As they made their way across the vast parking area, Alina let out a laugh. "Hahaha! I haven't gone shopping like that in so long," she said, her voice bubbling with happiness. She glanced back over her shoulder at the mall entrance one last time. "It feels so good."
Dante only pressed his lips together, his eyes flicking down to the bags in his hands. Every single one was for the boys. Soft clothes, tiny shoes, clever toys, little snacks for the ride home. Not one thing was for her.
He didn't say it out loud, but the thought settled in his heart. She hadn't even paused in front of a single store for herself. Earlier, when he'd nodded toward a women's boutique and told her, "You should pick something out, too," she had just waved him off with a radiant smile, too absorbed in the boys' wonder to even consider it.
