He nods slowly. “Yes.”
Then she looks at me, and I smile and nod.
“Okay,” she says, shrugging.
Liam and I look at each other and laugh.
“Well, that was easier than I’d thought it would be.” He reaches for her hand.
Her tiny hand rests in his large one, and I swear I feel like I’m on the verge of tears. But Sera … she has no idea what kind of emotional earthquake she just created. I look from their hands to Liam’s face. I can’t tell if he wants to cry or laugh at the simplicity of this moment for her.
“I call you Daddy?” She tilts her head.
Liam pulls in a deep breath and nods. “Yes, you call me Daddy.”
She smiles, satisfied, then removes her hand from his and continues to make a thorough mess with her spaghetti.
“Who your daddy?” she asks him.
“My dad and my mom live in Kansas. They don’t like to fly in airplanes, so I only get to see them when they can drive somewhere, or I can go to them. But I told them all about you, and they’re so excited to meet you.”
“What’s Kansas?” She asks, curiously.
“It’s the place I grew up. I’ll take you there to meet them someday.”
“On an airplane?”
“Yeah, we’d take an airplane.”
“I wike to fwy.”
He takes a deep breath, like he’s trying to get control of his emotions.
“Hey,” I ask, touching his forearm. “You good?”
He looks at me and smiles. “I am.”
“You stay for bath?” Sera asks him.
Liam looks at me, and I nod.
“Yes, I can stay for your bath.”
“You read me story?”
“I would love to read you a story.”
I watch my daughter and see that she really is content with this news. She’s definitely not distressed. It’s like it’s the most obvious and natural thing in the world for her to have just found out who her dad is. I’m relieved that she knows now though. I can’t imagine how this conversation would have gone had she been older. She might not even remember much about her life before Liam as she gets older.
We finish dinner, and as I clear the table, Liam cleans Sera’s face and hands.
“I make mess,” she tells him with the cutest smile.
“That’s okay. We’ll get you cleaned up. Sometimes, I make a mess when I eat too.” He finishes wiping her, then tosses the paper towel in the trash.
“You do?” she asks him, eyes wide, like they share some secret.
“I do. Especially if I eat chicken wings or ribs.”
