Lucky Forever - Cee Bowerman Page 0,41
shook my head to clear it and watched as he took the camera back and thanked the couple for helping us.
“I’ve got some stuff planned for me and you,” Rowdy said as he picked up his backpack and flung the straps over his shoulder. He took my hand and led me down the block to the parking garage where we had left the truck. “I asked the girls this morning for suggestions and they gave me directions to this art gallery that specializes in clay. They said that the artist has a small shop attached to it where he has one-of-a-kind jewelry. I thought that would be the perfect place to buy you a wedding set.”
“That’s so sweet,” I smiled at him. “How did you learn to be so thoughtful?”
“I’m playing all of this by ear, babe,” Rowdy chuckled. “I’ve honestly got no fucking idea what I’m doing. I’ve dated here and there through the years, but never had a woman sleep over at my house. I’ve never even kissed a woman in front of my daughter until you. So, let’s just say that I’m learning as I go with you.”
“I’ve never let Lexi meet anyone I’ve been with either,” I said honestly. “I’ve never really dated anyone seriously.”
“Never?”
“Lexi’s dad, but we were teenagers,” I shrugged. “Then all the stuff with Jackson happened and I’ve been hiding ever since.”
“I’m a learning experience for you, too, then.”
“Yeah,” I tiptoed up to kiss him before he opened the truck door for me. “A trial by fire, so to speak.”
“Well, then we’re on even ground.”
I stayed quiet as Rowdy navigated his way through Austin traffic to the area that one of Lout’s sisters had told him about. We finally found parking and got out of the truck to walk back to the gallery and he and I strolled hand in hand up the sidewalk window shopping together.
I saw a painting in one of the windows and fell in love with it. I stared longingly for a minute and then pulled myself away from the window to pass the store. Rowdy turned me around and marched us into the gallery and spoke to the salesperson as I walked around looking at the other beautiful work on display.
I thought he was just going to ask for the price of the painting, but when I turned around, I saw that he was standing at the counter putting his credit card into his wallet as the sales clerk wrapped the large canvas for shipping.
“You bought it?” I whispered in shock. I had seen the prices on some of the other pieces and knew he must have spent a fortune on that one large painting.
“Wedding gift,” Rowdy shrugged. “Now you have to figure out where to hang it before it gets to the house.”
“Thank you,” I whispered as I put my arms around him. “Thank you so much.”
“I can’t splurge like that very often because I’m saving to buy the house, but this is a special occasion.”
“We’ve got plenty of money, Rowdy,” I laughed. “I’ve never been able to say that before. It feels odd.”
“You’ve got plenty of money,” Rowdy shook his head seriously. “That money is yours, babe. I’m not going to spend it for you and I won’t let you pay for everything either. This is a partnership.”
“Well, I’ve got the next 50 years to change your mind then, don’t I?” I raised my eyebrows and stared at him, trying to look at least a little threatening. I realized it didn’t work at all when he laughed at me and dropped a quick kiss on my lips.
“You can try.”
◆◆◆
“He was so funny,” Shanda laughed as she pointed at Rowdy. “Leia walked up with her little tooth in her hand and held it out to him and he almost passed out.”
“I wasn’t ready for that at all,” Rowdy looked queasy even now, years later. “The books said that it usually happened when they were five or six. She was four years old!”
“He always had a book close by,” Allie told me. “I think he read every parenting book the library had to lend.”
“You read books about taking care of Leia?” I asked him, my heart going a little soft at the thought of him studying up on what to do as a parent since he had no idea at all.
“He still does,” Leia told me. “He explained the birds and the bees to me and used this book he’d been studying to make sure he gave me