ChapterTwenty-Three
BODE
“What about this?” Stevie holds up a hanger. The matching set has brown striped pants with a giraffe on the sweater.
“I don’t know. Brown doesn’t seem like Caleb’s color.”
“You do realize how cute he’ll look in this, right?” Stevie rolls her eyes at me and holds it up to the baby in question. He’s sitting in the baby seat in the cart as we wheel him around the store. “I’m getting it for him and you can’t stop me.”
“Caleb is already spoiled enough. He doesn’t need more things.”
Stevie crosses her arms and looks from me to the shopping cart. “Bode. You cannot say he is spoiled and doesn’t need more things when this cart is overflowing with things for him.”
“I’m not spoiling him,” I defend. “He needs these things for winter.”
Caleb’s brown eyes flit between the two of us. Like he can’t decide what is going on and who is right.
“You have two coats for him. Why does he need two coats?”
Stevie cocks an eyebrow at me and holds both of them up.
“What if he spills on one?”
“He’s a baby. Of course he’s going to spill on it. Wipe it up and move on.”
“But he’d look good in both of them. How can I choose?”
“He’s a baby. Babies look cute in everything. Even if you think brown isn’t his color.”
Glancing down at the baby in question, I have to admit Stevie isn’t wrong. On this outing today, I put Caleb in joggers, a little Knights sweatshirt, and a beanie to match. With the weather starting to turn cold, I wanted to make sure he was warm. He’s been playing with a stuffed hockey stick the whole time we’ve been here.
“Fine.” I grab the black coat from her hand and find the rack to hang it back up. “But if he destroys his coat and we don’t have one for him, I’m blaming you.”
She stops me before I can push the cart any farther away and tugs me back. Her blue eyes are playful. “Does that mean you’re going to punish me?”
My eyes dart around, making sure there isn’t anyone near us. After that woman approached me at the bar, I can’t be too careful. “You cannot say things like that in the middle of a store, Stephanie.”
She rolls her eyes at my use of her full name, then waggles her eyebrows at me. “Maybe I meant to say it…”
Burying my face in her neck, I press a chaste kiss to her warm skin. “There will be a lot of spanking tonight.”
I can feel her shudder all the way to my toes. Until Caleb lets out a cry. Turning to face him, I laugh at his bottom lip sticking out.
“Are you sad we’re not paying you attention?” Stevie blows a raspberry on his cheek, which earns her a happy squeal.
“If I cry and pout like that, will I get attention?”
She shakes her head. “No. It’s only for the cute ones.”
Damn. I laugh as I follow her to the front of the store. Who knew shopping for baby things could be so fun?
The checkout area is busy as we make our way to one of the lines. I give my hat a nervous tug down. I don’t want to spend the rest of the afternoon fielding picture or autograph requests. I want to pay, pack up the car, and go home and hang out with Stevie and Caleb.
The ideal day.
I smile as we start to unload the cart. The cashier gushes over how cute Caleb is as she checks us out. Thankfully, we manage to make it out of the store without anyone spotting me. I load up the car while Stevie buckles Caleb into his car seat.
You couldn’t wipe the grin off my face the entire way home if you tried. How can shopping make me feel so good?
