Chapter Text
Part VI
A week after the big snowstorm, Matt, Sylvie, and Madi were sitting on the bleachers of the girls’ school gym. Millie had just finished her soccer game, cheering together with her teammates while their parents and friends cheered for them.
“Did you see how Millie scored that last goal? It was awesome! Right, Sylvie?” Madi squealed in her spot between them. She leaned toward the paramedic, looping her arm through hers and squeezing it with the biggest smile on her face.
Since the storm, his daughter’s attachment to Sylvie had reached a new level. Whenever Madi saw Sylvie these days, she hugged her, lingering for more than a few seconds. Afterward, she always gave her an update about whatever she had read that day. Matt wasn’t worried about this new development as Sylvie patiently listened to her rambles, squeezing her arm whenever the words were coming out too fast, or asking just the right questions. The added affection also didn’t bother the young woman, probably because both Sylvie and Madi valued physical touch.
Sometimes Matt wasn’t exactly sure what Millie thought of this new connection, but most of the time she didn’t seem bothered by it. In the back of his mind, he still worried that this blossoming relationship between Sylvie and Madi could cause trouble at some point, but he pushed that thought away.
“She was great. You’re right, Madi,” Sylvie agreed with his daughter as she pushed herself off the bleachers, pulling Madi with her and squeezing her to her side. “I’m very proud of her. We should congratulate her on her win.”
“Oh yes! I’m gonna go first.”
The words hadn’t even left her mouth before the eight-year-old darted down the stairs and stormed toward Millie. In a few quick seconds, Madi crossed the distance toward her friend, crashing into her in a bone-crushing hug, which Millie returned with equal force.
It left Matt alone with Sylvie, and when she glanced back at him over her shoulder, he stood up too. “She’s getting pretty good out there. Her team is on a winning streak. I think it’s because of her.”
Sylvie nodded. “Her coaches are impressed with her. They suggested transferring her to the advanced team. Coach Lisa wants her to train with them once a week. They don’t want her to get bored.”
“That sounds like a great opportunity,” Matt said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. “What does Millie think about it?”
Sucking in a deep breath, Sylvie angled her body in his direction. She pulled her lip between her teeth, her eyes darting back to her daughter. “I haven’t told her yet. It’s another afternoon, and sometimes I’m still not sure if she likes soccer for the right reasons.”
Matt understood that. As far as he knew, Millie had only started soccer to impress her dad. Maybe even hoping to rekindle a relationship with him. Her frustration about her initial scoring dilemma had been proof of that.
Letting his gaze swipe back to the girls on the field, Matt mustered Millie for a long moment. Her dark blue soccer jersey and shorts were a stark contrast to her light skin and blonde hair. Her hair was braided in two short French braids, the ends barely reaching below her neck. She was talking animatedly to Madi, her hands gesturing wildly in front of her, her blue eyes shining brightly.
“I think she started soccer with the wrong intentions, but look at her now.” He nodded toward the girls, tentatively taking a step closer to Sylvie. “She’s glowing with joy. If this was just about impressing her dad, then she wouldn’t take this kind of joy from it. It might have started this way, but along the way, she found something she’s truly passionate about.”
Sylvie swallowed, letting out a long sigh. “I’m happy that she found something she excels at, and I’ll support her if she wants to pursue soccer further. But I want this to be her thing. I don’t like the fact that she might always associate this sport with her dad. Is that silly?”
Insecurity was ringing in her voice, and when Matt met her guilty eyes, he reached out and placed a hand on her back before he could stop himself. “It’s not silly, Sylvie. It’s understandable.” He rubbed his thumb over her lower back, knowing fully well that he was crossing a boundary he had set for himself. But Sylvie didn’t flinch or step away from him and instead continued to stare up at him, so he added, “Maybe it’s your job to learn to trust Millie to make decisions. Maybe she doesn’t even want to pursue soccer further than this.”
This time, his words pulled a soft chuckle out of Sylvie. She pursed her lips, her eyes straying to her daughter and then back to him. “You and I both know that she’s way too competitive to turn down this opportunity.”
She stepped away from him then, his hand falling away from her back. He was already mentally cursing himself for overstepping when her hand landed on his arm, her long fingers wrapping around his wrist. “Thanks, Matt. For listening and for practicing with Millie. She wouldn’t have this opportunity without you.”
A wide smile spread over his lips, and he had to stop himself from linking their fingers together. Instead, he relished her touch, memorizing the way her fingers grazed the pulse point on his wrist. “It was nothing, Sylvie. I’m just glad Millie’s happy.”
So, funny thing happened. After their little make-out session on the morning after the storm, Matt had fully expected things to be awkward between Sylvie and him. But they weren’t. Not even a tiny bit. It was almost as if nothing had happened, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. At least it meant that his friendship with Sylvie was still intact, but at the same time, he wondered if it meant that she wasn’t willing to give them a chance to be more than just friends.
