Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Will

I t had been a long day, and I was knackered. As Maddy had messaged to say she was going over to her friend Ana's, to study and stay for tea, there didn't seem much point in going home, so I'd stayed to help work the bar. It was great we'd had a busy night, but I was glad when it was time for me to go and pick up her up.

Pulling up in front of Ana's house, I could see that Maddy was already waiting outside the front door. I parked and leaned across to open the car door for her.

"Why are you waiting outside? It's almost eleven-thirty, Maddy. What have I told you about hanging around the streets alone late at night?" I shook my head, feeling a tightness in my chest that was a mixture of irritation and anxiety.

"Dad, this is Norford," she protested, throwing her bag down by her feet. "Who the hell do you think is going to be hanging around waiting to kidnap me?"

Driving away, my jaw tightened. "Don't fucking joke about it, Maddy. Even the smallest town has its share of sickos. And don't roll your damn eyes at me." I didn't need to look at her to know that was what she was doing.

"I wasn't."

"And don't lie to me, that's not what we do, Madeline."

"Wow, you Madeline'd me." She sighed. " So unfair "

I glanced at her to see her feet were up on the seat. "And get your feet off my leather."

After a couple of minutes of silence, she leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Sorry, Daddy."

"Don't try and get around me, Maddy. I set rules for a reason, not just because I'm the parent and you're the kid."

"I know, and I am sorry. For standing outside and putting my feet on your seats."

"I don't give two shits about the seats. I do, however, love you, so when I tell you things like stay inside your friend's house until I get there, it's because I want you to be safe." Pulling up at the traffic lights, I turned to her. "Do you understand that?" She nodded and pulled her feet back up, which made me smile. "Don't be a little shit and get your feet down."

"Did you eat tea?"

There she was, looking out for me as usual while changing the subject. "A couple of bacon butties earlier."

"Dad, really?"

"We were busy."

"All that fat and carbs is not good for you. Why didn't you order out from Bennetts?"

Bennetts was a sandwich and salad place and made the best Chinese Chicken salad.

"Like I said, we were busy. There was a birthday party in."

Maddy snorted. "Female, I'll bet."

I chose not to answer because she wasn't wrong. There'd been about twenty of them, and Marcus and I had garnered a lot of attention. I figured we had around ten drinks each owing to us from them, not to mention an overflowing tip jar.

When we pulled up to the house, I leaned into the back seat for the day's takings while Maddy got out. I looked through the windscreen to see her open the letterbox attached to the wall by the front door. She took out the contents and she handed it all to me.

"Bills and a letter from Lancaster University," she said nonchalantly.

"What?" I flicked through to find an envelope addressed to her with the Lancaster Uni logo on it. "Did you apply? When did you apply? You didn't tell me. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's no big deal," she sighed, taking my keys from me, shoving them in the lock, and pushing open the door. "I don't even know if I want to go. I just thought that I should apply. You know… just in case."

As I followed her into the house, I grinned. It was what I wanted for her. I didn't want her to go to do an online course when she was bright enough for better things.

"You didn't wait for clearance?" I handed her back the envelope. "You applied first round? You told me you didn't want to go. You know, the fact that you did must mean it's your preference." I grinned, and she sighed.

"I know, but I have until June to decide. If I get my grades." I'd have preferred if she'd said she was committed, but at least she was considering it. I shoved the envelope back at her .

"Open it."

"Dad I?—"

"Maddy, open the damn letter. Please."

Chewing on her bottom lip, she took the letter back and stared at it for a few seconds. I nudged her shoulder with my finger, and big brown eyes—an image of mine—looked up at me.

"I'm scared, Dad."

"Why, sweetheart?" I asked, cupping her cheeks. "All I wanted was for you to apply. I won't love you any less if you don't get in. Besides, you weren't even sure that was where you wanted to go anyway."

She shook her head. "That's not it. I'm scared in case I do get in."

"Well, if you do, I'll be the proudest dad alive, you'll go, have an amazing time, and take the world by storm."

"But you'll be all alone here." Her cupid's bow lips pouted, and she suddenly looked like the four-year-old cutie who got upset when her snowman melted before she'd had a chance to build him a wife.

"Maddy, I'll be fine. It's not even two hours away, so you can come home whenever you want to," I grinned, "or whenever I need you to."

There was that eye roll again. "Like you'll care when you're living the life of a single man and every woman in town wants to take care of you."

"Not going to happen." I shook my head. "Just like you're not going to meet some guy who wants you to be his girlfriend."

Maddy groaned, but even in the pale light of the lamp I'd left on in the hallway, I could see the blush on her cheeks. I saw how she kicked her toe against the floor and then scratched the back of her neck. Shit, there was already a boy. Of course, there was. She was beautiful, sweet natured, and funny, so why wouldn't there be a boy?

