Page 29 of Loving Her

“Yeah. They’re fun. It’s just not the same.”

“You mean they don’t work puzzles as awesome as I do?” I ask, wiggling my eyebrows.

She giggles, her little face lit up with happiness. “Uncle Cooper works them faster than you do.”

“You lie!” I huff, feigning outrage.

“Nu-uh,” she laughs.

“I’m going to get you for that,” I warn playfully, right before I start tickling her.

“Ah! Stop!” she cries, curling up against my playful attack, all the time laughing louder and louder.

“I’m the King of puzzles! Admit it,” I announce.

“Uncle Cooper is!” she says back, all but cackling now.

“Nu-uh,” I disagree, mocking her and sounding just as childish.

“And just what is going on here?” Indy asks, making Tinny and I freeze in unison. The two of us look at each other and start laughing. Indy walks over to us. “Are you two forgetting it’s way past bedtime?”

“It’s Bwaker’s fault, Mommy! He tickled me!”

I gasp. “You weren’t supposed to tell on me.”

“I can’t lie to Mommy, Bwaker. I’ll get in trouble,” she says with big, innocent eyes.The little stinker.

“Yeah,Bwaker, you wouldn’t want her to lie to me, would you?” Indy taunts.

I smirk at her, letting her know without words that she’s going to be punished later. “No, I wouldn’t do that. That would make me bad, and I wouldn’t want to get a spanking for being bad. Would you, Doc?”

Her eyes go round, her sweet mouth making an O shape, showing her surprise. She looks stunned.

“He’s right, Mommy. You don’t want a spanking. Those hurt!”

That snaps Indy out of her thoughts. She walks over to her daughter and kisses her forehead before pulling the cover up around her. “And what would you know about spankings, young lady? I’ve never spanked you. You’ve only been put into time out.”

“I know, but Bobby Watson’s parents spanked him once, and he said it hurt really bad. His daddy did it and his daddy has really big muscles! They’re almost as big as Bwaker’s.”

“That is big,” Indy agrees, grinning at me. “What did Bobby do that was so bad?” she asks.

“He shaved his baby brother's hair.”

“He did?” I ask, trying to imagine that.

“Yep. His brother was only three. That’s a baby. He’s not old like me, Bwaker.”

“I know. You’re a big girl.”

“I am!” she agrees happily.

“How did he shave his brother’s hair?” Indy asks.

“He found his dad’s razor in the bathroom and used it.”

“Yikes,” I respond, making a mental reminder not to leave anything that can be used as a weapon lying out—especially if that item can cut orshavehair.

“Okay, time to quit talking. It’s bedtime, young lady,” Indy says with a wink.