Page 105 of The Backup Bride Proposal

They arrived at the zoo and started at the snakes. He’d told Mae she could choose where they went. They could take the elephant train, or go see the giraffes, but no, she wanted to see the snakes.

He loved this woman. Uh, he loved the things she loved, anyway.

No, you love her, jackass. You should think about telling her that.

That was the last thing he wanted to do. Love didn’t last—that much was clear after seeing what had happened with his parents. But he and Mae were getting along great right now. Wasn’t it best to keep things the way they were without fucking it all up with love and forever and bullshit like that?

Just have a good time, and when it was over, it was over.

Great pep talk, self.

“Look at this boa,” Mae said, grabbing his hand to bring him over to one of the more colorful snakes from the Amazon.

“Pretty cool.” He was not a snake fan, but Mae seemed to love them, so they wandered and she gushed over all of them.

“Did you have pet snakes as a kid?” he asked.

“Me? Oh, God no. My mom would have freaked. But I dated a guy in high school who was into snakes. He had quite a few, and he took very good care of them. He taught me alot and let me handle them. They’re amazing creatures, but you need to respect them.”

“So they don’t bite you. Or eat you.”

She laughed. “Right.”

After the snakes they went to the elephants. He’d always enjoyed the elephants. “Did you know that elephants feel things? Emotions, like sadness and happiness and love?”

“I didn’t know that,” she said. “But they’re such majestic, beautiful creatures, and their eyes tell a story, so I’m not at all surprised.”

“I did a movie in Africa and got the opportunity to travel into the Serengeti, see the animals in their natural habitat without disturbing them. It was incredible. Herd upon herd of elephants living freely, along with rhinos, lions and an abundance of other creatures.”

“That sounds amazing. It must have been an incredible trip.”

“It was. We…you should go there sometime.” His first impulse had been to talk about taking a trip together. What stopped him? The fear that there was an expiration date to their relationship? That if he’d asked she’d have said no?

He wanted her in his life.

Maybe you should start by asking her.

That voice in his head was really pissing him off.

They spent another hour or so there, visiting the monkeys, bears, lions and tigers. It was great to wander, and no one seemed to recognize him, likely because the animals were much more interesting than he was. Fortunately, the paparazzi hadn’t been on his ass lately. He was either getting better at dodging them or maybe they were all on holiday break. Either way, he enjoyed a nice leisurely couple of hours at the zoo with Mae, until they both decided they were thirsty and hungry, so they headed out.

They drove for a while out of town until they found a Mexican restaurant that had a parking lot filled with cars. Kane always knew that was how you could tell a place had excellent food, so they stopped there.

Not much to look at on the inside, with small tables and a couple of booths, but the smells coming from the kitchen made Kane’s stomach grumble. The whole place was bustling. They were seated at an empty table in the corner and a server came right over. He ordered a beer and Mae wanted iced tea. Chips and salsa along with queso appeared right away.

“This is so good,” Mae said, talking while sliding another salsa-filled chip into her mouth. “I’m so hungry.”

He popped a chip into his mouth, the salsa like a tangy appetizer whetting his appetite for something more substantial. A lot like the woman who sat across from him, always stimulating his hunger for more.

Drinks were brought and the first thing Kane did was guzzle down half the glass of water.

“You were really good in your scene today with…I only know her character’s name, Sarah.”

“Right. That’s Hannah. She’s pretty great. Always shows up prepared and she’s easy to play off of.”

“Which makes your job easier, right?”

“Exactly.” He scooped up some queso on his chip and slid it into his mouth. “David is good, too. He and Hannah have awesome chemistry. I’m sure you saw it in their scene.”

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