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“Ask me what, Alissa?” Andrew uncrosses his arms and leans down to be face to face with her.
“Um…” Ali places a foot behind her and nervously moves it around. “There’s Career Day at my school coming up!.”
Andrew smiles, and I smile too. It will be a boost to his ego to hear the actual question, and I’m sure his answer will be a positive one.
“I see. But what do you need from me?” he says, pretending to be confused.
Alissa squirms, jumps, and finally spits it out, “Do you wanna come?”
Andrew places a hand on his chin. He pretends to think deeply, and then says, “Do I get a kiss for it?”
My little sweet pea turns into a strawberry. “Yes!” she jumps in place.
He shows her his cheek, and she kisses him, hugging him too for good measure.
“I’ll be there, Alissa. Wait, when is it?”
At that, he turns to me, and as he stands back up again, I tell him, “Next Friday at 9 am, if it fits your schedule.”
“I think I’m free Friday morning.” He ruffles Ali’s hair. “You’ll be there too?”
I shake my head. “I have work. Dad usually is the one who drops her off and picks her up,” I say.
“And your mom takes care of her after school?” he keeps on caressing Alissa’s hair.
I nod. “It’s great to have their help.”
We look at each other and he appears lost in thought. It looks like he wants to say something, but he stays silent. Then, he offers his hands to Alissa and me, and guides us back inside again.
“Well, I have dinner warming up if you’re hungry. I’m not the one who cooked it, but I hope you like it.”
And in we go, fulfilling a part of my fantasies I thought was long gone.
Chapter Thirteen
ANDREW
Andrew
Dad’s right.
Alissa has my eyes.
That doesn’t mean she’s my daughter though. I try to reason with myself because that Patrick Shire dude has blue eyes too.
So, no need to jump to conclusions.
I almost asked her again if I was the father, but the last thing I want to do is push Emily away. If Alissa is my daughter, I will find out in time. I just need to be patient.
After meeting Alissa and spending more time with Emily, it’s clear to me that I want them both to be a part of my life, whether Alissa is my daughter or not.
I thought participating in Alissa’s career day at her school would be a fun assignment and a way to get closer to her.
Speaking in front of a bunch of five-year-olds? What could be so hard about that?
But the fact is, now that I’m here, sitting by Alissa’s side in her classroom, I’m getting nervous as hell.
All of a sudden, I know that I treasure that little girl beyond my craziest beliefs, and I know that I want to put on a good show and make her proud.
