Page 24 of Mine to Promise

“Stuff for me,” Avery says, moving the bag away from another pink box with the word princess written on the top of it. She opens the box, and if I thought she squealed before, it’s nothing like it is now. “Dresses,” she proclaims, her whole face lighting up, and I don’t even care how much they cost me or that I spent over two hours picking them out. I would do it over and over again just to see that joy on her face. “Momma,” she says, taking out the yellow princess dress, then grabbing the light-blue one. “Look!” She hands her the dresses she took out of the box before she grabs the silver one and then the pink one.

“Each dress comes with its own hair stuff,” I point out to Avery, but she’s already taking it out of the box and trying to put the bandanna on her head.

“Momma, can I wear one now?” she asks Addison, even though she’s grabbing a dress.

“Sure,” Addison says, “but what do we say to Stefano?”

“Thank you, Mr. Stefano,” she says, standing up and jumping in place. “It’s my favorite.”

“You are very, very welcome,” I tell her as she grabs the pink dress, running to her room to change and then stopping.

“I forgot my shoes.” She comes back and grabs the pink pair before running to her room.

“This is a lot of princesses,” Addison says, looking at the two boxes.

“Yeah, I put back the princess vanity set,” I admit to her, and her eyes go big. “I didn’t know if she had it or not.” I shrug. “I figure you can never have enough clothes or shoes. Or at least that is what my mother always says.”

“You were right on that,” she agrees, standing up. “We should tell her.”

I nod at her. “Do you want to wait and do it while we eat?” I ask her, and she looks over her shoulder.

“How about we order the pizza and then break the news to her,” Addison suggests, picking up the bags and walking over to Avery’s room, putting them inside.

I stand and open my phone, ordering three pizzas since I don’t know what she eats on hers, with fries and some chicken wings. I also order a cheeseburger in case she doesn’t like the pizza. “I ordered the pizza. It should be here in twenty minutes.”

“Sounds good.” Addison nods at me as she wrings her hands in front of her.

“Where do you want to do this?” I ask her, looking around to see if there is a more comfortable place to tell her.

“The couch is good.” She points over at the brown couch, and I walk over to sit down on one end. I look at the pictures hanging on the wall while Addison calls Avery.

I hear the sound of clicking and clacking, and when I look up, she is walking out of her bedroom with her pink dress on, with a red bandanna in her hair and gold shoes. She has one of the plastic earrings on the side of her ear and she is wearing every single bracelet that came with the set. She has five rings on two fingers. “Look at my dress,” she urges Addison as she turns slowly in her plastic shoes.

“You look amazing, now come sit down.” Addison motions with her head toward where I’m sitting. “Mr. Stefano and I want to talk to you.”

She walks over to me clicking and clacking her shoes the whole way. I suddenly really feel sorry for the person who lives under her. I sit at the edge of the couch as she comes over and sits next to me, leaving a little space for Addison. Instead of sitting next to her, she kneels in front of her. I have never in my life felt like this. Ever. My whole chest feels like it’s being crushed, yet it also feels like it’s going to explode.

“Look at my ring.” Avery holds up her hand to me. “Thank you for buying me presents.”

“You are so welcome,” I tell her.

“Honey,” Addison starts, and I can see she is blinking away tears as she sits back on her feet. “Do you remember when you asked if you had a dad?”

“He’s at work,” Avery says, and my heart sinks at the way her voice is, “very far, far, far, far away.” If it was any other time, I would have laughed at her exaggeration.

“He was at work,” Addison says and looks at me. I can see her swallowing the lump in her throat.

“Well, you see,” I start, turning to her, thinking of ways to say what needs to be said. “I was really busy.” I stop talking because none of this makes any sense to me.

But Avery just looks at me, tilting her head to the side. “Are you my dad?”

I swallow down the lump in my throat before I say the words. “I’m your dad.”

addison

Ihear Avery ask the question, and my heart speeds up so much in my chest, I can’t even describe it. I try to swallow, but the lump has formed in my throat and nothing happens. Then I try to say something, but when I open my mouth, nothing, and I mean nothing, comes out. I blink away the tears forming in my eyes, but then Stefano looks at me and then back at Avery, saying the three words that will forever change this moment. “I’m your dad.” I feel as if I’m having an out-of-body experience as I look at Avery while she listens to his words. This, this moment right here, this is the moment I’ve dreamed about ever since she asked me about her dad. I should be happy, but there is a little bit of sadness to this moment.

Avery sits there in her new princess dress and looks up at him with matching eyes to her father. “Did you get lost?” Her voice comes out soft.