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“How many boys are coming to this party?” Tim asks. He looks over the guest list and there are a lot of names. Boy names. This is Ava’s 7th birthday party. Not prom.
“A few from her class.” Lucy replies. She stops and looks at him. “Don’t be weird Tim. These are first graders.”
“I’m not going to be weird.” Tim says holding up his hands. “Jack is coming?”
“Considering he’s Angela’s son, your godson and Ava adores him. Yes.” Lucy says. She finishes setting up the flowers. Ava had asked for a flower themed party, Tim’s not sure what that meant but Lucy ran with it.
He thinks he might have allergies by the end of this.
“Okay. What do I need to do?” He asks. Lucy just shakes her head and comes to stand next to him.
“How do we already have a seven year old?” She asks. Tim blows out a breath because he honestly has no idea. The years go by so fast, Ava was 7 (a new 7 as she liked to tell everyone.), Daisy was five and the twins were three.
It was going by too fast, and he couldn’t believe it.
Not really.
“Now we just wait for everyone to arrive.” Lucy says and stands on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Okay.” Tim says. “Okay.”
***
Tim sees it and he sees Lucy next to Ava. Jack hands her a bouquet of flowers. Ava’s face lights up and she pulls Jack into a hug. It reminds Tim of when Lucy hugs him.
Ava bounces on her toes and then presses a kiss to Jack’s cheek.
Tim almost falls over in shock.
“Did you daughter just kiss my son on the cheek?” Tim turns to see Angela next to him but she doesn’t look upset. She looks amused.
“Did your son give my daughter flowers?” Tim asks. He has his eyes back on Ava and Jack. He doesn’t want to look away.
“Yes. Picked them out himself.” Angela says. “He said a flower for my flower. Ava is his flower.”
“Yeah I got that.” Tim grumbles. “She’s seven.”
“Jack likes her.” Angela says. Tim watches as Jack spins Ava around and she giggles. She’s happy. She’s genuinely happy.
And that is all Tim wants for her. Truly. But he can’t help but think she’s growing up a little too fast.
He is glad it’s Jack, and not some random boy that is sweeping her off her feet.
“Ava likes Jack.” Tim says. “But they are friends.” He puts an emphasis on friends.
“I don’t know.” Angela says with a mischievous grin on her face. Tim doesn’t like it one bit. “I think they might end up together.”
“No.”
“Tim, she’s not going to be little forever.” Angela says and Tim has a lump in his throat. He was just going over that earlier with Lucy. “She’s going to grow up.”
“Don’t remind me.” Tim says. He looks over at Ava again and she’s holding Jack’s hand. They are both laughing as they run around the yard. Lucy and Wesley are following them around and the are both laughing.
“Look.” Angela says gently. “One day you will be able to let her go. I know that will be hard because I have to do it too.”
“Luckily she’s only seven and she still—” He pauses when he sees Ava and Jack skipping towards them. Angela gives him a soft shove.
“Daddy!” Ava squeals. She is still holding the flowers in her hands. “Daddy, look what Jack gave me!”
Tim blinks and then bends down in front of her. “They are beautiful Ava.” He says. He takes the flowers from her. “How about I put them in some water?”
“Okay daddy.” Ava says and then she turns to Angela. “Hi Angela. I’m stealing your son.” She grabs Jack’s hand and they skip off again.
“They are cute.” Angela says giving him another nudge. Tim blows out a breath, he would never admit it out loud.
Ava was his baby girl, the one who made him a dad. But he knows Jack, and Ava adores Jack. She has since she was younger.
And they were cute.
As friends.
It wasn’t anything real. They were just friends.
***
“Do you think you find your soulmate when you are young?” Lucy asks Tim later that night. The party is over, and they have cleaned everything up. Ava is in her room playing with all the gifts she got. And Tim is exhausted, who knew a seven year old’s birthday party would be so tiring.
“Do you believe in soulmates?” Tim asks looking at her.
“I mean I think there is someone for everyone.” Lucy says. “I think if you find the right person you will find your way back to them.”
“Like we did?” Tim asks. Lucy nods slowly. “Yeah I can see that. But why—”
“I was watching Jack and Ava.” Lucy says. “They just seem so attached to each other.”
“They are friends.” Tim points out. “They grew up together.”
“Sure,” Lucy says. “I don’t know. It was so fun watching them today. Jack is older but he fits in so well with Ava.”
“Yeah.” Tim says. “He brought her flowers.”
“She put them in her room.” Lucy says. “She insisted.”
“Cute.”
“You know you will forever be her favorite guy right? No matter what. You are her hero.” Lucy says and she leans over to press a kiss to his cheek.
“I don’t buy her flowers.” Tim says.
“You don’t need to.” Lucy says. “She knows her daddy loves her.” Tim nods and maybe he’s not ready for Ava to grow up. Maybe it’s still a long ways off but he knows he would get through it.
She would always be his little girl.
No matter what.
***
Tim brings home Lucy and the girls flowers the next day. There’s no reason why except he wants to.
“Thank you daddy!” Daisy squeals. Tim smiles and pulls a flower out to put in June’s hair. She beams at him. Ava hugs him and he squeezes her tightly because he knows time goes by fast.
Lucy tugs him aside and pulls him down for a kiss. “What’s this for?” She asks holding up the bouquet of flowers. Tim shrugs and gives her a soft kiss.
“Because I wanted to.” He says like it’s so simple and it really is. He would buy flowers for Lucy everyday if he could. But he didn’t need to.
She knows Tim loves her no matter what. Flowers or not.
“Well thank you.” Lucy says. “You know you don’t have to right?”
“I know,” Tim says and he looks over at the girls who are still giggling over their flowers.
And that is worth everything. “But it’s worth it. And I just wanted to tell you I love you.”
Lucy smiles at him and pulls him down for another kiss but she’s smiling into it. He can’t help but smile too.
“I love you too.”