“I know. Mommy explained you’re so happy because of me. Is that true?”
“It is. You are the missing piece of our family, Mia Grace, and we have every intention of keeping you forever.”
Throwing my arms around his neck, I bury my face against his throat. “I’m really sorry I kicked you.”
“Not as sorry as you’re going to be later. But right now we have some spaghetti to eat.”
“Daddy,” I whine as he buckles me into the booster seat between him and Mommy at the table. “Are you really gonna make me wait until after dinner for my spanking?”
“I really am. I think it will be good for you to spend some time thinking about what you can do differently the next time you’re scared or worried.”
Looking down at the pile of spaghetti and meatballs in front of me, I sigh.
It’s going to be a long dinner.
CHAPTER 18
SLOANE
Watching our babygirl squirm all through dinner is a treat I didn’t realize I’d been missing out on. While I’ve generally been a fan of punishing her as soon as humanly possible—especially if doing so offers an extra layer of humiliation like at the mall or in the woods—I can appreciate my husband’s deviousness in making her wait. Between every bite, she glances up at me or her Daddy, as if checking to see if we’ve changed our minds about spanking her.
But Ethan and I simply carry on as we normally would at dinner, discussing his trip, the jobsite, my latest commission. Though now we have the added amusement of me sharing all of my exploits with our babygirl while he was gone, which he laughs or scowls at, whichever seems most appropriate at the time.
“It sounds like you were very naughty for your Mommy while I was gone,” he scolds as he cuts up a piece of broccoli to feed the pouting Mia. “Maybe you need an extra-hard spanking tonight to make sure you’re on your best behavior going forward.”
“Daddy, no! I don’t need a spankin’ at all!”
Ethan raises a brow. “Really? So that was some other Little girl who threw a fit and kicked me in the shin this afternoon?”
Pink colors Mia’s cheeks. “Maybe it was my evil twin.”
“Ah, well, then I suppose we’ll have to spank both of you, just to be sure. Don’t you think that sounds fair, Mommy?”
It’s a fight to keep a straight face as I lean over to wipe spaghetti sauce from her face. “I think that sounds entirely fair, Daddy.”
“Mommy,” Mia whines, her hazel eyes shining as she pouts up at me. “You’re supposed to be on my side!”
“Oh, babygirl.” Cupping her face, I run the pad of my thumb over her cheekbone. “I am always on your side. It just so happens that being on your side in this instance means spanking that pretty bottom so you can remember to be our good, sweet girl in the future.”
The flush in her cheeks darkens. “That doesn’t sound like you’re on my side atall.”
Meeting Ethan’s dancing eyes across the table, I have to swallow a laugh at how put out our babygirl sounds. Especially when I know for a fact she would be very upset indeed if we didn’t follow through with our promise to punish her naughty bottom.
When dinner is finished and the dishes have been cleaned, Ethan unbuckles Mia from her booster seat and hoists her into his arms. “I think it’s time for a naughty Little girl to face the music, don’t you, Mommy?”
My blood heats in my veins. “Yes, Daddy.”
Whining pitifully, Mia tightens her hold on him, burying her face in the side of his neck. But Ethan only smiles at me and jerks his head toward the stairs. Heart pounding, I follow him up to the playroom, where he lays Mia out on the oversized changing table.
“Use your diaper, angel, and then we can start your punishment.”
“I don’t need a diaper, Daddy, I can use the potty like a Big girl!”
Stepping up beside the table, I run my hand over her bright curls. “But you’re not a Big girl anymore, remember? You’re our baby. And babies use their diapers.”
Bottom lip trembling, she stares up at me, her eyes pleading with me for mercy. “I’m not a baby,” she whispers.
Ethan presses down on her stomach, and Mia lets out a low, keening whine. “Big girls do not throw tantrums and kick people when they don’t get their way. So clearly, you are indeed just a little baby who needs her Mommy and Daddy to take care of her ineveryway.”
