Daddy Dearest

Chapter Fifteen

Melody

I dreamt about Ben last night. My knight in shining armor. How could I not?

A really scary thing happened to me and he was there to save me. I was about to break down and cry like a little child, but just before that, he showed up, took me in his arms, and told me everything is going to be okay. Whenever Ben tells me things are going to be just fine, I tend to believe him. I don't know if it's the gravitas in his voice or the reassurance in his eyes when he comforts me, but when Ben says it, I believe it.

He was the one who told me that my dad died. Nancy had been inconsolable and unable to speak, so Ben took me aside at the hospital and explained that my father had passed away during surgery. I threw myself into his arms and cried for a long time. He held me patiently, stroking my hair, telling me he'll always be around for me and Nancy; and I'm a part of his family; and though it may not seem like it now, soon everything will be all right. I believed him because he's Ben and Ben never lies to me.

I've always referred to him as Mr. Davenport, even in my own thoughts, except in my dreams. But last night, something profoundly changed. It was in the way he looked at me. We were in the car, parked in front of the police station, and he had just brushed my hair out of my face. At that moment, it seemed he saw me, Melody, and not my mother, Meredith. When he leaned over to kiss me, my heart nearly stopped because I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth. I would have died. I really thought he was going to do it. Then he pressed his lips to my forehead and I felt it all over my body. The entirety of me tingled from that single point of contact. My toes curled in, my skin became feverish, and for several seconds, I couldn't breathe right.

When we got back to his house and he told me that his wife and children were out, I got nervous because I was just so aware of him as a man and an object of sexual desire. I also knew that he was attracted to me--whether it was me he was actually attracted to, or because I reminded him of my mother--he wanted me. I elicited a sexual response from him. I turned him on. There was an instant within the close confines of the car when his breathing got a little ragged and his fingers bit into my flesh and he looked at me like he wanted to haul me onto his lap and kiss me like a man kisses a woman. Then logic returned to his eyes and he cleared his throat before starting the car.

I guess when he brought out the scotch, I wanted to show off for him. I really did read a bunch of books and magazine articles about scotch and whisky in hopes that Harry would talk to me and I could tell him all sorts of fascinating stuff, like how Islay scotch is distilled…

With Ben, it triggered something in me. Hey, I'm a grown-up, I can talk about grown-up things like hard liquor! When he handed the glass to me, I already knew what to say because I know what a Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky is supposed to smell like: salt water, the earth after it rains, oak, charcoal, meat, and sometimes, something fruity at the tip.

I knew I had to drink it when he held out his hand for me to give it back. I had to show him I wasn't a baby. I'm awarding myself points for not spitting it back out once I had it in my mouth. It wasn't vile, exactly, but just… unexpected. It tastes like what it smells like, but I didn't anticipate the heat. Then I did what I had seen Harry do when he tasted scotch he never had before: he'd swish it around in his mouth and close his eyes while swallowing it.

The best part about drinking the damn thing was how silky-smooth it was going down. Once it hit my stomach, the warm sensation of the alcohol radiated from my center and extended to my limbs. It was like being hugged from the inside. I immediately wanted another sip. No wonder Harry loved the stuff. Maybe it made him feel less lonely because it was hugging his insides all the time.