New York, New York

Chapter 5

AN: so this will be another chapter with very little "alone time" for them and I actually considered to skip the rest of their weekend with the kid, but then I had some ideas that at least I thought were interesting and something I have not done in any of my stories. Next chapter will be a lot of cute stuff again, and while I did not have a real plot when I decided to turn my one shot into a story, a friend helped me come up with a fun twist, so please stick with me!!!!

It was late Sunday afternoon, and this time, it was her working in the kitchen preparing the dinner for the 3 of them and his ex wife, who was coming to pick up her daughter.

She watched him goof around with the girl while setting the table, following the kid's strict instructions on how to arrange things.

Watching them together still gave her all kinds of feelings. Her heart was already swelling in love for this wonderful, smart little girl, who not only looked exactly like her father, but that also inherited so much of his character: his intelligence, his sense of humor and most of all his kindness. At times, this also made her think what her own kids with him would have looked like if only they both had been able to make it work earlier instead of being stupid and oblivious to the bond they had always shared being a once in a lifetime thing.

If that happened, she always tried to push that thought away as quickly as she could. Because she was only hurting herself by doing so.

But most of all, seeing him interact with his daughter just intensified her love for this man, if that was even possible.  She had always known that he would probably be the best father a kid could possibly hope for, but seeing it now with her own eyes was something else. He set clear rules with commanding the kid, who followed his lead with complete trust. He joked around with her, but he was very clear if something she said or did went too far from his point of view, but he always remained calm and collected around her. She sure was always aware of her father's love for her without being overly spoiled.

Seeing the love for the girl in his eyes also send waves of happiness through her body, because even though it had not been with her, he had gotten everything he had wished for and that he sure as hell deserved. And seeing that he wanted her to be a part of this, be a part of his girl's life, was something she would forever be grateful for.

The last 2 days had been gloomy and filled with rain, so that, even though they probably would have been fine out in the city, they had preferred to stay at home, playing games and watching movies together with the kid.

She also felt grateful for the way the girl had not only accepted her as part of her father's life, but also welcomed her as part of her own. She recalled a talk she had with her last night when he - always the gentleman - had sacrificed himself, put on a rain coat and headed out to a nearby shop to buy the ice cream the girl and her had craved....

She came back from the kitchen getting a new bottle of juice for the girl, some water and 2 wine glasses for the wine he also wanted to bring.

When she sat down, the girl put away the remote she had in her hand away, cuddled into her arm, resting her head on her chest before she started to speak, both of them looking at the screen saver showing on the  TV.

"Jen?"

"Yes?"

"I wanted to thank you..."

"Thank me for what, Sweetie?"

"For making my Dad happy. You know, of course I was sad when Mom and I moved out. And I thought it would be the end of the world. But it really was not. I still had both of my parents taking care of me, loving me, just not together and loving each other anymore. And Mom and I were fine. Because we still had each other. But I know that my dad was sad. He tried to put on a brave face, and be strong for all of us. But it made me sad that he was living here alone. Came home to an empty house when I was not here. He never said anything, but I know that this was not what he had wished for.