The suburbs didn’t hold any appeal to me. Many of my friends lived in Seattle, a few other on the islands. It never occurred to me that deep in Bellevue there was another world. Sadie’s father lived in an urban retreat only thirty minutes from the city. Last week I realized he had more money than brain cells, but fuck me, he was loaded. No wonder he behaved like the world was his.

“He owns a palace,” I mumbled under my breath as I parked the car in front of the estate home.

“Is this where we’re having my party?” Hannah bounced in her seat.

“Ugh, can you stop it?” Tess snapped at her little sister.

“Tess, be nice,” I warned her.

“This is a kid’s party. I don’t understand why you had to drag me along,” she pouted.

“Because it’s your sister’s birthday, and we’re family.”

I refused to give her the biggest reason because her lousy attitude would worsen. Her mother was out of town, and there was no adult to supervise her. At thirteen, she was too young to stay at home for hours without someone to care for her, especially when I was almost forty minutes away.

“Look, Daddy! There’s Sadie!” Hannah squealed.

“Who’s Sadie?”

“Daddy’s friend.”

“You have a friend?” Tess glared at me suspiciously.

“Several. You’ve met them.”

“But none of them are girls.”

“She’s a woman, and she happened to know all the right people to help us get this party together.”

“Is she like a groupie?”

I tried to keep my daughters away from groupies, alcohol, and drugs. But when I took them with me, it was hard to avoid some of that stuff.

“No, she’s someone I met at a coffee shop.”

“She’s pretty and nice,” Hannah said. “She brought me chicken soup when I was sick, and balloons.”

“Are you planning on dating her?” Tess’s entire body slumped. “Please don’t. You’re too old for that, and you have Mom.”

I massaged my temples. “Sweetheart, we already talked about it. Your mother and I are over. We divorced a long time ago.

“Parents.” She rolled her eyes. “They don’t realize what’s right in front of them. I’ll just wait until you decide to come back home.”

Tess shut the door and bolted out of the car.

Teenagers. They liked to make my life miserable.

“Is she right?”

“About, Hannah?”

“You and Mom getting back together,” Hannah mumbled.

“No sweetheart, that’s never going to happen. But we love you both, a lot.”

“You love me more than Mom.”

“That’s silly, honey. Let’s go down and see what Sadie needs from us.”

“Our guest of honor has arrived,” Sadie said, unloading her van.

“And I brought the birthday girl too.”

“I was talking about her, but if it makes you feel better, you can be our guest of honor number forty-nine.”

“How many guests do we have?”

“Forty.” She smirked.

“You never miss a chance to make me feel welcome.”

“It’s my specialty.” She stopped loading stuff onto the golf cart and looked at Tess. “You must be Tess. Your dad has told me a lot about you.”

“Well, he’s never mentioned you.”

“I’m glad because that means he doesn’t have any complaints about the party or my shop.” Sadie smiled at her, disregarding the rude comment coming from my mouthy teenager. “There’s nothing worse than having an unsatisfied customer. Do you mind helping me with the bags of balloons, please?”

“Why?” Tess took a step back, her eyes wide and her mouth open just as big.

“Because I need a grown up helping me, Tess,” Sadie explained. “Since this is a last-minute party, I don’t have many helpers. And you don’t seem like the kind of person who’d enjoy a … kid’s party,” she mumbled the last words close to Tess. “I’m guessing you’ll be perfect to be my game coordinator.”

“I want to be a game coordinator.” Hannah raised her hand and jumped up and down.

“Pick me!” my youngest daughter begged.

“You’re the birthday girl. Your job is to enjoy the party.” She turned her attention toward Tess. “What do you think? I’ll pay you for the hours you work.”

Tess crossed her arms. “I might be interested. Keep talking.”

Sadie laughed. “You are your father’s daughter. I’ll pay you ten dollars an hour. If you stay to clean up with us, I’ll give you five more.”

“Not bad. I think I’ll take it.”

“Great! Start hauling things to the pool house.” She handed her a bag of balloons. “Just go around this house, and you’ll see it right away.”

