by Allysa Hart
“Are you ready to address me properly, little girl?”
The scheme that Keith and Rose had cooked up was working. Katie nodded. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Much better, thank you. Let’s go take our walk.”
Katie suddenly threw her arms around Rose’s neck and clung tightly. “Thank you for loving me, Auntie. I’m sorry I’ve been such a pain.”
Rose engulfed her in a hug and rocked back and forth. “You are very welcome, my girl. It wasn’t your fault, either. We know how hard this has been for you. We just couldn’t let you lose yourself.”
“That would have made Daddy sad. I was selfish,” Katie said, looking at the ground.
“Hurting hearts don’t always help the brain think straight. We love you and, as we promised, we will get through this together, okay?”
“Thank you.”
Chapter Five
Although the fresh air felt amazing, Katie tired quickly during the walk and began to drag behind. Rose took her home and sat her on the bed to take off her shoes.
“It’s time for your nap, honey. You’ll feel better when you wake up,” she said, tucking Katie in under the blankets. She kissed her forehead and sang softly as she tidied up the room. Staring at the ceiling, Katie’s thoughts dwelled on how different her life was going to be without Mark. Many occasions had arisen that spurred him to talk about the ‘what-ifs’ of life, and she avoided the subject. To lose someone so perfect and strip her of happiness wasn’t fair, but Rose’s song reminded her that she had the love and support of two wonderful people. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Katie woke from her nap feeling refreshed and full of energy. The joy on Rose’s face lifted her spirits as they cooked dinner together and chatted in familiar comfort. Keith arrived home just as the meal was finished, stood at the entrance to the kitchen and cleared his throat.
“Hi, honey I didn’t hear you come in.” Rose bounced into his arms.
“I noticed. How are my girls?”
His wife stretched up onto her tiptoes to give him a kiss. “Perfect.”
“Hi, Keith. How was your day?” Katie asked nonchalantly as she dried the last pan and put it in the cabinet.
With a raised eyebrow, Keith regarded her. “I beg your pardon? Is that how you are supposed to address me, young lady?”
Katie transformed from an adult to her little mode in an instant. Hands clasped in front of her, she then lowered her eyes. “No, Sir. I’m sorry. I was helping Auntie and forgot.”
“It’s my fault. We were preparing dinner together, and I got a little lax with making her use the proper addresses,” Rose intervened.
“I see.” Keith’s voice lowered. “Didn’t you and I discuss how important it was to maintain normality?”
“Yes, but we were just having some regular girl time while we made dinner for you.”
“Nice try, my love. You and I will have a private discussion later about how important it is to keep consistent. Understand?”
Rose flushed. Unable to keep eye contact, she turned to busy herself with gathering plates. “Yes, Sir.”
He nodded. “Thank you. I trust you behaved yourself today, Miss Katie?”
Katie shot a look at Rose remembering the tiny bit of trouble that had landed her in the corner. Not finding any support, her eyes traveled back to Keith. Still in uniform with his attention fully focused on her, he looked more intimidating than usual. Swallowing hard, she confessed.
“I was pretty good. I was just a little bit naughty and had to stand in the corner, but then I fixed it. Didn’t I, Auntie?” She held her breath waiting for Rose to nod in agreement.
“Excellent. I’m going to change clothes, and then we can eat. Dinner smells amazing.” He leaned down to kiss Katie on the head as he walked by her. The gesture left her feeling as though she belonged and had been living with them forever.
Everything went well that evening until Katie stood to take her dinner plate to the sink.
“Excuse me, missy, but do I still see food on your plate?” Keith asked.
“Yeah, but I’m done.” Confusion contorted her brow.
“Not until you ask to be excused. You know our rules.”
Katie sighed and plopped back down at the table. “I’m full. May I please be excused?”
“After you eat your vegetables.”
“I did!” she exclaimed, pointing at her plate.
