He nods. “Yeah, last week, you and Mia didn’t come to the Rampage family day. You didn’t accept Bellamy’s invite. She was upset you didn’t join them.”
“The first year I went, I was her plus one. It’s different now. I’m not truly a member of the Rampage family.”
“You are,” he insists.
“We’re all friends, but it’s not the same. It’s family day.”
“You and Mia are my family, and I know Bellamy feels the same way. Hell, they all do. Regardless, you missed it, and I wanted our family day, so here we are.”
Grabbing the keys and his phone, he reaches for the door and climbs out. In no time, he has Mia out of her seat, resting against his shoulder, and moves to the back of the SUV to grab the stroller. I join him at the back of the SUV with my purse and the diaper bag.
“Ready?” He grins.
“Ready,” I say, smiling back. I push the stroller, and with Mia in his arms, and his hand on the small of my back, he leads us into the main welcome area.
The staff is friendly and informative, and we have our own personal guide, who leads us through the zoo, telling us all about the animals. She’s amazing with Mia, interacting with her and being silly. Three hours pass in a blur, and it feels as if we’ve only been here a handful of minutes.
“Thank you so much, Sasha,” Will tells our guide. “You’ve been great.”
“You’re welcome. It’s been a pleasure meeting you both.” She bends so she can see Mia better, where she’s sitting in her stroller. “You, too, Miss Mia.” She takes her little hand and pretends to shake, and Mia giggles. “Before you go, I have your purchase. Be right back.” Sasha jogs off.
“What did you buy?” I look down at the photo of the three of us that we took in the welcome center when we first arrived. We look happy.
We look like a family.
“Just a little something. I picked it out yesterday and asked them to hold on to it for me.”
Sasha comes jogging back with a small stuffed lamb. She bends to offer it to Mia, who takes it with glee. “Good choice, Dad,” Sasha says. “Y’all enjoy the rest of your day. I need to go prepare for the crowd to hit.” Sasha waves, and then she’s gone.
“I’m sorry—” I start, but Will’s look has the rest of what I was going to say dying on my lips.
He kneels next to Mia. “Hey, sweetie, do you like your lamb?”
“Dada!”
My heart stalls in my chest as it tightens, but the pressure instantly releases when Will chuckles and leans over to kiss Mia’s cheek. “You’re a cutie,” he tells her, standing back to his full height. “You ready to grab something to eat, Momma?” he asks.
That’s it. No comment. No, “It’s fine. She’s a baby.” Just quiet acceptance. I open my mouth, but I quickly clamp it shut to keep myself from spilling my truth.
That I’m in love with him.
We both are.
Instead, I nod and follow along behind him to the SUV as he pushes the stroller, going faster and slower, lifting it up on two wheels, making Mia giggle like it’s the funniest thing she’s ever experienced in her short life.
Back on the road, Will takes us through a drive-thru to grab food, and we take it back to the park. He finds a secluded spot in the back and spreads out a quilt that was in the back of his car, and we sit and eat lunch together.
Mia’s living her best life, crawling and toddling between the two of us, asking for bites of our food. We’ve just finished eating when my phone rings. Pulling it out of my purse, I see Bellamy’s name and show it to Will.
“Answer it. I’ll be quiet.”
“Where does she think you are today?”
He shrugs. “She doesn’t. I assume she thinks I’m either at home or at the stadium.” He nods again, and I take a deep breath and answer.
“Hey, you,” I greet my best friend.
“Hey. What are you getting into today?”