“Okay, I don’t like that crib. How about this crib but in black?”
“It looks girlie to me,” she said, coming over to him and running her hand along the backboard. “See? Romantic detail,” she informed him while pointing to the sign. “It’s a girl bed.”
“Okay, but that one is so plain.”
Piper nodded. “But we’ll get awesome bedding to dress it up.”
Erik looked around the store and shrugged his shoulders.
“Where’s the bedding?”
“Over here,” she said, pulling him across the store. “I’ll even let you pick it out since I’m getting my crib.”
She grinned up at him as her fingers laced with his. He shook his head as he looked away. She was so damn cute that if he kept looking at her, he’d end up ravishing her in public and he knew there were laws against that. Looking up at the wall of bedding, Erik didn’t see anything he liked until he saw a cute little whale.
He loved whales.
“I like the whale set,” he said, pointing to the display.
“Whales? I was thinking hockey something.”
He pinned her with a look. “I thought I was picking.”
She nodded as she said, “But how am I supposed to make a whale play hockey?”
“The same way you made an owl drink tea and eat cupcakes; it’s doable. I like whales.”
“You like whales?” she asked as she glanced up at him, skeptically.
“Yes, I used to have a whale when I was little because the team I played for in Russia was the Wild Whales. Jakob and I were the best on the team. Those were some of my favorite childhood memories.”
Piper smiled. “Then whales it is. I’ll think of something.”
“Awesome.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked around the store, picking out other things. It had been a nice morning, an expensive one, but Dimitri was worth it and so was Piper. She really was one of a kind, and he was glad that he stayed. After their talk, they had spent the whole night cuddling and holding each other. It was so weird to sleep with a woman without having sex first, but it wasn’t awkward with Piper. He enjoyed it and he definitely enjoyed her.
“I can’t decide if I want to paint his name over the bed, or get the really pretty wooden letters,” she said as they stood in front of a wood letters display. “What do you think?”
Erik shrugged his shoulders. A part of him wanted to say he didn’t care, that it was her choice, but the other part wanted to do this, to help with the process. “I like the wooden letters.”
“Me, too. I think it’ll add more dimension.”
“Yeah.”
He helped pick out the letters they needed and put them in the shopping basket he held in one hand, while his other hand held hers. They had a lot of stuff and Erik dreaded carrying it through the mall. He knew Piper wasn’t done. Shea told him all the pregnant women go to Carter’s for baby clothes. Erik was pretty sure he wasn’t looking forward to that. But he knew it would make Piper happy, and after the way he had acted the day before, he intended to make her happy.
Laying the wood letters on the counter, Piper glanced up at him. “If I pay for the crib can you get everything else?”
Erik raised an eyebrow at her as the cashier started ringing up their merchandise. “I’m buying everything.”
She shook her head as she said, “No, I’ll buy the crib. I would buy everything but my check hasn’t come in yet, so can you pay and I’ll pay you back?”
“No,” he said, looking at the cash register, watching it total up their purchases.
“Erik.”
“Piper,” he said, turning to look at her. “You are not paying, so just put your card back in your purse and hush.”
“Do you want me to beat you with this stuffed whale?”
Erik glanced over and smiled. “Not really. How about we get that for Dimitri instead.”
She glared as he added it to the order and waited for the total. Thousands of dollars later, they were walking out with ten bags and a slip with the date the crib would be delivered. Piper looked mad, but he didn’t care. He might not be the greatest guy but if he learned one thing, it was that a woman never paid for anything.
“I don’t know why you are upset,” he muttered as they entered Carter’s.
“I’m pretty sure I made my reason clear.”
Erik shook his head as she held up a little blue outfit that she grinned at, then dropped it in her basket. “I’d think by now, you would know that when you’re with me, you pay for nothing. That’s how I roll.”
“Well, it’s not how I roll. I can pay for my own things.”