My Ex-wife, My Destination

Luke’s P. O. V.

“Oopsie Topsy!” Hope sticks her tongue out. “I forgot to take your permission before calling you Daddy. Will you be my Daddy, Uncle?” As Hope asks, I stare at Daisy.

She shakes her head at me, signalling me to deny Hope, and murmurs, “No.”

“Please, say yes.” As Hope implores, I shift my gaze towards her adorable face. “Don’t you want to become the Daddy of a cutie girl like me?” She bats her eyelashes at me.

I’m dying to tell her I don’t have to become her daddy because I’m her father.

“Please, say something. Don’t you want to become my daddy? Don’t you like Hope? Am I that bad?” As her eyes become teary, I feel a pang in my heart.

Shit! What am I doing? I can’t let her cry because of me. I’ll handle Daisy’s anger afterwards; now it’s important to make my daughter happy.

“Hey, don’t say that, kiddo.” I take a deep breath before speaking up in a soft tone, placing my hand on Hope’s face, ignoring Daisy’s angry look. “You’re the most adorable kid I have ever met. Anybody would love to be your father.”

Listening to my words, Hope’s face lights up again. “It means you’ll become my daddy?” She asks, grinning.

I nod, smiling at her. “Yes. I’ll become your daddy, princess.”

“Wow!” She throws her arms around my neck and buries her face in my shoulder, still in Daisy’s arms. “Thank you so much, Daddy.”

Ruffling her hair, I turn my gaze towards Daisy, who averts her eyes, frowning.

“Yippee, Hope finally got her Daddy.” Hope pulls away and claps in delight. “Today Hope is so happy pappy. I caught you, Mommy.” Hope says, pointing at Daisy, causing her brows to narrow in confusion. “I know you planned this surprise for your Hopi by calling Daddy here. You’re the best mommy in the world. I love you so much.” She places a kiss on Daisy’s cheek before giving her a tight hug.

“Hopi, Mommy, and Daddy.” She wraps one arm around my neck and the other around her mother’s. “Happy family.”

“Hope, now let him go. He’ll have work.” Daisy says, withdrawing Hope’s arm from my neck.

“What? No.” She shakes her head at her mommy before turning towards me. “Daddy, won’t you spend time with your lovely daughter? Do you want to go?”

“Of course not, Hope. I’ll explore Luna Park with you and your mommy.” I answer, pulling her cheeks and eliciting a sweet giggle from her. As I glance at Daisy, she kills me with her looks.

Right now, my daughter’s happiness matters to me more than anything else in this world. I get a chance to spend time with my family and I don’t want to miss this opportunity.

“Then let’s have fun.” She squeals, raising both arms in the air.

***

“Why are you stalking us, Luke?” Daisy asks, turning towards me after smiling at Hope, who is now taking the happy swing ride. As the swing sways her backwards and forward gently, she whoops in delight, throwing her arms in the air.

After one last glance at Hope, I drift my eyes to Daisy. “I’m not stalking you both. Daisy, I’m just…” I pause, searching for the right words. “I just wanted to watch Hope from a distance. She’s my daughter. I can’t keep myself away from her.” I explain, glancing at Hope, who giggles, enjoying the ride.

“I don’t care, Luke,” she snaps. “You don’t deserve her.”

“I know, I don’t deserve either of you, but I want to take care of you both.” I look at Daisy with pleading eyes. “Please, just don’t push me away from her. Hope also needs me.”

“Hope is a kid. She’ll forget you in a few days.” She indirectly asks me to stay away from Hope.

However, I won’t. Not after today, when Hope has started to call me Daddy. I know what I did in the past; I don’t deserve her, but Hope deserves both her parents’ love.

“Daisy, I understand your fear, your anger, and your hatred. But think about Hope. Why do you still want to make her yearn for a father’s love when I’m here? She needs a father.” I try to explain to her.

“No.” She sneers at me. “She doesn’t need a cheater father like you.”

I close my eyes, feeling a pang of guilt, recalling my drama of cheating on Daisy. That day, I just wanted her to sign the divorce papers and leave a monster like me anyhow. I regret I couldn’t see I was breaking Daisy even more.

“I didn’t cheat-”

Before I can complete my words, Hope’s words catch our attention. “Daddy, Mommy.” We immediately compose ourselves and turn towards her. She rushes towards us, grinning.

