Once it is filled with air, the workers have to secure it to the ground so that it doesn’t go flying in the air. But once they’ve done that, then you can.”
“Will you bounce with me?” she asks.
“Sure will,” I tell her as I hear a door shut out front. “Should we go see who’s here?” I ask her, and she slides her way out of my arms and goes running down the deck and around the house. I’m close on her heels, checking to see who’s arrived early.
“Nona, Papa!” Paisley calls out as my parents grab the presents from their back seat. They both have multiple items in their arms, damn grandparents going overboard again with the number of gifts they are spoiling her with.
“How’s the birthday girl?” Mom asks, crouching down to Paisley’s height to give her a hug and kiss.
“Good! Are these all for me?” she asks, looking at the pile of presents.
“Of course, who else would they be for?” Dad asks her.
Paisley just shrugs her shoulders and leads the way inside. We cleared a small table for presents to go on, and she shows them the way to that very spot. I placed the one gift I already picked up for her to have at her party to open when it's time. She’s getting another present from me—I’m caving and buying a dog—but that won’t happen until after her party. With Lindsay’s help this past week, and a promise from my mom that she’ll help when I’m at work, I did some research trying to decide the best type of dog to get. I stopped in at one of the rescues and found a lab that was a few years old, good with kids, and well trained. The old man who owned him suffered a stroke and had to move into a nursing home that wasn’t pet-friendly, so he’s been living with a foster family until a family came along that could adopt him. I’ve spent some time with him in the evenings and my days off and think that Paisley is going to love him. My plan is to take her over to meet him once the party is over, and as long as that meeting goes well, he’ll come home with us. She’s going to be over the moon, excited.
Before we know it, the party is going strong. Friends and family fill the yard and inside of my house. I look around and just take in all the people Paisley has in her life. She’s one lucky kid, and, thankfully, she’s taken to Lindsay being in our life reasonably well. I know she’s used to sharing her mom with Mike, but I’ve never had a woman around when she’s been at my place much. Even with the last few that I dated, I usually only saw them when Paisley was with her mom. So, knowing that I wanted Lindsay around, Paisley tells me everything I need to know about where this relationship is going or where I want it to go.
I look around, trying to see if I can find Lindsay. She said she’d be here by one, but I don’t see her just yet. My mind starts to race that something has happened to make her late, but looking at my phone, I see that it's only just now one, so she isn’t really all that late. Just as I’m sliding my phone back into my pocket, it vibrates with an incoming text.
Lindsay: I’m on my way, had to stop for gas, or I wouldn’t have made it. See you soon!
Tucker: Drive safe, babe. See you when you get here.
Knowing that she’s safe and on her way, I tuck my phone away and go to find my daughter. Today is all about her, after all.
“Did you have fun today?” Lindsay asks Paisley as she sits in the middle of the living room, surrounded by all her new presents. She’s got so many new toys, games, clothes. It looks like the entire girls' section of Target puked in my living room.
“I did!” she exclaims. “It was so much fun.”
“It was. Now, I’ve got one more present for you, but before we can go get it, we have to pick up your other presents. Think we can do that?” I ask Paisley.
“Another present?!” She perks up at that and looks at me.
“Yep, so let's get things put away, or at least picked up, so the living room floor isn’t covered, and then we can go,”