Page 5 of A Little Christmas Wish

“Um. I’m sure that wasn’t me.”

“No? Then who was it?”

“Naughty Betsy,” she told him.

More of that knot inside her unraveled. Between shifting houses and getting ready to have a foster child, Betsy realized that she’d had barely any Little time.

Perhaps that’s why she felt like such a mess at the moment. On edge. Worried.

“Naughty Betsy, huh?”

“Uh-huh.” She nodded emphatically. “Naughty Betsy. I can’t be held accountable for her actions, Daddy.”

“You can’t? How am I going to discipline naughty Betsy, then?”

“I don’t know, Daddy. But I heard she really, really hates ice cream. So maybe you should buy some ice cream and make me eat it. That would really show naughty Betsy.”

“But if you can’t be held accountable for her actions, then surely you can’t eat the ice cream for her. That wouldn’t be fair to you, would it?”

Shoot. She bit her lip. Trust Ink to find a loophole.

He was just too smart for her bottom’s own good.

“Um. Well. I think I could take her punishment.” She sighed. “I mean, if I really had to.”

“Well, that’s very good of you. So you can do the five minutes corner time she’s owed.”

She gasped. “But, Daddy! What about the ice cream? Weren’t you going to punish her with ice cream? Naughty Betsy hates ice cream and loves corner time.”

“I’ve never heard of a Little who loves corner time. That sounds suspicious. Would you be lying to me, Button?”

“Me, Daddy?” She put her hand on her chest and gave him an earnest look. “I would never lie. I’m Good Girl Betsy. I can see how you’d get us confused seeing as we look very alike. But Iama good girl who does not deserve corner time.”

“You’re adorable, is what you are.” He booped her nose. “But you’re not getting ice cream and you are getting corner time for rolling your eyes at Daddy.”

Darn it.

So not fair.

Her bottom lip dropped. Then it wobbled.

“And put that away, little girl.” He tapped her lip. “Wait there while I come around and get you.”

Sheesh.

She felt like rolling her eyes again at him. She always waited for him to open her door. Whether she was Big or Little.

That was the rule.

But she decided rolling her eyes would likely just get her ten minutes in the corner. And since they were about to go shopping for new toys . . . yeah, she didn’t want to waste any time.

Betsy watched him walk around the front of the truck. Lord, he was gorgeous. Tall and muscular with blond hair and all of those tattoos . . . yep. She was a lucky girl.

Ink opened her door and gave her a funny look. “Everything all right, Brown eyes?”

“Yes, just admiring how sexy you are.”

“Well, admire as much as you like.” He winked at her as he undid her seatbelt.

---