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"Stop." Luca held up a hand. "You're entitled to an apology when someone treats you poorly, just like the rest of us. Clear?"
"But she didn't—" Whatever protest she had in mind died on her lips at his hard look. "Okay."
"Good. We'll be down later."
With that, he followed Teagan up the stairs. Jason looked over at Octavius, who shook his head, his lips pressed into a thin line. It wasn't long before the unmistakable sound of a hand meeting a bare bottom reached their ears, accompanied by Teagan's cries.
"O, why didn't you do anything?" Ro gave her husband's knee a none-too-gentle shove.
"What would you have liked me to do??" Octavius asked, obviously confused by the request and his wife's distressed expression.
"You could have stopped him! It's not fair that Tea's getting in trouble."
"We don't interfere in each other's relationships. Teagan knows the rules her fiancé has set for her, and she chose to break them anyway." Octavius smoothed a hand over Ro's hair. "She'll be fine."
"But, Bear! You know we were just joking around. Tea didn't mean anything." She turned to Evie. "You should have told Luca she wasn't being mean!"
Evie twisted her fingers together, her distress clearly written on her face. "I tried!"
"You should have tried harder. We're sisters! We're supposed to stick up for each other!" Tears streaming down her face, Ro jumped up off the couch.
"What has gotten into you? It's just a spanking, sunshine. It isn't her first, and I'm sure it won't be her last. She's going to be fine."
"I know that, Octavius," Ro snapped back, earning herself a raised brow. "It's the principle."
"Watch the attitude, young lady. I know you're upset, but that doesn't give you the right to snap at people. Are we clear?" When her only response was the deepening of her scowl, he added, "You owe Evie an apology, too."
Stomping her foot, Ro crossed her arms and glared at her husband. "I'm going for a walk."
"Good idea." Octavius pushed up off the couch. "I'll grab our coats."
"I don't need a coat or an escort."
"Like hell, you don't." Ignoring his wife's protests, Octavius disappeared into the entryway of the house and returned a moment later with two coats and a pair of shoes for Ro. "It's freezing, sunshine. You can wear what you're told, or you can stay in the house."
Nearly vibrating with anger, Ro jerked the coat from his hands and shoved her arms into it before slipping on the shoes he'd dropped on the floor for her. Without so much as a glance back, she stalked outside.
"I'm sorry. She's upset, but that's no excuse," Octavius said to Evie, mussing her hair a bit. "She wants to protect both of you, and it hurts her heart when she can't, but that is no reason for this behavior."
Evie nodded silently in response. Sighing, Octavius pulled on his own coat and followed Ro outside. As soon as the door shut behind him, Evie burst into tears.
"Tesoro." Crossing the room to the couch, he sat and lifted her up onto his lap. "Don't cry. It's all right."
"N-no it's not. They hate me!"
"They don't hate you, little one. It's just a misunderstanding."
"It's my fault." Sniffling, she curled into him. "I should have explained to Luca."
"It wouldn't have mattered. No." He cut her off when she started to protest. "It doesn't matter if she was joking around with you or not. She broke a rule her Daddy put in place regarding her language, so she was punished. None of that is your fault."
"I guess. But it feels like my fault."
"It's not. Teagan's a big girl, and this isn't the first time she's gotten her bottom warmed by Luca. You'll see. By the time she comes back downstairs, this will have all blown over."
* * *
Unfortunately,it didn't blow over. After her spanking, Teagan apologized to Evie, but it was obvious to everyone she didn't mean a word of it—which earned her a stint of her own in the corner while everyone else played a round of cards, or tried to. It was hard to concentrate on the cards with Evie's quiet sniffling and Ro shooting Luca evil glares every thirty seconds.
