He rolled his eyes but he had that big, handsome grin on his face, showing off the dimple in his cheek. “Stop it.”
“I’m just saying. You’re trying to say that men are good and shopping and I’m not disagreeing with you. But you have to understand that more often than not there are issues with male shoppers. I clearly haven’t put the fear of God in you to come back with the right stuff the way your mother did. So, do I need to kill you or get back to feeding you?”
He blinked twice like he was clearing some random thought out of his head as he cleared his throat. “Facts, that lady is about the only person I fear in this world but with this one I thought you just needed some zero-calorie sweetener. But that still has nothing to do with what we need to do today.” Ami was snuggled against his chest but it was almost like she was listening in to what we were talking about and trying to make sense of our conversation. I’d dressed her in a little cream short-sleeved romper that had pink button bows going down the front of it and matching pink socks. Her hair seemed to be the thing on her that grew the most because she had full-on curls like a little doll despite how young she was.
“I don’t need a car, Aldrich.” I crossed my arms so that he understood I wasn’t budging on this. When the time came for me to drive I would do it, but that was so far in the future it didn’t matter. We hadn’t discussed my taking Ami to games since she was so young. I wasn’t sure how he felt about her being in the public eye especially with that number of people around.
“My baby is not getting in and out of rideshares, Ling. That’s a hell no. I don’t even want you hopping in one so why the hell would you think my tiny baby would be good?”
I swear I was doing my best not to psychoanalyze this man but I couldn’t help it. I would have to chalk it up to the childhood I spent on somebody’s couch that meant I was always searching out other people’s why. I was happy he was really looking out for Ami’s interest even if I thought he was going overboard.
“I’m not saying that. I’m just…” I had nothing to say against what he was pointing out. Yes, she was an infant now, but there would be times I needed to take her out. Being around other people was helpful and I knew I would go stir crazy if I was just sitting in the house like this all day. Right now it felt like a reprieve but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t get old soon.
“Nothing to say?” When I looked up I saw the smug look on his face he didn’t bother to hide. The same way I was too eager to prove my point was now being thrown back in my face. I kind of deserved it though.
“I think that we can just wait until she’s older.” I shifted and leaned against the counter behind me, trying not to appear as stubborn as I knew I was being.
Aldrich glanced down at Ami before shaking his head making it clear he wasn’t about to let this go. “I won’t have time to get it squared away then. The idea is to get you what you need before you need it. That way, you aren’t waiting around for it. Things get intense around here when the season is on and I don’t want you pissed with me because I haven’t given you the tools you need to do your job correctly.”
Again, he was making sense but it was only the end of May, surely I wouldn’t need something before the next few months. And if it became that serious I could just buy a car. “I understand but it doesn’t need to be something—”
“Are you telling me what I can buy?” The look of playful offense on his face was comical.
“No, I just don’t want—”
“Think of it as something for the baby then. I’m not about to have you in something that’s not safe and not large enough for you to move around comfortably. So please don’t think I’m gone put you in something that’s gone have the neighbors calling the police every time you drive it into the neighborhood. What do you drive back at home?” I had to bite back my smile because he probably wouldn’t believe me if I told him.
“Do you really want me to answer that?”
His eyes flickered over me again before he gave me a half-smile. “That nice, huh? Not mad at you at all. You work hard for your money, so you definitely deserve to live it up. It’s gonna be an SUV since you won’t let me take you out to pick something.”
I fought my smile as I crossed my arms in front of me. “I thought it was for Ami.”
He shrugged easily, his bronze shoulders raising up in the tank top he wore like he didn’t care how I felt about the car. “You’re her spokesperson right now since you are with her all the time. So, SUV. Black cool?”
He waited me out to see if I was going to argue, but his logic was too sound. I couldn’t get in and out of random cars with strangers. Especially not with a baby. Even if it was just me, it wasn’t safe to have a bunch of different cars pulling up to his house especially since he was a professional athlete. “Black is fine. Just make it something full size if you decide to go with a car instead.” I drove an S-Class at home but only because it was part of the family fleet. Another perk of the bloodline that I didn’t necessarily want but I wasn’t going to turn down. Truthfully, I’d driven just about every car under the sun because on assignment I had a rental. And there would be far too many questions to answer and potentially jealousy to overcome if I pulled up in a hundred thousand dollar car as a travel nurse.
He frowned up looking at me again and I had to wonder what foolishness he was going to say next. “Full sized? You ain’t that damn tall.”
“I’m saying full-size because kids grow. They have stuff. A baby seat, bags, strollers, playpens…the list goes on. You understand that when people come to visit they’ll need to use the car as well. Your truck isn’t going to hold everyone so it’s a good idea to have more. You have a brother and sister, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then there you go. They might need to be run around with your mom and if you add one more person a third row will be needed. So it’s better to plan now than to regret the purchase later and waste your money.”
“That’s pretty solid advice. I appreciate you thinking of my pockets but I promise I got it.” It seemed a point of pride that he said that and I was sure that although he grew up middle class from what I could tell, Aldrich wasn’t a silver-spoon kid. I knew a few people went foolish when they got professional player money but besides his house, which I’m sure he got a deal on given his status in this city, he didn’t seem all that wasteful. The truck he drove wasn’t flashy and it was nice but it wasn’t brand new. I had no idea what kind of car he had but unless he pulled out a Bentley from his garage it was well below what he could afford.
“I’m sure you do, but I hate waste and wasteful people. So, be smart with it so that Ami has enough for her trust fund.”
“It’s already making her rich like it should. By the time she’s grown she’ll be wealthy so trust me, I've got her. Now, what about you?” His attention being back on me as strong as it was had me shifting again despite me no longer being in the hot seat.
“Whatever you pick out just make sure that it is highly rated for safety. I don’t care about labels or driving something expensive. Just make sure it’s safe, okay?”
“So I can’t get it armored?”
My head tilted and it was my turn to study him because I knew he was famous but I didn’t think the groupies were coming at him like that. “Armored? Who the hell you got after you, Aldrich?”
He grinned at my joke but he was truly doing too much. “I’m saying you're carrying precious cargo and you said you wanted it to be safe. That’s the easiest way to keep you safe.”
