Yours for Christmas (Fool's Gold #15.5)(16)

Everything about Bailey was a good lesson for her daughter, he thought. She was impressive, how she’d kept it all together. He supposed that was one of the reasons he liked her so much.

They drove into Sacramento and found the furniture store. As they walked inside, Bailey pulled a small notebook out of her bag.

“I did some online looking,” she told him. “I thought it would make this go faster. I didn’t want to be overwhelmed by choices.”

“It’s kids’ furniture. How many choices could there be?”

Her expression turned pitying. “And here I thought you were a man of the world.”

He held open the door. “I am.”

“We’ll see.”

Fifteen minutes later, he had to admit he was in over his head. There was a whole floor of kids’ furniture. Fortunately they could avoid the section for babies, but still. There was plenty from which to choose.

One entire corner was devoted to princess beds. Some had canopies and others had scrollwork on the head and footboards. There was white furniture and gilded furniture and padded chairs in the shape of high-heeled shoes.

Bailey stared at all the fantasy setups, with gauzy bedding and fluffy pillows. “I so want to get her this,” she murmured. “But it’s silly. I need to find something she can use until she goes to college. In a few years, she’ll hate her princess bed.”

Kenny wanted to tell her to go for it, but he knew that wasn’t practical. Bailey worked for the city. It wasn’t as if she was going to suddenly double her salary in the next few years, and furniture cost money.

“Bedding isn’t that expensive,” he said. “What about getting a more sensible setup, then buying a fun princess comforter. That wouldn’t cost much to replace in a couple of years.”

She nodded slowly. “I could do that. Add some pillows.” She smiled at him. “How do you know about bedding making a difference in a room?”

“I have sisters and a mom.”

“They’ll be so pleased to know some of what they said got through.”

Her gentle teasing made him want to pull her close. It made him want to kiss her and maybe buy whatever she thought Chloe would like...his treat. Instead he stuffed his hands into his pockets and jerked his head toward the rest of the floor.

“Let’s go be practical.”

A little while later, they stood in front of what looked to be the perfect compromise.

“Are you sure?” Bailey asked, then nibbled on her bottom lip.

“Positive.” Kenny pushed a few more buttons on his phone, then turned the screen toward her. “Look. There are all kinds of hardware available.” He pointed to a bright daisy knob. “These are eight dollars apiece but you only need seven or eight of them. You could change them out if you needed to.”

She nodded slowly, as if working through the problem. “I like the natural a lot. It’s a pretty color and a nice, neutral backdrop for her room. She wants it painted lavender.”

The bedroom set was both whimsical and practical, he thought, studying the design. A unique bunk-bed set. The bottom was a full-sized bed with a small night table tucked next to it. On the left side were stairs leading to a twin upper bunk that went across the top of the full, so the beds formed a T. The best part was the storage. Each stair was a drawer and there was a big drawer under the full-sized mattress.

“It’s more than I had planned to spend,” she murmured. “But with the free financing for a year, I could make it work. I just think this one is perfect.”

He moved next to her and put his hand on her arm. For a second he allowed himself to get lost in the feel of her warm skin. Then he shook off the guy moment and focused on the problem at hand.

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” he began. “Taryn wants to get you a housewarming present and she put me in charge.”

Bailey stared at him. “I don’t know if I should laugh or be afraid.”

“That was my reaction, too. I know she would really like to get Chloe a great princess bedding set. Like that one we saw by the stairs.”

They’d seen it on the way in. It was all ruffles and lace, done in various shades of pink, blue or purple. There were matching pillows and a great lamp.

Bailey surprised him by turning away. “Did Taryn really say that?” she asked, before holding up her hand. “Never mind. I know the answer. She is so nice to me.”

She turned back and he saw tears in her eyes.

She drew in a breath. “If it was for me, I would have told her no, but for Chloe, I accept. I’m going to get this one. She’ll love it and it will last her through college and she can have friends over.”

He couldn’t help himself. He put his arm around her and drew her close. “You’re a good mom, Bailey.”

“I think I’m like most moms out there. We love our kids and want the best for them.”

For a second, she leaned into him. He felt the weight of her body and wanted to pull her even closer. He wanted... Well, he was clear on that and how he couldn’t risk it. Not just for himself, but for Bailey, too. She was the kind of woman a man got serious about, and he knew the danger of that.

“Let’s go talk to the sales guy,” he said, steering her in that direction. “While you’re filling out the paperwork, I’m going to check online for some princess-worthy drawer pulls.”