She hadn’t given him any real sign, and he was struggling to not question her about it. He had promised her time, so he tried to stay true to that promise. It was the reason for his new rule of no touching, which honestly didn’t work that well. He had broken that rule almost every single time he had seen her since that morning, even if it was just a small accidental brush of their arms. He disliked the rule anyway, but he wanted to be respectful.
Sylvie squeezed his hand again then before her warmth disappeared from his skin. “Let’s go to the girls. I promised Millie she’d get to choose dinner.”
It pulled him out of his haze, and with a quick nod, he shook his head and followed her. They walked down the steps of the bleachers and crossed the distance to where the girls were still excitedly talking on the court.
“Hey, honey. You were awesome. I’m so proud of you,” Sylvie greeted her daughter, pulling her in for a side hug, which Millie tolerated for about two seconds before she awkwardly shrugged away from it.
“Thanks, Mom. It was a good game.” Once she was out of her mother’s reach, she glanced at Madi, before her eyes darted to Matt and then back to her mom.
Matt should have known the girls were up to something by that small interaction, but he didn’t think much about it. Instead, he held up his hand to Millie for a quick high-five. “Good game, Millie. You were great out there.”
The girl humored him with a high-five, the slap of their hands ringing through the air. She lowered her arm back down to her side, grabbing onto her elbow with her other hand. “Thanks, Matt.” She briefly met his eyes, but they once again bounced to Madi and then to Sylvie. This time, she even shifted on her feet.
It finally got Matt’s senses to tingle, and when he looked at Madi, he saw her fidgeting in her spot just as much as her friend. He was about to say something to break Millie’s awkwardness when the girl spoke up again.
“Mom, you said I could choose what we’d have for dinner, right?”
Sylvie nodded, her hand reaching out to squeeze Millie’s shoulder. “Of course. We just have to stop at the store on our way home. You can choose whatever you want.”
“I’m starving, and I think we should just eat out tonight,” Millie blurted out. As soon as the words left her mouth, she sucked in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Her voice might have been unsure, but with every word that followed, determination rang in her voice. “I’m in the mood for burgers and milkshakes. Madi said Matt knows this small diner in our neighborhood that has the best milkshakes. I wanna go there. Madi and Matt should come too.”
Her words blindsided Sylvie completely, and Matt felt almost sorry for her. She was staring at her daughter with parted lips, and it looked like she was trying to catch up with everything Millie had just said. It wasn’t unusual for the girls to want to spend as much time together as they could. They begged for it almost every single day. It just never included their parents. But this time Millie had asked for Madi and him to join, and if Matt had to guess, that was throwing Sylvie for a loop.
“Uhm, I was thinking more along the lines of choosing your favorite food for me to cook at home,” Sylvie slowly explained, her hand rubbing over Millie’s arm. “It’s a school night, and it’s already 6:30.”
“Mom, you promised.” Millie crossed her arms in front of her chest, staring at her mom with a wrinkle between her brows. “Besides, it would be faster if we went out to eat. I haven’t seen Madi all day.”
The blonde girl was smart. Matt had to give her that. Her argumentation was logical. He briefly wondered if the girls had talked their plan through before the game or if Millie had come up with her arguments on the spot. Before he could think too much about it, Sylvie’s eye strayed to him for a second.
He tried to keep his gaze as neutral as possible because he was very much on board with the plan. Spending more time with the girls and Sylvie sounded perfect. It was a good way for Sylvie to see what it would be like between the four of them. Sure, they went to Millie’s games together, but eating out together felt different. It would add another layer to their usual interactions.
“Have you asked Matt and Madi if they want to come?” Sylvie’s eyes moved back to Millie, a hint of hesitance still ringing in her voice.
“Matt loves this diner. I’m sure he’d like to come. Right, Matt?” Millie asked him, her blue eyes staring him down, almost as if she was trying to telepathically send him the right answer.
“Oh please, Dad! We’ve been meaning to go there again for a while,” Madi joined in. She moved to stand beside him, grabbing his hand and tugging at it in excitement.
When he glanced down at her, he was met with her pleading big brown eyes. It reminded him of days when she was just a couple of years old, begging him for just one more story while cuddling close to him. He could never say no to her back then, and today wasn’t any different. Not that he wanted to say no.
“It’s fine by me,” he said with a shrug, keeping his voice as nonchalantly as possible. “Their burgers are great.” He prayed to god he wasn’t overstepping any kind of boundary Sylvie had set for them, so he hesitantly peeked at Sylvie next to him.
