Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
“Hmm.”
“Go ahead and eat while you think.”
She took a bite of mac and cheese. A second later, she looked up and grinned. She waited until she’d chewed and swallowed to say, “That’s delicious, Daddy. The best mac and cheese I’ve ever had.”
He reached over to ruffle her hair. “That’s because you’ve been eating mac and cheese from a cardboard box. Bleh.”
She giggled and took another bite before looking at him again. “I know another rule.”
“Good. What is it?”
“Brush my teeth before I go to bed.”
“That is a good one. Daddy will supervise like last night to make sure you don’t rush the process.”
“Are you planning to sing every night?” Her eyes danced with mirth.
“Are you saying you didn’t like my singing?”
She gave an exaggerated gasp. “Of course not, Daddy. That wouldn’t be kind. I’m saying I might have trouble sleeping if you put that ABC earworm in my head every night. Spike might get tired of it too.”
Terry laughed. “We wouldn’t want to risk Spike’s wrath. After all, he has a very large jaw and a lot of teeth.”
“That’s right. It’s best to be kind when you’re around Spike. In fact, you probably don’t want to punish me when he’s around. He might take it the wrong way and bite you. He’s very protective of me,” she informed him.
“Oh, I think Spike is a very wise gator. He knows that rules are in place because your Daddy is so kind. He wouldn’t want to see you get hurt from making poor decisions either.”
Kiki sighed. “Darn. You’re probably right. He is smart. Shoot.”
Daddy laughed. “Eat your dinner, Bumblebee. We’ll continue the list afterward. Try the veggies. I baked them in the oven with special seasonings on them. I think you’ll like them.”
She stabbed into a carrot and then added a spear of broccoli. After taking the perfect bite with both flavors at once, she grinned and nodded. “You’re a great cook, Daddy.”
“Thank you, Little one.”
Chapter Ten
“Are you sure you want to go over more rules tonight, Daddy?” Kiki made a huge fake yawn, hoping he might think she was far too tired to discuss more rules.
He had cleaned up the table while she’d finished coloring her picture. Afterward, she’d carefully torn it out of the book and beamed when he’d hung it on the fridge.
Now they were in the living room. Kiki was curled up in the corner of the couch with Spike in her lap. She’d hoped the gator’s presence might convince Daddy tonight wasn’t a good night to go over rules. After all, it was risky with all those teeth between them.
But Daddy was undaunted by the gator. In fact, Kiki was feeling a bit put out by the way Spike had taken to the new man in their lives. He hadn’t even snapped at Daddy when Daddy stroked the top of his head. Traitor.
“Yep. We’re going to make a list together. One, do as Daddy says without argument. Two, brush your teeth thoroughly before bed and after breakfast. What’s three?”
Kiki sighed. She might as well get this over with. He obviously wasn’t going to let up until it was done. “Hmmm. No cussing.”
“Oh, right.” He wrote that one down, adding it to the written list in his lap. “And let’s not forget no makeup times. When you’re home and not heading to work, you won’t need to wear makeup in the house. Daddy likes to see your fresh face. The real you is so pretty.”
“I don’t think that’s a safety hazard,” she countered.
“Sure it is. It’s good for your skin to leave all those chemicals off so it can heal and rejuvenate sometimes. I bet it has long-term safety benefits in the way of skin care issues later in life.”
She was pretty sure he made that up on the spot, which made her giggle. “That’s the silliest stretch for a rule ever in the history of rules, Daddy.”
“Still a rule. Your turn.”
She tapped her lips with her fingers while she tried to think of another one. “How about no eating on the couch. It leaves crumbs and crumbs attract mice, and the mice might bite me, and then I’d have to get a shot at the hospital. Definitely a safety hazard.” She was being intentionally silly, but he seemed to like this banter between them. She certainly did.
“You have a good point. I think drinks should be permitted but only in a sippy cup so they can’t spill.”
“Agreed.” She gave a nod.
“No complaining when Daddy says it’s time for bed or a nap.”
“I don’t take naps, Daddy. I’m too old for naps. Besides I never have time.”
“No one is too old for naps. Even Daddy likes to nap sometimes. Naps keep Little girls from getting grouchy. Getting to bed on time is incredibly important for your health too.” He winked at her. “Want me to list the health benefits of getting enough sleep?” he teased.