As for me, until Maisie, I didn’t really know what happiness was. I thought I had it with her mother, Veronica, but as it turned out, Maisie and I weren’t enough for her. It didn’t take a shrink to tell me that marrying Veronica and having a child by twenty-two was an attempt to create the family I hadn’t had while growing up. My mother did the best she could, but as it turned out, her best was subpar. She struggled financially, and always sought out a man fix her money woes and unhappiness. As a result, I had a string of stepfathers who at best ignored me and at the worst, used their fists on me.
I shook my head of my own dysfunctional childhood. I wasn’t able to give Maisie the ideal family situation, but she was safe and happy and loved.
“Come on Miss Maisie, time for a bath.” I shut the front door and scooped Maisie up.
“Can I have bubbles?”
“Two bubbles,” I said, walking toward her bathroom.
She laughed. “Daddy!”
“What?” I grinned at her. Yep, we may not have had a traditional family, but no child was ever loved as much as my Maisie.
A few minutes later she was in the tub, which was filled mostly with bubbles. I sat on the toilet seat, playing a guitar as Maisie and I sang old folk song, while she played with her bath toys. I washed her hair, and then got her out of the tub. After getting her pajamas on, getting her hair combed and dried, she was in bed. I sat next to her, reading a few books.
“It’s time to go to sleep,” I said setting the last book on her side table. “You have a big day at school tomorrow.”
“Will you come to my class party?” Maisie asked as she snuggled into her bed.
“I wouldn’t miss it.” I kissed her forehead.
“I hope Tessa can be my teacher next year too.” Maisie yawned and turned to her side.
I was sure that wouldn’t be the case, but didn’t say that. “That would be nice.”
“If you married her, she could be my mommy.”
My heart clenched, partly in sadness for Maisie, but also in resentment at her mother’s selfishness. “Honey, your mom will always be your mommy. Nothing will change that.”
“But she’s not here.”
“No, baby, she’s not. And Tessa is very good to us. We’re lucky to have her.” I patted her hand and then headed out of her room, turning off the light. Her nightlight cast a glow through her room. I took a second to admire my sweet girl, and then shut the door.
I pushed away my anger at Veronica for not being the mother Maisie deserved, and instead went to my home office set up in the third bedroom of my home. I reviewed some paperwork from the gyms I owned, and then went through the financials of my rental properties. On paper, I was financially well-off, although many people wouldn’t know it based on how I lived. I could afford a larger home in the ritzy part of town and a fancy foreign luxury car, but I didn’t need them, so I didn’t have them. Maisie and I were quite comfortable in our three-bedroom cottage on a quiet family street. The basic Volvo got us where we needed to go safely and fit all the equipment we needed to get there. I had everything I needed, as did Maisie.
After making sure my little empire was chugging along, I watched TV, and then with a final check on Maisie, I went to my own bed.
I woke at five the next morning, a habit I developed just after college when I read that most successful people woke up that early. Today I appreciated the extra time I had to myself before Maisie woke up to set my day on a positive path. I had a glass of water while my coffee brewed, and then I took a few moments out on our covered back porch to enjoy the quiet of the morning.
I had a few pieces of exercise equipment there, so after drinking my coffee, I lifted weights, ran three miles on the treadmill, and did some yoga stretches. I’d do a more extensive workout at the gym later, but this got my blood going and woke me fully for the day.
I got another glass of water while a second cup of coffee brewed. Coffee was my one vice. Sugar would be too, if I allowed it in the house. I knew Tessa thought I was too strict on that rule. I appreciated how she honored it most times, I thought as I saw the brownies on the counter. I liked how Tessa respected my rules, and at the same time would occasionally challenge them. It ensured I didn’t go overboard with Maisie. Tessa offered a good balance—a balance I’d lose if she was unable to continue to work for me after this summer.
I grabbed my coffee and headed to my room to shower