She was looking at him already, her hesitance replaced with something that resembled nervousness, but she quickly masked it with a small smile. “I guess we’ll have burgers then.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the girls squealed loudly. Out of the corner of his eyes, Matt saw them jumping up and down together, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Sylvie. Their eyes stayed locked, and he couldn’t help the beam that stretched over his face. Slowly but surely, the nervousness dissipated from Sylvie’s features until nothing but a shy smile was left on her lips.
Turns out, the girls had thought their plan through this time because half an hour later, Matt sat squished in a tiny booth next to Sylvie at Sally’s diner.
When they had entered the diner together, Madi and Millie had led them straight to the back of the room. It wasn’t busy with only three other parties seated across the diner, but the girls had chosen the very last booth in the room, far away from every other customer. It was also the smallest booth, something Matt and Madi both knew as they had sat there together before with Matt’s sister and niece.
Of course, Millie and Madi had wanted to sit next to each other, and judging by their giggles, they had planned this seating arrangement all along. When Matt had sat down next to Sylvie on the dark-red leather bench, the two of them had shared an almost shy look as they shifted in their seats to get comfortable.
Their awkward shuffling still hadn’t stopped, and Matt wasn’t sure if it would for the rest of the evening. Sylvie was already pressed into the last corner of the bench, her shoulder touching the window, while Matt had scooted as far off the bench as possible without the risk of falling off. It was an uncomfortable position for him, but it was better than making Sylvie uncomfortable. Even with their bodies shoved in opposite corners of the bench, they were still touching from shoulder to thigh.
“They have so many milkshakes. Do you know which one you want?” Millie asked Madi as she looked at the menu in front of her. “I don’t like them super sweet, so I think I’ll take the banana one with dark chocolate sauce.”
“I’m gonna take the chocolate chip and Oreo milkshake with extra chocolate sauce. I love chocolate,” Madi answered with an emphasis on chocolate. She shared a look with Millie before glancing up at Matt. “Dad always takes the vanilla milkshake. He doesn’t like sweet stuff either.” A smile curled on her lips, and she scrunched up her nose in the most mischievous way she only sported when Millie was around.
Sometimes, Matt still marveled at his daughter’s newfound confidence. While she was definitely more courageous with Millie around, Madi still kept her sweet shyness, staying true to herself and not bending for other people. This new cheekier side of her made him chuckle more often than not, as he knew she was all bark but not bite. He had a feeling Madi was also still getting used to her new confidence as her cheekier comments usually made her pause with a flicker of hesitation crossing over her face.
“Mom also loves chocolate. She’s got a secret stash in her bedroom drawer,” Millie said as she placed her menu on the table. “Which one did you choose, Mom? The double chocolate swirl with extra chocolate sauce?”
At her daughter’s words, Sylvie stilled next to him. “I guess my secret stash is not so secret anymore. Good thing we don’t like the same candy,” Sylvie directed at Millie with a lifted brow. “And yes, I will take the double chocolate swirl milkshake with extra chocolate sauce. There is nothing wrong with the occasional sugar overload.”
“That’s a great choice, Sylvie. I had it the last time we were here. It’s delicious,” Madi agreed with a bright smile. “Millie and I will tell Sally our milkshake order. Maybe she’ll let us watch while she makes them. Come on, Millie.” The brown-haired girl pushed her elbow into her friend’s side, scooting in her direction until Millie moved too.
With a trail of giggles and hushed whispers, the girls walked off toward the counter where the owner, Sally, was currently preparing a different order of milkshakes. Madi and he had been to Sally’s dinner quite a few times, and Sally knew them by name. When the girls arrived at the counter, sitting down on the barstools, Sally greeted them with a smile before her eyes trailed across the room to find him. She sent him a wink and a quick wave before she turned her attention back to the girls.
Matt kept his eyes on the girls for a moment longer, watching as they rambled off their milkshake orders, but when he felt a shiver against his arm, he shifted his focus back to Sylvie. As he angled his body in her direction, he noticed the way she had her arms wrapped around herself.
“Everything OK?” He asked, a crease forming between his brows. “Are you cold?”
Sylvie let out a small breath, rubbing her hands over her arms. “Just a bit chilly. The window is radiating the cold from outside, but it’s not too bad,” she shrugged him off with a brief smile on her lips.
“I’d offer to make more space, but I’m already hanging off the side of the bench,” Matt admitted while scratching the back of his neck with a soft chuckle. “Why don’t we change seats? I don’t mind the cold.”
“No, it’s fine. Thank you, Matt.” Just as she tried to wave him off for a second time, another shiver rushed through her body.
Instead of answering, Matt got up from his spot and gestured for Sylvie to do the same. “Come on. Humor me. I don’t want you to turn into an icicle. Madi and I are already crashing your celebration dinner with Millie. I can only be responsible for so much a day.”
“Matt, it’s fine.”
“Sylvie, please.”
