A/N: Happy fathers day everybody, enjoy!

Dear Olivia,

Today is father's day. I know there'll be breakfast in bed, not your idea I'm sure, and gifts that I really don't need but that doesn't matter. In fact, father's day doesn't matter. Every morning when I wake up and look at your face and your smile, so like your mother's, and think, 'I'm her father? I really made something that beautiful?' In my eyes, you're perfect.

Here's the thing Livie, sons grow up and become men. I have no doubt that your brother Sam will mature into a better man than I could ever be. He will be stronger, braver and handsomer than I could ever be. Well, maybe not handsomer. I don't really worry about Sam growing up, he'll be OK. I know he will.

But daughters are different. Little girls don't grow up, not in their father's eyes. Just look at Alexis, I still see her like I see you, my little girl who needs protecting.

At this very moment, I, along with your mother, am the centre of your universe. My silly jokes still make you laugh and my hugs still fix any boo-boo you have. When you're happy, I'm the first to share your joy and when you cry, it is me (mostly) that makes things all better again.

You dance with me when I try to teach you to play guitar hero and you laugh when I tell you made up stories with silly voices for all the different characters. And when we destroy my office by making it into a pre-historic land and pretend to be dinosaurs – that's the best thing I have ever done.

Sadly, it won't be like this for much longer.

You start kindergarten in September and from the moment you nervously walk through those big gates, my status as the most important thing in your world will slowly diminish. You'll soon do things I won't know about, you'll do things you won't want me to know about.

One day, you will meet a boy. I hope he will be nice but I'll more than likely want to kill him anyway. Or your mom will. One day, a boy is going to break your heart and then we really will want to kill him. Just ask Alexis, there are plenty of horror stories.

You are going to grow up Olivia. You're going to do things that I don't even want to think about. Things I used to get girls to do before I met your mother. Don't ever try to tell me those things, tell your mom. She'll know what to do, she always does.

But please know that I will always be here when things don't work out.

I wonder if you will always look for hugs from me, will it always be my shoulder that you will cry on. I certainly hope so.

You're going to want your independence – and for a while, I'll no longer be the funniest, cleverest, handsomest man in your world. Does that make me unhappy? A little, okay, a lot. But on the other hand, it won't matter how independent you grow, how cool you become, even what you think of me. Because, in my mind, you'll always be five. You'll always be perfect. And every day will still feel like father's day.

Today has another meaning of course, for I am not just a father but I am also a son. I never knew my father but I have grown to feel sorry for him. He never knew about me, he never felt the surge of love a father feels when he holds his newborn child. He wouldn't know what it's like to hear your child tell you they love you for the first time; he has never felt that surge of pride when your child takes their first steps.

I also feel sorry for him because he has never met you. He doesn't know how you like to be tickled below the ears, how you love strawberries but hate apples, he'll never know that you sleep with the bear your older sister brought you back from England when you were only weeks old. He'll never know your sister and how incredibly smart and beautiful she is. He'll never experience your little brother's infectious laughter and he will never met your mother and understand what made me fall for her.

But don't worry about things like presents and breakfasts in bed and absent parents because right now you are content just sitting on your parent's bed in your onsie eating chocolate chip pancakes at one in the afternoon, you're happy spending all your time with your brother and me. You're proud of your mommy and happily boast about how she slays dragons all day. You have no worries yet and how I wish I could keep it that way but I can't.

So you don't worry about this whole growing up business and I'll try not to worry about the years ahead.

Just stay perfect – that's all any father wants from his little girl.

All my love, today and forever,

Daddy x

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