from the beginning (COMPLETED)

chapter 56: daddy-daughter dance

ruby skipped inside from off the school bus, giggling as tyler picked her up and spun her around as soon as she entered their home.

"daddy, guess what??"

"what??" tyler asked excitedly.

"there's a daddy-daughter dance at school on friday!!"

"oooh, cool!" he said, kissing her cheek.

"i think i'm gonna take jishjish!" she said happily.

"o-oh. u-um, ok! i-i'm sure you two will have lots of fun," he said sadly. he was hurt that his daughter didn't choose him as her date after all they'd done together, but he didn't want to take the opportunity away from josh or sadden ruby.

"i'm gonna go ask him!" she said, wriggling out of tyler's arms and running upstairs to josh's room.

"jishjish! i'm home!" she said, bursting through his door.

"hey, princess! how was school?" he said with a smile, picking her up and setting her on his bed.

"good! there's a daddy-daughter dance on friday and i want you to be my date!" she said excitedly.

josh blushed and smiled. "aweee, ru, that's so sweet. but what about tyty?"

"he said it was ok!" she said happily, not realizing it had hurt her dad.

"o-oh. o-ok. i'd love to be your date!" he said, kissing her forehead.

"i'm gonna go paint now! bye bye jishjish!" she said, waving goodbye then toddling to her room.

josh chewed on his lip and went downstairs, finding tyler with a slight frown while doing the dishes.

"h-hey, baby," josh said, hugging his boyfriend from behind.

"hey," he said quietly, drying off a pot.

"are you sure about this whole thing on friday? i really feel like you should be the one going..."

"it's fine, josh. she wants you to go, not me. and i don't want to take that away from her," tyler said.

josh sighed and hugged tyler tighter. "i love you, tyler."

"love you too," he mumbled.

later that day, ruby came dancing down the stairs.

"hey, tyty??"

"yes?"

"can you take me shopping for a new dress for friday?? pleeeeease??"

"why don't you have your date take you?" he asked saddened.

"because i want it to be a surprise!"

tyler sighed.

it hurt him.

"y-yeah. i-i'll be in the car in a minute."

he walked upstairs to where josh was with the twins to inform him of where he was going.

"hey. r-ruby wants me to take her dress shopping for friday. i-i'll be back in a couple hours."

"oh, baby, i'm so sorry..." josh said, knowing tyler was already sad about not being the date and realizing it would be even worse being the one purchasing the dress for her. "i-i'd be more than happy to take her..."

tyler shook his head. "no, she wants it to be a surprise on friday," he said sadly.

"here. let me pay for it," josh said, reaching for his wallet and handing josh $100.

tyler shook his head. "it's fine, joshua. i got it."

so tyler took ruby to the dress store where she tried on every one.

he tried his best to look happy.

she eventually settled on one and he bought it, simply nodding when she thanked him over and over for it.

they returned home and tyler lied down on the couch, sighing and rubbing his face sadly.

"ty, i really think you should go. she doesn't even call me her dad," josh said, running his fingers through his boyfriend's hair.

"it's fine, joshua. i'll get over it."

josh sighed and kissed tyler's forehead. "she loves you, ty. i know she does."

tyler just sighed and shrugged. "well i love her one hell of a lot more than she loves me."