He caught her eyes, staring her down with a soft but intense stare. When she still didn’t move, he held out his hand toward her. There went the no-touching rule again. Maybe he needed to rethink this one. It didn’t seem he could abide by it.
After another beat, Sylvie let out a breath of air, grabbing his hand and letting him pull her out of the booth. She could have easily gotten up without his help, and he took it as a win that she let him help. It was a good sign.
Once she was standing next to him, he gave her hand one last squeeze before pulling back and sliding back into the booth. When he reached the end of the seat, he immediately understood the chill Sylvie had described. It was a nipping cold that crawled up his arm, but he ignored it and concentrated on the fact that Sylvie slipped in next to him again. Her left side bumped against his, and even through his clothes, he could feel how cold her arm was. His instinct screamed at him to tuck her close and warm her up, but this wasn’t the place.
Matt grabbed his menu again instead, even if he knew exactly what he would order. He needed to do something with his hands. He had a feeling he’d do something stupid otherwise. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Sylvie biting her lip while she intensely stared at her menu too. It was distracting, and he tried harder to focus on his menu. He would just read every single dish until the girls got back to keep himself occupied.
“You’re not crashing my celebration dinner with Millie,” Sylvie quietly admitted just after he finished reading the breakfast section.
Surprised, Matt placed his menu back on the table as he studied Sylvie from the side. She had stopped biting her lips, which were now parted just the tiniest bit. Her chest was rising and falling with each small breath she took. She shifted in her seat, the leather of the bench squeaking with her movement.
“I’m glad you’re here. I enjoy spending time with you.” She hesitantly placed her hand on his thigh, her thumb brushing the inside of his knee. “I like watching Millie’s soccer games with you and Madi. And I’m glad Millie invited you tonight.” She trailed off, her brow wrinkling.
He couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh. “I’m hearing a but in this sentence.” He didn’t want to voice it, because he knew this conversation could go either way now, but he didn’t want to invalidate her in any way. Hoping to ease her in the right direction, he added, “I enjoy spending time with you too. With you and the girls. I’m happy Millie invited me too.”
He dropped his hand to his thigh, his fingers skimming over the back of her hand before he rested his hand on his thigh, just out of her reach. Touching still needed to be her choice.
Sylvie blinked as her gaze dropped to their hands on his thigh. After a second of hesitation, she scooted her hand upward until her fingers brushed his knuckles. “Matt, I want you to know my hesitance has nothing to do with you or how I feel about you.” She kept her eyes on their hands, her thumb gliding tenderly over each of his knuckles. “At Millie’s game today, I realized how much I want this to work. I loved cheering her on with Madi and you. It was perfect.” She paused again, sucking in a deep breath. “Right now, spending time with you and the girls feels easy, but I don’t know if it will stay this way. I need to be sure that Millie’s OK with us. She needs to be my priority.”
Matt realized he had a choice then. He could either tell Sylvie about their daughters’ scheme to get them together, or he could leave her in the dark about it. Telling her was the obvious choice as it would help Sylvie’s insecurities about Millie’s feelings about a romantic relationship between them. But on the other hand, it was also just the right thing to reveal at this moment, and he couldn’t help but wonder if words wouldn’t help that much after all.
He did not doubt that Sylvie would believe him, but he had a feeling that the girls’ actions would soothe her reservations more efficiently. And since their girls seemed to have turned their parent-trapping up a notch, he decided to give it a bit more time.
Not too long though. He was a patient man, but even he had his limits. He could easily wait for another few weeks as long as they would still spend time together. If they wouldn’t make any progress after that, he could still talk to Sylvie (and possibly also Millie) again.
With a settled mind, he intertwined his fingers with Sylvie’s. “I understand that, Sylvie. Millie should always be your priority. I wouldn’t want to change that.” He squeezed her hand, tapping his thumb against hers until her eyes met his. “We don’t have to rush into this. How about the four of us just spend more time together for a start? Just like today. It will give us and the girls more time to get comfortable with each other. We can feel out the dynamic without any pressure.”
At his words, a gush of air left Sylvie’s lungs, making her shoulders sag and curl forwards. Her face visibly relaxed, her eyes softening. The tiniest of smiles tugged at her lips before she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Thank you, Matt. I appreciate your patience. I know it’s a lot to ask.”
“It’s not. You’re allowed to feel hesitant.” He lowered his head, scooting just a tad closer to her before he added, “But I’m serious about you, Sylvie. I liked kissing you, and I would love to do it again. Especially when you look at me like this.”
A beautiful rose color appeared on Sylvie’s cheeks, and she nibbled at her bottom lip while the corners of her lips tugged up in a shy smile. His need to kiss her only intensified when she blinked up at him through her lashes. “You’re an excellent kisser, Matt Casey.”
An involuntary groan escaped his lips, and he had to use the last of his restraint to not kiss her right on the spot. The blushing version of Sylvie was already messing with his head, but this new, flirty version of her would be his undoing.
