“With what free time?”
“Fair, but it’s not like I won’t make time for you,” he says, leading us out of the tunnel and toward the dolphin exhibit.
The water in here is still before a dolphin zooms past. Another one is quick to follow, racing in circles in their tank.
“Ooh, look!” I point to a scuba diver floating halfway down. “I would love to try that someday.”
“Really? You would?” he asks.
“Yes. It’s something I’ve always wanted to learn.”
“How did I not know this?”
“You don’t knoweverythingabout me, Dec.”
“Alice, please. I’ve known you for almost a decade. I know more about you than I know about myself.”
“Not everything, apparently.”
“Umm, Alice? What are those two doing?”
Declan’s hand points to the other side of the exhibit, and?—
“Oh my God!” I cover my mouth, trying not to laugh.
“Are they really going at it?” I can hear the amusement in his voice.
“I mean, they did say when we got here that we’d get an immersive experience.”
“Mommy, what are those two doing?” a nearby child asks.
“Come on, dear. Let’s go pet the stingrays.”
The mom grabs her kid’s hand and tugs them away.
“Someone isn’t up for a biology lesson,” Declan whispers. “It’s all a part of the circle of life. Maybe I should break it to the kid.”
I turn, burying my laughter in his chest. Other kids are still pointing at the two dolphins in the corner.
“I think you might traumatize the mother if you did that.”
She’s still trying to get her kid to leave, but they’re still eyeing the dolphins like they’re the coolest mammals around.
“If we brought our kids here and they saw that, we would definitely be telling them what’s happening,” Declan says with no hint of argument in his tone.
“Are you serious? You cannot tell our kids about dolphins having sex.”
“What? It’s a perfectly natural part of life.”
“And what happens when that leads to other questions about sex?” I quirk a brow at him.
“Okay, now you’re getting into a weird territory, Froggie.”
“You just said it’s a natural part of life.”
“Fine. I see your point.”
“Good. I don’t want little Declans running around school telling all their friends how dolphins are made.”
