“I tr-tripped,” Tori manages through her tears, and now it feels like I might actually die from the guilt. She could have ratted me out to Uncle Donovan, but she didn’t and deep in my heart I know I don’t deserve that kindness.
Just one more way she’s better than me, I guess.
“Let me see your other wrist, sweetheart.” Dreadful Doctor D has disappeared, replaced by our sweet Uncle Donovan as he cradles her hands in his much larger ones. “They are a bit swollen. Let’s get some ice on them and then I’ll take another look. But either way, I think your waterpark day is done, Victoria.”
“Can you take her?” Mommy asks, her voice tight with anger again. “I need to get Alexis home.”
“Of course.” Hooking his hands under Tori’s arms, Uncle Donovan props her on his hip. “I’ll look after her until Maxwell returns. You go take care of your Little one.”
“Thank you, Donovan. I’ll grab a bottle of milk for her before I go.” Running her hand over Tori’s dark hair, Mommy smiles. “Would some of Auntie Cat’s milk help you feel better, my sweet girl?”
Tori is no longer sobbing, but the tears are still streaming down her face as she drops her head onto Uncle Donovan’s shoulder and nods miserably.
For my part, I can only stare, a cold numbness creeping through my body as I watch my Mommy gather up our things, pulling a bottle of milk from our cooler and passing it off to Uncle Donovan.
Not just any bottle of milk. A bottle ofMommy’smilk.Mymilk.
And as I watch Tori lift the bottle to her lips, my Mommy’s milk pouring into her mouth, my heart shatters into a billion tiny pieces.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Catharina
Fury burns along my veins as I grip my Little girl’s arm, pulling her along beside me as I hurry out of the waterpark. My stomach churns with it, along with fear and guilt, all of those emotions making me feel vaguely ill as Gavin holds the back door open for us, his expression full of worry.
“Is everything okay? Is Alexis hurt?”
“Alexisis fine. Her bottom, however, will not be by the time I’m through with her.”
Gavin’s eyes widen, sympathy swirling in the pale brown as I nudge Alexis through the door in front of me and slide in after her.
The moment I settle on the seat, I reach for her, tugging my naughty little girl over my knee and reaching for the waistband of her bathing suit bottoms. “Mommy is very,verydisappointed in your behavior today, Alexis Paige.”
“I’m sorry, Mommy, I’m sorry!” Her wails pierce the air before I even get her diaper off her, and once she’s completelybare, she throws a hand back, trying to block the punishment she has coming.
Linking my fingers with hers, I pin her hand to the small of her back and give her thighs two hard swats. “It’s not me you need to apologize to, little girl. It’s Tori and your Uncle Max. Which is exactly what you’ll be doing later this afternoon.”
I’m tempted to pull my brush from her diaper bag, but I’m honestly not sure I trust myself with it at the moment, given how angry I am. Once she’s made her apologies, however, she’ll be going back over my knee for a very thorough paddling while her Uncle Max watches.
For now, I settle for my hand, knowing perfectly well I can make a damn good impression with just my palm as I swat her bare, damp bottom. “I cannot believe the way you behaved today, Alexis Paige. That is not howmyLittle girl acts in public. That is not howmyLittle girl treats her friends.”
Feet kicking, hips wriggling, Alexis does everything in her power to escape her punishment as I pepper her backside with firm spanks, her damp skin turning bright pink beneath my palm. “I’m sorry Mommy, I’msorry! I won’t ever do it again, I promise!”
“You’re right. You absolutely will not do anything of the sort ever again, little girl. Because if you do, Mommy will punish your bottom insideandout and I won’t care who’s watching. Am I making myself perfectly clear, Alexis Paige?”
“Yes, Mommy!”
It’s lucky for my Little girl that the ride home isn’t very long, because I intend to use every second of our drive to impress upon her how unacceptable her behavior is. Which I do, and by the time Gavin parks the car in our driveway, Alexis’s poor bottom is a bright, angry red and she’s draped heavily over my knee, sobbing uncontrollably.
The back door opens, and Gavin peeks inside, his expression once more a mask of sympathy. “Here. Let me take her.”
I want to argue. For the first time since I brought Alexis to the island, I resent that I can’t carry her to the nursery on my own. It’s not her fault, of course, it’s just a matter of physics and the fact that Gavin has a solid foot of pure muscle on me when I’m not wearing my heels, but that means nothing to my aching heart as I nod and let Gavin gather her in his arms. Tears blur my vision as Alexis wraps herself around him, her body shaking with sobs as Gavin gently bounces her in his arms.
“Shhh, little one. Your Mommy will be right behind us. It’s all right, sweetheart.”
Turning his back on me, he carries her toward the house and I sigh as I slide from the car, making sure to grab her diaper bag before shutting the door behind me. Gavin has such a soft spot for my Little girl, and the odds are high he’ll be giving me the silent treatment the rest of the day now that he’s seen how harshly she’s been punished. And while I admire his devotion, I’m not sure I can handle his rejection right now.
So I do what I do best, wrapping the cloak of icy indifference I’ve worn in every boardroom I’ve ever walked into around me as tightly as I possibly can, and follow him inside. By the time I make it up the stairs to her nursery, he already has a fresh diaper on her and is laying her gently down in her crib. Her sobs have quieted, and a peek over the railing of her crib shows me she’s cried herself to sleep.
