Chapter 39
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“ I s there anything I forgot to buy?”
“Let me think …” Larissa pretended to give Moon’s question a deep thought as she looked at the salesclerk who was ringing up the colossal amount of purchases Moon was making. “Do you sell prom dresses?”
“No, but we get new merchandise every week.” Humorously, the clerk continued ringing the purchases.
Her breath hitched in her throat when Moon gave the clerk a captivating wink.
“I’ll leave my number, so you call me.”
Reaching into his back pocket, Moon took out his wallet to take out his credit card. She realized he wasn’t joking when he asked for a pen and paper to write his number down. The salesclerk’s features turned a bright shade of pink as she gave Moon his receipt and card back.
“I’ll make sure to give you a call,” she gushed, “when the new inventory comes in.”
Wanting to get away from the flirtation going on right in front of her face, Larissa reached for a couple of the bags within reach.
Moon moved the bags away. “Go ahead to the car. I’ll come back for these after I carry the boxes out,” he directed her.
“Okay.” She stepped around Moon as he easily lifted a box containing the crib they had chosen and walked through the sliding glass door.
Outside, she waited next to the SUV while Moon lowered the box to the ground to press the unlock button.
“I could have carried a few of the bags,” she snapped, angry at herself more than at Moon. Why did she care he had flirted with the clerk? What he did was none of her business. She had to keep her head on straight and not let the responsibility Moon felt for the baby she was carrying get tangled into believing he felt the same way toward her. Nor let her emotions overrule her common sense.
“I wanted your hands free as a precaution. The sidewalk has a big step down. With me carrying the box, I wouldn’t have been able to catch you in time if you had any difficulty.”
“I didn’t think of that.” Ashamed at herself, she glanced away from Moon. “I’m not usually such a Negative Nancy.”
“It’s cool.” As he opened the car door for her, the smile he gave her reminded her of the one he had given the salesclerk.
She got in the SUV and waited as Moon went back inside the children’s boutique. Scrolling on her phone to keep herself from imagining Moon talking to the clerk without her presence made the wait drag by.
After fifteen minutes, she wanted nothing more than to call Lana or Priss to pick her up. Not willing to make a fool of herself twice in the same day, she remained sitting in the car, promising herself it would be the last outing with Moon. Other than the baby appointments, there was no need for them to spend time together.
Once she came to the stark conclusion, Larissa found it easier to wait patiently and was even able to give Moon a nonchalant smile when he got in the car after loading the purchases in the back.
“Sorry it took so long. The clerk wasn’t able to find the key to the storeroom where the dolly was kept. She had to call the manager.”
“No problem. I was able to take care of a few emails.” Brushing off his apology made her feel more in control than she had in a long time.
Larissa didn’t understand the strange look Moon gave her.
Glancing back at the huge mound of purchases he had crammed into the SUV, Larissa shook her head at him. “You’re spoiling her before she’s even been born.”
“Start as you mean to go on.”
“I hope you’re joking.”
“I am.”
Ignoring the boyish appealing way he was teasing her, she steeled herself to withstand the insidious way he managed to slip under the barriers she was attempting to barricade herself behind.
“Mind if I drop this load off before I drive you back to Jamestown?”
“Go ahead.”
“Any news from Drake about the possibility of getting a home in the subdivision you wanted?”
“Yes. He called yesterday. Seems the developer has run into financing problems and is offering to sell me one of the model homes.”
“Is it the size you want?”
“Slightly larger. Three bedrooms, three baths, and office space I can use as a bedroom. Luckily, I pre-qualified when I started looking for a home when I first moved to Treepoint. I made an offer, and they accepted.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you. The house will be big enough for my sisters and me to live in without us tripping over each other.”
“I’m glad you’ll be so close to my home. It’ll make it so much easier for us.”
Unable to help herself, she laid a hand on his arm. “Thank you, Moon,” she said simply.
He darted her a quick glance. “For what?”
“For making this easier for me. My greatest fear was raising our baby while we’re in a tug of war between us. I didn’t want that for the baby, or us either,” she confessed. “It’s a war neither of us could win.”
“No, it wouldn’t be,” he agreed with a grim edge to his voice.
She nervously running her hand down her jean clad thigh as she peered out the window, realizing they weren’t going to The Last Riders’ clubhouse.
“I thought you were dropping the baby items off?”
“We are. I closed on my new house yesterday.”
Her head snapped toward him. “That was quick.”
“Helped that it was a cash offer.”
“I imagine.”
Moon turned onto the street of the home he had bought, and as the house came into view, all she could think about was how in the world he had been able to come up with the cash to pay for the expensive home.
