Serial - Suddenly Daddy Part 36

You jump into your truck and haul ass.  You couldn't wait for the weekend to start.  You zip to your apartment.  You shower, change, and grab some clothes and a few other things you would need for the weekend.  As you hurry around gathering your things you marvel how, over the course of less than a week, the apartment you had lived in for years suddenly seemed less like home than Claire's house.  They say home is where the heart is, must be some truth to that.

Within half an hour you were back out the door.  You toss your stuff into the back of the truck and you are on your way to Claire's.  You are humming and singing all the way, drumming along on the steering wheel, you couldn't wait to see the family.  You had a joy within you that you hadn't felt in a very long time.  Since you were a child really.  You knew how rash all of this all was.  You knew you shouldn't get so deeply connected to these people this quickly, in some ways you knew so little about them, but you simply couldn't help yourself.  Your heart was deaf to the arguments of your intellect.

As you pull up you are surprised to see Claire's vehicle parked in front of the house.  You weren't expecting her home for at least another hour.  You park in behind her and head on up the stairs to the front door.  You pause a second to knock...and then decide to simply walk on in.

As you enter you see Poppy decked out in jeans, white t shirt, and a thick flannel shirt.  She looked like a sexy teen lumberjack.  The clothes looked brand new, she had probably just taken the tags off of them within the last hour or two.  You can't help but chuckle.

“There's my girl.  Looking good Poppy.  Ready for the great outdoors I see.”  You say as you close the door behind you.

She looks up and gives you a bright smile.  “Daddy!  There's my strong Daddy.”  She looks down at her woodsy outfit and slowly spins to model the look a bit.  “You like this huh?”  She then shoots you a wink and teases.  “I figured you'd like these boy clothes on me, you're such a queer.”

You blush, grumble and shake your head.  “Jesus Poppy, do you ever quit?”

She lets out an impish laugh and prances across the room to you.  “Daddy...I'm just teasing.  I said before, we're all queer here.”  She gives you a big hug and you return it after a moment's hesitation.  She looks up at you, her face not nearly as playful as a second ago.  “Hey...um...before we...”  She takes a breath.  “I just wanted to say thanks for the invitation Ted.  I...I think a little time away might be nice.  A little family time ya know.”  She laughs, though there is no humor in it.  “I've...he he...I've kinda been hitting it hard lately...I um...”  She trails off and suddenly changes the subject.  “Hey, and thanks for putting me to bed this morning and um...not...um...you know.  Oh and thanks for being there the other night...and...with Roger today...  Daddy, you're...just...just thank you okay.”

The way she is looking at you with such genuine earnestness.  Perhaps it was your own preconceptions, but you swore she was begging you for love and attention.  That “Daddy” talk may have started as a naughty little tease, but it was starting to get to both of you.  The playful capricious pixie, the teasing sister, the sexy little barely legal act, all set aside for a moment.  She was looking at you with a vulnerability you'd never seen in her before.  You are struck with just how young she suddenly appeared.  She talked a big act, but she was still just a kid emotionally.  She desperately wanted you to say something to break the awkward quiet she had left.

You cup her head in your hand, her hair was as soft as Jeremy's, and you kiss her forehead.  “Poppy, if you ever need to talk, I'm here okay.  Even if it's something you don't want to tell your mom or brother, I can keep a secret if I need to.  We don't have to share EVERYTHING in this house.  Listen kiddo, I know we haven't known each other long but...I'm here for you guys.  Do you understand?  Or at least, I want to be here for you guys.  If you'll let me.”

She looks at you hard and asks in a quiet voice.  “You can keep a secret?  Any secret?”

You give her a squeeze.  “Of course.”  You respond.  She looks over your features, seeing if you were being genuine, but doesn't follow it up with anything just now however.  She nods.

She hugs you again, this time even harder.  She whispers.  “Thank you Daddy.”  You hold her tight.  And just like that...there it was.  All three had captured your heart.  Each in their own unique way.  Poppy would be trickier than the others.  She truly needed a father.  You weren't sure if you were up for the task, but you would sure as hell give it a try.

As you part she had that confident spark to her once more, she was her regular incorrigible self again.  She kisses your cheek and skips away from you.  “You're a hell of a guy Ted.  A good guy for Mom.  You're SO close to a perfect man...in fact...”  She looks back over her shoulder with that 'bring it on' look she gets sometimes.  “...I'd say you're only three or four inches short...maybe five.”  You stare at her a moment not catching what she was saying, which just encourages to continue.  “And that's saying nothing about the girth.  Oh, and you might want to work on your cardio old man.”  You could see pure fun in her twinkling teasing eyes, no malice or cruelty, just fun.  “In fact...”  She is about to go on.

“Shut up!”  You laugh in incredulity.  “Jesus Christ kid, you are just...”

“Bad?”  She asks as she cocks an eyebrow in a most devilish way.

You shake your head.  “No, no not bad.  But naughty as fuck!”

You both share a good laugh.  She then points upstairs.  “Mom will be down in a bit, she's just getting changed.  You should have seen her face when I told her about Roger.”

You look at her worried.  “Was she mad?”

