I dropped my hands and glared at the sales assistant. Not. Helping.
“See?” Griffin gestured at him, like this was conclusive proof of his brilliance. “Even the professionals agree.”
My jaw clenched. “You didn’t even pretend to consider another option.”
“Didn’t need to.” He tapped the handle, pleased with himself. “Actually, do you have it in another color?”
I glanced down at Hazel who was happily snoozing in her sling and grimaced. “Sorry, sweetheart. Your dad is insufferable.”
Griffin rested a hand on the pram handle, grinning like he’d just won in Baku. “Get used to it, Princess. I always get my way.”
Of course he did.
The confidence. The certainty. Drivers carried it like a birthright, convinced the world would bend to their will. Rules, limits and consequences were for other people. “Smart people don’t fight a losing battle.”
I shot him a look. “Smart people also don’t pay four figures for something a baby will grow out of in a year.”
He shrugged. “Like I said. Investment.”
I wouldn’t waste my breath arguing. He’d already decided.
We moved through the next aisles with minimal casualties. I had the house pretty well stocked, but you could never have enough stuff with a baby. Griffin kept himself entertained by making completely unhelpful suggestions.
“Do babies need weights? Start her young?”
“No.”
“This bath thermometer has Bluetooth.”
“Or you could just check the water with your fingers like a normal person.”
Everything went fine until we hit the toys.
I should have seen it coming.
I turned away for two minutes. Two.
When I looked back, Griffin had managed to load the trolley up with stuffed toys. A penguin. A rabbit. A ridiculously large octopus. A stuffed avocado.
I blinked. “What the hell is all this?”
He lifted the octopus, inspecting it like it was a strategic purchase. “Options.”
“She’s barely old enough to focus on faces. She doesn’t need options.”
“You don’t know that.” He added a giraffe to the pile.
“Pick one.”
“Three.”
“One.”
“Two.”
I gave him a deadpan stare.
He sighed like I was the unreasonable one and dropped the octopus back onto the shelf. “Fine. Two. Final offer.”
