The presents I picked up for Holly sit tucked tightly away in my closet, hidden under garbage bags of clothes I have to do something with. I’m not looking forward to the day when I have to find creative ways to conceal any of her gifts. I know I made it hard for my parents and most of the time my mom would hide mine and Meredith’s gifts in the car or attic where we didn’t have access.

Standing back, I make sure everything looks normal before closing the door. I don’t exactly expect Holly to come busting into my room to rifle through my closet, but a dad can never be too sure. I’m happy with what I was able to buy today, even with Delaney picking clothes and toys that were out of my budget.

When I was with her, I felt rather inadequate. She was spending money right and left, almost as if it grows on trees. I suppose for her, it does. I’ll never know what that feeling is like though, and while it’s not Laney’s fault I’m in this predicament, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her I live paycheck to paycheck, barely making ends meet. I had enough issues trying to maintain my composure. Being next to Delaney and trying to look at her as a friend and not a movie star was hard, but I think I managed not to make a complete fool out of myself.

The side door into the kitchen opens just as I step out into the hallway. The voices of Holly and my sister instantly fill the emptiness in my home. I miss the laughter that used to be here. The warmth of what having a wife felt like. When Heather found out she was sick, it was too late to do anything except make her comfortable. Overnight, everything changed. I had to be present. I had to make sure Holly made it to school, Heather made it to her appointments, and I had work. My life became about schedules, grocery shopping, paying bills. All things Heather had done for us. It took her getting sick for me to realize how much I took her for granted.

I clear my thoughts as soon as my eyes land on Holly. She looks tired as she staggers toward me. “Rough day?” I ask as she falls into me.

“You have no idea. The playground can be torture.”

Meredith and I both laugh at her over exaggeration. “Well, I’m sure a nice long bath will ease all that tension away.” I wish I were joking, but Holly has a penchant for bubble baths, much like her mother. If I don’t set the timer, Holly will stay in until her skin rivals that of a ninety-year-old woman. “Why don’t you go get your toys ready, and I’ll be there in a few minutes to start the water.”

“You got it. Bye Auntie Mere.”

“Bye, sweetie. See you tomorrow.”

As soon as Holly is down the hall, Meredith and I move into the kitchen. “Productive day?” she asks.

I nod and try to keep the smile off my face. The truth is, despite everything, I had a great time with Laney.

“No need to fill me in, I already heard you saved the day.” My eyes go wide, and she shakes her head. “It’s Delaney Du Luca, Aiden. She’s one of the biggest stars out there and you, my brother, just happened to be her knight in shining armor.” Meredith pokes me in the chest for emphasis. I drop my head to hide my smile, but I can’t get anything past her. “Spill the details because the stuff I read all over the web is very outlandish.”

“What’d you read?”

Instead of answering me, Meredith turns her attention to my refrigerator. I cringe as she opens it up. I half expect her to complain about the lack of food, but she doesn’t. She hands me two beers before closing the door. I pop the tops of both and give one back to her. “Let’s see, you were angry and told people to back off. A few comments said you showed your badge and pushed people out of the way.”

I let those words stew for a bit while I take a long drink of my beer. Meredith does the same, but it’s the way her eyes stay focused on me that I know I have no choice but to answer her. “Some of what you say could be true, but let me preface by saying, they were harassing her, and I was intervening long before I knew it was Delaney.”

“She was just the prize behind the mob.”

“Is that some intellectual metaphor I should know the meaning of?”

Meredith laughs. “Not at all. So, when are you taking Delaney out?”

The mouthful of beer I have sputters out of my mouth. My sister’s eyebrow rises, making her look increasingly like our mother. “Never? She’s Delaney Du Luca. She can have any man she wants, and I guarantee you I’m not on her radar.”

“But she’s on yours. Good night, brother.” Meredith places her bottle down on the counter. I’m not sure she’s even finished it, which bodes well in my favor. “Don’t forget about my niece or Shelby.”

“Shelby?” I ask.

“You’re definitely on her radar.” Meredith is out the door before I can even come close to giving a response. I lift the bottle of beer to my lips and replay the last bit of our conversation over in my head. I’m not in a position to be on anyone’s mind, although dating wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Daddy!” Holly screeches, which causes me to go running. I burst into the bathroom to find her standing there in her bathrobe with her dolls lined up on the edge of the tub.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

She looks at me oddly and shakes her head. “You told me to get ready for my bath.”

“Right. I’m sorry, I forgot.” I did because my mind was elsewhere, places it shouldn’t be. Holly’s my only priority in life right now. I kneel over and start the water, pouring the right amount of bubbles into the tub. I swear, whoever is lucky enough to marry my daughter better do this for her every night because she deserves it.

