"Daddy, can I sleep in here?"
Greg's eyes opened slowly. It was late and it was storming, which could only mean one thing...
His daughter Emily stood in his bedroom doorway, her petite silhouette backlit by the bathroom light across the hall. As his eyes adjusted to the light he saw that she was wearing her favorite pajamas -- one of his old tees.
Greg sighed. She had just turned 18 and was getting too old for this. That, among other things, was a perfectly good reason to tell her no. He opened his mouth to tell her to go back to her bed.
"Sure, honey," he told her instead.
She darted across the room to slip under the covers and into his waiting arms. He normally wore a shirt when it stormed, knowing his daughter would want to be held and just a little self-conscious of his own increasing bulk. Working as a firefighter kept him strong, but age had begun to give him a bit of a paunch. But tonight he had been determined to tell her no, so he had gone to bed in his boxers.
Emily snuggled into him as he lay on his side, seemingly determined to get as close as physically possible. Her blonde curls were slipping from her messy bedtime bun as she burrowed, tickling his chin and chest.
"It's loud," she mumbled as another crack of thunder shook the house.
"It's okay, baby. You're safe."
She hummed contentedly against his chest, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Her cold little nose pressed against the base of his neck. "I feel safe, Daddy."