Page 42 of The Pieces We've Lost

She looked up at the map, one hand up to her face, her index finger tapping her lips as if she couldn’t make a decision.

“Which way are you thinking?” I stood next to her and looked down at her face, still in complete focus.

“I have no idea.”

“Flip a coin. Heads we go right, tails we go left.”

“All right. Do you have a coin?” She took her focus off the map for a moment.

I dug in my pockets, looking for any loose change, but I came up short.

“There goes that plan,” she muttered, obviously amused.

“Well, what’s your favorite animal?” I asked, trying something different.

“Probably a giraffe.”

I traced the map to where the giraffe exhibit was. It was located near the back of the zoo, so we’d have the chance to go by other exhibits first.

“Looks like we’re going right.” I brushed my fingers against hers, testing the waters, waiting for a sign to interlock them with hers. She didn’t pull away from the touch, but I noticed her cheeks flush a little.

I tried to move my hand away from hers, but instead of letting me, she laced her pinky around mine, keeping our hands entwined.

We turned toward the aquatic exhibits—the penguins, sea lions, and sharks.

“You want to know a fun fact about penguins?” I asked.

She was leaning on the railing in front of the glass that blocked the penguin exhibit from patrons and looking at the animals as they dove into the water and then popped back up to shore.

“Sure, go for it.”

“They don’t pay taxes.”

“Oh my God.” She elbowed my ribs at my bad joke attempt. She was unable to keep the grin off her face, though, as she turned back to the glass. It was hard not to notice how happy she looked. I liked this side of her, the carefree, easy going side.

I was so deep in thought that I hadn’t noticed she was no longer next to me. Slight alarm rose in my chest. What if someone had grabbed her? I knew she was a grown adult and could no doubt take care of herself, but it didn’t stop me from worrying about her. I looked around, trying to spot her, but she was nowhere to be found. I started walking toward the next exhibit; maybe she had kept going. I was scanning the tunnel ahead, not really paying attention to anything else. I turned a dark corner and a hand reached out and grasped my arm, causing me to jump.

“Got you!” Ellison stepped out into the light, a wicked grin on her face, her eyes lighting up.

“Watch yourself, Blaze. I’m going to get you back. It may not be today or tomorrow, but I will,” I joked around with her, not considering the weight of my words and the silent prayer I was sending up to let me keep her around.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

ellison

After the jump scare in the penguin exhibit, we continued walking, going through the underwater tunnel and watching the sharks and fish swim above us. Colter wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked, pulling me closer to him.

I was confident that, to other people, we looked like a real couple—a happy one at that. And if anyone asked, I didn’t think I would correct them. I was more than happy to pretend, even if it was for the day. I was content in this little bubble we were living in.

It was funny how quickly my mindset could shift. I don’t think I could have felt this way with anyone else, though—any other cowboy. Colter was different. He was special.

We made our way around the zoo, stopping at exhibits we thought were interesting.

“If you could have any wild animal as a pet, what would you have?” Colter was always full of weird questions, or at least questions that people didn’t normally ask.

“You know those tiny little African cats? Black-footed cats, I think they’re called. The ones who are the size of domestic cats but are still deadly? I’d have one of those.” I had seen a few videos of them. “How about you?”

“I’d have a bison. I know they’re basically murder cows, but I love them. They’re just so…large.”

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