Chapter 166

Allegra looked around the room with a sigh of satisfaction.  The nursery was finished.

As soon as they’d gotten home – she wondered if she’d ever get used to the fact that this was home – they had begun shopping for the small bedroom that was next to the master suite.  It had taken a couple of shopping trips, and Ava’s insistence to look for something more ‘suitable’ but they’d found the perfect décor and furnishings for the baby’s room.

She admired walls that Richie had taken the time to paint the palest of pink, the darker pink curtains that Ava had hung at the windows, and the all-oak furniture that she chose herself– crib, dresser, changing table and rocking chair.  All of that had been fairly easy.  It had been the bedding and decorations that had spurred a debate.

“Plain pink is boring,” Ava announced – tactfully, for a teenager -  when Allegra finally gave up looking at all the stripes, abstract floral, and ridiculous patterns that the babies of the world were now being surrounded with.  Plain pink was easier on her eyes and the decision making process.

“I can’t stand pink and brown together,” she protested,  gesturing at the various examples of it around the store.  “And most of these patterns are better suited to a nursing home than a nursery.  If she wants zebra stripes in her room, she can wait until she’s your age and pick them herself.  I’m not doing it.”

“Hey,” Richie had teased, fingering yet another baby mobile – this one with pink and green paisley fish.  “I’m supposed to be the old fuddy-duddy here.”

“You may be older, but you’re far more hip than I’ll ever be.  Hello?”  She held up her hand, waving it in frustration.  “Cloister?”

He laughed and tugged her close, dropping a kiss on the top of her head as they left Fashionable Baby Hell.  Or maybe it was called The Baby Boutique – same difference.

“Hey, here’s another shop,”  Ava exclaimed, looking in the window of a small, out of the way store.  “And look how cute the little teddy bears are!”

Teddy bears.  That was something Allegra could get behind.  Cute.  Child-like.

“You up for one more?” Richie asked, eyebrows winging above his sunglasses in question.  He nodded to where she was rubbing her back, and she immediately dropped her hand.  It didn’t hurt, it was merely something to do in lieu of ripping out her hair in frustration.

“Yeah, sure.  This is the last one though.  If they don’t have something we can all agree on, then it’s plain pink.”

“They’ll have something.”  Richie tugged her through the door, bells tinkling to announce their arrival in the quaint little shop.

Bless his heart, he’d been so positive and upbeat about this whole nursery shopping thing.  She honestly thought he was enjoying himself.

“Of course I’m enjoying myself,” he told her when she asked.  “Other than singing to her every night, this is just about the only thing I’ve gotten to do for Bug.  And I’m getting to do it with my two other favorite girls.  What’s not to enjoy?”  His boyish grin melted Allegra’s heart.

“Sunshine?” He cheerfully called to her from the other side of the shop, distracting her from the thought that little yellow ducks may be okay.  There were some awfully cute ones hanging on the wall.  “I think I found something we might all like.”

Ava was bouncing up and down on her toes, about to burst with excitement.  “We found it, Legs!”

Vowing to love whatever they seemed so excited about, Allegra took a deep breath and made her way through the racks of baby quilts and curtains.  She joined them beside a crib that was all made up in soft pinks and pale greens.   Richie immediately grinned and held up a little quilt that barely covered the top half of his body.  He waved his hand along the length of it with a flourish. 

“Huh?  Whaddaya think about this?”  He asked, nodding with pleasure.

It was perfect. 

The muted green and multiple shades of pink gave the quilt a patchwork feel, and each ‘patch’ had either an assortment of pink flowers, dragonflies, or…  ladybugs.  Bugs for their Bug!  Eyes darting to the mobile that was suspended above the crib, she grinned with delight at the cheerful cluster of ladybugs that seemed to dance with excitement.

“You love it, don’t you?”  Ava crowed.  “Aren’t you glad that we didn’t settle for plain pink now?”

She hugged her soon-to-be step-daughter with a laugh, readily admitting that she was, indeed, glad.  The three of them began gathering all the ladybug paraphernalia they could see and headed for the register.

All of that paraphernalia was now in Bug’s room, waiting for her move in after Christmas. 

Allegra lovingly stroked the big stuffed ladybug that sat in the corner of the crib.  Richie had come home with it yesterday evening, after the big shopping success.  “A little something to complete the set,” he said.

“It looks good,” Carmen admired from the doorway, bringing Allegra back to the present.

Turning with an appreciative grin, she said, “It does, doesn’t it?  I think Richie will be pleased.”

He’d gone to spend some time working with Nikki while he was in town, not realizing Allegra was going to finish up the baby’s room today.  She wanted to surprise him with the finished product.

“He will.  The man is totally smitten with you and that baby.”

Carmen wasn’t the type to gush or give empty compliments.  She said what was on her mind without qualification or apology.  Allegra liked that.  A lot.

“You think so, huh?”  She asked, flushing.

“Girl, if you don’t know it, you’re blind.  I’ve never seen him like this in the years that I’ve worked for him.”  Carmen straightened, smoothing her top before regarding Allegra sternly.  “And this is where I tell you if you hurt him, I will come after your candy-ass.  He’s a good man and he deserves some happiness.”

Allegra placed an understanding hand on her shoulder as she stepped past her through the doorway.  “I know he does, and we’ll do our best to give it to him.”

Carmen cleared her throat, asking gruffly, “You want some lunch?”

