“All right, my loves. We have some things to discuss.”
Kylie
Standing with her nose pressed into an empty corner of her Mommy’s apartment, Kylie tried not to fidget as she listened to Addison move around behind them, preparing… Well, Kylie wasn’t sure exactlywhatshe was preparing, but she was pretty sure it didn’t bode well for her backside.
So sure, in fact, that when Mommy called for them, she hesitated.
“Kylie Anne. Do you think this is a good time to be ignoring your Mommy?”
That got her moving. Spinning away from the corner, she hurried over to join Danny, standing in front of the couch facing their Mommy.
Approval lit Addison’s emerald eyes. “Good girl. Come here, please.”
Already? No lecture or anything?
Confused, Kylie stepped forward—and was immediately pulled down to sit on her Mommy’s lap.
“There.” Addison sighed, a sound so full of contentment it immediately unraveled the knots in Kylie’s tummy as she snuggled into the embrace. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me, baby.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
Mommy’s arms tightened around her. “No, it’s not. I should have listened instead of shutting you down back at the hotel. But I’m here now. So tell Mommy what happened.”
Surprised, Kylie sat up on her lap. “I’m not getting a spanking?”
“Not this time. You are going to be writing lines about keeping your hands to yourself and we need to have some serious conversations about not letting your temper get so out of hand when you’re in Little space. But no spankings for you today.”
“What about me?” Danny asked, his voice quivering slightly despite the way his chin tilted up like he was trying to be brave.
“That remains to be seen after we talk about what happened this weekend. Why don’t you come sit with me and your sister while she tells Mommy about it.”
He hesitated, just for a moment before settling on the couch beside them, his head tilted onto Mommy’s shoulder.
“There. Now, what happened that had you so upset, little dove?”
Looking back, she was a little embarrassed by how she’d reacted, all things considered. “It really wasn’t that bad.”
“Now who’s lying?” Danny mumbled, earning him a soft swat to his thigh from Mommy.
“Would you rather stand in the corner while Kylie and I talk, Daniel?”
“No, Mommy.”
“Then hush.” Shifting her attention to Kylie, Mommy frowned slightly. “But if youarelying, Kylie Anne, it won’t end well for you. Tell Mommy the truth.”
“I’m not lying, I just sorta feel like I overreacted.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
Surprisingly, those words helped to settle her more than she’d expected. It was Mommy’s job to decide if she’d been naughty, not hers, so all she had to do was tell her what had happened. “My mom called. She wanted to know if I’d heard from any of the Masters programs I told her I’d applied for.”
“I didn’t know you’d applied for any.”
“I haven’t.” At Mommy’s raised brow, heat flooded her face and she squirmed on her lap. “You don’t understand what she’s like, Addison. She and my dad, they want so badly for me to do something really spectacular with my life. They’ve told me since I was little how brilliant I am, how I’m going to grow up and do something great with my life. How I’m too smartnotto be anengineer or a scientist orsomethingbig and important like that. And, well, they’re right.”
“Are they?”
The simple question pulled her up short. “They are. It would be… I dunno, irresponsible not to contribute to society in some way.”
