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“Dad? Are you okay?” Cam pinches her brows together in concern.
“I… I think Hailey might be upset with me, honey. She was my girlfriend when you were born. And I loved her, but I didn’t really get to tell her. Or show her, for that matter.”
Cam looks confused. “So? Did you do something mean to her? Were you a jerk?”
“No, I wasn't a jerk.” I can’t contain my chuckle. “But I didn’t tell her about you or the circumstances of your birth.”
“What? Why not?”
Thatistough to explain. “Listen, you are a true blessing—the best thing to ever happen to me. I don’t regret adopting you or raising you as my own for one second.”
“But?” Her little ten-year-old voice is tentative, like she’s waiting for bad news.
I sighed. “But being a single dad put a bit of a damper on my love life. Women in their twenties generally weren’t into the whole single dad thing. I even had a woman walk out in the middle of dinner once, when she found out I had a kid at home.”
Cam frowns. “But that’s stupid. Babies are so cute.”
I smile. She’s so sweet and innocent. “Yeah, they are. But it’s a big commitment. So, when I met Hailey, I didn’t tell her at first. Your mom had just left a few months before that, and I was still trying to figure everything out. I had such an instant connection with Hailey and wanted to see where it was going before I brought you into the picture. It seemed like a good idea.But our jobs pulled us away from each other before we got the chance to explore anything serious.”
“Okay… but what’s the problem? She knows you have a kid now. Does she not like that? Does she not likeme?”
“That’s impossible, princess. Everyone loves you.” I really believe that. Cam is a great kid, and no one could dislike her. I also don’t think that Hailey is the type to be upset just because I have a child.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Hailey doesn’t understand that you’re technically my niece. I know that you consider me to be your dad, and I do too, since I adopted you from my sister. But Hailey doesn’t know that. She might think I was in a relationship with another woman while I was dating her.”
She plants her little fists on her hips and narrows her eyes at me. “Were you?”
“No! Of course not. Jesus, Cam.”
“Alright, I’m just checking. Because that would be a really crappy thing to do, Dad.”
Is she ten or thirty?“Duly noted.”
“Well, you should go tell her the truth then. Tonight.” She makes it sound so simple.
“I don’t know about that, honey.” I shake my head, knowing it won’t be that easy.
“Why not? I like Hailey. She’s nice and pretty. Seems clean.”
What the hell does that even mean?“It’s Christmas Eve, Cam. Hailey doesn’t have family in town, so she might be out celebrating with friends. I can track her down and tell her after Christmas.”
“Orshe might be home alone and heartbroken, crying in her jammies. No one should be sad on Christmas Eve, Dad.” She scowls at me.
No one should be sad on Christmas Eve.Those words echo in my mind. It’s simple but so true. Trying to avoid feeling sad during Christmas is the whole reason we have our holiday traditions. I’ve tried to put the bad memories of losing my parents out of my mind by immersing myself in fun activities with my daughter.
What if Cam is right? I hate the idea of Hailey being alone, thinking I betrayed her. She must be so hurt right now.
I look at Cam with a raised eyebrow, and she gives the same look right back to me. Hands on her hips, she’s all sass when she declares, “You need to go tell her now before it’s too late. What if she leaves town when the movie is over?”
The thought of losing my opportunity to make things right with Hailey feels like a fist reaching into my chest and squeezing my heart. “When did you become so mature?” I ask Cam. It’s clearer to me every day that she isn’t just a child anymore. My baby’s growing up.
She flashes a big smile at me. “Mama Robbie lets me watch her stories with her.”
“Stories? What’s that?”
“Soap operas,” she says as if it should have been obvious. “You can learn a lot from those, Dad.”
