𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐏𝐎𝐕

"Allie, can you stick my water bottle in your backpack?" Nora asks while already handing it out. I hesitate to take it, and raise my eyebrow at her. I bet she wishes she brought her own bag right about now, but mom life never leaves my brain. It results in me packing way more than I need no matter where I go.

With a soft chuckle, I take the plastic bottle from her and drop it into the bag. We have endless supplies of water, salty snacks, sunscreen, and most importantly, deodorant. The humidity is already thick for it only being 10AM and we're going to be here for most of the day.

My cellphone buzzes in my back pocket, causing me to suddenly forget how to breathe. I eagerly pull it out and read the message that flashes across my screen.

Jaxon: Hey! We just got here. We're waiting by the entrance, can't miss us. See you shortly.

Ana notices me staring at my phone with a goofy grin plastered on my face when she leans against the hood of my car. "Was that Jax?" she asks while nodding toward my phone.

I quickly swallow my smile and try to pretend I wasn't just standing there thinking about the endless conversations I can't wait to have with him today. Even though I am looking forward to it, I can't help the anxiety that trickles up my spine at the thought of it. I'm spending all day with Jaxon Owens. That just sounds so surreal to me.

"Yeah, he said they're already here," I finally answer her.

"I figured with that goofy grin, it was either Jax or me," she jokes while flipping her hair. "And since it wasn't me, then there was only one option left."

I chuckle at her boldness. "Alright, alright. Let's go."

The walk to the actual entrance of the zoo is exhausting in itself. We should have planned to be here right when it opened, but we figured it wouldn't be too bad. Well, we were dead wrong. It takes at least twenty minute's worth of walking uphill and my calves are already screaming by the time we make it to the gate.

While we wait in line for our tickets to be scanned, the hairs on my arms stand up when I feel like there are eyes on me. My gaze snaps up to see Jax standing by a tree with his arms crossed at his chest. His baseball cap is backwards today and I don't think he realizes just how good he looks when he wears it this way. He gives me a friendly wave while a small smile spreads across his lips.

"Ma'am?" the teller states dryly while looking at me like I have ten heads. She holds out a thin paper bracelet with a smug look on her face.

This heat wave must be getting to everyone today.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I reply. I hold my wrist out while she secures the bracelet.

When I step through the gate, Ana and Nora both have a grin smeared across their faces.

"You were too busy gawking and pissed that lady right off," Ana says while nudging my arm with hers.

Nora cackles from beside us. "Did you see her face? You basically ruined the rest of her day."

My cheeks flush while the embarrassment lingers. First the lady calls me out for being distracted, and now I have these two commenting on my gawking. Which means I really need to tone it down a couple of notches.

James and Jax walk toward us with smiles stretching across their faces. My breath hitches worse with every step they take in our direction when Ana nudges my arm softly. I look at her to see her smiling at me as if to remind me to breathe.

Ana and Nora walk ahead to meet James when they immediately link their arms with his and turn him around. Before they get to Casey and Gareth, Ana turns around and gives me a quick wink. She is the best wingman, but definitely wasting her capabilities on something that could never be.

Jax stands in front of me when our eyes meet, not breaking our eye contact for even a second. It feels as though he and I are the only two people occupying the park, and I almost wish we were.

He clears his throat before scratching the scruff on his chin. "You, uh... You look beautiful today," he says with a bashful grin.

My stomach somersaults at his compliment. He thinks I look beautiful? Did I hear him right? I stammer for words, searching for them in the filing cabinets within my brain.

He thinks I'm beautiful?

My cheeks heat and I suddenly feel so small under his piercing glare. My eyes avert to the ground while I attempt to conceal my growing smile. "Thank you," I say quietly.

"Shall we get started?" He holds his elbow out for me to take when I give him a raised eyebrow. "What? They're doing it," he chuckles while motioning toward the others.

All our friends are chained together by the arms while looking over the map on the bulletin board. Ana, Casey, Nora, Gareth, and then, of course, James. It's honestly a hysterical sight if you didn't know these people from a hole in the wall, but for us, this is normal. Even though we just met these guys, they feel like a big part of our lives already. With getting to know each other during the storm, the fun at the aquarium yesterday, and now today. It's like we've all formed this inseparable bond.

I link my arm with his when he pats my hand, and that familiar jolt of electricity ignites my arm. He chuckles to himself and shakes his head slightly.

"What is it?" I ask.

He turns his head to look at me, still walking forward. "It's just funny how you constantly have this... Static electricity exuding from you. I get this sharp zap every single time without fail. I think that trolley seeped into your pores or something," he snickers.

My mouth falls open. "What makes you so sure it's me? Maybe it's from something you carry around."

Before he's able to defend himself, James runs over to us with a beaming smile. "Hey, guys! We want to check out the giraffes first," he says, hiking his thumb over his shoulder.

"Alright, man. Lead the way," Jax replies.

We walk together, arms still linked, while we listen to our feet scrape against the stone path and children zipping by us. By the time we make it to the giraffe section, our friends are already standing by the gate overlooking their enclosure.

"Holy shit, their tallest one is 16 feet," Casey says. He gestures toward a board with measurements displayed for people to stand beside—to see how much taller their giraffes are than us.

"Who's the tallest one here?" Jax asks.

"You," Casey, James and Gareth say in unison.

They grab Jax by the shoulders and pull him from me. They line him up against the board and take a step back.

"Dude, even if we had two of you stacked on top of each other, that giraffe would still be taller," Gareth says while pointing at the top of the board.

