“I just want you to be happy, Mum. So does Greg. He told me the same thing.”
Megan leaned back, the surprise on her face rather amusing. “He did?”
Natalie giggled. “Mum, all we want is for both you and daddy…” Yes, I was still daddy. Not sure when she wouldn’t call me that anymore. I hoped it wouldn’t stop. “All we want is for both you and daddy to be happy. Daddy is happy and in love with Cindy. I see how happy you are with Caroline.”
“Are you happy, munchkin?” I asked.
She beamed at me. “Why wouldn’t I be happy, Daddy? I have four people that love me.”
My daughter was far too smart for her own good, and she was giggling away when she found herself wrapped up in a group hug from those four people, all of us stating how much we loved her. I knew how much Caroline loved my daughter too, but having not been around it as often as seeing how Cindy and my daughter had bonded, I more often relied on pictures and video sent by Megan of how Caroline and my daughter had also grown closer over the months since Caroline had moved in.
We didn’t return home immediately after leaving Megan’s. Natalie knew we were not going back to the apartment. She knew Cindy and I were moving into our own home but hadn’t shown her yet. The previous owners were in the process of moving out, so we couldn’t go inside just yet, but Natalie was ever so excited when I stopped the car on the road and got out.
“Is this your home soon, Daddy?” she asked, unable to hide her excitement.
“Yes, munchkin. Can’t go inside right now, but just like the apartment, you’ll have your own room, and this one you won’t be sharing with anyone. We’ll go shopping once we’ve moved in so everything in your room is yours, so you don’t have to drag too many things from your mother’s.”
That earned me a cuddle, Cindy joining in to cuddle me too. “Can I be here on moving day?”
“I’ve planned it so that when we move in, you’ll spend the first night with us, munchkin.”
That made her cry. She was smart enough to know how big a deal it was for us, but there was no missing how excited she was about everything. Her father getting married to a woman she also adored. Her mother was in a great relationship. And now her father was providing a second home full of love for her. We’d also explained that Stephanie was pregnant, carrying a child from Cindy and myself. That just added to the excitement of everything in our lives.
On the way home, Cindy asked if we could stop at a nearby supermarket. That wasn’t a problem, thinking she had an idea for dinner that evening. I waited in a nearby food court as Cindy took Natalie by the hand, asking me to just relax with a coffee while they went shopping. They were only gone for around fifteen minutes, returning with a couple of bags. I bought Cindy a coffee, no surprise Natalie wanted a milkshake and some donuts too. I bought them, of course. I liked donuts too!
As soon as we got home, Cindy explained that she was going to try her hand at baking with my daughter. Offering help, she kissed my cheek, Natalie gave me a hug, then both of them told me to go away. To emphasise this was another stepmother and daughter bonding moment, Cindy opened the fridge, grabbed and handed me a bottle of beer, and told me to go watch some television.
“She’s lit a fire under your butt,” I stated.
“Not really,” Cindy replied, “It just helped me realise it was something else I could bond with your daughter with. Make a mess, laugh a lot, then have something tasty to eat at the end. I’ve also made sure we have her favourite meal ingredients ready for tonight too.”
I didn’t disappear to watch television, turning on the music channel while I sat at the table, watching my soon to be wife and daughter have the time of their life. And Cindy had gone all out. Cookies. Cake. Muffins. We eventually needed to open windows as the kitchen was rather warm with the oven blasting away. Both of them ended up covered in flour and other ingredients. My daughter couldn’t stop smiling. By the time they were done, Cindy needed a hug from both of us, needing to give her cheeks a wipe.
“I love you, Cindy,” Natalie whispered.
Waterworks as Cindy replied how much she loved my daughter in return. That made her cry, and both of them damn near got me going as well. Then they both expressed how much they loved me, and any idea of further cooking ended, telling them we were going out, it was my treat, and that all they needed to do was agree where to go.
The next morning, we drove to Cindy’s old home to pick up her mother and now heavily pregnant sister, driving both over to my parents’ place. Jane brought her two daughters and my son over so we could enjoy lunch and a catch-up. Having enjoyed her life since leaving her husband, I waited until we had a little privacy before asking if she was still enjoying her life, particularly as Cindy and myself were no longer involved.
