"Happy birthday sweetie!"

Shae grinned like a lunatic and raised the camera just as Mia pulled open the top on her gift box. The shutter snapped. Mia dipped her hands in, a look of awe on her face as she felt the fabric.

"Come on honey, pull it out so we can see it."

Following her mother's encouragement, Mia pulled the dress out of the box and fluffed it in the air. Brilliant white, with a small bit of lace around the neckline, edged with blue ruffles. It had a rural, country-girl flair. Shae had made it herself, working on it for weeks.

"It's so pretty Mommy, " Mia said, her mouth hanging open. She seemed overawed by the gift, still holding it up delicately with her fingers as though it were too precious to touch.

"Let's try it on, " Shae enthused, clearly relishing the chance to dress her daughter in her own handiwork. She helped Mia pull up the little green t-shirt, leaving the tiny girl topless, then dropped the dress over Mia's upthrust arms.

The fabric rustled and Mia's head popped through the top. She smoothed the dress with Shae's help and looked down in amazement. The skirt was very short - barely covering the little girl's panties, and the top hugged her slim waist tightly. Shae's measurements were never wrong, I knew; she wanted her little girl to have a short skirt.

Mia lifted the hem of the skirt and glided her fingers over the edge, feeling the silky ruffles. She looked thrilled.

"It's so nice. Thank you mommy!" Mia embraced her mother, smiling warmly, her delight almost palpable.

Mia had gotten virtually everything for her birthday, tearing through the stack of presents with glee. A spoiled child, but Shae and I could scarcely hold back sometimes. We had saved the most personal gifts for last.

"There's one more present sweetie, " Shae said, placing a jewelry box on the table. The polished cherrywood seemed to gleam invitingly in the light. I glanced at Shae. This was a gift I hadn't seen, but I could swear I had seen the box somewhere before. She must have come up with this one herself.

Mia fingered the little brass clasp, amazed, then slowly pulled the box open. Inside was black velvet cradling a silver pendant with a blue sapphire, strung with a delicate chain.

"This is a grown-up gift honey, " Shae said, reaching in and pulling out the necklace. Mia stared slack-jawed and amazed. I recognized the pendant: it was the same one I had given Shae on her 8th birthday. I hadn't seen it in years. I didn't know she still had it. She must have dug it up from storage somehow.

Mia stood still, overawed, enamored with the beautiful pendant as Shae draped it around her throat and hooked the clasp in the back.

"Daddy got this for me when I was exactly as old as you are now, " Shae said, smiling. "He got it to show how much he loved me. Now I want you to have it."

Mia's fingers touched the silver tentatively, and she looked up, eyes brimming.

"Thank you mommy. I'll take extra-special care of it." Mia jumped up to hug her mother again, and Shae wrapped her arms around her daughter, squeezing happily. The grin that Shae leveled at me was almost conspiratorial

"Sweeeeeeee!" Isabelle whooped from her high chair, as if afraid of being forgotten. Shae laughed and rubbed the toddler's head, then wiped away the small trickle of spittle on Isabelle's lips.

"Ok tiger, go put this stuff in your room, " I said, gesturing to the other presents. So much wrapping paper. Mia gathered the stuff in her arms, beaming, and I began to wad up the scraps of paper to clean up.

Isabelle squealed again, and Shae stood up to get some food for her from the kitchen. Isabelle didn't make much noise, but she could screech like an air horn when she was hungry. The little tyke ate enough for 3 kids, I swore.

Mia returned from her room and helped me gather up the trash without having to be asked. Even at 7 she was a very responsible girl. We tossed the last of it into a garbage bag just as Shae sat down again with a bowl of mashed potatoes. She dipped the spoon in and waved her hand around, making dramatic airplane noises. Isabelle followed her mother's hand with her eyes, enthralled. The spoonful of food made a sudden divebomb and plopped its payload into Isabelle's mouth. The kid gurgled with a sour look before remembering that she liked to eat and began to chew.

I watched them together, warmth in my chest. These were the moments I treasured the most. The early years had been tough, but Shae learned fast with my guidance and had turned out to be an extraordinary mother. The love she had for her little girls could scarcely be contained. It shone from her face with pride. Pride, at our two healthy girls. Pride at our family. Pride in what we had risked so much to try to build together.

I was daydreaming, leaning back in the chair and watching them across the table, when Mia plucked at my shirtsleeve.

"So Daddy, when can we go?"

"Go? Where we going hon?"

My perplexed expression seemed to incense her.

"You promised!" Mia said, her face transforming into a dramatic pout.

"You said you'd take her out on the boat today for her birthday and let her do some of the lines, " Shae reminded me. Oh. That was right. Somehow it had slipped my mind. I looked out the window to gauge the weather: sunny with scattered clouds, pretty good for sailing.

