Luke's pov

I wake up to hear Scarlett rose and April yelling. I sigh as I hear Scarlett yell 'Fuck you!'.

'Scarlett rose watch your mouth!' April yells.

'Don't fucking tell me what to do!'

I get up and go downstairs, coming up behind Scarlett and pinching her side.

"Quit cussing, little girl." I warn her and she scoffs.

"What's up?" I ask April.

"She refuses to do anything I tell her to do!" She says, irritated.

"Scarlett rose, do as your mother tells you." I sigh tiredly.

"But Daddyyyy!" She whines.

"Now, little girl!" She huffs as she begins doing whatever it is April asked her to do.

"Hey!" I call her back. "Apologize for not listening." I order.

"Daddy no!" She whines.

"Yes. Apologize."

"Not to her!" She argues.

"Now, or ill bend you over my knee!" She pouts and I raise my eyebrows at her sternly as I see her face flush red.

"M'sorry." She mumbles, before going to do whatever she was asked to do.

I go back upstairs and April follows.

"She's been such a brat lately." She sighs, irritated.

"Usually when you're not home she's an angel." I say, confused.

"Then why don't you ever do anything about it when I'm home and she misbehaves?" She scoffs.

"I do. I make her listen." I frown. "I just did."

"But you never punish her for not listening to me in the first place!"

"Well because she listens to me as soon as I ask her! You do something about it if she doesn't listen to you!"

"Like what?! I can't spank her, and obviously that's what works for you!" She was right. She couldn't spank her. Something about the idea of her spanking her made me uncomfortable and didn't seem right.

"Well then find some other way to do it! But I can't punish her for you, she still won't listen to you and she'll think I'm just hurting her for no reason! She still won't respect you, and then she won't like me either!"

"Who cares if she likes you?! She needs to listen to me!"

"She won't respect you or me! And anyway, if she doesn't listen to you, you can just call me and ill tell her to do it and she'll listen to me!" I roll my eyes.

"She can't just not listen to me!" She argues. "And why do you call her little girl?! She's not five!"

"It makes her listen better." I shrug.

"Really? How's that?!" She says skeptically.

"I don't know! Makes her feel younger and she listen better. Or maybe it just makes her feel loved, which isn't something you're not very good at showing!"

"Ugh! She should listen in the first place! And I'm sorry I'm not free to be at her beckon call and treat her like a spoiled brat all the time!" She yells. "You know that's why she doesn't listen to me! You spoil her so much! She likes you! That's why she listens to you!"

"You can't blame this on me! Just for being nice to her?!"

"Well she wasn't such a brat before I started dating you! She used to be a good girl!"

"Well she's a good girl for me! And I'm the one who's with her all the time!"

"Well she's disrespectful to me!"

"Ok! Alright, I'll talk to her." I sigh, not wanting to argue anymore.

"I'm done." Scarlett sighs as she comes upstairs.

"Thank you." I say, but April just rolls her eyes.

"Finally." April says, exasperatedly. Scarlett sighs and walks into her room.

"You know she's not going to respect you if you're so rude to her!"

"She was being disrespectful!"

"But you could still thank her when she did what you asked!"

"You don't get it Luke. You're not actually a parent." I scoff.

"I parent her more an you do! You're always gone!"

"I'm working so we can eat! All you do is sit home all day!"

"Because my job isn't constant, but it pays a shit load more! I bet you're not even at work all the time you're gone!" I yell. She scoffs.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I sigh. That was too far.

"Nothing. Whatever. I'm gonna go pick up groceries." I say as I walk out of our bedroom.

"Daddy can I come?" Scarlett asks as she comes out of her room.

"Sure love." We go downstairs and get in the car.

"You were fighting about me." She mumbles.

"Well you haven't exactly been a good girl for your mom lately."

"I'm a good girl for you." She sighs, looking at her lap.

"Yes. Daddy's good girl." I chuckle, and see her wiggle in her seat, smiling widely. "But..."

"No daddy! No buts..." She whines as she gives me a pleading look.

"But you need to be a good girl for your mother as well, babygirl." I sigh.

"No." She pouts. "She's mean to me."

"She would be nicer to you if you'd behave better."

"No she wouldn't." She argues. "She's not nice to you, and you're really nice to her."

"I guess." I sigh. She nods.

"But still. If you keep misbehaving I'm going to have to get stricter."

"But Im good for you daddy!" She whines again.

"But you need to be good for your mom, or you'll be getting a lot more spankings. That's not what you want, is it?"

"I guess I'll be getting more spankings then." She mumbles, and I sigh.

"Why are you so difficult? You would really rather get a spanking then listen to your mom?"

"Yes."

"What did she do to make you so mad at her?"

"She fucked up." I reach over and smack her thigh. She whines and pouts.

"What did she do, Scarlett rose?"

"Ask her to tell you. Just don't- don't leave me." She mumbles.

"Why would I leave you, Scarlett?" I ask, slightly annoyed with how secretive she's being.

"Ask mom! Please! Ask her to tell you why you'd leave!" She says.

"Why can't you tell me?!"

"Because!" She raises her voice. I sigh and give up as we get to the grocery store.

We go around the store getting what we need. I turn a corner and see Grayson. I glare and quickly pull Scarlett rose past the aisle so she won't see him.

"Hey, Scar!" He calls.

"Oh uh, gray." She says nervously, glancing at me. I raise an eyebrow.

He comes up and whispers something in her ear and she whispers something back. He chuckles and winks at her as she giggles. I huff as I look down at her. "We need to go, babygirl." I mumble. Grayson's eyes widen and snap to me and then to her. She tucks her lips into her mouth.

"Ok byyyyeeee!" She yells as she drags me away.

"I don't like him." I mumble.

"I've noticed." She sighs. "He's my best friend, daddy."

"No boys, Scarlett rose." I sigh. "You promised, little girl."

"Daddy he's just a friend!"

"Lower your voice right now, little girl, and stop arguing." I growl in her ear. She quiets down as she looks around.

"Daddy!" She gasps quietly. "Can I get candy?" She asks. I know she's changing the subject but decide not to mind til much.

I sigh. "I don't know babygirl. Only good girls get candy."

"Daddy! I'll be good! Please?!"

"Do you promise, little girl?" I ask in a stern voice.

"Yes daddy! Pleleeeaasze!" She says dramatically.

"For your mom and for daddy?" She whines.

"Daddyyyy." She pouts.

"Alright, no." I say as I push her past the candy isle.

"Daddy no! I'll be good for mom!"

"I don't believe you."

"I will!"

"If you don't, you'll get a spanking immediately." I raise my eyebrows. She sighs and pouts. "So if you think you can behave, get it. Otherwise, let's hurry up and buy our stuff." She doesn't get the candy and I shake my head as I go to pay for the groceries.

"Naughty girl." I mumble.