Nursery

20

I walked down the aisle of toys, taking my time to find the right one. It felt more appropriate for me to be getting a stuffed animal than when mom had brought me the first time. I didn't feel as out of place as I had then.

Alex let me walk ahead of him on my own. I knew it was weird for him to not hold my hand. It would have felt weird for me, too, if I hadn't been so occupied with looking for a new stuffed animal.

I was two and a half shelves smaller than I had been before so looking for a new toy was harder than I thought. The soft stuffed animals were on the lower shelves with the boxed dolls and animals up higher.

I found a stuffed animal in a box just above my head and knocked it onto the floor to look at it. I ignored Alex's eye raise as I examined it. Through the clear window, I saw a stuffed bear that was far weirder than any I'd ever seen. The eyes were X's rather than plastic eyes. The head was half blue and half orange with bright green ears. Its torso was pink and it had one yellow arm and leg and one purple arm and leg. It was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen but I liked it. Especially when I saw that marker washed right off of it. In the washing machine, of course.

"Is that the one?"

I nodded.

He took it from me and looked at it. I was expecting him to make a comment about my choice of stuffed animal or say that it looked weird but he didn't.

He reached down and took my hand. I thought we were going to pay until he went to the carts that were stacked near the door. He pulled one out and set the box in the large part. Then he lifted me. Instead of putting me in the bigger section like he did with the box, he put me in the seat. The carts looked like they were made for any of the 'kids' around town but I was still surprised when I fit and had extra room to move. I hadn't been in one in a long time.

"What are you doing? Can't you put me back there?" I pointed behind me to the large basket where my stuffed bear laid.

"There isn't enough room for you."

I almost did a double-take at his words. "Did you just call me fat?"

He rolled his eyes. "Relax, Lyla." He walked back to the toy aisle we had been in and stopped just a few feet before the stuffed animals. I watched, confused, as he picked up a large box from one of the higher shelves and stuck it in the basket.

"A dollhouse?"

He shrugged a shoulder as he pulled several plastic dolls off the shelf. "You need something to play with. My place isn't as kid-friendly as it should be."

"You sound like a dad that just had a kid and has no idea what they're doing."

He raised his eyes with his lips teasing at a grin. "A dad, huh?"

I kicked my legs at him, my face heating up. "It was just an expression."

"Whatever you say."

I covered my face with my hands. "I didn't mean it like that."

He started pushing the cart and, thankfully, approached the cashier to pay. He set everything up on the counter and pulled his wallet from his pocket.

I watched the man behind the register total up the items and put the dolls and the stuffed animal into a large bag.

"Your total comes to $157.06."

My eyes widened at the price but Alex didn't say anything. He handed a credit card to the cashier before putting the bag into the cart behind me.

He thanked the cashier then started walking toward the car. There weren't many people at the store at that time of day. Every kid was in school and almost every adult was working. The few who were out and about were grocery shopping.

I wanted to get out of the cart but I knew I couldn't do it on my own. I'd hurt myself if I tried getting out or, worse, I'd flip the cart. And I definitely didn't want any broken bones.

So I tried my best to wait patiently until Alex was done putting the toys in the back and could lift me out of the seat.

"Do you think you can let me work on this in peace this time?" He asked as he lifted me out of the cart and set me in my car seat.

I grinned at him. "I doubt it."

He sighed and finished buckling me in. As he shut my door and walked the cart to the collection a few spots down from us, I saw a smile on his face.