Kyle took a deep breath and I figured that he was counting to ten in his head. I did too, and reached seven before he spoke. “You’re not going back to work. Get it out of your head.”
I huffed and turned sideways to face him. “You are such an ass.”
He laughed, which made me angrier.
“Call me what you like, princess,” he chuckled. “But you’re not getting your way on this.”
Folding my arms over my chest, I tucked a leg up on my seat.
“I never get my way,” I growled. “And don’t tempt me.”
At the end of the street Kyle took a right turn instead of a left.
“Where are we going?” I asked. “The house is back that way.”
Not even looking at me, Kyle indicated again, and drove into the mall parking lot, as he spoke, “We are going to go get you some decent clothes.”
Pulling into a parking spot, he killed the engine and opened his door.
Climbing out, he rounded the car and opened my door. “As hot as you look in those skin-tight jeans, we need to get you some…”
“Don’t you dare say bigger,” I threatened, climbing out after him.
Kyle stared wide eyed and innocent as he took my hand and led me towards the entrance. “I was going to say comfy; something more comfortable.”
Sure he was.
*****
Kyle
Shopping with Lee turned out to be far less painful than I had anticipated.
As unassuming as she was, Lee was still a woman, and from my experience, they usually loved to shop.
But the discount sweats and plain shirts Lee chose, showed just how different she was.
I’d told her money was no object, but from the pained expression on her face, I’d let her be when she chose to shop in the discount rails.
I’d forced her to buy some jeans and dresses, too, and she’d all but forcibly removed me from the lingerie section when she was picking out bras and panties.
“Thank you for today and for the clothes, Kyle. I’ll pay you back,” Lee said when we got home.
No way in hell, was she paying me back, but rather than cause another argument and ruin the best day I’d had in months, I wisely changed the subject.
“Thank you, for including me today.”
She smiled at me as I turned my key in the lock and opened the front door for her.
The minute we stepped inside, Cam’s raised voice was bellowing from the living room.
“I guess she’s back,” she mumbled nervously.
I frowned, and nudged Lee into the kitchen.
I was going to kill them. I hadn’t uttered a single vowel to Cam since she went bat shit on Lee the other night, but I hadn’t forgotten, and I definitely hadn’t forgiven her.
The doc had said Lee needed to be in a stress free environment, and Cam and Derek going fucking nuclear in the front room, was setting off red flags in my head.
I felt bad for Derek, but Lee was my priority. They could take their shit elsewhere.
“Sit down, baby, I’ll be right back,” I muttered.
Dropping our shopping bags on the table, I walked over to the door but Lee grabbed my arm, and tugged me back.
“Don’t, Kyle. Let them be. It’s none of our business. Stay here with me.”
I looked at her nervous expression and channeled a level of calm, I hadn’t realized I had.
Lee smiled and lowered herself into one of the kitchen chairs.
“Here,” I said, rooting around in one of my shopping bags until my hands found the small rectangular cardboard box.
“What’s this?” Lee asked surprised, taking the package from me, and opening it.
Her face snapped up. “You got me a phone?” She shook her head in confusion. “Why? I mean thank you, I mean, when did you get this?”
“You need a phone, princess. I got it when you were getting your, uh, boobs measured.” I grabbed us two sodas from the fridge. “It’s all set up and ready to go, unlimited minutes and texts, so have at it.”
“I’ve never had a phone before,” Lee muttered, staring nervously at the slim, white, plastic in her hands. “I don’t want to break it.”
“You won’t break it, baby,” I laughed.
Sitting down beside her, I took the phone from her hands and powered it up. “You’ve used Cam’s i-phone before. I got you the same one as her.”
I stored my cell, and work numbers into her contacts list, and handed it back to her.
“Thank you, Kyle,” she whispered, shaking her head. “It’s amazing.”
She fiddled around with her phone for a few minutes before jumping up.
“Oh, I nearly forgot, wait here,” she muttered rushing out of the room.
A few minutes later she returned holding a rectangular box in her small fingers.