As we step out of the car, Liam and Jack are getting out of their vehicle at the same time. I notice Amy glancing their way, taking note of them. I place my hand on the small of her back, noticing her stiffen and inhale sharply at the contact. It takes everything within me not to grin. “Fifth avenue. Quite the famous place, is it not?”
Amy looks around at all the luxury and designer stores. “Yep. That’s what they tell me.”
I arch a brow at her nonchalant attitude. She always finds a way to surprise me. “Aren’t you excited?”
She arches a brow at me. “Excited? I don’t know what we’re doing here, so it’s hard to be excited for something I’m ignorant of.”
I can’t help but flash her a grin. “You haven’t figured it out yet, then? I told you we’re going shopping.”
She presses her lips into a thin line.All right, so she doesn’t like being reminded that she doesn’t know things.
Considering the little I read on autism, it makes sense. Feeling lost, especially in social situations, is a normal but frustrating occurrence for people with autism. It’s probably not a good idea to rub her ignorance in her face, even if it isn’t a social cue she’s missing. “No. I can’t say I’ve figured it out yet.”
I take in a deep breath. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to imply youshouldknow. I’m just…excited about this.”
She raises her brows in interest. “Oh?”
“Yes. But first, please let me introduce two of my friends, andco-workers.They’re here to help ensure our safety and that we have a great time together today.” Jack and Liam see me gesture to them, so they approach us. “Amy, meet Jack and Liam.”
Liam steps up first. His roguishly charming grin makes a spark of jealousy crawl up my spine for no good reason. I know I have nothing to fear, but there’s still a part of me that just wants to keep her for myself and never let another man lay eyes on her. “Hi there, missy. Nice to meet you, I’m Liam, that’s Jack. We’ve heard a lot about you. Don’t worry, you’re right safe with us. Consider us your new big brothers.”
Amy’s eyes widen but then she smiles. It’s so pretty, I can’t help but wish it was directed towards me. “Nice to meet you both. Brothers, you say?”
Jack speaks up this time with a nod. “That’s right, brothers. You see, Kerry is the closest thing we have to a brother. We’ve been friends for most of our lives now. We’re brothers by honor, not blood. And you’re going to be married to him, which means we’re your family now, too.”
Amy’s eyes look over at Jack as he speaks, and her smile widens a bit, sparking a bit more jealousy in me, which I tamper down. “How nice of you. Thank you.”
Both men nod at her, continuing to smile, before turning to me. While I’m feeling a bit green with envy, their kind words soothe the beast inside, especially since I know they mean it.
I clear my throat to get Amy’s attention back on me. “Now, Amy, I want you to look around and pick a store. Any store.”
She furrows her brow but looks around. I see her chewing on the inside of her cheek, her nervous habit. “Um. Can I have more context to help me pick? I’m really not familiar with a lot of these stores, and I need more of a frame of reference to decide.”
“Well, we’re going to have fun today. So what stores do you think that you’ll have fun at?” I slide my hand around her shoulders. A car honks right down the street, and she jerks her head in that direction before looking back to the stores. I suddenly realize how loud the street is, with all the cars and people talking. The city is abuzz with life, and with life comes noise. “Perhaps we should just find a quiet place to decide first, hm?”
Amy eagerly nods. I look around, seeing a small area with a statue and trees surrounding it. It’s still going to be loud, but at least we’d be a bit out of the way so she could take a moment to think. I move my hand to the small of her back as we walk over, finding a bench in the shade of a tree for her to sit on. I grab my phone and pull up a list of shops on fifth avenue. Amy’s eyes are darting around. She winces as a siren screams out on the street, as an ambulance zips by.
Noise really bothers her, that’s for certain. Her leg bounces with anxiety, and my mind races for solutions. I lean over to Liam and hand him some American cash. “Go to the Apple store and buy some of those bluetooth earphones, the one that can block out sound well. Hurry back.”
Liam nods and disappears down the street. Thankfully, the Apple store isn’t far, so hopefully it won’t take him long. When I look back to Amy, she’s frowning at me. I tilt my head as I step closer. “Here’s the names of the shops you can choose from.” I hand her my phone.
She takes it, but doesn’t stop frowning at me. “Where’s Liam going?”
I hadn’t been quiet about my instructions to Liam, so I’m surprised she didn’t hear it. She’s probably worried about danger, especially with the week she’s been through, so I rush to dissuade her fears. “Nothing’s the matter, leannán. He just went to pick something up for me at a store. He’ll be right back.”
“He’s picking up noise-canceling headphones from the Apple Store.” She repeats back to me, obviously having heard me like I assumed she would.
I arch my brow. If she heard, why is she still frowning? “Yes. That’s right.”
She purses her lips. “Are they for you?”
I pause. “Well, no. They’re for you, if you need them.”
She sucks in a breath, looking like she expected that answer and is upset about it, although I don’t understand why. “I don’t need the headphones.”
Her tone is firm, with no room for argument. I’ve never heard her be so forceful before. And the slight edge in her tone is something I’ve only heard once, on the recording of her phone call between her and her friend.
My little leannán is angry with me, and I don’t understand why.
