Looking around at these women, she accepted the truth. Tanner had been right all along. Not everyone left. Some people stayed. Some people chose her even when she was scared and messy and too much.
“I was so scared,” she whispered. “But then Tanner was banging on the front door. Preston had locked it. I knew that wouldn’t stop Tanner. He’d find a way to get in. I just had to hold on until then.”
Kenzie took her hand, squeezing it firmly. “You did good, Junie. You stood up to that sack of shit. That took guts.”
For a while, they just sat together, the girls offering hugs and soft words of comfort. The love in the room was so thick Junie could ice a cake with it. It was just what she needed right now.
Kenzie pulled back with a mischievous grin that lit up her whole face. “Okay, enough of this mushy stuff. You got here just in time to help us pay the Daddies back for the spankings we got after the food fight last week.”
“Why are my alarm bells starting to ring?” Junie asked.
Kenzie huffed. “It’s nothing… dangerous.”
The other girls perked up immediately. Tildi’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Yes! I’ve been waiting for this.”
Junie couldn’t help but smile. She should be used to it. After all, anytime she’d gotten sent to the principal’s office at school, it had been because of something Kenzie had talked her into doing. Now she was always up for a good prank. “What are you planning to do?”
Kenzie led them all into the cold pantry off the kitchen. As soon as Junie stepped inside the room-sized pantry, the cool air raised goosebumps on her arms. Kenzie reached into the corner and dragged out a large burlap sack, then dumped dozens upon dozens of small, clear plastic frog toys onto the island counter with a dramatic flourish. The girls stared at the pile for a second, eyes wide.
“What are those supposed to do?” Kip asked, poking one cautiously with her finger.
Kenzie gave an evil little grin. “Just watch.” She flipped a tiny switch on the base of one frog. Nothing happened.
Joy tilted her head to the side. “It’s not very exciting, is it?”
As soon as she spoke, the frog let out a string of loud, realistic croaks that echoed off the pantry walls.
Kenzie flipped the switchoff.
“It’s noise activated?” Junie asked, “because, if so, it’s hilarious.”
Kenzie nodded.
“Oh, that’s terrible,” Joy said, dissolving into giggles.
“Yep,” Kenzie replied, clearly proud of herself, “that’s the point. We’re going to hide these all over the second floor. The Daddies won’t be able to make a sound without setting one off. If we hide them right, it’ll take them forever to find them all.”
“You are an evil genius,” Junie said immediately, already reaching for a handful. “I’m in!” Once she had her fingers wrapped around a few, the dam burst, and the rest of the girls loaded up.
As they were turning away from the table on their mission, Kip raised a hand to get everyone’s attention. “Isn’t this like… guaranteed to get us all another spanking?”
“Tell her, girls,” Kenzie prompted.
“Yes!” they all shouted.
For the next half hour, they snuck around upstairs like a band of mischievous Little Easter bunnies. But instead of hiding eggs, they hid tiny frogs. Their Daddies would find them in all the drawers of every suite, under beds, behind curtains, in the pots of plants, and inside closets. Every time one of them accidentally triggered a croak, they dissolved into giggles and shushed each other frantically, which triggered all the other frogs.
It seemed like an awful lot of frogs, all gathered on the second floor to Junie. “Why don’t we plant some downstairs?”
“And make Ruby have to listen to them?” Kenzie said, eyes wide. “That would be a hardno. She’d skin us alive.”
“Yeah,” Tildi added with a dramatic shiver. “The Daddies will just spank us. Ruby controls the snacks.”
It wasn’t long before they were creeping back downstairs to the kitchen, still giggling and whispering like the band of mischievous Littles they were.
“I can’t wait to see Boone’s face when he hears the first one,” Tildi said, eyes sparkling with delight. “If we’re lucky, he’ll growl my name so loud it’ll set off every frog in the house.”
Kipgrinned, a wicked twinkle in her eyes. “Trace is going to freeze the second he hears the first croak. I doubt he’ll say a word. Then he’ll start hunting them like it’s a mission. I bet he finds at least half before he even sits down.” She patted her stomach. “Right now, this baby has given me a get-out-of-jail-free card, and I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth.”
