Page 13 of Omega Dragon Manny (Shifters For Hire #3)
BEAU
In many ways, I considered our first date the day Clark came home from work midday and we spent the day together, the highlight being our time at the zoo. It was impromptu and nothing I wanted to do at the time, but it was with Clark, and that had made it the perfect day.
Things had changed since we finally admitted our feelings, but not as much as I thought they would. I still did my job and our routines were similar. But what we did when the kids were asleep? That changed.
We didn’t talk solely about the kids. We learned about each other.
I told him about my flight and he told me about his family.
We talked about our education, our favorite movies, and what we liked to do when traveling.
Not that we spent all that time talking.
Our lips were too busy doing other things a lot of the time.
I loved everything about my current life.
When my mate suggested we have a family night at the zoo, it felt like the perfect choice. It brought me right back to that first “date” that wasn’t one, and I’d been anticipating it all week long. And now it was finally here.
Clark said he could handle the stroller, but he was a bit of a bull in a china shop with the baby gear, so I hovered close as we packed up the triplets for their big night out.
It wasn't as if I was graceful with the triple stroller. I wasn’t.
It was impossible to be, but I had a lot more practice, much of it backing out of the coffee shop on my way to the park.
It wasn’t often that the zoo set up the “Enchanted Evenings” thing, but I’d heard about it from Noah. He said it was the highlight of the season each time they ran one. I’d morphed from someone who thought all zoos were bad to cherishing this one and the work they did here.
There was a fundraiser and basically a nighttime exhibit where zoo members were invited to see the animals under colorful lights.
I’d been meaning to upgrade our membership anyway, so this was a great excuse to do so.
The perfect weather just made the night out even more magical, even if half the animals were probably going to be tucked away asleep, yet another thing I liked about this place.
They didn't force animals to be on display; they always had a private place to hide away if they wanted.
I handed off each baby carrier to Clark, and he dropped them into their bases with one hand while balancing two thermoses of hot chocolate in the other. When they were all in, he looked up at me with raised eyebrows. “Got everything?”
“Yep, we’re ready.” I reached for the passenger door, but he got to it first and opened it for me. It was a bit awkward, but I loved that he wanted to take care of me, so I just nodded and slid into the seat, expecting him to close to the door behind me.
He stood there between me and the open door, just staring down at me. “Well?”
I shrugged, unsure what he was getting at. “Well, what?”
“Your seatbelt.” He bent down so he was speaking right in my ear. “Or do you need me to help you get buckled in too?”
I swallowed hard as my breath caught. “I’ve got it.”
He inhaled deeply, sucking in my scent, before standing up and backing away. “You definitely do.”
Before I could ask what he meant, Clark closed the door and slowly circled around to the driver’s seat. It was probably for the better; if he said what I thought he might say, there was no way I’d be able to behave myself all night at the zoo.
I watched the city lights flicker past us as my head rested on the window. Clark’s hand landed on the back of my seat as he merged onto the expressway and gave my shoulder a squeeze. Even that simple touch made me swoon, and I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms.
But tonight wasn’t about us.
It was about our babies. Our family.
By the time we parked, the zoo lot was almost full. Families streamed past us with the same level of excitement I felt bubbling inside of me. This was what being a family looked like. This was what I’d always imagined.
Clark got the triplets out and piled them into the triple stroller so they were able to see the lights and animals but were toasty warm in their matching puffer coats.
“Ready?” I turned to Clark and started walking toward the main entrance.
“More than I ever thought I would be.” Clark had been making comments like that more and more often, and he had no idea what it did to me. Every little hint he gave about being happy with me and the babies made me fall even harder for him.
The first tunnel was strung with lights in a twisting blue pattern to look like water.
A wall display of indigenous fish swimming through waves kept their attention for three whole minutes before Rory got cranky and we had to keep going.
We saw red pandas sleeping in a ball, bats clustered like grapes, and penguins that waddled right up to the glass and stared at us with curious eyes before diving back in the water and swimming with their friends.
I kept glancing at Clark, watching for that soft expression he got when he thought no one was looking, like he was memorizing the moment for later. Was this as special to him, bringing him back to that first day?
Clark got us churros at a stand that was set up just for this event near the cat house. He bought four because he always claimed to be starving, but I ate two and a half of them and he barely touched one.
“Thank you for this.”
I licked the cinnamony sugar off my fingers and raised an eyebrow. “You bought them.”
“No.” He waved at the stroller and then the glowing scenery behind us. “This. Tonight. Everything. It’s been amazing. It reminds me of that day.”
Oh. I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “The one that changed everything.”
“That one.” He pressed a quick kiss to my cheek, and it was safe to say I was blushing.
He bumped his shoulder against me and started steering us toward the main path. We found a bench under the giant light-up dragon and I sat down, letting the stroller rest beside me.
Clark plopped next to me and stretched his legs out with a groan. “How long do you think we have before one of them wails?”
“I give us two or three minutes, tops.” I adjusted Betsy’s socks so they weren’t about to slide off her chubby feet. “So enjoy them while they last.”