Richie’s housekeeper was not into emotional scenes.  She’d made that plain from the start, saying they made her uncomfortable.  Even if she wasn’t into them, she was into her employer – in a good way. 

Keeping her smile hidden, Allegra declined.  “I’m going to the music room and make a call.”

“Baby’s gotta eat.”

As much as Carmen wasn’t into the emotional thing, she had already bonded with Bug.  In the week Allegra had been living here, Carmen reminded her to take her vitamins daily and pushed food on her at regular intervals.

“Fine,” she acquiesced with a sigh.  “A sandwich would be great.  Let me make my call first though.”

Padding down to Richie’s… their… THE music room, Allegra hit the button to make her call, turning the phone on speaker, waiting for him to answer.

“Hel-LO gorgeous!” was the enthusiastic reception she received.

“Hey yourself handsome,” she returned through her grin.  Besides Richie, David could lift her up faster than anyone. 

“Are you ready for this?”

They’d been working on her song for the wedding every couple of days.  It had become a bit more challenging when the entire country separated them, but Allegra needed the extra practice, so they made it work with phone calls.

“I am.”

“You’ve been practicing on your own, haven’t you?”

“Not much,” she admitted.  “Richie’s always with me.”

David snorted.  “Well, I know you’re not fucking him, so you should be able to get a little space, don’t ya think?”

“David!”  she admonished, heat creeping into her cheeks.  The guys spoke pretty plainly to one another, but they usually censored themselves around her.  David’s censor must be off the clock.

“Legs!” he mocked her in the same high voice.  “Just because I’m blunt, doesn’t mean I’m not telling the truth.”

“Can we just do this?”

“And here I thought you were a ballsy Jersey girl, not a shrinking violet.  You embarrassed to talk about it?”

I’m not embarrassed, I’m horny and that is soooo not appropriate here.

“You know I’m not a shrinking violet, but I’m still not discussing my sex-life with you.”

“Sweetheart,” he said in his best Groucho Marx voice, “It ain’t your sex-life we’re talkin’ about – it’s your NO sex-life!”  Reverting back to his normal voice, he asked casually, “So how long has it been now?  Two weeks, three?”

Three weeks, two days.

Three weeks and two days in which she’d subtly teased Richie by undressing in front of him.  Brushing enticingly up against him.  Letting her hand glide down his bare arm at the same time her breasts pushed into his chest when she kissed him goodbye.

Three weeks and two days in which her hormones threatened to eat her alive.  She’d lost track of how many times she’d woken up wiggling her bottom into Richie’s rock-hard crotch.  Mortified, she would whisper ‘sorry’, then jump out of bed and run to the shower. 

This was her brilliant idea, but she was starting to have some serious doubts.  It probably wouldn’t matter in the long-run anyway.

But what if it did?

“Not talking about this.”

“Just tell me one thing, Legs.”

“Not talking about this.”

“What’s the real reason you’re doing it?  You’re obviously not happy about it and there’s no way in hell Rich is.  What’s gonna make that much difference?”

She was mistaken.  She didn’t love David.  At all.  The next time Richie said he was being an ass, he would have her full support.

“David,” she sighed.  “I’m a woman.  Anything I might say would just confuse your testosterone-riddled brain.  Are we going to go through this before Richie gets home, or not?”

He actually ‘hmph-ed’ in her ear.

“Fine.”  He set his phone down with a soft ‘clunk’ and tinkled a few keys.  “Can you hear okay?”

“Yeah.”

They’d just gone through the second chorus, when Allegra’s phone pealed out with “Feel Like Makin’ Love”.

“David, hold on, that’s Richie.”

“God, I would imagine so.”

“Shut up and hold on.”

“Holding…”

She tapped the phone, taking it off speaker, switching lines and lifting it to her ear.  “Hey sweetie.  How are things in Fashion World?”

“Hey.  Fashion World is good.  Things are flowing, which is why I’ve called to ask you a big favor.”

That was a strange.  What kind of fashion help was she going to be?

“Um, okay.  Sure, what do you need?”

“Ava’s sick.  She just called me, saying that Heather’s not answering.  She left a message, but Ava’s not in a position to wait, if you get my meaning.”

“Oh.  Female stuff?”

“Yeah.  Do you think you could go pick her up from school?”

Allegra chuckled.  “Gee, Dad, can’t imagine why you don’t want to do it.”

“Hey,” he huffed, obviously affronted.  “I would do it in a heartbeat, but we’re in such a groove here that I don’t want to ruin the moment.”

“I know you’d do whatever your little girl needed.”  And she did.  “I understand, and I’ll go pick her up.  Please tell me you took the tank.”

It was his turn to chuckle.  She hated the thoughts of trying to drive his Hummer and he knew it.

“Yes, baby.  The keys to the new car are in the garage.  I love you.  Thank you.”

The ‘new car’ had been bought for her the day they arrived in California.  While they were still in New Jersey, Richie had asked her what kind of car she wanted, knowing full well that she’d say she didn’t need one.  So he chose something he thought she’d like and had the understated, white Ford Fusion Hybrid waiting when the plane touched down.  The only thing left to do had been to swing by the dealership so that she could give it her seal of approval and he could sign the papers.

“You’re welcome, and I love you too.”

Now all she had to do was remember the name of Ava’s school and where it was.  Hopefully that built-in GPS wasn’t too complicated.