“Then what are those?” He motioned to the small pile that she had pushed off to the side.
“I don’t eat green beans, and you know it.”
“Why not? Do you have an allergy to them?”
“Come on Uncle Keith! You know I’m not allergic to anything. I just don’t like them. They’re gross.” Scrunching her nose, she poked at her plate.
“There are only three beans, and they aren’t even whole ones. Just eat them.”
“No. I don’t like them, and I am full. Daddy never made me eat them, and you aren’t going to either.”
“I didn’t ask if you liked them. I told you to finish what’s on your plate, and if you want to argue with me, you may go stand in the corner.” Taking a bite of his own vegetables, Keith held eye contact to spur her on in a challenge to push him.
“Ugh. I don’t like them and don’t eat them. Not now and not ever,” she whined and crossed her arms for good measure.
“Go stand in the corner and stay there until you decide to change your attitude,” he ordered, dismissing her and the outburst with a shrug before turning his attention back to his meal.
“Daddy never made me eat green beans!”
“One…”
“Fine!” Katie pushed away from the table and stomped to the corner where she kicked the wall and crossed her arms.
Rose chimed in. “Miss Katie and I already had a discussion today about how to stand in the corner.”
“Did you? What did you tell her?”
“That if she had to be reminded again that she would be standing bare bottomed.”
“Seriously, Rose? You couldn’t come to my rescue about the vegetables and now this?” Katie glared at the couple with frustration.
“You heard your Auntie. Bare your bottom.”
Katie didn’t move. In a lightning fast motion, Keith left his chair and snatched her wrist to pull her away from the wall. Her pants and panties were yanked to her thighs and twelve hard, and rapid swats were fired—six to each cheek. He turned her back to the wall and spoke firmly into her ear. “Little girls who want to be defiant get spanked. If you want to continue this little fit, we can continue this lesson over my knee. Your choice. Would you like more?”
Rubbing her bottom to alleviate the sting, Katie rapidly shook her head. “No, Sir. I’m done.”
“Glad to hear it. In five minutes you may join us back at the table to finish your dinner.”
“Yes, Uncle Keith.”
The minutes passed slowly, as all corner time seemed to do. Katie hated the corner—it was so pointless and boring. She also felt vulnerable and exposed with her pink bottom on display, but when she dared to peek over her shoulder, she saw that Keith and Rose had returned to their dinner. The timer went off just as she started shifting from foot to foot.
She heard a chair scrape the floor and Keith turned her around. “Are you ready to join us and finish your dinner now?”
Stifling a groan, Katie nodded. She did not want to eat the disgusting beans, but she had not been given an option. “Yes, Sir. I’m ready.”
Giving her a quick squeeze and peck on the forehead, the man led her back to the table and held the chair for her to sit down. Holding her breath, she choked down the hated cylindrical green vegetables and then washed the offending taste away with an entire glass of milk. This time, her request to be excused was granted so she fled to the guest room and plopped on the bed. Reflecting on the day, she realized that she didn’t feel so alone anymore.
Her cell phone beeped with an email. Grabbing it, she paus
ed to look at the picture on her screen. A memory was involved that warmed her entire body. She had taken a selfie of Mark pushing her on the tire swing, their faces filled with love and joy. “I miss you, Daddy,” she whispered, feeling the ache deep in her heart. “Thank you for giving me Uncle Keith and Auntie Rose. I don’t know what I would have done if I was really alone. I guess you knew that there would be no one else to help me, especially in the way I needed most. I now understand why you were so insistent that I take the new job and transfer here. It wasn’t just to be with you, but it was to keep the four of us close, wasn’t it?”
On impulse, she headed to the room at the end of the hall and went inside. After closing the door behind her, she looked around with fondness as she remembered the day Auntie and Uncle told her they were going to make a room especially for her. They took her with them to pick out paint, bedding, and furniture and even allowed her to help paint the walls. It had taken both of them to scrub off the paint that had covered her body from head to toe. Everything was as she had left it, but on her bed was a brand new Lego set. Without a second thought, she dumped the contents onto the floor and sat cross-legged with the directions in hand.
