy and different communication styles. It’s not where I saw myself being at this point in my life, but I think it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
“I’m proud of you.” My dad smiles, and his eyes wrinkle in the corners. “I know I gave you shit for not finishing college, and I’m sorry for that.”
“You gave me a lotof shit. I don’t think you talked to me for three days.”
“That’s not true. It was a day, maybe. I couldn’t bear not talking to you.” His face softens, and he sighs. “All a parent wants is for their kid to be happy, and you seem so happy these days. Who am I to judge how you’re finding that happiness?”
“Jesus, Dad.” I blink away tears and wipe my eyes. “I came for food, not for damn waterworks.”
“Twenty-two years with me, kid. You should know what you’re getting into by now.”
“I am happy. For the first time since my injury, I wake up and feel like I have a purpose. I know I’m not curing canceror fighting for world peace, but right now, it’s perfect, and it’s enough.”
“Aiden. Have you seen my—Maven!” Maggie walks into the kitchen and hugs me. I laugh into her arms and squeeze her tight. “This is the best surprise.”
“Hi, Mags. I had the day off and figured I’d stop by. I haven’t seen you all in a few weeks, and I missed you.”
“Be careful. You’re going to make your dad cry,” she says, and she kisses the top of my head before pulling away. “We’ve missed you too. How are things? How’s work? Why haven’t I seen any of your photos from your first game?”
“I’ve been so busy. I send the photos to my supervisor, and I forget that other people want to see them, too. I promise I’ll send some when I get home tonight.”
“You better.” She sits next to me and looks at my dad. “Grilled cheese?”
“Mhm.” His smile melts into something secret. A private sort of devotion and adoration I feel expand behind my ribs the longer he looks at her. “Do you want me to make you one?”
“Of course I do. I’m on night shift today, and the only way I’m going to survive is with one of your famous sandwiches.”
“You don’t have to flirt with me, Mags.” He leans over the island and kisses her forehead, and I scrunch up my nose. “I was going to make one for you anyway.”
“Can we keep the PDA to a minimum when I’m around, please?” I ask. “My sanity thanks you.”
They both know I’m just giving them a hard time.
I’m glad my family has expanded over the years, and I’m glad my dad is so happy.
My dad dragged his feet after my parents’ divorce. He stayed single, busy as a part-time single dad and a full-time pediatric oncologist. I was worried he’d never find anyone else; he’s a great guy, but he never put himself out there.
He didn’t care about getting to know women and was oblivious to the people who practically threw themselves at him. Then Shawn signed him up for a photo shoot with a stranger, and that’s where he met Maggie.
The two hit it off, had a night together I’verefusedto ask questions about, and now here we are. Six years later, and they’re just as happy as they were when they first got together.
My dad likes to say his life changed that Valentine’s Day, and I know the reason it took him so long to find love again was because he was waiting for Maggie.
Those two are soulmates. They might not wear rings and there might not have been a wedding, but they’re in it for the long haul. Tied together through fate and destiny and a spread of half-naked photos, the more appropriate ones of which they framed and hung on the walls in the living room to commemorate their love for one another.
