The next two weeks passed in a blur. I remember them dragging by with excruciating tempo - or lack of it - but couldn't honestly say what I did during that time. Except daydream about getting home to my girls, of course. I performed my work by rote and the lack of detail I was able to supply when handing over to my opposite number, Travis, drew me an irritated glare. I didn't care, I was going home. There had been plenty of phone calls and three or four video calls while I was away but they can't substitute for the real thing. Besides, I had a secret to share with the girls and couldn't wait to share it in person.
As if I was emerging from a coma, my world brightened as I closed the distance between myself and home. Colours intensified, sounds were clearer and even my in-flight meal tasted like food instead of the packaging. By the time I walked down the gangway to the tarmac in my hometown there was a spring in my step, a sparkle in my eye and an iron bar in my pants.
As I passed through the sliding doors into the terminal, I was nearly bowled over by a frenzied whirlwind of arms and legs, sweet scented hair and squeals.
"Daddy, daddy, daddy, you're home at LAST! You don't KNOW just how much I've missed you."
I hugged Emily back hard, and murmured into her hair, "I think I might just know, kitten." I took her sweet heart shaped face between my palms and kissed her tenderly on the forehead, drawing a warm smile from an elderly couple passing by.
Emily was wearing a summery floral print frock that fell to mid-thigh. Her copper-highlighted tresses were pulled back in cornrows and plaited into a long, thick snake. Her impossibly huge emerald orbs fairly glowed with excitement and my heart thudded to a stop as I drank in her beauty - that fresh, heart-aching beauty that captures the very essence of youth, unconscious grace and innocence. Then I remembered to breathe and my heart once again stuttered to life.
"God, you are beautiful, Emily," I managed, and she beamed, her radiance enough to rival that of the sun.
"Where's mum, honey," I asked and Emily pointed back the way she had come and I picked out Adele's smiling face moving through the arrivals crowd towards us. Emily grabbed my hand a pulled me in that direction.
"Hello, handsome."
"Hi honey."
Adele smiled as we hugged and kissed.
"Thank God you're home. This one's been driving me nuts."
"Have not!" Emily pouted but her eyes crinkled with mischief and she allowed, "Well, maybe a little bit."
I laughed and took each of my girls by the hand as we moved in the direction of the carousel to collect my bag.
It was good to be home.
Emily had passed her driver's test in my absence, so of course she had to drive home. Adele still wasn't comfortable with sitting next to a relatively new driver so I got that duty. Our fledgling driver was fairly bubbling with enthusiasm so I placed my hand on her thigh and said, "Em, hon, I know you're excited but to drive responsibly you'll need to take a breath and calm down, okay?"
She looked at me and did just that, inhaling deeply and calming visibly as she exhaled.
"Ok, dad, I'm good now."
"That's my good girl."
"No, I'm your BAD girl!" She leered at me. I could practically hear Adele's eyes rolling in the back seat.
*****
As I put my overnight bag down on the bedroom floor I was assaulted by a force of nature, knocking me sideways on to the king-size bed I share with Adele.
"About time." A husky voice rasped in my ear, followed by a hot wet tongue. I could feel her firm breasts pushed against my ribs and she straddled my thighs as I lay on my side, enjoying the sensation of nubile teen rubbing cat-like against me.
"Emily, give the poor man some time to unwind before you start raping him," Adele laughed from the doorway.
"Oh I think it would be entirely consensual, mum." Emily purred, but she kissed my nose and climbed off of me. She bounced out the door, pausing to kiss her mother's nose and a quick hug on the way.
"I swear that girl has a new lease on life since you two discovered each other." Adele told me. Emily had always been bright and outgoing, so I wondered aloud just what that meant for the sanity of the household.
"Oh I'm sure she'll settle down in a couple of days," Adele told me. And so she did.
*****
Later that afternoon I had unpacked and settled down on the couch with three fingers of Jameson's and a beautiful woman each side of me. It was time to drop my bombshell.
"Hey girls, do you remember that job I applied for as a number cruncher for the company," I asked the ceiling? "The one that's taken forever to hear back about?"
"The one where you get to live at home?" Emily asked.
"Yeah, that's the one." I had their attention now.
"Did you get it?" Adele asked.
"No!" The girls looked crestfallen.
"I got the next one up!" I crowed.
"Wait. What?" The girls looked at me, confused.
"You are now looking at the new Work Management Governance Manager for Basin Meta Minerals Propriety Limited - a position that comes with office here in town, a company car and a big fat salary increase." I announced with a flourish.