Childish

80

"Do you think they'll come? What if they don't want to see me?"

"Lyla, relax. I promise you they'll be there."

I sighed and glanced around the park. It was a nice one with lots of open space to play. A young boy was playing frisbee catch with his dog not far from where we were sitting. There was a tree near us that provided the perfect amount of shade.

The day itself was almost perfect.

Daddy put a hand on my bouncing leg to still it. "Lyla, they'll be here."

I groaned and covered my face with my hands. The anticipation was killing me. I wasn't good with being patient or having to wait.

"Look, there they are now."

I shot up into a sitting position and looked where Daddy was looking. An older couple was getting out of a silver sedan. The woman had short brown hair and wore a blue button-up T-shirt and jeans. The man had a baseball cap on and wore a plain white T-shirt and cargo shorts. There was nothing special about them when you first glanced at them. But I knew exactly who they were. They were special to me.

I pushed off the table I sat on and ran from where I was to the car they were walking away from. It didn't take me long to get from where I had been to where they were yet it felt like I was running for hours.

I just really missed them.

I ran to Mom first. I threw my arms around her and hugged her so tightly. She still smelled just the same as I remembered, even down to the fabric she used to wash her clothes.

A pair of arms came around me and then a second pair. I could smell Dad's cologne.

This was really happening. They were really here.

I couldn't believe it.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," I said, trying my best not to cry. I did well until I pulled away from Mom and stood in front of her.

With tears in her own eyes, she wiped mine away. "We missed you too, sweetie. How are you? Did you have a good drive here?"

I nodded. Daddy and I took a road trip from Alpine to New Hope, where Mom and Dad were living. It took us several days to drive the entire way but it was a lot of fun and it was nice spending time with just him. "I got to see the Grand Canyon."

"That sounds nice. I'm glad you were able to see it on your way here."

"How... how have you guys been?"

Mom took my hand and began walking. "Let's go sit down and talk."

I glanced between her and Dad. "Is this bad?"

Mom laughed and patted my hand. "No, sweetie. We just want to talk to you. We have a lot to catch up on."

---

I took a deep breath as I walked over to Daddy. My hands were balled into fists as I tried to keep them from shaking. I wasn't sure why I was afraid to ask him. He was becoming more understanding the longer we knew each other so it wasn't like he was going to just shut me down.

"Hey, you didn't have to cut your visit short just because of me."

I sat down on the bench beside him. "I-I wanted to ask if I could stay the night with them."

I was really worried he was going to say no. I knew he might have thought I would run once I found my parents. But as tempting as it was, that wasn't my plan for visiting my parents. I never intended on running off.

He looked at me warily for just a second before he relaxed his expression. "Okay. Do you want me to drop off a change of clothes for you?"

I nodded. "Is that okay?"

He brushed my hair out of my face. "Ly, you don't have to ask permission. This trip was all for you."

I could feel myself about to cry but I didn't want to get all gushy. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my daddy?"

He smiled. "I know I haven't been the most generous but I'm working on it. I really want you to enjoy your time with them."

I hugged him tightly. Daddy was never the considerate type. Not outwardly where everyone could see. He could be nice and kind but not considerate. I was glad he wasn't keeping up the closed-off attitude his parents had and was changing. "Thank you."

He patted my back after a few seconds and nodded in the direction where my parents stood waiting. "You better go ahead. They're waiting for you."

I gave him a quick smile before I looked in the direction of Mom and Dad. They were standing near the car, expectantly waiting for me to say if I was going with them or not. It was a moment they had probably been waiting for for years. Since they last saw me.

"Bye, Daddy. Thank you."

As I was leaving him, I heard him say "Be good, Lyla."

---

Alright, what did you guys think of that? Did anyone see this coming? Was anyone shocked? In all of my stories and time on Wattpad, I've never had people want something more than for Lyla to be reunited with her parents. I had more comments for this to happen than anything ever. It was a bit fun to see them and then... not do it. But I'm not heartless (completely) so I figured I'd give in and give you what you all want. The next chapter will be the last so stay tuned! It should be up in the next few days.