Page 60 of Silver Fox's Secret Baby

“How do you feel about pancakes first?”

“Can I have chocolate chips in mine?”

“I don’t see why not.” I glanced at Samantha, wondering if I should defer to her first. After all, breakfast shouldn’t be a dessert.

Samantha gave me the same smile. I shrugged, determined to make this a great day for the both of them.

Breakfast was an adventure with Pax. The kid buried his pancakes in syrup, and I suspected he’d be bouncing off the walls before long. Good thing there was an outdoor section to the Tar Pits.

As we walked through the park, I kept my eye on Pax, enjoying the way his eyes lit up at each exhibit we passed. Children had a wonder about them that adults lacked. I suppose life snuffed it out of us with its hard lessons and responsibilities.

“That looks like an elephant.” Pointed toward the towering model in a tar pit.

“It’s a mammoth. And over there is a saber-tooth,” I pointed toward the extinct cat.

Pax studied the animals and then looked at me. “Where are the dinosaurs?”

I ruffled his blond hair. “Let’s go inside.”

We spent hours exploring the park and indoor exhibits. The longer we were together, the greater the sense of attachment I had toward the boy grew. It felt like outings I'd enjoyed with Victoria when she was a child. Like we were a family. For a moment, I nearly took Samantha’s hand as we strolled and watched Pax take in the sights. The yearning for this to be real was startling and scary.

At lunch time, we grabbed deli sandwiches and headed to a nearby park for a picnic. Pax ate about three bites before he was off playing on the playground.

“He’s a busy kid.”

“Hmm...” Samantha watched Pax. Her smile this time was genuine.

I found myself wondering why she was raising him alone. “It’s not easy being a single parent.”

“You’d know,” she said.

“Yes, well, I had help.” My parents weren’t the most involved in Victoria’s care. Knightly and Mrs. Tillis were more like grandparents than my parents were. “Has anyone helped you? Pax’s father, maybe?”

Samantha tensed, and I swore I could feel her draw away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. It doesn't matter." I backtracked, not wanting to push her away.

She appeared to be thinking, but before she said anything, Pax rushed up to us. “There’s ice cream. Can we get some?”

“Absolutely,” Samantha said with some relief in her tone.

I rose from our table and gathered our trash to toss. “Let’s get ice cream.”

By the timewe arrived back at the hotel that evening, all the sugar and excitement were drained from Pax. The kid was practically asleep as he entered the hotel room.

“Thank you for a lovely day, Henry,” Samantha said.

I stood like a lovesick puppy at her door, not wanting the day to end. “Thank you, Samantha. I really enjoyed it.”

“Well... goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” The door clicked shut, and that was it. I was alone.

I returned to my room, wondering how much longer I was going to be such a doofus. Would I grow balls and take what I wanted, or would I let her go when the time came for her to move on? And what would I do in the meantime?

I ordered room service and poured myself a drink. I pulled out my laptop, checking in with work to make sure there were no emergencies. I had an email from Alan with concerns about the user-generated content and wondering if Samantha was leading us down a path that would lead to being canceled or sued. I ignored it, figuring I’d deal with it when I returned to New York.

When I finished my meal and checked my work, I turned on the TV. I skipped the news and reality TV. I settled in to watch a spy movie.

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