Page 16 of Jaime
“With the blanket set,” I added, “and the mobile.”
Going to pay, I was more excited than I had been in a long time. I couldn’t wait to get home and put it all together, to make my home look like somewhere that Evie lived too.
“Aw, who is this sweetheart?” the cashier asked the moment we reached her.
Feeling oddly proud, I unzipped my jacket a bit so she could see her better.
“This is Evie,” I said.
“So sweet!” she gushed, scanning our items. “Is she your first?”
I nodded, and the cashier smiled warmly.
“Well, I’m sure she’s delighted to have two daddies to dote on her.”
I froze for a moment, then glanced at Ethan as my entire face went red hot.
“We’re not—I’m not into—”
My voice died, because Ethan was just giving a friendly smile, clearly not interested in arguing.
He caught my eye and shrugged. I looked away.
Did Ethan really not care about being mistaken for a couple? I glanced at him, briefly taking in his classically handsome features. We were so different. Did it really look like we could be together?
For some reason, my heart was racing.
As the cashier finished scanning, I pulled out my wallet, keeping my face carefully blank.
“There’s a crib set too,” Ethan said.
“I’ll get all this part,” I said.
He shook his head, handing over his card before I could argue.
The crib and blankets were brought to the front a moment later.
“Oh! One more thing!”
We watched as Ethan rushed through the aisles again. I shrugged at the cashier.
A minute later, he arrived with a car seat in his arms.
“This too.”
“But—I don't even drive.”
“It's for me,” he argued and held it up for her to scan.
I let him do it, but the whole situation felt weird. I had gotten used to being a charity case growing up, but it had been a long time since then. I’d worked full time—granted doing fast food—since I was sixteen. For the last few months, I hadn’t been working, but I had plenty of money. More than I ever had before.
The employees helped us take everything outside, and only once we were on the sidewalk and Ethan called for an Uber did the car seat make sense.
“Right,” I muttered. “I guess we can’t take all of this on the bus.”
“Nope,” he agreed. “And I wasn’t about to send you and Evie on the bus while I took a car.”
I shook my head.
