Hey! Thank you to everyone who read and liked the first chapter! I'm glad that y'all think it's cute so far. Trust me, there will be plenty more of the father-daughter moments to come. Hope y'all enjoy this next chapter!
"Wow! Long time, no see, huh Huckleberry?" Said the girl. The girl who had helped him when Sadie was a newborn. The girl he had hoped would never leave him.
"Maya?"
He walks over to her to give her a hug. God, she still takes his breath away. She always has. Lucas can't believe that she is standing in front of him again. After thinking for such a long time that he would never see her again, here she is.
"I can't believe it's you!" Maya says, "The last time I saw you, you were a confused fath-. Wait."
Maya pauses and looks around her dance studio at the young girls who were starting to stretch. Her eyes catch the blonde haired green eyed girl, and she gasps, covering her mouth. Maya turns back to Lucas and points towards Sadie.
"Is that her? She's really not a baby anymore?" Maya asks. Lucas nods. He knows how attached Maya was to Sadie when she was an infant.
"That's my little girl. She get more and more beautiful everyday, so it's a shock to me too," Lucas responds.
Maya's eyes were glossy with tears. She remembers staying at Lucas's apartment overnight right after Sadie was born. She would look after Sadie while Lucas went to take a well-needed nap. She can remember Sadie's tiny fingers gripping her pointer finger. Sadie was a beautiful baby, and she is, now, a beautiful little girl. How could she not have noticed Sadie when she first walked in this morning?
"So," Lucas starts again, "You're a dance teacher?"
"Yea. I am. It was something that I had gotten into during college," Maya responds. Lucas wasn't surprised. Maya has always been very talented in the arts. It makes sense that she would be a great dancer as well.
Lucas scratches the back of his neck, "Look, I've got a press conference I have to get to soon, but Sadie and I planned on going to park after she was done here, if you want to join us?"
Maya smiles, "I would love to do that."
Lucas steps out of his car and locks it. He walks into the building where he is holding a press conference. Lucas has had tough opponents in the past, but he was ready for someone who would give him a run for his money. He is bombarded by cameras as he enters the building, and his manager, Nick.
Nick was a friend that Lucas met at college. Lucas was in college when his mother retired and was able to watch Sadie while he was gone. Lucas and Nick were in the same business class. A boy in that same class was talking badly about how Lucas was a father at such a young age, and Lucas lost his cool. Nick was impressed with how strong Lucas was, so he started helping Lucas train for boxing. Lucas hired Nick as his manager, and they are rising stars in the sports world.
Nick and Lucas make their way to the stage. Lucas stands at the podium and waits for the crowd of sportscasters to get silent. The only thing he hears before he speaks are the shutter sounds of cameras from the paparazzi.
"I am holding this press conference to issue an open challenge," He pauses, "To anyone who wants to fight me in the ring. I have a lot of respect for every single one of my opponents, and they are tough people. But, I want to have a legendary match, that people will talk about for a very long time. I want my opponent for this match to be someone who can hold his own. Someone who doesn't even know the definition of "give up". I want someone who, after the match, whoever wins, will come up to me and shake my hand. Someone else who wants to be apart of the history books with me."
Lucas didn't know if anyone was taking him seriously or not. Lucas didn't know if any boxer wanted to be apart of his "legendary" match or not.
"I'll take questions now."
Lucas points to a man holding a recorder in his hand, "Lucas, how do you expect this match to be legendary?"
"I plan on making this a legendary match by changing the stipulations to extraordinary proportions. Longer round times, different rules, and a whole lot of advertising. I haven't thought about the rules that I want to change yet, but I assure you that this will be a match that no one will forget," Lucas responds, as he points to a woman with her hand up.
"Mr. Friar, there have been rumors going around that you want to do this match for charity as well, care to comment? If so, which charity do you plan on representing?" The woman asks.
"Um, to answer your first question, yes. I do plan on donating all the money that we make from this match up to charity. To answer your second question, I have decided to split the money between several different charities and donating the money myself. I haven't decided which charities I have decided to donate the proceeds to yet, but I will hold another press conference after I do decide," Lucas answers. He glances at Nick before someone calls his attention.
