Standing in the bedroom, he felt strangely hot despite having the shivers. He stripped all the way down and put on his pajama pants as well as a sweater. The cold damp sensation under his dry, warm clothes had been one of his favorites when he came inside from Colorado. Getting the bed ready, he planned to go down with her early, and so was Jr. When he opened the bedroom door to check on them, his mother was leaving the twins’ room after putting Jr. down in his crib.
She paused as he updated her, “She’s fine. I think we’re going to call it a night.” He said kissing her cheek.
Understanding that they needed to work through whatever happened, she was just glad the newest members of their family were alive and well, “We’ll be staying here for the night in the guest rooms if you need us.” She said.
Simon nodded to his mother before he whispered his goodnights and retreated into the bedroom. Shutting off the lights, he fell back on the mattress and finally relaxed. He stared at the door which held the woman he loved far more than he dared admit and felt well again. He repeated those three powerful words to himself while he waited for her to join him.
Chapter 17
From the previous night’s experience, Simon wasn’t going to let Cherish get away another minute without a safe car for her and the babies. The moment they woke up, he groggily told her to get her things because they were headed to the dealership. Their parents were still asleep as they got dressed, fed the babies, and loaded the family into his vehicle. The grandfathers had already cleaned out the trunk and car, while the grandmothers cleaned the interior to the best of their abilities.
Once at the dealership, BMW of course, Simon told the salesman exactly what they were looking for. A vehicle with high safety ratings, durable, long lasting, space for the kids to grow, and, most of all, he specified that he wanted a brand-new car. Simon Gabot was no longer playing around.
He was drawn toward and lingered on the midsize SUV BMW X5 which was certain luxury, big enough and had an abundance of safety features. He felt the 9.4/10 rating was reliable and geeked out at the specs. Which poor Cherish had to endure with one little girl trying to break out of the stroller, and Jr. following suit.
The vehicle included night vision for the rear-view camera, adjustable spot lights for better visibility, a driving assistant professional which helped with steering and lane control assistance, lane changing assistance, emergency stop assistance, local hazard warnings, and active side collision protection; to name a few. That was aside from the overwhelmingly great crash test ratings. This was a newer and better car than his own which was perfect.
Just as she promised herself, Cherish stayed silent the entire time he went back and forth with the vulture who wanted to take as much as he could. Every time Simon looked at her, she glanced away and allowed him to make all the decisions. Even when it came down to pricing, internally she felt a piece of her soul shrivel up and flutter away, but externally, she kept silent; stoic.
Simon didn’t want to bother Cherish fretting about paying it off with interest. No, he bought it off on the spot and her name was put on the deed.
After keeping the desperate babies occupied and signed far too much documentation, Cherish was a new car owner. Sleek, black and more shine than she knew to deal with, by the time she was handed the keys, she was finished. Not only that, but to her, eighty-thousand dollars blew her brains away. Now, she didn't trust herself to drive it and shook her head several times when she had to get in.
It was a steep price, but worth every penny in Simon’s mind. He didn’t want a repeat of the other night ever again. Finally, much to his embarrassment, she got into the car and sat there awkwardly. The seats, they were nice and melted against her back. The steering wheel didn't stick to her palms and the buttons...
Oh, she was in love.
Driving home with him following behind, once she, ever so slowly, pulled into the driveway, the parents were still there. Opening the side door, the first person out was Margaret. She stared at Cherish's newest baby with a gaping mouth. As Cherish turned off the car and got out, Margaret left the step and placed both hands on her hips. She waited until Simon had opened his door and held out her hand, "How much was that?! I told you to let us go half!! Your father is in there collecting money from Jack because he bet YOU would spend over fifty thousand!" She exclaimed.
Cherish, still shell shocked and stunned, closed the door gently behind herself and opened the back of Simon's car; his didn't even measure to hers now, "My soul!" She finally said; the first words since they’d arrived at the dealership. The last word Simon heard before that was, "No." That was her answer when he said he wanted to "just check" out the BMW's. She knew better but no one could talk to a Gabot man when he made up his mind.
In a way their shock amused him. The way his mother chided placed a little grin on Simon’s face as he unloaded the kids with Cherish’s help, “I know what you told me, Ma.” He replied.
