Luca knelt beside her, pulling out a quarter and handing it to her like it was a golden ticket.
“See that machine over there?” he said. “That’s the snack dispenser. You feed the goats, you win their loyalty. It’s just like making friends at school.”
Daphne narrowed her eyes. “Snacks make friends?”
Luca grinned. “Absolutely. Especially with animals. But I’m sure you’re great at making friends anyway. You’ve already gotmewrapped around your finger.”
She grinned wide and took the coin from him with dramatic purpose.
I watched them together, Luca following her in doing a goofy goat voice that had both her and a nearby toddler in stitches. He had this kinetic energy, like a wind-up toy that never ran down. He let her climb up on the wooden structure like it was a castle and announced her as Queen of Goatville.
I felt like crying and laughing and kissing each of them in a row.
But instead, I just smiled and made myself focus on soaking it all in. This moment. These incredible men. My daughter, incandescent with happiness.
Eventually though, my energy started to dip. Hard. By the time we were halfway through the tropical birds, my head was pounding and my legs were jelly. I chalked it up to the heat and the adrenaline crash of trying to emotionally manage everyone at once, but I felt…off. Woozy. Almost dizzy. I stumbled a little, and the guys took note.
“Hey,” Luca said suddenly, appearing at my side like I’d summoned him. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said automatically, which was exposed as a lie when I had to grab the railing beside the flamingo exhibit for balance.
“Nope,” Cade said, appearing out of nowhere like some kind of concerned almost-boyfriend bat signal had been activated. “You’re sitting.”
They steered me toward a bench like they’d planned it ahead of time. Gavin took Daphne’s hand and led her over to a shaded corner with a slushie stand as a distraction. I watched them go, the ease with which he bent to her height, pointed out the different flavors, even asked if he could borrow a hair tie to tie back her curls so she didn’t get syrup all over them. It was ridiculously sweet.
Cade handed me a bottle of water. “Drink,” he commanded, his voice gruff.
I drank. “I’m really okay, guys.”
Luca pulled a tiny handheld fan out of seemingly nowhere and pointed it toward my face. “We know you’re tough, Allie. You don’t have to push through. Just rest for a second. You look…well, not yourself.”
Daphne came running back over with her slushie in hand. “Mommy, Gavin got me a slushie!”
“That’s great, baby,” I told her, and the weakness of my voice mixed with the likely green hue of my face made her frown.
“Are you sick?”
“No,” I told her quickly. “Just a little tired.”
“We’re taking care of her,” Cade told Daphne with a stern calm that seemed to ease her nerves. “No need to worry.” He paused, and then an unexpected joke came out, taking me by surprise. “But if you wanted to share some of your slushie for moral support, you could.”
Daphne wrapped her small hands around her cup, narrowing her eyes at Cade. I barked out a surprised laugh despite the nausea that was starting to sweep through me. I breathed carefully, in through my nose, out through my mouth. I sipped more of the cold water, hoping this weird moment of weakness would subside.
I felt better after the water, after the break, after letting the guys take care of me. I was more confused about what was happening than anything—I rarely got sick, and it wasn’t exactly the season, but I had been running myself a little ragged lately. Lots of great sex could be exhausting, and I’d been busting my ass at Marv’s too.
But by the time I felt semi-normal again, Daphne was getting a little tired too, and we’d seen just about everything the zoo had to offer. We headed back to the car, swung through a fast-food drive-through for an early dinner/late lunch, and got back on the road again, a successful day under our belts.
By the time we got back to the apartment, Daphne had crashed hard in her car seat, and the guys each took turns carrying her, herding me inside, and making sure we were both fed, watered, and comfortable.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so…safe.
Us Tate girls changed into pajamas, and then the guys read Daphne a book together—she insisted on her favorite one about a tea party, which Gavin did in a British accent that made her laugh harder than I thought possible—and then, finally, they helped me into bed too.
It was funny, in a way. My bed had never felt so small as all three of them stood around it, trying to say goodnight without overstepping.
Luca kissed my forehead gently. “Tomorrow, you should get some rest. No acrobatics.”
“Yes, sir,” I whispered, smiling, and his cheeks turned adorably pink.
