Chapter 4:

The tension in the room was thick. Caleb had been in this position many times, but he could tell that this time was different. He had never seen his dad look so serious. Even the incident with the super glue and the toilet seat had not landed him in such hot water. He didn't dare make a sound while his father sat collecting his thoughts. He was too afraid to move for fear of a reminder that he still needed to be punished. But Jacob had not forgotten. He was just trying to figure out the best place to start. He took a deep breath and began his speech.

"Caleb...I want you to know, that no matter what you do, or how mad I get...you will always be my son and I love you more than you will ever realize. That being said...I am very disappointed in you. You may not have understood the full extent of the danger in those woods, but you did know that I expressly told you not to go in there without my supervision. Not only did you disobey me and risk your own safety, but you put your brother at risk as well. You know how much he looks up to you. And you used that to get him to go with you into danger. I can't believe how selfish you were tonight."

With every word, Caleb's shoulders sank deeper and deeper. He hadn't really thought about what might have happened to Matthew.

"I know you love him. That's why from now on, you need to think about him as well as your self. You need to think about how your decisions might affect him. You are older than he is and you know right from wrong much better than he does. That's why I have to be hard on you tonight. You have to learn that what you did was very wrong. I could never forgive myself if something happened to either one of you."

"I'm sorry, Dad." Caleb was so close to tears, his voice was shaky. "I'll never do it again, I promise."

"I know son. Come here." Jacob held his arms out to Caleb and they held each other for a minute. Usually, Jacob and his oldest son did not share emotion this strongly. But they both knew how close they might have come to losing each other. After another few moments, Jacob pulled Caleb away to speak to him again.

"Alright, Caleb. You ready?"

Caleb didn't have to ask what he meant by that. He sighed and bravely draped himself over his father's lap. Jacob had spanked Caleb many times, but this was the first time his son had willingly submitted to his fate. He was somewhat proud of Caleb in that moment and wished he didn't have to continue with what he knew had to come. He took a deep breath, then began the necessary task.

SWAT. SWAT. SWAT. SWAT.

The spankings were firmer for Caleb than they had been for Matthew, but he didn't make a sound. He was usually flailing and kicking as hard as he could. But this time, he knew he deserved everything he was getting. SWAT. SWAT.

Every time Jacob's hand came in contact with his son's backside, the sting returned in full force. Caleb needed to fully understand his mistake. SWAT. SWAT. SWAT. SWAT.

The spankings came in rhythm. Not too fast, but with only a short break in between each one so that the discomfort was apparent with each deliberate stroke. SWAT. SWAT.

Caleb's stoicism was finally beginning to crack. Jacob could feel the sobs begin to break in his son and he knew hot tears were rolling down his face. SWAT. SWAT.

The end was finally approaching. Caleb had almost learned his lesson. SWAT. SWAT. SWAT. SWAT.

Jacob took another cleansing breath and lifted Caleb into a sitting position on his lap. Caleb buried his face in his father's chest and let the tears come freely.

"Thank you for taking your punishment seriously. I know its not easy to admit when you've done something wrong, but I trust that you understand why I had to spank you. Like I said before...I will never stop loving you, no matter what you choose to do. But if you do something as dangerous and stupid as this again, I will have to discipline you. Are we clear?"

"Yeah...I know." Caleb's breathing had returned to a normal pace and he slowly stood up.

"Now get ready for bed and I'll be back with your mom and Matty so we can say goodnight. And you should probably apologize to her as well. She was worried sick for both of you."

"Sure thing, Dad." He sighed and went to his pajama drawer. He wondered if he would be able to change his clothes without the painful reminder of his punishment nagging at him.

*

Bella lay in bed with the events of the day keeping her restlessly awake. Jacob came in and settled down next to his wife.

"So how did it go?" She asked in the darkness of their bedroom.

"As well as can be expected, I guess. It was hard to spank them, but I couldn't see any way around that. They chose to put themselves in danger and I had to react."

Bella grabbed Jacob's hand and held it to her lips for a light, reassuring kiss.

"You are a wonderful father, Jake. They needed you to be firm with them tonight. I would have spanked them myself, but we know that never goes over well."

Jacob laughed in spite of himself.

"That's because they wouldn't even feel it if you tried. Remember that time you thought you punched me, but you broke your hand instead? Ha ha...Oh Bella, I remember how surprised I was when you were howling in pain. I didn't even know you had touched me."

She glared at him in the dark, then tried to suppress a grin of her own.

"Just because you're as tough as an ox, doesn't mean everyone else is. Besides, I had to punch you. You kissed me without my permission...remember?"

He suddenly got very serious.

"I remember when you asked me to kiss you again. And when you finally realized you loved me too."

They never really spoke about the past. It brought up so many painful memories. Bella had chosen Jacob over Edward. And he would forever be grateful that his wife had made that decision, even if he didn't know if he deserved her. He pulled her into a close embrace.

"I love you, Bella...and I am so lucky you love me too. I know we found that love in a very unconventional way, but I would never trade our life together or our three beautiful children for anything."

She leaned in to kiss him.

"I do love you, Jacob. And I would never trade you either."

They held each other until their breathing slowed into a peaceful sleep.

The End...For Now