His To Keep

Chapter 2

*MIHIR*

"Slow down Misha." he yelled to his daughter who was sitting on the swings on a Sunday evening in the park. Misha loved coming to the park with her dad, they did it every weekend. It was the best time of the week for her.

"I'll hold on tight. I promise." she begged making a puppy face. 

"No dear, you'll fall down and break a bone or two and that would be really painful." he said like the protective father he has always been. It would bug his daughter at times but she knew he only cared for her.

"Maya Aunty!" she yelled jumping down from the swing as she saw her dad's best friend make her way towards them. She would occasionally accompany the father-daughter's outings.

"Careful honey!" he told his daughter who was running towards Maya to hug her.

"Hi baby." Maya greeted her, hugging her tightly and giving a little kiss on her cheek. "I missed you."

"Aunty, could you please tell daddy that I'm not a little kid anymore." she complained. "I am six years old."

"Mihir." she teased him. "You heard her! She is not a little kid anymore. Stop treating her like one."

"So much for being the only responsible person around." he shrugged.

"Misha," she said looking at her. "would you mind going over there and playing on the slides? Daddy and I have a little something to talk about."

"Okay. But please tell daddy that I can take care of myself." she smiled.

"I sure will honey." she gave her an assuring smile.

"But you'll always be my little girl." he looked at his daughter in awe who ran gracefully towards the slides swaying her hands around.

"Oh wait!" Mihir said after self-realization. "She is my little girl. Merely six years old! Acting all grown up."

"Please. She is so much better than you." Maya laughed. "Do you remember yourself as a kid?"

"Yeah! But I wasn't a dad then." he said.

"Stop being unreasonable." she shook her head in disbelief.

"Wait I am being unreasonable?" he said pointing at himself. "Me?"

"Yes you! Now listen carefully. There is something important I need to talk to you about." She said as they walked over to the bench nearby and sat there.

"Am I in trouble?" he narrowed his eyes at her wondering what she could possibly be talking about.

"No" she laughed. "I just want you to meet a friend of mine."

"Where did that suddenly come from?" he said. He was startled by what she had just said, just out of the blue.

"So that you can stop being an over protecting dad and be a normal fun dad for a change." she said jokingly.

"I am a fun dad!" he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Sure." she smirked.

"Let me get this straight. The woman who broke my heart and shattered it into pieces is trying to mend it by setting me up with a friend of hers?" he asked trying to figure out what exactly was going on in his best friend's head.