Broken Vows (Domestic Discipline Romance) (33 page)

Tensions had been running a little high since they had left the hospital. Emmie was carsick as a direct result of ice cream and a Boston Cream donut from the hospital cafeteria. She felt better after her stomach was empty. Josh watched as Jenny dug deep into her large
necessities
bag and pulled out the miracle cure of Pepto Bismo. Emmie was in her car seat feeling better a few minutes later.

"You can solve the problems of the world with the contents of that bag," he commented.

"Remember those words the next time you complain about the size and weight of it."

"Hey," Josh said, taking and squeezing her hand. "I'm sorry for being a jerk earlier."

"Men are from Mars," Jenny quipped, but she smiled. "It's okay. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't want to stay either, but it was necessary."

"Do you like them?" Josh asked, "The wives?"

"Please do not lump me in as one of the many. I don't want to be, nor will I ever be, a corporate wife," Jenny said firmly. "I will not do as my mother did and put everything else, including her family, behind her duties as a corporate wife. Don't expect me to do it, because I won't. I will occasionally go to a party with you, but there will be no corporate parties organized by me--ever! We will not join a country club, and I will NOT—in capital letters—NOT join women's clubs and organizations. I may make an exception for a fitness club or yoga class. Are we understood?"

Josh smiled, "Understood. If we need a party, we will hire an event planner. Did you like the women, though?"

She shrugged. "They are your friends' and partners' wives so I will try to get along. Paula is okay and smart as a whip. I liked her before and I still like her. Diane is a helicopter parent in the worst way. She is a stay-at-home mom with their first, who has gone completely overboard and is extremely overprotective. She might as well wrap her kid in plastic wrap and be done with it. If you want a twenty-minute lecture, do something different from how Diane would do it. I handed Adam a cup of Oaties, which he immediately poured on the floor before eating. Diane went crazy telling me I was killing him with germs. I told her no, he would have a healthy immune system and besides he was a boy. Little boys will eat dirt! He was eating Oaties and, as far as I am concerned, they are much better for him than dirt."

Josh laughed. "What about Melanie?"

Jenny smiled. "I liked her. She is funny and spoiled, and she has Bill wrapped around her little finger. I think she will be a fun mom."

"We will be home in a few minutes. Should I stop at the mini-mart?"

"No, we have plenty to eat at home. I have my emergency frozen milk and bread we can use until I can get out to the store. I hope Mila is in a good mood tomorrow because I can't wait to get back in my studio. I'm itching to work."

* * *

Kevin, Mila, and the Mayor waited together until the Sheriff's Department was through with the house. The Sheriff claimed his department was doing its job properly and was not responsible for the cleanup. Mayor Moser countered saying the property owners were in their legal rights to charge the Sheriff's department with the destruction of private property and hold them accountable for the cost. Sheriff Leonard was belligerent, but still called two of his deputies who came out and got busy cleaning. The Mayor told them not to touch the library rug, except to roll and bind it because the Sheriff's department would be billed for its professional cleaning or replacement. When he informed them of its worth, all three law enforcement officers blanched.

The Mayor himself supervised the cleaning. He also had them photograph the destruction in Jenny's studio for the record.

Meanwhile, Kevin informed Mila he was taking her to his home where she would stay until Josh and Jenny returned. While she gathered what she needed for her and Little Kevin, he made more phone calls.

Kevin packed the back of his truck with an incredible amount of paraphernalia Mila insisted she needed for the baby, despite their short stay of only a couple days. Then he went inside and sat down.

"Have you checked everything?" Mila asked.

"We have to wait for Bubba to arrive," Kevin said.

"You are kidding? Bubba? Is he a partner in crime with Gomer Pyle and Andy Taylor?"

Kevin laughed. "His real name is Adrian, but it doesn't fit him. Everyone has called him Bubba since he was three years old. I hear him coming."

Mila went to the door as one of the largest pick-up trucks she had ever seen parked in front of the house. "Good God! Does anyone need wheels that large? What is it?"

"The Bubba Machine," Kevin said, smiling broadly. "He loves his truck. He is doing guard duty here and is staying in the main house overnight."

"Holy crap," Mila exclaimed. "That is one huge man!"

"Six-foot-ten inches of trained muscle," Kevin agreed. "He is a legend around here. If anyone slips past him, it will be a miracle."

Kevin made the introductions as Bubba carried a cot, a cooler, and a sleeping bag under one massive arm into the main house.

Mila leaned over and spoke into Kevin's ear. "Bubba does fit him."

"It was that or Paul Bunyan."

"We have one more thing to do before leaving," Mila said.

"What would that be?" Kevin said absentmindedly while checking his watch.

"We need to pick up Jenny's studio. I can't leave her work thrown on the floor."

He nodded and they all walked back to the studio where Mila hung her sister's ongoing work back on their hooks and straightened the area as best she could. "This will do for tonight. I will reorganize everything for her tomorrow while you work on the staircase. You are repairing it, aren't you?"

"First thing in the morning," Kevin agreed. "Bubba will help since he will be around for a couple days."

* * *

Kevin's home was a log house with a front façade reminding Mila of the main Bentley house with its two-storied windows overlooking a large deck. Before he opened the door, she turned around to admire the panoramic view from the deck of forests with mountains in the background.

"My best view is out back," Kevin said, stopping to point towards the west. "My folks live a few miles in that direction while most of my sisters live within a half mile or so in any direction. My parents gave each of us twenty-five acres from the main property when we graduated from college."

"Doesn't it bother you having family members so close?" Mila asked.

