Page 37 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
I couldn’t stop myself from looking forward to the nights when the four of us would gather in front of the giant TV to eat popcorn and watch family-friendly movies or the times we’d play Candyland and Connect Four, sitting on the floor around the wide, low coffee table, laughing as the girls “defeated” Daddy round after round.
Today’s mutual revelations weren’t going to help matters. At all.
“Well, that’s nice,” Sully said, sounding not quite convinced. “But I figure, what’s all this money for if not to spend it on the people I love, right?”
I nodded, unable to find fault with his reasoning. After all, there were worse things than a man who wastoogenerous.
“True. Hopefully we can find something your mother will love.”
He nodded noncommittally. When we reached a particularly posh-looking boutique called Saltwater Style, he opened the door for me and his daughters.
“Will you two behave yourselves in the store? I’ll take you to the toy shop next if you’re real good.”
As usual, Sully sounded like he was pleading with them, giving them all the power—giving them a choice. I had found in situations that required compliance, that wasn’t the best technique.
It still amazed me a man as large and powerful as Sullivan Reece could be so easily cowed by two small girls.
Without answering him, the children ran into the store as Skyla shouted, “I want that.”
Sully threw up his hands in frustration, and I decided to demonstrate for him a more effective approach.
“Skyla. Claire,” I said in a low but authoritative voice. The girls stopped and looked back at me. “Come here please.”
Gathering them close, I looked them directly in the eye. “You have shown me lately what mature, well-behaved young ladies you’re growing into. I’ve been very impressed. Now, I’d like to see excellent behavior from you while we’re in the store today—calm, quiet, and keeping your hands to yourself—and I’m sure your daddy and the shop ladies will be very impressed as well at how grown up you are.”
The girls nodded and turned to walk slowly back into the shop, each holding her hands clasped together in front of her.
Sully gave me a look that expressed wonder and maybe even a little awe. “What would I do without you?”
Pleasure rushed through me, mixed with a degree of discomfort. I didn’t know what to say. Because lately I’d started asking myself the same question. What was I going to do when I had to do withouthim?
Luckily, we were interrupted when a classy blonde woman approached us. She was impeccably dressed and looked like shebelongedin a place like this—unlike me.
“Hi, I’m Chelle. Welcome to my shop. Looking for anything in particular?”
Sully answered. “I’m not quite sure what we’re looking for yet, but she’s gonna pick out some stuff she likes and try it on.”
My head whipped around to face him. “What? Me?”
“I told you I need your opinion. I don’t know what to get. I want you to pick out whatever you like. I’m sure… Mom will like it too. And you’re about the same size, so if you wouldn’t mind trying them on, I’d appreciate it. You’d really be doing me a favor.”
I studied his face. His expression was straightforward, and his tone was so sweet, so filled with hope.
Also, after the things he’d just confessed, my heart was feeling rather soft toward him. He could have asked me to stand on my head in the middle of Brady’s Wharf, and I’d probably have done it.
“Okay. What should I look for? What’s her style?”
“I don’t think she really has one,” he said. “Just whatever you think looks good. Don’t look at the price tags.”
I walked through the store, having difficulty at first. As I’d explained to Sully earlier, it wasn’t easy to make a decision with so many options.
Obviously, I wasn’t a small child, but I wasn’t used to shopping with an unlimited budget—or at all, really.
My mother hadn’t encouraged me to wear pretty things, teaching me that clothes were meant to cover the body for decency and warmth, not to impress people or attract attention. And Mother had doneallthe shopping.
Sully’s gravelly low voice came from over my shoulder, countering the inner one that told me I had no idea what I was doing. “Pick a bunch of things and try them. Whatever catches your eye. You can’t make a mistake—just go with your gut reaction. I’ll make the final choices.”
I began moving faster, relaxing a bit and trying not to think too hard about it, reaching for the colors and patterns that attracted me and pulling them from the racks before I could question myself.
