“Of course.” Jake gave him another hug. “Thanks, Sky.”
As we reached the machine, Kaden gestured for us to enter. “It’s all set up and running now. Just follow the instructions on the screen.”
The inside of the booth was dark and cramped - exactly like I remembered it. I glanced at Jake with a smirk, and he was clearly thinking the same thing.
“Remember the first time we were here?” he asked.
“How could I forget?” I replied. “That was probably when I started falling for you in earnest.”
“What?” Jake gasped. “Shut up.”
I laughed. “And that’s why. You were such a - ” I paused to rethink my language, since Finn was strapped to my chest. “Poo head.”
Jake raised a brow. “If anyone was a poo head, it was you.”
“I still thought you hated me back then,” I said. “Like being trapped with me inside this booth was the worst fate you could imagine.”
Jake groaned. “Yeah, because I didn’t like you back then, duh. Or at least, I wastryingnot to like you. But you were making it stupidly hard.”
“Is that because of my charm, or good looks?” I asked with a grin.
“Neither.” Jake leaned in closer so his nose was pressed to my neck. “It was because of your scent.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “Hey, not in front of the baby.”
Jake smiled innocently. “What? I’m just smelling you.”
“Tease.”
Skylar’s voice came from outside. “Is it working? I didn’t see any flashes go off…”
“Just a sec,” Jake called. To me he added, “Maybe we should take those pictures, huh?”
“I think that would be best, yes.”
“All right, here we go.”
Jake leaned in so we that both of us were in the frame. Meanwhile, I unstrapped Finn from my chest and turned him around so he faced the camera. He looked around in awe of his strange surroundings and spoke in baby gurgles.
“Think he likes it?” Jake asked.
“Well, he doesn’t seem to hate it,” I offered. I bounced him a bit on my knee and Finn broke out into a smile and giggled. “There we go. Take them now, while he’s smiling.”
Jake pressed the buttons. A series of flashes went off, which surprised Finn but didn’t make him cry. Once again, it was over before we knew it.
“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Jake asked Finn, who seemed pleasantly surprised by the strange ordeal.
When we exited the booth, Skylar asked, “Are you done? Oh, can I see them?”
I took the glossy strip of paper from the slot while Jake and Skylar leaned in to see it.
“Aw,” Skylar said. “They look fantastic, you guys! Look, Finn is even smiling in this one.”
Jake nodded. “I love them! This was fun, I’m glad we did this.”
I reached into my pocket for my wallet. “How much do I owe, Skylar?”
Skylar shook his head. “Oh, no, don’t worry about it. It’s on the house.”
