Always his little girl
Max stepped into the house, letting out a deep sigh as he dropped his bag by the door. It had been a long, exhausting race weekend, and all he wanted now was to be home with his family. The comforting warmth of the house instantly eased some of his tension, and when Kelly appeared in the hallway, her smile making his heart flutter like it always did, he felt a bit more at peace.
"Welcome home, love," Kelly murmured before standing on her toes to press a soft kiss to his lips.
Max hummed in satisfaction, his hands finding her waist and pulling her close for a moment before he reluctantly pulled away. "Missed you," he admitted, brushing his nose against hers.
She chuckled. "We missed you too. P's already asleep—she was out like a light after dinner."
Max smiled, feeling his heart swell at the thought of his little girl sleeping peacefully in her bed. But then he frowned slightly, realizing someone was missing. "Where's Yn?"
Kelly hesitated for a second, but then casually said, "She's at a party with some of her friends."
Max's brows instantly furrowed. "A party? At this hour?"
Kelly sighed, already sensing where this was going. "It's a small get-together. Just some of her girlfriends hanging out."
Max narrowed his eyes. "Just girls?"
Kelly pursed her lips. "Well… some of the boys from her class are there too."
Max groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Kelly, you know I don't like the boys from her class. They're all weird."
Kelly crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "They’re teenagers, Max. Yn is a teenager. And she deserves to go out and have fun."
Max shook his head, already feeling an itch under his skin. "I don't like it. We should've said no. She’s sixteen, Kelly. Sixteen! And those boys—"
"Are just boys," Kelly finished for him. "Not criminals. And it's not like she's alone with them. Her friends are there. She knows how to handle herself."
Max still looked unconvinced. "I should go pick her up."
Kelly immediately placed a hand on his chest, stopping him before he could even think about grabbing his keys. "No, Max. One of her friend's moms is driving them all home. She’ll be fine."
Max let out a heavy sigh, clearly frustrated, but he knew arguing with Kelly was pointless. She was always the more reasonable one, the one who knew when to let go a little, while he was… well, Max. Overprotective, easily worried, and completely wrapped around both of his daughters' fingers.
"I don't like it," he muttered.
Kelly smiled, reaching up to cup his cheek. "I know. But you have to let her grow up."
Max grumbled under his breath but didn't push it further. Still, he couldn't fully relax, his body on edge as he sat on the couch, his eyes flicking to the clock every few minutes. Kelly eventually sighed and suggested, "Why don’t you go to bed? I’ll wait for her."
Max shot her an incredulous look. "Yeah, right. Like I’m gonna sleep when my daughter is out with those… those… weird wankers."
Kelly chuckled but wisely chose not to argue. She simply curled up next to him, scrolling through her phone while Max sat stiffly, arms crossed, eyes locked on the time.
It felt like forever, but finally, when the clock struck 1 AM, the sound of the front door unlocking sent Max shooting to his feet.
Yn stepped in, her cheeks slightly flushed from the chilly night air, her long hair slightly messy from dancing. She blinked in surprise at her father standing there, his expression unreadable.
"Uh… hi?" she said hesitantly.
Max was already stepping forward, pulling her into a tight hug before she could react. "You're late," he muttered into her hair.
Yn huffed. "Dad, it's literally one minute past."
"Still late," Max countered, finally pulling back to inspect her. "You're okay? No one bothered you? No weird boys?"
Yn rolled her eyes. "No, Dad. The only weird boy bothering me is you."
Max sighed in relief but still reached for the blanket on the couch and wrapped it around her. "You must be cold. Here, sit down. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Did you drink anything weird?"
Kelly, watching from the couch, covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.
Yn flopped onto the couch, grinning at her dad’s fussing. "No, Dad. But I did hear some gossip. You wanna hear?"
Max, despite himself, sat beside her, his protective instincts warring with his curiosity. "Fine. Tell me."
Yn smirked, knowing she had him hooked. "Okay, so Emma and Jake totally had a thing going on, but then Jake started flirting with Ava, and Emma was NOT having it. So she threw a drink at him."
Max’s eyes widened. "She threw a drink at him?"
"Yeah! Right in his face! And then Ava was like, ‘Oh my god, Emma, what is your problem?’ and Emma was like, ‘My problem is that he’s a two-timing jerk!’"
Max gasped. "She did not!"
Yn nodded eagerly. "She so did! It was crazy!"
Kelly shook her head, still laughing softly as she got up. "I’ll leave you two gossip queens alone. I’m going to bed."
Max barely acknowledged her, too engrossed in Yn’s dramatic storytelling. "And then what happened?"
Yn continued, animatedly recounting every detail, while Max listened intently, occasionally shaking his head in disapproval or muttering about how all teenage boys were ridiculous. Eventually, though, Yn yawned, and Max instantly stood up. "Okay, time for bed."
Yn groaned. "I can put myself to bed, Dad. I’m sixteen."
Max ignored her, gently pulling her up and guiding her to her room. "Uh-huh, sure you can."
Yn sighed but didn’t protest further as she climbed into bed. Max sat beside her, grabbing her brush and starting to braid her hair, his fingers moving carefully.
"You don’t have to do this," she murmured sleepily.
"I know," Max said softly, securing the braid. "But I want to."
Yn smiled, snuggling under the blanket as Max tucked her in. "Night, Dad."
Max kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, liefje."
As he switched off the light and left the room, he found Kelly leaning against the hallway wall, smiling at him. "You’re such a softie."
Max huffed. "She’s still my little girl."
Kelly chuckled, wrapping an arm around his waist as they walked to their own bedroom. "I know. And she always will be."
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Authors Note: I hope you enjoyed this piece. My requests are open and I'm more than happy to write a new story.
-💙🦋