“Katie? It’s bedtime.” Rose’s voice in the hall broke her concentration.
Looking up at the clock, she was surprised to see that she had been engrossed in the Lego assembly for over an hour and a half.
“Katie! Where are you, sweetheart?” The voice got louder as Rose opened other doors before reaching the correct one.
Katie’s mouth turned up in the corner to form a mischievous grin. She abandoned the Legos and dove under her bed. The door creaked as it opened, and she held her hands over her mouth to hold back the mirth as an overwhelming sense of freedom filled her body.
“Well, someone was in here and got into the new Legos without asking. I wonder where that naughty someone went off to,” Keith said jovially.
“Well, I wonder if the little snoop found any of the other surprises,” Rose added.
Katie scrambled out from under the bed as quick as she could. “There’s more?”
“There you are, silly girl. Did you enjoy yourself?” Rose pointed to the Legos on the floor.
“I love Legos! Thank you. You said there are more surprises. Auntie?”
“I did, but they are for tomorrow and only if you behave yourself.”
“I can be good, especially if there are presents.” She nodded exuberantly.
“Glad to hear it. It’s bedtime, so you need to get cleaned up, change into your jammies, and brush your teeth. Make sure you pick up this mess, too. If you hurry, then we’ll have time to read a story before bed,” Keith said, looping his arm around Rose’s shoulders.
“Okay, can we read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs?”
“If that’s what you want,” he countered.
“Is it okay if I stay in here instead of going back to the guest room?”
“Of course, baby. It’s your room.”
“Yay!” Her body flew into action to obey.
***
Rose and Keith left the room with huge grins on their faces. Looking at her husband triumphantly, Rose couldn’t restrain her tears. “I think we did it.”
“We’ve made huge progress, but there is still a long road ahead. We have our work cut out for us with this one. She’s coping right now using distraction, but we need to be prepared when reality hits. There’s going to be a fine line that we need to be careful of. She needs to be allowed to mourn without losing herself. It’s going to be hard finding a healthy balance.”
“I know, but this is good. Really good. She is arguing, being silly, and playing. I can’t believe the transformation.”
“I agree. Just don’t be surprised if some or all the resistance returns, okay? We just need to stay on the same page and remain consistent.” Keith finished with a raised eyebrow as he referred to the earlier scene in the kitchen. “Incidentally, I have plans to give you a reminder about who is in charge around here.”
“Whatever you say, darling.” The seduction in her voice did not go unnoticed.
“That’s what I like to hear,” he said with an animalistic growl in her ear. He pulled her lips to his as Katie skittered by them on her way to the bathroom.
“Eww, get a room.”
Taking that as a challenge, Keith dipped Rose backward and planted a deep passionate kiss on her waiting lips.
“Grooooossss!” Katie squealed with a gagging noise before she quickly retreated. Her reaction stopped the couple’s display of affection as they melted into shaking laughter.
***
Katie cuddled in her regular bed with her favorite book. Being surrounded by familiar things helped her to feel less alone. Rose entered first and her eyes filled with tears at the sight of the girl snuggling under the covers.
“I’m so proud of you.” Her hand covered her mouth as she swallowed the choking sobs.
“Why are you crying?” Katie questioned honestly.
Rose wiped her eyes and joined her on the bed. “I know it was hard to give into your needs and allow us to take care of you. We will never replace Daddy, but it’s an honor that you are allowing us to be your family. Thank you.”
Katie looked down at her hands unable to handle the tenderness on Rose’s face. She did not want to cry. “You really miss him too, don’t you?”
“Very much. I told you that he was as much a part of our lives as you are. Uncle Keith is still struggling with his loss too. He blames himself for all of it, starting with the move here.”
