Chapter 2: Daughter or Girlfriend?

When I opened my eyes groggily and looked at the clock, I realized we had been napping for over two hours. Kimmy at least had an excuse; she hadn't gotten much sleep last night. I, however, had gotten plenty. It was just that every time I had half awakened, I felt her warm body next to mine and it relaxed me so much that I couldn't work up the willpower to get up. There was something incredibly soothing about holding a sleeping child in my arms.

It seemed a shame to wake her, but we couldn't sleep all day after all. I began to stroke her back with one of my hands, trying to wake her in the gentlest way I could.

She sighed and opened her eyes, smiling at me again with those big, beautiful eyes.

"Time to get up, Kimmy," I told her.

She immediately threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. "So it isn't a dream after all," she said.

"No it isn't," I reassured her with a friendly smile. I yawned and stretched, then sat up. Kimmy climbed off my lap and sat next to me on the bed.

"Well, it looks like we're too late to go to the furniture shop to buy you a bed," I told her. "We'll go tomorrow. Tonight you can sleep here. I'll take the couch."

"You don't want to sleep with me again?" she asked, looking a little disappointed.

Actually, I was kind of hoping for that kind of reaction. I smiled at her. "If you don't mind," I replied.

"I don't mind at all," she said. "I never got to sleep with my daddy the whole time I was growing up, so now I have to make up for it."

I laughed. "Okay. In the mean time, I think it's time for dinner."

"Do you want me to fix you dinner?" she asked. "I'm a good cook. Mom always made me fix dinner for Troy and her."

"I'd love to taste your cooking," I smiled, "but I was actually thinking we should go out tonight."

"Go out?" she asked. "You mean, like on a date?"

"Well, no," I laughed. "Dates are for boyfriends and girlfriends. I just think we ought to celebrate. Do you have any particular restaurants that you like to eat at?"

She shook her head. "Mom never took me," she replied. "Sometimes she'd go with Troy, but she'd always leave me home. She said I would just get in the way."

"Well then, if this is your first time, I want to make it as special as I can. I'll let you pick where we go. What kind of food do you like? Mexican? Italian? Chinese? Indian? Seafood?"

"I think I'd like to try seafood," she said.

"Great! I happen to know the perfect restaurant. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is nice, and it's never too crowded."

We headed out to the car and drove into town. I could sense the excitement on Kimmy's face; this really was a new experience for her. It made me feel a little sorry for her; even something as simple as going out to eat was something she had never done.

The restaurant was just like I had described it. There weren't too many people there, and quiet music played in the background. As a bonus, one of the girls who had been in my class a few years ago worked as a waitress there. Her name was Lisa, and she remembered me from school. As soon as I introduced her to my daughter, she made a special effort to be friendly to her. Kimmy positively beamed at the attention, a little shy perhaps but enjoying herself nonetheless.

Kimmy seemed a little overwhelmed by all the choices on the menu, so I helped her by suggesting a few options. We both ended up ordering the same thing, creamy garlic shrimp over pasta. As we ate, I told her all about the school where I worked and where she would be attending in the fall. I tried to make it sound as nice as possible, which wasn't all that difficult. I really liked it, after all.

Kimmy listened attentively, hanging on my every word. I don't know if she was even listening to what I was saying; she apparently just liked to hear me talk. I could tell by the look on her face that she was smitten by me. That didn't bother me; it was just the adoration of a child for her father. And she had never had a father before, so the whole concept was new and exciting for her. Probably after a couple of weeks she would just accept me as a normal part of her day-to-day life.

I have to admit, I didn't give Kimmy much chance to talk about herself. There were a thousand things I wanted to know about her, but on the other hand, there were a thousand things I didn't. After all, it would be difficult to get her to tell me about herself without discussing her history, most of which I really didn't want to hear. Maybe someday in the privacy of our home we would discuss it, but it certainly wasn't a topic to discuss in public. And the sooner she forgot about her past life and got on with her new one, the better.

After dinner I ordered dessert, something I almost never did at a restaurant, but we were celebrating after all. I really wanted Kimmy to have a wonderful time tonight; she deserved it after all that she had gone through. Admittedly, I had another motive as well; I was absolutely in love with her smile. Having a daughter was as new to me as having a father was to her, and the feeling I got when she flashed her smile at me was something I had almost never felt before. It filled me with so much happiness that I found myself unable to keep from grinning right back at her.

Once we were through eating, I paid the check and left an extra large tip for Lisa, then we headed back out to the car. I opened the door for Kimmy, but instead of climbing in right away, she first threw her arms around me and hugged me. It felt so nice, and I hugged her back.

My daughter, I found myself thinking. My precious little girl. Not for the first time, and not for the last time, I chided myself for almost rejecting her. I couldn't believe how stupid I had been.

