"Knock,knock! Can I come in?" Corny ask knocking on Maybelle's office door.
"Yeah, of course you can. What's up?" Maybelle said turning to face him.
"I,um, came to invite you to my daughter's 6th birthday party." Corny said walking towards her.
"Oh my goodness. She's 6 already?" Maybelle ask.
"Yep. She's getting big on me." Corny said.
"Gosh. I remember when she was born. If I didn't I would be losing my mind. I was in the room." Maybelle said getting up and walking towards him, giving him a hug.
"May, I want to talk to you about something else too." Corny said releasing her and walking towards her desk.
"Yeah. What's up?" Maybelle said following behind him. Before he could say anything, Alexandria, his daughter, came running in the room.
"Daddy!" Alex screamed running to him.
"Hi baby girl. Did you have fun with Tracy and Penny?" Corny ask. Alex just nodded and ran to Maybelle.
"Belle!" She screeched. She laid her head on Maybelle's chest and took a deep breath.
"Hi honeydew. How are you?" Maybelle ask stroking her honey blonde hair.
"I'm good. Do you want to know what I found out?" Alex ask climbing in Maybelle's lap.
"Sure"
"My name is your middle name." Alex said pointing to herself then to Maybelle.
"It sure is." Maybelle said, making sure to sound like she didn't already know.
"Daddy, did you do that on purpose?" Alex ask.
"I did" Corny said. He was surprised that she was able to use a word like "purpose". She was only 5.
"Why?"
"Well. I thought it was a pretty name." Corny said.
"Oh. Otay."
"Hey, can you go find Inez or someone to play with so I can talk to Belle?" Corny ask Alex.
"Yep. Bye bye Belle!" Alex said kissing Maybelle on the cheek and running out the room.
"Bye bye baby." Maybelle responded lovingly.
"Maybelle, can I admit something to you?" Corny ask taking her hand again. She nodded and gestured for him to go ahead. He started to open his mouth to say something but he dropped her hand and closed his mouth.
"Hey what's wrong?" Maybelle ask concerned. When he didn't say anything,she stood up in front of him and placed a hand on his cheek.
"Is everything okay?" she ask. He sighed and put a hand on top of her's and shyly nodded.
"I just. You know that it's really hard to raise a little girl without the other parent in the home and she keeps asking 'daddy where's my mommy?' and," Corny started but stopped there. He wanted to keep talking but he didn't trust his mouth to say anything else causing him some trouble,"can you keep Alex for a couple nights? I have to go somewhere." Corny ask.
"Yeah sure."
"Does she still have clothes at your house?" Corny ask, as he stood up to leave.
"Sure does and she can sleep with me in my bed. I haven't gotten her toddler room transformed into her big girl room yet." Maybelle said to him.
"You still have a room for her?" Corny ask in amazement.
"I sure do. I will always have a room for her as long as her daddy and I are best friends." Maybelle said, starting to pack up for the night.
"Maybelle you are know that?" he said, as she urged him out to room so she could lock up.
"I do now that you told me." Maybelle said, as she locked the door to her office. Corny just chuckled and moved in for a hug, but a certain little girl kept tugging on his suit jacket.
"Daddy. Daddy!" Alex repeated over and over until Corny finally answered her.
"Yes Alex?" Corny ask, picking her up.
"Daddy, i'm sleepy. I wanna go home." Alex said ,laying her head on his shoulder. Maybelle smiled at the cute sight ,and her heart got all tight. She had always wanted Corny and Alex to be her family right along with Seaweed and Inez. Maybelle really did love Corny, but she had to accept that she would never be more than his best friend. As long as she was able to be close to him, she was alright, in her mind, but in her heart she knew that she would always long to want more.
"You're not going home with Daddy tonight. You are going to go to Belle's for a couple nights. Okay?" Corny said. She nodded and gave Corny a kiss on his cheek. She reached out for Maybelle to take her and she did. Alex laid her head on Maybelle and snuggled down on her.
"You tell Daddy bye." Maybelle told Alex.
"Bye bye Daddy. I love you." Alex said.
"I love you to Alex." Corny said back to her.
"Bye Corny." Maybelle told him as she started to walk away with Alex in her arms.
"Goodbye May," Corny said as she walked away and when she was just out of hearing range he said, "I love you."