“So, where are we going?”
“Only one of my favorite places no matter how old I get,” I singsong as I take the Hampton exit off of I-64/40. I windthrough Forest Park’s plethora of roads, making my way to the bottom of Art Hill, where I park near the giant fountain.
“A park?”
“There’s little trails, this giant fountain, The Muny is over that way, the Boathouse, the Art Museum…” I point directions toward all the different choices. “But my favorite place is at the top of this hill and down a bit to our left.”
Jaxon grins wide, finding my giddiness infectious.
“Following you, my lady.”
I stop, turning to squinch my nose up at him over my shoulder.
“I like Cupcake better.”
Jaxon chuckles, reaching forward to pinch my butt.
“Get that pretty ass moving, Cupcake,” he growls playfully as I stretch my legs a smidge.
“Got your water bottle?” I ask, watching as he lifts it up to show me, along with a quirked brow of interest. “Good. Race you to the top,” I blurt the last part out fast, taking off before giving him a chance to say anything. His loud laughter echoes behind me.
???
Jaxon
She surprises me.Challenge accepted.A loud burst of laughter erupts from my lungs as I round the fountain, following her onto the pathway of gravel that disappears uphill between a small row of trees. My heart pounds excitedly, giddy with the opportunityto laugh and play with my girl like we’re teenagers running through the rain. As I close in on her, I slow a little, drawing the fun out and totally enjoying the way her butt shifts in her athletic shorts.My ass.
Ahead, I see the trees opening back up and want to catch her for a kiss before that happens. I pick up my speed, and she looks back and squeals with delight, trying to dodge me as I reach out and snag her shirt. I slow our run, pull her to me, and look both ways to see if we’re alone. When I see the coast is clear for at least a minute, a mischievous grin cracks across my face as I push her back against the trunk of a tree and kiss her stupid.
“Thank you,” I pant.
“For what?” she asks breathily, a mix of exertion and desire.
“For reminding me that life can be fun. That that part of my life isn’t over.”
“This is why I’m excited for you to start your new job. A whole new life apart from fluorescent lights and antiseptics awaits.” She grins wide. Holly’s right. I put in a lot of hard time and hard work. Now I get to enjoy the living part. I should’ve tried harder to make it more of a priority during my residency, but life just…got in the way.
“I’m excited too. It’s amazing what sleep can do for a person.” I chuckle. Noticing an older couple come around the corner, I pull Holly away from the tree to start walking again. We both take a swig from our waters as we breach the tree-lined path and see the Art Museum up ahead. “So, we stopping here?”
Holly wrinkles up her nose and shakes her head.
“Nah… to the left we go.”
I begin to notice a lot more families around as we pass the top of the hill, and I look down, seeing the pretty landscape of the fountain and man-made pond. Well, it’s pond-ish…
“This place is busier than I first noticed.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Are you going to tell me what’s next?”
“You’ll see in less than five minutes.”
A dad pushing a stroller has us scooting over onto one half of the sidewalk. The little girl is sipping out of a big souvenir cup with animals on it as she strangles the life out of a big stuffed elephant. I look ahead and see big brick walls and hear the sound of–a train horn? Am I hearing that right? We cross the sidewalk, and then I see it.St. Louis Zooin big letters along a patch of the wall that had been obstructed by trees earlier. There’s a giant rock feature with parents watching their children climb as they snap photos. A wide grin stretches across my face.
“So, this is your favorite place?”
“Yup,” Holly says with certainty before reaching for my hand and pulling me forward. We enter the visitor center, and I notice the giant shark statue floating from the ceiling, along with tons of other animals. I’ve heard this is one of the best zoos in the country. She pulls me through sliding doors that open up to the rest of the zoo.
