She laughed, and we left the booth with our faces thoroughly covered. I spotted a nearby stall with stuffed animals, shirts, hats, and headpieces. Momentarily leaving her side, I rushed over to buy two items. When I returned to Serenity’s side, I placed the deer ear headband on her head and tiger ear headband on my own.
“If we’re doing this, we’re going all out,” I told her.
Her smile seemed permanently etched onto her face, and I couldn’t help but ingrain that sight into my mind. I wanted to remember her like this forever.
“I love the enthusiasm,” she chirped. “Now, we can officially begin our tour.”
She grabbed my hand to pull me toward the first pathway, which led to Predator Alley, according to the signs. She’d gripped my hand as a guiding measure and nothing more, but when I shifted that grasp to lace my fingers through hers, her smile softened and her head ducked. She didn’t try to change itback and slowed her gait so that she walked alongside me, our hands locked together.
I’d never been one to overthink physical touches or affectionate grazes, because it was part of the show. Touch allured men and women into my bed, providing me with my meal.
But as Serenity showed me around the zoo with her small fingers woven through mine, I was struck by how nice this was. A smile adorned her face as she told me the name of every animal we saw, and her body leaned closer to mine while peering into the many exhibits. Again, I was hung up on how nice it was.
Nice, because it was her.
“I’m surprised you don’t have any pets, seeing as how you love animals so much,” I noted as we watched a tiger—my kin, according to Serenity and the paint I wore—roll around on some grass.
Serenity sighed dreamily next to me. “I wouldlovea pet. Honestly, I’d love a whole little family of animals. But my apartment doesn’t allow pets, and while I planned on getting one once I upgraded to a house, Bradley was never a fan of them. He thinks animals are gross. So I’ve kinda given up on that dream.”
I squeezed her hand lightly. “Well then, it’s a good thing he’s not in the picture anymore.”
Her shoulders stiffened, and her eyes widened like she’d just remembered that, too. I didn’t blame her for still thinking in the way she had for eight years. They’d only been separated for a week. Still, I hated that his claws remained in her. I hated that she still had moments where she tiptoed to the dance he’d created.
Her shock melted away. She leaned closer to my side. “You’re right. He’s not.”
After lunch in the safari-themed restaurant that overlooked the neighboring elephant, giraffe, zebra, and antelopes, we reached the exhibit Serenity had been leading me to all this time.
“Ta-da!” she squealed, releasing my hand to wave both of hers at the massive capybara enclosure.
The large rodents paid us no mind as they sat around the grass or swam in the pond with the many rubber ducks.
They were just as ugly in person.
“Wow,” I forced out, studying the furry creatures. I looked at the one closest to the glass. “We meet at last, Tom.”
“That’s not Tom,” Serenity corrected me. She pointed at a capybara getting out of the pond. “That’sTom. This one is Huey.”
How she could tell the identical looking creatures apart was beyond me, yet she knew all seventeen in the exhibit, pressing her side into mine as she told me each one’s name with an affectionate smile. I wondered how it would feel if she looked up atmewith that expression.
Clearing my throat, I scratched at my tiger ear headband. “Your capybara name knowledge impresses me.”
“I’d be embarrassed if Ididn’tknow their names given how much time I spend here. Speaking of …”
She gripped my arm and pulled me to a bench that sat in prime view of the capybara exhibit. She perched on the bench, and I sank down beside her. After digging in her bag, she produced my thriller book and a fantasy romance book for herself.
“This is where I like to sit while reading or writing.”
I quirked my brow and studied her painted face. “You write?”
Her doe eyes widened, and she quickly averted her gaze to open her book to a black ribbon bookmark. “I-I do. A little.”
“No shit. You should let me read your stuff sometime.”
She laughed softly and passed me a quick glance. “Maybe. We’ll see.”
“What do you write?”
“Romance books, of course. It’s all I readandwrite. I’ve tried other genres, but I’ve realized that if there’s no romance, I’m bored. I need love fueling the story.”
