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“Hold on, baby.” Aaron’s words were meaningless as Madeline scampered away, unable to sit still as he rummaged through the drawers in their bathroom, junk more than likely from his high school days buried at the bottom as he looked for the elastic Haley said to use when doing their daughter’s hair. The almost four-year-old had other plans, one that involved her Barbies and Daddy dressed in her best tiara. He hears the laughter in the background as she plays with her toys right outside the door. “Maddie.” Aaron barely raises his voice as she comes running back, two new toys in her hands as she smiled. He hums to himself when he finds the elastic, tapping the chair behind him as he walked behind his daughter.
She’s hesitant, holding onto his hand as she sat down, tiny feet hitting the tile anxiously. “Momma’s not doing it?” His daughter asked, the spitting image of Haley with her light blonde hair and his dark eyes, a small frown appearing on her lips as he shook his head. “Oh.”
“Mommy’s out of town.” Aaron reminded, something constantly held over his head this week, especially when Madeline wants Haley to tuck her in instead of him. “But I know you still wanted your hair done for daycare, so daddy’s going to try, okay?”
Madeline nodded, residing herself to the chair as she leaned back. Aaron smiled down at her as she held her stuffed penguin tight, the two didn’t go anywhere without one another. “So how does Mommy usually do it, Maddie?” Aaron had seen Haley do her hair hundreds of times, her parent part of their daily routine, the one constant. He picks up the brush, “Does she brush your hair out first?”
“Yes.” His daughter says, “Mommy does that and then she says that my outfit is very pretty and I always says Mommy is very pretty.”
Without missing a beat, Aaron takes down his daughter’s ponytail, brushing out the ends as he watched her through the mirror, almost waiting for him to say, “You look very beautiful, Maddie-girl. And Mommy is very pretty.”
She giggled, infectious laughter that almost scolded his throat, “Thanks daddy! You’re so pretty too!”
All he can do is smile, not wanting to explain why the word handsome exists. If his daughter thought he looked pretty, he was fucking pretty. Aaron gently brushed her hair, “What does Mommy do after that, Mads?”
“She sprays my hair and I usually laugh because sometimes she gets it in my eyes but it doesn’t actually hurt.” Because Mommy would never hurt her. Aaron takes a moment to think, reaching for the detangler as Madeline hummed, babbling to herself as he skimmed the back for instructions, detailing that he should only spray it on the ends.
“Do you close your eyes when Mommy sprays it?”
Madeline didn’t say anything, just set her stuffed penguin in her arms and brought her hands over her eyes. Aaron takes that as a yes, gently spraying her hair with the detangler, running the brush through the ends of her blonde hair, gently tapping her shoulder. “You can open your eyes now, bug. Daddy’s done with the spray.”
“Mommy uses more.”
Aaron mumbled under his breath, remembering that this is his first time doing this alone, and that Haley has always been right in his book, even if she was using too much detangler. He brings his brush to a halt, getting stuck on a knot as he grabbed the product, not admitting defeat as his daughter giggled.
“I said she uses more, daddy…”
“I know, baby. Daddy just thought—“ He exhaled, saying several curse words in his head as her shoulders slouched. “Did that hurt?”
Madeline shrugged, deciding the answer was no as she moved her penguin towards her shoulder. Aaron smiled at the sight, waving to her stuffed animal as she moved him back to her side, a puzzled expression that was nothing short of him, “No. But Mommy never has this problem. She’s really good at it, daddy.”
“Mommy’s good at everything.” Aaron decides, half-tempted to call her right about now. Embarrassed at the thought of Haley being able to use this against him for the next decade. He sighed, fear flushed in his belly as he brushed out her hair one last time, deciding that was good enough as he began to part her hair down the middle. “That’s why we love her, Madeline.”
“I love her ‘cause she gives me really good hugs and last week when you were at work, Momma let me have ice cream before dinner.” Madeline’s joy was lifelike, brushing onto him as he smiled. “And then I even had some after dinner, daddy!”