He was about to grip her thigh to pull her closer when his eyes met Madi’s over Sylvie’s shoulder. She had just jumped off her chair, and even from several feet away, she noticed their closeness as her eyes widened and she froze in her spot. It was obvious she didn’t know how to proceed as she kept on staring at him, almost as if she was waiting for any kind of sign from him.
In the end, Matt sent her a quick and encouraging smile before he leaned away from Sylvie again. “The girls are coming back,” he whispered to Sylvie as he spotted Millie getting up from her stool too.
At his words, Sylvie straightened in her seat too, her hand slipping out of his with one last squeeze. She turned toward the girls who appeared at their table together with Sally, who was carrying a tray with their milkshakes.
“I come bearing the goods,” the older woman greeted them. “Madi and Millie were very serious about lots of extra chocolate sauce on your milkshake and no chocolate sprinkles on yours.” She first placed the double chocolate swirl milkshake in front of Sylvie before she handed Matt his vanilla milkshake. “Have you decided what you’re having?”
Their moment was gone after that, but Matt couldn’t care less because the following two hours were still spent with laughter and big smiles, to the point where Matt’s cheeks hurt.
Later that night, when Matt went upstairs to wish Madi goodnight, his daughter was already waiting for him. She was lying on her back in her bed, the covers tugged up to her chin with her hands gripping the top.
“Dad?”
Matt lowered himself onto the edge of her bed, folding his hands in his lap. “Madi.”
She blinked at him with her big brown eyes a couple of times while simultaneously chewing on her lip. It was a tick she had recently picked up from Sylvie, and it made his heart beat faster every time. It reminded him of the blonde paramedic while also showing him how much Madi already saw Sylvie as a role model.
Another beat passed and Madi continued to muster him, but then she took a deep breath and asked, “Dad, do you like Sylvie?”
It wasn’t a question he had expected to hear from his daughter at this moment, but at the same time, he had known for a while that it would be coming. It was one thing for the girls to form and execute their plan, but something entirely different to see the fruits of it. He still highly doubted that either of the girls understood the complexity of a romantic relationship, and he had prepared to explain it at least to Madi.
“That’s an interesting question. What made you ask it?” Matt retorted.
Madi’s brow wrinkled in confusion, hesitance crossing over her face. Her bottom lip disappeared further between her teeth, and she gripped her blanket tighter. “I don’t know,” she mumbled, suddenly not meeting his eyes anymore.
“I think you know.” He arched an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side. “I will answer your question, Madi. But first I wanna know why you’re asking it.”
With a plop, Madi released her lip from her teeth, pressing her lips together instead. “You smile a lot when she’s around, and you like talking to her. You come early when you pick me up and stay a few extra minutes when you drop me off at Millie’s. I think Sylvie makes you happy, and you like spending time with her because then you’re not lonely,” the eight-year-old blurted out before sucking in a deep breath and finally meeting his eyes. “I like Sylvie too. And I want you to like her, Dad. I love it when the four of us spend time together. I always want it to be the four of us.” With an emphasis on her last words, Madi sacked back against the mattress.
Shifting in his seat, Matt reached out to brush a few strands of Madi’s hair out of her face. “First of all, I need you to know that I don’t feel lonely, Madi. Not even after your mom died. Maybe I felt lost for a while, but I was never lonely because I always had you.” He lowered his chin, gazing at his daughter with insistent eyes until she nodded. Straightening his back, Matt then simply added, “Good. And to answer your question, I do like Sylvie.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Madi’s eyes widened, and she pushed herself up on her elbows. “You do?”
A chuckle left Matt’s lips as he shook his head. “Has anyone told you you’re very observant for your age? When did that happen?”
His daughter didn’t hear his words as she pushed herself up and looked at him with a wrinkled brow. If he would feel her heartbeat now, he could bet it was racing inside her ribcage. “Dad! Don’t deflect! If you like Sylvie, then why are you not together? I think she likes you too. You spent so much time with her. Why can’t you just kiss her? We’ve given you so many opportunities.”
Her words were flowing out fast, and after the last ones were out of her mouth, it still took her brain a full minute to catch up with what she had just said. Once she did, her eyes widened further, and she sucked her lips inwards.
“We, huh?” Matt simply asked.
Madi wouldn’t meet his eyes and fiddled with her blanket instead. This time though, Matt didn’t wait for her to confess. He didn’t want her to be more uncomfortable than she already was. Her sense of guilt always set in too fast.
“Just out of curiosity, would you have told me about your plan if you had succeeded?”
