Page 67 of Amor Prohibido

My attention dropped to the multiple bags tucked under her arm. “Show me,” I demanded, already leading her to the counter.

“Well, there’s these,” she announced, pulling out a pair of medium-brown, lace up boots with a collar at the ankle.

I gasped, wrenched them from her grasp, and brought them to my nose. “Leather! Dammit, bitch, why can’t we have the same shoe size?”

She laughed without looking up, already digging in bag number two. “I knew you’d love those. You’ll need to check out Toddies—they’re on special.”

Storing that information away for my lunch break, I snickered when she held up a red lacy ensemble that left nothing to the imagination.

Loz grinned and nodded slowly with wide eyes, making me laugh. “Marc’s gonna have a jizz fit when he sees me in this, right?”

Alice breezed past. “Might wanna hide the slutty clothing.” She did a double-take, halted, and stared at the red scrap of lace. “Damn, I like that. Where?”

Lozza raised her brows at Alice and made a couple of raunchy sounds at the back of her throat. “Foxy Lady.”

“Hmm.” Alice tapped her lips, and I could practically hear the plans falling into place inside her head, calculating when she could go shopping and how she would wear it for Henry once the kids were in bed asleep.

The realisation hit me like a tonne of bricks; no impromptu sexy time whenever or wherever we wanted. Would Jace and I turn into those couples who had to schedule sex in their diaries like a trip to the dentist, knowing full well that when 9 p.m. rolled around, we would both be painfully aware of how planned and tragic our sex life had become? I swallowed bitterly and vowed to myself that we wouldn’t come to that. I wouldn’t let it.

“And theeeeese, are for my nieces or nephews,” Lozza declared.

My hot chocolate was forgotten as soon as I clapped eyes on the little white and navy, soft-soled baby shoes. “Loz, no! These are way too expensive—butwaytoo adorable.”

“I know right! I couldn’t resist them. I tried to. Like,reallytried to. Even left the shop but got to the corner and had to go back. Your babies are going to look so dang cute in these.”

I knew how Lozza shopped. The fact that she had physically left the shop only to return was a true testament to her shopping addiction.

I hugged her after she announced she still had shops to hit and that she would call me later. I was still holding one of the ridiculously cute shoes to my chest after she departed the store in a flurry of bags, dirty comments, and goodbye flapping hand gestures.

Alice snickered and shook her head. “That girl sure is something else.”

“Don’t I know it?” I deadpanned, picking up the hot chocolate to chug it back. “Roll on lunch break; mama’s going shopping.”

* * *

I let out an excited gasp and cradled a pair of deep blue pumps in my hands. I wasn’t normally a blue kinda gal, but these shoes were both sexy and cute—the kind that would look killer with a pair of skinny jeans. I made a mental note of needing new jeans while I found a chair and slipped off my boots. Lozza’s weakness was shopping in general, mine was shoes. Period. I almost squealed at how freaking cute they looked on my feet.

I handed the sales lady my credit card, then checked my phone to see that I still had twenty-five minutes of my lunch break left. There was plenty of time to head down to the local bakery for my favourite treat.

Tightening my coat belt and gripping my new purchase, I carefully picked my way around potential ankle-breaking pebbles on the footpath.

A discrete distance away from the bakery sat Leon; the local homeless—and completely harmless—guy. Whenever I saw him, I always made an effort to stop and say hi.

Over the past year, I’d fallen into the habit of buying two of what I wanted and giving him half on my return journey. Beneath his ragged and worn exterior, he had caring, soulful eyes that held a million stories, but he never gave an indication as to why he was living rough. All I knew was that people seldom chose that way of life, and it must have been extreme circumstances for him to end up begging for food handouts. It really made me appreciate everything I had. And if I could spare a few dollars to buy him a chicken panini and gingerbread man occasionally, then I was in.

Leon was distracted as I approached, paper bags of food in-hand after being to the bakery. As soon as he spotted me, his eyes lit up and a wide grin broke out under the scruffy beard. “How’s my favourite wom’n doin’ today?”

“Good thanks, Leon. How’s it hanging with you?”

He waved a ratty-gloved hand in dismissal. “Still breathin’, still smilin’, so not too bad at all. Could be worse, right?” He winked. “So, whatcha got in them bags? Not somethin’ for me again, love?”

“Of course I got you something.” I handed him one of the two paper bags.

He opened it straight away and barked a rough laugh, coughing a little afterward. “You know, this—” he pulled out the gingerbread man with a flourish, “—always bright’ns my day right up.”

I giggled as he bit off a foot and munched enthusiastically. “Me too. And now I have an added excuse to eat them; the ginger helps settle my morning sickness.”

He pointed the one-legged cookie at my belly. “You’re gettin’ bigger each time I see you.”

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