Page 26 of Muffin Top
"Hey, sweetheart." I bent, pulling her into my arms. "You just wake up?"
She nodded, snuggling close, her little arms wrapping around my neck.
"We had a great tea party earlier that ran through normal nap time," Wolf told me around a mouth full of muffin. "General Nicole here was deciding on the taxes to allot the Teddy Bear Kingdom. She made some good decisions and we just couldn't stop in the middle of the council meeting. Wouldn't be good for the Kingdom."
I rolled my eyes, holding my little girl closer. "She's three."
"Never too early to develop a love of STEM. Or know your leadership appeal."
"Again, she's three."
"Nicole, how old are you?" Wolf asked.
She held out a hand, holding up three fingers.
"And if we add one more how old will you be next year?"
She held up another finger for four.
"See? Girl is a genius."
"And her Uncle is biased." Honey sang, piping icing onto bare cupcakes. "Babe, do you want to get her fed?"
"Can do."
I fed and washed our little munchkin, letting her play for a while before getting her settled for bed. I finished with a story, tucking my baby in. Roast Beef, named for the meal we had on the night we'd found out we were pregnant, and Cupcake settled on their beds outside Nicole's room. Her overly enthusiastic guardians.
I returned to find my kitchen somewhat back to rights. The baked goods still occupied most surfaces but the dishes were clean, and the goodies were all packed in boxes or Tupperware that I had no idea we even owned. I found my beautiful wife in the living room, decorating cookies.
"Hey, you wanna order something? The kitchen's a disaster zone and your family bailed." She piped two circles on either end of the cookie, adding links from one to the other turning it from a blue blob to a blue background with handcuffs.
"That's cool," I looked over her other decorations. "I married a talented woman."
She looked up, beaming at me. "And I married one hot Sheriff."
I chuckled, settling down beside her. "I love you, Honey."
"Love you too, Babe."
I looked around, taking in the numerous boxes she'd painstakingly assembled all to get me and my guys a new couch.
"Nicole's asleep," I ran a hand down her leg. "How about I put that order in and you take a break to relax?"
She raised an eyebrow at me, pausing in her decorating. "What did you have in mind?"
"You've been working so hard, how about a massage?"
Her eyes lit, her cheeks immediately flushing. "Yes, please."
I pulled her up, leading her to the stairs. "Go get ready."
She started to turn, but I stopped her with a gentle tug on her wrist. She tilted her head in question.
"What do you say?"
She bit her lip, her eyes dark with desire. "Yes, Sheriff."
"Good girl," I smacked her on the butt as she passed, causing her to squeal and laugh as she jogged up the stairs. "Hurry, Honey. I got a mighty need to see you flushed and relaxed."
"Promises, promises!"
And that's how we ended up with a brother for Nicole, a new couch for the precinct, and our next dog being named Muffin.
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