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I smirked. “Should it be a surprise?”
“No, it shouldn’t! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” Riley bounced up and down on his heels, chittering with excitement.
“Only because you’re so cute.” I couldn’t hold myself back from saying things like that now. “There’s an exclusive luxury ranch in Arizona. It’s been getting rave reviews from my cronies and their mates. Wide-open spaces, blue skies, spas, plenty for the kids to do. Oh, and there are ponies.”
“Oh my god, ponies. Can we ride them? I’ve never ridden a horse before.”
“Of course we can.” I wasn’t even sure if that was offered, but they’d offer it to me once I told them I wanted it. Those types of places made things happen for people with money as long as mine.
“I can’t wait. I’ll pack...some sort of bag. I don’t know yet, I’m just so excited!” Petey started up a racket, kicking and whining.
“I’ll take him. You start packing.”
“Okay!” Riley handed Petey over and bounced over to his closet, tearing into it. I rocked Petey and held his bottle.
I patted his butt and looked into his eyes as he sucked down his milk. “This is gonna be a special time for us, buddy, just you wait and see.”
The resort was everything I hoped for. It had a homey, cozy feel, but everything still dripped elegance and luxury. When we got there, Riley shifted into a squirrel and started bouncing off everything, the bed, the chairs, even the walls, because he was that fast in squirrel form. It was hilarious to see.
He shifted back into a human and fell back on he bed, arms above his head, panting.
I stood there with Petey in one arm, holding Holden’s hand as he watched his dad bound around for once.
“Got the zoomies out, then?”
Riley nodded, staring at the ceiling. “Yup.”
“You’re just as bad as Holden, I see.”
“I have my moments.” He grinned, and seeing him in that position, laid out on the bed, arms above his head, sweating and panting, it did something to me.Mine.
There was only one bed in the room. So far he wasn’t asking questions. It was a gamble I took because I was sure of what he was going to say when I asked him to be mine. That would be at dinner tonight. For now, during the day, I wanted us to have some fun.
I hoped we’d be able to make it official tonight and at least cuddle. If he wanted nothing more that was fine with me, but it was hard to get the thought out of my head with him looking likethat.
“Ready for the ponies?”
Riley sat bolt upright. “Let’s go!”
We left the kids with caretakers who would give them their own riding adventures, and were provided with a golf cart ride to the stables.
Riley gasped as we rolled into the expansive building, with cedar beams in the ceilings, and horses standing behind stall doors with black iron bars.
“Look at all these beauties.” Horses of bay, white, black, and chestnut, all with perfectly braided manes and gleaming coats, leaned their heads out of their stalls to see who the newcomers were. Some whinnied, and some swished their tails as the munched on their hay. “They’re something out of a fairy tale.”
Our instructor, Jim, greeted us with warm, firm handshakes. “Welcome to the both of you. You’re my esteemed guests for today, and we’ll get you riding like old pros in no time.”
“Fantastic,” I said, leaning a bit closer to Riley, who buzzed with excitement.
“This is a family vacation, from what I understand. Taking a break from daily life? And now getting a few romantic moments away from the kids as well, right?”
Riley mouthed dropped open.
I answered with, “Yeah, something like that,” squeezing Riley’s shoulder. He pressed his lips together, trying not to smile.
“Great,” said Jim. “Let’s get started on the lesson.” He showed us how to groom a horse, then how to tack them. Lastly, he got us in the saddles.
The horse they put me on was huge. He was calm as I approached him, a laid-back kind of guy, but when he scented I was a bear his nostrils flared and he tossed his head a bit.
