Chapter 20 - The Birthday Redo
Daniel almost deleted the video without watching.
Instead, he waited until morning.
Lily sat beside him on the couch.
"You sure?" he asked.
She nodded.
Her hair was in blonde braids.
"Who are you waiting for?"
Lily grinned.
"My dad."
"What if he's late?"
"He'll come."
"You sure?"
"He always comes."
Daniel stopped the video.
He could not see clearly anymore.
Lily looked at him.
"You're crying."
"Little bit."
"Why?"
He pulled her close.
"Because you trusted me."
"I still do."
Because Lily wanted a new memory.
They used Megan's backyard.
No pool.
No hired photographer.
No expensive decorations.
Daniel handed her a small box.
She smiled.
"Another bracelet?"
"No."
"What does it open?"
"Your treehouse."
Lily screamed.
Megan laughed.
On the front was a wooden sign.
LILY'S PLACE.
NO GROWN-UPS WITHOUT PERMISSION.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Do bad people know they're bad?"
Daniel considered the question.
"Sometimes."
"And sometimes?"
"Sometimes they think what they want matters more than what they do to get it."
Lily licked frosting from her thumb.
"What do good people do?"
Daniel looked at the yard.
At the maple tree.
At the child beside him.
"They pay attention."
"That's it?"
"It's a start."
She leaned her head against his arm.
Kyle received the longest sentence.
Daniel never attended her sentencing.
He did not need to.
Reed Development survived.
Smaller.
Cleaner.
He still made mistakes.
He still worked too late sometimes.
He still got impatient.
But when Lily spoke, he listened.
Not the terrible one.
The first one.
The one where she stood by the back door and said, "He always comes."
Daniel played it.
"You were late," she teased.
"Six minutes."
"Very late."
"I brought flowers."
"You dropped them."
"I was distracted."
She laughed.
Then she looked at him.
"You came."
Daniel nodded.
"Always."
The house was quiet.
Safe.
Ordinary.
He knew better now.
Believing your child.
Changing your life.
Lily stood and held out her hand.
"Come on."
"Where?"
"Treehouse."
"I'm not allowed without permission."
She smiled.
"Permission granted."
May you like
Daniel took her hand.
And followed her outside.
