The weekend came, and Hayden just had to wake up at 8 a.m. He stepped out with a cup of coffee and the paper and contentedly read the local section. He looked up after hearing approaching footsteps, of a very wobbly toddler. “Hey there, cutie! Where’s your mom?” He said, getting up from his seat and sitting on the steps to be level with her.

“Sophie’s mom is off at the gym, and won’t be back till noon.” Tove replied. “Little kids wake up disgustingly early.

“Tove?” Hayden asked, confusedly. “Is she yours?!”

“Hayden, are you completely stupid?” Tove replied. “She’s not mine. I’m babysitting.”

“Why?” Hayden asked. “You of all people should never be around children.”

“Because her mother trusts me, and she pays with food, which is better than money because, quite frankly, I don’t eat well.” Tove answered, eyeing Hayden’s coffee.

“She looks like she could be yours.” Hayden said, now playing handgames with the girl. “Or mine, for that matter.”

Tove suddenly changed the subject. “So, is Natalie still single?”

Hayden just shook his head and got up. “Tove, you’re hopeless. I’m going in. If mom asks where I am, tell her I went for a jog.”

Tove watched Hayden walk inside the house, and waited several minutes before walking next door to Emily’s house and waited for Emily to come home at noon.

Later, feeling refreshed and slightly famished, Hayden called the familiar number next door. “Emily?”

“Hey there Hayden.” She greeted, as she had been for the past 20 years they’d known each other.

Hayden grinned at the response. “Are you busy this evening? I kinda wanted to go out to dinner, to catch up on things.”

Emily already had her cellphone out and was punching in the number to her emergency babysitter, a 14 year-old down the street. “What time? I haven’t even showered yet.”

“How about seven? I’ll stroll on over and-“

“How about I walk on over, Hayden.” Emily replied, adding a lighthearted tone to her voice. Sophie was just getting feisty over her steamed carrots. “Is it casual?”

“Anything more would be too much for me, you know how I like my wardrobe.” Hayden laughed, and when Emily laughed back, he heaved a sigh of relief, she was the same old Emily.

“Well, I’ll need to get ready so I’ll see you in a bit.” She hung up quickly and gave her two year old a look. “Soph, what am I doing…” She picked up some strewn carrots on the floor that obviously weren’t up to par. With a call to the babysitter down the street, Emily resigned herself to this dinner.

In blue jeans and a brown, jeweled tank top, she stepped up to the Christensen’s front door. “God, I feel fifteen again…” She said, nearly vomiting, but she was glad she didn’t because Hayden answered the door.

“Well, Ms. McLean, shall we?” Hayden asked, himself dressed in khakis and white polo. Slipping his arm around her he lead her to his sports car. As they entered the freeway, Hayden decided to start up some conversation. “So, Emily, what’s new since I left?”

Everything, Emily wanted to say. “Um, I’m working on my Master’s Degree in Education, which will raise my salary by ten thousand once I finish.” She wanted to say that since then, she’s had a kid, that she’s raised all by herself, by choice.

“You’ve got more on your mind there, Em.” Hayden said wisely. “I can tell by that far off look you have.”

“I do not.” Emily replied. “Really, my life is boring compared to yours.”

“What, no lucky guy? No…no, dog? No one night stands?” Hayden asked. “Week long stands?” He added cheekily. “Then again, nobody but me has that stamina.”

“Aren’t we cocky?” Emily laughed, finally relaxing. The dinner was, well, as any dinner with Hayden was. He liked entertaining her, and told funny stories about filming Star Wars, and random set accidents. Emily listened, indulged (she thought), in three glasses of wine, and laughed at every funny line. It was like old times when they would hang out in his basement, during the rare times he was home, and they would just talk about God knows what.

He took her back to her house after dinner and they stood on her doorstep awkwardly. “Are your parents home?” He asked, slightly joking.

“They’re actually living in an apartment now, they don’t like stairs.” Emily answered. “That, and my dad wanted a nice city view.”

“Does that mean I can come in?” Hayden asked.

“I was just about to ask you if you wanted to.” Emily grinned. She walked into the living room where the sitter was watching TV. “Is Sophie sleeping?”

“Yeah.” The girl replied. Hayden was now confused. “She took a while to put down, but she hasn’t been awake-“ She was interrupted by her cry.

“She must be dreaming.” Emily said, distractedly, now completely ignoring Hayden’s presence. Emily handed the sitter twenty dollars and she let herself out. Emily ran up the stairs, Hayden following her, to what used to be Emily’s childhood room. “Sophie…it’s okay.”

“Sophie’s…your daughter?” Hayden asked, startled. Emily was carrying Sophie now, patting her back. Hayden walked behind Emily to look at Sophie closer. Sophie looked at him and just as he studied her, her hazel eyes studied him. “I met her this morning, and Tove said that he was babysitting. I didn’t think anybody would trust Tove with a kid.”

“Tove’s good with her. More like, Sophie watches Tove, though. Keeps him out of trouble.” Emily said, putting Sophie back down on her bed. She sat down next to Sophie’s small body as she waited for her to sleep.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your daughter?” Hayden asked, now getting slightly angry that she kept this secret from him. “Is the father still in the picture? Is he someone we know?”

“Well, he was out of the picture until recently.” Emily replied, looking up at him earnestly. “You know him very well.”

“Who is he?! I want to talk to him. Has he helped you at all?” Hayden asked, trying to keep his temper, especially in front of Sophie, who struggled not to sleep so she could keep looking at Hayden.

“He hasn’t helped me, but that was because I didn’t want him to, he had- has a lot going for him.” Emily replied, calmly. She kissed Sophie goodnight and walked out of her room.

Hayden looked at her seriously. “Em, you know how much I care about you. I can’t believe that you just let the father off the hook! You have a lot going for yourself too, and you think about her father? She hasn’t even seen him!”

It would have been funny had Hayden not been so angry, and had Emily not been so anxious to see what his reaction would be, but Emily replied “Hayden, you’re her father.”

Hayden was stunned into silence.