“I was thinking about that the other night. If Daddy hadn’t come here to work with Uncle Keith, I wouldn’t have met any of you, including Daddy. I came here for a job interview and met him. I transferred immediately just to have the chance to see him again, but pretended to give him a hard time about it.”
“He knew from the beginning that you were the one for him.”
“I knew that too, but I argued that I couldn’t just leave my family just because of a cute stranger.”
“And look what happened,” Rose stroked her face. “Keith just keeps thinking that if he hadn’t talked Daddy into coming in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“It wasn’t his fault. I guess I forget how close you two were to him. Poor Uncle Keith saw it happen, too,” Katie said quietly. She hadn’t taken the time to think about how Mark’s death affected the man who had been like a brother to him for over twenty years.
“Uncle Keith is getting a lot of support at work. He’ll be okay, especially knowing that Daddy trusted him to care for you.”
“I couldn’t do this without you and Uncle,” Katie admitted. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”
“We would never give up on you, baby. You’re stuck with us.” She slid next to Katie under the covers and held her warmly. Keith entered the room several minutes later to see the two cuddled together under the blankets. “There’s my two favorite girls. Did you still want me to read to you?”
Katie pointed to the book. “Yes, please. And use your voices.”
Taking the book, Keith leaned over and kissed her nose. “Sure kiddo, one story and then bed.”
Katie nodded and nuzzled into Auntie Rose.
***
Rose stood back as Keith tucked Katie into bed and kissed her good night. She loved seeing him interact so tenderly with their girl, but her heart still ached with the desire to give him a child of his own. She moved into the hallway so that he could shut the door behind him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, lifting her chin to face him.
“I just wish I could give you a real baby of your own to love.”
“I have you and Katie. I don’t need anyone else.”
“You’d be such a great father. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, we talked about it. I’m happy with how things are. We have the freedom to do whatever we want at any time. An infant would limit us. I’m happy with our life as it is.”
“H
onest?”
“I’ve never lied to you, have I?” He waited until she shook her head. “Now, my impish little wife, we have some things to discuss.” He put his hands on her hips and placed tiny kisses around the base of her neck.
“I don’t think we should. Katie might hear, and she’s just settling in. We don’t want to scare her off.” Her head rolled back allowing him access to her throat.
“Are you embarrassed because she hasn’t heard you get spanked before?” His low chortle vibrated through her body causing her to shiver as goose bumps covered her skin.
“No. She’s just fragile, and I’m exhausted. Can’t we just skip to the good stuff? I don’t need a spanking.”
He kissed the sensitive place behind her ear before adopting a more serious demeanor. “You don’t? I disagree. I’m going to lock up and shut everything down while you go into the bedroom, strip and kneel in front of the bed.”
“Really, babe. I’m not feeling it tonight.” Her brain was screaming at her mouth to stop talking. With all of the pressure and obligations of the last few weeks, she could definitely use the stress relief that she experienced when Keith spanked her.
“It’s been well over a week since I last put your backside across my knee. We both need the release. If you would prefer to turn this into a punishment session, then feel free to keep arguing.”
A punishment spanking was not the way that either one of them would choose to spend the evening. Rose sighed, “Whatever you want.”
“Go to the bedroom. I’ll be in shortly.”
“Yes, Sir.” After kissing his cheek, she left to do as she was told. Tossing her clothes into the laundry basket, she knelt and allowed a sense of peace to take over her body. This side of Keith both excited and frightened her even after all these years. Fixing her eyes on a spot on the plush rug, she listened for his movements. When the door opened, she held her breath, only releasing it when the quiet sound of his praise was heard. The squeaking of drawers made her tremble in anticipation as she wondered what he had planned. Even though she had wanted to fight and avoid this session, she could already feel the liberty of releasing control take root in her psyche. She knew that the pent-up stress and anxiety could only be brought to the surface and released under the comfort and safety of her husband’s solid authority.