Ch 1 Departure
I stood at the side of the fence to the baseball diamond as each graduate walked across the stage to receive their well deserved diplomas. It has taken 2 and a half years to get to this point for my Kelly.
Her mother passed during child birth due to complications from a ruptured uterus. She was driving to her OB appointment when a drunk driver crossed over to her side, hitting her head on. Causing the steering wheel to go into her abdomen. The hospital performed a C section and my beautiful daughter came into my life. Thanks to my wonderful family, they helped take care of Kelly while I was able to start my own construction company and give Kelly a life full of love and free of wants.
My neighbor Glen came over and asked "Is this really necessary? With all that is going on right now?"
"My friend, these kids earned this through their own hard work and determination. Hell yes they deserve it." I gave him a look that said that he was not exactly the smartest person in the world at that time. Just then I saw my Kelly cross the stage and receive her diploma, I started to applaud and whistle. She gave me the biggest smile that she has ever given me. Her whole face lit up.
After the rest of the ceremonies had concluded, Kelly came to me and I gave her a big hug.
"Dad, can I go with Susan and Beckie to a party for graduation?" She looked at me with hope in her eyes. "I know that you wanted to leave right after the ceremony, but I would like to spend a little more time with my friends. Please Dad?" Giving me those puppy eyes.
I can never refuse her when I get that look. "Alright baby. I will get a motel room for the night and we can leave first thing in the morning." She jumped up into my arms and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I will text you the room number in case you need to have a bed." "I love you Dad." "I love you to baby." With that she was off like a shot to her girlfriends and I was left to head off to the local motel to get a room and find a place to get dinner.
As I was laying in bed watching the news, my cell phone pinged and a text appeared letting me know that Kelly was going to spend the night and to meet me at the motel in the morning. I chuckled at that, since I knew that anytime those girls said goodbye to each other, it always lasted at least half an hour.
At 6am the following morning we were sitting in the little dining room enjoying the continental breakfast readying ourselves for the more than full days worth of driving to our new home. Beckie's mom had dropped her off . We talked about the improvements that have occurred since I first purchased the 250 acre property and the additional 300 acres that I have under contract. All of which Kelly has not seen.
With a piece of fresh fruit in hand, we climbed into my F450, with 20 foot trailer in tow, and headed out. It took us almost an hour to get out of the city, but once we were on the interstate we cruised at a nice 65 mph. Kelly continued to ask questions of our new home and I continued to relay as little info as possible in order to maintain the element of surprise. "Daddy you are not being fair. Please tell me what we will be living in?" "Alright, at first we will be living in a Quonset hut that will house the equipment that I have kept from the business. There is a full bathroom with walk-in shower. Along with 2 bedrooms, kitchen and living area."
That seemed to satisfy her for the time being. But I still had another surprise for her. After about 4 hours of steady driving I needed to stop for fuel and a potty break. I pulled off the highway into a truck stop. When I stopped the truck I turned to Kelly and told her to go get us some snacks and sodas. She wanted to get more than that to eat, but said that we will be stopping for the night in a couple of hours and will get dinner then. When she got back to the truck I pulled her to me for a hug and handed her my little surprise.
"What are these rings dad?"
"They are your mothers engagement and wedding rings. I want you to have them." Tears started to stream down her face and I gave her another hug. She put them on her left ring finger, kissed them and all that I saw in my daughters eyes was love. A trucker blew his horn at the scene and we both laughed.
We drove for another 3 hours and stopped for the night. I sent Kelly in to get us a room still wearing the rings, while I parked our rig. When she came back out she had a very sly smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. "Alright, what's up?" "Let's go eat and I will tell you after we get up to the room." We ate at one of those chain sit down fast-food places named after a day of the week. All during dinner Kelly rubbed the back of my hand or played footsie, all the while smiling like the cat that ate the canary. Our waitress made a comment as to how much we looked in love and Kelly responded by waving her rings at her. I thought to myself "What is this little minx up to?"
When we got to the room, the first thing that I noticed that there was only the one bed. "Alright Kelly what is going on?" "When I registered, the lady at the counter saw that I had on the rings and commented on them and that I was a very lucky woman to have a man that would be in so much love to give me so beautiful a set. I told her thank you and that you had just placed them on my fingers and she just assumed that we are newlyweds. So she gave us this room and I saw no harm in the deception." She stood there doing her usual daddy please dance with the puppy eyes and my heart just melted. "Besides, you are the only man that I could ever love. You have possessed my heart for all of my life. I want to give you the one gift that I can only give once."
She turned, grabbed her overnight bag and went to go take a shower. Leaving me standing there wondering what the hell just happened. She came back out 20 minutes later wrapped in a towel and stated it was my turn. When I was finished, I entered the bed area and all of the lights were out. Kelly was tucked under the covers with my side turned down. After I climbed under the covers Kelly turned to me and asked "Daddy, I have 2 requests."
"Alright baby what are they."
"First, I want to start calling you by your first name. I want to act like we are an actual couple rather than father and daughter."
"Well we have been an actual couple your entire life. So I see no harm in that."
"So what is your second request."
"I don't want you to get mad or be disappointed in what I am about to ask you or anything like that. Promise?"
"I promise."
"I have been in love with you not as my father but as a man for years now. I want to be your woman in every way. I want to give you my virginity. I want to share your bed for the rest of our lives. I want to give you children."
I turned to face her. She had the sheet pulled tightly under her chin. I could see tears slowly streak down her face. With the little amount of light filtering into the room, I saw nothing but love shining in her eyes.
"Kelly, you have been my life since the first day that your mom and I first learned that she was pregnant. Part of my life was destroyed the day she died. Since then you have more than restored that life. It will be my honor to have you as my woman. But we will not be able to have any children at first. So you will need to remain on the pill until we get our affairs in order."
I leaned into her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Kelly Ann you have been my world for your entire life. I can not fathom living without you in it. I have watched you grow from a gangling child who could not have her body go in the direction she wanted it to, to a young woman who knows who she is and knows what she wants. I have been in love with you for some time now but I did not want to interfere with your life. So I will ask you this only once. Kelly Ann would you be my wife?"
"Yes, yes and a thousand times yes."