chapter 4

She beamed at her Dads reaction as she folded her coltish legs under her in a pose he'd seen a thousand time and settled in beside Shep on the sofa "I love this set. It's satin, not sure if you can see, here feel" and placed my hand on her waist "feels nice doesn't it Daddy?" I stifled a moan and nodded, conscious he was smiling like a love struck idiot. It didn't feel nice. For a lingerie lover like Shep it felt like heaven. Thankfully she didn't seem to notice his awkwardness "Right, let's get the return of movie night started".

And it was great, just like how they hung out before the split, watching the movie mostly in comfortable silence, with a little bit of easy chat and silly jokes. Shep felt like they hadn't stopped doing this every week forever. And when, bit more than halfway through the movie Olivia said "Cuddles!" in exactly the same mock girly voice she always used he reacted the way he always had, with almost muscle memory his arm slipped around her waist and pulled her close as she turned her head towards him, slightly raised so he could kiss her forehead. It all happened in a split second. Only as the scent of her floral perfume hit him did Shep realise this wasn't like old times. He became uncomfortably aware of just how slim her waist felt in his arm, how silky her satin nightwear felt, and then realised her pert breasts were pressed against his pecs. His heart began to thunder as the panic rose in waves, any second now she was sure to realise the same, freeze, leap back like a startled kitten and accuse him of being a creep. Sure she had asked for cuddles but he was the parent, he should have been more appropriate. Just as he was about remove my arm and try and salvage some dignity from this car crash she purred "mmm I've missed this" and snuggled closer. "I've missed this too" Shep whispered quietly back, the truth spilling out of his mouth before he'd a chance to say something more guarded, more responsible. "This feels like home" she murmured sleepily and Shep could feel her body relax in his arms. As his heart rate slowly returned to normal his heart swelled with warmth.

I've got my daughter back, curled up beside me, relaxed and happy in my company, comfortable enough to be as tactile as before

This was beyond what he could have dared to dream of when he heard she was coming to stay. No awkwardness or tension. All I have to do was remind myself she was my daughter and off limits.

But it felt glorious, Shep was in a dream state of contentment, barely registering the last 45 minutes of the movie, but savouring the feeling of her curled up beside him, searing it into his memory. Later, after a quick hug goodnight, he lay on his bed and replayed the events of the night over and over in his head, memorizing how good she felt curled into him.