by G. S. Carr
“Okay sweetie. Negotiate away. Remember these are grandma’s cookies that she made this morning so your argument needs to be solid.”
I morph my face into an equally serious manner. Satisfied that she has my full attention Emma lifts her fingers to begin listing off the reasons for her argument.
“Yesterday I did all my homework without being asked. Today I helped you vacuum. All this good behavior deserves a reward.”
Moments like these are the best and hardest part about being a parent. I want to laugh so badly, but it would ruin this lesson.
“And why should that reward be a cookie before dinner?” I ask barely keeping my composure.
“Because that’s the reward I want. You have to reward people will stuff they want.”
My smile breaks through the seriousness I try to maintain. Emma was a smart little person and I couldn’t be more proud of her. She is my heart, just like her father.
“Good point,” I agree nodding my head. “You get half a cookie before dinner and the other half afterwords.”
I reach into the plate of cookies on the counter and break one in half. I extend it to her and wait for her decision. Emma opens her mouth then closes it. She wants to argue, but she is thinking over the consequences. Some cookie is better than no cookie, but can another round of negotiations give her a whole cookie.
“Okay,” she beams, snatching the cookie from my hand. She scurries out of the room, prize in hand.
“Why on earth did you teach her that?” Wyatt asks as he comes up and hugs me from behind. He plants a kiss on my neck then nuzzles my cheek.
“Negotiation skills are critical for anyone. I want my children to be well prepared for life,” I reply running my hands over my swollen belly. Wyatt places his hands over mine. Never in a million years could I have imagined this would be my life. My husband adores the ground I walk on and I have a beautiful daughter with another on the way. The money we had left after paying for my mothers surgery and his debt isn’t half bad either. Looking out the bay window over the sink at the expanse of woods behind our ranch style home contentment washes over me.
“I love you.” I croon, melting further into Wyatt’s arms.
“Love you too doll.”
About the Author
G.S. Carr is the writer historical and contemporary romance novels. She has always enjoyed indulging in her imagination. At a very young age she had a thirst for reading and the many possibilities it helped come alive in her mind’s eye. Ms. Carr can normally be found locked away with a good book in her home in Charlotte, NC or traveling the globe to places like India, Bali, Tokyo, or London.
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Also by G.S. Carr
The Cost of Hope
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D79N66J
Alexander Cummings had long ago accepted that love was lost to him. After picking up the pieces of his broken heart, he threw himself into the duties of owning one of the largest plantations in Elba Alabama. But it seems life shows him mercy when the goddess he thought he lost appears back in his life as if conjured from his deepest desires. Only she returns far from the same and with secrets he never imagined.
Abducted and having survived slavery, Soleil Dufor wants one thing in life: safety. When pushed to the brink she has no choice but to gain it on her own. That is until life throws her into the arms of a handsome plantation owner who claims to love her. Instincts tell her she shouldn’t trust him, but circumstances dictate she must.
As society threatens, and lives could be lost, only together can they both get what they want. But neither will come out unscathed and they must ask themselves, is the sacrifice worth the cost?