Loving Lyra

Chapter 9

Brandon

"Where were you?" Claire asked, nearly waking up Macie who was sleeping in my arms.

"At Macie's babysitter's house."

Claire followed me as I went to Macie's room and tucked her into bed. Thank God she's a deep sleeper. Always has been too. When she was a baby I was worried because she never woke up in the middle of the night. The doctor just said I was lucky.

"Why were you there?" Claire questioned once the door to Macie's room was shut.

"It's her birthday and Macie wanted to go celebrate," I explained. I left out the part that it was my idea and that I had looked up her birthday. I didn't think Claire would like that. But it was seriously all to make Macie happy. And Lyra too. But Claire doesn't need to know that. She would look at it the wrong way and I would be in deep shit.

Claire scowled and stormed off into the kitchen. I wasn't always sure what to do at times like these so I cautiously followed her into the kitchen.

"You shouldn't be over there so much!" Claire shouted. "I'm your girlfriend, not her."

"I know Claire," I said and held her in my arms. "There's nothing going on with Lyra."

Claire stiffened when I said Lyra's name, but didn't say anything else so I just stood there with her like that, feeling kind of uncomfortable. I couldn't explain it exactly, it just didn't feel right. I felt like I was in the wrong place.

Claire's phone started ringing so she untangled herself from my arms and picked it up as she walked out the door. I guess no goodbye then.

I sighed and sat on the couch with my head in my hands. I'd been dating Claire for two years now and in the beginning it was amazing. Claire was everything I would look for in a woman, kind, pretty, and generous. But lately she's been changing and I'm getting more and more jealousy and anger. And she doesn't like Macie which doesn't help things. Macie's happiness is the most important thing to me and if I'm being honest, Claire's hostility towards her is the only reason I haven't proposed yet. I guess I'm just hoping she will change and love Macie like her own. The way Lyra does...

Macie's mom left right after she was born and I was all she had. I stepped up and took her in, but there was something missing in her life that's only been filled recently. And not by the person I desperately want to.

Macie needs a mom. She deserves a mom. I'm not going to know what to do when she's a teenager and it will just be awkward for both of us.

Little hands tugged on my sleeve and I looked down to see Macie was up from her nap. I pulled her onto my lap and she snuggled in.

"Are you ok Daddy?"

"Yes, I'm ok sweetheart. I was just thinking," I told her.

"About what?"

I let a mischievous smirk take over my face. "This!" I flipped Macie over onto the couch and started tickling her all over.

"Daddy!" She squealed.

Macie was wiggling around on the couch squealing and screeching and I decided to stop.

"Was that really what you were thinking about?" Macie asked with an adorable head tilt.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

Macie shook her head.

"Because you know what happens to liars right?"

She shook her head again.

"This!"

And then I was tickling her all over again.