With a small shrug, his daughter tucked the blanket closer to her chest while keeping her eyes firmly downcast. “I don’t know. I’m sorry, Daddy. I just really like Sylvie, and back then, Millie didn’t like Greg. We thought it would be a good idea if you two got together. We figured we’d get to spend all of our time together then. And Millie actually likes you.” She paused, blinking up at him for a second. “Are you mad at me now, Dad?”
“I’m not mad, honey.” He shifted in his spot until he leaned against the headboard of the bed. Wrapping an arm around Madi, he pulled her to his side. “It wasn’t right for you and Millie to interfere with Sylvie’s relationship with Greg. She’s the only one who gets to decide who she wants to be with. That was inappropriate.” He paused, taking in his daughter’s guilty face. She was feeling miserable. Something he absolutely hated, which was why he continued after just another beat. “That being said, I don’t think Sylvie has caught on to your subtle meddling. Which means that so far, there was no harm done.”
“We didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings, Daddy. We just wanted for the two of you to be together, so Millie and I could be sisters.” She shuffled closer to him, tucking her head between his shoulder and neck.
Closing his eyes, Matt wrapped his arms around his daughter. “It’s not that easy, honey. Romantic relationships between adults are very complex. Sylvie may like me, but being together is about more than just whether or not we like each other. It’s about our entire worlds having to fit together. It can get quite complicated sometimes.”
“I don’t think I fully understand it, Daddy,” Madi mumbled against his neck. “Does this mean Sylvie will never be your girlfriend?”
Disappointment rang in her voice, and it was all Matt could feel at that thought too. Maybe his explanation had been a bit too gloomy. Especially considering the relatively positive conversation with Sylvie about their status. He had no reason for gloom. Explaining romantic relationships to an eight-year-old was new to him, and it was something he needed to get better at.
“It means that you and Millie will need to be patient while Sylvie and I figure this out.”
Madi didn’t answer right away. Instead, she tapped her fingers against his chest, quietly pondering his words until she angled her head upwards to look at him. “Should Millie and I stop our plan?”
Oh well. That question got him into a conflict. The right answer as a responsible parent would be yes, but he couldn’t tell her that. It would ruin his plan to let the girls show Sylvie that a relationship could work for all four of them. So no, he couldn’t be a responsible parent right now, but he figured that this could be his one exception in parenting.
“Anything that involves the four of us spending more time together will be OK,” he told her. He figured it was a good middle ground. Meeting her eyes, he leveled her with a pointed look and added, “But no involving others, got it?”
An excited smile spread over his daughter’s lips, and she nodded eagerly. “Promise, Daddy. Pinky swear.” She held up her pinky to him, and Matt linked it with his, squeezing her finger once.
When their grip loosened again, he pressed one last kiss on her head. “Alright, honey. Enough talking for today. Time for bed now. It’s a school night.”
He could tuck her in without problems after that, and after a quick ‘I love you’ exchange, Matt got up from her bed. With one last look at her sleepy but happy face, he left the room and closed the door with a soft click.
Today had definitely been a success on all fronts.
After his talk with Madi, the girls seized every opportunity for the four of them to spend more time together. Next to two more soccer games, they orchestrated an outing to the movie theater, a trip to the ice rink, two more dinners, and a lunch. Matt could also swear that the two of them took extra long to come downstairs whenever Sylvie or Matt would pick the other up. Madi and Millie were trying their hardest to give them as much time together as possible, and it made Matt oddly proud.
As far as he knew, Sylvie still hadn’t caught on to the girls meddling. At first, she seemed confused at their girls’ suggestion to spend time together with all four of them, but she never hesitated to agree. By their third dinner together, she even suggested trying a new restaurant, and her confusion disappeared. Instead, she welcomed the girls’ ideas with a bright smile.
Today, the girls joined Sylvie and Matt on their shift as it was ‘take your child to work day’. Madi and Millie had been excited for weeks, begging them to let them come, and while Sylvie was hesitant at first, Matt convinced her. They wouldn’t go on any calls with them, staying at the firehouse with whoever stayed behind. After dinner, Matt’s sister would pick them up for a sleepover with his niece, Violet. It was a good compromise, and once Chief Boden had given his OK, Sylvie agreed too.
So far, Ambo had only gotten called out once this morning, while Truck didn’t have any calls yet. Even though Truck hadn’t gotten called out, Gallo and Ritter had entertained the girls for the first two hours as Matt needed to work on some paperwork, but once Ambo got back, he joined Sylvie and the girls in the common room.
All their other colleagues were also spread around the room with Mouch and Herrmann launching on the couch watching TV, the Squad guys hunched together at the long table working on a crossword puzzle, and Ritter, Gallo, and Foster cooking lunch in the kitchen area.
Matt was sitting at the round table with Severide and Kidd, while Sylvie taught the girls basic first-aid skills. She had brought a bag filled with gauze bandages that the girls were now wrapping around various parts of Matt and Severide’s bodies. The kids were engrossed in their task, following Sylvie’s instructions, who jumped back and forth between them to help.
