Page 53 of Melt For Us, Daddy
“Every time you take a sip of your coffee, you make a face. Like it doesn't taste right.”
“Oh. Ah… I don’t know.”
Uh-oh. Even Ivy could tell he wasn’t being truthful.
Good thing she’s not your Daddy, Jacob.
But when Cordelia spoke again, it was in that low, commanding voice Ivy knew so well, and those tendrils of jealousy once more wrapped themselves around her stomach. “I am willing to give you a lot of leeway on a lot of things, Jacob, because I know you are still getting used to life outside the church. But I will not, under any circumstances, accept being lied to. Understand?”
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Now, please tell me what’s wrong with your coffee.”
“There’s nothing wrong with it. I just didn’t add the milk and sugar like you usually do and it’s…”
“Gross?” Cordelia supplied with a laugh. “Yeah, that’s why I add that stuff. Why didn’t you add it if that’s how you like it?”
“Um, well. Merlin and Kestrel didn’t, and Zach doesn’t, so I thought maybe that’s just how men are supposed to drink it.”
Poor kid. Even through the jealousy, empathy stirred. What was it like, going through your whole life trying to live up to those stupid, impossible ideals?
“There’s no wrong or right way to drink your coffee, Jacob. And there’s definitely no ‘manly’ way to drink it, no matter what someone else might tell you.”
“But…” Whatever look Cordelia was giving him was enough to have him stopping in his tracks. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good boy. Now. Get up and put some damn milk and sugar in your coffee so you can stop making that face.”
Good boy. Those two words had a lump forming in Ivy’s throat.
It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a force of habit.
It’s fine.
It’s all going to be fine.
Cordelia
* * *
They finished breakfast, leaving them with nothing pressing to do. And by them, she meant Ivy mostly. Cordelia had no problem lying around all day watching tv, and sometimes she was able to get Ivy to relax with her, but for the most part her girl needed something to keep her occupied.
“Ivy, baby,” Cordelia said as she finished wiping down the dishes, the one chore she’d insisted on keeping even when she’d gone from best friend to Domme because it didn't feel fair for Ivy to do all the cooking and the cleaning. “Last night Merlin said there’s a cabinet in the living room with games. Why don’t you go find us something to play? Take Jacob with you.”
To her relief, Ivy’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. “Yes, Daddy!”
Even Jacob looked excited as they ran off, and her heart constricted at the thought of how much of his childhood he’d missed out on. When she’d first escaped the cult, she’d devoured television and movies, catching up on everything she’d missed over the years.
As she’d told Ivy when she’d first explained about her past, it was how she’d gotten her name. Esther Young was the name she’d been born with, but the day she’d turned eighteen, she’d decided to change it. And she’d been at the end of a Buffy The Vampire Slayer binge, devastated by the knowledge that Buffy and Cordelia weren’t going to act on their epic enemies-to-lovers storyline, so she’d given herself the happily ever after they’d deserved together.
And so, Cordelia Summers was born.
She wasn’t sure Jacob was quite ready for Buffy, however, or most of the shows she and Ivy enjoyed together. Board games were a nice, innocent way to introduce him to the outside world without scarring him completely.
But when she walked into the living room, she froze in horror at the familiar black box sitting on the coffee table as Ivy passed out cards.
“Absolutely not, little girl. Put it back.”
Ivy’s head jerked up, hurt flashing in her eyes, and Cordelia immediately felt like an asshole for her harsh tone. “What? What did I do?”