Mia was tugging at me anxiously as if she was going to rip off my sleeve.

"Ok honey. How about going right now? Never a better time and the day looks perfect."

"YAAAAAAAAAY!" Mia squealed exuberantly, hugging me frantically, then prancing around the table with excitement.

"You going to come too, Baby Girl?" I asked Shae. She smiled at me and shook her head.

"Gotta feed this little devil again. I swear that she's a mutant and her whole body is all stomach. Eat and poop. Nothing else. Mia didn't eat like this.

"Maybe, " I chuckled. Shae had left unsaid how often she got seasick when we went out on our boating trips. She didn't come very often.

"Just the two of us tiger, " I said. Mia squealed with glee.

"Go get ready and get your stuff for sailing. Remember how I showed you?"

"Yes Daddy!" Mia ceased her prancing and darted away like a lightning bolt.

I sighed and got up, gathering my things as well then meeting Mia at the back door. Our house was on a small cliffside above the water, but we followed the narrow switchback that meandered down to the beach with Mia skipping ahead of me. She really did look great in that dress, like a model girl posing for a photographer in a field of flowers. It carried an air of country innocence, but the way the skirt bounced on her bottom and flashed her panties caused a stirring feeling in my pants. My little girl had grown sexy without me even realizing it. She was slim, like her mother, already having shed the baby fat, and her hips and her bottom had developed pleasing curves that drew my eye like a magnet. 8 years old, and she was already a knockout.

Our boat was waiting for us near the end of the pier. Mia skipped ahead of me confidently, feet clomping on the boards. Shae had braided her hair before we left, since I didn't want her loose hair catching on anything on the boat. She had sturdy tennis shoes and her little backpack with supplies in it. She looked ready, with a serious look on her face.

Mia vaulted onto the deck of the boat when we got near. It was just a modest cruising yacht, with a 38-foot hull, a tiny cabin, and a single mast with 2 sails. Not too amazing compared with some of the luxury yachts we sometimes spotted out on the water with us, but it was one of the best purchases I had ever made. I liked to go out frequently with Mia, and Shae if she felt up to it, to spend a peaceful day out on the ocean waves.

Mia was learning fast, too. She helped me get set up, undoing the hitches, pulling where I told her to and holding ropes in place. We got the sails unfurled easily, and I cast the moor lines to set us free then took a hand at the motor to lead us out.

Wide-open sky and water greeted us, blowing a cool breeze into our faces that tempered the heat of the sun. After a few minutes I set the jib, turned off the motor, and let the wind carry us on. The ocean was gorgeous - calm waves and clear air all the way to the horizon. I tacked a few times to take us away from some other yachts, and let the pleasant solitude wash over us.

Mia was on the deck up front, letting the spray of the water splash on her. She loved this. It let her feel like Daddy's Big Girl, to be able to go out with Daddy and help him with the boat. She had been growing up so fast. Now she had grown old enough to take a much keener interest in what Shae and I did in the bedroom. She knew her mommy was also her sister - we were always honest and open with her, about everything - but to her that was just normal. Sex was such an integral part of our lives that we had resolved not to try to hide it. We never wanted our daughters to be ashamed or scared of their sexuality, or anyone's. We answered any questions she had, patiently, openly. Now her curiosity had grown far beyond mere questions.

The hours passed in lazy conversation. Mia peppered me with questions like she always did - What kind of boat is that over there? Which fish live here? What does it look like down on the bottom of the water? - and I answered her as best I could, chuckling. Eventually she ran dry and stood on the deck staring out over the water. The sail was set tight, so I went up and stood behind her, resting my hands on her shoulders.

"Daddy?" She asked, craning her head to look up at me. "Do you love Mommy?"

"What kind of question is that?" I laughed. "You know how much we love each other."

"Did you always love each other?"

"I've always loved her from the moment she was born. Every Daddy loves his daughter."

She contemplated this, staring over the water again.

"But you loved her more when you started having sex?

The motion of the boat rocked us from side to side as we stood. I massaged her shoulders gently with my hands, trying to frame an answer.

"It was the start of something for us, " I said. "I didn't even know it at the time. Maybe you could say we began loving each other in more ways than one. We grew so close. We shared everything."

She leaned back into me, her braid brushing my belly as she stared towards the horizon. That was what she wanted, I knew. To share everything. It was in her nature, just like her mother's.

"Did you know there was a point where I wasn't sure if your mom loved me anymore?"

"Really?" she asked, looking up at me again. I nodded.

"Yes, for a little while. But it was because we were stupid and didn't talk to each other like we should have." I tried to dampen the matter to something an 8-year-old could understand better. "So we assumed things that were wrong, did things that hurt each other without realizing it. But that's all in the past sweetie. After we figured it out, well, that was when we decided to have you."

