When I reached home, I worked to put on a smile so I could sell this as something fun for Maisie, even though inside my heart was sick.
5
Tessa
When Dylan walked in, I had Maisie coloring
at the coffee table as I met him at the door.
“I didn’t say anything about her mom in case that was something you should tell her.”
He looked at me like he couldn’t believe I was real. “Thank you for that. You always think of her first.”
His comment made me wonder if Veronica didn’t think of Maisie first. Well, of course she didn’t. If she did, she’d be more active in Maisie’s life. I knew Maisie remembered her because she sometimes talked about her and the times she visited. But in the ten months I’d been working for Dylan, I hadn’t seen nor heard about a visit from Veronica. What sort of mother could go that long without seeing her child? Sure, if she was in jail that would make sense, but she was gone because she chose to be gone. She made the decision to be away from her daughter. That made absolutely no sense to me.
“I did lay out some of her clothes on her bed if you’d like to check. I also packed her toothbrush and other toiletries.”
“Daddy!” Maisie jumped up and rushed to him.
He scooped her up and gave her a tight hug. “Hi, baby.”
I had noticed tension on him when he walked in, but now it radiated. He didn’t want her to go. Did he have a reason to be concerned about this trip, or was he just going to miss her?
“Listen, I need to tell you something.” He held her in a way that he could look into her eyes. It was something I knew from school that helped make sure children understood what grownups were telling them. Had Dylan had a child psych class or maybe a parenting course? Or did being a great dad come naturally to him?
“Okay.” Maisie patted his cheeks.
“Your mom came to see me today.”
Maisie’s little brows rose.
“She wants to see you this weekend.”
“Is she coming here?”
Dylan shook his head. “She wants you to visit her in New York.”
This time Maisie frowned. “Will you come too?”
Dylan smiled, but it was forced. “It will be just your mom and her new husband.”
Husband?
“They want to take you to a movie and I bet your mom will take you shopping.”
Maisie still didn’t look convinced. “What if I want to see you?”
He pulled a box from his pocket. “I got you a phone, just for this trip. I want you to use it only when you have to, like when you’re homesick or feel lonely or scared and your mom can’t help you call.”
A phone seemed like a lot for a five-year-old, but it was clear that Dylan was as uncomfortable about this trip as Maisie seemed to be.
“Is Mommy’s new husband my new daddy?” her voice was so soft I could barely hear her.
“No, baby.” He pulled her tight again. “I’ll always be your daddy. Nothing will ever change that, okay?”
Her little arms wrapped around his neck. “’Kay.”
“I know this is different from before, but you’re a big girl now and I know you’ll have lots of fun with your mom.”