Daddy's still here.

Bonus: birds and the bees

My legs nervously bounce under the table and my heart pounds in my ears and I honest would rather be anywhere but here right now. Maddie is eating her spaghetti next to me and his telling me about her day, but she is a girl in high school now. I have to tell her this. I have to. But I so don't want to! This was what a a mother and father talk about with their kids, not just me!

"You'll do just fine honey." Abbie assures me in my head and I run a hand through my hair, glancing up at our daughter.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" I ask my love when her bright smile fills my head.

"You bet I am." She giggles.

Oh I love this woman, but sometimes, just sometimes I think she plans to kill me.

I take in a deep breath and sit up a little straighter. Here goes nothing.

"Maddie are you having sex?" I guess you could say my daughter was surprised when I blurted this out because she chokes on her garlic bread and looks at me with huge eyes, like the kind you see on Chihuahua.

"What?!" She says after a drink of her water.

"Well, you're getting rig older and more....more attracted to boys, it's only natural you'd have these feelings for someone and if you're not careful things can move fast and then.-"

"Oh my ears! Dad!" She covers her ears and shakes her head, your face probably as red as mine is.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, it's just you have to be careful, if not you could end up pregnant. Do you use... Protection at least?" My heart as too old for this kind of talk with my baby girl.

Heck if a boy even tried to kiss her in front of me, I'd chop his future generations away.

"Ewwwww! Dad, no!" My eyes widened.

"You don't use protection?!" I asked completely shocked and run my hands through my hair.

Oh heck! I'm too lame!

My little girl, some punk has been.... Ewwww I don't want to think about this!! Yuck!

"Dad-"

"Then are you on the pill? Please for the love that's all holly tell me your on the pill."

Maddie laughs. She laughs!!

"Daddy please calm down." She smiles at me and takes a bite of her spaghetti. How can she be so calm?!

"Calm down!! I'm too lame with "the talk"! How can I calm down!?" I throw my hands in the air waving them like an octopus.

She laughs again, "dad you're getting ahead of yourself. I've never had sex. I don't plan to until I find the right guy, so you don't have to worry for sometime." She says calmly and I stand there staring at her for a moment.

My heart going into overdrive and my brain in a haze. She hasn't.... Oh thank the heaven! I let out a sign and slump back into my seat. I glare at her, "are you trying to kill me maddster?! My old heart can't take this." I whine like a child and she laughs at me.

"Sorry daddy, that was hilarious."

I rest my head in my hands and try to erase all the crazy images that were forming without my permission.

"Dear she has your sense of humor." I tiredly say to my love who is laughing uncontrollably in my head as my little scene.

"Oh my heck," she barely gets out as she laughs so hard I imagine tears rolling out of the corners of her eye, "I'm so proud of her for getting you that worked up. No one has been able to do that but me." She says fondly.

"Yeah, I've never been closer to death of a heart attack till now either." I roll my eyes at her.

Abbie wraps her arms around my shoulder and rests her chin, leaning her head till her cheek touches mine, just like how I remember her doing it.

"Don't be upset with me, it's hair good to know such an amazing sense of humor like mine is still on the earth to drive you crazy; plus it is in our gorgeous little girl who almost does it better than I did." She smiles and kisses my cheek.

These two are really trying to send me to my freaking grave.

"You're a meanie." I pretend to pout.

"Oh don't be like that, you know you love us." She hugs tighter around my shoulders.

She is right, I love her more than anything else and our daughter too. Even if they drive me crazy, I love them more than they will ever know.

"You're right my love, I do." I lean my head slightly wishing that the small contact between us was real, that I could feel her warm skin next to mine again, but I'm forced to realize she is only in my head and heart. Doing the things she used to do from my memories and imagination. I remember so vividly how her laugh sounds and how her eyes would light up slightly whenever she saw me or chocolate.

Chocolate was my biggest competition. Sometimes I think she loved it more than me.

"Don't be silly, chocolate was a close second." I smile as she doesn't tease about her love for me, there where only a few times she would tease about how much she loved me and I her. But our love was something not seen often and not treasured like it should be. So many people mess up what they have because ego and worries get between them.

So many happy endings die out because the ones who have it refuse to just not care what the world thinks and love that person so as long as they can. To treasure them while they are still here. I look at Maddie as she gets up to put her plate in the sink, still jabbering away about something.

"Maddie." I say and she looks at me with a smile.

"You're not dating till I'm 80." My voice firm and all adult like, but inside I'm laughing as her eyes widen and her mouth falls open.

"What?! Dad that's not fair."

"Well isn't that better than saying till you're 80?" She gasps and I can't hold in my laughter anymore.

"Dad you're such a tease!" She laughs and I nod.

"That's for making me think you've had sex." I stick my tongue out at her.

"Who says I haven't?" She looks at me dead serious and my heart stops. Then she bursts out laughing.

Oh....my poor heart can't take this harassment.

"I'm going to bed." I stand up and pout.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. It was a good joke." She hangs on my arm and I stick my tongue out at her again like am the child.

"You're mean, just like your mother."

"But you love us just the same." She smiles at me and I look at her for a moment.

"Of course I do." I kiss her temple and she starts joking with me again about her "sex" life and I go up the stairs with her behind me laughing as I pretend to gag.