[A few days later – Malibu Plaza, 10:15 a.m.]
Charlie and Lily went for a little shopping. Well, she'll be going to school soon.
"Charlie, look! It has sparkles!" Lily said, holding up a pink backpack that glittered under the store lights. She twirled it around so fast that one of the straps nearly hit a display of lunchboxes.
Charlie caught it just in time. "Whoa, easy there, Turbo. You almost took out the army of unicorns."
Lily giggled, hugging the backpack to her chest. "But it's so shiny! It looks like fairy dust!"
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Fairy dust, huh? You sure it's not glitter? Because I still have nightmares from the last time you brought glitter home."
She gasped dramatically. "That wasn't me! That was Laura! She spilled it!"
Charlie smirked. "Right. Laura just happened to spill it all over my couch, my shirt, and my hair."
Lily stuck out her tongue. "Maybe the fairies did it."
He chuckled. "I'll have to file a complaint with the Fairy Union."
They moved on to the next aisle, where Lily's eyes widened at the rows of crayons. "So many colors!" she whispered like she had discovered treasure. "Can we get the big box? The one with the sharpener in the back?"
Charlie picked it up, inspecting it. "One hundred and twenty colors? You even know that many?"
She nodded seriously. "Of course. There's blue, dark blue, sky blue, ocean blue, not-so-ocean blue…"
Charlie laughed. "Alright, Picasso. You win."
She grinned and tossed the box carefully into the cart, then ran ahead toward the notebooks. "Look, Charlie! This one has kittens on it!"
"Do the kittens do your homework for you?" he asked, pretending to check the label.
Lily giggled so hard she had to hold her belly. "You're silly."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," he said with a grin.
After twenty more minutes of Lily inspecting every sticker sheet and pencil case in the store, they finally reached the checkout counter. The cart was full of school supplies, stickers, and a single chocolate bar that had mysteriously appeared somewhere along the way.
Charlie eyed it. "You sneak this in?"
Lily clasped her hands behind her back, trying not to smile. "It fell in."
"Uh-huh. You're lucky you're cute."
The cashier rang everything up while Lily hummed a tune from one of Charlie's songs. When they stepped outside, she reached up and slipped her hand into his.
"Now I'm ready for school," She said proudly.
He looked down at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You sure are. You're gonna make all the other kids jealous with your super sparkly fairy bag."
She beamed. "Can I show you my backpack every morning before school?"
Charlie nodded. "You better. I'll need to make sure the fairies packed everything."
Lily laughed, swinging their joined hands as they walked toward the car. "Okay! But only if you promise to tell Mom not to put broccoli in my lunch."
Charlie gave her a mock salute. "No broccoli. Cross my heart."
She grinned. "Good. Then you're my favorite grown-up."
"Your favorite, huh? Even more than your mom?"
Lily looked up, thinking hard. "You're both my favorite. So is Laura, Lisa, Berta, Pru. But you're funnier."
Charlie chuckled. "I'll take it."
He loaded the shopping bags into the back seat, then helped Lily climb into her booster. She was still humming one of his songs when he shut her door and walked around to the driver's side.
That's when he saw her.
A few cars ahead, on the shoulder, stood Chelsea. Her car hood was open, steam curling into the air like a dying kettle. She looked frustrated, phone in one hand, a bottled water in the other.
Charlie frowned and pulled over. "Stay put, kiddo," he said to Lily. "I'll be right back."
He got out and walked toward her. "Hey, you planning to make soup in there or just roast the engine?"
Chelsea looked up, startled, then broke into a smile. "Charlie. Wow, what are the odds?"
He grinned. "Malibu's small, and trouble seems to have me on speed dial. You okay?"
She sighed, wiping her forehead. "Not really. My car decided to die on me, and I've got a client waiting to see a penthouse in twenty minutes. I can't exactly show up smelling like burnt radiator."
Charlie peeked under the hood, pretending to know what he was looking at. "Yep. Classic mechanical… meltdown thing." He straightened. "Translation: this thing's not moving anytime soon."
