“This is too much, Walker. I don’t need all of this. You absolutely cannot buy it all.”
“Good thing it’s not about what you need,” I mutter, handing the associate my black card. My tone is sharper than I intended, but I don’t take it back.
She frowns, stepping closer, lowering her voice. “I mean it. The dresses, shoes, work clothes … it’s too expensive.”
“Then consider it my problem, not yours.”
Her lips part like she wants to argue, but the words die under the weight of my glare. She sighs and shakes her head, defeated while the associate bags everything up.
The anger still simmers in my chest, but beneath it all, there’s something else that I can’t shake—the gut-wrenching fear that she’ll walk out of here, wearing everything I bought … only to belong to someone else for the night.
Chapter Thirteen
Jessie
Nothing about today has gone how I planned it. I didn’t really believe that we were going to go shopping. Sure, in the moment, I was all for taking his money. But as the days passed, I knew I wasn’t actually going to take him up on the offer.
Little did I know, he was going to show up at my apartment with Eli in tow, ready to spend the day watching me try on clothes. I was confident that as soon as we started, he would regret his decision. But, no, he had to be all supportive and fun. It seemed like he was actually enjoying himself.
And now—fuck, now—my entire world has been flipped on its axis after what happened in the dressing room. Those moments were hotter than all of my sexual experiences combined.
The way he looked at me like I was the only thing in the world left me breathless. The energy between us was so overwhelming that it felt like the ground shifted beneath my feet.
It just proved what I’d thought since I was eighteen—us together would be explosive. I’d felt it in my bones back then, and todayonly made me sure of it. But I can’t let it happen again. Not if he’s still saying that we can’t be together.
Just as we step outside onto the sidewalk, his phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket and groans.
“Who is it?” I ask.
“My sister.”
He goes to put the phone back in his pocket, but I stop him.
“What are you doing? Why don’t you answer?”
“Because she already texted me last night. She wants me to stop over. And I can’t do that until I tell her about Eli.”
For all the things this man makes me feel, he still manages to annoy the crap out of me. Eva is the most supportive person in this world. I don’t understand how he can be so afraid to tell her. His parents? Now, they’re a different story.
“You pick up that phone right now and tell her we’re on our way.”
His eyes open wide. “Excuse me? What makes you think I’m ready to tell?—”
“If you don’t tell her, then I’ll march my ass over there right now and tell her.”
His jaw drops. “You wouldn’t dare.”
I see him scan the bags that are taking over both of our arms, deciding whether or not to throw the fact that he just spent the equivalent to my entire year’s salary on me.
I raise my eyebrows at him, daring him to go there when he all but forced me to do this today despite my protesting. His shoulders sink as he presses a button on his phone and brings it to his ear.
“Hey, sis,” he says with a hint of displeasure in his voice.
I can’t hear what she’s saying on the other line, but when he hangs up a minute later, he shoves his phone back into his pocket.
“There. You happy? Looks like I’m heading over there now.”
I smile triumphantly. “Perfect. And don’t think I’m missing this. I want to be there to make sure you don’t chicken out. Plus, I need me some baby Addie time. Oh my gosh!” I jump up and down as we walk in the direction of their penthouse. “Addie and Eli get to meet. They’re going to be the best of friends. Aww, this is so exciting!”
