“He here to see you?” he asked, pointing at Brexton’s car.
“Yes.”
The guy folded his arms over his chest. “Then I’ll make sure no one fucks with his ride until you leave. What Mike did to you was wrong.”
Blossom blinked, certain she’d misheard him. Didn’t assholes like Mike and this guy stick together? She’d never had anyone in the neighborhood take up for her before, and it was unsettling to say the least. “Thank you,” she managed.
She hurried back inside and found Brexton with both of her kids clutched in his arms. Blossom pressed a hand to her chest as she took in the scene. Drew had his head on Brexton’s shoulder, his little fingers threaded through the alien’s beard, and her darling little RaeLynn was contentedly staring up at the man holding her.
“Everything all right?” Brexton asked.
“Yes, I just… Um, I wanted to make sure your car was still there. Nice things tend to vanish in this neighborhood.”
“Grab whatever you need and we’ll leave.” He looked down at the kids in his arms. “They seem a little small to wear a seatbelt in the backseat. How do you transport them?”
Transport… She groaned. “They need car seats. We walk everywhere, so I don’t have anything for them.”
“If you’ll sit in the backseat with your son and hold your daughter, I’ll drive slowly until we reach a store that sells the things we need. I don’t like the thought of leaving you here to go get car seats.”
She looked at her kids and nodded. While it wasn’t safe to travel without them in seats, it also wasn’t safe to stay put. If the police pulled Brexton over, hopefully they wouldn’t give him a ticket. While no one would care if she and her kids were traded to some drug person in Mexico, she didn’t think they’d fuck with the big alien. He seemed intimidating, even if he did appear to have good intentions, and a gentle touch when it came to children.
“I’ll carry them down,” he offered.
Blossom grabbed her purse, a few diapers and training pants for the kids, and Drew’s only stuffed bear. She followed Brexton downstairs and out to his pretty vehicle. Once she and the kids were safely tucked into the backseat and buckled, he pulled away from the curb, keeping his word and driving slowly and safely. He got onto the interstate and drove to a part of Los Angeles she’d only ever seen on TV, not stopping until he reached a strip mall with a large baby store.
While Blossom got out, holding RaeLynn, Brexton unbuckled Drew and plucked her son out of the backseat. They walked into the store together, and for a moment, she wondered if this was what it felt like to be part of a family. Yes, she’d had boyfriends in the past and they’d gone out with the kids, but it hadn’t ever felt like this. She’d never felt safe, protected. For as long as Blossom could remember she’d feared for her children, but with Brexton watching over the three of them, Blossom felt like she could finally breathe and let some of the tension ease from her body.
Brexton placed his free hand at the small of her back and led her through the doors of the store. Blossom got a cart with a baby seat attached and buckled RaeLynn in. Then she reached for Drew and placed him into the back of the cart. Brexton grabbed a second cart, and she smiled a little since she hadn’t had to even ask him.
“Lead the way,” he said. “Get everything they will need. Clothes, diapers, anything you can think they might need in order to be comfortable.”
Blossom went to the clothing section first and picked out a few outfits for both kids, but Brexton stopped her when she would have walked off. He must have been paying attention, because he pulled at least ten more outfits off the racks himself and got the right sizes for both kids. They picked out new shoes, diapers and training pants, and then Brexton started throwing toys into the basket.
“You’re going to spoil them,” she said.
“Maybe they need a little spoiling,” he replied and kept adding more items until the cart was overflowing.
“Brexton, you need to stop. We still have to get their beds, sheets, and blankets. You’re not going to have room in your car for all of this stuff.”
“And car seats,” he said, frowning as he gazed around the store. When he spotted the section with seats and strollers, he went directly to the most expensive items. Blossom shook her head, realizing that it was impossible to rein him in.
A series of loud squeals startled RaeLynn and she started to fuss as three women with babies came rushing toward them. Brexton looked confused a moment, until he realized what was happening. Fans had spotted him. How they’d missed him, Blossom didn’t know. The man was huge. And purple.
“Brexton!” A blonde pushed in close to him. “That little boy is just so adorable. I didn’t know you had children.”
He opened his mouth then shut it, as he glanced at Blossom.
“I bet you’re just the best daddy,” a redhead said, pushing her breasts against his arm. “I wish my little boy had a role model in his life like you, but his daddy is out of the picture.”
Well, if that wasn’t blatantly obvious… Blossom rolled her eyes.
“Did you want an autograph?” Brexton asked the trio. “I’m afraid I don’t have a pen or paper with me.”
Oh, Blossom could see the redhead had a special paper she liked him to sign. Like a marriage license. She nearly snorted at how pathetic they were, and she hoped like hell she hadn’t fangirled as hard as these vultures. She didn’t doubt they’d all sell their souls just for a chance with the actor. Did they even care about him as a person, or was it his bank account they liked? She’d never really thought about it, but it must be hard to be in his position.
“We were just about to go for a bite to eat, weren’t we?” the redhead asked the other two.
So far, the woman with dark hair was just silently drooling. Blossom decided she liked her the best out of the three.
