AJ stared out his office window at the car being loaded in his driveway. Tears burned the backs of his eyes. He forced them back, not wanting to let them fall when they could be seen. This was not a time for tears. Later, when this was done with, he could indulge himself a little. But now, he had things to do.
Somehow he couldn’t bring himself to move to do any of it. All he could do was stand there and look at the car that was going to take away everything that had ever meant anything to him. How was a man supposed to be happy about that?
Masculine and feminine laughter echoed down the hallway, putting a bittersweet smile on AJ’s face. In just a short time that sound would be gone from these halls. How would he live with the silence? He felt a part of his heart break.
The door to his office suddenly burst open. He didn’t have to turn to know who it was. No one else had that amount of energy, except for him. When no other sound came, he found himself turning, curious of the silence. Standing in the doorway was the most beautiful woman he had ever known in his entire life.
Mattie smiled at him with a grin that was so much like his own. It still struck him, every single day, how beautiful she was. Her hair still hung down her back, with those little curls that he absolutely loved. Her eyes were bright and warm, full of life. She even carried the same cocky stance that her Papa did.
“How many times have I told you not to slam my door like that, angel cakes?” AJ asked her conversationally. Even with the lecturing words his eyes still sparkled.
Giving him another wide smile, Mattie stepped into the room. There was no one more handsome or more special to her than her Papa. She looked at him, thinking how well he had aged. He was still such a handsome man. “Da’s gonna kill you if he comes in here and smells that you’ve been smoking again.” She returned, coming closer to him.
AJ gave her a mock glare. “Saucy brat. Don’t know why I keep you around.”
“Cause I cook good.” She replied pertly.
With a laugh, AJ held his arms out to her. She came to him easily, letting him fold her into his embrace. For just a moment she buried her face in his shirt, inhaling that scent that was pure him. Soap, smoke, and a slight woodsy smell that told her he’d been building something out in the shed again. In the past few years AJ had developed a love for working with wood. “I love you, Papa.”
Her simple words brought the tears back to his eyes. “I love you too, Mattie my girl.” He pulled back to look her over. The past fifteen years had seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. There was a sad edge to his smile. “Look at you, all grown up. You’ve become such a beautiful woman.” He said softly. The compliment had her smiling. “You be careful where you’re going, Mattie my love. Won’t be long before you’ll have the boys beating down your door.”
“I get it from my Papa.”
This time he shared a laugh with her. Never once had Mattie been uncomfortable with the fact that she had two fathers. She had told everyone that it just meant she had two times the love a girl gets from a daddy. She loved them both so much, each in their own way.
Mattie raised a hand to cup AJ’s cheek. “It’s just college. I’ll be back for Christmas, Papa. I promise.”
“I know, baby.”
The slight break in his voice had her hugging him again. She knew that images were deceiving. Most people assumed that her Da was the soft one in the family, while her Papa was the more dominant personality; tough as nails, her friends had joked about him. Mattie knew better. She knew that Da was the rock in the family. He was the solid one that held them all together.
Papa, well, he was a teddy bear on the inside. He could be fierce when he was furious, and she’d only seen him that way once or twice in her entire life. But he was the gentlest soul inside, and very sensitive. It made her love him all the more. The bond she had with him was stronger than most father-daughter relationships. She was closer to both her fathers that most kids her age were.
“I love you so much.” AJ whispered in to her hair.
“Everything’s in, kid.”
Brian’s voice had them both turning toward the office door. AJ found himself smiling. Years had gone by and still he felt that same spark each time he saw Brian. Age had been good to him, and he looked gorgeous standing there with a smile on his face for the girl that had made their lives what they were.
It seemed that in no time at all they were in the driveway, and Mattie was hugging them goodbye. She was scooping up Happy and burying her face in his fur, giving him all sorts of love before passing him back to AJ. Then she was down, loving on Sadie the shepherd. AJ wished that he could slow time down, or put in reverse. Take it back to when she was still just a little thing, eager to be up in her Papa’s arms. He stood staring at the woman who was getting in to the car, and wondered what happened to his little girl. When had she grown up on him?
“She’s all grown up, Bri.” AJ said. He leaned wrapped his arms around Brian’s waist, resting his cheek on Brian’s shoulder. His love wrapped an arm around him in return.
“She’ll always be our baby, Alex. She’s just going to stretch her wings.”
Their baby raised a hand to wave as she started down the driveway. In the back window, AJ caught sight of something that made him smile through his tears. There, tucked in to the top of one of the boxes, was a stuffed monkey called Elephant. Yes, Brian was right. She always would be their baby. He continued to wave at her until she was out of sight.
With one last sad smile, he allowed Brian to lead him back in to the house.