Disclaimer: All sexual activity is between adults. Enjoy.
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"Oh, and Dad? What are you going to do if you start getting horny towards Mandy like you did towards me?"
My heart skipped a beat. "Oh, god, you really think something like this would happen with her, too?"
"No, idea, Dad. It's your body, your response. You said yourself you don't usually know why you get horny, you just do, and then you respond to who you see. So you could be horny while she's here and have it not be because of her at all. Or it could be because of me. Mandy's never talked to me about any attraction to you, but then again, I never told her how I felt about you, either. I had no idea that we'd actually wind up where we have, just that I wanted to, and my own desire, my wishes, might have had a role to play in your subconscious. That would be something to consider."
"How many wishes was that, again?" I joked.
"Umm, seven birthday cakes and a letter to Santa. Maybe five wishing wells here and there. And a bunch of coins in various fountains. Just in case cumulative effect mattered."
I laughed. "Oh, no wonder I flipped on a dime last night. You had beaucoup magic on your side!"
Suzy lightly slapped my hand. "Anyway, I just think you might need to be prepared for the possibility that Mandy being here will bring out the same reaction in you, even without her trying to provoke it, or having wished for it. And unless we're prepared to sneak around behind her back and risk getting caught, you're going to have to deal with your horniness by yourself until we leave."
"Speaking of leaving, I've reached a decision," I said. "It's okay with me, if you want to move in, effective now. But you're going to have to be the one to tell your mom."
"Thank you, Daddy, thank you, thank you!" She paused a moment, before asking, "This isn't just because it gives you a chance to fuck me more, is it?"
I touched her hand, and said, "No, honey, that's not why. Even if you told me right this minute that you were never going to have sex with me again, it's still the right decision to make. The only reason I could even think of before to say 'No' was because I was feeling afraid of how out of control my attraction was towards you. But now that it's not a secret between us, that reason's just gone."
"Okay, then. I'm going to call Mom. How do you think she's going to take it?"
"Well, given that you said she was unhappy about you coming here two weeks early, I doubt she'll be thrilled to hear that you're staying the rest of this summer and next and possibly making Dallas your long-term home."
She sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Well, if I have to remind her that it's simply not her decision, I will." Suzy made the call from the kitchen table, as I put away the Chinese leftovers and washed the plates.
I was proud of her for staying calm with her mom, and especially pleased when she said, "Mom, you had me and Mandy almost 11 months out of the year, just because Dad moved to Dallas for the very same job that lets us afford to go to college without having to take out loans. I'm proud of him for working so hard to give me the best possible future, even if you're not. Now I just want to even things out a little, while I still can... Uh-huh... Yes... Okay. Dad, Mom wants to talk to you." She stood and handed me her cell.
"Hi, Paula. How are you feeling about all this?"
"Did you do this? Did you talk my girl into leaving me?" She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
"No, I didn't talk her into anything!" I said, feeling angry at the accusation. "She asked me on Sunday, and I took a few days to think it through before saying 'Yes'. And Paula, you know she was going to leave eventually, once she graduates. You're only losing three more summer months with her, for chrissakes. I lost whole years, because you couldn't accept that I was working hard on my career for you and the girls, and refused to even consider moving to Dallas with me when I told you I was going after this position here. You treated me like shit because you wanted all of my time, and now you're going to do it again because you want more of Suzy's? Enough already!"
"That's not fair!" she cried.
"Isn't it? That IS what broke us up. You told me flat out that you didn't love me any more, that you wanted the divorce, but my job was what triggered all of the arguments leading up to that. I accepted the custody agreement only because it was the best thing for the girls and it was only going to be five years before they were both adults and no longer subject to it. Suzy could have asked for this move two years ago, and I would have said 'Yes' then, too. And she's right. This just evens things out a very little bit, and it's not like it's your decision or my decision anyway, it's 100% hers. I only had to give her my permission, but it's her choice, as an adult, whether she wants to live with either of us or neither one of us. And she's really making that choice for adult reasons."
"I know, I know, you're right. It just hurts to feel rejected. Promise me you'll take good care of her?"
I grinned, thinking of just how good I was treating her, and said "Of course. Taking care of our girls is how we got here, like it or not. Bye, Paula." I handed the phone back to Suzy, who talked for a minute more about coming to Minneapolis at the end of the month to pack and get her car, then ended the call.
"That went well," I said, sarcasm dripping like honey.
"Could have been better, could have been a lot worse," Suzy replied, coming to hug me close. "Thanks again, Daddy." She put her head on my shoulder, and we just stood together, comfortable in our closeness.
