I had this story kicking around in my head for the past couple of days. It's short, but sweet. Enjoy

She was a beauty. Sure there were other women in that room at the time, but none had the beauty and happiness that radiated on her face. Her dress was a sight to behold. The lace that run up the sides was exquisite. Her hair was done up with flowers on one side. And that smile never left her lips.

I waited patiently for my turn to dance with the beauty. I heard the DJ call out my dance, so I headed out onto the floor. I felt a swelling of pride as I gently took her hand and led her to the center of the dance floor. The music started and we began to slowly move about the floor.

With each step and turn I began to recall the long road to this moment. I could recall each fight, each threat and every tear. The screams that shook our old house, the promises and the breakdowns. I had never thought I would be having this dance, not with her. Yet life has a way of surprising you.

She laid her head against my chest and I realized that it was no longer my job to protect this tender, loving person. Now that job was taken by someone else. No more late nights of watching the door, waiting for her to come in from a date. No more mending fences over a bowl of ice cream.

As the song neared the end I thought about the journey that led us here. From the moment I heard the doctor tell me it was a boy, I had been on cloud nine. Of the main family, I had been the last hold out when my son told us he was really a girl. I was the one trying to fight it.

I can't recall the moment I first saw my daughter, instead of my son, but I was glad that I did. But the tears and fights didn't end. Instead the fights were against self doubt, the tears were from fear. Each battle that came up, I stood by my daughter. I became her source of strength and she became my happiness.

As the song ended, she looked up into my eyes and whispered. “I love you daddy.” And once again, like it had every time she flashed me the puppy dog eyes after a fight, my heart melted.