Damien

The pitter patter of little feet against the wood floors has me smiling. Sami slept longer than I thought she would. Today is her birthday party and she’s been so excited. It’s all I’ve heard about this week. I have no idea what’s in store for us today. Tinsley wanted to plan the whole thing, so I let her. I love the way Tin is with Sami. She’s loving, patient, and understanding—everything a mother should be. She loves Sami as if she were her own daughter, and that makes me love her even more.

“Daddy!” Sami shrieks as she runs into my room and climbs up on the bed. I keep my eyes closed, pretending to sleep. I can feel her eyes on me as she tries to see if I’m awake. When my eyes don’t open, she begins to jump up and down. “Daddy! Wake up. Today is my princess party!” she yells. Grabbing her legs, I pull her to me and begin to tickle her. Her sweet little giggle melts my heart. “Stop it, Daddy,” she laughs, and I pull her down next to me.

“Are you sure today is your party?” I raise my brow, and she nods her head.

“It is. Can we go now?” Glancing over at the clock, I see it’s only nine in the morning. It’s going to be a very long three hours.

“Not just yet. We have a few hours before the party starts. How about we have some breakfast first?” Her little bottom lip juts out, and I roll out of bed, pick her up, take her to the kitchen, and fix her a breakfast fit for a princess.

After pancakes with whipped cream and bacon and a game of hide and seek, I proceed to get her dressed for her party. Tinsley bought her the cutest, frilliest, pinkest dress I’ve ever seen. When I get it on her, she stands in front of the mirror and twirls. The smile on her face is so big as she watches the skirt of her dress fan out around her. I grab the box sitting on my dresser and hand it to her.

“Every princess needs one of these,” I tell her. Lifting the top from the box, she squeals in delight, throwing it behind her before pulling out the tiara. She watches with wide eyes as the light reflects off the stones causing them to sparkle like stars.

“Thank you, Daddy. It’s so pretty.” Throwing her arms around my waist, she squeezes as tightly as she can. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, baby.” I pick up the tiara and place it on her head. “You are the prettiest princess in the whole entire world.” She goes back to the mirror and stares at her reflection. Her hands caress the tiara and a huge smile lights up her pretty little face. Knowing I did something to put that smile on her face fills me with an indescribable feeling. Before I had Sami, I would hear people say nothing compares to the love a parent has for their child, but I never truly believed it until she came along. Even when she was only a little bean-sized blip on the ultrasound, I was so in love with her. And now that I’ve held her and know her, that love has grown so much more. I would give my life for this little girl.

When we pull down Tinsley’s driveway, Sami screeches so loud, I wince, then gawk. Pink balloons flood the outside of the house. Tinsley, Kassidy, and Dahlia wave from the front porch, surrounded by the inflatable Pepto Bismol, their smiles wide. As soon as I turn off the ignition, Sami has herself unbuckled and is letting herself out of the truck. If I would have had the car, she wouldn’t have been able to do that. This kid is getting too damn smart. By the time I get out, she’s already on the porch being showered with hugs and kisses from the girls.

“And my daddy got me this princess tiara. He said I’m a beautiful princess,” I hear Sami saying as I walk onto the porch.

“I agree with your daddy. You are a beautiful princess,” Tinsley tells her. “Would you like to go see the backyard?” Sami nods her head enthusiastically, slides her hand in Tinsley’s, and the rest of us follow them. As the backyard comes into view, my eyes widen. I thought the front yard had a lot of pink, but it’s not even close. There have to be at least three-hundred balloons and ten rolls of streamers all over the large yard. Even the dock is decorated. A large bouncy house in the shape of a castle is sitting in the far corner, and on the other side is a ringed off area and two small ponies. On one end of the back porch is a popcorn machine, and on the other, a machine for cotton candy. Hanging from the tree is a Cinderella piñata, and I snort, getting more than giddy at the idea of watching kids beat the shit out of the princess.

I look over at Sami. Her mouth is agape, her eyes wide, and her head is going back and forth from one end of the yard to the other. She looks stunned. I don’t ever think I’ve seen her so quiet, not even in her sleep. I bend down next to her. “Are you okay, baby?” I ask, and she nods her head. “What do you think?” Taking a deep breath, she turns to face me, her eyes still as wide as saucers and a smile on her face.

“This is the best party in the whole world. Daddy, there are ponies! Did you see the ponies?” she asks, her voice nothing more than an excited whisper. It’s like if she talks about it too loud, it will all disappear. My heart is so full in this moment, for my little girl and everything Tinsley has given her. I’ve never seen her happier, and knowing my other girl made that happiness happen is overwhelming.

Screams and shrieks cut through to air, and I turn, seeing five or six little girls dressed similar to Sami come running into the backyard, their moms and dads following behind. The girls run up to Sami and begin telling her happy birthday, how pretty her dress is, and how much they love her tiara all at once. After a minute or so, they all run over to the bounce house, pull their shoes off, and climb in.

“I went a little overboard, didn’t I?” Tinsley asks as she wraps her arms around me from behind. Laughing, I turn around to face her.

“A little?” I joke.

“It’s too much, isn’t it? I’m sorry. I just thought—” I plant a kiss on her lips, stopping her from finishing. Teasing her lips with my tongue, I wait for her to open to me. When she does, I plunge mine into her mouth, moaning when her tongue mingles with mine. A throat clears behind me, and I pull away, pressing my forehead to hers.

“You’re perfect, Tin. So very perfect. And the party is beyond amazing. You’ve made my little girl so overjoyed, there isn’t anything in the world I could say that expresses how happy I am right now.” Tears build in her eyes, and I press my lips to hers one last time before turning. Kassidy and Dahlia are standing with their arms crossed and disgusted looks plastered on their faces.

“You do realize this is a party for four-year-olds, don’t you?” Kassidy asks.

“It’s a little too early to be teaching them about the birds and the bees.” This from my sassy ass sister. I chuckle and shrug. Poor Tinsley is blushing like crazy—the way she used to when her mom would come home early and catch us making out. It’s still cute as hell. “What the hell are you grinning at?” Dahlia questions. My eyes move over to Tin, and Dahlia rolls her eyes.

“Let’s try to keep it PG-13 for the next few hours. Think you two can handle that?” Kassidy scolds.

“I will do my best,” I say, watching as two sets of eyes turn to Tinsley.

“Hey he kissed me first,” she defends.

“Traitor,” I kid as I pat her on the ass. She glares at me, so I haul ass toward the bounce house before she has a chance to slap me.

After the party is in full swing, I fire up the grill and look out over the yard at all the running smiling children. There must be at least thirty.

“Some shindig, isn’t it?” Dahlia says, handing me a plate of hot dogs. I take the plate from her and begin to place them on the grill.

“It is. Sami is in heaven. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this happy.” Dahlia gives me a knowing smile.

“I haven’t seen either of you this happy. I’m really thrilled for you, Damien.” Dahlia kisses my cheek.

“I finally have everything I’ve ever wanted and more. Life is perfect. Absolutely perfect,” I tell her.