Single Dad's Surrogate

by Annie Young

  “You know, that actually doesn't sound too bad,” she said. “I'm not sure what I'd do with myself, though.”

  “Mildred, you have twice as many friends as I do,” Wyatt said with a laugh. “I'm sure you'd figure out something fun to do. Only do this if you want to, though. I don't want you to feel like you have to. If you'd rather just stay working here seven days a week, that's totally fine.”

  She shook her head. “No, I honestly think having a couple of days off each week would do me some good. It might even keep the last few black hairs on my head from turning gray.”

  Wyatt chuckled. “Well I already know that Lily is on board with the idea. So if you're giving me the go-ahead, I'll talk with her and see when she can start doing that. I expect it will be as soon as this next weekend.”

  “That sounds great,” Mildred said. “Thank for thinking of me. It means a lot.”

  “Of course,” Wyatt said. “Tell you what. I'll take your bags up to your room, if you want to run down and greet Maggie. I won't keep you any longer.”

  “You don't need to lug my bags up those stairs,” she said. “That's a really nice gesture, though.”

  “It's no problem at all.” Wyatt lifted the duffel bag onto his shoulder and grabbed the other two suitcases. It was a lot of weight he was now carrying. “I'll come down in a little while. I might try to catch a nap now that you're here and can take care of Maggie, though. I didn't get much sleep last night.”

  “Very good,” Mildred said. “I've got Maggie, so you go and rest. We'll see you when we see you.”

  “Thanks, Mildred.” Wyatt turned and headed upstairs. By the time he got to the top floor, his legs were burning.

  Looks like I won't need a workout today, thanks to Mildred and her hundred pound suitcases, he thought, making his way down the hallway toward her room. When he got there, he pushed open the door with his butt and set everything down in the center of the floor. Then he headed back to his bedroom, which was on the opposite end of the hallway.

  He took a seat on the edge of his bed and let out a long sigh. Now it had been officially twenty minutes since Lily had left and the emptiness in his heart seemed even bigger than before. Even though Mildred was home, it was still very different in the house.

  Wyatt glanced toward his dresser, focusing his eyes onto the picture of his family at the beach.

  Everything's different, though, he thought. It seems as though today is never even close to the same as yesterday. The only exception, was when Lily was here. This whole past week felt like a vacation from my emotions.

  He hadn't really thought about it until right then, but he realized that for the entire ten days that Lily was in his home, his heart hadn't ached. He had definitely thought about Caroline, but for whatever reason, the knot in his stomach had disappeared. He knew that it had something to do with Lily. It was only logical.

  She's my medicine, he thought. Lily is a damn miracle. I've spent countless hours at the therapist and nothing has made me feel even close to as good as I did while Lily was living under my roof. What is it about her? How is she able to put my heart at ease?

  Wyatt laid back onto his bed, keeping his legs dangling over the edge. He stared up at the ceiling and thought about his life. He thought about everything. He remembered the events that led up to meeting Caroline. The way she smiled at him that first time they met was enough for him to fall in love in just one second.

  I'll never forget that smile, he thought.

  Then his memory moved forward. Images of their wedding and how happy she was. He thought about their honeymoon in Costa Rica. It was like the perfect dream. Three weeks spent on the beach. Both of them had hoped it would never end and that they could just live there forever.

  Forever of course never came and they ended up going home. Both of them wanted kids, which was where Lily eventually came into the picture.

  Caroline sure did love Lily, he thought. She thought Lily was the greatest and sweetest girl to ever walk the planet. She was right, too. I'm starting to see it now. It's clear as day. Lily is one of the best things to ever happen to Maggie and me.

  Right then, it occurred to Wyatt that maybe his attraction to Lily wasn't the worst thing in the world. If there was any woman that Caroline would have approved of, it would have definitely been Lily. That was one thing he could be certain of.

  “What would you say right now?” Wyatt lifted his head and gazed toward the picture of Caroline on the dresser. “What would you have me do, Caroline?”

