1001 LOVE STORIES(book Of Oneshots)

homecoming (58)🎄

Word count:1165

Bella is my daughter. She's nine years old and the sweetest little girl I've ever met.

She's selfless and helps anyone who she feels needs it. She has the widest brightest smile and I don't think I've seen her ever get angry.

She gets that from her father. Max.

"Come on daddy." She yells pulling me along the crowded streets and I follow still not sure where she was going.

Today was Christmas eve and she had grabbed her bank and we were off.

"She stopped for a moment when she sees the man in the red suit before running over to him.

"Hi." She says smiling.

"Why hello!" The man bellows in a jolly way.

"I have sixty seven dollars that I made selling candy at my dad's job and at school to my teachers." She says taking out the stack of cash and bag of change.

She then puts it into the small red pail for the orphanage.

It was the same orphanage that me and Max adopted her from.

"Why thank you little girl." He says and she smiles before handing him the bottle of hot chocolate.

"Have a wonderful Christmas." She says and we leave.

"Where too next?" I ask her and she smiles.

"Next I wanna get daddy a gift." She says and this hurts a little because I knew she missed Max as much as I did. Maybe even more.

*

"Look!" She screams running over to the large photo of Batman.

I laugh.

"No. You daddy would send you back and divorce me if we got him something DC. Let's find the Marvel stuff." I tell him and she smiles.

We she runs over to the counter setting down the large canvases, paint, brushes, glitter and glue.

I smile handing the woman behind the counter the fifty twenty three. before handing her another two hundred tipping her like Max used too.

"Marry Christmas." We tell the woman before heading to our home.

The beautiful tree can be seen through the front window shining in its red silver and pink balls. Red being my favorite color, pink being Bella's and silver being Max's.

We walk into the house and I let Bella create the giant painting for Max while I make her favorite dinner. Pasta and salad. Even though three years had passed it steal feels odd to not have him randomly hugging me or tossing the salad.

I feel tears filling my eyes as I try to dry them before Bella noticed.

I had to be strong for her, I had to be strong for our daughter.

After dinner I help Bella put the large pain, glittered, and glued photo, on the fireplace with the other two gifts. That was of Max's favorite tree. A Japanese cherry blossom. 

I kiss her head.

Our little artist.

"Can you tell me how you and daddy met?" She asks as we sit on the couch watching the average claymation Christmas movies.

I smile turning off the TV and pulling her onto my lap.

"Well we met when we were four and he has just moved to here and I didn't really have any friends. We went to the same daycare and he was a bad little boy. He played in mud and threw rocks at the other boys and I preferred to play house and dress up with the girls and I think he thought I was a girl.

"Then one day he offered me his animal crackers and we were best friends.

"We soon were inseparable for twelve years, until Christmas even. The first time it snowed in years at twelve o'clock that night he kissed me for the first time. As a Christmas gift. And at the moment I knew I loved him." I tell her and she smiled warmly.

"And how did you too get Married?" She asks me, even though she knew the story.

I can only smile before rapping my arms around her.

"Well we were together for two years and we set off to go our separate ways, I chose collage and he chose the army." I say my voice trembling.

"Neither one of us wanted to break up but it was better then trying to make a long distance relationship work. But before he left he stopped me at a Japanese cherry blossom tree and told me 'I love you and you can do what ever you want but in two years on Christmas Morning I'll be here. Waiting with a ring in my hand. So please show up.' And two years later again the first time in snowed in two years he was there standing there. Holding a ring." I tell her and she smiles.

"And the day you adopted me."  She asks and I smile.

"We'll your dad wanted hundreds of kids and I wanted none. So we compromised on one. One little girl. So we went to the orphanage and the second we walked in a little toddler just learning how to walk, was running down the hall, with an ear to ear smile and these stunning blue eyes just like Max's. Then suddenly she almost falls only for Max to catch her and he refuses to let her go." I tell her and she smiles before I carry her to my bedroom, laying my bed as she cuddles up with My pillow.

I crawl into bed before kissing her forehead.

"Good night Dad." She says and I smile.

"Goodnight baby." I tell her before she looks out the window.

"Goodnight daddy." She says and I too looks to the window.

"Goodnight Max." I  whisper as we drift off to sleep

*

I woke up to the warmth of my bed and to Bella sleeping with me and the moment I open my eyes I see snow. I smile.

How long has it been since it snowed?

Suddenly I'm hugged by a smell I haven't smelt in three years.

Banana nut pancakes.

I instantly sit up before the sounds of movement alert me that someone was in my house. And cooking breakfast.

No not someone. There was only one man who every Christmas morning made banana nut pancakes on Christmas morning.

I feel tears start to weld in my eyes as I close them telling myself to wake up but hoping I didn't.

"Daddy?" Bella says rubbing her eyes. The moment she sees me a look of confusion crosses her face before suddenly she's out of bed and I follow her as she runs down the hall.

"Daddy!" She screams the moment she sees him standing in the kitchen making pancakes like he was here all this time. Like we didn't miss him.

I run over to him too hugging him  tight enough to break a few ribs.

He was still in the military pants and a shaved head.

"I missed you so much. Daddy." Bella says and I pull away.

"I missed you too." He say and I smile through my tears.