"Oh, " she said, lapsing into silence to ponder this. I let the wind carry us on, standing contentedly with my daughter pressed against me. She loved her Daddy. She wanted to be like Mommy. Those motives had driven her questions the last couple of days. I wondered where this would end up. I loved her dearly - as much as her mother. How much farther would our love go?

I spotted stormclouds gathering on the horizon, driven before the rising wind. It seemed the pleasant weather wasn't going to hold.

"Daddy? Can I do the sail this time?" Mia gave me her most adorable and supplicating smile - the one that always worked - and I remembered my promise to let her do some of the work this time.

"Ok Baby Girl, " I said. I showed her again how to release the jib sheet and pull on it so the jib sail could turn us away from the storm and point us back toward the coast. She listened carefully and did it just like I had showed her. Smart girl. She was quickly becoming a natural. I knew I'd have to let her do more and more, or endure the full brunt of those puppy-dog pleading eyes that she used so effectively.

Driving wind filled the sails, and the boat rocked to the side as it tacked sharply. It was picking up awfully fast, and the wind was choppy, gusting fitfully. I wondered if we would make it back before we got rained on. It wouldn't have been the first time. The little cabin was comfortable enough to ride it out if we needed to.

With the jib set, I double-checked everything else from fore to aft - hitches tight, everything in place. Mia had gone to stand up front at the bow, shielding her eyes and squinting against the glare of the fading sun. I didn't really like how far up she was. The toes of her tennis shoes were hanging over the side.

I was just heading up the deck to tell her to put on her lifejacket when a sudden gust of wind rocked the boat. I heard a crunch and a snap, and a flash of metal as a hitch broke loose. The jib pole swung inward suddenly and smashed into Mia's head from behind. With horror, I watched as my daughter's body went right over the side.

A tiny voice in the back of my mind pleaded for calm, but it was drowned in the cacophony of panic. There was no stopping the adrenaline that dumped into my veins, the instinct that propelled me in a long stride across the deck, the icy fear as I gripped the rail and peered out over the dark water with my breath stuck in my throat.

A slow drizzle of foam marked the spot where she had gone under. It had only been a few seconds. My eyes darted back and forth, until I spotted her dress wafting just under the surface of the water. Her arms were moving. I waited, resisting the urge to immediately hurl myself straight into the water after her, counting each second like an eternity in my head. If she had hit her head...no. I stilled the raw panic in my gut. If she didn't come up again in a few seconds I would go in.

Mia's head broke the surface with a large splash. She gasped heavily, treading water, the white trail of her dress drifting around her in the water.

I reached down and seized her wrist and hauled her bodily out of the water, all the force of my fatherly terror driving my biceps as I lifted her up over the rail. She coughed, nose drizzling, spitting water as she knelt on the deck.

"Mia!" I hugged her madly, my heart still thumping. "Are you hurt baby? Talk to me. Did you hit your head? Are you ok?"

She coughed again and shook her head as I battered her with questions.

"I'm fine Daddy, I'm fine. Ouch!"

It was only then that I realized I had been squeezing her like a pillow. I let go. Probably the only thing that hurt was her crazed Daddy crushing her with a hug. She had been swimming practically since she could walk. Living next to the ocean, I had made damn sure that she knew how, and I had timed her treading water until I was satisfied before I ever took her out on the ocean. Shae was already an expert swimmer, and I was looking forward to also teaching Isabelle also in a few years.

My heart was still pumping, but my panic was waning. She was fine. A few seconds is a lifetime for the imagination to conjure every horrible scenario when you see someone you love have an accident. I hugged Mia tightly as she crouched on the deck, arms around her wet little body.

She was completely soaked through. The dress was translucent and stuck to her skin everywhere. I realized her teeth were chattering. Between the water and the icy bite of the the wind she was freezing.

I lifted her up and carried her to the cabin to give her what little shelter the boat had. I set her on the side bench and began to rub her arms.

"D-daddy I'm c-c-cold..." she said.

"We'll get you warmed up baby, don't worry."

I filled a mug with water and heated it in the microwave, then dumped some hot cocoa mixture in it. Stirring the drink, I crouched down by Mia again and handed it to her.

"Here, drink this."

She glugged the drink greedily and handed the cup back. That would help a little, but her little body was shaking on the bench. She was cold all the way through and still soaking. I pulled away some of the hair plastered to her face.

"We need to get these clothes off sweetie, " I said. "Stand up for me."

She got to her feet shakily, and I grabbed her dress and pulled it up over her arms. She stood topless in front of me, her skin speckled with droplets. Two perfect little pink nipples adorned her flat chest, so lovely and innocent. I swallowed, feeling a sudden stir as I undressed my daughter. I reached for her panties and pulled them down and let her step out of them.

She crossed her arms and rubbed them again, naked and shivering. I grabbed a towel and started at the top, drying her hair. Her little braid drooped down miserably. It was still dripping water. Mia leaned into me as I rubbed her down, getting my shirt completely soaked too.