  His mind whirled with thoughts of Caroline and Lily. His heart belonged to Caroline and he knew that. Even so, he suddenly realized that maybe there was a tiny sliver left that could belong to someone else. A small piece of his broken heart that could be passed to another woman, giving her the chance to revive it with her love.

  It's not like I'll ever meet any other girl who I could even consider an option, he thought. No matter what woman I meet, I'll always wonder what Caroline would think of her. Lily is the exception, though. Caroline knew Lily better than anybody. Not only that, she loved her like a sister or a best friend.

  “Maybe it's not so wrong after all,” he whispered, as he sat up in the bed. “Maybe I'm not crazy to have feelings for Lily.”

  Suddenly, he felt as though a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. For the first time in the past week and a half, he didn't feel guilty for being attracted to Lily. It was as though he had been liberated from the guilt, now free to express himself. It was a strange sensation and one that he had to assume Caroline had something to do with somehow.

  Is this her way of telling me that it's okay to go for Lily? He asked himself. Did Caroline take the guilt away, or have I just talked myself out of it?

  He stood up from the bed and walked toward the picture. He lifted it from the dresser and gazed at it for a moment. He felt like he was at a crossroad. On one side, was a road that led to the past. It was filled with love for Caroline and the pain of losing her. On the other side, was the road to the future. It was empty, but filled with endless possibilities. For the first time since Caroline had passed away, he knew which road he had to take. He knew that he couldn't spend the rest of his days living in a past that didn't exist any more. He knew that Caroline wouldn't want him to do that.

  I've got to move forward, he thought, his eyes focused on his wife's smiling face. I've got to face my life head on, before it passes me by. I'll always love you, though, Caroline. You'll always have a place in my heart. Please know that. You're mine and I'm yours, but I need to remember what it feels like not to hurt any more.

  Tears streamed down his face. He set the picture back in its place and then walked to the bathroom. He grabbed a tissue and wiped his cheeks, then began to sob. It wasn't a cry of pain, though. Not this time. Not like usual. His cry was one of relief, as though he'd been carrying the entire world on his back and suddenly didn't have to manage the burden any longer. The tears fell for a good five minutes and when he finally faced the mirror, he saw in his own eyes something he hadn't seen in a long, long time.

  Hope.

  Chapter 23

  Wyatt

  Wyatt knew what he had to do. For the first time in months, he had a clear direction. There wasn't a gray area. It was black and white.

  I need to call Lily, he thought.

  He grabbed some more tissue and wiped the remaining tears from his face. He drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly.

  “It's time I make a move,” he whispered.

  A real move, though, he thought. Not this half-assed shit I've been doing lately. I'm going to call Lily and ask her on a date. An honest to god, legitimate date. Something she deserves, like a nice restaurant and the chance to get fixed up and go out.

  With newfound energy, Wyatt pushed away from the bathroom counter and headed back to his bedroom. He immediately grabbed his cell phone from the night stand and unlocked the screen. His confidence waned a little bit as he scrolled through the contact list to find Lily's
name, but he refused to succumb to it. This was something he wanted to do and Wyatt wasn't the type to back down from what he wanted.

  He pressed on her name and the call connected. As the phone rang, he paced his room, hoping that she'd answer. By the fourth ring, he'd almost lost hope. Then, the most beautiful voice in the world came on the line.

  “Hello?” Lily said.

  Her voice was a bit hoarse. It sounded like she had been crying or something. Wyatt wasn't sure, but he knew that she didn't sound peppy like usual.

  “Hey, Lily,” he said. “It's me, Wyatt.”

  “I know,” she replied, with a chuckle. “I have your number.”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry, that was a dumb thing to say.” Wyatt suddenly felt a little more nervous, almost like he was in high school and about to ask out the hottest girl on the cheer leading squad.

  “Everything okay?” she asked, clearing her throat.