“How can I help, Sadie Bell?”

“Well, you’re the birthday girl, and you’re not supposed to do anything. But if you insist, why don’t you go to the next car and check with Raven?”

“The pool is closed, and everything’s secured. I made sure of that last night.”

“I could’ve come with you,” I stated.

“You had a concert. How was it?”

“I released a new song. I wish you’d have been there,” I mentioned casually.

“You can play it some other day, or I’ll buy the song once it’s available.”

“We’re not releasing it soon, and I won’t see you after today.”

“Finally, I got rid of you.” She joked, but those eyes didn’t seem too happy.

“Sorry to break it to you, but that’s never going to happen, my Sugar Plum Fairy.”

“Then why won’t I see you?”

“I’m leaving for New York. We’re recording a live album and doing a few presentations for late night shows.”

“I’m getting rid of you for a few months?” she squealed.

“Only for a couple of weeks.”

Her body stiffened, and her expression switched slightly. I saw a glimpse of sadness in her beautiful eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately. It reminded me of last Sunday when we had dinner with her father. There were moments when her expression switched to sadness or frustration, but it disappeared within seconds.

“Before I forget, this is for you.” She handed me a gift bag. “You’re going to need this.”

“It’s not my birthday.” I stared at the present, then looked at her.

“You’re the dad, it’s your day too. Thirteen years of being an amazing father should be celebrated.”

“I wouldn’t say that I’ve been amazing or count it as thirteen years—I didn’t do much for the first five.”

“I’m sure you changed a diaper or two.”

“Never. I was out of town, or just … I wasn’t that great at the beginning.” I combed my hair with my free hand. “You could say I was a lousy asshole.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. That’s all in the past. You changed, and those girls look happy.”

“You’re very thoughtful,” I said while opening my present.

It was a professional camera. “This is amazing, but I have my phone.”

“But this takes better pictures and records longer videos without having to worry about storage. I’m giving Hannah a scrapbook. You two can do a lot with it together.”

My heart stopped at the significance of the present. She was giving me a chance to bond with my child. There was something about her that kept pulling me into her world. Sadie was an open book, and yet as strange as the deep blue sea. She was starlight with a hint of darkness. A beautiful chaos that drew me into her world. And even if I wanted to stop it, my heart kept falling deeper and deeper in love with her.

“You didn’t have to,” I stared at the camera. “It looks expensive.”

“Well, someone paid me extra. I used some of that to pay for it.”

“Just when I thought you couldn’t be more perfect.” I brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

“I’m not perfect, and never forget that. Don’t put me on a pedestal because I’ll fall.”

“You’re on the highest one, and you’d never fall. I’d be close enough to catch you every time and put you back.” I reached for her hand, but she stepped away from me.

“Like they say when you’re about to ride a rollercoaster, keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. Or just … keep your hands to yourself, Hades.”

“Do you think I can?”

“It should be easy.”

“Too fucking complicated because every fucking day you make me feel … I don’t fucking know how to describe it.”

“You can always write a song, call it Sadie My Obsession. It could be your next hit.”

“Your suggestion comes a little late when there are already seven songs about you included on my next album.”

“Seven?”

“Yes. The band only allowed me to add seven, and I had to delete four of the ones we planned on recording.”

“Seven?” Her voice lowers. “About me?”

“Should I point out that no other woman has ever inspired me?” I leaned closer, our mouths almost touching when I heard the little voice.

“Dad!”

“Behave, my Silky Roll,” Sadie reprimanded, stretching her neck. “Nobody saw your little display. But like I said, keep your hands to yourself.”

“You’re going to start with the nicknames again, Poochie Doo?”

“Daddy, you need to see my cake.” Hannah grabbed my hand. “You have to come with me. It’s a unicorn, and it has fairies flying around it.”

“Go. Take pictures of her around the garden and with the cake before the guests arrive.”

