"What the hell was that?" I asked as I pulled into the driveway. I threw the transmission into park before the truck stopped rolling, causing the truck to skid to a stop. It was one hundred percent accidental, but it supported my words and my need for answers.
"What?" Mackenzie asked.
"Officer Dugal McFuckstick, back there," Jennifer said, pulling her door open and sliding out.
"Did you have a run-in with him in the past?" I asked, pulling my own door open.
"You, uh...you left the lights on," Mackenzie said, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, we need them to see where we're going," I said, throwing a hand up in the direction of the house. "Power's out. Come on, we need to get the groceries unloaded."
Mackenzie came forward to my side, and I grabbed her by the hips and helped her down quickly. She immediately planted a quick kiss on my lips and then went to the back of the truck without another word. I closed my door, almost impressed by this simple thing, and my feelings grew as Mackenzie was the first to grab a bin and start unloading it.
"All of a sudden, she's the little engine that-"
"Come on, sweetie," I said, interrupting Jennifer mid-sentence. "You don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
"Or a gift whore...ssss." I glared at Jennifer, but she flashed a smile and grabbed no less than ten grocery bags, trying her best to outperform Mackenzie.
I grabbed five, ran to the door, unlocked it, and pushed it open, holding it for the girls as they brought their bags in and started unloading.
"Someone grab the flashlight," I said.
"I got it," Mackenzie offered, her tiny but brilliant light blossoming in her hand. She returned from Jennifer's room a moment later, put the flashlight on, and set it in the middle of the table.
"Everything frozen goes on the back porch, in the clear bin. Not the black one."
"Why clear?" Mackenzie asked.
"The black plastic will absorb sunlight and cause it to heat up. We're trying to keep everything cold, not cook it."
"We can pack the freezers. Put a towel in the bottom of the freezer here, and leave two inches up top so I can slide in ice blocks," I said, and I headed out the door, only to return a moment later with more groceries.
We continued working like a well oiled machine, until all the groceries were unloaded, sorted, and put away. By the time we were done, we have three more battery powered lanterns going, but I told the girls to put them away and conserve the batteries. We lit candles instead, put one in the middle of the table, another in the living room, and one in the bathroom on the counter, next to the sink.
"This is actually kinda romantic," Jennifer said as she brought me a plate with three steaks on it.
"You think so?" I said, taking those steaks and tossing a bit of seasoning on them. "I don't know if this is going to work...the way I want it to," I said, shaking my head. I'd neglected to get a cooking grate, and the fireplace was just now starting to catch the logs on fire. It would be a few before it was hot enough to cook and even longer before it could cook by radiant heat. I was wary about skewering the steak and cooking it kabob style, but the longer I considered it, the more I thought it was the way to go. The only issue was I kept remembering Mackenzie's jerky, and I didn't want to repeat the memory.
I sat the plate down on a T.V. tray stand and turned, intending to get up, but Jennifer, who was standing right there, sat down in my lap, hugging me close.
"I, uhhh. Okay," I said, sitting there, wondering what was going on.
"That wasn't too...freaky for you, was it?" She asked.
"Freaky? Uh, too freaky?" I asked myself out loud. "No. Nah, I-I was cool with it," I said, trying to sound macho.
Jennifer chuckled, and then breathed in deeply. Even with her jacket on, I could heart her heart beating hard, and I knew this was taking all the courage she had. "I could tell you liked it," she said, my face going red in the feeble light from the fireplace and a single candle.
"Yeah," I said, speaking into the fluffy folds of her jacket. "I think any guy would," I said flatly.
"Thanks," she said.
"Thanks?" I questioned, but then added quickly, "I mean, you're welcome."
"You don't even know why I'm thanking you," Jennifer chuckled.
"Does it matter?" I replied softly, wrapping my arms around her. I felt like a million bucks. I had my daughter here, holding her, she holding me.... It was peaceful, serene, quiet.
"Hey! Can I bust out the chips?" Mackenzie asked, carrying a bag of chips she had already opened and was in the process of eating.
"Asking permission is irrelevant if you're already doing it," Jennifer said.
I chuckled. It was something I would have said.
"Okay, cool," Mackenzie said, and she sat down on the couch and then unzipped her jacket with a quick Zzzzzzzip! "Mmm, still a little chilly in here," she said, setting her chips down and pulling her jacket off. Her breasts spilled free, caught only in the sheer black material of her one-piece suit. Even from this distance and in this feeble light, I could tell her nipples were rock hard.
"Well, it looks like we can take our jackets off," Jennifer said, reaching up and grabbing the zipper from her throat. She pulled the zipper down and then shrugged her jacket off, tossing it to the couch before turning back to me and wrapping her arms around my neck once again.
I was stiff, unmoving, not wanting to violate the sanctity of her personal space, until she pulled my head to her chest and pressed the side of my face between her breasts. She was so warm, so soft, so filled with pounding energy. Her heart beat a million miles a minute, thumping against my ear. "I love you, Daddy," she said, her words not even a whisper, but with my ear against her chest, I could hear every syllable.
"I love you too," I said softly, hugging her tightly, just as she was doing to me.
"Heh. She's right," Jennifer said then, letting go with her right hand, only to run it up and down over her breast, her fingers catching on her nipple that wouldn't yield. "Still a tit bit nipply," she joked.
I chuckled as well and then remembered feeling that nipple, the soft, supple texture underneath that sheer gossamer fabric.
"Oh, looks like the fire might be ready," she said, turning and rubbing her nipple across my face from the edge of my mouth to my ear.
"Really?" I said, pulling away slightly. I looked up at her, her elevated position on my lap, causing me to have to tip my head back. "That was slick."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jennifer said, her eyes sparkling in the light just as much as Mackenzie's usually did.
"No?" I asked, and then I brought my left hand up, hovering an inch away from her right nipple, and then brought it closer. My thumb and forefinger gripped it then and squeezed.
"Ouch!" Jennifer yelped, jumping up off my lap. She gave me a look as if she couldn't believe what I'd done, but I tried to play it off.
