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“Hi, Grayson.” Her cheeks bloomed a beautiful shade of pink. She was the only person who didn’t call me Gray and I loved hearing my full name coming from her sweet lips.
“Lily.” Apparently, it was the only word I knew at this point. Leaning forward, I brushed my lips across her blushing cheek, dying to feel the softness of her skin against them. When I pulled back, her hand slowly lifted to where my lips had been as if she could feel my kiss lingering there.
“Lily, you’re here!” Daisy sprinted to her and hugged her tightly, causing the box in Lily’s hands to wobble precariously.
Swooping in, I grabbed it out of her hand before she could drop it. She graced me with a thankful smile like I was her knight in shining armor before dismissing me completely and giving her full attention to Daisy. But damn did that smile feel good.
“I’m here indeed and that box your dad’s holding contains some very special treats for a certain little girl. Do you know if she’s home?” She stood on her tiptoes and glanced around as if there were someone else hiding. Daisy giggled and dragged her into the loft. Both of them completely forgetting that I was there, too.
I followed behind them listening to their quiet whispering and laughter bounce off the walls of my home. Daisy pulled Lily to her bedroom and I decided to give them some time alone while I finished getting dinner ready. Tonight was special for both of us, the only people who visited us regularly were my team and my family. Lily was like a shiny new toy for Daisy to play with.
Once everything was on the table, I called out to them and they walked into the kitchen the same way they’d left, giggling and whispering. They both sat down and I started filling up Daisy’s plate before spooning a large helping onto Lily’s.
“There’s no way I can eat all of that,” she pointed to the generous portion I’d given her with wide eyes.
“Eat what you want, sweetheart, I’ll take care of any leftovers.” I patted my stomach that would need an extra mile on the treadmill tomorrow to work off this dinner. Her eyes lingered on my abs and I hoped that meant she liked my body. I would run for hours if it kept her looking at me like that.
A rainbow bracelet adorned her wrist that hadn’t been there when she arrived. “I see Daisy gave you one of her coveted friendship bracelets.” My words broke her trance as I’d intended. As much as I loved having her eyes on me, dinner with my daughter was not the place to imagine what dirty thoughts were going through that beautiful head of hers.
“We’re best friends now, Daddy,” Daisy stated before shoving half a biscuit into her mouth, crumbs exploding all over the table and floor.
“Smaller bites, cupcake. And I thought I was your best friend,” I said with mock hurt in my voice. Daisy seemed to be just as enamored with Lily as I was.
“You’re my best daddy friend but me and Lily both have flower names, so we’re best name friends,” she nodded her little head like what she had said was perfectly logical.
“We decided to start a club and I hate to tell you but it’s girls only,” Lily teased playfully.
“Is that so? Maybe I’ll start my own club and your name has to be a color to join. Do you know any Greens or Purples that might be interested?” They both dissolved into fits of laughter, a sound I was enjoying more and more.
“That’s such a dad joke,” Lily rolled her eyes but the smile stayed on her beautiful face.
The rest of dinner went much the same way, Lily seamlessly included Daisy in the conversation and miraculously persuaded her to eat all of her lima beans. Daisy had informed me on more than one occasion they were her least favorite bean, jelly being the favorite. When Lily presented us with the confetti cupcakes she’d brought, I was convinced I was already half in love with her.
“These are incredible, Lily. Who taught you how to bake, your mom?”
A shadow crossed over her face and she shook her head somberly. “No, my mom actually passed away when I was still little. Baking’s just something I’ve always enjoyed.”
My heart broke for her and I covered her hand with my own, squeezing slightly, “I’m sorry, that must’ve been really hard on you.”
“Thank you. I’ve had a long time to get over it,” she smiled at me sadly and a beat passed where we gazed at one another. I wanted to know more about her life growing up. If her mom was gone, then who raised her to be the kind, talented woman she was today?
Daisy let out a loud yawn and I glanced at my watch, surprised it was nearly her bed time. “I should probably get this one into bed before she falls asleep at the table,” I gestured with my head toward my sleepy-eyed daughter.
“Right, I should get home. Big day tomorrow, I’m going to scrub all the display cases,” Lily pushed back her seat and reached for her plate.
I clasped her forearm before she could step away from me, partly to keep her from leaving but mainly because I wanted to touch her again. “Don’t worry about that, I can clean up after. Please, stay, I’d love to talk some more.” I hoped that I was coming off as earnest and not overly forward.
Did I want to spend time with Lily doing X-rated adult things? Absolutely. But I wanted to get to know who she was more and let her get to know me in turn. She bit her lip uncertainly but gave me a small nod, letting me know she wouldn’t bolt the second I left the room.
Daisy was out before I could even finish her favorite bedtime story. I stroked her hair and watched her even breathing. My little girl was growing up too fast, there were moments I wished I could slow time down and keep her this age forever. As quietly as I could, I turned off her lights and closed her door.
Lily was standing with her back to me, surveying the framed photos on the wall in the den. Stopping next to her, I looked at all the happy memories that had been captured. There were pictures of Daisy as a baby with a big gummy smile, she and Winnie wearing matching unicorn onesies, her first day of kindergarten. I had missed out on the first six months of her life and I’d vowed to make every moment from then on count.
Lily pointed to one of my favorites. My dad was crouched next to Daisy, who was holding a small princess pink fishing pole and he had the tiniest brim in his big hands. A look of pride shone on his face and unbridled excitement covered hers.
“I love this. She’s amazing, Grayson, you’ve done such a great job raising her.” Lily’s eyes met mine and I could tell she meant every word.
It wasn’t the first time I’d had the compliment. Being a single man raising his daughter on his own got me all kinds of praise when I knew deep down, had I been a woman the same wouldn’t be said. It was a shitty double standard. Being a parent was fucking hard.
