Avery clapped his hands together and rubbed them, grinning, like a 60’s game show host. “Today, my beloved and my child, we’re going car shopping.”
“Yay,” Declan crowed, then sobered. “What does that mean?”
Avery picked him up and swung him around. “That means, o child of my loins, our insurance check came in, and we need a new ride.” Avery eyed me sidelong. “An SUV. Afamilyvehicle. If you get my drift.”
I rolled my eyes. “I got your drift, o grand holder of the family jewels. The insurance won’t cover the entire cost, I hope you realize.”
“What it doesn’t cover, we’ll finance.” He smirked. “Right now, I’ve got more work, aka commissions, than I can handle. And since you’re no longer on the payroll –” His smirk widened.
“Oh, this is how it is.” I groaned. “How typical in a male society that a woman falls in love, and she gets canned.”
Declan wriggled from Avery’s arms and ran to me. “You’re not canned. Dad, you can’t do that.”
“Since Jacy got a promotion,” Avery replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee, “she’s not your nanny anymore, little man.”
Declan’s eyes widened. “She’s not?”
“She’s gonna be your mom.”
His happy scream might have alarmed the neighbors if the windows had been open. Declan wrapped his arms around my hips as I laughed, then picked him up to hold him.
“We’re a family, baby,” I said, kissing his cheek. “From now on.”
“I love you, Jacy.”
“I love you, too, sweetie.”
“Why don’t you try calling her ‘Mom’?” Avery asked.
Declan grinned. “Mom. I love you.”
“Ditto.”
We drove the rental to the nearest large city an hour’s drive away. Hand in hand, with Avery carrying Declan, we walked among the SUVs at a Ford dealership. After dismissing an eager salesman, we talked the merits of this vehicle or that one, discussed the prices, third row seats and built in TVs.
“We don’t need a TV,” I argued. “We have one at home.”
“Sure we do,” Avery protested. “When we take over the road vacations, the kids will need entertainment. Besides, it doesn’t add that much to the overall cost.”
“And leather?” I lifted my brow. “We need that, too?”
“It’s easier to clean than cloth. Cloth stains.”
“And leather cracks.”
“Not if we care for it.”
Avery slipped his hands around my waist, his grin making me hot inside my warm jacket and hood. “Come on. Let’s indulge ourselves. The insurance will cover half the cost as a down, the payments for the rest won’t break the bank. We can do this.”
I studied the dark gray SUV with all its bells, whistles, and TV, then nodded. “All right. I’ve never bought anything so expensive before.”
“It’s a family car, babe. Room for the rugrats, taking long vacations, maybe take it to a remote location, drop the seats and – use your imagination.”
“Imagination for what, Dad?” Declan piped up.
I covered Avery’s seductive grin with my finger. “Declan, never mind. Do you like it?”
“Yeah!”
