Shooting Star

Matt chewed nervously on his lip as he held Marley in his arms, while waiting for one of his parents to answer the front door. He’d already warned his parents in advance about the little surprise he had, but he knew deep down they were still going to freak out about the fact that he had a daughter who he hadn’t known about for the last seven years.

The door soon opened wide, his mother grinning at him, “Matthew, Honey, it’s—Who in the world is this?” Her eyes grew wide at the sight of the little girl in her son’s arms.

“Uh, surprise!” Matt said nervously, making Marley giggle at him and then bury her face in the crook of his neck.

“I…” His mother, Kim, shook her head, “I don’t understand, Honey. Who is this?”

“This is Marley, my…daughter.”

“Oh dear,” She murmured, “Well, uh, this sure is a shock. Please, come in, Honey. I’ll get your father, we need to sit down and talk about all this.”

Matt sighed softly and nodded his head as he followed his mother inside, shutting the door behind him. Kim led Matt into the living room as she called out for her husband. Matt set Marley down on her feet before brushing the few locks of hair out of her face, giving her a reassuring smile that everything was okay. Soon, Gary was entering the room with a smile.

“Matt,” The older man said, “I’m glad you could finally find time to come see us. So what’s this surprise?”

“Uh, Sweetie,” Kim cleared her throat, “She’s the surprise.” Kim pointed out Marley who Gary hadn’t noticed yet since she was half hidden behind Matt’s legs.

Stepping aside just a bit to reveal the little girl, Matt said, “This is Marley, your granddaughter.”

Marley smiled softly and waved at the older couple, “Hi.”

Gary looked over at his wife with a surprised expression who only nodded her head, confirming it, “Oh,” He said, “Well this isn’t too shocking, I guess.”

“Gary!” Kim exclaimed.

Matt chuckled quietly as his father raised his hands in defense, “What? It isn’t like your son is that innocent, Sweetheart. He’s a rock star for crying out loud.”

“He has a point, Mom,” Matt shrugged his shoulders, “But Marley’s mother is actually Layton.”

“Layton?” One eyebrow raised as Kim turned to her son, “That young girl that you and the guys used to run around with during the summers.”

“Yes, that would be the one,” Matt rolled his eyes.

“Thank Heavens for that,” Kim breathed out, “I thought you’d gone and gotten some groupie knocked up.”

Matt sighed, “No, Mom, no groupies.”

“That we know of,” Gary muttered beneath his breath, a small smirk forming at his lips.

Matt stifled a laugh as his mother shot his father a warning look. “Anyhow,” She turned back Matt and then knelt down to the little girls height, “Hi Marley,” She smiled, “I’m Kim, your, well, grandmother.”

Marley grinned, revealing the set of dimples she had inherited from Matt. “Hi.”

“Wow,” The older woman shook her head, “You look just like a mini version of your dad.”

“Really?” Marley asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

Kim smiled, “Yep.”

Marley flicked her eyes up at Matt who smiled at her and then back at Kim, “Thank you,” She murmured shyly.

Kim drew in a deep breath before rising to her feet again, giving Matt a stern look as Gary came forward and introduced himself as well. Matt stood back, allowing them to get to know their granddaughter for a few minutes. He felt guilty that they were just finding out about Marley, but knew it wasn’t his fault. However, that didn’t mean that his parents weren’t going to tear him apart with questions once Marley’s back was turned.

An hour later, Matt stood on the back porch of his childhood home with his father, while he watched Marley and his mother pick flowers from her garden in the backyard. Matt drew in a breath before letting it out as he leaned forward against the wooden deck.

“When did you find out she was yours?” Gary questioned from beside him.

“Not long ago,” Matt said, “And it was a complete accident too. Layton was never going to tell me.”

“So for all this time you never knew about her?”

Matt shook his head, “She was pregnant, I knew that, but we decided that she was going to have an abortion,” He sighed, “She told me she’d gone through with it, and then we slowly lost contact with each other until now. She said that she didn’t believe I wanted Marley and that I was better off not knowing because of the band.”

Gary frowned, hearing the heartbreak in his son’s voice, “Well she’s here now, Matt. Marley is your daughter, and Layton can’t keep her from you any longer.”

“I know,” Matt nodded, “I was thinking about maybe filing for joint custody so that Layton can’t ever take her from me again, but I don’t know. I don’t want to freak her out and make her think that I’m trying to take Marley from her, cause I wouldn’t do that. I just want in writing legally that I am her father and that I have just as many rights as Layton does, you know?”

“Of course,” Gary said, “I’d do the same thing to be honest, Matt.”

Matt kept his eyes focused on Marley as his mother handed her a purple flower and Marley brought it up to her nose to smell before giggling. He smiled just at the sight. “She’s a beautiful dancer, Dad. And she’s smart too. I just—I still can’t believe she’s mine,” He licked over his lips, “I always thought Val and I would have a kid someday, but now I have Marley, and even though I haven’t known her long, I love her more than I could ever imagine.”

Gary chuckled, “That’s because she’s your daughter, Matt. You think it’s impossible to love a human being as much as you do your wife or your fiancé or your girlfriend until you have a child, and then it all changes.”

Matt knew his father was right. He had no idea just how much he could love someone until Marley came along. He loved her more than his own parents, or Val, or even his best friends. Marley was now his everything and no matter what she would be his first priority. He was determined to speak with Layton about joint custody, because he didn’t want to spend the next twelve years until Marley reached eighteen needing permission for every little thing concerning his daughter. He wanted the chance to be a real father to her, not just a man who she gets to see twice a week for a few hours, because he knew deep down that someday that’s how it would be, especially since he’s not in a relationship with Layton. He’s going to marry Val, and Layton is going to marry a man someday as well, and their lives will be busy and full of chaos, and he doesn’t want that to get in the way of seeing his daughter like he knows it could.