He gave her a puzzled look. "We are close enough to be there for each other, yet far enough away to not be in each other's business. I like being close to my parents. They are getting older and it's our turn to watch out for them."

Mila considered his sentiments before responding, "You are a lucky man."

"I think so." Kevin pointed to the view from the opposite end of the large cathedral-ceilinged great room. It was a duplicate of the front façade with large windows revealing a beautiful sloping pasture with a barn off to the side, and a tumbling whitewater river twisting and turning in the distance. "That's the Animas River. It has the best trout fishing in the country, all year long."

"It looks as if it would be good for rafting," Mila said, slowly taking in the large great room with its amazingly complicated hand-hewn post-and-beam construction.

"It is, kayaking too, but I mostly stick to fishing. There is an extra bedroom on this floor and another upstairs, your choice."

"Did you build all this?" Mila asked her eyes still focused on the ceiling.

"Yes, with the help of cousins, brothers-in-law, and friends. It took me four years to finish."

"Has Josh seen this? He would love it," Mila said. "Do I get a grand tour?"

"Sure, let's get the guppy out of his straight jacket."

As Kevin bent down to release her child out of the confinement of his car seat, Mila observed him for a moment before looking around the room again. He called himself a carpenter, but he was so much more. He was a woodworking
artist
although he did not consider himself one. He was a complicated family man. He was male, yet he exhibited no false bravado. He was comfortable with himself, and, in fact, he liked himself. She liked him too, and wanted to know more about him.

Mila especially liked Kevin's house because the beautiful living space was not simply for show. It was obviously for living. She watched as Kevin picked up an iPad from the hall console to swipe open a home-automation app and made a large wall disappear to reveal the biggest flat screen she had ever seen. After a moment of amazement, Mila comprehended it was perfectly natural for Kevin to incorporate the latest smart-home technology into his personal surroundings.

"We might as well go to the movies," Mila quipped.

"I like it big," Kevin agreed. He handed her a TV remote as he swiped the iPad screen again to close the curtains. "I have Netflix, pick something. It can be a chick flick so long as it's not back in olden times."

"Spoilsport, so no
Jane Eyre
or
Pride and Prejudice
?" she teased.

He shuddered. "No, or you lose remote privileges."

Mila handed back the remote. "No horror, or war, or
Dumb & Dumber
."

He set the remote down on the coffee table. "How about we talk first?"

"What's the topic?"

"Us."

"Oh," Mila hesitated. "Okay. I have a doctor's appointment on January 11
th
. Afterward, if I am cleared, I want to sleep with you."

Kevin blinked and straightened his shoulders. "Well, I like a no-nonsense woman, no game playing here. I want to have sex with you too. I have since my second meeting, but the guppy got in the way. If the doctor clears you on the 11
th
, you will be in my bed that night. I don't mind telling you I'm looking forward to it."

"There is something we have to come to an understanding on, first," Mila said.

"Games?"

"No, lifestyle. A couple weeks ago you whacked me hard on my ass when you got mad at me."

"I did," Kevin admitted.

"Jenny said you might be into domestic discipline… D/D. Are you?"

"Yes," Kevin said bluntly. "I have no qualms spanking a woman's bottom when she is out of line, for example when you were exercising too soon after surgery. A more recent time was when you climbed up to the second tier of the library before I told you it was safe."

"Now wait a minute," Mila exclaimed. "It is not my fault someone sabotaged the stairway."

"I know," Kevin agreed. "It's the only reason your bottom isn't bright red right now, plus the fact you are going to feel like a truck ran over you in the morning."

"Are you serious?"

"About which," Kevin asked, "By morning, all your sore muscles and bruises will be screaming in full throttle. You are going to hurt like hell."

"Not that, I meant about the ah…."

"It's called spanking, and yes, it is my lifestyle, Mila. Yes, I believe in domestic discipline. I was raised in a home where my father was the undisputed
Head of House
. My parents could, and believe me they did, have arguments that almost raised the roof. However, in the end, my father always held the trump card. He accepted total responsibility for his family. It was his job to provide for them and make the best decisions for their welfare. In fact, he sometimes made decisions he might not have made for himself, but they were right for the particular family member involved.

"I have one sister who wanted a degree in drama and another who wanted a degree in art. Dad personally thought both degrees were a waste of money for them. He knew they did not have the hunger and drive necessary to earn a living with such degrees, but he could not change either of their minds. He worked as hard to pay for their tuitions as he did for the rest of us who chose degrees he thought better suited to our personalities. He promised all of us kids a college education and he provided it. He wanted my sisters to succeed in the choices they made, but he is a practical man. The point is, he is not a dictator, although he is a man of strong beliefs. He tolerates no disobedience, lies, or laziness. He and Mom presented a united front, and they must have done something right since there is not a dud among us kids."

"What happened to your sisters with the drama and arts degrees?" Mila asked.

"Well, those two certainly had fun during their college years. Unfortunately, neither pursued the internships nor networking opportunities required to get a foothold in the competitive world of their chosen courses of study. They came home to discover anything besides entry-level positions for someone with an art or drama degree is rare in a small town such as Durango. The stark reality of being a
starving artist
was not as enticing and romantic as they had envisioned.

"Also, like me after they had been away from home for a while, they realized that they were happier living in a small town. Eventually, they wanted to go back to school to obtain marketable skills better suited to them. They expected Dad to foot the bill again. His answer was a resounding no. He would not pay twice for their schooling because they made a mistake in their degree choices. They both resented his refusal for a long while, but they learned how difficult it was to pay for college while only working at minimum-wage jobs.