Day 2383

I walked into the house, after having spent the better part of the morning at the local nursery shopping for flowers to plant along the back terrace. Everything was still in the car, but I just wasn't in the mood to unload the plants by myself. I knew Walter was here with Megan and hopefully Ralph was here somewhere too and could help before they wilted in the heat of the car. Perhaps I could even entice them into helping me plant them with some lemonade and cookies I had picked up from the bakery yesterday.

I didn't think anyone had discovered them yet. They should still be available as bribes.

I was just about to call out to Walter and Ralph when I heard Megan's trademarked high-pitched screech of joy. It was a painful sound that made neighborhood dogs cover their ears in pain and grown men cry. I love the child more than life itself, but that sound could be unbearable at times.

I knew the pain that particular sound made in Walter's ears, not that he would ever say anything, but I would see the look on his face. It was a testament to how deeply devoted and in love with our daughter he was that it didn't send him running every time.

I knew with every ounce of my being how much Walter loved Ralph and me. He would literally put his life on the line for us and had on past occasions. But the hold that Megan had over him was something entirely different. All she had to do was bat her eyes and say 'Daddy' and the man was complete putty in her hands.

I could hear Walter's voice, but I couldn't make out what he was saying, so I followed the sound, knocking briefly on Ralph's door as I passed, intending to convince them to help. But what I saw when I peeked into Megan's room shocked and delighted me. It was Walter, at Megan's tiny child-sized table, sitting in one of her child-sized chairs, his knees practically up to his chin.

Megan was dressed in full royal regalia complete with crown and sparkly ball gown.

Walter was also wearing a crown, it appeared to be something he had soldered together from bits and pieces in his workshop. He was a guest at a tea party along with several of Megan's favorite stuffed animals.

The visual alone was worthy of capture on my phone, unfortunately, I had left it downstairs on the counter with my purse. I debated for a moment whether or not I could slip unnoticed downstairs and back up before a moment of this tea party changed, but when I heard Megan's next sentence, I knew there was no way I was leaving this charming tableau.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, princess?" Walter still didn't completely understand pet names, but Megan had directed him that 'princess' was the appropriate appellation for her and he was no fool, he didn't argue or question why.

"Do you think I am pretty?" Megan took a sip of 'tea' and directed Walter to do the same.

Walter pretended to take a sip as well, then placed the cup carefully back down into its saucer and replied. "Yes, Megan, I do. I think you are the prettiest princess I have ever seen. It would be doubtful if there was ever a princess in the history of princesses that was prettier than you." She had trained him well. I was impressed.

"Am I prettier than Mommy?" My heart froze in my chest for a moment, this was a trap expertly laid.

I saw a brief flash of panic cross Walter's expression before his normally calm demeanor resurfaced. He took a deep breath before he spoke. "Both you and Mommy are incredibly beautiful in your unique ways. I want you to remember that beauty isn't just about how someone looks on the outside; it's also about who they are on the inside."

Megan looked puzzled at his words. "On the inside? Do you mean my guts and organs and brain?"

"That is true that those things are inside of your body, but not quite what I mean. I am talking about your personality. The things that make you you, different from anyone else in the world."

Megan looked relieved. "I don't think guts are beautiful. They're yucky."

Walter rubbed his hand uncomfortably on the back of his neck. He was losing her. I wasn't sure if he could pull this off. Though he did wisely refrain from explaining the beautiful utility of the human digestive system, it was still possible he could avoid a complete meltdown.

Megan moved from her chair and climbed onto Walter's lap. This required him to hastily push his small chair back from the table and stretch his legs out at an awkward angle to avoid knocking into Megan's table but also be able to balance Megan on his lap along with several layers of tulle and taffeta. With her arms wrapped around his neck, he was able to shift her slightly so he was less likely to topple off that chair. He pushed her hair back from her face and placed a soft kiss on her chubby pink cheek. "You are kind and you make sure no one is left out. Do you remember how you made friends with the new boy in your class when no one else wanted to sit next to him?" Megan nodded.

"You also have an amazing imagination. You dreamed up this tea party and you were the one who picked the pieces from my workshop for my crown and told me the order to put them together. And look how impressive and regal it is." Walter waggled his eyebrows up and down causing the crown to slip down onto his forehead. Megan reached up and straightened it for him.

"You have a loving heart and a smile for everyone you meet. Do you remember the old man we saw on our walk last week? He looked so sad and lonely and when you smiled at him, he smiled back and he looked so happy."

