“Momma, Momma!” came the cries of an excited three-year-old. “Daddy’s home! He’s home!” The cries became consistently louder as the little girl came hurtling around the corner as fast as her toddling legs could go. Her copper curls bounced, and her chocolate brown eyes were wide with excitement.

The woman at the sink just shook her head and smiled. Children were so cute at this age, and Cassidy all but worshipped her father. You would think she hadn’t seen him for a week, instead of a mere few minutes it had been. All of a sudden a bang was heard from the living room, and Cassidy was off again.

“Daddy!” she squealed in glee. The woman at the sink used the back of her wrist to push her hair back, leaving a trail of suds across her forehead. As he headed out the doorway she grabbed the towel off the stove to wipe her hands. She had better go get the groceries from her husband before her eggs got scrambled. As exuberant as Cassidy was, that wouldn’t take much.

On her way to greet her husband she heard rumbling laughter intermingled with high pitched giggles of delight. Upon reaching the entryway she stopped and leaned against the corner. Her groceries were safely sitting on the small table next to the door. She was just in time to see him pick Cassidy up and swing her around. Her lips curved up into a smile as he hugged Cassidy close. The little chubby- and quite likely sticky, hands wrapped around his neck, and he was rewarded with a kiss.

As he looked up he caught sight of her watching and flashed her that mischievous, crooked side smile. His chocolate eyes so like Cassidy’s were full of amusement. He nuzzled nose with Cassidy in an Eskimo kiss, then planted a kiss on her forehead.

“Okay Princess,” he said as he lowered the giggling girl to the floor. “Time for me to say Hi to mommy.” As soon as her feet touched the floor she ran giggling to her room. Both adults shook their heads as they watched her go, then returned their attentions to one another. As he headed towards her she couldn’t keep the loving glow out of her eyes.

“Welcome back. We missed you,” she said when he stood in front of her. She had to tilt her head back to look directly at him. His hand came to brush at her forehead. As his hand came away with suds, his eyes filled with something suspiciously like laughter. She cocked a brow as if daring him to say something. He didn’t take the bait, instead he bent down to kiss her. As his lips met hers, her hands came around the back of his neck and her fingers feathered into his hair.

“I’ve got to get dinner ready,” she said, breaking away with a sigh after a moment or two. “Thanks for running to the store,” she added when he stepped away.

“No problem,” he replied as he gathered the grocery bag. “If this is the kind of homecoming I get when I’m gone ten minutes, maybe I should leave for a couple of days.? The mischievious light was back in his eyes.

“You would never do that to her,” she said with a laugh. “You’d never make it without her, nor she without you.”

“You’re right,” he said with an overly dramatic sigh as he set the bag down on the kitchen counter. “All I need to survive is you and Cassidy.” With that last thought he gave her a quick kiss and headed off to Cassidy’s room.

After he left she finished the dishes and drained the sink. As she set about making dinner thoughts rolled through her head. She knew she had made the right choice then, and each day proved it more and more. Eric and her belonged together. She could still remember how it had all started.

She had met Eric in high school, but they were from two totally different social classes. She was a strictly raised good girl, while he was the popular athlete who could date any girl he wanted. Then, tragedy had stricken. Her best friend had died. All she wanted to do was get away from everything. Christina’s life had seemed so perfect. No one had expected her to commit suicide. Eric had been the one to find her when her parents set out search parties. Eric was the one who comforted her. From that moment on they had shared an unbreakable bond. They dated for a couple years, and then trouble struck. When she was seventeen she got pregnant. It was a mistake that they both admitted to, and they were determined to do what was right. Her parents tried to get her to have an abortion, but she adamantly refused. Upon failing that, they tried to convince her to give the baby up for adoption. Yet again theyfailed. She and Eric had already dicussed their plans. They would both finish high school, and upon graduating they would be married. They would have their child and raise it together in a loving family.

Still, her parents tried to change her mind. They used every excuse possible. Her and Eric were to young. They didn’t know what they were doing. They were throwing away their lives. He could never support her and the baby. The reasons went on and on endlessly.

Stubbornly she had maintained her belief in Eric. She told them that he truly cared about her, and that somehow they would manage. She had been right too. Now they had Cassidy, her precious baby girl. Three year old Cassidy who was nearly a mirror image of her father. Eric, the father who Cassidy loved and idolized. Eric, the man who loved her and Cassidy more than life itself. She had told her parents that it would be so, and she had been right.