Last Three Shots

I watched from the side, feeling an unbearable pain in my chest. Daisy was only six years old, yet she had already learned how to read people's moods, just to keep Connor in her life as her father.

Connor had two chances left.

That night, Daisy didn't cry. She just asked me, "Mommy, you said Daddy has trouble showing emotions and doesn't know how to love us… But why does he like Hazel so much? Do you think that… maybe one day, he'll like me the way he likes Hazel?"

Facing her hopeful gaze, I suddenly felt stumped, not knowing how to respond. Was I supposed to tell her that Faye Snyder and Hazel were Connor's exceptions?

Faye was his "one that got away", and Hazel was Faye's daughter. Those two didn't have to do anything to earn Connor's affection, while Daisy and I couldn't melt the coldness in his heart no matter how hard we tried.

His study was filled with gifts from Daisy and me, but he never looked at them. They just sat there in the corners collecting dust. Yet, he treasured Hazel's gifts like they were made of gold.

I didn't want to lie to Daisy, so I started thinking about how to explain without hurting her. Before I could say anything, she hugged me in silence, like she already understood.

I made another mental note that night, thinking, "Connor, you have two chances left."

…

After that day, Daisy truly never stepped foot into Connor's study again. She acted like she didn't care as much anymore, but whenever Connor came home, her eyes still instinctively trailed after him.

However, whenever he tried to speak to her, she'd shrink back and look terrified. Seeing that, he stopped trying and would just walk away without another word.

Then came Daisy's birthday. She finally built up the courage to ask, "Daddy, can you spend my birthday with me?"

Connor was fiddling with the crooked friendship bracelet on his bookshelf when he heard her question. He frowned and asked, "When's your birthday again?"

Even though he didn't remember, Daisy wasn't hurt. Instead, she answered sincerely, "My birthday's the day after tomorrow. Can we celebrate it together, Daddy?"

Connor thought for a moment and shook his head. "I've got something going on that day."

Hearing this answer, Daisy didn't cry or throw a tantrum. She just lowered her head and softly defended him, "Daddy works really hard, and I should try to be more understanding."

She turned to me and suggested, "Mommy, let's celebrate with Grandma instead."

As I looked at how sweet and mature she was trying to be, my heart ached all over again. I pulled her into my arms and said, "Okay. We'll celebrate with Grandma."

…

When her birthday came, Daisy tried her best to hide her disappointment. Even so, my mother-in-law, Esther Chambers, still noticed something was wrong. "Sweet Daisy, why do you look so sad? Did someone upset you? Tell me."

Daisy shook her head vigorously. "I'm not sad."

Esther gently rubbed her head and asked, "Let me guess… Is it because Daddy didn't come, and you miss him?"

Daisy froze when Esther hit the mark. She didn't know how to argue with that, so she just kept defending Connor, saying, "Daddy's just really busy. Please don't blame him, Grandma."

Esthe replied, "Daisy, you're such a good girl. How could your daddy not show up for your birthday? I'll call him right now. He wouldn't dare ignore me."

I saw the hope flash back into Daisy's eyes. She asked eagerly, "Will he really come?"

Esther pretended to scold Connor on the phone, though she never actually dialed. However, Daisy didn't notice, and her little face turned rosy with joy.