"And then he bobbed his head and said 'Milady', and I giggled and then he laughed."

"I think you were the brightest part of his day that day."

"I hope so. Do you think we'll ever see him again? Do you think he remembers me?"

"He probably lives in the neighborhood, I'm sure we'll see him again. And I'm sure he remembers you. You are the unforgettable Megan Violet O'Brien. All those things and more make you beautiful in ways that are special to you. Mommy is beautiful in her own particular ways, too. And I get to live with two women who are as beautiful inside as outside and that makes me a very fortunate man."

Walter was good, I'll give him that. Megan thought about his words for a moment, then pouted. "But I wanted to be prettier than Mommy."

Walter shifted uncomfortably in his chair and it wasn't just because it was so small. He hadn't survived Megan's trap yet. "Why is that, sweetheart?"

"Because I want you to love me enough to marry me, not her. I love you so much, Daddy. Mommy says that she married the man she loved the most in the whole world and that someday I would too. But Daddy, you're the man I love most in the world and I want to marry you. But how can I marry you when you're already married to Mommy?" A single tear rolled down Megan's cheek. I was dying to hear what Walter would say next.

"Princess, it's very sweet of you to say that. I love you so much, and I'll always be here for you as your daddy. But being married is something that grown-ups do when they find someone special they want to spend their life with. Right now, your special relationship with me is being my little girl, and I treasure that. As you grow up, you'll find someone you love even more than you can even imagine right now, and that's who you will marry. For now, let's focus on having fun and making lots of happy memories together." Walter really was earning his genius card today.

"Let's make a memory today, just you and me like Auntie Megan taught me. How would you feel about having a real, grown-up tea party?"

Megan looked suspicious. She slid off his lap and stood observing Walter with her hands on her hips. "How would we do that?"

Walter shifted on the chair in relief, then slipped off to kneel in front of Megan. "What if the two of us went right now to the fanciest restaurant we could find and had lunch, just the two of us?"

"Can I wear my princess gown?"

"Of course." Walter assured her.

"Mommy doesn't let me wear it out of the house, she says I have to wear 'Megan clothes' not 'princess clothes'."

"That is your mom's rule, and it's… uh… a good rule, but I think just this once we can break it." Walter lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Will you dress like a prince, Daddy?"

Walter balked but I wasn't worried, he knew how to think on his feet. "I don't have royal robes, but I do have the new suit your mom bought for me a few months ago, would that work?"

Megan considered his suggestion. "Yes, let's go right now before Mommy gets back and tries to stop us or worse, kiss you. Kisses on the lips are yucky. And Mommy likes to kiss you on the lips a lot!"

"Okay, it will take me just a few minutes to get dressed and then we can go. Can you write a note for Mommy while I change? I know this is special Daddy and Megan time, but we still love Mommy and don't want her to worry about us." Megan smiled and pulled a box of crayons and a pile of paper off a nearby shelf. Walter stood and moved toward the doorway.

I slipped quietly into the shadows at the end of the hallway as Walter walked the opposite way towards our room. I was glad that I had parked the car in the back, so neither Megan nor Walter would see it in its usual spot. Walter reappeared in record time. As he walked back into our daughter's room, I moved closer again so I could watch them. He was so handsome in his suit, even more, because he was so earnest and conscientious at making our daughter feel loved.

He appropriately oohed and aahed over the note she drew. "Mommy will love this, Megan, but I think I'm going to send her a quick text too, just to make extra sure she knows we're going out for lunch." Then as he prepared to usher Megan out of the room, he held his arm out for her to take as he had on one of our first cases so many years ago, the first time Walter had held my hand, the first time we had danced. I got goosebumps just thinking about that night and the rush of feelings I'd had for him even then.

I ducked into the linen closet, knowing they would walk right past me and needing somewhere to hide. I waited in the close quarters until I heard Walter's car drive away.

I walked into Megan's room to see the note. It was written on pink paper decorated with several hearts and rainbows and what appeared to be her attempt at a unicorn. In her childish, but also likely borderline genius (thanks to her father) writing I saw:

Daddy {heart} Mommy

Daddy {heart} Princess Megan

Daddy and Megan {heart} Mommy

Underneath Megan's writing, Walter had left his own note for me with his neat and efficient writing. It simply said:

Walter loves Paige forever.