Sunny and Duke
Sunny felt Duke come up behind her. He wrapped his arm around her and she leaned back into his body.
“Warm enough, Little Rebel?” he asked as he rocked her slowly back and forth.
Even though night had fallen, it wasn’t really cold, so she felt fine in her cutoff shorts and sweater.
“I’m good. Thanks, Daddy. Poor Millie, though. She has to sit with her foot up.”
“At least she can sit comfortably. Spike was surprisingly lenient.”
“She said he promised her a spanking later.”
“I probably would have given you one straight away,” he told her.
“Jeez, that’s so mean,” she replied.
He kissed the top of her head with a chuckle. They were waiting on Ink to start setting off the fireworks. People were sitting and standing around, but no one was allowed to go too close.
“Have you seen the Fox lately?” she asked. “He seems to be having a good time.”
“Not sure how you can tell that, but at least he’s not hiding in the forest, watching. Although, if he had been, then I might not have gotten a second cupcake to the face.”
Sunny bit back a giggle at that. That had been too funny.
“And I can feel you holding back your laughter, brat,” he told her. “I haven’t forgotten that you got me in the face as well.”
“All’s fair in love and war, Daddy,” she told him. “I love you, and that was a cupcake war.”
“Not what I was imagining you’d all do with those cupcakes,” he said dryly. “But yeah, I think the Fox has done fine, and Autumn and Brody seem to have enjoyed themselves, which is probably what he cares about most.”
Yeah, she was pretty sure they were the only reason he’d come here. The Fox wasn’t used to social events like this. He wasn’t used to having friends or having people care about him. You just had to be careful how you let the Fox know how you felt.
You also had to be careful about what you said around him, or you could end up with a gift that you really hadn’t expected.
Like when she’d mentioned how much she’d love to see a baby elephant, and she’d then found two first class tickets to South Africa along with a voucher for a safari in her handbag last week. She still hadn’t shown Duke those yet.
Sometimes it was like she had a fairy Foxmother.
But she’d never say that to the Fox, of course.
Or to Duke.
“I’m going to go help Ink with the fireworks. You okay, baby?” Duke asked her.
She smiled over her shoulder at him. “I’m perfect. I have everything I could ever want or need. How could I not be?”
Turning her to him, he kissed her lightly before rubbing his nose against hers. “You are everything I could ever have hoped for, Little Rebel. Now, you stay back here, understand? Right by the others.”
“I will, Daddy. Have fun playing with your rockets.”
He was laughing as he walked off.
And, yeah, she confessed that she watched his ass as he moved.
Magnificent.
Walking over to Millie, she sat in the seat next to her. “How’s the foot going?”
“It’s going nowhere,” Millie said. “And neither am I.” Her sore foot was elevated on another chair with an ice pack on it. “Hack checked it over, and he said it’s fine.”
“Actually, I said that you look like you’ve twisted it and it’s slightly swollen, and to keep off it and elevate it,” Hack told her sternly. “And you’re going to listen to your Daddy and let him take care of you.”
Millie sighed. “Rats.”
Mr. Fluffy let out a small sigh, almost as though echoing Millie. He was lying at her feet with a pair of earmuffs on. He looked ridiculous and cute at the same time.
The other dogs were in Ink and Betsy’s bedroom which was well soundproofed.
“It’s all right, Mr. Fluffy. I don’t blame you,” Millie told him, reaching down to scratch his head. “You can’t help it if you want a hotdog. I get it. That food you’re eating tastes like shit.”
Sunny let out a surprised giggle. “Poor Mr. Fluffy.”
“Ooh, I think they’re getting ready to set off the fireworks,” Millie said, sounding more cheerful.
“Has anyone seen the boys?” Betsy asked, walking over with Zippy. She sat on a chair on Millie’s other side. “I can’t find them anywhere.” Zippy sat down on a rug that had been laid out on the ground. “I swear, those two are going to give me gray hair.”
“They’re just naughty, Mama,” Zippy told her. “Unlike me. I’m an angel.”
All three women looked down at the little girl in surprise. An angel, huh? Sunny had to hold back another giggle. She wasn’t sure that she would describe Zippy as an angel exactly.
“Ooh, look at that. Here they come,” Zippy said. She squealed and clapped her hands as fireworks started exploding in the sky.
So pretty.