It's funny to see how small he looks compared to that board. He towers over me, so I can imagine what I would look like over there. I'm the shortest one out of all seven of us, so it would definitely swallow me up.

We continue walking around the park, stopping to appreciate each animal we pass. The lions, the tigers, even the bears. Although most of them have been sleeping, it still has been a fun experience to see them up close. Plus, seeing James light up every single time like a kid at the candy store is a perk.

"They even have a bird exhibit? Let's go!" James exclaims, already opening the door to go inside.

Everyone else follows behind him until Ana pauses with the door in her hand. "You guys coming in?" she asks. She shoots me a questioning glance before the corner of her lips curve slowly.

"I'll sit this one out. It's gorgeous over here," I say while gesturing toward the benches underneath a weeping willow tree.

I walk toward the seating area and take in the sight of the beautifully planted flowers surrounding the giant tree. It feels magical in this area, even the butterflies slowly flutter by to marvel at the beauty.

I feel the bench shift beneath me when the slight wind breezes by and all I smell is the unforgettable sandalwood cologne. I can't help but smile, and this time I wear it proudly.

"You didn't want to see the birds?" I ask.

"Nah. We have plenty of them in Europe," he replies with a shrug.

I chuckle and move a piece of hair behind my ear. We sit in the silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the quiet. Once in a while, our view is obscured by children running ahead of their parents, and each time I can't help but think of my girls—and miss them more.

"My mum would have loved this place," he says quietly. His eyes sparkle while the faintest smile paints his lips.

"Did you guys go to the zoo together?" I ask. I shift on the bench so my body is facing his.

He looks to me and nods once before returning his eyes to the tree. "Yeah. She used to bring my sister and I once a year. We'd look at all the animals, we'd buy candy floss, and then we'd have lunch."

A chuckle escapes my lips without meaning to. "Candy floss?" I reiterate.

He looks back at me while his eyebrows pinch together in confusion. "Yeah, you know. It's that sticky candy that melts in your mouth the second you eat it," he snickers.

"Oh, you mean cotton candy?" I tease while nudging his arm.

"Cotton candy." He says the words slowly, like he's trying to engrave it into his mind. Each syllable rolls off his tongue like melted sugar. So sweet, yet too much of it will definitely have you up all hours of the night.

"What about you? Have you been to the zoo?" he asks.

"No, this is a first for me. We don't have anything like this where we live, but the girls would love it here," I say with a smile.

"You'll definitely have to bring them down for a trip. I think they'd love it."

Before I can respond, Nora, Ana, and James are barreling toward us. Their feet slap hard against the ground, each of them huffing like they just ran a 5k.

"Where's the fire?" Jax asks with a grin.

"Oh we bet five bucks to whoever made it to you guys first," James says while wiping his forehead. "And guess who won!"

"You cheated! You bolted out that door before we even said deal," Nora states.

"You're just a sore loser, pay up," Ana says while nudging her. "Anyways, we're ready to walk around more so lead the way love birds."

My eyes widen while my mouth hangs open awkwardly. Jax turns to give me a small smile, but says nothing when he stands from the bench. He just leans down, and holds his hand out to help me up instead. My spine feels so stiff from embarrassment it feels like my ass is glued to this seat. I love that they're trying to help, but it just makes the whole thing harder. I would love for this to blossom into something, but it's just not realistic.

I lay my hand carefully in Jax's so he can help me stand. "Anywhere you want to go?" he asks.

"Oh, I heard they have an arch of cherry blossom petals! I'd love to check that out," I say with a smile.

"Lead the way," he says while holding his elbow out for me to take.

It only takes us a few minutes to reach the arch, and it's more breath taking than in the pictures. It's set up in the center of the path, lit up with intricate lights around the pink petals.

"Why don't you girls head in and we'll take a picture?" Jax offers while taking his cell phone out.

"Oh, yes!" Nora says enthusiastically. She's already running over before either of us get a chance to protest, but thankfully it's a great idea.

Ana and I head over and stand on either side of her. We wear out happiest smiles before Jax holds up the phone. "Are you ladies ready?" he shouts.

"Ready!" the three of us announce.

He takes the picture and looks at it before letting us know that it's perfect when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I take it out quickly and look at the photo in our text messages when tears well in my eyes. Man, motherhood has made me emotional over everything.

"Aw, look. We're adorable," Nora says while pointing to the picture.

"This is our only picture of all three of us," I say. "It's definitely going into a frame."

When we walk out of the tunnel, James approaches and grabs me gently by the shoulders. "Wait, one more," he says before cautiously backing me up into the tunnel again.

One more? The one we have is perfect why would we need another one?

Before I can think longer on what he's referring to, Jax is running into the tunnel with me. My eyebrows pinch together when I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

"What is this?" I ask quietly.

"Everyone agreed that we needed one," he shrugs with a smile.

He throws his arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer to him. My hand scrunches up the front of his shirt, like I'm hanging on for dear life. My head is swimming with adrenaline being this close to him. We fit so perfectly together. Why can't this be an easy decision? I wish I could take that leap of faith, and really get to know him, but it's just not plausible. I have two daughters to think about.

When James shouts that he's taking the picture, I do my best to force a genuine smile, but I know it came out as more of a pained smile. Jax notices my shift in mood when he looks down at me, and scans my face.

"Are you alright?" he murmurs.

I give him a small smile. "I will be," I say barely above a whisper.