Page 89 of Love Me Forever

“How much time do you have?” Reese asked me.

“Travis said he’ll be here by seven.” It was six now.

“That gives us plenty of time. We always buy Lena presents way ahead of time, but when the day draws nearer, we end up getting her a second gift,” Kimberly explained.

“The more, the merrier,” I agreed. "Thanks a lot for coming with me. I'm a bit lost on what to buy her, and I didn't want to just buy her something for the sake of it. Travis said he could say his gift was from both of us, but I don’t want that."

"Oh, you're adorable," Kimberly said. "And have good instincts. Lena loves getting gifts. I heard you met her in person too.” She laced an arm around my right one, and Reese took the left. We possibly looked a bit ridiculous walking around like that, but I didn't care. I so enjoyed spending time with these two.

“We did. She’s lovely. And so is Beatrice.”

Reese laughed. “Bonnie already got Gran’s apple-pie-and-vanilla-ice-cream treatment.”

Kimberly chuckled.

Reese bent her head, looking at her sister intently. “You look a bit guilty, sister dearest.”

To my astonishment, Kimberly blushed. “Nooo... I’m not feeling guilty. I just have insider information.”

“Do tell,” I encouraged, feeling like I’d known both of them for years.

“Well, Gran was a bit pissed that she hadn’t met you in person, so I advised her to take matters into her own hands. She already had a few light bulbs that needed changing. My uncle usually does that, or one of the cousins. The storm was the cherry on top. The family always checks on her after one, though usually only after stronger ones.”

I found it extremely adorable that they hovered around their grandmother so much.

"So tell me, do you and Travis already have lists of names for the baby?" Kimberly asked.

"No, we're waiting to find out if it's a boy or a girl first."

"Okay," Kimberly said. "I have some ideas."

I laughed, not sure that she was joking. Judging by her serious expression, she was not.

"Kimberly, that's between the two of them," Reese admonished.

"Oh, really? But we gave our opinions to Tate when he was looking for a name for Paisley."

"Yes, but he asked us to give us our opinions. Travis hasn't, and neither has Bonnie, for that matter."

"Honestly, we haven't thought about names at all, but I’ll let you know if we need help," I cut in.

Kimberly's grin was so huge that I suspected she was bursting at the seams with name suggestions. I wondered if Travis would want to have a say about this. I guessed I'd find out soon enough.

"I suggest we walk around at least once," Kimberly said, glancing around at the booths. "That way we see everything and can better decide what to buy." I liked that plan.

The booths sold mostly paintings and decorative objects, though some also had jewelry. Reese bought a copper lamp with an oriental motif. Kimberly chose the painting of a snow-white owl.

“Lena loves owls,” she said with satisfaction after the sales associate finished wrapping the painting.

I discovered a booth that sold the most adorable prints for a baby’s room, but I was determined not to start shopping already.

Focus, Bonnie. You came here to find a present for Lena.

I particularly liked a carving out of sandalwood in the shape of a half-moon, so after Kimberly got her painting, we headed to the booth that sold it. I asked if I could take a closer look and immediately fell in love with the scent. I’d had fragrances with sandalwood before, but they’d always been mixed with other notes. The wood had a subtle aroma, and I liked that best.

“Do you think Lena would like this?” I asked.

“She’s got a meditation and workout room. She hates going to group classes, so she mostly watches online yoga and Pilates and does her workouts at home. I think this would fit there perfectly,” Reese said.

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