Daniel was rather irritated to be called in for an emergency at work, but considering the nature of his work, it wasn’t as if he could simply ignore the call. He had left shortly after returning home from the movies, but his daughter had assured him that it was fine. She was eager to spend time with Tiffany more than anything, and despite himself, he couldn’t help but feel the warmth that spread in his heart considering how much his daughter loved his fake girlfriend. It was growing increasingly evident, to Daniel at least, that he was developing feelings for the woman he was carrying this entire facade with. However, he was reluctant to accept the feelings for what they were. He tried to tell himself it was simple lust, nothing deeper than that. Sure, he appreciated her help, and adored the fact that she got on so well with his pride, but it wasn't as if he could pursue a relationship with her. If he didn't have his doubts before, he certainly did after the situation with Melody in the movie theater. The expression on his ex-wife's face haunted him, and though he held her in relatively low regard, he had little choice but to accept the truth of the matter for what it was. He had neglected her, had likely neglected his daughter as well, all for the sake of furthering his career.
It was a thought that haunted him the duration of the drive to his job, but once he got immersed in his work, he could distract himself somewhat. The emergency was not something easily resolved, and despite how troubling an emergency was in his line of work, it was a welcome reprieve from his own miserable thoughts. It was late that evening, past Amanda’s bedtime before he could pack up and go home. He could only hope Tiffany had put the girl to bed, looking forward to a night filled with relaxation after the trying day he’d had. When he pulled up the house, he noticed that all the lights were off, save the one in his bedroom. That was no surprise, considering he and Tiffany had shared a bed. It was strictly platonic, something he had to remind himself on a regular basis. However, waking up next to the warm body of a lover, farcical or otherwise, is comforting. Shaking off this thought, he parked the car, unlocking the door and stepping out. The night was chilly, the stars shining brightly in the sky. It made for a rather romantic scene, he only wished he had someone to share it with. He inhaled a deep breath, unlocking and opening the door as quietly as he was able. The inside of the house was about as quiet as he might have expected, indicative that Amanda had fallen asleep while he was gone. He smiled to himself, ascending the stairs and moving to peek into her room. She slept peacefully, curled up on her side with ribbons and bows in her hair. He had to swallow a laugh, and could only imagine what she had put Tiffany through in his absence. He pulled the door shut, slinking towards his bedroom.
When he opened the door, he was not sure what he expected to see. Perhaps Tiffany sprawled on the bed watching TV, or curled up asleep as his daughter had been. What he had not expected, however, was to see the woman lying seductively on his bed in lingerie that left little to the imagination. His mouth hung agape at the sight, and she looked briefly vulnerable, rising up from the bed with the slightest bit of nervousness to her motions.
“Tiffany…?” Daniel weakly implored. His mouth nearly watered as she sauntered towards him, her curves hugged tightly by the frilly bra and panty set. “What on earth,” he began, but she grabbed the front of his scrub top, shoving him towards the bed. He flopped gracelessly on top of the sheets, cursing how his obvious arousal jutted out. She did seem particularly bothered, however. In fact, his body’s reaction pleased her. She sashayed towards him, coming to a stop just short of the bed. Daniel sat up, watching her closely as her body began to sway from side to side. She hummed softly, a warm and velvety sound that seemed in tune with her movements. She reached behind herself, drawing her lip between her teeth as she unclasped her bra. It fell to the ground, exposing her heaving breasts and perky pink nipples to the open air. “Christ. You have such a great body. It must drive all the guys wild,” Daniel admired, speaking without truly thinking. She hesitated, crossing her arms under her chest. She looked torn by something, pausing a moment longer before offering him a response.
“I’ve… this is my first time doing something like this. I’ve never felt comfortable in my own skin,” she explained weakly, and Daniel considered her through wide eyes.
“So I’m the recipient of your first strip tease,” he teased gently. She smiled sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders.
“My first everything. I’m a virgin, Daniel,” she murmured. All at once, alarms sounded in Daniel’s mind, and as Tiffany moved to slip her underwear down her hips, he jolted upright, resting his hands atop hers to stop her.
“Tiffany… I’m touched. Truly, truly touched. But… I don’t want to take your virginity under false pretenses. We’re acting. We’re not truly together,” he murmured awkwardly, as much as he wished he could accept the gesture. Her eyes widened for a moment, and she simply stared at him. Then, her expression crumbled and she swiftly made to get dressed. He watched her with a sad expression, though it turned to alarm when he realized she was rushing out the door. “W-wait! Where are you going?” He called out, trailing after her. She said nothing, grabbing her keys and darting out into the night. He stumbled downstairs, praying the ruckus didn’t wake Amanda. By the time he got downstairs, Tiffany was fumbling with the keys to her car, trying to make an escape.