“Out of everyone, I probably see Annabelle the most. We’re just good friends. Alexa and Cass call me a couple of times a week. So does Emma. Megan and Caroline are always sending messages, at least.” She paused before adding, “I found myself really attracted to Natasha, but she’s so young and… I know Megan is dating Caroline and… Well, I guess it’s like you. But being a woman, and Natasha is a woman, I’m just a little confused about everything. There’s a large part of me that still wants to meet a man in the end and settle down, but I really connected with nearly all your friends and I am left wondering if perhaps that’s something I would like.”
“All you can do is take the plunge and see what happens, Jane. But trust me on this, it’ll be worth it. Life isn’t easy for Cindy sometimes, she can tell you that, but me being there, to love and support her, it really does help. End of the day, just treat her how she wants to be treated. Best person to ask advice from is Cindy, I reckon.”
She smiled. “I might just do that. Thanks, Mark.”
Laura was ever so excited about the pregnancy though was full of questions about any further children. We’d already told her that we were looking adoption, then told me that she was asking after Stephanie. We’d been honest in that we’d done it the first time ‘the old fashioned way’. We obviously didn’t tell Cindy’s mother about everything we were up to, so when I suggested that Stephanie and my ex-wife wanted another child, I just said it would be through a donor, the only difference is that it would be myself for both of them.
“You’d do that for my other daughter?” Laura asked.
“Of course. And I’d do my best to be as involved as possible, though Steph’s told us more than once that she’s more than capable of raising our child almost alone, though she knows how excited you would be to also help out.”
“I loved raising my two daughters. I know many parents are relieved when it’s over, in the sense that children turn into adults, and though I’ll always be a parent, it’s the raising part that’s most difficult. But I wouldn’t have traded a second of it, and part of me would love to do it again. I don’t care how old I am.”
“At least the house would be full of love,” Cindy stated, “I’m assuming dating is off the menu, Steph?”
“Who wants to date a pregnant woman carrying a baby for another man and woman? Adding to that, I really don’t want to date anyway. I’ll wait until I’ve given birth and recovered, then I might start looking. But I know for a fact I’m probably going to come across as a little baby crazy as I want my own.”
“Plenty of men out there who want children,” I stated, “Don’t let the horror stories of blokes walking out deter you. There are more great fathers out there than bad ones.”
What I didn’t expect was for Alexa and Cass to show up just as we were about to sit down to enjoy what my father and I had prepared on the barbecue. Cass gave me a tight hug before moving on, but Alexa needed some more, cuddling her tightly for at least ten minutes. She wasn’t upset, having known the agreement Cindy and I had made since day one, but I knew she missed the intimacy we’d all shared. Out of all those who had been part of our fun, I knew I would break her heart the most. Thankfully, when she leaned back, she smiled at me and I was a little relieved.
“I feel better now,” she stated, “Just needed a long hug.”
“Think my father is available for one too.”
She laughed. “He’s still calling me and Cass at least once a week, making sure we’re okay. It’s like having our own.”
“Trust me, in his heart, you’ve all been adopted.”
“Like father, like son?”
“Well, calling you something like my sister now, after everything we’ve done together, would just be weird!” She giggled at the idea, earning smiles in our direction. “Although considering what my actual sister has told me before…”
“All settled though?”
“I never viewed her as anything else. She struggled for a long time, and I don’t think being somewhat involved with Cindy and I helped with that.”
It was a fantastic afternoon as we ate, drank and chatted away. Alexa rarely left my side, something Cindy noticed and whispered into my ear that she understood. It was never what I deemed intimate, just two close friends spending time together. Cass was always to her other side, the pair holding hands, and it was obvious to everyone how much Alexa and Cass were in now in love.
“Dad, can I ask a, um, question? Or maybe a favour?”
I glanced at my son to see him blushing. I immediately wondered why. “What’s on your mind?”
“When you move into your new home, would it be okay if me and Emily, um, if we could sometimes stay the night?”