  “Yeah, um, everything's fine,” he said. “Everything okay with you? You sound hoarse.”

  “Must be allergies,” Lily said. “I just have the sniffles.”

  Wyatt knew she was telling a white lie. She didn't have allergies, or at least she hadn't shown any signs of it while living in his house. He assumption was that she had been crying, and had to assume it was related to returning to her old life.

  “I wanted to talk to you about something,” Wyatt said.

  “Sure.” Lily cleared her throat again, still trying to hide her sniffles. “What's going on? Did Mildred get home okay?”

  “Yeah, she got home a few minutes ago,” he said.

  “Did you have a chance to ask her about the weekend thing?” Lily asked.

  “I did,” he said. “She said that she'd be up for having weekends off. In fact, she was pretty excited about the idea.”

  “That's great!” Lily said. “When will that start?”

  “Whenever you're ready for it to start,” Wyatt said.

  “How about this weekend?” The sadness in Lily's voice had faded and was now replaced with the sound of excitement.

  “This weekend works for me,” Wyatt replied with he smile.

  He couldn't deny the fact that he was also a little excited with the knowledge that he'd get to see Lily on a regular basis.

  “I'm so glad Mildred agreed to it,” Lily said. “I was a little worried, to be honest. I know close she is to you guys.”

  “Yeah, but she's getting older and admitted that having a couple of days off a week would do her a lot of good,” Wyatt said. “She said something about how it might help keep her few remaining black hairs from turning gray.”

  Lily laughed. “Well I'm glad I can assist with that.”

  “But hey, the weekend thing isn't the whole reason that I called,” Wyatt said, just blurting the words out so that he wouldn't chicken out on himself.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah,” he said, now feeling his heart thump quickly. “I was wondering if you were busy on Friday night.”

  There was a few seconds of pause, which cause Wyatt to cringe. He had no clue how Lily had taken what he had just said. For all he knew, she'd tossed the phone across the room in embarrassment. Luckily, though, she finally spoke up.

  “Friday night?” she said. “I mean, I don't think I have any plans. Everything okay?”

  “Of course everything is okay,” he said.

  “Good,” she replied. “It just sort of sounded like you were about to ask me out.”

  “Well, that's because that was exactly what I was about to do,” he said. “I wanted to know if you'd let me take you out to dinner on Friday. I mean a real dinner, too. There's a place on the East side of town. It's a super nice sushi restaurant. I've never had better sushi in my life. I'd love to take you if you'd be willing to go.”

  “I think that sounds like fun,” Lily said. “Just one question. Is this, like, a date? Or is this just two friends getting a meal together?”

  Wyatt smiled. “It's a date.”

  “Are you sure you're ready for that, Wyatt?” Lily asked. “I mean, last night you seemed to feel awful about us kissing. I don't want to put you in a position where you'll feel guilty again.”

  “I won't,” he said. “Trust me. I've thought about this all day. I can tell you more about it over dinner, but just know that I'm ready. I'm ready to pick you up on Friday and take you out for a night on the town. You deserve it and I want to do it for you. In fact, there's nobody else in the world I'd rather spend the evening with.”

  “You mean that?” she asked, her voice now high pitched with excitement.

  “Yes, Lily. I mean that,” he said. “I'm sorry I've had such a hard time showing it, but I'm done with hiding behind the veil of my emotions. I'm ready to get to know you. The real you. I'm ready to give this a shot. You're an amazing woman, Lily. I think it took having you live here, then moving out, for me to realize what a blessing you are to my family. I would never be able to live with myself if I didn't at least ask you out to dinner. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but it's true.”

  “It doesn't sound ridiculous at all,” Lily said. “Honestly, I can't tell you how happy I am that you called me just now.”

  Wyatt lifted an eyebrow. “It wasn't allergies, was it?”

