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Derick
Sat in the passenger seat, he eyed Kodi as he drove them to the mall. Sometimes Derick wondered where the small boy with knobbly, skinned knees had disappeared to. “Why do you need me for this shopping trip again?”
He’d been having a lazy morning in bed with Lane when Kodi had hammered on their bedroom door, his only warning before barging in. Derick had forgotten just how impatient Kodi could be when he was on a mission. Kodi was just fortunate he hadn’t been ten minutes earlier.
“Dad, I told you, I have never bought a gift before that requires any real thought,” Kodi explained, flashing him a begging smile. “And the mall isn’t the only place we’re going, I want to show you something.”
Lane had gone for a shower and left them to talk when it became clear Kodi wanted to speak to Derick alone. Kodi had insisted he needed Derick’s help with something that required them to go shopping, being unnaturally vague. This other thing was clearly important, given how Kodi fidgeted at the wheel when he mentioned it.
Derick didn’t try to hazard a guess with Kodi and didn’t push the topic. Kodi would talk about what was on his mind in his own good time. The twins were so different in personality. Sometimes it was hard to remember they were indeed twins. Kari had always been the more open one, despite Kodi’s reactive behavior.
“Can you explain why this gift matters more than others?”
Lane thought he already knew what was going on with Kodi, but Derick wasn’t so sure. Kodi, since his return from Milan, had been home more than before the trip. Not every evening and all weekend but a noticeable amount that Derick was questioning whether something had happened in Milan between him and Lennon to create some distance. He wasn’t blind or without an acute sense of smell. He knew exactly which of his sons was doing what and with who. He didn’t always agree with Lane’s meddling and matchmaking, but that didn’t stop him from keeping a watchful eye in case he needed to step in.
He had files on everyone who worked for the company; it was something he’d done since its inception when there were so many divergent haters out there. Yes, sometimes one or two had managed to mask their true feelings and hide their connections to propaganda groups. It wasn’t often, but it did happen. And when it came to his sons’ wellbeing, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to keep them from harm. Lennon, as far as Derick had found, was a genuinely nice guy. He saw why Lane thought he was perfect for Kodi and didn’t need to hazard a guess who they were shopping for today. Although the alpha group chat he shared with his sons had garnered no insight as to what Kodi’s intentions toward Lennon were. The insistence he would remain single was a far cry, it seemed, from reality but Derick hadn’t built a billion-dollar company by making assumptions.
Kodi ran a hand through his hair, glancing in the wing mirror before signaling. “I want it to make a statement,” he finally answered.
“To who? Others or the person you’re buying it for?” At Kodi’s frown, he explained. “It makes a difference. If you want to make a statement that speaks to your feelings for the person, then it’s for the person. If you want something that tells others your intentions toward the individual, then it’s a ‘look but don’t touch’ type gift, and that is less personal.”
“Christ! Why does buying a gift have to be so complicated?” Kodi muttered, pouting while parking in the first available space when they entered the large shopping mall parking lot.
Derick didn’t point out the pout and swallowed to stop the chuckle escaping at how despondent Kodi was. “Which of those two fit best?”
When Kodi turned off the ignition, he sagged into the seat, huffing. “I don’t know. Both? I want to buy a gift that says ‘I like you a lot’ and lets others know he’s off limits.” He met Derick’s gaze. “That’s both, right?”
Derick felt the same overwhelming emotions he had the second he’d laid eyes on Kodi. His baby was in love. A stinging at the back of his eyes got him blinking to ensure the tears stayed put.
“Are you looking to propose to someone?” he spoke like he was about to disassemble a bomb to avoid spooking Kodi.
He violently scratched the back of his head, his face becoming red. “It’s… I… we… damnitall,” he rushed to say, “I don’t know!”
A beseeching look was all it took to reach and tug the hand from Kodi’s hair before he hurt himself. Derick clasped it between his and said, “Hey, it’s alright to not know. Let’s go in and we’ll wander around, see if there’s anything that catches your eye.”
It was hard not to be amused by how fast Kodi got out of the car, looking relieved. He was marching off without Derick or locking the car a second later.
“Kodi, you need to lock the car first,” he called after him.
The sound of it locking was Kodi’s reply. He didn’t slow, forcing Derick to give chase or lose him. It wouldn’t be the first time, not that he’d ever confessed to Lane about that. No, he liked to keep his hide intact.
Inside, Derick, who wasn’t a shopper, had to get his bearings for a second. The mall was overly bright, with crazy noise levels, and overpowering scents all competing with each other. His wolf hated places like this, they hurt all his senses, and it tended to hide. Derick, unfortunately, couldn’t join it.
“Do you have a place you buy stuff for Popi in this mall?” Kodi questioned, his pace slowing when he noticed Derick wasn’t keeping up with him.
Derick considered his answer while avoiding two women who suddenly stopped to look in a shop window. “There’s a small family-owned jeweler I use for special gifts, yes.”
“Whereabouts is it?” Kodi stopped to look at the map of the mall. The place had seven floors and was a maze under a glass dome that made Derick always feel like he’d entered a hot house full of flowers. All the people with their gaily colored clothes felt like butterflies flitting around the blooms.
“Second level.” Derick pointed to the area where several jewellers were. “The last shop in the section, Dariel’s.”
Kodi grabbed his arm and tugged Derick with him. “What's special about this Dariel’s?”
“They never pounce on you when you walk in and try to force you to buy shit you don’t want because they are looking for a fat commission.”
Kodi didn’t slow his pace as he glanced at Derick, heading for the escalator. “Is that the only reason?”
“No. They are very good at taking what you want to convey with a gift and finding the perfect thing. Dariel has a real talent for reading people,” Derick explained, a smile curling at the edges of his lips, thinking about the woman who was a force of nature regardless of the fact she said little.
