“If he’s anything like me, huh? Well if he’s anything like you, he’ll take off running the moment he’s out of the womb.” That made her laugh.
“Fair enough.” Her eyes sparkled in the midday sun, and my heart ached to know her better.
What made those eyes shine?
“Okay, now. I have one more thing I’d like to do before we race back to the house and get a car home.”
“I couldn’t eat another bite. I’m still trying to digest that hamburger.” Her face twisted into a grimace.
“Ha, me too.” I took her hand as we walked back to the roadster.
Tiffany’s and Company were just down the road … as soon as she saw the store, she looked at me with wide questioning eyes.
“What are we doing here?” she asked.
“None of your business …” I slapped her sweet ass.
We walked into the shop and approached the clerk at the counter. “May I speak with James, please?” I asked as the female salesperson’s eyes bulged, and she tried to cover her shocked expression.
News about Kylie and me was sure spreading fast.
“I’m James,” the clerk declared as he extended his hand to me. “Mr. Blair, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Thanks. We’re a little pressed for time, do you mind showing me the necklace I’ve requested?”
“Why yes, will you follow me upstairs, please?” I’d been through the drill before; I was making an enormous purchase, so I’d be ushered to a cubical and shown the jewelry then wined and dined until I paid.
“Do you mind waiting down here?” I asked Kylie, making sure I sounded disinterested and businesslike.
“Sure, I’ll browse while you do whatever.” She was completely unphased, I loved that about her.
Other women may have felt affronted not to join me. In my excluding her, I was ensuring that whatever I was getting definitely had nothing to do with her. If it had been another woman I’d previously dated, they would have made an issue of coming to Tiffany and Company and not be bought at least a trinket. Kylie clearly didn’t care. I went upstairs to look at the necklace I’d chosen for her online last night while I watched her sleep.
I wanted her to have something to celebrate her pregnancy and honor the sacrifice she was making carrying our child. It was a huge decision for a model to have a baby; sometimes it ended their career. Kylie had never mentioned any resentment or worry about it, but all the same, she didn’t have to have the child; she’d made a choice to end one pregnancy, though it was an entirely different situation. I was happy that she chose to have our baby.
“Here it is.” James gingerly held the one-hundred-forty-two-thousand-dollar necklace in his hands as he gracefully laid it out in front of me.
It was a Victoria diamond cut necklace that looked like a parade of delicate butterflies all strung together in a dance of light and whimsy. Kylie reminded me of a butterfly, beautiful, but fragile. Though I was beginning to discover that butterflies weren’t as breakable as they seemed.
“It’s beautiful. I’ll take it.” I handed James my black American Express card, and he tried not to show any kind of overwhelming emotion, but the commission alone was going to give him a chunk of change. I didn’t care; the necklace was perfect, and I had money to burn.
“Let me get it wrapped up for you.” He was shaking a little, though he tried to hold his composure.
“Don’t. I lifted the necklace off the black velvet cloth. It’s going on a neck.” With that, I left my Amex card with James and bounded down the stairs.
Without pomp or ceremony, I stalked up behind Kylie and gently draped the necklace around her neck.
“Wait? What?” For a moment she was confused and disoriented until she turned to me and her fingers danced over the hundreds of tiny diamonds at her neck as I fastened the clasp. “Alec?” She slowly turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. “What the hell did you just do?” She was breathless.
I caressed her shoulders and drew her in closer as I fit my chin into the crook of her neck.
“I bought it while I watched you sleep last night. I want you to have something to remember us.” I touched the necklace. “And when you’re squirting Alec Jr. out of your V-jay, this will keep you from murdering me.” I kissed her cheek and let the gift do its thing.
James came with my card and a slip to sign and saw Kylie’s wide-eyed wonder. I swear the man almost had a meltdown seeing Kylie in the flesh. For a moment, I forgot how famous she was.
“I thought perhaps it was for her. I mean you don’t get engaged to one woman and give a hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar diamond necklace to another.” Oh boy did he stick his foot in it.