"I want you to do what makes you happy, Maddy," I whispered, stooping down to look her directly in the eyes. "But I think this would be good for you to go. Isn't Ana going to Sheffield and Emma to Nottingham?"

"Well, yeah, but?—"

"Which means you're not going to get to see them much anyway," I explained.

"Yes, but Liv will still be here, she's going to Manchester and living at home. Liam is doing that Business Apprenticeship at Bentley Motors, so he'll be home, too."

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Just open the letter, and then we can talk about it tomorrow." I knew that there was no point in pushing her. If there was anything predictable about my daughter, it was that she could be as stubborn as a mule, especially if she knew that I wanted her to do something that she didn't want to do. "If you don't want to go, then don't."

"I know what you're doing, Dad," she replied giving me a wry smile. "But it won't work."

"I have no clue what you mean. Now, open the letter and I'll make us some hot chocolate." I rubbed her arms and moved away. "You want cream and marshmallows?"

With the envelope on the table between us, Maddy and I drank our hot chocolate. It was almost midnight, and with what was possibly some great news sitting there, my tiredness had disappeared. My nerves were jangling and my leg bouncing up and down as Maddy took her sweet time.

"Fuck it," I grunted and reached for it.

"Dad, no," she snapped, slamming her hand down on top of mine. "I'll do it." She pushed her mug away and pulled the letter to her. "Whatever it says I don't want you pressurising me, okay?"

"Okay. No pressure."

"Promise?"

I didn't want to promise but knew if I didn't, we'd be there until the next morning with the damn thing unopened.

"Promise. Now, take my hand." It was our thing. It was what I always told her to do when she was scared, ever since she was a little girl. When she took her first steps, her first day at school and the time an older boy, Jordan Campbell, tripped her up just before the bean bag race on sport's day. She missed the start of the race, so I told her to take my hand and I walked up to Mrs Beaker, the head, and told her to restart the race. As for Jordan Campbell, I waited a long ten years to get him back when I refused to serve him in the bar because he didn't have any ID, even though I knew he'd turned eighteen the week before.

Maddy gave a single nod and wrapped her tiny fingers around mine, squeezing them. After a few seconds, she breathed in, then slowly let it go, ripping open the envelope. As she took out the letter, wary eyes looked at me before unfolding it and holding it to her chest.

"I don't want to look."

"Maddy, sweetheart, come on you are much braver than that."

She swallowed and slowly lowered the paper, glancing down at it. Squinting, her lips moved as she read.

"Maddy, why don't you wear your glasses?" A hand was held up to silence me as she continued reading. "Well?"

I leaned across the table and tried to look over the top, but Maddy just lifted it higher so that her face was hidden. When I heard a sharp inhale, I had no idea whether it was good or bad news. She gave nothing away as she carried on reading.

I scrubbed a hand down my face and groaned, "Oh come on, just tell me will you."

The letter fluttered to the tabletop, and when Maddy's face was revealed I was still unsure how to react.

"Well?" I finally asked, linking my hands at the back of my neck. "Did you get in?"

Maddy nodded. "I got in, Dad. Three B's required." She licked her lips as her brown eyes went as big as saucers. "I got in."

Pride swelled in my chest as I watched the girl who I loved more than life itself. She was my whole world, and I'd vowed seventeen years before to help her to find her wings and soar. University could be the beginning of a whole new world for her—her ticket out of tiny little Norford, where she could make a better life for herself. She would never need to rely on the kindness of a dying woman to make something of herself, or work for hours every day to make sure she kept a roof over her family's head.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart," I whispered. "And your mum would be too."

I'd never hidden the details about Andy from Maddy. She knew about the childhood that Andy and I had and how we'd met, and why we had separated. She was also fully aware that Miriam had been very persuasive in getting me to meet her and to accept the responsibility of fatherhood.

"Would she?" Maddy whispered, tears brimming against her lashes.

"Yes, she would. Whether you decide to go or not, I will always," I tapped my finger on the table, "always be proud of you. You could clean the streets or become a brain surgeon and I'd be equally proud."

"Dad." Her voice cracked as she grabbed my hand. "I don't want anything to change. I want to be seventeen forever. Live with you forever."

I chuckled. "You're not thinking straight. I think you'll realise when you're about eighty and wiping my arse that isn't a good plan."

Laughing, she swiped at her eyes. "Nice vision, Dad."

"I'm right, though."

Smiling, she picked up the letter with her free hand and gave it to me. "You might want to frame this, then, because it might be the last great thing that I do… besides wiping your arse."

My daughter was beautiful, clever, funny, and she was going to rule the world, whatever she did with her life.