Sweetest Taboo

The sun peeked through the curtains of Evelyn’s bedroom, making her shut her eyes tightly before opening them up. She scratched her head and set her bare feet on the hardwood floor, hearing a soft knock on her door even before standing up.

“Good, you’re awake.” Brian smiled at her. “Good morning.”

“Morning, dad,” she whispered between yawns and finally graced him with one of her heart melting smiles.

Her father closed the door when Evelyn finally got up, rummaging the closet for her favorite pair of shorts and then stepping into her own bathroom. She still missed her mother too often and their lives back in Texas, but she had to agree that living with her rich dad had its perks.

After a few minutes, she walked out of her bedroom, tiptoeing into what was the spare bedroom of the house. She wanted to find out what had happened last night; she wanted to know if they had slept together, since she had been already asleep when Brian had gotten home. If they didn’t, even though she knew it wouldn’t matter much in the long run, it would still feel like an achievement to her.

The door was closed and she had to turn the knob as slowly as she could, Michelle was probably still asleep just next door since she was almost never up that early in the morning, but it was always better to be careful.

The unmade bed was enough for her to smile widely, hissing an excited ‘yes’, before closing the door again as slowly as possible.

Walking into the kitchen, she found her father alone. He lifted his gaze from his computer when he saw her. She walked across the kitchen to open the fridge, taking a miscellaneous of ingredients out of it in order to make them breakfast. Brian was a great dad, he was fun, loving and supporting toward her daughter, he always made sure he was there for her and for everything she needed, something most people wouldn’t expect from a womanizer labeled rock star, but he couldn’t cook. Not even boil water.

“Dad.” She turned around to face him, one hand holding a frying pan full of scrambled eggs and the other snapping her fingers at him to get his attention. “No working at the breakfast table.”

There was an exchange of smiles and she continued to cook once he closed the computer and moved it to the side.

Occasional chatter filled the silence while they ate breakfast. Evelyn played around with the last bit of toast on her plate, wondering whether she would ask him or not about last night’s events. As a concerned daughter it was only natural to wonder if everything was alright between them, but she really didn’t care. All that mattered was that the produced outcome had been the one she wanted.

“Daddy,” she whispered, looking down at her hands folded on her lap. She needed to play the innocent daughter part just right and maybe she could even get some sort benefit from it.

“What happened between you and Michelle? I mean, I heard you fighting yesterday and…” Her eyes didn’t leave her hands, no hint of amusement being revealed on her features, although she felt it.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Ev.” She felt his hand touch her back. “Everything is fine, it was just a small argument.” She could sense him smile even without looking at him.

Maybe it was time to push a little further. “Was it about me?” Her concerned eyes finally darted at him, the green in them so bright it almost looked like she was about to cry. “Did I do something wrong? I don’t want you to get mad at each other because of me.”

His smile saddened. “Oh honey, this has nothing to do with you.” His hands cupped her face and a kiss was planted on her forehead. Evelyn slid off her bar chair, looping her arms around him and burying her face on his chest. “You’re the best daughter anyone could wish for.”

“I love you dad.”

“I love you too.”

Jackpot.



The drive to school was silent, she knew her father was still thinking about his fight with Michelle and that only gave her another reason to make him talk. She wanted him to stop dwelling on it, because the more it did, the more likely it would be for them to make up with each other.

“Dad?”

“Yes, Ev?”

Evelyn smiled at the sound of his voice. She loved it and the way his lips moved when he talked. She wished she could just kiss them and that manly jaw of his, but she had to wait. Patience was a virtue that only the smartest had. And she knew she was smart enough to bend him to her will.

Maybe desiring him the way she did was wrong, she got that. But this was not the man who had fed her, the men who had taught her how to walk or read. She hadn’t bonded with him since the beginning of her life. This was the man who she had met at the age of eleven and had eventually fallen in love with, who also happened to be her father.

Brian glanced at her when, after a few seconds of silence, she didn’t answer.

“Can I hang out with Jennifer and Danielle after school today?” She finally asked, her hands unbuckling the safety belt once they were arriving at her school.

“What about your volleyball practice?” Brian’s eyes narrowed.

Evelyn’s lips pouted in amusement. “Dad, I’ve already told you that I don’t have practice today. Mrs. Caldwell is sick.” She smiled at her father’s face as he suddenly recalled it. “Well, can I? We’ll walk to Jennifer’s home after school and you can come and pick me up later.”

When Brian nodded, she jumped out of the black SUV and closed the door. “We can always go back to the studio afterwards.” She leaned against the open window, her body almost halfway inside the car again. “I would love to try that new guitar of yours.” She wriggled her fingers, pretending to play a guitar riff, before winking at her father and walking away.

Brian watched her walk toward the school entrance. Every day he saw her and every day he couldn’t help but be amazed by how much she looked like her mother. It was like going back to high school and seeing Hannah again.

Thinking about Hannah was always hard. One day they were just two teenagers, dating each other and the next day she had disappeared. She had moved out with her parents and had been transferred to another school, in another state. At the time anger had taken over him, but as days turned into weeks he began to try to contact her, trying to understand why she had left without saying a word, but he never talked to her again. Then, when he met Evelyn three years ago, he finally understood.

Evelyn looked back, waving at him before entering the building. His face frowned when she disappeared. She was beautiful and so full of life. He had to protect her from boys. He didn’t want her go through the same things her mother had.