𝑯𝒆𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒉 | ᴹᴰᴳᶜ

14: Sweet Child 'O Mine

Logan and I have been dating for 2 years now! We're both 14. It was nighttime, almost 10 pm. I just got back from Logan and I's 2 year anniversary date. I saw the light in the kitchen was on when Logan walked me to the door, giving me a goodbye kiss. I went inside, holding a bouquet of roses from Logan. I heard Dad and another man's voice coming from the kitchen. I closed the door, walking into the kitchen to put the roses in a vase of water.

"D, you're home!" Dad said, sitting at the table next to a man I didn't recognize at first. "Did you have fun?" He asked as the man who was at the table with Dad watched my every move looking.

"Yeah! Logan got me flowers, and we went to see Ghostbusters: Afterlife! It was pretty cool." I told Dad as I put water from the sink faucet in the vase, then put the roses in being careful of the thorns,"I bet!" He said as him and the man got out of their chairs. "Delilah. Honey. There's someone I really want you to meet." Dad said, looking at the man and nodding.

"Hi, Delilah," the man went quiet for a second. "I'm your dad." He said, trying not to cry. My face softened, not knowing if this was a sick joke and he was lying or if he was being serious and telling the truth. I looked at Dad, and he nodded his head. When the man who is claiming to be my dad walked closer, I got a good look at him. The man who was claiming to be my dad was.....Dean Portman? This can't be real. Dean Portman is claiming to be my father?

Dean's POV:

I was working a construction job in New Jersey when I saw a woman who looked like my ex-fiance Nicole. I did a double take at the woman, but it wasn't her. I wonder what happened to her? A guy I was working with saw me do a double take.

"Look like someone you know?" Chase asked.

"Yeah." "Who?" "My ex-fiance." "Ouch. What's her name?" "Nicole. Wonder what's she's doing now?" "Nicole? Like Nicole Parker? Or Nicole Ratajkowski?" My heart hurt for a moment hearing her name again. "Nicole Parker. Who's Nicole Ratajkowski?" "Oh, sorry. That's my ex-wife! My bad!" "Oh." "Wait?" "Huh?" "You do know about Nicole Parker, right?" "No? What about her?" "She died in 2007 giving birth to a baby girl. You didn't know?" "No, she was pregnant?" "Yeah! It was yours too! You didn't know you had a daughter either?" "Nicole never told me she was pregnant." "Maybe she never got a chance? You did leave her during that year" "When did she give birth?" "Sometime in November?" Then it hit me. I left Nicole 4 months before she had a baby. "You good, Portman?" "Yeah. I think?" "Well we gotta get back to work, so you gotta think straight!" Chase told me as I began to think about the night I left Nicole.

~Flashback~

Nicole and I were fighting about me working too much and how I should take a break.

"You need to take a break once in a while and spend time with me! If you want a family, Dean, then you need to be here for them, too! Not just me!" Nicole yelled. We were fighting in the living room of the trailer we had. We could only afford so much at that time.

"If we're going to have a family, I need to be making money to provide for them! I don't want our kids having to live in a trailer! They deserve a house and lights they can flicker on and off! They deserve the joy of watching morning cartoons on a TV!" I yelled back. So many things were running through my head. I've always wanted a family ever since I got with Nicole. She was so sweet and kind. She had the instinct of a mother. Nicole and I argued back and forth for an hour. "You know what, Nicole!? You can find someone else to have a family with! I'm leaving!" I yelled as I walked to our room and started packing my bags. I ignored what she was saying to me and continued packing. I walked out of the trailer, slamming the door and getting into my car driving away. I didn't know where I was going at the moment. But I was going somewhere.

~End of Flashback~

After work, I went around trying to find out what happened to the daughter I didn't know about. I talked to a woman, and she told me my daughter's name was Delilah Axel Blaze Parker. I remember when Nicole and I were talking about names for our future kids. I said I wanted twins and name them Axel and Blaze Portman. She liked the name Delilah. I also found out Delilah was living with someone. His name sounded familiar. Then I remembered that I went to school with him! Shawn Eben! I called him and asked about Delilah. He told me it was about time I knew about her and he was mad. It was also about time I moved, so I decided to move to where Delilah and Shawn were. Minnesota! It was far from New Jersey, but I wanted to be close to her! She probably had friends she wouldn't want to leave.

Anyways, that was 5 months ago. Today I was going to meet her. I knocked on the door, and Shawn opened it.

"She's not here right now, but she'll be here soon. Her and her boyfriend left to celebrate their 2 year anniversary." Shawn told me as I walked in, and he shut the door

"Boyfriend!? 2 years!?" I was shocked. "Yeah! It's alright! He's a good kid!" "He better be." We walked into his kitchen. "You know. Im glad you're the one taking care of her, Shawn." "Yeah. Me too. Now it's your turn." "What? No. No. She doesn't even know who I am!" "Give her and yourself a chance!" Shawn and I talked about life and Delilah. It's still hard to believe. I have a daughter! I've had a daughter for 14 years, and I just found out. I heard the front door open, and she walked inside. I tried to avoid her but I couldn't. I have a daughter. She was talking about her date to Shawn as she put roses in a vase. I look at Shawn, and he nods and then stands up. "Delilah. Honey. There's someone I really want you to meet." Shawn said to her, then looking at me and nodding. I took a deep breath and then spoke, "Hi Delilah," I went quiet for a second, trying to process what I was about to say to her. "I'm your dad." I said, trying not to cry. It was hard. For 14 years, I never knew. I saw her face soften. She looks at Shawn, and he nods.

"Dad?" She said with tears forming in her eyes."Hi Mama." I smiled at her. She practically ran into my arms, and I held her tight, kissing the top of her head. She was crying into me, and I was trying not to cry, but I did let a few tears flow. We pulled apart, but I still held her. "You look like your mom." She looked more like me, but I still saw Nicole in her. She smiled at me big. I hugged her again. "I'll leave you two alone." Shawn said, stepping out of the room. Delilah and I talked about where I was all these years and everything. We got onto the topic of custody. "He has full custody, right?" I asked her, pointing to the door Shawn exited out of."Yeah, but you can! I just don't want to leave here. My friends and boyfriend are here." "I know! I wouldn't do that to you. I just met you!" "You can live with us, D- Shawn and I!" "That's up to him." Shawn walks through the door."You're welcome anytime!" "Then I guess if it's okay with you two...I'm moving in!" I went back to my place for the night. I have a daughter! I still can't believe it! She's like me! Hockey, Initials...temper according to Shawn. She even plays for the Mighty Ducks! Who used to be called "The Don't Bothers"

What if I hadn't left Nicole that night? What if we never argued? If those What If's happened, then she would have still been here, and Delilah would have a mother and know who her father was. It feels like it's my fault all this happened. Who am I kidding it is my fault. I blame myself. If only I knew sooner and not 14 years later. Delilah's a great kid! I'm excited to actually be in her life at the moment! I have to make every memory count and be there for her. I'm going to try and be a better father than my father was. He wasn't very nice to my mom. He barely was there and barely provided for us. I need to treat Delilah how I wished I was treated when I was younger. She deserves the world! Her and Nicole both.