As if sensing what she was thinking, Moon glanced in her direction. “Don’t worry; I didn’t get the money from doing anything illegal.”
“I wasn’t—”
“You were … but that’s okay. I’ve worked long hours for most of my life. Never really been into buying expensive toys or wasting money. I work too hard for my money to spend it on something that would just end up in a garbage dump or a scrapyard.”
“Not a lot of people think that way.”
“Maybe not.” Moon brought the car to a stop. “But most people haven’t been as poor as I was.”
“You had a rough childhood?”
“Could have been better, could have been worse.” Moon’s hand went to the door handle. “You want to make us something to drink while I unload the boxes?”
“Okay.”
Moon unlocked the front door before going back to the SUV.
When she walked into the house, she came to a stop when she saw the front room was already filled with furniture.
“Excuse me.”
She moved out of the doorway and managed to play off her shocked surprise. “Wow. This is stunning. Did you have a furniture store on speed dial?” she joked while inwardly fighting the panic filling her at Moon being able to accomplish so much in such a small window of time.
Clearly, she had underestimated him, believing he was equal to her on what she could offer their child. There was no way she would be able to afford a home this size, much less afford the sleek furniture filling the massive living room.
“I wish.” Moon started up the stairs, carrying the box containing the crib. “Sasha took care of it for me. She’s a friend of mine. She loves decorating. If she likes a piece, she’ll buy it then store it to use for when she gets a design job.”
“That’s smart.” Larissa laid her hand on the back of the taupe sofa, appreciating the feel of the material. “She did a good job.”
“I’m happy with how it turned out,” he said, going back outside.
She left the living room and went into the kitchen to make their drinks. After pouring herself a glass of orange juice, she fixed Moon a glass of iced tea.
She stood in the kitchen while she sipped on the orange juice, listening as Moon made several trips to the car. When she heard the sound of the door closing, she expected Moon to come into the kitchen. Instead, she heard his steps going up the stairs.
Placing her empty glass in the sink after rinsing it out, she carried the iced tea into the living room, expecting Moon to come back downstairs. When he didn’t, she went upstairs and found Moon was measuring the room he had mentioned would be the baby’s room.
“What are you doing?”
“Sorry, I got distracted trying to decide which side of the room to place the crib. I didn’t mean to hold you up. It took me longer to find the measuring tape than I thought it would. Sasha borrowed it and didn’t put it back where it belongs.”
“No worries. I’m not in a rush,” she assured him.
Larissa didn’t miss the yearning way he looked at the cardboard box.
“You’re dying to put it together, aren’t you?” Handing him the iced tea, she laughed at the abashed look he gave her.
“I wouldn’t exactly say dying , but pretty close,” he admitted.
“Have at it. Like I said, I’m in no rush.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I didn’t really have any other plans for the rest of the afternoon,” she admitted.
“Cool. Let me get a chair, and you can keep me company. I’ll be right back.”
Larissa stared at the unfurnished bedroom, already regretting the decision not to ask Moon to drive her back to Jamestown. His boyish enthusiasm had snuck under her guard.
Her hand moved to lovingly stroke her distended abdomen at the fluttery kicks she felt from within. “ Shh , little one, Mama’s okay,” she softly murmured, sensing the baby was feeling the tumultuous emotions going on within her body.
She would text Priss and check when her last appointment was and get her to drive her back to Jamestown. Moon might or might not be putting on a charade for her, but until she knew for sure, it was safer not risk the chance of another kiss. She would keep her distance and keep their conversation light until Priss was able to come and get her.
She texted Priss and was relieved when her sister texted her back that she could pick her up in a couple of hours.
Just two hours. I can do this , she told herself. All she had to do was ignore the way her heart skipped a beat every time he smiled at her, and the warmth flooding when he moved his muscular body in a particular way. God, did you have to make him so damn sexy? she ranted inwardly. And lastly, whatever she did, she wasn’t going within one inch of his mouth, despite how badly she wanted to kiss him again.
I’ve got this . She gave her baby bump another reassuring pat.
Startled, she glanced down at her stomach, at the strong kick she had received. Was she being ridiculous, or was the baby trying to warn her to leave?
Feeling silly, she brushed it off. Her confused emotions over Moon made her create mountains out of molehills.
Neither of them had mentioned the kiss they had shared, leaving her confused on how he really felt about her. She had never really been good at deciphering a man’s behavior. At this stage of her life, she had never imagined herself to be as nervous as a teenager over whether a man was attracted to her or not. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the experience to pick up subtle clues other women could easily read to lessen her anxiety. Coming to the only conclusion she could, only time would tell.