“You can tell me then, but you might get a snore as an answer,” I warn him.
“Maybe I’ll tell you while I’m rubbing your feet when we get home.”
“That’ll work,” I say through my smile.
Shannon and Laura pop in from the back of the booth.
“I finally got her away from Duke long enough to come work her shift,” Laura mock complains.
“What can I say?” Shannon says. “My fiance wants all my free moments to himself.”
“You don’t put up much of a fight,” Laura says.
“Why would I?” Shannon answers with a smile.
She’s got that rosy look of a woman in love. I know the feeling. I never thought I would, but I do.
“You are free to go,” Laura says to us. “Have a blast!”
“We’re going to pet the baby cows,” Levi tells Laura, pointing in the general direction of the petting zoo.
“And piglets!” Jack adds.
“And goats!” Levi practically shouts.
“And you can sit in a tractor and pretend to drive it,” Laura informs the boys.
They look up at EJ and ask, “Can we?” in unison.
“Of course,” EJ says. He turns to Laura and Shannon. “Everything good? Do you need anything else from us?”
“We’re good. Go have fun,” Laura says.
I grab the backpack I brought instead of a purse.
EJ and I each clasp one of our boys’ hands and lead them out the back of the booth.
Levi tugs on my hand and I run behind him. A wave of dizziness washes over me and I stop in place. EJ pauses, looking over his shoulder from his spot a yard ahead of me.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“Yeah. Just a little lightheaded,” I say. “I probably need some water.”
“Get Mommy water!” Jack says.
“I’m okay, buddy. I’ll just sit at the picnic table for a minute. You can go with Daddy.”
“I want to stay with you,” Jack says.
“I’m really okay.”
“But I’ll wait for you,” Jack says. “Like you wait for me when I’m tired.”
I smile and look up at EJ. He nods. “Let’s get you water and then we’ll all go to see the animals together.”
I find a spot at a picnic table while Levi and EJ walk over to the food trucks and booths back near the kettle corn stand.
I probably shouldn’t have been living on kettle corn without water or protein this morning.
