The Daddy Box Set

“I understand that,” I said. “My mom is all the way in Australia. I don’t get to see her very often, though I wished I did.” That was partly true. I loved my mom, but there were still issues in our lives. A weekly phone call was all I could take for the moment. Gina didn’t need to know that, though.

“I don’t remember my mom,” Gina said. “So, I think it’s okay for Daddy to meet a new mom.”

That was a touchy subject to discuss with her. Kids this age were like sponges, and I’d hate for Gina to repeat anything to Noah that I said about the topic, so I avoided it for the time being.

While making our lunch, I thought about how Gina’s life was going to turn out without a mother. As much as me and my mom had issues, I wouldn’t be the woman I was without her. Gina would have to rely on her nannies to give her advice for growing up. But what happened when she no longer needed a nanny? The thought made my heart hurt. I wondered if Noah ever made time to date. Though with his schedule, I doubted it. If he barely had time to see Gina, I bet he never made time to look for a girlfriend, let alone a wife.

I was sure he was still affected by his wife’s death, but it had been three years. It was time to move on. And Gina needed a mother. I knew he would be less stressed out if he had a consistent woman in their lives.

Gina cared so much for Noah. I hoped he would do this little thing for her so she could grow up with two loving parents.

Around five, Gina and I were playing outside in her huge backyard on the massive wooden playset when I heard a car come up the driveway. I brought her over with me to peer through the fence to see Noah coming up the walkway.

I had to check my phone again to make sure I had the right time.

“Your dad is home,” I said.

Gina bolted to the sliding doors, and I sprinted to keep up. They opened as she approached and she flung herself into Noah’s arms.

“Hey, honey,” he said, lifting her into the air.

Her little face scrunched up as she hugged him tight against her.

“Hey, Jess,” he said.

“Hi. How was your day?” I asked.

He placed Gina on the ground, and she took off toward the swings again. We both walked over.

“Busy as usual. How was Gina?”

“She was great,” I said. “I took the car out to this local bakery that I love, and we picked up some bread. Then we did a few errands. That car drives nice.”

He nodded. “It has the best safety rating.”

During Gina’s nap, I had checked the MSRP on the car, out of curiosity. The car was worth over eighty grand. Even though his house was massive and I knew he made a ton of money, the sticker value still shocked me. I could do a lot with that kind of money.

He stood behind Gina on the swing and started to push her.

“Higher!” she cried, giggling as he obeyed her request.

I stood next to him, watching them interact. If someone were to take a picture of this moment, no one would guess that Noah was a single father who barely had time for a home life. They loved each other so much. The thought brought heat to my eyes.

“She loves to swing,” I said.

“She certainly does,” he said. “When she was younger, the only way I could get her to stop crying was in one of those mechanical swings. And then she’d sit there all day, looking around and smiling.”

“That’s a beautiful memory,” I said.

He nodded.

I didn’t want to inter

rupt any of their bonding time, so I said, “I’ll make you two a quick dinner before I go if you want? I can whip up some pasta. It pairs with that bread—”

“On Fridays, we order pizza,” he said.

“With cannoodles!” Gina said.