IM SORRY I WASN'T THERE
CHAPTER 4
A/N: Hi everyone, thank you so much for reading my story. I really appreciate it. I hope that you like this next one. Please like and review. I don't own any of the characters expect the OC.
Steve decided to leave work early that day. He needed some time by himself at home before Mae arrived. He had cleaned the house up a little and found himself having some spare time before they got there. While he was cleaning up, he had come across some old photo albums from around the time when he was with Mae's mother Alexis. He began looking through them and soon started to find himself crying. He was finally allowing himself to feel what he was feeling.
He was feeling very mixed emotions. He was feeling a mix of sad and angry and happy. He was sad about the fact that the mother of his child and the women he once loved was really gone. He had always regretted the way thing ended with Alexis and now he will never have the chance to make amends with her. He was really wishing that he was there to work this case. He would have really liked to catch the guy who killed her and put him behind bars himself. On the other hand he was feeling very angry about the fact that Alexis had kept his daughter from him for 7 years. He had missed out on some of the most important moments of her life that he will never be able to get back. He was also feeling happy that he's got a daughter. He didn't really know how he was supposed to be feeling but he did know that he had to pull himself together because his daughter and Danny would be there any minute.
10 minutes later
The time had finally arrived for him to meet his daughter properly for the first time. He was so nervous. He was not the sort of person to be showing this type of emotions even though he was by himself in his own house. He just never realised within the past 7 years that he would be preparing himself for something like this. He suddenly heard a car in the driveway and then the doors closing. He took a deep breath and got up of the lounge and moved towards the door getting ready for them to knock. He opened the door to find Danny and Mae standing in front of him. Mae was standing very close to Danny, holding his hand.
"Hey" Steve said to Danny
"Hey, are you okay" Danny asked
"I'm as good as I can be considering the circumstances" Steve said, having no way to describe how he was really feeling
"Are you alright to do this" Danny asked his friend, a little worried about how this will go.
"Yeah I'm right. I need to talk to her, I have to do this. Thank you for bringing her here, I really appreciate it" Steve said
"That's okay, I understand that this is hard for you, I will try and help in any way that I can" Danny told Steve. Steve gave Danny a hug. Even though they are always bickering and arguing, they really do love each other and would do anything for the other person.
For a moment there, they had forget about the little girl that was the reason that Danny was at Steve's house to begin with.
"Hi Mae, thank you for coming over with Danny" Steve said to the shy little girl.
Mae just nodded her head slightly to show her acknowledgment of what Steve said.
They started to move out of the door way and towards the couch. Steve was really nervous and had no idea what he was going to say. He had asked them if they wanted something to drink and they both said yes. So he went into the kitchen to get himself and Danny a coffee and get Mae an apple juice. He come back out and gave them their drinks. As he was handing Mae hers, he decided to ask her about her family.
"So Mae, can tell me about your family" he asked her, he wasn't sure how to start this conversation, so he just decided to start with an easy topic.
"Well, it has always just been me and my mom. Mom said that she has family on the mainland but I've never met them" she told them
"What about your Father" Steve asked, he wanted to know how much she knew about her father.
"I've never met him. Mom said that he is a navy seal. She said that he was overseas when I was born. She told me one night when she thought I was asleep that she really regretted the way things ended with my father and if she could change the decisions she made back then she would". She told them.
Danny was just listening to the conversation between Steve and Mae. He was thinking about how well she spoke for such a young age. He could definitely see some of Steve in her. When she told them about her father and what her mother said, Danny couldn't help but look at Steve. It was clear to Danny that he was fighting the emotions he was clearly feeling.
Steve was at a loss for words. He didn't really think that Alexis would have ever mentioned him to Mae considering how things ended. He decided that it was time to tell her about him.
"Mae I have something very important to tell you" He told her. She just looked at him with a curious look on her face.
For a few seconds but what felt like hours, the only thing that they could hear in the room was the sound of silence.
"It's about your father" He told her
"Do you know who my is, can I meet him" she asked very eagerly
"I do know who your father is and I know for a fact that he would love to get to know you. I just want you to know that he didn't know about you until now and if he did, he would have been there for you from the beginning and he is very sorry that he wasn't there". He told her. He could see that she was fighting back the tears that were trying to escape from her eye.
Steve looked at Danny wanting him to give him some sort of reassurance that it was okay to continue. Danny just gave him a nod and a reassuring smile.
Mae was just sitting there looking at Steve waiting for him to continue. She was very eager and curious to know about her father. Steve looked at her trying to find the curious to continue.
"It's me Mae, I am your father. Danny told me this morning about you and what had happened to your mother. I'm so very sorry that I wasn't there with you and that you had to go through that alone" Steve admitted to her, not sure how she would react.
"Your my father, where have you been" She asked him not being able to hold back the tears this time.
Steve just grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, letting her cry into his shoulder.
"I promise you that I didn't know about you until this morning" he said to her.
"Why did you leave before I was born" she asked him whilst still in his arms.
"As you know, I was in the Navy as a Seal. I was sent away on a mission and you mom wasn't very happy that I had to leave again so we had to end things between us. I loved your mom very much but I had to go and complete my mission" he explained to his daughter. He knew that she was probably too young to be telling these sort of things to but if she was anything like him then he knew that she would rather be told the truth.
There was more silence that filled the room for a few minutes. She was still lying in his arms. Steve felt like she was trying making up 7 years worth of hugs in minutes. Neither of them had anything more to say at that moment. Steve knew that there would be definitely more to talk about at a later date but for right now he was happy to just leave it at that. Mae had gotten up to go to the bathroom which left Steve and Danny some time to talk.
"Thank you again Danny" Steve said to Danny very sincerely.
"It okay, I'm glad that it went well" Danny added
"Yeah it did. Would you like to stay for dinner, we can just order in?" Steve inquired
"Yeah thanks, that would be great"
Mae come out of the bathroom just as they were finishing talking.
"Hey Mae, we were thinking of getting some dinner, do you like pizza" Steve asked
"Yes, I love pizza especially ham and pineapple" she said the two men with a very big smile on her face.
Steve turned and looks at Danny and started laughing remember back to the time that they were having an argument in the car over pizza. Danny rolled his eye at Steve and comments "father like daughter".
Steve got up of the lounge and went into the kitchen to call the pizza place to order. Half an hour later, the pizza arrived and they went out to eat by the beach. They spent the night outside enjoying the Hawaiian breeze. Steve had the opportunity to talk to Mae a little bit more, and got to know her a little better. He could see that Mae was getting tried so he asked her if she wanted to stay with him tonight or go back to Danny's house. She told him that she wanted to stay with him. That made him really happy. She said good night to Danny and Steve went to go put her in the bed in the spare room.
He was really happy about how tonight went. He took a few minutes to just look at his sleeping daughter. He realises how lucky he is to have her in his life now and that he isn't going to waste any more time with her. He already loved her very much in fact he loved her the minute Danny told him about her. He begin to make his way back down stairs, closing the door behind him. He spent the rest of the night outside with Danny having a few beers.