"I notice you've been calling me Daddy more today? I thought you'd outgrown it?" I asked.
"Actually, Daddy, I stopped when I reached High School because I was tired of being teased for being a 'Daddy's girl', just because I called you Daddy, when that was exactly what I wanted to be, so I forced myself to switch to Dad. Now I am your Daddy's girl for real, and I've decided I like calling you Daddy sometimes. Just when it's you and me, though, as part of our new secret."
Suzy's phone rang. It was Mandy. Suzy let me go to answer it, putting us on speaker. "Hi, sis! I've got you on speaker, Dad's here."
"Hi, sweetie," I said.
"Is it true? Are you moving in with Daddy?" Mandy asked.
"Yes, it is. I guess Mom just told you?" Suzy responded.
"Yeah. It's going to be weird, being in different houses. You being away at college feels different than this, somehow. It's not because we've been fighting, is it?"
Suzy chuckled. "No, it's not that, sis. I just think this is the area where I want to live after I graduate, and I'm going to pursue a summer internship near here for next year, so it just made sense to make the change now and get to spend more time with Dad. Once you have your birthday, you'll be 18 and be able to make the same decision of how much time to spend with Mom and how much with Dad. No more custody agreement to tell you where you have to be and when."
Mandy said, "I've already made that decision, I'm staying with Mom, but still want to spend some time each summer at Daddy's, except maybe do just the first two weeks of July, so we can still have our birthdays together, or maybe come in time for Father's Day and stay through Daddy's birthday? Would those options be okay. Daddy?"
"Whatever you want, honey," I responded. "I love having you here, you know that, but it will be your choice, summer and any other time off school." An idea flashed into my head. "Let me ask you now, instead of waiting until you're 18 and officially able to make the decision - How long are you planning to spend with us this summer? The whole month of July, or less? The custody agreement says you have to be here starting July 1, but once it expires on the 5th, you're able to leave if you want. Suzy was going to fly home with you at the end of the month to get her car and drive back to Dallas, but if you're going to want to leave sooner, we could all go to Minneapolis together and help her pack, then I could help drive her car back here while I'm still on vacation. It will cost a little to change your airfare, but I'm okay with that. Have you already decided one way or the other?"
"I'd like to start the two weeks thing this summer, Daddy," she answered "I'm really glad you're being so cool with this. Mom's just about having a cow over Suzy."
"I know," I said. "She'll calm down, eventually, and you telling her you intend to stay with her more might help speed that up."
"I'll do that, and I'll see you both in a week. Love you both!" And she hung up before we could answer her.
"Buttnugget! She always does that!" Suzy laughed, before turning, pointing at me. "So, you and me, driving back to Dallas, huh? Don't you trust my driving?"
"That's not it, at all," I said, raising my hands in front of me. "I know you'd be safe, it's just that I know that long-distance driving is hard on any driver, solo, and incredibly boring. Much easier for two people, taking turns, and having someone to talk with. Plus, you said you were planning to stop in on your roommate Sandra? I'd like to meet anyone your age who can teach you how to cook so well in a college kitchen."
"Actually, Dad, I think she'd really like to meet you, too. She's seen your pictures, and thinks you're really handsome. I should mention that she's actually 32, and going to college on the GI Bill after getting out of the Army a few years ago. She wanted the full college experience, so lives on campus with us teenagers and 20-somethings. She's part den-mother, part sister to us. She's just a smidge closer to your age than mine, but we just clicked like we were sisters the first day we met, when I was a freshman." I was about to turn 43, having gotten Paula pregnant the summer after we graduated college, and we got married that November.
Suzy picked up her phone again, and said, "You should have seen some pictures of her on Facebook, but I can show you which girl she is, if you don't remember."
I suspected she was up to something, but said, "Okay." Sandra turned out to be a gorgeous African-American woman, that I'd indeed seen in Suzy's pictures from college, but hadn't connected her to the name. She struck me from the photos as being a very confident young woman, but I wouldn't have guessed she wasn't the same age as the other young women Suzy hung out with on campus. "She's pretty," I said.
"Pretty? Dad, she's a fucking knockout, and you know it. You think I'm sexy in a bikini? She blows MY socks off! And a few other things..."
My mind just kept getting blown apart, over and over. "You and Sandra?"
Suzy nodded. "Yeah, Dad, me and Sandra. Let's just say she's taught me a lot more than just how to cook. We both find men more interesting, but I like what we do together, too. She's the only other person I ever told about how I feel about you, and she didn't judge me for it. She actually told me to go for it, and gave me a few tips, like getting that black bathing suit to model it for you, and even wearing that old nightshirt that pushed you over the edge yesterday."