Aaron smiled wide, remembering when they did the same thing the night after their wedding, so in love with one another that it hurt. “She’s a good Mom.” Aaron settles, tying one side of her hair off as his daughter stared at her reflection in the mirror. He doesn’t ask why Haley does next, is certain he knows until his daughter jumps with fury, shaking her head in remorse as he freezes.
“Daddy! You forgot that you start at the top!”
Aaron lets himself breathe, takes a moment to relax his shoulders and bite back his laughter. “Maddie. I knew that, baby.”
“But you weren’t doing that, daddy..”
“I haven’t started yet, bug.”
“Well, mommy…” Her daughter crossed her arms. “Mommy knows what she’s doing, Daddy.”
Admiration drills into his heart. Madeline loved Haley so much. “I know your best friend Mommy is better at this, Mads, but Daddy’s trying his best.”
“What if my friends are mean?” Madeline stiffened her knees, guilt apparent on her rosy cheeks. She was only three, still a baby in his eyes, one that could do no wrong.
“What?” Aaron feels the wind knocked out of him, setting the brush on the sink as he watched his daughter intently. Madeline hiccuped.
"Sometimes… they are not nice if my hair is bad." Maddie's quiet after that. Doesn't see Aaron shaking his head with anger, determined to make this day perfect, grabbing the hair at the top of her hair as he began to braid it.
"Recently?"
Maddie shrugged.
"Baby, if someone's being mean to you. Can you tell me or mommy, that way we can sort it out?"
"I didn't wanna get in trouble." His daughter says, right before the tears fall down her cheeks and Aaron loses it completely, moving closer so he could hold her tight. Madeline melted into his body.
"Oh, buddy. You would never get in trouble for something like that."
"Just wanted my hair done."
Aaron runs a hand across her back, cupping her cheeks as he washed away the years, gently kissing her head. "Well… why don't I finish it up? You think Daddy could do better than mommy?"
His daughter laughed. So did he, shaking her head as she smiled. "No, daddy."
Aaron kissed her one more time. His daughter's hair was uneven by the time they got out the door, ten minutes late, stuck in traffic as they sang along to the radio together. The second Haley comes home the next day, Madeline begs her to do her hair, reporting that Aaron didn't do nearly as well, causing her heart to swell as she laughed at her husband, never letting it go.
"Dad?" He hears the knock at the door, looking up from his paperwork to see his daughter with a straighter in her hand. Prom was in six hours, and according to her, she needed the entire day to get ready.
"Hi, sweetheart." Aaron pushed his paperwork aside, destined to be there this time. "What's wrong?"
Madeline shakes her head earnestly. "Nothing." Just wished Mom were here. "Can you help with my hair?" She laughed, "I trust you the most in that department."
Aaron rolled his eyes, biting his tongue as he stood. "Bullshit."
Madeline couldn't keep it together, laughing as he followed his daughter to the bathroom. "Mom would have loved this, Dad."
The mention of Haley stops him in his tracks, having to take a moment to regulate his breathing as his daughter plugged in the straightening iron. Truthfully, Aaron had only straightened someone's hair once. Haley's right before her internship interview that she eventually lost. "She would have. I can only imagine how hard she'd be laughing watching me try and do this, Mads."
His daughter had already moved a chair into the bathroom, sitting down as she texted one of her friends. Aaron hovered, tried not to be a helicopter parent as she typed away, turning her head up as she smiled. "You're a good Dad. Thank you for always being here." Even though he wasn't always here. "Mom would be happy that you stepped up for us."
Tears welled in his eyes as she set her phone down, handing him the brush as he rolled his eyes. "I think you're old enough to do this on your own, Maddie."
"I want you to, daddy." Madeline smiled, the nickname she hadn't used on him in years flying off her tongue. "Do you need me to tell you how to do it?"
He shook his head, voice firm as he gently brushed out her hair. "No."
Madeline smiled, giving him the most detailed instructions he's ever received, biting his tongue the entire as not to laugh, loving that so much of her was Haley.