Chapter 25 #2
“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 you are lying, 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 smart not to be an engineer or a scientist or something big 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.”
“And there are plenty of ways to contribute without following their path. What do you want to do, little dove?”
Another simple question with an impossibly complicated answer.
An answer she’d never really let herself think about because as far as she’d been concerned her life had already been all laid out for her.
“I don’t know. I’ve never really had any kind of pull toward anything.
Well, except reading,” Kylie added with a laugh.
“I love books, especially the smutty ones. But that’s not a career path. ”
“Says who?”
“I… don’t know, actually. I never really thought about it.” And wasn’t that a kick in the ass?
Who knew it would only take three pointed questions to completely unravel her entire worldview?
“Hmm. It happens that I know some people we could talk to, if you decide you are interested in pursuing writing or even editing or something as a career. For now, let’s focus on the call from your mother. What happened after you got off the phone with her?”
“I just sorta spiraled, I guess. And Danny was so sweet, cuddling me and stuff while I cried about it, and then he said what I really needed was you.”
“So you came to Bozeman,” Mommy concluded, her expression a mixture of understanding and grief. “Because you needed your Mommy.”
“Yeah. But I guess we should have called you, first. I don’t really know why we didn’t.”
“That’s my fault,” Danny confessed quietly. “I was so caught up in giving Kylie what she needed, I just sorta went for it. And I figured if we got in trouble I’d take the blame and everything would be okay. I really never expected everything to go so sideways, I swear.”
“I believe you, sweet boy. And I’m proud of you for wanting to take care of your sister. However…” Mommy paused, seemingly weighing her next words carefully. “You did disobey me. I understand why, but I also need to be able to trust you to make good decisions when I’m not around.”
“I get it. I’m really sorry, Mommy.”
“I know you are, baby. So you’re going to have some lines of your own to write, alongside your sister.”
Surprise flickered across Danny’s face. “You’re not going to spank me?”
“Not this time. Trust me, I considered it, especially when I saw you two drunk off your asses in that bar. But knowing you really did have the best intentions and you weren’t just disobeying me for no reason…
I think the lines will suffice this time around.
If it happens again, however, neither one of you will be sitting comfortably for some time. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Mommy,” they chorused together, and Kylie felt something inside her shift, settle in a way it hadn’t since she’d woken up in that hotel room in Bozeman.
“My good little loves. And for my part, I promise that next time I will give you a chance to explain, no matter how upset I am. I never want you to think I’m too angry to give you the comfort and love you need.”
Sighing happily, Kylie snuggled into her Mommy’s embrace. “And no more thinking you’re not a good enough Mommy for us?”
“I’m going to work on it, really, really hard. It’s still a little difficult for me to believe I’m worthy of not just one but two amazing Little ones. You are everything to me, and I am going to work very hard to be the Mommy you deserve.”
“Oh, Mommy. You already are.”
Humming happily, Mommy nuzzled her nose against Kylie’s temple. “Let’s see if you still feel that way after you see what Mommy has planned for you. To the bedroom, my Little loves. I want you both naked and on the bed when I join you.”