Daddy Dearest

Chapter Six

It takes all of my strength to keep my hands from shaking as I pull out a chair for her. She is so damnably pretty this morning and irrepressible in her youth that I feel like the very devil for having less than innocent thoughts about her. 

"No headache or dizziness, sir," she says after telling me she preferred orange juice over tea. She nods and smiles at my wife who puts a plate of golden-brown scones and scrambled eggs in front of her. "Thank you, Mrs. Davenport. I would like to clean up the kitchen after breakfast, if I may." 

Waverly steps back, surprised. "Oh, goodness, dear. You don't have to. Mr. D. and I have it handled." 

"Please, let me." Melody reaches over to take her hand. "I would like to repay your hospitality." 

Waverly chuckles, the corners of her green eyes crinkling like tiny fans. "You are such a darling. Well, I won't say no to someone offering to take on my chores for me. Thank you." 

Charlie scoffs at her. "But you're here practically every weekend, Mel. We get it. Stop trying to make us look bad." 

Melody looks down at her hands, seemingly embarrassed. Way to go, Chuck. I give my son a stern look. He really isn't doing very well with her. "Well, maybe you can play hero this time and help her with the dishes. She is our guest, after all. And then, when she's ready to go home, you can use my car and take her. How's that?" 

Charlie seems skeptical, peering at me with his eyebrows raised. "All right, dad. Thanks." 

"Good man," I mutter, palming the back of my neck. I turn away from them and return to the stove. "Melody, you want some bacon? Anyone else?" 

"Me, dad!" pipes up Noah. 

"Me, daddy, me," says Maddie in a chair next to Melody. 

"Um, hello?" My teenage daughter walks into my line of sight. "Did everyone forget about dear old me? I haven't eaten a thing!" 

"Aw, my precious girl!" cries my wife, walking over to give her a hug. "How can anyone forget about you? Ben, darling, will you make a plate for our dear what's-her-face here?" 

Charlotte groans. "Ha-ha. Very funny, mother." 

I laugh, shaking my head, as I prepare a plate of breakfast items for my daughter. Waverly woke up in a good mood this morning. She made sure I'd be in a similar disposition myself by diving under the covers and giving me a blowjob. It's been a while since she's done that. I returned the favor, of course, because I'm a gentleman like that. All and all, we were both pretty happy with ourselves when we went down the stairs this morning. 

I hand the plate to Charlotte, who kisses me on the cheek before taking her seat between Noah and Maddie. I distribute the rest of the bacon to everyone who asked for it, saving one for myself, half of which I share with Waverly who eats it out of my hand. I put my arm on her shoulders and pull her close, kissing the top of her head, breathing her in. She slips her arms around my waist and holds me tightly. 

Why am I so determined to ruin everything with Waverly? She's beautiful, intelligent, a wonderful mother to my children, and a great friend as well as partner. Maybe I'm experiencing early on-set midlife crisis. It's ironic because I berated my best friend and mentor for the very same thing when he started seeing Nancy Beckett,  who was only eighteen at the time and also Melody's babysitter. At the time, Harry was a free man, since Meredith had been dead for five years. 

I'm a hypocrite of the worst kind. Who would have thought that I would get infatuated with a young girl more than half my age and that she would be the daughter of the man who had been like an older brother to me? Before he died, he entrusted to me the care of his daughter and young wife. Poor Harry, left a fox to guard a chicken coop, he did.