For Fiona

27. A Play Set

Their casual day off started rather normally until it was nap time for Fiona, and she refused to get into bed. "I'm not tired," she insisted.

Lucy knelt down to be at eye level with her and kindly requested, "Please, honey, you need to rest."

"But I'm not tired."

"Kojo's tired. Cuddle with him so he doesn't sleep alone."

"Can we have bedtime hugs in your bed with Kojo?"

Tim decided it was his turn to chime in, "Not right now. Please, munchkin, I'm begging you to nap for a little while, and then we'll come wake you up." To sweeten the bargain, he lifted up and placed Kojo in the bed on the pillow. "Just a quick nap, alright?" She seemed unmoved, and since he was not above bribery, he offered, "You can have ice cream with dinner if you nap now."

"Can we read two bedtime stories tonight, too?" She requested.

"You drive a hard bargain," he said, but he was willing to give her just about anything in the moment. "Yes, your mommy will read you two bedtime stories. And, I'll even give your mommy a princess kiss right now."

"She didn't even mention that," Lucy noted under her breath.

"Princess kiss!" Fiona cheered.

He pointed to their daughter with an innocent expression. "She asked for it, and you really want her to take a nap, don't you?"

As Lucy went to Tim, she said to her daughter, "Fi, I love your daddy so much even when he's being a silly goose."

"Daddy's a silly goose prince!" She chuckled.

"He sure is a prince." Lucy held the sides of his neck and asked, "Are you happy now?"

"Not yet."

She smiled as she surged up to kiss him.

"Now I'm happy," Tim replied smugly, then diverted his attention to his daughter. "Alright, kiddo, can you nap now?"

Fiona sighed long and loud. "Okay, Daddy."

"That's my good girl," he replied gladly and scooped her up in his arms to get her into her bed in a fluid motion. Soon enough, he had her tucked under her covers, and he was rushing out of her bedroom door tugging Lucy along by the hand.

As she stumbled along behind him into their bedroom, Lucy breathlessly whispered, "That was some solid parenting back there. Ice cream. Really?"

"It got her to sleep," he reasoned then took her in his arms, "and now we get to be alone. Finally."

"The house is a mess."

He fused his mouth to her neck and muttered, "Doesn't matter right now."

"Since when does a clean freak like you ignore a chance to clean the house?" Her question was answered when he rucked up her sweatshirt and splayed his fingers over her sides. "Tim," she shuddered.

"Nap time for her means I get you alone in bed."

"But we're not in bed."

He swept her up in his arms, eliciting a giggle from her, and tossed her into bed in a way that made her swallow back more laughter. "Problem solved," he responded smugly and crawled on top of her.

"That's the kind of problem solving that got our daughter to take a nap," she joked.

"I've got another problem I need to solve right now." Tim eyed her below him then smirked. "You're wearing my sweatshirt, and I need it back." In truth, he did not mind if she kept every single one of his shirts and hoodies, since she looked so much better in them, and taking them off of her was fun.