“I guess I didn’t even notice. Chalk it up to pregnancy brain fog,” I joke. With that, Damon gets out before circling around to open the door for me and I step out onto the asphalt. It’s a gorgeous day without a cloud in the sky, and I stare at the enormous warehouse before us.
“Goodness, this place is huge. I’ve heard of Buy More Baby before, but I’ve never been to one of its stores.”
Damon merely laughs before nodding at the chauffeur.
“Just wait here, okay Harold? We’ll be back shortly.”
Then he turns to me and slings an arm around my waist as we stride across the parking lot and into the store.
“Well, it’s big because I wanted to make sure I took you somewhere that would have everything you might possibly need or want for the child.”
I smile.
“I think they’ll have everything for sure. Otherwise, how would they fill up this space?” I ask as Damon holds the door open for me. Another gasp escapes my lips as I look around because this is the Costco of baby stores. Huge steel racks of products fill the enormous warehouse space. Poured concrete floors and towering ceilings reinforce the sense that we’re in a stadium-sized retail outlet, and people are literally hauling around dollies stacked high with their purchases. I turn to Damon.
“This is too much,” I say in a firm tone. “People are buying fifty-packs of infant formula!” I hiss beneath my breath, pointing my chin to a couple using a forklift.
Damon merely chuckles.
“Good, because I want to drive one of those forklift things,” he says before pulling me past the entryway and over to the first display. “Come on, honey. Go crazy. Knock yourself out.”
With that, my defenses melt. After all, my man is sincere and I’m tired of questioning his every move. It’s becoming tedious, not to mention tiring, and I smile and give him a quick kiss.
“Okay. I guess let’s start with baby furniture? I have a crib I picked up from a thrift shop, so maybe they will have something to match.”
Damon immediately frowns and shakes his head.
“No sweetheart, no need to bother. Why don’t we get a new crib? Your child deserves something new, and besides, you never know if old ones are even safe. You know how these manufacturers are always sending out product recalls for baby stuff.”
I hadn’t known, actually, but I nod. Damon’s right, of course. The crib I have looks decent because I sanded it and gave it a fresh coat of paint, but obviously, I didn’t verify its safety rating or anything.
“Okay,” I murmur. “You got me.”
“Perfect,” my lover grins. “Besides, I have something in mind.”
We stroll over to the furniture section, and immediately, the cutest set catches my eye. There’s a white crib made of wood, and both the headboard and footboard are decorated with tufted velvet in blue. There’s also a custom velvet underskirt, perfectly matching the material used at the ends of the crib, and I coo while fingering the material.
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” I sigh.
Damon nods.
“That one’s got a lot of personality,” he says. “I like it. Let’s get it.”
But then, I see the tag on the crib and blink, sure that I missed a decimal somewhere. Nope, my vision’s fine, and I shake my head.
“Um, this is twenty-five hundred dollars. That’s too much for a crib.”
But my lover won’t be dissuaded. He turns me to face him, and lifts my chin so I’m looking right into his hard stare.
“There’s no such thing as too much for your baby, and you know that money’s no object for me, Christine, so I want you to get that out of your head. Don’t look at any more price tags if it bothers you. If you find something you want, just let me know and I’ll add it to the list,” he says, holding up a plastic gun that reads bar codes. “I set up a baby list for us, so we just need to scan each item that we want, and then it’ll be delivered once we’re done. I think this one’s perfect,” he says before scanning the crib emphatically.
I stare at him, my mouth open, not sure if I want to smack him or kiss him.
“Christine, tell me you understand,” he commands, looking back at me over one broad shoulder.
“Um, yes I do,” I say in a hesitant voice.
“Good.”