waiting // r. bortuzzo

Chapter 2

Robert Bortuzzo with a child kills me a little inside.

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We met up with Robert at Adelaide's favorite barbecue restaurant, no too far from the zoo. I brought an extra shirt in my bad, because I knew that even with the bib, barbecue sauce would be all over my daughter. We sat down and Adelaide immediately started coloring.

"Mommy can we see the snakes?"

"That might be something that you need to do with your father." I hated snakes. Her dad had a few, but I hated them while we were together. My daughter looked over to the man sitting across from us, pleading with her big doe eyes.

"I'll take you to see the snakes."

"Maybe you should hold mommy's hand so she can go with us."

Robert winked at me as my cheeks grew red, "I think I can handle that."

I don't know why my daughter was so adamant about Robert. I had dated other guys and she didn't really care for them. Maybe it was that it would make her father jealous and she thought we'd get back together. I mean, you never know with children. So much random stuff goes through their heads that it's crazy.

After eating, I brought Adelaide into the bathroom to clean her up so that she wasn't all sticky at the zoo. She held my hand as we walked with Robert to the zoo. I think he might have been more excited than Addie was. Honestly, I was just happy to get out of the house for something other than class. There's a reason why we went to so many baseball games. 

"It must be nice only working nine hours a week." He laughed at me as we started towards the children's part of the zoo.

"Must be nice getting to play a sport you love for money."

"Touché."

"Granted, I do love teaching. It would just be different if I could play tennis for a living." I'd have a nicer body, I wouldn't have had time to get pregnant. 

I wouldn't have Addie.

"But I'm happy where I am right now. No one has their lives figured out at 25 and I'm pretty close to that. Just did the whole marriage thing backwards. I suppose Addie would like a little sibling at some point." My jaw dropped when I realize that I was talking to Robert about having another child. "Sorry, I-"

"It's fine," he grinned, "I think we all want a family one day."

He grabbed my hand and brought me to where my daughter was petting the sheep. She insisted on getting to pet everything before getting around to the other animals. Adelaide wanted a pet, but I wasn't sure we had the time unless it was a shelter animal that was already trained.

Obviously, if anyone saw us they would assume we're dating. Which we might be soon. I guess one never knows because well, life can be a shit show. Mine more so than others.

Adelaide pressed her face up against the penguin enclosure, studying the animals as they swam through the water. Then again, she was amazed at watching all of the animals.

"I was a penguin once." Robert leaned down next to her, "Back when I lived in Pittsburgh. My best friend is one still."

She looked at him, not impressed. "You're too tall and skinny to be a penguin." The hockey player just laughed, leading her to the next enclosure.

As much as I tried not to be, I was jealous of my daughter. She had him wrapped around her finger and we'd only known him for a day or two. Then again, she had pretty much everyone wrapped around her finger. Especially me and her father.

"Mommy is going to need your hand. Not me." Addie looked up at him, then back at me. 

"Okay, I'll hold your mom's hand." He draped a long arm over my shoulders, holding me close to his side. Waves of his cologne hit me, the smell was intoxicating. I was so focused on him and the way he was acting with my daughter that I didn't even notice the huge snakes in the enclosures around me.

"Olivia. Olivia."

"What? Oh. Sorry."

"Did you like the snakes?"

"I didn't scream, did I?"

We went on to see the elephants and giraffes, we actually spent a lot of time at the elephants. Adelaide made sure that we went back after we had seen all of the animals. Then she had to have the very large elephant from the gift shop. The pink one.

The three of us found some shade and sat down while my daughter ate her snow cone. Robert kept making me laugh and I realized how I was falling for him.

I wasn't scared, no. I'm never afraid of the fall. It's the sudden stop that'll kill you.