“Leave me alone, Daniel. I need to be alone,” she blurted, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. He rushed forward, snatching her keys from her hands and leveling her with a serious expression.
“You expect me to let you leave in the state you’re in? If you want to be alone… I’ll leave you be. You can sleep upstairs tonight. I’ll take the couch,” he offered desperately. She didn’t seem particularly eager to remain at the house, but she exhaled a shuddering breath before slipping past him once more. “I think we need to talk about this,” he called out, but she ignored him. He followed her inside, watching as she bolted back up the steps and into their shared room. Or, what had been their shared room. He breathed a sigh, grabbing the guest sheets and making a place for himself on the couch.
Early the next morning, Amanda woke him by jokingly asking if he was in the doghouse. She didn’t know how right she was.
When Tiffany came downstairs sometime later, Daniel wasn’t sure how to address her. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and it was obvious she had spent the night crying. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he simply wasn’t sure how. It wasn’t as if he could confess his feelings after such a misstep, and he certainly didn’t want to lead Tiffany into a relationship he couldn’t commit himself to. Overcome with uncertainty, he simply remained at the dining room table, sipping the coffee he had brewed earlier that morning. Tiffany grabbed a cup, pouring herself some coffee with gratuitous amounts of sugar and milk. He swallowed his usual teasing comment about whether she wanted some coffee with her milk, and she was silent as she sat opposite him.
"I'm hungry," Amanda bleated unhappily, and Tiffany stiffened for a moment as if she had almost forgotten about the young girl’s presence in the house. She rose quickly, offering Amanda a smile.
“I’ll make you and your dad some pancakes,” she uttered, her voice sounding somewhat hoarse. Daniel didn’t speak up, didn’t dare mention that he certainly didn’t feel deserving of a home cooked breakfast. He watched as Tiffany slipped into the adjoining kitchen, and lowered his eyes to the newspaper with a sense of unease. Amanda sat at the dining table, fiddling with the new tablet he had bought her. He could hear whinnying from the device, and he looked up to consider his daughter.
"What are you doing, honey?" He inquired, and she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes before focusing on her tablet again.
“I’m playing Wonder Pony Stables,” she said curtly, and he stared at her for a moment, feeling more than a little taken aback. “What did you do to upset Miss Tiffany?” She asked mere seconds later, setting her tablet on the table and crossing her arms. He quirked a brow, wondering how he could explain this to his daughter. He surely couldn’t explain the truth of the situation, and vaguely wondered how he could play down the dispute. He propped his chin up in his hand, watching his daughter with a pensive expression. She seemed troubled, and he knew it was his responsibility to soothe her nerves.
“We just got into a bit of an argument, honey. You know how it can be with grown-ups,” he offered. She narrowed her eyes critically, the expression much too serious on her small and delicate features.
"Yeah, Daddy, I do," she huffed. His eyes widened, and he was briefly angry at the woman in the kitchen for stirring such a fear in his young daughter. He hadn't thought of how Amanda might react to losing Miss Tiffany, especially so soon and after getting so attached. He realized he couldn’t be awfully angry at the woman. He had essentially refused her although that he was growing increasingly attracted to her. At the thought of Tiffany, his mind wandered to her exposed skin, the way her breasts jiggled when she had freed them of that skimpy bra. He felt his cheeks grow flush, and he took a long swallow of coffee to try and dismiss the thought. He felt downright dirty having such thoughts while trying to console his daughter, but she paid him little mind, returning her attention to her tablet.
“Tiffany and I will make up soon, sweetie. Daddy made a mistake, but it… it won’t be like with mommy,” he offered. Her eyes lit up, and she turned to him with a much happier expression. He didn’t have the heart to tell the truth of the matter: that Tiffany would be leaving in scarce months if all things went according to plan. He simply quirked his lips in a smile, looking up at Tiffany as she stepped into the room with a large stack of pancakes. She put some on Amanda’s plate, gently taking the tablet from the girl and setting it aside. Amanda cooed as her eyes fell upon the breakfast concoction, thrilled to see the pancakes in a heart shape.
“Aww, Miss Tiffany,” she blurted, and Tiffany quirked her lips in a smile.
“Just to show you two that I still love you both. I’m sorry, honey. I shouldn’t have let you see me so upset,” Tiffany murmured. Amanda brightened, reaching out for a hug. Tiffany leaned in, wrapping her arms around the small girl for a long moment before pulling away.
“Now Daddy!” Amanda said decisively. Daniel met Tiffany’s gaze, sputtering uncertainly.
“Miss Tiffany doesn’t have to hug daddy if she doesn’t want to,” he grinned awkwardly, warmth blooming in his cheeks as Tiffany wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She shifted slightly, whispering into his ear.