"Lucas Friar. I have a question," said the voice a familiar rookie boxer. Tony Espinoza. Tony is the talk of the sports world, besides Lucas, himself. He is a great boxer, and Lucas thinks that he will be the perfect opponent.
"Yes?" Lucas smirks.
"How would you like to know who your opponent is going to be right now?" Tony asks.
"Enlighten me."
"Let me say it in two words," Tony says, "Challenge accepted."
Sadie runs to her father and jumps into his arms, "Hey daddy! Are you ready to go to the park?"
Lucas smiles and nods, "I'm ready, but you gotta go get changed right quick. Go change, and I'm going to talk to your teacher." Sadie jumps down to her feet and scurries off to the bathroom with her backpack with clothes she can change in to.
Maya walks up to Lucas and stares at him.
"What?" He asks.
Maya shrugs, "Nothing. I just miss seeing how you are with her. It makes me happy."
Lucas loved hearing that. He remembers how much she tried to be happy in middle and high school, but life would throw another stone at her. Seeing Maya happy was something that Lucas always loved seeing. Her joy was infectious, and when she genuinely smiled, he couldn't help but smile too.
Sadie comes running back from the bathroom in jeans, a t-shirt, and some converses. She looked so adorable like that. Lucas picks her up in his arms.
"You guys ready to go?" He asks.
"Is Madame Hart coming to the park with us too?" Sadie asks.
"Yes, I am. And when we're not in my studio, it's okay if you call me Maya," Maya responds. The way Sadie's face lights up makes Maya's heart swell. The three of them walk to the parking lot. Lucas buckles Sadie in her car seat before he opens the door to the driver's seat and climbs into his car. Maya already buckled up beside him.
"The park isn't that far, so if you can't stay long, then it's okay. I can drive us back here quickly so you can-" Lucas started rambling.
"Lucas, I am my own boss. I have plenty of time."
Sadie runs past them to play on the swings and Lucas and Maya take a seat next to each other on a bench. The two of them watch Sadie go back and forth on the seat and the wind is blowing her bun everywhere.
"So. You're a professional boxer?" Maya asks. Lucas nods before she goes on, "What happened to rodeo clown, cowboy?"
Lucas laughs, "I didn't even know I wanted to be a boxer. I had my heart set on being a veterinarian, but things change. I just needed the money. I didn't expect to make this my career."
"Well, if it means anything to you, I think you're a pretty great boxer," Maya responds.
Lucas nods, "Thank you, Maya. A lot of people think that it's ridiculous that I'm a boxer when I still a small child at home."
"Those people don't know how much you love her. As long as you know, and she knows, how much you love her, then who cares what those other people have to say?"
Maya makes a good point, but it's not just that. He can't walk down the street with his daughter without people calling him a bad father. Sadie get so angry when she hears people call her daddy that. She always reassures him that he is "the best daddy in the world", which always makes Lucas feel a little bit better. Lucas just worries that his daughter will be taken away from him. If he loses Sadie, then he will have nothing.
"Thank you for inviting me here with you and her. I know it was supposed to be just the two of you," Maya says.
"Hey don't worry about it. I've never seen Sadie's face light up that much when she found out that you were coming with us. I guess that means she still really adores you," Lucas responds.
"I still can't believe how big she's gotten."
"Yea. I can't believe it either."
Lucas tucks Sadie into her bed and kisses her forehead.
"Daddy?" She calls.
"What? Is everything okay?" Lucas asks, concerned.
"I just wanted to tell you I had a fun day with you and Maya," Sadie says. Lucas smiles.
"I had a fun day with you too sweetie."
He turns her lamp off and turns her night light on. She is snuggled up to her pillow with her eyes closed, and Lucas just watches her for a minute. He is still sometimes shocked that Sadie is a part of him. How much his life has changed in four years, but he wouldn't want it any other way.
Okay! Hope you guys liked it! I promise things will be heating up and blowing up soon. ;)