Poppy bursts out laughing.  “Ha ha ha!  Mad!?  Oh...I wouldn't say that exactly.”  She plops down onto the couch to wait for the rest of her family and pulls out her phone and absently begins to look over some things.  She continues to chuckle.  “No, she wasn't mad.”  Her laughter escalates again as she adds.  “Oh, and when she saw that gift you got for Jeremy?  Fuckin hell, I think you made Mom's lacy little panties wet with that one!  Ha ha ha!”  She looks up at you with a face full of good humor.  “God, we've gotta be the weirdest family ever.  You sure you want in on all this shit?  You sure you want to be alone with this crazy family way out in the woods?”

You laugh along with her.  “Damn right I do!  I love you guys!"  You let slip, Poppy glances up with a little grin.  You continue.  "Besides...there must be weirder family's out there.”  You had trouble imagining it, but there must be...right?

“I don't know about that.”  Poppy says skeptically.

You chuckle.  “I mean...at least you guys aren't...ha ha ha...ya know.”  The taboo insinuation troweled thick between in your words.

Poppy's laughter slowly fades and she gives you the most peculiar look.  “He, he...yeah.  That would be fucked up.”  She says quietly as she goes back to looking at her phone.  A tense silence descends on the room.  Doesn't look like she appreciated the quip...though you could see a little smile playing at the sides of her mouth.

Just then Jeremy enters in from the kitchen.  He simply takes your breath away.  His blonde hair was worn up in such a way that somehow looked both casual and impeccably classy.  His makeup was on more prominently than you'd ever seen before, but not thick or overdone either.  His every feminine feature was accentuated and highlighted delightfully.  He wore simple jade stud earrings and a loose flowing armless dress of blending cool colors.  Blues, greens, violets and turquoise draped over his lean body.  And of course...the azure silk scarf draped around his exquisite neck and bare shoulders.  His crystal clear blue eyes shone out, full of life and love.  He looked like a woman, full stop.  You couldn't even see the boy behind the perfect vision before you.  And yet you knew he was.  He drew your deepest passions toward him like hapless frantic moths to an open flame.  He stands nervously and allows you to take in the sight.

Even Poppy does a double take.  “Holy...!”  She sits stunned a moment.  “Wow!  Jeremy!  You're wearing that!?”

He nods and says proudly.  “Daddy wanted me looking good.”  He takes a deep nervous breath, you could see how important this was to him.  His sky blue eyes bashfully looking up to yours.  “Do I l-look good?”

It takes you a moment but you finally find your voice.  “Uh...uh yeah...you...you look amazing!  Come here my boy.”  He hurries to you, you hurry to him.  The pair of you slip into each other's arms as naturally as breathing.  With your mind on autopilot you next find yourself kissing your young girlish man and squeezing him into you with rising desire.  You kiss...and you kiss...and you kiss.  You kiss him like it was your first time, hungry for every feel and taste and smell.

Finally it is Poppy's giggling that brings you back to earth.  You pull apart and you catch your breath.  “Whooo...”  You let out audibly.

You look down to the tittering Poppy who was sitting off to your right.  She smiles and points back over her shoulder.  Looking up you see Claire at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes and mouth wide as she looked at you.  She had seen you and her son, and judging by the grin slowly spreading on her beautiful face she liked what she saw!  Jealousy was not something you'd have to worry about with your lovely Claire.

“Oh!  Uh...hi Claire.”  You give her your best look of innocence.  “I...he...we...uh, yeah.  Hi Claire.”

She says breathlessly.  “Wow.  Hi Ted.  I got off early.”  The smile was now full blown, her eyes alight with arousal.  “I am glad I did!”  You pull yourself from your fawning snuggling boy and move across the room to give Claire a hug and a kiss.  She takes them eagerly.  She then says.  “Hey...let's forget this cabin stuff and...”

“No way!”  You state emphatically.  “You agreed.”  You then add with mirthful edge, remembering how you got her to agree to this.  “I earned this trip.”

She laughs.  “You scoundrel.”  The pair of you kiss once more.  “Well...I think we are all ready.”

You nod.  “Great.  We'll get something to eat on the road.”  You turn to the kids.  “Okay, the back of the truck can be a bit cramped but...”

They all look at you in surprise.  “We're all going in your truck?”

You chuckle.  “Well yeah.  It's out there a ways.  Some rough dirt roads.  You're car won't make it if the weather turns on us.”

Claire groans as the kids look at each other nervously.  Claire groans in regret.  “Ohhh...what did I let you talk me into?”  The twins had now approached and were standing next to you.

You wave away their concerns.  “Oh quit worrying you city slickers.  Come on.”  You motion toward the bags by the door.  “Let's get this stuff loaded up and get on the road!  Times a wastin.”

They look to each other a moment, some unspoken message seems to pass between them, and then they smile and look back at you.  You could see the trust in their eyes.  Claire claps her hands.  “You heard the man, let's get going!”

All three of them surround you and hold you in a big family embrace.  The soft warmth of their bodies and their spirits surrounds you and you just savor the moment.  One by one they tip toe up to kiss you.  As quickly as it had happened it is over and everyone was heading toward the door and picking up their luggage.

You just stand there a moment to admire them all.  Claire finally looks over her shoulder and asks hopefully.  “Having second thoughts?”

You shake your head.  “Nope.  Let's go.”