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“I think we already are best friends!” Aurora claps her small hands. “Can we get ice cream now?”
He looks at me, and I nod. “There’s a vendor on the other side of the park if you want to take her, I’ll wait here.” I want to give them time alone, now that I can clearly see they’re getting along better than I thought they would.
Apollo hasn’t ever been around kids, as far as I know. I had no idea he would even know how to interact with our daughter.
And Aurora hasn’t been around men all that much either. I had no idea she would feel at ease with her father so fast.
I watch them walk away, him carrying her, and they talk to each other nonstop as they go. Wiping my eyes, I take a deep breath as I try to take in all the emotions.
My phone rings and I see it’s Lani calling. “Hey.”
“How’s it going?”
That’s the million-dollar question. And I’m glad I have good news to report. “Extremely well. She really likes him.”
“Well, he is cute.”
“I don’t think that’s why she likes him.” But he is very cute. “It’s kind of like she understands that they are something special to each other. She called him her best friend already, and they’ve only known each other for less than an hour.”
“Wow, that was fast.” I can hear the hesitation in her voice.
“I don’t know what to think. I’ve never seen anything like this before. He’s her father, and maybe he’s sending out dad-vibes that she feels, making her feel close him.”
“I’m glad you guys are having fun. I know that can’t be easy for you, especially because he’s still him, and he might need to leave soon enough, so enjoy this time and have Aurora enjoy as much as she can, but just be prepared for anything, okay?”
I look into the distance, where they are by the ice cream vendor.
“They are just getting to know each other. I realized that nowadays, with technology, even when people are far, they can still be as close as they want.” I want so badly to hold onto hope that Apollo will do what’s right by his daughter. “Besides, this is about him and Aurora, not about me. They deserve to be in each other’s lives.”
Looking across the park at my daughter with her daddy warms my heart in ways I didn’t know could happen. God, I hope I’m doing the right thing.
“You’re right. I just want you and Aurora to be happy.”
“I know. And I appreciate that more than you’ll ever know. But I have to do my part as well. It’s going to take us both to make this work. I’m not about to sit back and let him fail, but I won’t be the obstacle in the way of them being together.”
“Good for you. And for what is worth, I believe he’ll want to see her and to make time for her for as long as he can.”
“Hear hear, sister.”
She chuckles.
“It really is amazing watching them, Lani. I’ve just witnessed my daughter falling into a real friendship with her father.” Holding my hand over my heart, I’ve never felt it this full.
“And what about him? How was he with her?”
“He was so taken by her.” Twirling a lock of my hair, I replay the scene in my mind of our daughter playing the same way with her father’s hair. “The way they smile at each other just melts my heart.”
“Then I hope he can stick around for a good while. He is a busy man with a life that’s hard to understand. I don’t think Aurora will ever fully understand who her dad is and what he does for a living.”
“Kids are resilient, and they can handle things much better than adults at times. I think this will all work out. I really want it to work out. She needs her father.” And her father might need her too.
It’s obvious that Apollo needs some balance in his life.
“I should get off here. They’re on the way back, and it looks like there’s an extra ice cream cone in Apollo’s hand for me.”
“Okay,” she says with a smile in her voice. “Enjoy yourself, Luce. I can’t wait to hear about how the rest of the day goes. Bye.”
Enjoying myself sounds like a very good idea.
