Chapter 6
Spike set her down in her special high chair at the table. He strapped her in before placing some toys on the tray for her to play with.
“It’s dinosaur feeding time!” she cried as her dinosaurs started to battle it out.
After putting some pasta on to boil, he sat at the table and grabbed his phone.
“Who you texting, Daddy?” she asked suspiciously. “It’s not the Easter Bunny, is it? You’re not telling him not to come, are you?”
“Why would I do that?” Spike asked, looking surprised.
“Because I was a bad girl and didn’t listen to you. I won’t do it anymore, Daddy. I will be a good girl. I promise.”
“Hey.” Standing, he around the table so he was in front of her. Bending down, he grasped her chin in his hand, tilting her face up. “You could never do anything that would make me tell the Easter Bunny or Santa or anyone else not to come, understand? You’re a good girl.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead, then her nose. “I’m just texting Reyes to let him know I won’t be into Reapers tonight. We’re having a vote on whether to let Stone become a member.”
“But you have to go tonight, Daddy!” she said in alarm as he set the phone down and went back to cooking dinner.
“What? Why?” he asked.
“Because you need to deliver the invitations.”
“Baby doll, I’m not leaving you after a migraine like that. I’ll deliver them another day.”
“Tomorrow?”
He eyed her. “We’ll see.”
Oh no. She didn’t like the sound of ‘we’ll see.’
“They have to be delivered tomorrow, Daddy,” she told him as he moved back to the stove to drain the pasta. “Please?”
“All right. Daddy will deliver them tomorrow.”
Millie clapped her hands. “You’re the best Daddy ever!”
“Is that because you think you have Daddy wrapped around your little finger?” he asked dryly as he put a plate of pasta in front of her. He sat on the chair facing her and forked some up.
“Daddy, I never thought that.” She gave him a shocked look.
That was a lie.
A little white one.
Because she totally thought that.
Spike fed her a bite of the pasta and she ate it slowly. Yummy. He knew just how to make it the way she liked.
Cheesy and delicious.
“Are you not eating, Daddy?” she asked in concern.
“I’ll eat soon, baby doll. Gonna get you fed and settled, then Daddy will eat. My baby comes first.”
Yep. Best Daddy ever.
“Daddy, I can feeds myself,” she told him proudly. “Then you can eats.”
“I like feeding you, though.”
She smiled at him and he fed her several more bites until she shook her head. “Enough, Daddy.”
He got up with the plate and put it in the dishwasher before returning with one of her sippy cups filled with water.
“Can I have fairy juice?” she asked, wrinkling her nose at the cup of plain water.
“No more fairy juice. Just plain water.”
Millie sighed. “That sucks.”
Spike just gave her a look as he stood there.
“I mean, thanks, Daddy!”
“Yep. That’s what I thought you meant to say.”
Silly Daddy. Well, she’d let him have his delusions while she drank boring water.
Picking up the sippy cup, she gulped it down with a big sigh of satisfaction.
“Good?” Spike asked.
“Yep. That’s the good stuff, Daddy.”
He snorted in amusement. She shuffled around on her seat. “Daddy, down!”
“Excuse me?” he asked in a low voice.
“Daddy, down!”
What was so hard to understand about that?
Spike put his hands on his hips as he gave her a stern look. “Is that how we ask for something?”
“Umm.” She was sensing that it was not.
“Someone has forgotten their manners.” After grabbing some wet wipes from the table, he tilted her face back so he could wash it. Next, he wiped her fingers and hands. “I think that someone needs some corner time so that they can make better choices.”
“Is that someone Chompers? Because I think he ate a chocolate bar for breakfast.” She glanced down at Chompers who sat beside her on the high-chair. “Make better choices, Chompers.”
“Chompers isn’t the one who is going into timeout. That would be Millie.”
She gasped. “Me, Daddy?”
“You.” He undid her straps, then lifted off the tray.
That’s when Millie thought she’d make her move. If she could just get away from him, then she could run . . . run like the wind!
Of course, she conveniently forgot that she hated to run.
And, as usual, Spike was one step ahead of her. He caught her as she tried to slide off the seat.
“What do you think you are doing?” he asked.
“Um, getting down, Daddy.”
“Are you allowed to get down on your own?” he asked.
“I can do it, Daddy.”
“That’s not what I asked, Millie.”
Shoot.
“No, Daddy.”
“No, because you could hurt yourself. Were you planning on running from me?”
She gasped. “You know I don’t like to run.”
“You don’t mind running when it saves you from a timeout. Or a hot butt.”
“No one said anything about a hot butt, Daddy!”
“Well, someone might need one.”
“That seems a bit harsh. Poor Chompers was just doing what a dinosaur does.”
Spike grunted, then lifted her into the air, putting her on his hip. He carried her into the living room and set her down by the corner.
“Stay there. I’ll get you a chair.”
“I don’t need a chair, Daddy.”
“You just had a migraine, you’re not standing.”
That wasn’t exactly what she’d meant.
“I mean I don’t need a chair because I don’t need to spend any time in the corner. I’m already sorry for forgetting my manners. I just lost my head for a moment. It happens to the best of us.”
“I can see that,” he agreed. “Lucky for you, you have a Daddy to help you remember these things. Stay.”
Darn it.
Why could she never talk him out of these punishments? It’s like he thought he was doing it for her own good or something.
Silly Daddy.
He returned with a chair from the dining table and set it down in front of her, facing the corner.
“Turn around and sit.”
Millie thought about protesting. But she really didn’t want a sore bottom.
So, with a huff, she did as ordered.
“Good girl. Now, you’re going to sit there for ten minutes and think about what you did and what you could have done differently. Understand?”
“Yes, Daddy. I will.”
She was nothing if not obedient.
“Give me Chompers.” He held out his hand for her toy dinosaur.
“I don’t know, Daddy. Chompers has been rather naughty today. Chocolate bar for breakfast, remember? I think it might do him some good to contemplate his circumstances.”
“Hmm. You could be right.”
“I am right.” Millie was always right.
She hated corner time. Of course, she didn’t think anyone really ever liked it. But it sucked sitting here, doing nothing. Sure, she was meant to be contemplating her circumstances. But that didn’t sound like much fun, if you asked her.
“All right, baby doll. You can come out of the corner now.”
Oh, thank goodness.
Standing, the room kind of spun and she had to sit down abruptly. Mr. Fluffy let out an alarmed bark as Chompers slid to the floor.
Spike rushed over to pick her up, holding her against his chest. “Hey, are you all right?”
“Me? Yep. I’m good, Daddy. Everything just spun for a moment.”
“Shit. Fuck. Shouldn’t have put you in the corner.” He lifted her up against his chest and carried her to the sofa, laying her down on her back. A cushion was placed under her head and then several more were put under her calves to raise her feet up in the air.
“Daddy, I’m okay.”
“You nearly fainted.”
“I didn’t nearly faint,” she countered. “I just got the spins. I probably stood up too fast.”
There was guilt in his face as stared down at her. “Maybe I should call Hack. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.”
Shoot. He looked so worried.
Reaching up, she grasped hold of his hand. “I’m fine, Daddy. I promise. I don’t need Hack. I just stood up too fast. You know the effects of a migraine can last for a while.”
“Yeah, that’s true. But that means I shouldn’t have put you in timeout.”
“Daddy,” she scolded. “I’m fine. I deserved it. I promise I’m okay.”
He cupped the side of her face, staring down at her. “All right. But from now on, I’ll help you up. And you’re taking it easy. Early night for you.”
“Okay, Daddy. I love you.”
He crouched before leaning forward to kiss her lightly. “Love you too, baby doll.”