Instead of going straight home, I took her to a nearby park that I liked to visit around sunset. The way the fading light of evening glowed on the trees turned an otherwise mundane sight into a magical wonderland. I wanted to share it with Kimmy.

We sat on a bench with my arm around her and her head resting on my chest as we talked about nothing in particular and watched the sun go down, just enjoying each other's company. I sometimes came here alone to relax after a hard day's work, but I found being here with my daughter to be even more peaceful and serene. She seemed to like it too, but whether she actually enjoyed it for the same reasons as I did, or whether she was just happy to be doing anything at all with her father I couldn't tell. Either way was fine with me.

The sun had long since set and the stars shone down brightly from the black sky when we finally got up and returned to the car. Kimmy took my hand as we walked back, and even after we had climbed into the car she grabbed my hand again and held it. I drove back to my house without her releasing it once.

"Is it bedtime now, Daddy?" she asked as soon as we entered the house.

"Yes it is," I replied. "You can change into your pajamas in the bathroom at the end of the hall. Go ahead and meet me in my bedroom as soon as you're ready."

As Kimmy rummaged through one of her suitcases, I headed to my room. I usually wore only a pair of boxer shorts to bed, but I figured it would be best to add a tee-shirt to my attire this time. I headed into the bathroom to take care of business, then climbed into bed.

A minute later, Kimmy appeared at the door. I nearly gasped when I saw her. She wore a simple pink tank top that was perhaps a little too small for her; it stretched tight across her developing breasts, and rode up to reveal her cute little navel. Below that she wore only a pair of white cotton panties, leaving the rest of her silky smooth legs bare. I honestly had never seen anything so sexy in my entire life.

She closed the door behind her, then slid under the covers with me. As she pressed her hot little body up against my side and lay her head down on my shoulder, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

No, if anything this was hell. To have such a gorgeous little thing lying here with me, and yet not able to take advantage of it...

Take advantage of her. Because that's what I would be doing if I gave into the temptation. I mentally scolded myself for even thinking such a thing. She was my daughter!

"Good night, Daddy," she whispered, then kissed me on the cheek. I wanted so much to kiss her back, but decided that right now, if I kissed her even on the forehead I wouldn't be able to stop myself. With only the strongest effort was I able to wish her a good night and close my eyes without trying to do anything. I felt a sudden empathy for Troy Hamilton.

I awoke to the sound of someone crying. I opened my eyes and glanced down, for a moment bewildered at the sight of a beautiful young girl in my arms. Then I remembered the previous day.

It was still dark, so I glanced over at the clock. 2:27 it read.

"Not that!" Kimmy mumbled through her tears. "Please!"

She was having a nightmare. That was not surprising, with everything that had happened to her.

"Kimmy," I whispered, gently nudging her. Her crying cut off and she opened her eyes, staring around for a second until our eyes met.

"Daddy, you've come to rescue me!" she exclaimed, still sobbing but with a smile on her face now. She was obviously still half asleep, the dream world and the real world merging in her mind.

"It's okay," I whispered, and kissed her on the forehead. "You're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. I promise."

She rose up and kissed me on the cheek.

"I love you so much, Daddy," she said. Then she caught me off guard by pressing her lips against mine.

It wasn't just an innocent little peck, either. She held her lips there for at least thirty seconds. As she did so, I could feel her relax. All the tension went out of her body and her trembling ceased.

Finally, she ended that kiss and lay her head down on my shoulder once more, leaving me wondering what had just happened.

When I awoke in the morning, Kimmy still lay in my arms, but this time she slumbered peacefully. Unconsciously I reached up and began to stroke her hair. There was something so comforting about holding this girl in my arms, this child that needed me so much. As I stared at her lovely young face with her eyes closed and her lips slightly puckered as she slowly breathed, I felt at that moment that I would do anything for her.

It wasn't her fault that she had been left in my care, that my life had been interrupted, that I suddenly found myself with a responsibility that I had never expected nor wanted. Whatever inconvenience she caused me, it was nothing compared to the nightmare of the life she had come from. No wonder she had trouble sleeping.

But now she had finally found someone who would care for her. She had found her daddy, and despite my earlier reservations, I realized that I wanted to be her rescuer and protector.

Her eyes opened, and she gazed for a minute into mine. She had the loveliest brown eyes, so large and deep and full of life. The horrible things that had happened to her had not taken the sparkle from her eyes, for which I was immensely grateful at that moment.

"Are you feeling all right?" I asked her.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"You had a nightmare last night," I explained.

Kimmy smiled, and I found myself once again in danger of losing myself in that smile.

"I have nightmares every night," she told me. "But for the first time in my life, I have my daddy to make me feel better. I almost can't believe this is happening. Is it really over?"