Exposed King (Boys of Brisley 2)

It had been years since I’d gone to an amusement park and I’d never been to one with children with me, so part of me was nervous ... but I also couldn’t wait.

I needed a day of fun.

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Mia

I was positive Ollie didn’t have a clue what he was doing inviting this many kids to an amusement park, but he was smiling widely regardless. Getting everyone there was a mess, but when we were finally walking through the gates and every one of their faces lit up, I knew it would be worth it.

I interlocked my hand with Ollies then tugged him down for a kiss. “Thank you,” I mumbled against his lips.

“Don’t thank me yet. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a long day.” He leaned down and tapped his own shoulder. “C’mon. Up.”

“You meant it?” I grinned. “You’re going to give me a piggyback ride, Papí?”

“Absolutely. You can be my backpack for the day,” he said playfully. “But you have to let me be the little spoon when we cuddle tonight.”

“Of course. I’ll give you a full body massage, baby.” I hopped on his back and ignored the two older boys when they fake gagged. “You’re just jealous. Which ride first, Carlo? I’m letting you pick first since you didn’t gag like your two hermanos. Then Rio picks.”

“Bumper cars!” He squealed, then raced toward the ride just down from where we were. Alex, Valentino, and Jago sprinted after him while Rio hung back.

“I think I’m too little. That’s a big-kid ride, right?”

Ollie reached over to ruffle his hair. “Sure is. But these ones allow two people in a car, so you can ride with me. I’ll teach you to drive just like I’m teaching Jago, yeah?”

The way Rio launched in to hug him made my chest tighten. Seeing Ollie with all my boys was something so beautiful it stirred up unbidden emotions, and when I glanced over at Dinora, I saw it in her face, too.

But she knew how to hide it better. “Okay, you got the little one and Mia and I are kicking all your booties. We’re not holding back because we’re moms, right, sis?”

“Yup.” I wiggled down from his back and gave her a high five as we followed the older boys. Ollie had gone a little overboard with some skip-the-line passes, but not one of us was going to complain.

Lines were overrated.

Ollie and Rio were ducked down talking strategy as it became our turn, and he scooped the little guy up and carried him to the green one before Valentino could get there. It took a while for everyone to be situated and ready to move, and for a split second, I couldn’t help but fear for Rio. He felt too far away, but one look at his shining smile put my fears at ease. Ollie had him.

And Ollie really had him. They made a better team than anyone else, and Rio’s loud, joy-filled, almost cackling laughter as they slammed into the rest of us had me joining right in and going after Alex and Valentino. They talked so much shit every time they bumped into one of us that they had all of us turning our sights on them and caging them together.

I couldn’t remember a time my whole family laughed this hard, and I couldn’t deny that Ollie was a huge part of that.

After the bumper cars, I lost my spot on Ollie’s back. Rio clung to him up there with wide eyes and insisted they ride together from then on, and Ollie didn’t complain once — not even after he got off the Tilt-A-Whirl looking nauseous.

“Too old for this,” he whispered to me as Rio climbed up again. “Maybe we find a nice carousel or something?”

“How about we go take a breather and get some snacks instead?” I touched his forehead and went on my toes for a kiss. “You need a few minutes, young guy.”

The mention of snacks took the decision away from Ollie, but he didn’t look like he minded. With five hungry boys, snacks were a given, so Jago and Alex jogged a little ahead of us to see what our options were.

Everything was perfect until a fast-talking older man yelled out, “Make your bets here! Make a bet, spin the wheel! Everyone goes home a winner!” and Ollie froze.

I brought his gaze over gently with my hand, locking our eyes firmly together as I leaned in for a kiss. “Hey, baby. Did you want a funnel cake?”

I knew he needed a distraction, and his eyes stayed unfocused for a second too long. “What? Yeah, of course. Let’s go.” He kissed me quickly and adjusted his grip on Rio, then walked away from that wheel like it was nothing.

My fingers interlocked with his, a deep sense of pride pooling in my gut as I brought his hand up for a kiss. The food line was long, so I took everyone’s order like the waitress I was and sent them all to find us a table. I needed a few minutes alone with Ollie anyway. “Have I told you I loved you today?”

“No, but you showed me, which is better.” He cupped my chin and kissed me again, then tipped his forehead against mine. “Thank you for not freaking out. Most would’ve full-body tackled me and dragged me away.”

“Could you imagine me tackling you though? It’d be like when a gnat bounces off your cheek and you just swat it away without looking twice.” I chuckled, wrapping my arms around his neck to keep our heads together. “I didn’t freak out because I trust you, Papí. You’ve got this, and when you feel like maybe you don’t, I got you.”

He exhaled hard like he was letting the weight of the world fall off his shoulders. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Mia, but I’m damn sure never gonna stop whatever it was.”

“I know, baby. I know.”

I didn’t end up eating two funnel cakes, one turned out to be plenty, and everything about that day went perfectly. All of our faces hurt from smiling, but it was a good ache — one we didn’t realize we were missing before.

Of course Rio didn’t want to leave, but he was asleep before we even reached the cars, and from the looks of it all the boys would be right behind him. I rode in the Honda with Dinora since the older boys insisted on riding with Ollie, but neither of us complained. They needed this, needed a male role model they could look up to, and even Dinora could see how good Ollie was for them.

He was good for all of us.