Chelsea groaned. "Perfect. Just perfect."
"Tell you what," Charlie said, fishing his keys from his pocket. "I'll give you a lift. You can call the mechanic on the way."
"You sure? I mean, it'd be great, but I don't want to intrude."
"Positive. I've got my little sidekick with me, so you'll have to share the backseat banter."
She smiled gratefully. "You're a lifesaver."
Chelsea quickly called the mechanic, gave them the car's number and location, then grabbed her folder and purse. She followed Charlie to his car, sliding into the passenger seat as he started the engine. She gave him the location.
"Everything okay back there, kiddo?" Charlie asked, glancing at Lily in the rearview mirror.
Lily was busy hugging her glittery backpack. "Yep! I got sparkles!"
Chelsea turned and smiled warmly. "Hi there. I'm Chelsea. What's your name?"
"I'm Lily," she said proudly.
"That's a beautiful name," Chelsea said with a smile as she gave Charlie a side look and asked. "Your daughter?"
Before Charlie could answer, Lily grinned. "Yes! That's my dad. I love him so much. Look, he bought me sparkly bag and crayons and stickers." She pointed at the plastic bags. "Oh, and I also got a chocolate bar."
Charlie froze for a second, eyes flicking up to the rearview mirror. Lily looked so sure, so happy, like she'd just said something that felt natural. This was the first time she called him dad. And at that moment, he felt a weird feeling in his heart.
Chelsea's expression softened. "She's adorable," she said quietly.
Charlie smiled a little, his voice gentler than usual. "Yeah… she really is."
Lily leaned forward slightly. "Are you Daddy's friend?"
Chelsea nodded. "I am. He's helping me get to work today."
"Oh!" Lily said. "I am going to go to school soon. Pru says school gives lots of work. So, I will also be working soon."
Chelsea laughed.
As they drove along the coast, the sunlight spilled through the windshield, catching the glitter on Lily's bag and scattering tiny rainbows across the seats. Charlie kept his hands on the wheel, sneaking a glance at the rearview mirror now and then as both girls continued their chat.
That one word 'Dad' still echoed softly in his mind.
..
[10 minutes later – 45th Avenue]
Charlie pulled over near the curb and parked the car.
Chelsea unbuckled her seatbelt, gathering her folder and purse. Then both of them got out. She went to the other side.
"Thanks again for the ride," she said.
"No problem," Charlie replied. "Always happy to rescue a damsel in distress with radiator trouble."
Chelsea smiled. "So, I remember you once said you aren't married."
Charlie nodded. "That's true." He leaned against the car. "Lily isn't my biological daughter. She's my girlfriend's little girl. Kate's. But as you heard back there, apparently I've been promoted to Dad."
Chelsea's expression softened. "That's sweet. You're a lucky man." She hesitated, her smile dipping just a little. "I guess I'm late."
Charlie looked at her with a faint grin. "Late?"
She shrugged lightly. "For my showing. And maybe for you."
Charlie gave a half-smile. "Well, my relationship status is... slightly complicated. Maybe sometime over lunch, we could talk more about it?"
Chelsea tilted her head, considering it. "Maybe. I'll give you a call."
"Sure," he said, his tone casual but with that familiar hint of charm.
Chelsea turned toward the car and crouched by the passenger window. Lily looked up from her crayons, her little feet swinging above the seat.
Chelsea smiled. "Hey, Lily. Thanks for sharing your dad for a bit."
Lily grinned. "Okay! But next time you can come play with us. We have glitter and pizza!"
Chelsea laughed softly. "Glitter and pizza? That's a dangerous combo."
"Dad doesn't like glitter," Lily said seriously. "It sticks to his hair forever."
Chelsea smiled at Charlie, then looked back at Lily. "I'll remember that. Bye, sweetheart."
"Bye-bye!" Lily waved with both hands.
Chelsea stood, gave Charlie one last smile, and started toward the building on the side. Charlie watched her go for a moment before getting back in the car.
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