Chapter Three
Brexton felt the tension in his neck and shoulders ease as they quickly bought the items they needed, and he arranged for a delivery later in the day for the children’s beds and other furniture. Getting cornered by rabid fans hadn’t entered into his plans for the day, but it should have. It was a common enough occurrence, but he hadn’t handled it well. The way he’d claimed Blossom and the kids… Yes, he’d made sure they would each have a bedroom of their own, completely outfitted with bedding that had matching curtains, toys, and anything else that looked like something they would need or want. But it hadn’t given the right to tell those women she was his girlfriend. Blossom had protested how much he was spending on them, and yet she hadn’t put up a fight over what he’d told the women. He didn’t know enough about Earth females to know if he should worry.
He really did owe her an explanation for what happened in the store, but he wasn’t ready for that discussion just yet. He hadn’t really meant to claim her that way, but the women were getting too close, their gazes hungry, and not in a sexual way. No, they hadn’t cared about anything but his status. Sometimes he really hated his fame.
Blossom had refused a trip to the mall, but he’d found a store in the same strip mall as the baby place. Once he’d discovered her sizes, he’d started adding items that he thought would look nice on her. He’d realized rather quickly that she was going to check the price of everything she picked up, and if she thought it cost too much she put it back. He wasn’t about to let her get away with that. Especially, since he’d just turned her life upside down. Yes, it had been his intention to help her, but now it was only a matter of time before the entire world knew he’d claimed to have a girlfriend with kids who was moving in with him.
He’d been correct though when he’d said that her boyfriend -- ex-boyfriend -- wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on her without someone noticing. With her blue hair, she would stand out a little. Not much, since he’d seen hair every color of the rainbow while living in Los Angeles, but enough that when someone saw a woman with blue hair they would probably look a little closer to see if the female was Brexton’s girlfriend. He eyed the long strands and realized she probably hadn’t been to a salon in a while, if ever. It looked like the type of dye job she’d have done at home. Not that it was horrible, but it was rather obvious it hadn’t been done by a professional. The strands were all one flat color.
When he got close to the registers to check out, he saw a jewelry case and stopped to see what they offered. Blossom had holes in her ears, but she wasn’t wearing earrings, or any other jewelry for that matter. Did she not have any, or did she just not like it? While she was occupied in the restroom with the kids, he selected a silver pendant, some small hoop earrings, and a ring that he hoped would fit her. It wasn’t much, but she deserved some shiny things.
Brexton paid for everything while he waited for Blossom, not wanting her to know about the extra purchases just yet. He waited near the doors with the sacks of her new things. She hurried toward him with RaeLynn clutched in her arms and Drew holding tight to her pants leg. When the little boy reached him, Brexton picked him up. He’d never held kids for more than a few minutes before, and he found that he liked the way Drew snuggled into him. He didn’t even mind having his beard tugged.
“One more stop, then we’ll go home,” Brexton said.
“Where could we possibly need to go now?” Blossom asked.
“You’ll see.” He smiled a little and stashed her bags in the back of his SUV before leading her two doors down to a salon he’d noticed earlier. Even though he hadn’t been to this one, he’d heard the name before and knew it was a reputable place.
“Brexton, why are we here?” she asked, her lips thinning. “If you expect me to change my hair…”
“Not change it. Not really. You can ask them do whatever you’d like, but I thought you might like the ends trimmed and maybe have it professionally colored? Whatever color you’d like.”
She pursed her lips and looked around before focusing on him again. “Really? You don’t want my hair a natural color?”
“Blossom, there are worlds across the galaxies who have people with blue hair, purple hair, rainbow hair… every color you could imagine. It doesn’t matter to me what color you make it, as long as you’re happy with the results.”
“The kids are getting tired.”
He could see that she wanted to give in, but she was looking for excuses. He’d never met a female before who didn’t want to spend his money, and Brexton wasn’t quite sure what to make of her. She needed his help, and the little family definitely had needed new things, and yet she was reluctant to accept anything from him. It wasn’t like their small little shopping spree had even put a dent in his bank account.
“I’ll get RaeLynn’s new stroller and lay it back so she can nap, and Drew can sleep in my arms while we wait for you. If they get fussy, I’ll step out and walk up and down the sidewalk with them, or find a kid friendly place.”
A stylist noticed them and came rushing forward.
“Oh my gosh! You’re Brexton!” Her smile widened and excitement flared in her eyes.
“Yes, I was hoping you might have an opening.”
“For you?” the stylist asked, her eyes going wide.
“For my girlfriend,” he corrected, and winked at Blossom. “Anything she wants, she can have.
“Girlfriend?” the stylist asked, focusing on Blossom, then she smiled. “Well, of course you wouldn’t go for ordinary. If she wants to keep the blue, we have a wonderful color selection. It would be a delight to work with her.”
Brexton nudged her toward the stylist. “Go on. Tell her what you’d like to have done to your hair.”
“Anything?” Blossom asked, nibbling on her lower lip.
“Anything at all,” he assured her.
The stylist dragged her away, and then Brexton found out the hard way just how long a hair appointment could last for a female. He’d never had anything more than a cut, but it seemed hair color took quite a bit longer, as well as whatever else she was having done. After the hour mark, the kids were getting restless, so he stepped outside and walked up down the length of the strip mall. Until Drew spotted something across the lot and started tugging on his beard again.
“Please,” the little boy asked softly.
It was the first time Brexton had heard him speak.
“You want to go there?” he asked, pointing to the building with a large alligator on top.
