AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m always a good girl.”
CHAPTER20
Addison
The zoo was a bad idea.As much as Matthew said he wanted to see the animals, we’ve been here less than an hour, and he’s been fizzing over since we got in the car to leave. I can’t tell if it’s the weather, the crowds, the environment, or if he’s just having a big feelings kind of day but he’s not handling the outing well at all.
Every time Thor or I suggest we head back to the house and do something more low-key, his lip trembles, and he pleads with us to stay. Matthew isn’t the only one fizzing over either. Thor is bubbling, and I’m just hoping we can get everyone home alive before he explodes.
Thor and I agree that we can have another fifteen minutes at the zoo, and then we’ll leave. That seemed to settle Matthew. He’s happily reading about the Southern Three-banded Armadillo with his noise cancelling headphones on his head while his father stares at what I assume is a family with neurotypical kids.
I can’t imagine how hard it is for him to have had this life thrust upon him. But he’s handling it with such grace and compassion it’s sometimes easy to forget that becoming a father overnight is a big fucking deal.
I reach out to touch his arm, but he pulls it away. He’s stewing. If I was a more seasoned submissive, or I knew him better, or for longer, maybe I’d know how to help him. Right now, though, helplessness has settled into my bones, and I don’t know how to make the situation better for either of them.
“It’s going to be okay, Thor. You’re a great father.”
Admittedly I don’t know him all that well, I don’t have his tells down pat, but there’s a storm brewing in the Snyder household. I’m not even sure Thor himself knows that he’s bubbling under that calm, stoic, controlled surface. But I feel it in my bones.
I’m in the “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing choices” camp, but I’m not sure that I have the right clothing to weather Thor’s storm. I guess we’ll see.
CHAPTER21
Thor
I’ve always lovedthe zoo. We had an annual pass while I was a kid—a gift from my grandparents every Christmas—and I have so many good memories of spending time here with Mom.
She used to make animal noises to make me giggle as we walked around the exhibits, and while we’d picnic in the car, every now and then she’d buy me a popsicle or an ice cream.
Now I’m the parent, and I’m taking my son to the zoo for the very first time. I’ve got my girl on one side, and my kid on the other, and he can have all the fucking ice cream he wants.
“Have you been to the zoo before, Matthew?” Addison hands him a map and his water bottle.
“Mom took me a few years ago. But I haven’t been in a long time.”
“What’s your favorite animal?” She takes a sip from her own bottle as I survey the busy entrance to the zoo.
“Polar bears.”
She gives him a soft smile. “What’s your favorite animal in the zoo?”
He studies the map in his hand for a moment before answering. “I like lions.” He takes a drink. “Do you know that female lions do most of the hunting?”
Addison shakes her head. “I didn’t. But that makes sense since I do most of the grocery shopping.” She winks at him and we set off on our way.
“What’s your favorite animal, Addison?” Matty’s eyes never settle on one thing as we walk, but flit between the groups of people as we pass. He’s pale, and while he seemed okay when we left the house, now that we’re here... I’m not so sure.
“I love llamas.” Addison pulls up her pant leg, showing bright pink llama socks. “They’re my favorite animal.”
“Did you know that llamas don't bite? They spit when they're agitated, but that's mostly at each other. Llamas also kick and neck wrestle each other when agitated.”
She laughs. “I have, in fact, seen llamas neck wrestle. From a safe distance. They weren’t wrestling me.”
Some guy bumps into me, shouldering me with a giant cooler bag over his shoulder as he chorales the four kids around him through the space. Biting down a retort that’s dangling off the tip of my tongue, it’s hard not to yell when he doesn’t even apologize.
“Didyouknow that llamas are vegetarians? Also, a llama's stomach has three compartments. They are called the rumen, omasum, and abomasum. A cow's stomach has four compartments. Like cows, llamas must regurgitate and re-chew their food to digest it completely.” Sounds like Adi did some reading before she came to the zoo. Either that, or she’s a secret llama farmer. Wouldn’t put it past her.
There’s too many people. Three separate groups of school kids with chaperones bustle past us as we wait for space to move forward. I don’t know why I’m so on edge, but if one more person bumps into me, I’m going to lose it.
