Epilogue: Gareth Chancelor

I was sitting back in my easy chair in front of the TV. There was a nature program running which was mostly interesting until the need to rest my eyes became more important.

So, I was sitting back in my easy chair resting my eyes when...

“Hey Dad,” said a voice and a weight lowered into my lap.

I blinked my eyes a couple of times to adjust to the light in the room and grinned at my younger daughter.

“Hey Bon, sweetheart. What’s up?” I asked.

“Nothing major,” she said and wrapped her arms around my neck in a gentle hug.

My arms instinctively curved around her and found the large expanse of flesh between her incredibly short shorts and the abbreviated top that looked more like an exercise bra than an outer garment. My hands gently stroked and rubbed the skin of her back and sides, exploring the shape of her lower ribs and then down onto the firm spread of her belly.

She was quiet for a moment and I was happy to simply enjoy the intimate time together.

In the background, a large caterpillar with regular-coloured bands along its body had been munching its way steadily through a leaf.

“How’s your study going?” I asked.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I needed to take a break. Everyone’s excited about my birthday party.”

“Have you explained my rules?”

“Of course. Most of my friends said they were stoked that you had those rules. A few of the guys didn’t like the no alcohol rule. I told them to piss off and have their own loser party somewhere else.”

I chuckled and patted an available hip. “That’s my girl,” I said.

“Some of them came back later and said they would still like to come, so I said okay.” She shrugged. “I’ll keep an eye on them on the night, but I think they’ll be fine. I don’t care about the others. I’ve put the list on the pinboard of who’s coming and who isn’t.”

I nodded. “Thanks Bon.”

In the background, the caterpillar was spinning a cocoon around itself with grim determination.

“I went looking for Mum but she’s kind of tied up right now,” said Bonnie.

I grinned and looked at my watch. “I tied her up 20 minutes ago and then I walked out. Did she look frustrated.”

“A bit – as far as I could tell past her blindfold. I think she was secretly loving it but I’m s’posed to tell you that you’re an arse.”

I put a horrified expression on my face and acted out a shocked gasp. “That’s terrible. How dare she talk about me like that. I expect I’ll have to punish her for that.”

Bonnie laughed cheerfully. “My parents are going to have kinky sex. Again! I should start a chat group for kids with kinky parents. We could compare notes. How long are you going to keep her waiting?”

“She can wait a bit longer. I want to enjoy cuddling with my little cuddle bunny.”

Bonnie let me hug her for a moment but then she sat up straight on my lap and looked at me with a serious expression on her face.

“I want to talk to you about my present,” she said. “I wanted to talk to you now, so you don’t get surprised on the day.”

“Okay,” I said. “What do you want?”

“I want what Jen got when she was my age,” she said.

I blinked and looked at her.

“I’m turning eighteen. I want two weeks as your wife, starting the night of my party” she said. “I want everything that Jen got when she was eighteen.”

I sighed. “Those were special circumstances,” I said quietly. “Your mum’s much better now. She might have an opinion about that. We’re not going to repeat what we did to your mother back then.”

Bonnie grinned. “I’ve already spoken to Mum.” She tugged on the end of a thin necklace around her neck and the loop emerged from her cleavage, dangling Estelle’s thin gold wedding band.

I groaned quietly to myself. If I was being honest with myself, I’d known this was coming. But that didn’t mean I was ready for it.

Bonnie giggled and admired the wedding ring. “I had to take it off her hand myself. She couldn’t do it on account of having been tied up and abandoned by a certain arse.”

I winked at her.

“Mum agreed to this last week, provided you were willing to do it. She said she’ll move into the spare room for the two weeks. Jen said she’ll leave us Gareth Junior to look after during that time so that I get the full parenting experience. Jen said it wouldn’t be the same without a little kid to look after. I think Jen and Jayden are looking forward to an adults-only holiday while Gareth is with us. I think Mum was excited about being a sister to Gareth Junior instead of a grandmother.”

“It sounds like you have it all planned,” I said.

Bonnie grinned. “Mum even offered to scream at me a few times and froth at the mouth and get carted off to hospital, but I don’t think we need to go that far.”

A fresh butterfly crawled out of the cocoon and stretched its glistening wings so that they would dry.

Bonnie looked down at me through hooded eyes. “I’m so looking forward to being your wife and sleeping with you every night.”

She leaned down and planted a delicate kiss on my lips.

“Um, you do know that Jen and I never actually...” I trailed off.

“I know that, Dad, and I’m fine with that, but I want everything else – the cuddles, the kisses, the intimate time together, the special showers. I’m really looking forward to the special showers.”

I rolled my eyes. “Jen was drugged. All I did was help her through a difficult time as the drugs worked their way out of her system.”

“I know that, Daddy. But it wouldn’t be fair if you did that for Jen and not for me. And we all know that you kept going with those showers long after you needed to.” Then she leaned close and gave me a slow wink. “Mum and Jen both said you’re awesome at giving those special showers.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head. It was my fault. I should never have given in to that temptation. But actions have consequences – and this was a consequence.