well.”
“How about a compromise?” Bryce said, not wanting to offend her. She took pride in taking care of herself and Tawny before she got her modeling career off the ground.. Now that she was expecting, she would want to do that for her children. “Today we pick out whatever we want, baby furniture and the likes. I’ll pay for half now and then you can get the rest later.”
“Deal. So this was the surprise, baby shopping?”
“No, the real surprise is in the back.” Bryce took her hand.
The young woman in the shop smiled. “Mr. Forte, right this way.”
Bryce led Isa behind the curtain to the art studio.
“What’s all this?” Isa said, looking around.
“This is how some women commemorate their pregnancy,” the clerk explained. “We make a cast of your belly and then we cover it in clay. Our artist then colors and fires it into a marvelous piece of art.”
“Are you in?” Bryce asked.
Isa laughed. “Oh heck yeah I am!”
“I understand you’re having twins,” the clerk said conversationally. “Sometimes, if we get a mother far long, we see a foot print in the cast or maybe a knee.”
“Can I come back and do another one when I get further along?” Isa asked, and Bryce could hear the excitement in her voice.
“We can.” He kissed her temple. “I’ll be coming back with you.”
“I’d like that,” Isa said shyly.
He watched with rapt interest as she came out from the dressing room in a sports bra. Her skin was smooth as chocolate silk and burgeoning with life. The clerk laughed as she felt movement. As she showed them around, she told them she ran the store and helped make the cast for the artists when they came in. Bryce felt a little jealous at how easily Isa talked to the clerk, especially with the clerk being allowed to touch her belly when he felt uncomfortable asking. Bryce brushed it off as a woman thing knowing they had a lot of ground to cover to rebuild trust. In his case, he felt jealous of even Dr. Allary, who Isa called Ben. She saw him as a friend, and all Bryce saw was a threat.
After the cast was dried and removed, she cleaned her stomach off with a warm washcloth. The clerk handed her cocoa butter cream to moisturize her skin, and watching her rub it on made Bryce shift uncomfortably in his seat. He wanted her in the worst way.
“We don’t know the sex of the twins, so let’s keep the clothes to a minimum for now,” Isa said as they shopped.
“When do we find out anyway?” Bryce asked. He picked up something he thought looked like a boy version of a tutu. I should let her pick clothes before the kids are dressed like baby clowns, he thought. He had no clue about dressing kids.
His cell phone beeped in his pocket and he pulled it out to look at it.
“We find out next appointment, hopefully. The last time neither of them cooperated.” Isa walked towards him while he stared at his phone. “Something wrong?”
“I have this gala thing tonight I have to go to In New York,” Bryce said. “Fuck it, I would blow it off, but I pledged donations to them months ago and it’s a thing my mom started.”
“No, go. Makes no sense you staying in with me every night. You had a schedule way before this, and I’ll be fine,” Isa encouraged.
“I’d invite you, but it’s too late to get a dress and I just promised to keep you out of the lime light,” he said. “Plus, we don’t know if you were cleared for flying.”
Isa laughed. “It’s fine. Besides, the last time I crashed a party, look what happened.”
Bryce kissed her lovingly. “A very good thing happened. I’m taking my jet, so I’ll be back late tonight.”
“I’m all tapped out. Can we have some lunch before we head home?” Isa asked. “The twins are starved for a steak burrito bowl, smothered in spicy melted cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.”
“They seem to have a very specific taste for being babies,” Bryce said, amused.
“What can I say, they have refined
“How about a compromise?” Bryce said, not wanting to offend her. She took pride in taking care of herself and Tawny before she got her modeling career off the ground.. Now that she was expecting, she would want to do that for her children. “Today we pick out whatever we want, baby furniture and the likes. I’ll pay for half now and then you can get the rest later.”
“Deal. So this was the surprise, baby shopping?”
“No, the real surprise is in the back.” Bryce took her hand.
The young woman in the shop smiled. “Mr. Forte, right this way.”
Bryce led Isa behind the curtain to the art studio.
“What’s all this?” Isa said, looking around.
“This is how some women commemorate their pregnancy,” the clerk explained. “We make a cast of your belly and then we cover it in clay. Our artist then colors and fires it into a marvelous piece of art.”
“Are you in?” Bryce asked.
Isa laughed. “Oh heck yeah I am!”
“I understand you’re having twins,” the clerk said conversationally. “Sometimes, if we get a mother far long, we see a foot print in the cast or maybe a knee.”
“Can I come back and do another one when I get further along?” Isa asked, and Bryce could hear the excitement in her voice.
“We can.” He kissed her temple. “I’ll be coming back with you.”
“I’d like that,” Isa said shyly.
He watched with rapt interest as she came out from the dressing room in a sports bra. Her skin was smooth as chocolate silk and burgeoning with life. The clerk laughed as she felt movement. As she showed them around, she told them she ran the store and helped make the cast for the artists when they came in. Bryce felt a little jealous at how easily Isa talked to the clerk, especially with the clerk being allowed to touch her belly when he felt uncomfortable asking. Bryce brushed it off as a woman thing knowing they had a lot of ground to cover to rebuild trust. In his case, he felt jealous of even Dr. Allary, who Isa called Ben. She saw him as a friend, and all Bryce saw was a threat.
After the cast was dried and removed, she cleaned her stomach off with a warm washcloth. The clerk handed her cocoa butter cream to moisturize her skin, and watching her rub it on made Bryce shift uncomfortably in his seat. He wanted her in the worst way.
“We don’t know the sex of the twins, so let’s keep the clothes to a minimum for now,” Isa said as they shopped.
“When do we find out anyway?” Bryce asked. He picked up something he thought looked like a boy version of a tutu. I should let her pick clothes before the kids are dressed like baby clowns, he thought. He had no clue about dressing kids.
His cell phone beeped in his pocket and he pulled it out to look at it.
“We find out next appointment, hopefully. The last time neither of them cooperated.” Isa walked towards him while he stared at his phone. “Something wrong?”
“I have this gala thing tonight I have to go to In New York,” Bryce said. “Fuck it, I would blow it off, but I pledged donations to them months ago and it’s a thing my mom started.”
“No, go. Makes no sense you staying in with me every night. You had a schedule way before this, and I’ll be fine,” Isa encouraged.
“I’d invite you, but it’s too late to get a dress and I just promised to keep you out of the lime light,” he said. “Plus, we don’t know if you were cleared for flying.”
Isa laughed. “It’s fine. Besides, the last time I crashed a party, look what happened.”
Bryce kissed her lovingly. “A very good thing happened. I’m taking my jet, so I’ll be back late tonight.”
“I’m all tapped out. Can we have some lunch before we head home?” Isa asked. “The twins are starved for a steak burrito bowl, smothered in spicy melted cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.”
“They seem to have a very specific taste for being babies,” Bryce said, amused.
“What can I say, they have refined
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