Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68594 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68594 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
I wanted forever.
Now I just had to convince her she wanted it too.
“You ready to leave tomorrow morning early? We have ten a.m. admission to the aquarium.”
“Yes.” She sat back, running a hand through her hair. “It feels odd not to be at work. I feel lazy.”
I chuckled. “Perks of being the boss. Trust me, the place will not be busy. When it rains like this, everyone stays home and uses the downtime. I guarantee you Tammy will close up early.”
“I told her to do that if it was quiet.”
“Besides, consider it the start of your birthday weekend.”
She rolled her eyes. “I go from no birthday to a whole weekend? Not sure I can cope with that.” She got up from the table, heading to the sink. “One day is fine.”
I caught her around the waist, pulling her to my lap and kissing her soundly. “Weekend, darlin’. It’ll take me all weekend to celebrate you.”
She met my eyes, hers soft and warm, the green vibrant this morning. “I love you,” she whispered.
I kissed her again. “Love you right back.”
We were in the truck bright and early, all of us anxious to start our adventure. I had woken Quinn up early, making love to her, then giving her the first gift of many to come. The simple gold chain with an infinity symbol on it glinted on her neck when she turned to me with a wide smile as she buckled her seat belt. She wore a pretty sundress in blues and greens with a headband keeping her long hair off her face and highlighting her eyes. I loved it when she wore her hair down. She still had on sneakers, but they were blue and lacy, and she looked lovely. Abby wore a pink dress and matching sneakers, and her hair was done in a French braid with pink ribbons to match her outfit woven into it.
I wore a button-down and dark jeans. I’d realized my sneakers were a mess, so I pulled on a pair of cowboy boots Laura had given me. They were comfortable, and I knew how much walking we’d be doing, so I was okay with it. I knew Abby and Quinn would get a kick out of my choice of footwear. I’d save my less-than-comfortable dress shoes for dinner later. I brought my only suit, and I knew Quinn had a dress for the evening. I was looking forward to having her all to myself later. Abby was excited at the prospect of the movie night with other kids and the crafts listed. All in all, it was a day we were all looking forward to.
Abby asked a multitude of questions on the way into Toronto. I knew her world there had been very sequestered and not happy. I told her as many stories as I could about the places we were going, wanting to keep up her excitement.
We arrived at the aquarium on time, and with the crowds around us, I lifted her onto my hip, holding her tight until we got inside. I kept my other hand wrapped around Quinn’s.
As we approached the doors, I looked down at Abby’s excited face. “Ready, Pumpkin?”
“Ready!”
“Let’s go, then.”
I leaned over the table, smiling at Abby. “What was your favorite part?”
“The dolphins,” she replied immediately, holding up the pink heart-covered stuffed dolphin I had bought her at the gift shop. “And the sharks,” she added. “The colored jelly ones. All the fishes!”
“So, all of it?” I asked.
“Yes!”
She’d been in awe. Turning her head constantly so as not to miss anything. Asking questions, staring at the overhead tunnel, laughing in delight at the antics of some of the fish and the dolphins. Quinn had been entranced as well, and I was glad I had been before since I had a hard time tearing my gaze away from their enjoyment.
On the elevator ride up the CN Tower, Abby had been nervous, but she relaxed when I picked her up, and she nestled into my side. In the restaurant, she had looked around, mesmerized by the view from the table, but unimpressed otherwise. The lunch was really more for Quinn. Luckily, they had a decent kids menu, and Abby was enthusiastic about the chicken fingers option.
Quinn sipped her wine, staring at the vast expanse laid out before us. We had selected the charcuterie appetizer, and I ordered the steak, while Quinn chose the blackened chicken. Abby snacked on a few bits from our appetizer and was now busy chatting up her new stuffie, telling her all about Enid and Fluffy.
I leaned over to Quinn. “Having a good day so far, darlin’?”
“Amazing,” she replied.
“We’ll check in to the hotel after, then walk over to the boat.”
There was a small ruckus at a table across the restaurant, a man’s condescending tone reaching my ears. I shared a grimace with Quinn. “Someone’s not happy.”