The cake was just the way Hannah wanted it. Tess loved the cake and asked if she could have a cool cake like that for her next birthday. I wasn’t sure what that meant, when every day her mood changed, along with what she liked or hated. No one warned me about the teenage years. Some days I missed my little girl, the one who adored me and smiled all the time.

Before the party began, I joined Sadie in the main house. It was as majestic as it was on the outside. Maybe more. Marble floors in the foyer, high ceilings and open windows all through the living room and dining area.

“This house is impressive.”

“I love it,” Sadie continued her way into the kitchen. “It was different when I was younger.”

“You lived here while you were growing up?”

“No, this was my grandparents’ home. Dad inherited it after grandma died.” Sadie opened a big pantry. “His siblings got the other properties.”

She came out of the pantry with two big trays and handed them to me. “But I did visit often and spent a lot of summers here learning about flowers.”

“The garden is beautiful.”

“It’s all me,” she responded with a wide smile and a hint of pride. “It was my project while I was between jobs. Grandma would love it. Someday, I want a house like this and a greenhouse where I can grow food and orchids and … it’s just a dream of course.”

“It could happen.”

“No, it can’t because I’d need a lot of money,” she challenged, presenting a fact.

“But it seems like you’re rich.”

“Dad’s rich. I’m getting by with a flower shop that’s just starting.” She looked around the house, and then back at me. “We’re done with the place for today. No one can enter. Not even the Queen of England.”

She closed the door behind us, locked it, and pulled a small box from her pocket. “If you’ll all excuse me.”

Sadie walked away toward Hannah, she bent down and gifted her the box. My girl jumped up and down, and then opened the box. When I reached them, I spotted a beautiful necklace with a unicorn charm.

“Thank you! It’s beautiful!” Hannah hugged her tight.

“Do you want me to help you put it on?”

Hannah nodded once. Sadie unclasped the chain and placed it around Hannah’s neck being careful with her long dark hair. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

“Thank you.” Hannah pressed both hands on her necklace. “This is the best present ever.”

“You shouldn’t have,” I said.

“It’s her birthday. She deserves a unicorn.” Sadie winked at me. “Follow me. The caterer needs those trays.”

“Thank you. You made all her wishes come true.”

“She looks exhausted.”

“They’re both exhausted. I’m still blown away by the way you handled Tess.”

“She’s a teenager,” she said as if that explained everything. “They want to belong everywhere, yet they feel as if they don’t belong anywhere at all. If you help them find something that they enjoy, it’s hard for them to be broody.”

Tess spent hours bossing kids around, organizing games, giving away prizes, and helping Hannah open the presents. She let Sadie give her instructions without snapping or talking back.

“I gave the thank you notes to Hannah. Tess has the list. Tomorrow you three can spend the day signing them.”

“For being so disorganized, you seemed to have your shit together.”

Her lips pressed together, her eyes smiled. “That’s between you and me.”

Our gazes remained connected. The fact that we shared something special, a secret that only the two of us knew, blew me away. I wanted to hug her, kiss her, and say goodbye properly. But the girls were watching. “Your secret is safe with me, Gummy Bear.”

“Goodbye, Sugar Puff.”

“Can I drop by your house later tonight?” I could order pizza for dinner and leave Tess in charge of Hannah for a couple of hours.

“I’m not going back home.”

“Why?”

“I want to work in the garden tomorrow morning.”

“We could come over,” I suggested.

Give me a few more hours before I have to leave you for two long weeks.

“Thank you, but that’s something I like to do by myself.”

“It might be better if you have people helping.”

“No, it wouldn’t because it’s my therapy, and I’d rather do it alone. Thank you for the offer, though.”

“Do you realize that I won’t see you for two weeks?”

“You keep saying that as if I should be sad, but I’m having an internal party as we speak.”

“You’re cruel.”

“You should go.” She waved at the girls.

“Sadie?”

“Goodbye, Kaden Hades,” she whispered my name. “For what’s worth it I enjoyed our time together. See you around.”

Kaden: I feel like you just kicked me out of your life.

She never answered my text, and I felt like I’d lost a part of myself.