Was it just me, or did he look beyond happy to be involved with Andrew? He wasn't just being polite, was he? He seemed to care genuinely about my son.
When we were all posed and ready to go, Ulysses put his arm around my shoulder. A huge blush spread over my cheeks, turning them blazing hot. His touch felt so nice. I didn't want him to remove it. And had he always smelled this amazing or was I only noticing it since we were so close?
"Is this all right?" Ulysses asked me in a soft voice. "I can remove my arm if necessary."
"Please don't," I said, probably a bit too fast. "I like it where it is."
Ulysses smiled. "Okay."
"Cheese!" Andrew said excitedly.
Usually when I smiled for pictures, I struggled to make it look genuine. But I knew for a fact that the grin I was wearing right now was real.
"I took a few, so I hope there's at least one in the bunch that you like," the woman said as she handed me back the phone. "You're a beautiful family, by the way!"
I was too stunned to speak. "O-oh, we're—"
But she was already walking away and didn't hear me.
Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all. I didn't want to correct her.
4
Ulysses
My heart soared eversince Ryan invited me over to teach Andrew how to eat his vegetables. It was such a small thing, but I couldn't have been more ecstatic. That meant he wanted me in his life and in his child's life as well.
Ryan was clicking around on his non-intelligent phone. After a second, he smiled and showed me the screen. The background image was one of the photos we had just taken together.
Ryan's cheeks turned red from embarrassment. "Oh my god, sorry, I just realized I didn't even ask you. Is that weird? I can change it if you don't want to be in my phone wallpaper."
I looked him in the eyes. "I am honoured to be part of your wallpaper."
I wanted so badly to tell him the truth, that we were fated mates and that it was impossible for him to do anything that would displease me.
Ryan smiled shyly. "Okay."
As Ryan bent down to put Andrew on the ground, the little one struggled.
"Nooo," Andrew complained. "Still want uppy."
Ryan sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Sorry, buddy, but daddy's back is starting to hurt. Can you walk on your own for a while?"
Andrew's lip quivered but he nodded grumpily. I hated to see him in such a sorry state when there was a perfectly good alternative.
"Andrew," I asked, kneeling in front of him. "Would you like me to carry you instead?"
He practically exploded with joy. "Yooshy!" he cried, throwing himself at me.
The way he nuzzled his face into my collarbone made my heart melt. Though humans put unicorns on a pedestal as icons of purity, there truly was nothing more pure than a child.
"Oh, Ulysses, you don't have to," Ryan said. "You're already carrying the picnic bag, and Andrew's starting to get heavy."
I had already stood back up with Andrew held safely in my arms. "I told you not to worry your handsome head, didn't I? He's barely heavier than a butterfly."
Ryan opened his mouth, getting ready to argue, but it died on his tongue when I called him handsome again. He closed it as a deeper shade of pink spread across his cheeks. If anyone else saw him, they might've thought he got a sunburn, but I knew the truth. He liked me and he enjoyed my compliments, and thus I would shower him in them. It was what my fated mate deserved.
After perusing the whole length of the park and enjoying the sights and smells of every single cherry blossom tree, I noticed both humans— Andrew in particular—beginning to fatigue.
