Fix You

Chapter 16

 Mike's palms were sweaty as ever to the point where he might have been shaking. His leg was tapping profusely as he sat cross-legged in the chair at the airport alone. There was no way around the fact that he was scared. It was just a week ago that he even knew he had a daughter. He didn't think he was fit to be a father but now, he know he didn't have a choice. He was scared to be a role model to somebody. That scared him more than anything. Last week kept playing in his mind about when he was at a bar getting drunk off of his ass. Now, he was a father. There was no going back.

"What's going on in that head of yours, babe?" Carrie asked taking a seat immediately rubbing his thigh with her hand in hopes to soothe whatever thought needed to be comforted.

"Just parenthood," Mike sighed. "Do you think we're ready for this?"

"Mike," Carrie chuckled. "I know we aren't married yet, but whether we start a family now or twenty years from now, I know there is never going to be a time when we fully feel like we are going to be ready."

"I know," he nodded. "This is a lot."

"You're tellin' me," she joked. "We'll just take it one day at a time, babe. You and me together."

Mike couldn't help but smile at that comment that his gorgeous fiance had just made. "That is one of the reasons why I love more than anything else."

They both leaned in for a quick kiss, causing Carrie to blush before responding, "Love you too, babe."

"Flight 829 from Toronto has just landed," a woman just said over the intercom.

"Ready for this?" Carrie asked him standing up from her seat holding her hand out for him to take.

Mike grinned and took hold of her hand staring straight into those hazel doe eyes, "Never been more ready."

They walked over to where the gate was and waited patiently. They didn't know exactly what the girl looked like. Shoot, they could have missed her already for all they knew. They saw a young girl with strawberry blonde hair and crystal blue eyes wearing blue jeans, a yellow t-shirt, with a cargo blazer walking all alone. She didn't hesitate when she spotted Mike. She knew that was her dad.

"Michael," she addressed him rather flatly.

"I'm guessing you're..." Mike said before trailing off never being told her name.

"Maia," she filled him in. "Well, you're off to a great start."

"Sorry," he apologized. "They never even told me your name."

"I'm Carrie," Carrie waved interrupting the very awkward conversation, only to make it more awkward. "I'm Mike's fiance."

"Great," Maia commented very sarcastically.

"You're pretty grown for a ten-year-old," Mike noticed.

Maia could not only help but laugh at his remark, "I'm thirteen."

"Some relative of yours said you were ten," he told her.

"And now you see why I'm not living with them," she replied.

"How about we head to the car and go home, shall we," Carrie suggested quickly.

Carrie and Mike were going to have their hands full with Maia, that was a fact. Not only was she sassy in general, she was in a teenage phase for sure.