“I’m so glad you deem me worthy to keep around.”
“Eh, I kind of like you.”
“Now, you can’t feed or touch them, but you can get close to them. They have some gnarly claws. Luckily, we came at a good time, because they’re awake.” Megan distracts us from our discussion. When Reagan sees the koalas, her face lights up.
The smile Rae turns on me hits me square in the chest. It’s hard to remember what life was like before her. It was stagnant. Stale. It’s as if she breathed new life into me.
She walks around the enclosed structure, eyes turned up to the koalas sitting on the branches before us.
“Leo! Look!” Reagan grabs my arm, pointing up to the mum carrying a baby.
“Think that’s how you’ll carry our little one around?” She elbows me in the stomach.
“If I can carry our baby around like that, I think we’ll have some problems.” Reagan rubs her hands over her stomach. I don’t think she realizes she’s doing it most of the time.
“What do you think they’re going to look like?” I move, wrapping my arms around Reagan.
“I hope they look like you.” She peeks up at me, smiling. Fuck, I love seeing her this happy.
“As good-looking as I am, I’d want them to look like you.”
Rae rolls her eyes. “Let’s hope they don’t have your charming personality.”
I grasp her chin, turning her eyes toward me. “I’ll take a mini-Reagan any day of the week.”
“You’re such a good sweet-talker.” She steals a kiss before wiggling out of my arms.
We spend the rest of the afternoon meandering through the park, Reagan enjoying everything the zoo has to offer while I simply enjoy being in Reagan’s company.
When I offered for her to move in, I never thought we’d settle in like we have. I never invite a woman into my space. Never. With a childhood like mine, people were always coming in and out of our lives. No one was permanent.
I’ve enjoyed the women I’ve been with in the past, but they were always a fling. Maybe if I really enjoyed their company, we’d fuck around for a few months and then each go our own way. But they all knew it wasn’t a relationship.
But now, with Reagan, I find myself imagining more days like this—spending the weekend enjoying everything in and around Sydney that I’ve forgotten about. It’s hard not to imagine taking our little one around once they’re here.
It should scare me how quickly life with Rae has become my new normal. But as she guides me back down the ramp to the ferry to take us back to the city, I realize something.
I’d follow this woman anywhere. And damn, if that isn’t the scariest thing of all.
Chapter Fifteen
Reagan
“Are you finished working yet?”
Leo drops down beside me on the couch, his head nuzzling my shoulder, whiskers tickling my neck. He only does this when he wants attention.
“That's pretty rich coming from you, Mr. Workaholic.” I shove him off me.
“It's almost three on a Saturday afternoon. It's the perfect summer day to spend out in Sydney. Don't you want to experience everything Sydney has to offer?”
“Low blow, Scott. Low blow.” He knows just where to hit me. I close my laptop. The project has been on target, and I don’t want to get behind when I take off for having the baby. I don’t want people at the office to assume I get a free pass because of Leo. I want to prove my worth. “What’d you have in mind?”
Leo drops a kiss on my neck before moving my laptop out of reach. “Luna Park.”
“I don't really think that's the place for a pregnant woman.” I glare at him.
“There's rides there that you can go on. I've already checked. Besides, it's the experience you go for.”
