Daddy Issues

77 - Thank you

'Avery knows.'

'What?'

'Avery knows,' I say, very explicitly. 'About us.'

'What? How?'

Dan's handsome face crunches up in confusion as I spring the information on his as soon as I get into the car.

I tried to enjoy myself at the party. And it was pretty fun, it really was. I got a lot of gifts, caught up with some old friends, hung out with my current friends and enjoyed the drinks and snacks that they got.

But, even though Avery promised she'd keep it a secret, it took everything I had to keep it together. I did say before that it wouldn't be the end of the world if we slipped up in front of one of our friends and Avery has very little connection to my mother, but still, I could see the whole thing play out in my mind.

What if Avery changes her mind and tells Pete anyway and she said he can't keep a secret, so he'll spill it to the rest of the band. Then a bunch of people would know. And what if Yuki gets mad and decides to yell about it to Dan on the streets and like my mom's colleague happens to walk by and they tell her about it and she kills me?

'That seems like a stretch,' Dan chuckles when I share that train of thought with him after I tell him how Avery found out.

'It could happen.'

Dan leans over and takes my face into his hands. The feeling of his skin on mine calms me down a little.

'It's going to be okay,' he says calmly. 'Avery is the kind of person that keeps her word, so if she told you she'll keep it a secret, she'll keep it a secret.'

'But it's only a matter of time before more people find out. I should probably tell her before she finds out from somebody else.'

'That would probably be best,' Dan agrees.

'But then she'll kick me out and I'll have to live on the streets.'

'Baby,' Dan laughs. 'I know you're young and we just got together, so I understand that you'll want a place for yourself, but you know you can stay with me, right? Until we figure it out.'

'Really?' I ask softly.

'What, did you think I'd let you sleep over and then kick you out into the cold or something?' he asks, raising an eyebrow. 'Even if we weren't together, I'd let you stay with me before I'd let you sleep on the streets.'

I'll give you three months to find something. Then I want you gone.

That's what mom said this morning. And here's Dan telling me he'd always have a place for me. Like an idiot, I feel myself starting to tear up a little. Of course, Dan notices and brushes his thumbs over my cheeks.

'Everything will be alright, honey,' he tells me gently. 'It's okay.'

'I'm sorry,' I sniffle. 'It's just been a weird day.'

'I know.'

He moves forward to kiss my lips. And then my cheeks to kiss away the tears.

'We'll figure it all out later,' he says in that reassuring tone of his. Somehow, when he says it, I actually believe that everything will be alright.

'But right now, it's still your birthday. It can wait another day, right?'

'It's not really my birthday anymore,' I say, looking at the car clock. It's already half past 1. I really couldn't get out of the party any sooner.

'It is,' Dan says definitively. 'I've officially declared your birthday a 2-day-event. Happy birthday.'

I smile after he kisses me again and finally relax in the car seat.