Raising Daniel

42

'Maddie, would you like to come ice skating with me?' I knocked and walked right into her room, finding her buried in a book. We'd flown to a northern state where it was amazingly cold. She would be flying home later that day with Woody and I had to talk to her before she left. It was rare that we got to spend precious time together without her sisters. I didn't want her to go. The idea of her being all the way across an ocean did not sit well. I know Jane was there to meet her at the airport and Woody was more than capable of sitting next to her for ten hours. But she was still so young and there was that boy involved.

'Yeah sure, I'll grab my coat and shoes.'

'I'll meet you outside, I don't want Lily knowing were going without her.'

'Ok sure. See you in five.' She waved and began the hunt for her trainers in her messy room. It had made more sense that she had her own space. Certainly after she'd lost her temper at Lily the day before for touching her stuff. I understood completely. There was nothing worse than being cramped up with too many people in such a small space. It had set a thought off in my mind about what we would do when it came to sharing the tour bus. I was sure we'd need to hire a second one just for my brood.

I took the lift down to the lobby. Will was on babysitting duty this time, Kyle was napping and Woody was packing for his return home. As I left the building into the bitter cold, Sasha was coming in, arms full of papers and flyers.

'Hey!' She beamed and quickly kissed me on the lips, looking around for Maddie. 'Have you told her yet?'

'I'm just about to. Wish me luck.'

'It'll be fine.'

It was just a short walk to the ice rink. She was quiet, but smiling. I knew she was excited about going home. I wasn't too sure what her and this boy, who so far remained nameless, were. Were they boyfriend and girlfriend? Should I even let this happen? Wasn't fourteen too young? We put on our skates in silence and hit the rink.

'Have you done this before?' She asked as we edged out onto the ice.

'Nope.' I laughed. It was only a matter of time before I fell over onto my back. She attempted to help me up but was in too much hysterics, so instead she stood there, doubled over, pointing at me. I was in a lot of pain but couldn't help but laugh with her. It took ten minutes for me to find my feet and skate slowly around the rink, holding onto the edge. She sped ahead, like a pro. 'Hey, come show me how you do that.' She skidded to a halt and waited for me to catch up. She linked her arm in mine and helped me round like an old man.

'There you go. You're getting it.' She laughed. The time had come. I took a deep breath in. I'd practiced what I'd say and had a good idea of how she'd react.

'Theres something I need to talk to you about.'

'Is it about Sasha?' She asked straight away. 'Cos I already know.'

'What? How?'

'You're crap at keeping secrets. I've seen you when she's around, and when she rings you, you go all weak at the knees.' I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. 'Its cool. I like her. Did you think I'd be pissed?'

'Oi.' I warned her for her swearing, but I'd let this one slide. 'You're ok with it? You can tell me if you're not and we'll stop-'

'No, it's nice. It's nice to see you happy, especially after Mum...'

'I'm not replacing her, just so you know.'

'I know that. But we all deserve to be happy....' She trailed off and looked down at the ice. 'I do have one condition.'

'Whats that?' I asked, tenderly. I think I knew where this was going.

'You lay off me and Matt?'

'Oh is that his name?'

'Yeah. I love him and he loves me.' I bit my tongue. Did fourteen year olds know what love was? I could guarantee that he would be a distant memory in six months time. And I'd be the one picking up the pieces when he dumps her next week, I thought bitterly. But I figured that's what growing up was all about.

'Sure. I think that's fair.' Her face lit up. I loved seeing her happy. 'But I want to meet him and there will be no overnight bed sharing, got it?'

'Dad, we don't-'

'Promise me. I'm not being a grandfather any time soon.' It was her turn to flash scarlet. I'm sure she knew all about the birds and bees from her friends at school and I did not want that conversation. I'd probably scared her off sex for life by just mentioning it. Was there anything worse than your parents talking about sex? 'How do you think Lily will take it?'

'She'll be over the moon. You're not moving her in right away are you?' The concern on her face was obvious.

'Oh no, not anytime soon. It's early days. I like her a lot and she's been a great friend to me. It might not even work out, but I wanted to be honest with you.'

'That means a lot to me, thank you.'

'You've been an angel with all of this and I know I've probably not been the easiest person to live with. You're the one who's held this family together. I mean that.' I could see her eyes welling up. I hadn't meant to upset her, but it was true. I put my arm around her, to stop me falling, and to show her how much I loved her. 'I couldn't have asked for a better daughter.'

'Daaaaaad.' She shrugged me off and skated away, laughing. That had gone better than I'd planned. It was now just a case of telling everyone else. That, I wasn't looking forward to. I didn't care what people thought. They could think it was too soon or that I was replacing my late wife. But Maddie had hit the nail on the head; didn't everyone deserve to be happy?

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So, the end is nigh! Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting and voting. I've been overwhelmed by the responses I get for doing something I love. I'd love to get this story to 1k votes before i post the final chapter.