ᴀᴜʙʀᴇʏ 'ᴅʀᴀᴋᴇ' ɢʀᴀʜᴀᴍ
It was Ava's 9th birthday, I spared no expense, renting out Zoombezi Bay just for her and her friends. The entire park was buzzing with excitement as kids ran around, splashing in the water, and enjoying the freedom of having the place all to themselves.
Ava, with her boundless energy, came rushing over, tugging at my arm. "Daddy, is Omari coming?" she asked, her eyes wide with hope.
I smiled,"Yeah, baby girl, Omari's on his way. I just heard from Onika—they'll be here soon."
She beamed, satisfied with my answer, and dashed back to her friends, eager to share the news. I watched her go, She was growing up so fast, and I wanted to make sure she knew just how much she will always be my little girl.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a message from Onika. She let me know that they were close.
Onika and I had been texting more lately, mostly me checking up on her, but there was an unspoken connection between us that neither of us acknowledged out loud.
I sighed, pocketing my phone, and walked over to where the all the parents were sitting, making sure everything was set up just right. Today was about Ava, and I was determined to keep it that way.
But as I saw Ava laughing with her friends, a part of me couldn't help but think about what might happen when Onika arrived. We'd both been careful not to cross any lines, but with the way things had been going, it felt like only a matter of time and I was starting to not care about Kevin's feelings.
I knew what I wanted and it was Onika.
Looking to my left, I saw Chubbs making his way over with a couple of gift bags in his hands. Walking beside him was his girl, Ellie, and my nephew, JJ. JJ's face lit up when he spotted me, and he ran over, grinning from ear to ear. We did our handshake, a little routine we'd perfected over time.
"Where's Ava?" he asked, clearly excited to join in on the fun.
I smiled and pointed toward the pool. "She's in the pool with her friends."
Without missing a beat, JJ turned to Chubbs, asking if he could go join her. Chubbs nodded, giving him the green light, and JJ took off like a shot toward the water.
I stood up, dapped Chubbs up, and turned to Ellie, pulling her into a quick side hug. "How you doing, Ellie?" I asked, genuinely happy to see her. Her and Chubbs are an on and off couple.
Ellie smiled warmly, her eyes bright. "I'm good, can't complain. How about you? This place looks amazing, by the way."
"Thanks," I replied, glancing around at the park. "Just wanted to make sure Ava had the best day ever, you know?"
Ellie nodded, her smile widening as she looked toward the pool where JJ was already splashing around with the other kids.
Today was about Ava, and as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.
After chatting it up with Chubbs for a bit, we shared a few laughs and talked about the latest happenings. It was good to unwind, even if just for a moment. But soon enough, my attention drifted back to Ava. I could see her in the wave pool, splashing around with her friends, her laughter carrying over the sounds of the water.
"I'm gonna go check on Ava," I told Chubbs as I got up. He nodded, I made my way over to the wave pool.
As I approached, Ava spotted me, her face lighting up as she waved me over. "Daddy, come here!" she called out, her voice full of excitement.
