A few days passed. I tried to push the entire experience out of my mind. Years of therapy taught me that repression is a terrible method of coping, but I had no other choice. What happened wasn't Andy's fault. She's a young girl. She was confused. But what I did was unforgivable. The guilt was eating me alive.
Each night I would lay in bed and start to get hard as I replayed the text conversation over and over in my mind. I spent all night fighting the urge to make myself cum to the thought for my daughter. I wasn't getting much sleep and it was starting to affect me.
The next morning it dawned on me that Andy hadn't messaged me since the incident. This thought shook me out of my own guilt and shame. She was confiding in me and I told her she could do so, that she was safe. As soon as she confessed her feelings I ghosted her. My heart sank. I pulled out my phone and sent her a text.
"Hey Andy, I'm sorry I haven't responded to you. I was just working through some of my own issues. That's on me. I hope you're doing alright."
Andy responded almost immediately. "I'm really sorry about the other night, Dad. I don't know what I was thinking. I should have never told you about my dream. I should have never sent you that pic."
"That's alright, sweetheart. It was an honest mistake. You got a little confused. Nothing to be ashamed of. Are you doing okay?" I asked. I was genuinely concerned.
Andy texted back, "I've been better. I don't know why it hurt so bad when you stopped communicating with me, but it really crushed me. I just met you and I thought I lost you forever. I'm sorry. I feel stupid typing all this to you on my phone."
I paused for a long second, trying to figure out the best way to move forward, but I was stuck. I needed to protect myself and my family. I also wanted to comfort this poor girl who was going through something very heavy. Wasn't she my family now, too?
"What are you up to today?" I asked. It was Monday around 9am and I was working from home. Maybe we could meet at a neutral site and just have a conversation. Maybe if I could give her a chance to actually talk through some of what happened, she'd realize that it was just a fleeting feeling and it didn't mean anything.
"No plans." She replied.
"Tell you what, why don't you come out to Cherokee and I'll take you to coffee this time?" I suggested.
Andy responded quickly, "OMG Dad! that would be amazing! I have the biggest smile on my face right now! you have no idea!"