“It’s fine. I’m sorry,” she managed, drawing away with a faint smile. Her eyes traced with tears, but she seemed content to ignore. She placed a stack of heart-shaped pancakes on Daniel's plate, serving herself up a much smaller stack than even Amanda. Daniel's heart ached at the obvious realization that she was feeling more self-conscious than ever. He parted his lips to speak, but paused before he could get the words out. He was unsure if his opinion would be particularly welcome, but he couldn’t simply allow Tiffany to think she was unattractive. Silently, he stabbed his stack of pancakes with his fork, transferring some to Tiffany’s plate. She looked up, looking as if she would protest, but the look in his eyes silenced her.
“Eat up. You made it. You deserve to enjoy it,” he smiled. She returned the expression with some hesitation, and the table fell silent as the three enjoyed their breakfast. Amanda finished first, despite having the largest stack. She burped loudly, gasping and covering her mouth immediately after the sound escaped her lips.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. Tiffany giggled, soft laughter at first that soon turned into loud guffaws. The sound was infectious, and Daniel found himself chuckling as well.
“I’ve never heard such a big burp from such a little girl,” the woman teased, and Amanda pouted petulantly. “Oh, I’m just having a bit of fun with you. I’ve done worse in my day,” she added, reaching out to ruffle the young girl’s hair. Amanda’s pouty expression melted away, and she giggled softly before reaching out to grab her tablet.
“I’m gonna go play in my room for a while, if that’s okay?” Amanda asked politely, looking to her father. Daniel tapped his chin, pretending to give the request deep consideration.
“Hmm… let you play in your room, all by yourself? Who knows what trouble you could get into…,” he began, continuing to tap his chin.
“Daddy,” Amanda groaned, drawing out the word in a long whine. He chuckled, gesturing for her to go ahead. She hopped away from the table, darting upstairs to do God knew what. The two adults watched her go with near-matching expressions of adoration. Tiffany glanced towards Daniel, and he interrupted her before she could speak.
“I’m sorry, Tiffany. I just… didn’t want to give you the wrong idea,” he muttered, setting his fork to the side once he was done eating. With an empty plate as well, Tiffany wrung her hands nervously.
“I shouldn’t have expected,” she began softly, but Daniel rose to his feet, circling around the table to draw her into his arms. “I just got swept up in things, I guess,” she murmured, pressing her face against his shoulder. Her chest was pressed flush to his own, and he could feel the point of her nipples beneath her shirt. Warmth washed over him, and he drew away with a faint smile.
“I can understand. I just… I want you to know it’s not because I’m not attracted to you. I simply…,” he trailed off, unsure of how to finish his sentence. She smiled, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
“You’re just too nice, Doctor Brookes,” she hummed, patting his cheek. She drew away, moving to busy herself with cleaning up the mess from breakfast.
“You’re not the help, you know, we can clean up after ourselves,” he muttered after his attempt to help was thwarted.
“Don't be silly," she said dismissively, gathering the dishes and placing them in the dishwasher. "In my apartment, I had to hand wash everything. Putting things in the dishwasher is a breeze," she chuckled. He hummed, crossing his arms over his chest as she edged past him. “Don’t you have work today?” She inquired softly, moving to stretch out on the couch.
The sheets he had slept on the night previously were strewn haphazardly across it, but she paid it little mind. He could only wonder if the scent of his arousal clung to the bedclothes, but she gave no indication one way or another. She simply fixed him with a coy smile as he sat in his easy chair. He swallowed a thick lump as it formed in his throat, trying to fight his own embarrassment. He felt as if he had no right to be embarrassed, especially after what he had put the woman through. For her part, however, she carried little shame now. Perhaps it was water under the bridge. If only he could banish thoughts of her bare skin from his mind, the way her lips would feel wrapped around his...
“Earth to Daniel. Don’t you have to work today?” She inquired, looking amused. He jolted in his chair, blushing so hard he was reminiscent of a tomato.
“N-no. I was just going to spend today with you and Amanda,” he muttered, averting his eyes. She rumbled a laugh, obviously amused by his flustered appearance.
“I can keep the house down, if you want to spend some time alone with your daughter,” she offered, sounding more serious. He considered her words, knowing he should leap at the chance to have time away from the woman who haunted his thoughts. However, he was forced to acknowledge the fact that he very much wanted to spend nearly all his time with her. It was counterproductive to the decision he had made the night before, and he knew he should tread carefully.
“Maybe just a lazy day in,” he finally decided upon. Tiffany considered him for a long moment, before quirking her lips in a smile.
If he allowed himself to pretend, it was almost as if his family were whole again. If only he could stop making so many mistakes.