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”Uh uh,” I said, holding him out of her reach until she settled down. “If you’re going to take him, you have to be careful. He’s very little, and you might accidentally hurt him.”
“Okay, Mommy,” she said, dropping back down to the balls of her feet and waiting patiently with arms outstretched for him. I slowly handed him over to her, and she gently held him against her body, giggling as he started wriggling and licking her face manically.
“I love him, Mommy,” Violet said.
Nick gave me a triumphant look that said, “I guess you have no choice but to accept my gift now.”
In return, I gave him a look that suggested it wasn’t over, and he cocked an eyebrow in challenge.
“That settles it then,” he said. He dropped to his knees to address Violet. “You wanna go shopping for things for the new puppy?”
“Shopping!” Violet yelled excitedly.
I rolled my eyes at Nick. Did he think it would be that easy? “I don’t want to go shopping.”
He shrugged. “That’s up to you. Meanwhile, Violet and I are going to drown the town in dollar bills.”
“Dollar bills,” Violet parroted. She put the puppy down on the floor and held her hands over her head to be picked up. Nick obliged, and with a last look at me, he started walking away with her on his hip, calling my bluff. I held back for one second, then two, until eventually, I was running after them.
“I can’t afford to miss work,” I continued to protest. “I have deliverables to turn in, and if I don’t, I might get fired.”
He turned to wink at me. “It’s okay. They’ll cut you some slack. I know the boss.”
* * *
It was a trick.
We came to the strip mall under the guise of shopping for the puppy but ended up going into a high-scale store instead.
Nick, being the expert manipulative bastard that he is, pointed out an adorable dress in the display, which led to Violet pleading for us to go in. And once again, I had no choice.
And while she and Nick went to explore more dresses, I wandered through the racks filled with expensive clothes. I always hated coming into these stores. As a poor kid, I used to practically press my nose against the windows whenever I saw something I wanted. But the one time I’d walked in with my savings, they looked at me like I was the scum of the earth. I left immediately, not having the boldness to even buy anything. Since then, I haven’t been to any designer store ever.
This was a large outlet with different designers highlighted on their signs. I was hoping no one would approach me and that they would simply let me engage myself with browsing.
But only a few minutes after Nick and Violet disappeared, I felt someone come up to me.
“Excuse me.” I turned to find a salesperson behind me. “May I help you?”
My spine stiffened.
It wasn’t said in a friendly way that would suggest she actually wanted to help me. But rather, in a tight way that told me, once again, I didn’t belong.
“No,” I answered instinctively. “Just waiting for my fiancé and daughter.”
“Mmm,” she said with a fake smile. “Just make sure you don’t touch any of the merchandise. Everything is very expensive.”
Her barbs struck clear, but I kept my head high and nodded back, only to hear a loud voice booming behind me.
“What the fuck did you just say to her?”
I spun around instantly to see Nick coming up behind me. Violet was perched on his hip in her princess dress, and I was about to scold him for swearing in front of her. But he wasn’t even looking at me. His icy stare was trained on the store attendant.
Her eyes widened, and recognition flashed within them. She gaped. “You’re…you’re…”
“Nick fucking Walker,” he said coldly. “And the woman you just insulted is my future wife.”
“I didn’t mean to….” She looked between the two of us, appearing a little like she was about to cry. “I’m sorry….”
