“Of course you think she’s the best after she let you stay up late and eat too much junk food,” Daddy teases, drilling his finger into my tummy and making me squeal with laughter.
Uncle Eli emerges from the kitchen, wiping his hands on his “Kiss the Cook” apron, one dark bushy brow raised. “What’s all the fuss out here?”
“Oh good, you’re here.” Waving a hand, Auntie Gray breezes past him toward the kitchen. “Now they can fuss at you about all the sugar their Little girls had last night.”
Not looking the least bit repentant, Uncle Eli shrugs. “It was a sleepover.”
Daddy and Uncle Axel continue to grumble as we follow Uncle Eli back into the kitchen. The smell of bacon fills the air, and Lanie lets out another happy squeal when she spots the bowl of pancake batter beside the stove.
“Best. Sleepover.Ever.”
I can’t really argue with that sentiment. It’s at least the best sleepover I’ve had in two decades, which isn’t really saying much since it’s the only sleepover I've had since I lost Gracie, but I try not to dwell on that.
Our Daddies buckle us into our highchairs at the smaller kitchen table, probably because the other uncles are already at work. Or doing… whatever it is they do all day. Now that I think about it, I’m not really surewhateveryone does around here. I know they run some kind of logging empire or something, but I have no clue what their roles are. As far as I can tell, Uncle Axel’s main job is keeping Lanie out of trouble—or, as is more often the case, spanking her butt when he fails to do so.
Breakfast is delicious, as always, and I’m almost getting used to being fed like a baby since it happens at almost every meal. It's still odd, but it’s probably one of my favorite parts of being Daddy’s baby.
As we’re finishing up, Auntie Gray pours herself a third cup of coffee and looks over at Uncle Axel. “Don’t forget it’s almost the end of the month, Ax, so we need to take a new delivery of wood over to Widow Rollins.”
Her words tickle something in my brain, something I somehow haven’t thought about even once since my kidnapping and panic wraps around my chest like a vice. “Wait. The end of the month? No. That can’t be right!”
“Hey.” Reaching over, Daddy runs a hand over my hair. “What’s wrong, bug?”
“What’s wrong is the whole reason I came to freaking Colorado in the first place was to finish this stupid book and now I’m going to miss my deadline!”
A frown tugs at Daddy’s lips. “I’m sure your publisher will understand if you need to push the deadline a bit.”
Temper sparks in my chest. “That’s not the point! I have a career! I have fans who depend on me! I can’t just give all that up to play Daddy’s Little girl!”
His frown deepens. “Nobody is saying you have to give anything up, Josie. But we never really accounted for any of our Little ones having a career. It’s something we’re going to have to figure out, but it’s going to take us a little bit of time.”
“I don’thavetime, Bram. What I do have, is a publisher waiting on my next book and thousands of fans who will be devastated if that book isn’t delivered on time. So figure it out, and figure it out fast, or I’ll figure it out for you.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve gone too far. Daddy’s eyes narrow and he shoves at the rolled-up sleeves of his flannel as he leans forward to unbuckle the belt holding me in the highchair. “That’s enough, little girl.”
Before I can apologize, I’m over his lap with my nightgown flipped up over my back and Daddy’s palm smacking down hard and fast on my upper thighs. Those swats sting even more thanbeing spanked on my bottom, and the pain pulls a series of distressed noises from me as I kick and writhe over his knee.
“Owie, owie, Daddy, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“What are you sorry for, Josephine?” he asks without so much as pausing his assault on my thighs.
Fuck. WhatamI sorry for?
It takes far too long for my brain to engage, and the swats fall even faster and harder in response.
“I’m sorry for being rude!” I manage to screech, and to my blessed relief, the spanking stops. I’m immediately set on my feet, with my stern-faced Daddy glaring down at me.
“I understand you’re frustrated, Josie, but that’s no excuse to be rude. Now, you are going to go find a game or something to play with Lanie while I go talk to your Uncle Colt. If you are not in the living room when I come looking for you, I’m going to do worse than give you a couple swats on the thighs when I find you. Am I understood?”
A couple swats? Try a coupledozen. But with my skin still burning and tears still in my eyes, I’m smart enough not to say that out loud. “Yes, Daddy,” I say instead, adding a pitiful little sniffle that will hopefully put me back in his good graces.
“Good girl.” His arms slide around me, pulling me to him as he dips his head to capture my lips with his. “If you’re a good little bug the rest of the morning, maybe I can talk your Uncle Axel into all of us taking a trip into town for some ice cream. How does that sound?”
Surprisingly, the offer of ice cream does help to ease some of the sting of my punishment. Perhaps because, deep down, I really am still a Little girl on some level.
“Okay, Daddy!”
He gives me another kiss before nudging me toward the living room. “Stay out of trouble. I’ll come find you as soon as I’m done talking to Uncle Colt.”
