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SAM
As much as I enjoyed the time with Alice, I was happy to see Maggie. I always enjoyed the alone time I got without her and appreciated her even more when she returned. Early on, Mom convinced me I needed some time to myself, especially since Felicia wasn’t around.
Mom dropped Maggie off at eleven. If she noticed anything was going on between Alice and me, she didn’t mention it.
Maggie set up the new game my mom bought her on the ottoman. Even though it was Alice’s day off, she was hanging out with us, as if she’d missed Maggie too.
“What are we doing today?” Maggie asked, her usual question on the weekends. It was like every day, no matter what we planned, was an adventure for her.
“We don’t have anything planned.” I was a little tired from skiing.
“I’m going to my sister’s, and I was hoping you two would join me,” Alice said, taking the offered cards from Maggie.
“I can play with Amelia?” Maggie asked, her voice filled with excitement.
Alice smiled. “She’ll be there, so yes.”
“I have to pack my toy bag.” Maggie ran up to her room, presumably to unpack from her sleepover and fill it with toys to show off to Amelia.
When she was gone, Alice said, “I’m sorry. Should I have asked your first?”
“It’s okay.”
“I feel bad getting a home-cooked meal when you’re home by yourselves.”
“Thanks for inviting us,” I said just as Maggie returned with her book bag overflowing with stuffed animals and other toys.
“Are you sure you have enough?” I asked at the same time Alice remarked, “You know Amelia has toys. I’m sure she’s excited to show you.”
Looking up from her bag, Maggie asked, “You think she has ponies? I want a stable and ponies for my birthday.”
Sam tapped his head. “I made a mental note.”
Maggie frowned. “Don’t forget this time, Daddy.”
“Have you forgotten before?” Alice asked me, her lips twitching.
“To be fair, she changes her mind daily, and I never know what she actually wants on the day. I can only give my best guess.”
“Daddy, it’s so easy. A stable with horsies so I can play,” Maggie whined.
“You want to ride when you get older?” Alice asked her.
Maggie’s eyes widened. “Yes.”
“We’ll see,” I offered the usual parent response. I didn’t like to give definite responses until I’d thoroughly researched it.
Thankfully, Maggie hadn’t picked up on any vibes between Alice and me. No matter how much I wanted to grab her hand, kiss her cheek, or say something to make her blush, Maggie was here. It was a good test to see if being together without telling her was possible. I didn’t want to keep our relationship a secret forever, just until we’d been together long enough to test the viability.
It was my first time officially dating a woman since Maggie was born, and I didn’t want to screw it up or traumatize my daughter.
We played several rounds of the new card game, Sushi-Go. It was fun and had Maggie and Alice giggling. It was sweet to see them interact like this. It made me think something permanent could be possible. But by the end, we were all craving sushi.
“When do we need to leave for dinner?” I asked her when we’d given up on the game.
Alice was cleaning up the scattered cards and placing them in the tin box while Maggie ran to the pantry to look for a snack.
Alice glanced at the clock in the kitchen. “Soon.”
