Page 132 of Three Not-So-Little Words
Before we can take his conversation any further, the man returns. This time, he has a surprise with him. Behind him, in a wagon, is a penguin.
A fucking penguin.
Colton’s eyes get huge when he sees it. He starts tugging on my shirt to make sure I see it too.
Leon says, “This is Sunny. She is one of our penguins here at the zoo.”
He then goes on to give some fun facts about penguins, but truth be told, I don’t hear a single one of them. I’m toobusy watching Colton. He is hanging on every word while still watching the penguin with intrigue and awe.
Leon asks, “Do you want to pet him?”
“Yeah!” Colton cries.
He takes a minute to show Colton exactly how to do it without scaring the penguin or hurting him in any way. Moments later, my son is taking two fingers and rubbing them along the penguin’s back.
Eventually, the man lifts the penguin and lets him walk around the floor. He tells Colton that he can get on the floor with him but not to crowd his space. Both Colton and Ronnie slide onto the floor and pet the penguin as he walks by.
I look at the two of them, and my heart swells with joy. This woman who claims she isn’t very good with kids has made my son the happiest I’ve ever seen him. If I wasn’t sure I was in love with her before, this sure as hell cements it.
She’s fucking incredible.
I pull out my phone and start snapping as many photos and videos as I can. I know Colton will want to have proof of this whole thing.
Hell, even I want proof of this whole thing. How many people can say they have had a one-on-one encounter with a penguin? It’s not something one gets to do every day…well, unless you’re a zookeeper I suppose.
My attention is drawn to the man who brought in the penguin. I can’t help but notice the way he looks at Ronnie. I’ve seen it before. Most guys who look at Ronnie have that same one. They look at her like she’s gorgeous and they would love to have a chance with her.
I don’t blame them. They can look all they want. She’s all mine.
When we finish up our penguin visit, we walk through the rest of the zoo, but honestly, nothing can compare to what we just did. For Colton, that was the highlight, and he can’t stop talkingabout it. To remember the trip, Ronnie buys him a stuffed penguin from the gift shop–even though there is no way he’s going to forget this.
He goes on to talk about it the entire way home. I don’t care. I’ll listen to him talk about it all damn day. It’s a good exchange for seeing him so happy.
When we finally make it back to my place, we go inside, and Colton takes off his jacket and shoes and starts to head for his room.
“Hey, bud,” I call. “I think you need to come say something to Ronnie.”
He comes sprinting back in, hugging her so hard he almost knocks her down. “Thank you, Ronnie! You were right! The wish came true!”
She smiles at him. “I told you.”
As soon as he runs off, I pull her in for a kiss. My hands hold onto her face as we make out for a minute. When I pull back, I say, “I’ve been wanting to do that all damn day.”
She grins. “It’s about damn time.”
“Okay, I have to ask. How the hell did you pull that off? You brought in a fucking penguin.”
“I did some photography work for the zoo a couple of years ago. Leon was my point of contact. He got me up close and personal with the animals to get some good shots.”
“He sure seems to like you,” I say, realizing I kind of sound like a dick. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that.”
She smiles. “It’s alright. I never slept with him if that’s what you’re angling for. I may enjoy a good romp in the sack, but I don’t like to mix business with pleasure.”
“I didn’t mean to sound like a jerk.”
“Don’t worry. You didn’t. Leon has asked…more than once, but I’m not going down that road.”
“I just want you to know that this is the best surprise that you could have given my little boy. He is so happy.”
