Chapter 1296:
The store was filled with soft, calming colors. Pale pink, baby blue, buttery yellow, and creamy white garments hung neatly from the racks, each tiny outfit small enough to fit in an adult’s palm.
Brad lingered near the doorway, looking faintly uncertain. He had never imagined himself walking into a shop like this before, and even his usually commanding presence seemed to soften in the gentle atmosphere.
By then, Rylie had already selected a small light-blue baby onesie, rubbing the fabric between her fingertips before glancing over at him. “What do you think? Isn’t it adorable?”
Brad stepped closer and stopped beside her, lowering his gaze to examine the tiny piece of clothing. Noticing how carefully he was studying it, Rylie smiled and placed it in his hands.
He accepted it with unexpected gentleness, almost as though he feared it might tear. In his large hand, the miniature onesie looked even smaller.
His throat moved as he swallowed, but he said nothing.
𝗙о𝗅lоw 𝗎𝗌 𝗼ո 𝗴a𝗹nо𝘃e𝘭ѕ.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Seeing his reaction made something in Rylie’s chest go completely soft.
She picked up another piece in pale pink and held it up for him to see. “This one is lovely too.”
Brad looked back and forth between the two with faintly furrowed brows, as though the decision carried real weight. “We don’t even know yet whether the baby will be a boy or a girl,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe we should just take all of them.”
Rylie burst out laughing. “Well then—Daddy is covering the bill today.”
They moved through the rest of the store together, pausing over miniature shoes, tiny hats, and soft baby blankets. Everything was so small and impossibly sweet that it was difficult to stop looking.
Brad maintained his serious expression the entire time, treating each selection as though it required careful consideration—occasionally asking things like, “Is this fabric too rough for the baby?” or “Do you think this will keep them warm enough?”
Rylie answered each question with a quiet laugh. There was something deeply amusing about watching a man who could face genuine danger without flinching now deliberate over the softness of a baby blanket.
By the time they finished shopping and returned to the Owen residence, the evening sky had already begun to dim.
The moment Rylie stepped into the living room, she stopped abruptly. Brad, just behind her, looked over her shoulder—and went equally still.
The large wooden table in the center of the room had vanished beneath an enormous heap of boxes. Large and small, wrapped in colorful packaging, they were piled into a small mountain that spread across nearly every surface.
Kendrick occupied the main sofa seat, holding a pale yellow baby sweater up toward the light and examining it closely. “The stitches look tight enough,” he murmured to himself. “They shouldn’t irritate the baby.”
Beside him, Selah was unwrapping another package—a complete silver keepsake set, a small locket and a pair of delicate bracelets catching the light as she lifted them out.
Marcus crouched on the floor in front of three large open bags, pulling items out one by one—soft blankets, baby quilts, little pillows—steadily building a pile around himself.
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