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ChapterThree: Boys and Giving Her Away Part One
Well I'm a grown man
And as strong as I am
Sometimes it's hard to believe
How one little girl with little blonde curls
Could totally terrify me
If you were to ask
My wife would just laugh
She'd say, "I know all about men."
But when tough little boys grow up to be Dads
They turn into big babies again
Mac's POV
"I'm going to kill him." I tell Lindsay.
"Mac," She warns sternly coming to stand with me in the doorway of Reese's bedroom, "Boys will be boys."
Apparently during recess Reese was pushed down by a boy in her class and she came home in tears that afternoon.
"I'm sure you were the exact same way back then," She says, "He probably just likes her."
I scoffed, "What does a five-year-old boy know about liking girls anyway?"
"Not much I'm sure. "
"Well Reese isn't dating until she's thirty."
"We'll see how well that works out. Now come on Cam's asleep and I'm feeling tired so let's head off to bed."
"That actually sounds very good." I muse wolfishly as Lindsay and I share one last look into Reese's bedroom before heading up to bed ourselves.
Well I know one day I'll give you away
And I'm gonna stand there and smile
And when I get home and I'm all alone
Well I'll sit in your room for a while
I didn't cry when Old Yeller died
At least not in front of my friends
But when tough little boys grow up to be Dads
They turn into big babies again
When tough little boys grow up to be Dads
They turn into big babies again
Eighteen Years later . . .
I am currently sitting across from a very nervous young man at the Manhattan restaurant Mesa Grill.
"Danny, just spit it out." I say to Daniel Messer Jr. the son of my fellow NYPD crime lab colleague Danny Messer and his wife Dr. Giada DeLaurentiis-Messer kept uncharacteristically stuttering and rambling.
"Yes, sir." He says softly, "Um well, um ahem as you know Reese and I have dated since highschool and we even made it through two years of a long distance relationship before I moved back out here to New York to attend NYU along with her after graduation."
I nod my head urging him to continue as I sipped my beer.
"Well I've been thinkin a lot about this lately and um ahem traditionally this is what you're supposed to do first." He continued stuttering until he suddenly blurted out, "I wanna marry your daughter, sir!"
I sat back in my seat not expecting the nervous young man to tell me that and I paused for a moment before asking, "You want to marry my daughter, Danny?"
"Yes, sir I do. I've been thinkin about this a lot lately and I realized I've loved Reese since we played around together as little kids at the precinct. And I wanna spend the rest of my life with her. So I guess I'm kinda askin for ya blessin, sir."
"Well," I started before admitting, "I wasn't expecting this."
I stared across from him for a minute and if it was possible he actually began to sweat more. As I stared at him I tried to think of one reason any reason he wasn't worth marrying my daughter and I couldn't think of one. I guess that made up my mind. Releasing a breath I smiled across from him, "Okay son I give you my blessing to marry my daughter."
He straightened up in his seat asking, "For real?" I just chuckled and extended my hand which he shook graciously, "Thanks a lot sir."
"Well go on Danny get out of here and ask her."
Danny nearly jumped out of his seat and said, "Thank you again so much Mr. Taylor."
"Son," I said to shake my head, "I changed your diapers when you were a baby I think you can call me Mac."
He laughs the one identical to his father's and says, "Yes, sir I mean yes Mac. I guess I better get going."
I smile sadly as I watch the twenty-three-year-old young man the spitting image of his father leave the bar with an extra bounce in his step. I knew this day would come but I didn't expect it to come by this fast.
