*I know it's been a long time since I've worked on this series, but the idea for this part has been tormenting me for a while and I had to share it. It's best read after the previous Meeting Daddy in the Past stories.*
Danielle's got a break from college, so she's coming home.
I hate when she's away. She's my little girl, and the place is empty without her.
It's a grind. Wake up, go to my law office, hit the gym, come home, go to bed.
But it never seemed like that before Danielle went off to college.
Like any dad would, I worry about her. I've tried to teach her, but do any of 'em really listen?
I sure didn't when I was her age. I was a damn little bastard, fucking and fighting like I was the king of the alleys, because that's how I saw myself.
I order take-out from my baby's favorite Italian place, Zeppolis.
Danielle sounds so happy whenever she talks about her fiance, but the thought gets me tense. I always feel an inch away from rage imagining some little prick touching my girl. And I worry because she's beautiful. Voluptuous and gorgeous like her mom. I worry that a guy would go after her for the wrong reasons.
So, I've worked myself into a bad mood by the time the take out is spread on the dining room table and I hear Danielle's car pull up the driveway.
I open the front door and watch my beautiful girl get out of her car. Her glossy, dark curls settle sweetly around her shoulders. Her dark eyes meet mine and she smiles. Pride and love fill me up.
But my smile sags when I see the guy.
He's a pretty boy. Not much different from how I looked at his age, though his hair is curly.
Immediately, I zero in on his eyes. They're narrow. His lips are already curled up in a half smile.
He's a smug little prick.
And who wouldn't be smug about having a girl like Danielle? He hit the damn jackpot.
When they climb the front steps, I pull Danielle into a hug, soaking in her warm softness. "Oh, I've missed you, Danielle." All that emptiness of the months she's been gone drains away.
"Me too, daddy." She ends the hug too quickly and gestures to the guy beside her. "Dad, this is my fiancΓ©, Seth."
I eye him and he stares right back. Smug little fuck. "Nice to meet you, sir," Seth says, sticking out his hand.
I take it. His grip is firm, but mine's firmer. He squeezes. I squeeze back.
"Okay," Danielle says, and I let go when she tugs our hands apart. "That's enough handshaking."
"So," I say. "I hear you're in law, like me."
Even though he surely knows I could have broken all the bones in his hand, he doesn't avert his gaze from mine. "Yes sir. Though, I'm thinking I might start my own business instead."
"Seth has amazing ideas, daddy," Danielle says, casting an adoring gaze over the little fuck. "They're awesome and futuristic. He already has a bunch of patents."
"Hmm," I say, a bit impressed. "I bet your parents are proud of you."
Seth hides his mouth with his hand.
"Daddy!" Danielle gasps, blinking her big dark eyes at me, taking me back in time. "I told you, Seth is an orphan."
"Ah. Sorry, son."
Seth smiles a little too much for the subject. "Don't worry about it," he says.
My jaw clenches. There's just something about this guy... I just get the urge to take him over my knee and paddle him. Jesus, I sound like an old man. "Well, come on in. I bet you're hungry."
Seth grins, grabbing my daughter's hand. "Starved."
I grind my teeth, seeing the way he looks at her. They've definitely had sex. The little bastard's had his hands all over my girl.
I close the door a little too hard behind us, but when Danielle looks, I dig deep and give her a reassuring smile.
We catch up over dinner but it's different than usual. Danielle's so grown. She doesn't need me anymore. Her long gazes usually rest on me, but now she's saving them all for Seth.
Seth catches me glowering at him and he smirks.
Little fucking bastard.
"Come on," Danielle tells him. "Let's get our bags and take them up to my room."
I clear my throat. "Sorry, when did you get married?"
Danielle pouts. "Daddy."
"You can share a room when you're lawfully wed. You know my rules. They're final."
She glares at me.
I take her ire hard. I don't like having her hate me. But I couldn't stand hearing him fuck my daughter across the hall from me. No.
Over the next week, I suffer in silence as they flirt and touch, and he leers and smirks.
I hate him. I don't think I've ever actually hated someone before now. It's like he knows I don't like him. And he knows I can't do shit about it.
One day, when they're dipping their feet in the koi pond out back, Danielle's phone rings on the counter.
I notice that the call is from Dr. Samuels and I pick up with a smile. "Hey, Doc," I say. "How are you?"
"Oh! Hi John! I was looking for Danielle. Is she around?"
"Yeah, she's just out back."
"Did she tell you?" the doctor gabs excitedly.
"Tell me what?"
"She didn't tell you!"
I chuckle, amused. I like Dr. Samuels. She's crazy, but full of energy. Hell, I've imagined fucking her. I know it would be good. But I didn't want to make Danielle uncomfortable by opening that up with her mentor.
I consider. Maybe I would, now. I mean, Danielle's old enough. She'd understand. Especially now that she's engaged.
"Tell me," I say, a little roughly. Got myself a little bone.
"I made..." she whispers excitedly. "...a time machine!"
Somehow my cock gets harder. "A time machine."
"Yes! I can't believe Danielle didn't tell you! And the best thing is that I've made improvements. Before, the travel was imprecise, but now, I can send people back to any day! And the travel time is significantly extended. Up to twenty-four hours. Only back in time right now, but soon, I believe-"
"Hey," I cut in. "Are you fucking with me, Doc?"
"Hmm? No! No, no! You should come see it. I'd love that, actually."
My mind goes instantly to Danielle and that little prick Seth. If I knew exactly what day they met...
"Can I see it today?" I ask, gripping the phone tightly.
At lunch, I'm nice as pie. Danielle is happy that I seem to have opened up. Even Seth smiles a few times.
I'm playing the part of the drunken king, though I haven't actually had any of the wine. Danielle and Seth have plenty.
I make merry, I ask all about their plans and relationship. Then I ask when they met.