“That was amazing!” She exclaims after reaching us. “I want to do it again.”

Daisy’s expression softens as she looks at Hope. “Sure, Hopi. You can go on the swing as many times as you want.” She bends down to adjust Hope’s hair before carrying her to the queue of the ride.

I follow them silently.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Mommy, you know. Daddy is my superhero. He saved me two times.” Hope says, showing her two fingers as we stand in the queue, waiting for her ride. “Earlier, he saved me outside the school and today, he saved me when I almost fell from the swing. Daddy, Hope caught you. You’re a superhero, right?” She asks, giggling, covering her mouth with her tiny hands.

“Yes, I’m my little princess’s superhero.” After leaning in, I nuzzle my nose against hers, causing her to laugh loudly. “I’ll always protect my Hope from every danger.” I seal the promise with a kiss on her forehead.

***

After taking the happy swing ride for the third time, Hope finally gets bored with it. As I pick her up in my arms, she places her hand on her tummy and says, “Daddy, big rats are jumping in Hope’s tummy. I’m hungry-fungry.”

I chuckle at her words. “So let’s fill up your tummy.” As I tickle her tummy, her laugh fills the air.

As we walk towards the food court, Hope chatters non-stop about her favourite rides and the fun she’s having at Luna Park. Daisy follows us with an unreadable expression. I tried to converse with her again when Hope was taking the ride, but she stood away from me, completely ignoring me.

Despite Daisy’s icy demeanour towards me, I cherish this moment with my family, grateful for the chance to be Hope’s Daddy, even if it’s just for today.

As we reach the food court, Hope’s eyes widen with excitement at the display of food items. “Look, Daddy! They have ice cream, hot dogs, and cotton candy,” she exclaims, pointing at each item with enthusiasm.

I smile at her and ask, “What would you like to eat, princess?”

She tilts her head, placing her finger on her chin, scanning the options before her. “Mommy, Hope is confused. She wants to eat everything. Help Hopi.” She looks at Daisy for help, who stands staring aimlessly, lost in her deep thoughts.

Her eyes soften as she looks at Hope and caresses her hair. “Why don’t you have your favourite chocolate shake and pasta?”

“Best idea.” She gives Daisy a thumbs up before turning her eyes towards me. “Order it, Daddy.” She says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Okay, kiddo.” I kiss her cheek before handing her to Daisy. “What about you, Daisy?”

“I’m not hungry.” She answers, avoiding my gaze.

“What?” Hope stares at Daisy, widening her eyes in shock. “You’re not hungry, Mommy? Your tummy is bigger than Hopi’s. You should be hungrier than me and eat more. Daddy, you order Mommy’s favourite Raspberry Cheesecake.” She instructs, bringing a wide smile to my face.

I just admire the way my little princess takes care of her mommy.

Raspberry cheesecake has been Daisy’s favourite since school. When I helped her with her assignments at her home, I always made sure to bring her a slice of raspberry cheesecake from her favourite bakery as a little treat. Some things never change.

***

As I eat my sandwich, I steal glances at Daisy, who is busy feeding our daughter. Hope is sitting between us, blabbering nonstop after every bite, making me smile.

She tugs at my sleeve and gestures for me to come closer. I lean in. “Daddy, do you know why Mommy is sad?” She whispers in my ear, surprising me.

She’s just four years old and she can already sense her mother’s emotions.

I shake my head in response, glancing at Daisy. She seems more sad than angry now. I feel hurt because my presence is causing her pain.

How do I tell Hope that her daddy is the reason for her mother’s sadness?

“Daddy, Mommy shouldn’t be sad,” she murmurs in my ear again. “She’s the best Mommy in the world-”

“Hope, how many times do I need to explain to you? We shouldn’t talk while eating,” Daisy chides her, irked.

“Sorry, Mommy.” She holds her ears. “Please don’t scold Hopi. I don’t like it.”

Seeing her adorably apologizing, a smile graces Daisy’s face. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Mommy won’t scold you.” She caresses her hair.

I stare at them, conflicted about whether I should become part of their family or not. Hope’s words hit me hard and made me realise that I’m hurting Daisy again. But how can I just leave when my daughter wants me? What should I do? Should I think about my ex-wife or my daughter?

Fuck! It’s getting complicated.