  Lily chuckled and Wyatt could picture the expression on her face. “No, it wasn't allergies. I was upset. I was sad that I had to leave your place today. I'd only been home ten minutes and I already missed you and Maggie. I'm a hot mess because of it. I sat on my couch when I got here and I haven't gotten up since.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, I've been about the same since you went home,” he said. “I didn't realize how happy I was when you were here until I saw you walk out that door. I think it forced me to really look at myself and my life, though. It made me realize how special you are to me and I don't ever want to lose that.”

  “I wish you could have told me how you felt a long time ago,” Lily said. “Although, I could have done the same thing but I didn't.”

  “I couldn't tell you how I felt, because I didn't even know how I felt,” Wyatt said. “I've been so confused and messed up over the past year, that I didn't hardly know who I was. But you being at my house for ten days helped me to find the part of me that I was afraid I'd lost forever. It reminded me that I can still be happy. That happiness is still out there somewhere and it's free for the taking, just as long as I'm open to it.”

  “You figured all of that out because of me?” Lily asked.

  “Yes,” Wyatt said blatantly. “I realized something this morning. The entire time you were here, my heart didn't ache. The knot that I'd gotten used to, the one that lived in my stomach for over a year, had untied itself. I'm not sure that it's anything you did specifically. It was just you being you. It changed me, Lily. It changed me for the better.”

  Lily sniffled again and Wyatt knew she had teared up.

  “I feel the same way,” she said. “I was so happy last week, you know? It was the happiest I've felt in a long time. I think that's why I was so sad when I had to come back home to my regular life again. It was like I didn't want to face the old me. I like who I am with I'm with you. That's who I want to be.”

  Wyatt felt so good right then that he wanted to scream out in celebration. He didn't, though. He stayed reserved for the time being. “So we're on for Friday then?”

  “Of course we are, Wyatt,” Lily said, with a girlish giggle. “I'm so excited.”

  “The place I want to take you is really nice,” he said. “I'm so happy you're letting me take you.”

  “I'm not sure what I'm happiest about,” she said. “Not only do I get to go on a date with you, but I also get to eat a nice meal that I know for a fact will taste good. We both know that was never a certainty when I was the one making dinner.”

  Wyatt laughed. “Very true. Although, the steak you cooked last night was pretty much amazing. So I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. Besides, maybe you just have a knack for cooking a nice steak. If that
's the only thing you can cook, then I honestly don't see a problem with that.”

  She giggled. “There's still one concern I have about going?”

  “What's that?”

  “I don't know what to wear,” she continued.

  “Don't worry about that,” he said. “Go to the boutique dress store on eighth street downtown. You know that little tiny shop right in the center of the block? It's called La Dress.”

  “Yeah, I've seen it before,” Lily said. “I mean, I've walked by it. I've never gone inside because I knew that there was no way I could afford anything in there, though.”

  “Well, go there and pick out whatever you like,” Wyatt said. “I'll call and give him my payment information so that you can check out easily.”

  “Wyatt, are you serious?” Lily asked. “You do know how crazy expensive that place is, right?”

  Wyatt knew exactly how expensive the store was, because Caroline had been addicted to buying dresses there. Everything at La Dress was imported from France and Italy. It was all hand-stitched and made of the finest materials. He realized that each article of clothing there was worth more than most people's wardrobes, but he didn't care. He wanted the best for Lily. He wanted to give her the opportunity to experience what it would actually be like to date a billionaire. Plus, it wasn't like spending a few grand on a dress would break the bank. Not in the slightest. In his mind, it was just a little something on the side he wanted to do for her. No big deal.

  “Don't worry about how much it costs, Lily,” Wyatt said. “Just go there and buy a dress that you love. Don't even look at the price tag, just find something that speaks to you.”

  “I seriously can't believe what you're offering me right now,” she said. “That's the nicest thing anybody has ever offered me.”

  “I'm happy to do it,” he said. “Besides, after all you did for Maggie and me this last week, buying you a nice dress is the least I can do.”

  “That's really sweet, but I didn't do anything all that special,” she said. “I just did my job.”