Page 225 of G.O.D.S Omnibus

“Just making sure you could hear me. We like this one.”

She turns and looks at the one he is pointing at, and she walks up and rocks it just like Boston did before. “Okay, do you want two? Imagine them side by side. I know they will have a walk-in closet, but you can keep all the necessities in here. If we found some black shelving, you could put it between them and stack the nappies and wipes for easy access.”

I nod along with her and agree because I have no idea what you would class as necessities. She scans the barcode on some fancy scanner that she must have been given by a sales assistant.

“Boston, go help your brother while we see if Chester and Creed have narrowed down the bassinets.”

“And where would I find said brother?” Boston asks, a brow raised at his mother. Her lips pull into a tight line, clearly annoyed by him.

“He is looking at cribs,” she says with a fake smile on her lips. Boston walks off muttering about what the fuck could be the difference between a bassinet and a crib.

Annabella and I find Creed and Chester moving around bassinets, and they both smile at me as we get closer.

“Here, you take this,” Annabella says, handing me the fancy scanner. “Just scan the barcode on the one you want. Twice if you want two. Kai is in the breast pump section, and I can see him unbuttoning his shirt. It’s not a try before you buy section.” And with that, she hurries off.

I snort and look past where she is headed. Sure enough, Kai has something in one hand, and he is trying to get his shirt off.

“Alright, let’s pick something before she circles back around. Which ones have you narrowed down?”

“These three,” Creed says. “This Moses-looking basket, it rocks.”

He demonstrates how it works, and I shake my head.

“Okay, what about this one,” Chester says, showing me some space-age looking contraption that resembles half an egg sitting in an egg cup.

“Nope, it looks like our kids would be beamed into space in that.”

“Okay, we were talking to the saleslady, and she...” Creed stops when he notices the look on my face.

“She?!” I bite out.

“Tenshi,sheis a forty-year-old soccer mum with five kids and is happily married. She suggested since we are having twins, it might be a good idea to use this portacot. It’s big enough they can both sleep in it together until they are old enough to go into their own cots, and it folds up so we can take it with us if we go on a holiday or if they have a sleepover at their grandparents’ house.”

“I do like it,” I say, feeling the mattress, which is surprisingly thick.

“It’s also adjustable,” Chester says, demonstrating how to move the base up and down.

“It looks like we have a winner.”

I scan the barcode, and the boys both follow me across the room to Brennan. Petra is also with him, and they are looking at the black cribs. Petra is moving the front of one crib up and down, showing Brennan how it works.

“Come and have a look at this one,” she says. “Annabella said you picked out some drawers that had gold handles, and Brennan found this one. It’s solid but has the gold around the top and along the base. And I really like that you can lift this up and down.”

“I love it,” I whisper in awe.

Brennan wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me into his side, and I lean my head against his arm. “Me too,” he says.

“Creed, Chester.” Annabella gets their attention, then tsks at them. “You should be moving onto your next task. We only have so long before they open the store to the public.”

She says “public” in a way that makes them seem beneath her. I can guarantee the clientele in this store have money, though they may not be as wealthy as her. I hold up the tag on the cot and my jaw drops. Three grand for just one?! There is no way the average family would be shopping here.

An hour passes in a blur of furniture, nappies, wipes, breast pumps, and baby baths. I feel like we have bought out the entire store.

Finally, I’m picking out the last item with Trace and Case; they have narrowed it down to between a bouncer and a swing. We are interrupted when, I don’t know why, Annabella pulls Kai by the ear to my side. “This belongs to you. Please tell him that my grandchildren will not be wearing baby crocs.”

“What?” Kai laughs. “They’re cute, and they can match Daddy.”

I shake my head at him. “Stop annoying her. The poor woman is stressed.”

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