Page 17 of Koa's Little Girl
“Little girls need milk to grow strong and happy.”
“Milk won’t make me happy,” she told him.
“Are you allergic to milk?” He watched her carefully, ignoring the beeping microwave behind him.
“Well… no. But I don’t like it.”
“Thank you for being honest.” Koa carried the two glasses to the table.
Giana stiffened on the stool and pinned him with a look that probably scared her underlings at the fire station. “You’re going to make me drink it?”
“I’m going to make you try it. If you want something different after drinking half of the glass, we’ll talk.” He grabbed potholders and removed the covered dish from the microwave.
“You’re not the boss of me,” she snapped.
“Are you sure about that? I think having a daddy implies that he’s in charge.” Koa set the dish on a potholder on the table and returned to grab the crisp taco shells, two plates, napkins, and silverware.
She stared at him as he bustled around, struggling to find fault with his logic. Finally, she said, “But being in charge doesn’t mean being a bully.”
“Definitely not. As a little girl, you can always use your safeword to stop. Come join me at the table,” he said and pulled a chair out for her.
“I don’t have a safeword.” Giana picked up her last animal cracker and slid off the stool to walk over and sit down. She carefully placed the small giraffe-shaped treat next to her.
“What would you like to use? Something preferably that you wouldn’t say normally,” Koa suggested as he slid her closer to the table. “Red is easy to start with.”
“That works,” she said, shrugging. “I won’t ever use it.”
“Yes, you will. If you need to, I’m trusting you to tell me when something is too much. Little girls have an extremely important job. Much more important than a daddy’s,” Koa told her as he picked up a shell and put together a delicious concoction for Giana.
“How do you figure that?” she asked.
“For me, being a daddy is taking care of someone in a very intimate way. I’m trying to figure out what you want and need in every interaction. What if I read your expression wrong? Or your desires for that day at that moment? It can either cause an enormous problem, maybe the end of a relationship, or you can clue a clueless daddy in. Which sounds better? Me blindly guessing or me pushing your boundaries and knowing you’ll let me know before I pass the point you’ll want me as your daddy? Here. Try this, Flame.”
He set the taco on her plate. Koa could almost hear the wheels churning in her mind as she considered his words. Slowly, she picked up the taco and took a bite.
“Mmm!” she hummed as she wiggled in her chair. “That’s amazing!”
“I’m glad you like it. Want me to make you another?”
“More jalapenos,” she requested.
“One more. I don’t want to set your mouth on fire and have to call the fire department,” he teased as he created another masterpiece.
“I love ham and pineapple as a topping. It adds so much flavor with the spices.”
“Trying new things can be scary, but sometimes there are huge rewards for stepping out of your comfort zone,” he said, setting the second taco on her plate. He didn’t link the two conversations together, but hoped she’d automatically make the connection.
“You’ve already figured out I have a slight control problem, haven’t you?” she asked, staring at him as he put another taco together.
“Perhaps. It’s also human nature to resist new things, even if you know deep inside what you crave.”
Giana took a big drink of milk and pulled back the glass to consider the beverage. Koa took a bite of his taco. Would she refuse to drink it? To his delight, she set it down and picked up her other taco without a word.
“Was it scary on your mission?” she asked.
Even though her tone was light, he could tell she’d worried about him. “There were some challenging moments, but Caden works our butts off to make sure we were ready. Besides, I know my team has my back.”
“You like them a lot.”
