Page 6 of Lilly

Lilly has been dating this boy for almost a year so I'm fairly certain she's been intimate with him but I don't approve of it. I'd rather she wait until she's married. With Garret it was a different story. I knew he was having sex as far back as high school but I was more accepting of it, perhaps because he's a boy. That may be unfair but it's how I feel.

"Honey, what do you need?" Rachel asks, as she appears in her silky beige robe, her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders. She seems to get more beautiful every day, maybe because I love her so much. Even when she's old and gray, I'll still think she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

"I just wondered what time we're going to the movies tomorrow," Lilly says to Rachel. "Jade called and said she might go with us. Garret's staying home with the kids."

"I was thinking we'd go in the afternoon. Why don't you check the times? Pick whenever you'd like to go, then tell Jade. Maybe we'll go to dinner afterwards." She smiles at me. "Leave the boys at home."

"Okay." Lilly glances at me. "Good night." She quickly shuts the door and I lock it behind her.

Then I reach for Rachel, bringing her close to me. "Now that the interruptions are over...." I untie her robe.

"She might come back," Rachel says as I kiss her.

"Then we'll pretend we didn't hear her."

"Pearce," she says, smiling.

"Anything she has to say can wait until tomorrow. Right now is about you and me." I slide her robe off and kiss her and we continue our evening in bed.

The next morning I get up and find Rachel and Lilly making waffles in the kitchen and dancing around to some kind of music teenagers listen to. It's playing from the portable speakers Rachel has set up around the kitchen. She likes to sing and dance as she cooks.

I stand there a moment and take in the scene; my beautiful wife moving about the kitchen, already dressed for the day in shorts and a t-shirt. And my daughter, still in her pajamas, smiling and dancing as she takes items from the fridge. It brings joy to my heart to see the two of them as mother and daughter, enjoying each other's company.

Throughout Lilly's sometimes tumultuous teen years, she's always gotten along well with Rachel. She hasn't always gotten along with me because I tend to be rather strict, but that's because I'm her parent, not her friend. But Rachel is both, which works out well. If Lilly is mad at me, she goes to Rachel, and the two of them talk it out. Rachel is surprisingly good at dealing with teenagers. She never had a chance to raise Garret through those years and I've often wondered how different his life would've turned out if Rachel had been there. Instead, he had Katherine trying to play the role of his mother.

Katherine's idea of motherhood is to manipulate and force children into doing what she wants. That technique never worked on Garret, and for the most part, it hasn't worked on Lilly either. I've spent years trying to help Lilly be her own person rather than the person Katherine wants her to be, but Katherine hasn't given up. She continues to try to guilt Lilly into attending the various society events Katherine goes to. She's furious Lilly isn't part of that world and she blames Rachel and me for why she isn't. And she despises the fact that Rachel has been raising Lilly since the age of 13, even though Katherine has no interest in being a mother.

"What are you two up to?" I ask.

Rachel answers. "We were in the mood for waffles. Lilly's getting the toppings."

Lilly goes around me and sets a bowl of strawberries on the table next to the syrup and butter. On her way back to the kitchen, she stops and gives me a hug. "Hey, Dad."

"Hello, honey." I kiss her head. "Did you decide what time you girls are going to the movie?"

"Two-fifteen," she says, going to the fridge and taking out the juice.

"What are you doing today?" Rachel asks.

"I think I'll head to the golf course, then maybe do some work."

"Pearce, don't work on a Sunday." She brings me a glass of juice. "Take some time to relax."

"I suppose I could sit by the pool and read."

"That's a much better idea." She gives me a kiss, then returns to the waffle maker.

It's hard for me not to work when I have free time. You'd think after selling my company all those years ago, I'd be used to not working so much, but sometimes it's hard to let go and just relax. If it weren't for Rachel, I'd probably be back working long hours like I used to, especially this past year with Lilly away at school. But Rachel's kept me from doing so. She keeps me busy with other things so I don't consume myself with work.

There's no need for me to work long hours. It's just a tendency of mine after years of working nonstop. I run WaveField Sports with Garret, but that only takes up some of my time. And as for my speeches, I can do as few or as many as I'd like, and since money isn't a concern, I wouldn't have to do it all. I only do because I find it fulfilling.

"So, Dad," Lilly says as we're eating breakfast, "I was thinking of mentioning Dean to Harper next time I see her. Maybe she could say something to her dad."

I set my fork down. "Lilly, we've talked about this, and not just in regards to Reed's father. We don't use people for personal gain."

"But we're not using him. We're just telling Kiefer about a possible job. He wouldn't have to take it."

"If Dean wants Kiefer to work for him, he needs to contact him directly. Having us do it is an implied endorsement of Dean, which I do not feel comfortable making, given that I barely know the man."

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