“I heard you saw my most favoritist person today.”

“Favoritist isn’t a word, Holly.”

She shrugs and does nothing to correct herself, but continues to look at me as if I owe her something. “Who would that be?” I hedge. In my world, I should be her most favorite, but something tells me I’m not even on the list.

“Delaney,” she says.

Right, of course. I nod and turn away from Holly so I can shut off the water. “There ya go. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

“Wait,” she says, grabbing hold of my arm. “I’m dying to know.”

That’s when it hits me. My adolescent daughter transformed into a needy teenager while I was out shopping. Shouldn’t she be worried about other things, like what time Frosty’s on? “I’m not sure we have anything to discuss,” I tell her as I stand there with my hands on my hips. She mimics my stance but does it with so much more flare.

“Dad,” she says, drawing my name out in her whiny tone. “You were with her today. I heard all about it. Why can’t you just tell me? Everyone in town says you saved her life.”

“Your bath water is getting cold.” I point to the tub of bubbles.

Holly sighs. “Fine, but once I’m in, you come sit on the toilet and talk to me.”

This takes me by surprise, and as much as I’d rather not talk about today, I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to sit and talk with my daughter. I step out and wait by the door. It’s seconds later when she hollers for me. When I walk back in, she’s covered in bubbles and the only part of her visible is her head.

I sit on the toilet and sigh. I don’t want her growing up so fast, but it seems inevitable. “Did you kiss her?”

“Holly!”

“What? She’s very pretty.”

“You can’t go around kissing people. It’s called harassment.”

Holly rolls her eyes, making me second-guess my reason for being in here. I could try to change the subject but have a feeling she isn’t going to stand for that. “Yes, Delaney is very pretty, and yes, I was with her today.”

“Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“No, why would you ask that?”

She shrugs. “Because Rachel said that Becky said Delaney was your girlfriend. Rachel made fun of me when I said it wasn’t true and she said her mom told her and Rachel called me a baby for not knowing.”

My mind is frazzled by the gossip these seven-year-olds participate in. I know it’s not their fault, what they hear their parents talk about, but come on. Starting rumors where they aren’t needed doesn’t benefit anyone at all.

“Holly, you can’t believe everything someone has to say.” I almost add ‘in this town’, but refrain. “People like to make up stories so that they seem important or have information someone else doesn’t have. Delaney and I are acquaintances. Do you know what that means?”

She nods. “You say hi, but don’t invite them to dinner.”

“Right, close enough. Today, Delaney was in trouble, so I helped her because it’s my job to help people. That’s the truth. Just because we were in the same spot at the same time doesn’t mean we’re dating.”

“Do you want to date her?”

I shake my head. “Delaney lives in California. We live in Vermont. Now I’m going to leave you so you can have your bath. The timer's on, so wash up.”

“Wait.”

“What, Holly?”

“If you saved her today, that makes you her hero.”

I nod and smile before stepping out of the bathroom and pulling the door closed until there’s a small crack left. Within a few steps, I’m in my room and sitting on my bed doing everything I can to forget Holly’s question about dating Delaney.

* * *

The locker next to me slams shut, causing me to jump. I’m half asleep, and the coffee I guzzled down on my way into work hasn’t kicked in yet.

“Did you ever know that you’re my hero…?”

Dominic’s hand is outstretched as he continues to belt out the words to whatever song he’s singing. I push his hand away and continue getting dressed.

“My sister was going on and on and on about the man who saved her,” he says as he falls back into the row of lockers, placing his hand over his forehead in a very dramatic way.

“Whatever,” I mumble.

“Seriously, though. As soon as Delaney came home, it was Aiden this and Aiden that. I wanted to plug my ears with glue so I wouldn’t have to listen to her talk about you. It was like we were back in high school when she had those ridiculous puppy dog eyes for you. I used to sneak into her room to read her diary. She used to write Delaney Fisher all over the pages. Man, she took your break-up hard.”

I keep my head down so Dominic can’t see my expression. The reason we broke up was because he wouldn’t stop teasing us. Delaney and I could never be alone, and when we were, he would interrupt us.

“You listening?”

“Yeah,” I say, as I start to tie my boot.

“Anyway, I thought you should know she’s back at it.”

“I’m sure she was just experiencing some post-traumatic stress and needed to talk to someone about the incident.”

Dom slams his locker door shut, causing me to jump again. “Nah, I think she has a crush.”

I don’t move a muscle until the door to the locker room shuts. It’s only then that I allow myself to think about what Dom said, what Meredith said to me last night and what Holly told me. If things were different, I’d probably ask Delaney out, but her and I live in two completely different worlds.