Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Will

J ust before quarter past ten, Zak popped his head around the living room door and said goodnight. A minute later, the front door opened. Twenty minutes later, after lots of giggles interspersed with too-long silences, I heard it close. One minute later, Maddy entered the living room with a big, soppy grin on her face.

"Boyfriend finally gone has he?" I asked, shifting the cushion behind my head.

"If you mean Zak, yes. And he's not my boyfriend."

Turning the sound down on the TV, I sighed heavily. "Oh, yeah, I forgot you talk for a while first. Although," I said, turning my head to look at her, "there wasn't much talking going on at the front door, Madeline."

"Am I in trouble for something?" she asked, flopping down into the armchair. "He didn't stay too late. We stayed in the kitchen. We didn't do drugs or drink alcohol."

"I know." God, she was a little shit at times. The looked on her face would scare most grown men. Narrowed eyes and pinched lips that said, ‘fuck with me if you dare'. I mean, I was glad in many ways that she'd never be walked over by a man, but it wasn't so cute when it was aimed at me. "And less of the attitude."

"I'm not giving you any attitude."

"The face says it all." Pushing myself up, I dropped my feet to the floor. "Now, shall we try again. Has Zak gone home, finally?"

She paused, only for a second, but long enough to show a little defiance. "Yes, he's gone home. You said you wanted to talk to me before I went to bed."

Pointing the remote, I turned the TV off and turned to her. "I do." I had no idea why I felt nervous. It wasn't like she didn't already know about Maya. It wasn't like she didn't want me to get a girlfriend and settle down. She was always banging on about my love life and how I should stop having inconsequential relationships.

"Remember I told you about the girl I met on the night out in Leeds?"

She frowned, her nose scrunching up like it did when she was little and was told no and didn't understand why.

"What's happened? Has she got you into some sort of trouble? Is she pregnant?"

"How quick do you think it takes?" I shook my head in disbelief. "No wonder you dropped biology, you're crap at it."

"I do know about procreation, Dad. I'm just wondering why you're looking so serious, that's all." She hugged a cushion to her stomach, putting her legs over the arm of the chair. I opened my mouth to tell her stop abusing the furniture but decided against it. I'd learned over the years when to fight my battles with my daughter.

"I just wanted to ask if you'd like to meet her." I knew I sounded rushed and breathy, but I'd never wanted to introduce Maddy to someone before. I had, but it didn't mean I always wanted to. "I met up with her today."

"Not a supplier?"

I shook my head. "I met Maya. In Leeds."

"So, Maya finally messaged you." She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Nice work, Dad."

"Will you, then? Meet her."

"Wow, you do like her." Scratching her chin, she glared at me. "Why are you so nervous? Is she an ex teacher of mine?"

"No!"

"She's not under twenty-five, is she?" Maddy's face went white, and if I didn't want to get the conversation over with, I would have let her think I'd found a woman closer to her age than mine.

"She's thirty-two."

"And she's not married?"

"No," I replied. "Never been married."

"Children?"

"No."

"Well, she's getting on a bit, Dad if you do decide you want babies together."

"Maddy," I groaned. "We've had one date."

"And yet you want her to meet me." She shrugged. "Sounds pretty serious already if you ask me."

I was slowly losing my patience. "Madeline, are you happy to meet her or not?"

She considered it for a minute. "Yes, I'd like to. If she's special to you, then I'd love to meet her."

"Seriously?"

She dropped her feet to the floor and stood up. "I am very serious. I'd love to meet her." Throwing the cushion back onto the armchair, Maddy moved over to the sofa and sat down next to me, putting her hand on top of mine. "Dad, I'm glad you've met someone that you like enough that you want me to meet her. I've been telling you for ages."

"I know, sweetheart, but it's always just been us. Me and you. I wanted to be sure that were okay with it." I ran a hand down my face, not sure why I was finding it so hard. I liked Maya and I wanted to see where it could go. I wanted her and Maddy to get along. To really like each other. It was just bloody difficult realising that things might be about to change in a life that I'd become so comfortable with. I wasn't normally someone who stood still. I believed in moving forward and relishing change, but introducing a woman into the life that Maddy and I had forged together, well, it seemed like a huge leap.

"I'm more than okay with it. Honestly, Dad." She leaned in close, hugging my arm. "At least if I go to uni, I'll know that you're being looked after. That someone is feeding you."

"I can feed myself, you know." I leaned back, taking Maddy with me, settling against the cushion. "You're not a little girl anymore, and I'm struggling a little bit with that. There's a boy you're talking to…" She slapped me playfully on the chest. "And then you might go off to university."

"And I might not."

"Maddy, sweetheart, we've talked about this. Going away will be better for you than studying online. You'll have a better experience than if you stay here with me."

"We'll see," she said with a sigh.

"It's just bloody scary."

Grinning, she held out her hand. "Take my hand, Daddy."

I smiled, hearing the words that I'd said to her since she was a little girl, and placed my large, calloused one in her small, smooth one. I loved that now she was older she knew that sometimes I needed to hear it too.

"I know it's scary, William, but we all have to grow up."

I narrowed my eyes on her. "You're a little turd."

Giggling, she reached up and kissed my cheek. "So, when do I get to meet her?"

"I don't know, but soon. I hope." I thought back to my afternoon with Maya. I wanted more of it. More afternoons spent laughing and flirting with each other.

"You'd better call her then, hadn't you."

"Are you sure?"

Sighing, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, Dad. I'm sure."

The relief rolled through every muscle in my body, like I'd been given a sedative. The realisation at how tense I'd been feeling, waiting for Maddy's reaction, made me blink.

"You okay?"

Stirring myself, I turned back to my daughter. Her expressive eyes showed concern as they grazed over my face, searching for whatever it was that she thought was bothering me.

"She's not pressurising you into meeting me, is she?"

"No, honestly, Mads, I'm fine." I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "It's just a big thing, you know. Introducing a woman that I actually like to you."

"As opposed to…"

"A woman who begs to meet you because she thinks I'll like her more."

"Maya isn't like that?"

I shook my head. "Nope. She's nothing like any other woman I've ever dated."

Maddy burst out laughing. "Dad, you don't date. You have one night stands that last a couple of weeks."

She wasn't wrong. It didn't mean that I wanted to admit it, though. "Whatever, Madeline. Now, get to bed." I smiled, just so she knew I wasn't being serious, but also didn't want to talk about it any longer.

Yawning, she stood up and gave me one last hug. "Night, Dad. And ring her." She raised both her eyebrows—eyebrows that I had paid a stupid amount of money for her birthday.

"I will. I'll call her now."

That earned me a kiss on my cheek, and as she disappeared, I grabbed my phone and called Maya.