Page 76 of Off the Stick
But I think today is the day.
After the party guests leave and Lenni is in bed, when Halle and I can have our alone time, I plan to tell her how I feel.Who knows, maybe that will change her outlook on sharing our secret with Lennon.
Happy with my decision, I park the car in the driveway and start unloading all the wrapped gifts I got for Lenni.I may have gone a little overboard, but your daughter only turns five once, and I want her to remember it for the rest of her life.
With a smile affixed to my face and a tower of boxes in my arms, I walk up the steps and knock against the door with a kick of my booted toe.
I can hear Lenni squealing inside, and my heart swells through my ribs.Jesus Christ, that little girl has stolen my heart in mere weeks.
Seems apropos for the MacAlister girls, considering Halle did the same when we first met.
The front door swings open and standing on the other side of the threshold are two of the most beautiful girls in the world.
Lenni dances and twirls on her toes in a pink tutu-like dress, complete with little pink flowers adorning the top.And standing next to her is, without a doubt, the girl of my dreams.A woman whose smile is brighter than the fucking sun and whose lips were made for kissing.
“Dane, what in the world did you do?Buy out the entire store?”
She shakes her head and steps aside as I make my way to the living room, where I hope to find a place to set down the presents.
“Hey Lulu Lennon,” I greet, giving her a big, cheesy grin.“I hear it’s someone’s birthday today.I’m not sure whose, but maybe you can help me with these presents?”
I bend down as if to relinquish them to her and then pretend to lose my balance, juggling the gift boxes as if they might fall.My ruse works, and she howls in a fit of giggles.
She lifts her hands in the air and dances around.“It’s my birfday, Ax!I’m five today.”
Setting the boxes on the coffee table, I give her an incredulous expression, my mouth gaping open as I slap a hand over it.
“What?You’re kidding me.I thought you were at least fifteen!”
Lenni stomps her foot and places her hands on her hips with sass.“Uh-uh.I’mfive!”Then she lifts her palm and spreads her fingers, counting them off for me.
“Wow, you’re very smart for a five-year-old.I’m very impressed.Give me a high five for that.”
She reaches up on her tiptoes and slaps my hand with hers.
And with the curiosity of a kid on her birthday, she turns her attention to the gifts.She walks over and examines each one, then glances over her shoulder at me.
“Can I open them now, Ax?”
Knowing I’m not the authority figure when it comes to the timing for gift opening, I turn to grab Halle’s attention, only to find that she’s already watching us from the kitchen, wearing a look I’ve never seen before.
It’s a combination of bittersweet melancholy and a deep, unshakable love.
“Hey, Mom?Can she open one of her presents?”I look at Lenni and encourage her hands clasped in a prayer to beg.“Pwetty please… ?”
Halle puts her own hands on her hips and tilts her head, closing one eye as if deliberating.
“Hmm… I don’t know… maybe just one…”
My eardrums are pierced when Lenni screams in delight, drowning out Halle’s next statement.
“And then you and Dane need to help put all the food on the table.”
I kneel on the floor next to Lenni, wrapping an arm around her tiny waist, and shove my face close so I can whisper in her ear.“Which one do you want to start with?”I ask, watching her examine each one carefully, considering each before choosing the winning box.
“This one,” she announces, picking up the box with a large pink bow.
When I’d asked Halle what I should consider getting Lenni, I already knew my daughter loved all things princess, so with Halle’s approval, I bought her a vanity case filled with glitter makeup, princess crowns, plastic earrings, and even a set of sparkly shoes.
