Jo was waiting for me on the front steps of her dorm when I arrived. We shared a tight hug, loaded her things into the back of the SUV, and headed toward the campground.
It was just late enough in the camping season that there were few people there, and almost everyone who was using the campground that weekend was in an RV in a separate area. We chose a campsite at the western end of the tent camping field so that we would have some cover from the trees and still enjoy being awoken by the sun.
As night fell, Jo and I sat on opposite sides of the small campfire. It was still warm enough to wear shorts and t-shirts, but there was definitely a slight chill in the air, and I began to wonder if canoeing the following day would be a good idea. But I figured that the water should still be warm enough, especially since we - ideally - would only have our feet in the water long enough to get into or out of the canoe near a riverbank.
Occasionally, the laughter from a group across the field would softly reach our ears, but otherwise, all was quiet save for the faint rustle of the leaves and the soft sounds of the night creatures in the woods. Our conversation lapsed into a pleasant quiet as well, and while I was primarily watching the dance of the flames in the fire ring, I occasionally looked up to see my precious Jo watching me with a sweet smile curling her lips.
Just when I was beginning to feel that something had to happen or be said, Jo slowly moved to her hands and knees and crawled around the fire toward me. It was a bit of a surprise, especially since the image she presented was of the girl in the "Cradle of Love" music video. But she did not tease me or attack me - instead, when she reached me, she turned over onto her back with her head in my lap, looking up at me with a tenderness I had not seen in anyone's eyes since moments before Claire had gone into labor.
Instinctively, I reached down to caress her angelic face. Her eyes fluttered closed, but the smile remained. She sighed contentedly as I brushed her cheeks, her forehead, her hair. She tried to capture my fingertip as I traced the outline of her lips. She giggled softly as I gently pressed the tip of her nose.
Nothing was said with words, but our intimacy spoke volumes. Our relationship was transforming, and this was clearly something we both wanted. The firelight and the moonlight combined to make this a particularly romantic moment, a time when our status as father and daughter did not matter. Even the questions concerning jo4daddy were lost to me.
I continued to touch this special woman, and she brushed her cheek repeatedly against the bulge in my shorts. The gathering across the camping field dissipated as their fire burned itself down, and as our own firelight faded, our transforming love blossomed to warm us both against the slight chill in the night air.
*****
The morning began not with the first rays of sunlight warming the tent, but with the shifting of the young woman beside me.
We were each in our own sleeping bag, but hearing her turn over had awoken me. I tried to return to sleep, but all I could think about was her, so I finally gave up and quietly emerged from the tent, sitting at the fire ring, using a stick to slowly stir the cold ashes as I watched the first hint of daylight brush the eastern sky.
Just before the sun broke the horizon, I heard a rustling behind me and knew that it was her. A moment later, she knelt behind me, wrapping her arms around my chest and resting her chin on my shoulder, and that was how we watched the dawning of a new day together.
*****
We took breakfast with us to have as we descended the river. We were dressed to get wet if necessary: shorts and t-shirt for me, and beneath her shorts and sweatshirt, it was clear that Jo was wearing a bikini.
I want my nipples to be hard points poking through the bikini to attract his attention.
The morning air was a bit cooler than I would have anticipated, and as we walked down the dirt road toward the main office of the campground so we could get our ride to the starting point for our canoeing trip, I rubbed my bare arms to warm myself a little. Glancing at Jo, I was a bit envious and wished I had brought my jacket with me, but I knew that this chill would be short-lived, that the day would warm somewhat quickly.
It did. By the time we arrived at the starting point and were taking our canoe off the trailer rack, the air felt noticeably warmer, and after another group took off from the rocky shore, Jo and I pushed off, taking a rather leisurely pace.
We did not talk much, spending our time mostly admiring nature. But more and more, I was admiring her.
And when Jo finally set her oar across her thighs and removed her sweatshirt, I was very much admiring her. After that, she set the oar into the canoe itself and carefully wriggled out of her shorts, wearing only her sandals and her rainbow bikini.
It was shortly after that when I realized that we would soon be approaching the island mentioning in the jo4daddy blog. That was when I began keenly watching my daughter, her bare back obscured only by her lengthy hair and the lower drawstring of her bikini bra.
I want to be wet just from his eyes.
As we rounded a bend in the river, I saw the island ahead. "Let's stop there on the island for breakfast," I suggested.
I thought I could hear her grin.
We beached the canoe and Jo stepped out, turning toward me to pull the canoe more firmly aground as I stepped into the water and pushed. I discretely noticed that her nipples did indeed tent the cups of her bikini bra, and I smiled - more to myself than to her.
The canoe safely beached, I grabbed the backpack with our food and water and followed the youngster through the underbrush, wincing as the branches and a thorn scraped harshly at my legs. A few moments later, however, we were at the clearing.
Sitting in the grassy clearing, we ate breakfast and shared one of the canteens of water, then Jo leaned back in the grass, looking up through the canopy of leaves as the bright sky. I watched her curiously for a moment, noting the curves of her breasts, admiring how her swells rose and fell atop her chest.
She turned her eyes to me, a sweet smile upon her lips.
I reached toward her.
