One More Time

“The closest waterpark is two hours away,” I said sadly. “That probably won’t work today.”

“Okay,” Tommy said. “Then can we go to the bookstore? You said you wanted us to read more!”

“I was thinking something a bit more exciting,” I said, my voice leading.

Sean frowned at me, but I just grinned. I already had a plan forming that I knew everyone would love. Tommy frowned, too, trying to puzzle out what I meant.

“What do you guys think of the zoo?” I asked.

“Really?!” Tommy screamed. “We’re going to the zoo?”

“If you want,” I said. “What do you think, Sarah?”

“I love the zoo,” Sarah said with a mouthful of fruity pebbles. “But isn’t it far away?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The zoo is all the way back in California, isn’t it?” she asked. “Where we used to live.”

I laughed. “There’s another one here,” I said. “Just a few minutes away.”

“There is?” Her eyes lit up.

“Yup.” I smiled. “It’s not as big as the one in San Diego, but they do have elephants.”

Sarah’s mouth fell open, and she bounced up and down in her chair. I knew she loved elephants. That one word was enough to push her into overdrive. She didn’t bother finishing her cereal. Instead, she jumped out of her chair and ran around the table.

“Elephants! Elephants!” she chanted. “Elephants!”

“Go get dressed,” I said, laughing. “I’ll be up in a minute to help you. Tommy, you too.”

They ran upstairs together and each disappeared into their rooms. I shook my head, still laughing to myself, and cleared their bowls.

“That was a good idea,” Sean said. “They’ll love it.”

“I thought so,” I said with a grin.

“Well, I should go get dressed too,” Philip said. He finished his coffee in one gulp and laid his mug in the sink. Once he followed the kids upstairs, I walked over to sit in Sean’s lap.

He grinned and pulled me down, wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me close to him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t ask you first,” I said softly. “About the zoo. The idea just came to me, and I sort of ran with it.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “They’ll have fun. We’ll all have fun.”

“I think so.” I smiled. “It’s not as fancy as San Diego’s.”

“Eh.” Sean shrugged. “San Diego’s is overrated.”

“Really?” I laughed. “Isn’t it supposed to be like the best zoo in the country?”

“No,” Sean said, shaking his head. “I’m sure this zoo is way better.”

He was teasing me, but I didn’t mind. We kissed a few times before I managed to pull myself away from him. The kids were waiting for me upstairs. They would both need my help picking out the right shoes for the day. Sarah was in the middle of a flip flop phase, and I knew she would try to sneak them past me if she could.

I winked at Sean as I walked over to the stairs. He watched me until I disappeared from view. The smile I woke up with still hadn’t left my face. As I made my way toward Sarah’s room to check on her progress, I was grinning from ear to ear. It wasn’t just about last night, although that certainly didn’t hurt. It was about the prospect of spending the entire day with the kids I loved, and with the man who was becoming more special to me every day.

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