Single Parent

Chapter 14

"Good morning gorgeous." Rosie's eyes flickered open as she lay stretched across my bed. "Happy birthday." I pulled out a huge bunch of white roses and handed them to her as she sat up. "Twenty-one."

"Legal age to drink." She laughed quietly, sniffing the roses. "These are gorgeous Nate, thank you." I smiled at her and leaned down to give her a deep kiss. "What time is it?"

"Early enough that if we're really quiet, Sophia won't be up for another hour." I climbed onto the bed and moved under the sheets next to her, putting the flowers on the side, and crawling over her.

"Daddy?!" Sophia poked her head around the bedroom door, since I told her to be sneaky. I left Rosie in the bed since she had fallen back to sleep about twenty minutes ago, and snuck out with Sophia to go and get Rosie's presents from the garage.

I climbed onto the bed, sitting at the end and Sophia sat down next to me as I ran my hand over Rosie's back and she opened her eyes smiling at me slyly.

"Happy Birthday Mommy!" Sophia hugged Rosie tightly, sitting in her lap as she sat up. "We got you presents."

"I thought I had my presents from you?" She looked at me and I shook my head. Sophia picked up the small box from the bed and put it in Rosie's hands.

I watched as Rosie opened the box nervously, but smiled at Sophia like she was excited. When she opened the box and saw the bracelet, she smiled at me and then kissed Sophia and thanked her, putting the bracelet straight on. It was white gold, and had different colour diamonds through it, which Sophia loved, and was the reason she chose it for Rosie.

"Sophia honey, why don't you go and get dressed and we can go and get Mommy breakfast from down the road?" She nodded at me and scurried off, leaving me alone with Rosie.

"This is gorgeous Nate, thank you."

"Don't thank me. Sophia chose it. I have to give her credit, she's learned to keep a secret."

"You took her to choose my jewellery?"

"No, I went there to pick something else up but she was drawn to it and said it would look pretty on you, so I let her get it for you for today. I figured it's a big birthday in relative terms."

"What were you picking up?"

"Something." I winked at her and she frowned at me, but I passed her a box. "Open it when i go out with Sophia."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to. We'll be right back love." I leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the forehead and walked out to get Sophia.

Rosie's POV:

The moment I heard the door shut downstairs, I picked up the box from Nate and opened it to find a photo inside, and the moment I lifted it out and turned it over, I burst into tears. It was Daniel and I, just before he died, when he told me he was going to take me away from it all and I was so happy, so happy.

"Mommy?" I looked up to see Sophia in the doorway and she gave me a horrified look. "Daddy!" She called loudly and I heard Nate run up the stairs.

"I told you to leave Mommy alone Soph." He walked past her and came to me, pulling me into his arms tightly. "I was trying to keep it so you wouldn't have to get upset in front of her."

"How did you get this?"

"I went and spoke to the cops and asked if they had any of your possessions that I could give back to you, and when they said no, luckily your Dad's house still hasn't been cleared out, so I asked to take a look around from your neighbour, told him I was the husband of the asshole's daughter, and the old woman let me in with no problem. It took some searching, but he had a floorboard under his bed that he pulled up. It still had a camera in it, and a photo album."