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Adam unlocked the door and entered his house, wanting nothing more than to shower and sit down. He was dead on his feet. All that left his mind, however, the second he stepped in, because he was inundated with a loud blast of “Happy Father’s Day!!!” chorus. His eyes popped open with surprise, taking in the scene before him. The living room to their house had been converted into what resembled a party store. There were several colorful balloons strewn around, and a large “Happy Father’s Day” banner hung from each end of the window. He spied a large stack of pancakes on the kitchen counter, decorated as if it were a cake, and in the middle of the living room were the two people who’d become his reason for breathing. He looked at his little one first, smiling widely when he saw a card in her hands.
“Hey, kiddo. What’s all this?” he asked. Mak didn’t say a word, just beelined straight for him until she skidded to a stop right in front of him. He bent down and scooped her up in his arms, his earlier exhaustion completely forgotten. Her little arms wrapped around his neck, and she squeezed him gently.
“Happy Father’s Day, Dad,” she murmured. His heart squeezed, a warmth spreading across him. He held her tighter against him, not understanding how someone so pure and full of love had entered his life but feeling grateful for her all the same.
“Thanks, kiddo,” he replied, his voice thick with emotion. He looked up and saw Kim wiping at her eyes, a watery smile on her face. When she noticed him looking at her, she smiled wider, watching them with love on her face. Mak wiggled her way down, excited to tell Adam what they’d planned for the rest of the day. Her excited chatter made him laugh. Apparently, they had a Father’s Day breakfast, and then a slew of activities that Mak had planned for them.
They started on the breakfast, gorging on pancakes. Makayla giggled uncontrollably when Adam had a whipped cream moustache, and soon all three of them played around and decorated their faces. On any other day, Kim would have balked at the mess, but she couldn’t bear to stop the fun today. Her heart was warm with love. It was Adam’s first Father’s Day, and she wanted it to be special. She’d worried about how to celebrate it, but one conversation with Makayla and she’d surrendered the reigns to her daughter, knowing it would be all the more special if it came directly from her. Plus, she knew Adam couldn’t say no the little girl. To say she had him wrapped around her little fingers was a giant understatement.
After they’d finished eating and cleaned up, Mak walked over to Adam shyly and handed him a card she’d spent the better part of two days making.
“This is for you, Dad,” she said softly, smiling up at him. It was a hand-drawn picture of three stick figures, the sizes clearly indicating it was the three of them, with Makayla in the middle, all of them connected by their hands. He opened the card to find a small note written in Mak’s crooked handwriting.
Happy Father’s Day. You are the best and you make me laugh. Dancing with you makes me happy. Love, Mak.
Adam read the card five times before looking up from the card. He hadn’t even realized his eyes had teared up, and his hands shook lightly. He cleared his throat and smiled down at his kid, not knowing what to say.
“Thank you, sweetheart. Dancing with you makes me happy too,” he replied. Mak smiled brightly, not realizing how she’d made his day. Hell, his entire year.
“Okay, time for the next surprise!” she exclaimed before running into her room. “I’ll be right back! Don’t go anywhere, okay?” she said, not waiting for a response before dashing off. Both Kim and Adam chuckled and agreed.
In the midst of finishing up a big case at work, he’d completely forgotten about the holiday. He’d never expected this, so it felt even more special. His heart clenched when he realized all the thought and effort that Mak had put into today, not knowing what to make of the all-encompassing love he felt for her.
He felt arms wrap around him and looked down to see Kim looking up at him.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Just overwhelmed. But in the best way. I wasn’t expecting any of this,” he admitted.
“Yeah, I know. We were both worried you’d figure it out somehow, but we were able to ambush you with the surprise. Some cop you are,” she teased. A laugh burst out of him.
“In all seriously, this was all Mak. She only asked me to help, but all the ideas are hers. She wanted today to be special for you, it being your first Father’s Day and all,” Kim told him.
“It’s the best day I’ve had in a long time,” he replied, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you”.
“You don’t have to thank me. You’re an amazing father to her. You know I would’ve never been able to do any of this without you, right? You’ve been her father right from the beginning when we didn’t know she’d become such a big part of our lives,” Kim told him. Adam’s heart expanded, filling with the words. He knew all this, of course, but Kim had never said the words to him out loud, and hearing them filled his heart up. He bent down and kissed her.
“I love you,” he said. She smiled up at him.
“I love you,” she murmured.
The sound of Mak’s little footsteps made them look up, where she rushed in like a mini tornado.
“Okay! I’m ready, come on! You need to come to my room, I’m going to do a show…” she chattered on, grabbing both their hands and pulling them behind her. Adam smiled, thinking about how his life had changed, and loving every second of it.