Call Her Mine (Harmony Pointe #1)- Melissa Foster Page 0,54
the stroller as they walked toward the furniture store. “All you have to do is look at me, Ben. Get with the program.”
He chuckled and stole another kiss.
They made their way to the furniture store and found the nursery section, which was stocked with cribs, dressers, changing tables, bookcases, and more in varying colors of paint and types of wood.
“Whoa,” Ben said, looking over the sea of pastel-colored walls and furniture.
“Out of your element again?” Aurelia asked as she peeked at B.
“Slightly.” He noticed a woman with short gray hair hurrying over. He smiled at the stout, friendly-faced woman, who looked to be in her fifties.
“Hello, there. I’m Peggy.” She clasped her hands together, bending down to get a closer look at B, and said, “Oh, look at your darling girl. Are you shopping for this little princess?”
“Yes. We’re looking for nursery furniture,” Ben said.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” Peggy said cheerily. “Did you have anything specific in mind?”
Ben looked at Aurelia, who shrugged, and then he said, “We want the best of everything.”
Aurelia’s eyes widened.
“Do you have a color scheme in mind?” Peggy asked.
Again he deferred to Aurelia, who said, “I kind of like white.”
“A perfect choice. Follow me.”
As they followed Peggy, Aurelia whispered, “Ben, she’s seeing dollar signs. You don’t need to spend a fortune.”
“It’s only money, and my girl deserves the best.”
“Okay, Daddy Dalton. Bang that chest,” she joked.
After Peggy explained the difference between convertible, mini, and standard cribs and gave them more information than they could possibly process about baby furniture, she left Aurelia and Ben alone to look around. Ben watched Aurelia checking price tags and running her hands over the furniture. It was easy to tell which pieces she liked and which she didn’t by the look in her eyes. It was just as easy to tell which she thought were too expensive, as she peeked at the price tags, then dropped them like hot potatoes, moving away from them like she might get burned.
“Ben, this place is outrageously expensive,” she whispered. “We can probably do better online.”
“I know, but we’re here, and I’d like to get her nursery set up. I want to get B nice things, babe. You know I can afford it.”
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” she said. “But you’re a smart businessman. You know that.”
He kissed her tenderly and said, “I love you, and I love how fiscally careful you are. But I also saw the way you were looking at that white nursery set with the inlaid roses, matching dresser, and bookshelf.”
“No way, Ben. It’s almost the same as that one over there.” She pointed across the room at another nursery set. “But it’s twice the price, and the only difference I saw was that the expensive one has curved sides. She’s a baby, Ben. She’s not going to notice curved sides.”
“I get that, but we found her in a basket, Aurelia, and every time I think of her being left on my porch, abandoned, I just want to give her the world.”
“I know you do,” she said softly, taking his hands in hers. “But, Ben, you grew up with a big family who didn’t always have money for shiny new things. You know that love matters most, not material things. I know you have more money than God himself, but you got that way by being smart, not by overcompensating for other people’s faults. Overcompensate with your time, with your love and affection, and sock the money away in her college fund or something.”
“Relsy, you never fail to make sense.” He pressed his smiling lips to hers and said, “Maybe you’re right, because if we have a big brood like my parents did, we’ll need a lot of college money.”
“Wait . . . What? Big brood? We’re not even married.”
“Yet . . .” He grabbed the bags and pushed the stroller toward the less expensive furniture, leaving her to pick her jaw up off the floor. Oh yeah, baby. Get used to that idea.
After ordering furniture, which would be delivered to Ben’s house Friday, they headed back toward Aurelia’s apartment. When they reached Main Street, Aurelia spotted Fletch and his Bernese mountain dog, Molly, coming down the street. Fletch was a professor at Beckwith University and a good friend of Ben’s.
Fletch grinned mischievously, eyeing the stroller with his vibrant baby blues. “I’d heard a rumor about the newest Dalton family member.” He embraced Ben, giving him a manly slap on the back. “Congrats,