Page 5 of His Loving Guidance
“Thank you for not making a scene,” Lucy said. “I know I sprang this on you, and at the worst possible time considering our plans for the next three weeks, but I really appreciate how nice you were to Wendy over dinner.”
“She’s family, Lucy. Were you expecting me to kick her out?” He folded his arms across his chest.
“I – I didn’t know what to expect.” She paused and took a tentative step toward him. “I expected you to be angry with me, and I didn’t know how you’d react when you got home and saw her car in the driveway and her suitcases in the foyer.”
“Why would I be angry at you, Lucy? Think carefully.” He wanted her to admit her wrongdoing without having to pry it out of her. Although, the longer he gazed at Lucy, the more he realized he was mostly angry over their ruined three weeks. He could not blame her for Wendy’s troubles, and he sure as hell was not going to throw his sister-in-law out on her ass.
“I know I should’ve called you first, before I told Wendy she could move in. It affects us both, and I kept you out of the loop. I’m sorry. I fucked up our summer.”
“Language, Lucy,” he growled. “I wasn’t planning to punish you tonight, but if hear that word come out of your mouth again, you’ll find yourself over my knee quicker than you can blink.”
Shock registered on her face. “You aren’t going to spank me?”
“Come here.” He waited until she came to stand before him. He took her hands in his, leading her to sit on the bed. Snaking an arm around her waist, he drew her close and kept quiet for several minutes, sorting out his thoughts. Should he spank Lucy? It did not seem entirely fair to punish her. True, she should have talked Wendy’s move-in over with him first, but he would have said yes anyway. He sighed. “Next time something comes up that affects the both of us, you need to talk to me about it first, even if you think you know what decision I would make. Of course I wouldn’t have refused Wendy a place to stay. But you should’ve called me. This was important, and I’m your husband.”
“I made a conscious decision not to call you, James. I was pretty sure you’d say yes, but a small part of me worried that you would say no. So I decided not to call you. Doesn’t that upset you?”
Dammit. Why did this situation have to be so fuzzy? The thought of punishing Lucy over this did not settle well with him. “I’m not entirely happy with your behavior today, Lucy. You should’ve trusted me enough so we could share this problem together. Instead you took it upon yourself to make a decision that affects us both.”
“I ruined our vacation. You’ve worked hard to get these three weeks off and I ruined it. I’m sorry.” The defeat in her voice pulled at his heart. Guilt shone in her eyes as she peered up at him.
“I wasn’t going to spank you, Lucy girl, but now I’m starting to think you need it. I won’t have you beating yourself up over this. What’s done is done.”
“But Wendy’s right down the hall. What if she hears? There’s no way she would ever understand you spanking me, even if I told her it was consensual.”
“I’m not ashamed of what’s between us, Lucy, as unconventional as others might view it. But I agree – Wendy wouldn’t understand. As dramatic as she is, she’d probably call the cops. I have an alternative idea.”
“What?”
“We can rent a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains for the next three weeks. Tom Branson was in the store today putting up a flyer on the community board. He told me he had a few cancellations this summer and said three of his cabins were currently unoccupied.”
“Really? That sounds nice.”
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’ll go to find his number and call him right now.” He stood up, but turned to meet Lucy’s gaze before exiting the room. “I’d better find you naked under the covers when I come back.”
