“Look at all the starfish!” Sonnet yelled, stumbling onto the rocks before kneeling to look at a little family of five starfish hanging out in one pool with some sea anemones. “Are we allowed to touch them?”
“Not here,” one of the workers said gently, pointing at a sign. “This area is protected by MPAs. One touch can be more harmful than people think. Starfish are extremely delicate, and sea anemones can injure others.”
Kai kneeled down next to her, and they watched two hermit crabs chasing each other before disappearing.
The two of them walked to the next tide pool, and she laughed as they both stared down at a large, colorful sea slug eating away at the algae. “It’s kind of cute. I wonder if it’s slimy like land slugs.”
“You like slugs?” Kai asked.
“I think they’re cute. I like their silly little eyes.”
“Hmm. It does kind of look like you.”
“Hey!” Sonnet playfully nudged Kai’s shoulder. “Well, you’re just like a sea urchin.”
Kai raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
They bickered back and forth before Felix led them back to the car to head back into town for lunch. Felix picked the spot. A cozy little cafe right on the coast, where the tables and chairs were in the sand, and you could take off your shoes.
Sonnet sat crisscrossed on her chair, bumping elbows with Kai as they playfully fought over arm room on the table while they all read through the menu, which was obviously heavily centered on seafood.
“Should we ask for a child’s menu?” Kai teased.
Felix chuckled. “You might like the watermelon feta salad.”
Sonnet scrunched up her nose. “I’ve never agreed with fruit being in a salad. But the quinoa salad sounds delicious.”
“Boring! I’m getting the shrimp skewers and some chips with mango salsa tacos.” Kai smiled. Like, an actual, genuine, happy smile that made Sonnet want to take out her phone to capture the moment as evidence. He rubbed his stomach and sighed. “This is going to be so good.”
“Hasn’t my cooking been good enough?”
Felix and Kai both bickered back and forth, and Sonnet couldn’t help but swoon a little. It did something to her and her omega watching her alphas act like a true, connected pack. She had hardly seen Felix and Kai interact, so this felt nice and calm, a picture of her future with them. Felix acted like an older brother, trying to correct Kai’s behavior in teasing ways, while Kai was quick-witted and even quicker to insult him.
Sonnet jumped as something fluffy rubbed against her knees. She looked down and immediately melted.
“Oh, my goodness. Who are you?”
“Sorry!” a woman shouted, racing forward to recapture the most adorable golden retriever puppy. “He got away from me.”
“Don’t apologize,” Sonnet laughed just as the puppy climbed into her lap. “What’s his name?”
The woman, who looked completely exasperated, gave an awkward smile. “No name. His adoptive family were supposed to name him, but, well, I made the trip all the way down here and now they don’t want him.”
Who the heck wouldn’t want this puppy?
Sonnet shook her head and held the puppy a bit closer. His tail thumped against her legs, his face resting in the crook of her arm as he made little sounds to Kai. Kai went from a bad boy to a child in a candy store in an instant.
Felix frowned. “How long was your trip?”
“Four hours,” the woman sighed. “He was the last puppy in our litter. The runt, and the most trouble. I thought he wasgoing to go to a good home. I don’t know what happened, or why his owners pulled out at the last minute.”
“Can we keep him?” Sonnet and Kai asked at the same time.
Felix glared at them playfully and shook his head. “I don’t think this lady—”
“Actually, that would help me out. I don’t have much room for him. And he’s already paid for, technically.”