“Millie, honey, try to wrap the gauze closer to his ears. Otherwise, it will get loose and slip off his head,” Sylvie told her daughter while helping Madi secure the gauze on Severide’s arm.
“I’m trying, but it keeps slipping up. His hair is too soft,” Millie complained with a frustrated growl. “And he has too much hair. It’s sticking in every direction.”
“Does this mean you want me to get a haircut?” Matt asked, glancing up at the eight-year-old through his latches. Instead of answering, Millie just huffed again.
A soft laugh left Sylvie’s lips as she stepped up to them. “Nobody has to get a haircut.” Meeting his eyes for a second, she sent him a brief smile before she reached for the loose gauze on his head and pulled it down. “If you push his hair away from his forehead, it will act as a barrier and prevent the gauze from slipping upwards again.”
With practiced ease, Sylvie rearranged the front strands of his hair, her fingers scratching gently along his scalp. It reminded him of their kiss a few weeks ago, and he needed to take a steadying breath to calm his nerves. Now wasn’t the time to think about it. Not with the girls and the rest of the firehouse surrounding them. In his haze, he thought it was wise to concentrate on Sylvie instead, but in the end, he ended up staring up at her, which wasn’t any better either.
“See, it holds much better this way. Even if it makes Matt look funny. I’m afraid we messed up his hairstyle today.” Sylvie gave the gauze a soft tug, demonstrating that it was now secure around his head before her fingertips grazed over his forehead one last time and she stepped back.
“I doubt it could be worse than his helmet hair. Have you seen him after he takes his helmet off after a call? It’s been a running joke on 81 for a while,” Stella chimed in from her spot next to Severide at the table. She was holding the start of the gauze to the lieutenant’s head while Madi also started to work on bandaging her patient’s head. “The longer it gets, the crazier it looks.”
“Are you making fun of me, Kidd?” Matt asked his colleague, eyeing her from the side. “I heard the showers need a good scrub.”
“But you look funny, Daddy,” Madi told him with a shrug. “Stella is just telling the truth.” An innocent smile played on her lips, but the glimmer in her eyes told him she was being cheeky with him. The few seconds she had looked his way were enough for the bandage to slip down Severide’s face, and when Madi noticed, she let out a short giggle. “Whoopsie, sorry, Uncle Sev. I might need some help too, Sylvie.”
The blonde in question moved over to the pair, grabbing the gauze from Madi and rolling it up again. “Severide doesn’t have much hair, so you need to start low on his forehead,” she explained in a calm voice while holding the beginning of the gauze to his neck and wrapping the rest methodically around his head.
“I have more than enough hair,” Severide clarified while reaching out to tickle Madi’s side. “Not everyone needs a mop on his head like your dad.”
“Hey!” Matt exclaimed over Madi’s giggles, jutting his head towards his friend. “Careful.”
His voice lost all seriousness at seeing the joy on his daughter’s face. It wasn’t by far her first time at the firehouse, and she adored all his colleagues like they were her best friends. She always had a special bond with Severide, who made sure to be a part of her life as much as possible. He was one of the few people Madi would put her books aside for, and in her world, that meant a lot.
“Don’t move, Matt. I need to secure the gauze now,” Millie grumbled, one of her hands landing on his cheek to turn his head back toward her.
Dutifully, Matt held still after that. He wasn’t willing to test Millie’s patience. He was actually happy that she was comfortable enough to interact with him this way. Contrary to Madi, who often communicated through touch with the people closest to her, Millie usually strayed away from any kind of physical connection. Her relationship with Madi was the exception, but the girls seemed to understand each other on a different level.
Earlier, when he had sat down and Sylvie had placed the gauze on the table, Millie had come up to him, claiming him as her designated patient without another word. Granted, she barely knew the other people around the firehouse, but she could have easily gone with Kidd or Foster. Even if the latter was currently busy cooking lunch in the kitchen with the other youngsters.
His attention was pulled back to the present when Kidd got up from her spot next to Severide. “I think everyone here thinks that you need a haircut,” she concluded, her hands going to her hips while she zeroed in on him. “You don’t wanna go to the annual CFD fundraiser looking anything but dapper, don’t you? What would your date think of you?” Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Sylvie freeze in her spot, but just a second later, Kidd thankfully added, “Do you even have one yet?”
“That’s none of your business, Kidd,” he growled while his heart was beating wildly in his chest. He didn’t like being called out like that, and a part of him didn’t want to clarify his date situation, but he knew he had to because of Sylvie. “And my hair is just fine without the helmet. Besides, no one can comment on it for the fundraiser.”
A big smirk spread over the firefighter’s face, and with sparkling eyes, she sent him a quick wink. “You should do something about that.” She held his eyes for just a moment longer before she walked towards the kitchen where Foster, Ritter, and Gallo were finishing their lunch preparations.
