Page 74 of Make Me Whole

“I don’t agree with that, but still, who cares? Pantsless is your best look, sweetheart,” he whispered and gave a discreet swat on my big butt before finally responding to my daughter’s call.

My heart skipped a beat. After catching my breath and calming my flushing cheeks, I followed them toward the last two tanks in the exhibit.

One contained a variety of seahorses including a rare Australian zebra specimen which my daughter described as a black and white cutie-patootie. Thanks to Aiden, I learned that seahorses are carnivorous creatures that live in tropical and temperate coastal waters, like to swim in pairs with their tails linked, and have swim bladders which are tiny air pockets in their bellies that allow them to move up and down.

The next tank had a variety of colorful small fish. Of all the exhibits, we stayed at that one the longest, and not because it was the most interesting or the one with the most specimens but because the variety of color and cuteness made my already hyper daughter a little unhinged.

When we reached the end of the aquarium, there were still twenty minutes until the darn Thanksgiving fish parade that had brought us here in the first place. Max suggested going to the gift shop while we waited.

Usually, I hated gift shops. Ella was the type of kid who wanted everything, and saying no to her made me feel like the worst parent ever. But this time, I didn’t have to.

“Huddle up, team,” Max said as soon as we entered the store. The three of us gathered around him in a circle. Once he had the kids’ full attention, Max continued, “Here’s how we’ll do this. Each of us can pick one item from the store to take home as a souvenir. There’s no price limit, but I don’t want anyone trying to weasel me into buying two cheap things instead of one expensive thing. It isoneitem per person. And you have fifteen minutes to choose. Is that understood?”

I followed Ella’s gaze to the wall of stuffed animals where a giant green turtle hung from the wall like the collection’s crowning jewel. Noticing my daughter’s smile and the clear flaw in Max’s plan, I quickly added, “And it has to fit in the car with all of us and the luggage. No giant stuffed animals or other oversized toys, right, Max?”

Ella’s head bounced to me, disappointment in her eyes and mouth ready to complain. Before she could start whining, Max nodded and agreed, “Right. One reasonably sized item of any price per person. Fifteen minutes. Ready, set, go.”

The moment he said go, Aiden and Ella scattered like rats in a sinking ship. Once we were alone, he bumped my shoulder with his and gave me a loving smile. “Thanks for the save, partner. I wanted to spoil Ella so she’ll be okay when we tell them about us, but I’m used to a boy. The giant teddy didn’t even cross my mind as a possibility.”

I chuckled and raised a brow. “Do you really think that girl needs a new toy to be okay with our being a family? If you ask what she’d be willing to give up to have you as a dad instead of an unclad, I’d bet my arm she’d say all her toys, her spleen, and probably, her first-born child as well.”

Max laughed and looked lovingly at his son. “She’s not alone in that.”

I really wanted to kiss him. When he turned back to look at me, I could see he wanted to kiss me too.

“Can’t wait to get back home and talk to Al.”

I blushed and nodded. I couldn’t wait either. One more reason I had to tell him about the baby tonight. We had to think about how to add a baby announcement to our relationship announcement.

“We'd better get going with our shopping or we’ll run out of time. And look for something for my dad too. The kids won’t need softening up to the news, but he will.”

“Another good save, babe. Thanks.”

I winked and went in search of my souvenir. After a few minutes of walking aimlessly through the store thinking more about the nitty-gritty details of my baby announcement plan than my souvenir, I happened upon the clothing section. On the very first rack was a simple white onesie that read,Newest Fish in the Reef, and all of a sudden, I knew what to do.

I gazed at the registers and saw that my family were already there with their souvenirs. Realizing I’d have to come back for the onesie, I grabbed a picture frame that caught my eye on a nearby shelf and went over to join them.

"Here's my souvenir," I said as I handed the frame to Max.

Ella furrowed her brows. "You could choose anything at any price, and you chose a picture frame, Mother?”

I cracked a brow at her disappointment, then chuckled at the will-barely-fit-in-the-car stuffed turtle she had picked. Aiden’s massive marine biologist kit wasn’t far behind in the over the top souvenir department. Like me, Max had gone simple, picking a coffee mug for him and a baseball hat for my dad’s massive collection.

“I don’t need something big and fancy to remind me of this trip, sweetie. A picture and somewhere to put it are more than enough for me.”

Max winked and Aiden hugged me, but Ella rolled her eyes. After Max paid, we made our way to the big tank of the main exhibit where the parade would take place.

The show included everything from fish tanks being rolled around in tables decorated like floats to women with mermaid tails swimming around inside the big tank. It was lamer than the kids had imagined but not as sad as I thought it would be. I was surprisingly bummed when I excused myself before the show was over to go buy the onesie.

By the time I exited the store, the three of them were waiting in front of the bathroom for me. Max was the first to see me and frowned.

“Did you pee in the store?”

I rolled my eyes and played it cool. “Nope, I forgot to buy something for Molly earlier, so I took advantage of how empty the shop was and got her a little something.”

Max smiled. “Good save again.”

I smiled and gave him a cutesy shrug. “I was also looking for some PJs for a little girl who outgrew hers overnight, but they didn’t have any in her size.”

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