Hair, dry. Face. Ears. Neck. Shoulders. I wiped it all clean, my blood running hot with fading adrenaline. Or maybe it was the feeling of a cute little preteen girl's naked body rubbing against me. So sexy and cute, even as she shivered vulnerably. I rubbed her chest dry, taking maybe slightly longer than I needed to. She really was gorgeous, my little girl. Her little pink nipples were puckered in the chilly air. I brushed them again even though they were dry.

Hugging her to me, I patted down her back. She was drying out, but still shaking, teeth chattering uncontrollably. She wasn't getting any warmer. The damp has transferred from her skin to my shirt, and now the clammy fabric was rubbing against her again.

Well that wasn't going to help. I stopped just long enough to pull off my shirt, and my shorts for good measure, then let her lean against my shoulder as I ran the towel down her legs. She seemed to like that, melting into the warmth of my arms. Maybe my body heat would help.

Trying to ignore the growing erection in my pants, I dried her bum, relishing how the plump little cheeks squished under my hands. I was going to get every nook and cranny. Every inch of this teenage girl. I felt responsible. Mia trusted me but I had let us grow careless. I chased down every droplet, as if I could wash away my guilt with the water.

My trembling hands came to her crotch, the cute little pair of puffy lips so smooth and pink plump puffy wet and pristine, a delicate slit just barely peeping from between her legs. I worked the towel slowly, patting her private place dry, and she leaned into me harder and groaned. There was no mistaking that sound - the lilt of a little girl quivering on the edge of arousal. I knew it so very well.

Finally dry, I pulled out a blanket and we sat down on the deck together with her leaning back against my chest, my arms around her chest for warmth and the blanket wrapped around us. It was helping. The shakes were slower now, her teeth finally stilled. She still felt like an ice cube, but the heat of my body's excitement was seeping slowly into her skin. I wondered how it was that I hadn't noticed how lovely she had grown. It had crept up on me somehow. A perfect little tummy, trim, marked by an adorable belly button. Slim thighs, curving hips. My fingers explored on their own, unable to help themselves as they traced the smooth skin of her thighs, the sweet little tummy, then rose to the flat field of her chest where the two tiny peaks of her nipples jutted like pink gumdrops.

Mia squeaked when I touched them - just a tiny, tentative brush, but she jerked as if electrified. Shae had been almost unbearably sensitive in her nipples her whole life; it took almost nothing to get her started when I touched them. Just the tiniest pinch, a gentle flick or two, and she'd turn around and jump on me like a rabbit in heat. Was our daughter the same?

We sat together for a while longer, our bodies pressed against each other until her cold skin finally thawed. She groaned approvingly whenever my fingertips caressed her nipples. Her breath slowly accelerated to excited panting as I worked them. My sweet sexy juicy delicious daughter was massively turned on, and the jutting shaft of flesh digging against her bare bottom made it obvious how much her Daddy was enjoying this too. Mia knew exactly what it meant when Daddy was stiff like this.

She suddenly jumped in my arms, startled, and her hands flew to her bare neck.

"Oh no!"' she squealed. "I lost it!"

"Lost what?"

"Mommy's pendant! The one she gave me. It must have come off in the water!"

She leaped up, still naked as a jaybird, and dashed out to the deck to peer over the edge.

"It's gone, sweetie, " I said, coming up behind her and laying a hand on her shoulder.

"It can't be! She got it from you, and she gave it to m-me.

She was breaking down, crying. I crouched and hugged her.

"Shhh, it's alright baby. It's alright. Don't worry."

"B-but it was special. And I lost it...in the water..." her words tumbled out between sniffles, her head drooping with despair. "And I got her dress all wet. She'll b-be so mad."

"No she won't, " I said, cupping her chin and making her look at me. "Listen, Mia. She won't be mad. I'm not mad. It's just a necklace. A thing. It wasn't the necklace itself that was so special to your mom, it was what it meant to her when I gave it to her. That's what she treasured. That's what she wanted to share with you."

"Are...are you sure?" Mia was staring at me, eyes glistening hopefully.

"I know your mom well enough to be sure, " I chuckled. "She's going to be freaked that you hit your head, and grateful that you're alright. Don't worry about the necklace or the dress."

I hugged her again, arms around her naked body, comforting her as she calmed down.

"It's alright sweetheart. Go lay down with the blanket again. I need to get the boat back in. Ok?"

Mia nodded and went to curl up in the little cabin. We had been drifting aimlessly as we dried out, and the air temperature had dropped rapidly as the dark clouds had closed in. I didn't like the menacing feeling of the wind, but I set the sails and let them catch it. The sheets billowed tightly and caught hungry air. The boat tacked hard, water splashing, as I brought us around and headed back to shore.