Partners | Shaylivia

Chapter 1

Shayne:

I was in the middle of some light yard work with Cheyenne when I felt a drop of water. That's strange considering it's not raining. I put down the shovel and looked behind me. All of our sprinklers were broken and shooting water into the sky like streams.

"Oh my god, what happened back there?" I said.

"I don't know man, like that's crazy" Cheyenne said looking away.

I sighed and went inside to shut off the sprinklers. I'm going to have to call the home owners association and tell them about the sprinklers in case any damage was done. Olivia was in the kitchen chopping up apples and bananas when I went to grab a drink of water before going back outside. Cheyenne was in the kitchen with a scowl on her face.

"Mom, I can make my own lunch for school" She said.

"If I let you do that it would just be chips and candy" Olivia said.

"That's not true" Cheyenne said before glancing at me.

"Dad, back me up?" She asked looking at me.

"I think she might be a little old for apples and bananas now" I said chuckling and taking a sip of water.

"Nonsense, I'm going to keep making our daughters lunch until she understands what a well rounded meal is" Olivia said.

"That is so unfair" Cheyenne said before marching upstairs to her room.

"What about when she leaves for college, you gonna follow her to her dorm?" I joked standing behind Olivia.

"Don't give me any ideas" She said finishing up the cutting.

I put my arms around her waist and placed a kiss on the back of her head. As I've come to learn, the little things matter. Olivia rotated around to face me.

"She's lucky to have such a thoughtful mom" I said.

"Eh her dad's not half bad either" She said smiling.

"He's not half bad?" I said raising an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe he's amazing but I'm also a sucker for good looks" Olivia said smirking.

I gave her a quick peck on the lips before putting my water back in the fridge. I checked to see that the sprinklers were actually shut off before coming back inside. I decided to go check on Cheyenne.

"I'll go see if our daughter still thinks we're lame" I said jokingly to Olivia.

"Make sure to tell her to finish her homework tonight" Olivia said pointedly.

"I'll try to see if I can sneak that in there" I said.

Olivia nodded as I went upstairs. I knocked on Cheyenne's door. Unsurprisingly I was met with an accosted response.

"If that's you mom, I told you I'd do my homework later" She said annoyed.

I opened the door to see Cheyenne laying on her bed with her laptop in front of her.

"Don't worry, homeworks overrated anyway" I said walking into the room.

"I know right? If only the teachers understood that" She said looking up.

"I told your mom I'd tell you to finish your homework tonight, but since you've been doing so well in school ... I'll let you finish it up before school on Monday" I said sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Thanks dad, I'll make sure to put you as the cool parent in my autobiography when I'm rich and famous" Cheyenne said.

"Don't tell your mother" I said chuckling.

"I just don't understand why she won't let me make my own lunch or do homework on my own time, like it always has to be her way or the highway" She said.

"Your mother loves you and wants the best for you" I said.

"I know... It's just sometimes I feel like I'm not doing good enough for her" She said sighing and closing her laptop.

"Are you crazy? Even if you flunked out of school and brought home a punk rock boyfriend, your mother would still love you for who you are" I said.

"Really?" Cheyenne said perking up.

"I know for a fact that she brags about you to all our friends" I said.

Cheyenne smiled wide with happiness. She looked just like her mom when she was happy.

"Thanks dad" She said.

"Now, your mom might not have a problem with a punk rock boyfriend, but I don't want you bringing home any scrubs" I said.

"Oh my god dad, get out of my room" She said laughing.

I smiled and ruffled her hair with my hand before leaving. I went back downstairs to the living room to sit on the couch next to Olivia.

"I take it the conversation went well?" She said.

"Yep, I layed down the law" I said.

"Good" Olivia said.

She cozied up closer next to me and laid her head down on my shoulder. I pulled a blanket over our legs and changed the channel to the cooking channel. Our show should be on around this time.