“Oh, is it the dinner you went to last year and dressed up in your pretty suit? You looked handsome, Daddy,” Madi sounded up as she took over bandaging Severide’s head again. “I can help you choose a tie again. Maybe we can find a blue one with glitter. I think gold would look good.”
The second Stella had brought up the dinner, Matt’s sixth sense had tingled. But he couldn’t believe that the girls had recruited Stella for their plan. Especially not after his talk with Madi. She wouldn’t dare to break their pinky promise. On the other hand, the date situation for the fundraiser was real, and if he didn’t want to go alone—and he didn’t—he needed to do something about it.
“Thank you for offering, Madi. We can look at my ties tomorrow,” Matt answered his daughter, sending her a quick smile. He had no plan to wear anything that glittered, but he could have that discussion with her later.
“Who did you take to the dinner last year?” Millie asked then.
“He went with my aunt Christie.”
Millie fastened the bandage with a plaster strip, pressing it against the side of his head before stepping back and looking him straight in the eyes. “If you’re not taking her this year, you should take my mom. She likes to dress up.”
Dead silence filled the table, and once more Sylvie froze in her spot next to Madi and Severide. Her lips parted, and she stared at her daughter in complete disbelief. “Millie.”
Damn those girls. He had underestimated them again.
He didn’t dare to break eye contact with Millie, staring into her blue eyes that had the same color as her mom’s. Usually, they were filled with a fierce determination that made anyone question defying her, but today, there was a hint of something else in them. Something that seemed breakable, almost vulnerable, and everything inside of him screamed to protect her from letting anyone ever break her fierce spirit. At this moment, she was just an eight-year-old girl who had been deeply hurt before, silently begging him not to betray her trust in him. This was her way of giving him her approval to date her mom. Even if it scared her. For herself and her mom.
Right there and then, he knew he had to have a real talk with her before he went out with Sylvie. He doubted words were enough to reassure her, but it wouldn’t stop him from trying. He could be patient. No, he needed to be patient with her, but he swore to himself he would do right by her. He would be whoever she wanted and needed him to be. Nothing more and nothing less.
In the end, it was Severide’s snicker that broke his thoughts, and while his friend didn’t say anything, it was enough for Millie’s gaze to flatter away from him. She masked her face in a matter of seconds, silently stepping up to the table to get a new roll of gauze.
When his eyes moved to Sylvie, they briefly stopped on his daughter, who tried to seem busy with wrapping Severide’s head, but the dimples in her cheek gave away the pure excitement she was feeling. She looked about ready to combust any second.
Contrary to that, Sylvie still stared at him with wide eyes, her lips parted and her hand clutching the back of the chair next to her. She was trying to process her daughter’s words, and if he knew her well enough, she had trouble dissecting them. Millie’s approval was more foreign to her than it was to him. It put a lot of things into perspective for her. Adding the fact that they were in the firehouse surrounded by their colleagues, which had been the second concern she had voiced about their relationship, it must have been one heck of an overwhelming conversation for her.
Nonetheless, he needed to say something. It didn’t seem like any of their colleagues, except Severide, who sat between them, had heard Millie, but not saying anything would send the wrong message. Of course, he wanted to take Sylvie. He just wasn’t sure if they were finally at the same point.
“I can help you pick a dress, Sylvie. That way you can match with Dad,” Madi offered, breaking the silence between the four of them. “You would look really pretty too. I think blue would look good. And if you go with Dad, then it won’t be boring for him. He said there was music last year, and he’s a good dancer. Do you like dancing?”
He wasn’t sure if Madi was trying to break the awkwardness between them or if she simply wanted to be encouraging, but it pulled Sylvie’s focus to her.
Sucking in a deep breath, Sylvie reached out to tuck a strand of long brown hair behind his daughter’s ear. “That’s very gracious of you, Madi.” She fleetingly met his eyes. “I enjoy dancing, but I haven’t danced in a long time.”
“It’s next Saturday. If you’re free, I’d love to take you,” Matt blurted out before he could overthink it further. “But we can talk about it again later. You don’t have to decide right now.”
Finally, their eyes met, and Matt tried to keep his gaze as hopeful as possible without pressuring her into anything. It worked as Sylvie simply nodded and pulled her lip between her teeth.
“Maybe we can talk about it later,” she told him, chewing on her lips before releasing it with a plop. “But I don’t think I’ve anything planned next Saturday.”
He couldn’t help the wide smile that spread over his lips. It wasn’t a definite yes, but it sounded positive. As long as they could talk later, he took it as a win. And with the fundraiser a little over a week away, he also had more than enough time to talk to Millie.
If everything worked out now, his patience would be rewarded in just under a week, and he could absolutely live with that.