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"N-No, thanks." I smile awkwardly, but he holds it out insistently, and when he speaks, his voice is muffled from under the suit.
"It's very cold."
I reluctantly take the cup from him and sniff the contents to make sure it's not drugged or anything. It seems fine to me, and I take a sip. The hot liquid makes my toes curl.
"Thank you." I warm my hands by wrapping them around the cup.
The mascot bear gets up and disappears. Since there aren't many children around, he probably doesn't have much to do. I sip the coffee, my eyes on Riya as she takes the ride for the sixth time.
The bench creaks, and when I turn my head, the bear mascot is back, this time holding out a vibrant red rose. I should probably decline, but having a rose given to me by a huge teddy bear makes me smile. "Thank you."
I've just taken the rose when he holds out another flower, a smaller one, but it's a dazzling shade of pink and blue. I've never seen something like it before.
"I'm good with this one, thanks."
But he gestures towards my hair and holds it out.
"Your hair will look beautiful."
"I'm already spoken for, but it's not every day that I get hit on by a bear, so I'll take it." I take the flower and insert it in my hair, just behind my ear.
The ride ends just then, and Riya hops off, running toward me. She comes to a stop in front of the bear mascot, her eyes wide and gleaming.
"It's my birthday!"
She's been announcing it to everyone, and the bear mascot waves his hands in the air. "Happy birthday!"
Watching Riya laugh in delight makes me smile.
She holds up her arms, and he scoops her up. The way he lets her sit on his shoulder has me blinking. However, I keep my mouth shut.
"Where to next?" he asks, and Riya points toward the log slide.
I follow after them, and the bear lets her down so that she can get in the small queue. I wait with him while she enjoys the ride, and he keeps buying me food. By the time, Riya has hopped on to seven rides, I've had one coffee, two pretzels, a large packet of hot chips, a hot dog, and now I'm holding a stick of cotton candy.
We're sitting on the bench watching Riya play in the ball pit with three other kids when the bear looks at me. "There's a nachos stand there. I'll get you––"
"I'll throw up if you stuff me with any more food, Adam."
My tone is even, and the bear goes still.
I find it strange that I’ve been able to keep down all this food. My wolf no longer seems to be rejecting anything Adam gives me to eat.
However, I have to give him credit when he tries. "I'm not––"
"Save it. I had you pegged the second you scooped up Riya on your shoulder. You think I'd just let any stranger carry our daughter?"
He's quiet, and I don't have to look at him to know he's got a guilty look on his face under that mask.
"I told you I wanted this to be just me and Riya," I chastise him. I'm not really angry, though, because Riya has been having a blast with him around. This past week has shown me that Adam is a great father, and a part of me is getting more and more reluctant to separate Riya from him. It doesn't help that this entire week, not only has he been in my apartment for most of the day, but he also insists on cooking for us, on taking care of us.
My wolf has begun to relax and enjoy the attention, despite its anger toward Adam.
I, on the other hand, try to treat him like an acquaintance. It does bother me a little that he doesn't seem irritated with my cold treatment. He just accepts it and moves on. It makes me want to bite him.
"There was a bit of a situation," Adam finally admits. "I didn't want to worry you or ruin Riya's birthday so…"
I turn to look at him, frowning. "What kind of situation?"
