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Beth stared at the clock on the back wall, two more hours to go than she was done for the day. There was still a lot to be done around the house before the kids came home. It was the first weekend she had the kids and she planned a trip to the zoo, Rio and Marcus were tagging along.
There was one constant since he revealed himself, well one that she was willing to share with the girls and that was that their kids still hung out. It didn't matter if they were sliding down the slide or running plates during little league, they became a pack of five.
It also gave Beth and Rio some alone time. After the birthday party, Ruby and Annie had been on high alert whenever they were in the same room. "Something happened" Ruby had said, and even though Beth denied it, neither believed her.
Something did happen, she didn't know what it was, but it was certainly something. The way he teased her after she woke up in his arms, Beth bit back a smile thinking back to that morning.
It wasn't all rainbows and sunshine though, Rhea had untangled her web of lies and had been calling her daily trying to set up a coffee date. She wanted to know the real Beth. Everything Beth told her was the truth, with the exception of how close she was with Rio.
Beth didn't know how to face her. There was no way to say she followed Rhea to the park, then befriended her hoping to relieve herself of a little guilt, without sounding like a stalker.
Rio wasn't even pissed that she embedded herself deeper in his life, he was more amused if anything, like when she followed him around town. Well, if she put it that way, maybe she did have a problem.
That wasn't the point, she was fine with dodging Rhea's messages, she'd call her back eventually. The counterfeit bills were already stacked and ready to be washed, the countdown continued, five minutes left until she could make a run for the door.
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"Are you like a family now?" Annie joked, watching as Beth folded the kid's pajamas.
"No, it's for the kids".
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The kids were talking about which animals they wanted to see, while Beth tried to locate Rio's house. All their hookups had been at her house or the shop, she understood why he didn't want her to know where he lived.
She pulled into the driveway of a white single story house, his car must've been in the garage because it was nowhere in sight, at least she hoped he didn't head that way on his own. The plan was to carpool, and it made the most sense to use her van.
Beth put the car in park and reached for her phone. "Outside".
"Aight" the text came soon after.
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Rio grabbed a map from the information booth, even though he was sure they could manage to make their way back to the main gate, he'd rather not chance it. The kids couldn't decide if they wanted to turn left and see the bears first, or if they wanted to go right toward the lions, so they settled on the giraffes that were in front of them.
"Daddy, you can feed them".
For five dollars visitors could feed the giraffes from the designated gates. It wasn't something Beth wanted to partake in, but once Marcus brought it up, they all wanted to go.
Rio picked up the four younger children one by one when it was their turn, Kenny was the only one who could reach the top without assistance.
"Aight, ready?". He asked Emma who had a tight grip on the leaf her in hand. She nodded and Rio picked her up against his side . Emma shrieked when the giraffe's tongue grabbed the leaf, tossing her head back in the process.
They washed their hands at the nearby station.
"Your face when Emma tossed her head back was hilarious, look at this" Beth showed Rio the picture she took. His eyes were halfway closed and his head was jerked back so he wasn't headbutted.
"Ey, delete that".
"No. I think it should be at the front of the shop, maybe blow it up ten times this size".
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They walked toward the Arctic Ring of Life to see the polar bears and seals swim overhead, the underwater tunnel never ceased to amaze the kids.
Danny loved polar bears, he actually loved anything that reminded him of winter. He touched the glass as the bear made its way to the side of the tunnel, catching a fish in its mouth. "Mom, cool".
She snapped another picture, deciding that she was going to get back into scrapbooking now that they were having adventures of their own.
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A lion sat on top of the rocks and was perfectly visible from the trail. The kids wanted a photo, it was too good to pass up. Rio told her to join the kids, she was into scrapbooking, it made sense that she would be included. Rio took out his phone and backed up onto the grass, almost bumping into a trashcan trying to get them all into the frame. A woman tapped his shoulder "I can take it, go over with your family".
They wanted to deny it, but didn't want the woman to feel bad about assuming, so Rio did. He wrapped his arm around Beth's waist, pulling her closer to him. "Smile, mama", giving her side a gentle squeeze. Beth didn't need to be told too, it was already there.
Kenny and Danny were in the back, the younger three were in the front. The woman took four shots, she wanted to ensure they had at least one with all of their eyes open.
"There you go, you have a beautiful family". She handed his phone back.
Rio looked back at Beth and the kids. "Yeah, I got lucky".
When the clock struck twelve twenty the kids started to get cranky and hungry, so they tried to find the nearest concession stand on the map. There was one further down the trail near the rhinos, they hadn't been to the safari yet.
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"Two hotdogs, two hamburgers, one corndog and five waters please" Beth ordered, taking a quick glance at the picnic table they now occupied. All her kids had been open to not only Marcus, but Rio. The one that surprised her the most was Kenny, he was a miniature Dean, so for him to start small conversations with Rio throughout the day meant a lot.
"Next time can we take your car? It's cooler than my mom's van".
"Dunno, lil man, there's a lot of ya". That didn't stop Rio from promising to drive him around the block next time he was over.
About five minutes later Beth made her way back to the table, laying the trays in front of the kids.
"Expensive" Rio laughed, taking a french fry out of Marcus's basket. Beth knew better than to steal from hers, especially since Kenny had been eating twice as much due to his growth spurt.
Rio passed her over a couple fries and a small bowl of ketchup, that's what made them perfect for each other.. perfect partners, that's what she meant.
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Beth's phone and Rio's for that matter were being filled with photos and videos of the evening, even several of Jane and Marcus pretending to be walruses with french fries for teeth.
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Once the kids finished their lunch, they ran over to see the elephants and rhinos, the african safari was Kenny's favorite. He read the information off plaque to Jane and Marcus, while Danny and Emma walked toward the observation deck. There were three binoculars set up at the top and they each peeked through one, Emma helped Danny find the animals since all he was seeing was grassland.
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The last section of the zoo was the aquarium and the butterfly exhibit. Danny instantly made a beeline to the gift shop, grabbing a shark from the shelf. "Mom, can I get this?".
Beth was met with five sets of expectant eyes, they looked at her, then at Rio waiting on an answer. "We'll stop here afterwards, okay?".
Danny nodded, putting the stuffed animal back.
They walked through the tunnel viewing the selection of fish. Marcus and Jane were elated when they found a few that resembled Nemo and Dory. They were on their knees, pressing their foreheads against the glass. Beth just had to take another picture, sending it to Ruby before she could think otherwise. Sara and Harry were scared of that movie, the sharks gave them nightmares every time.
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"Penguins" Jane exclaimed, running toward the ramp.
"Honey, don't run".
She slowed to a walk so the other kids could catch up to her, Beth and Rio followed closely behind. They were in awe when snow fell from the roof and the penguins jumped into the water, following them across the tank as they swam.
Emma and Marcus started to laugh when one kept popping its head above the water, then going back under.
Rio reached over, taking Beth's hand in his own. He looked straight ahead at the kids, like he didn't just make her heart race. Maybe Rhea was onto something in her voicemails, something Beth hadn't even considered an option.
"It's fine that you're dating Rio, I mean.. it was hard not to notice with the way he stared at you" Rhea laughed, "I feel strange talking about this over your voicemail, so could you call me back?".
Beth brushed her thumb over his, if he was able to forgive her, maybe she could finally forgive herself. "Do you want to open the store with me tomorrow?".
Partners. She wanted to share her business with him, the same way he shared his in the past with her.
"Yea".
Beth bit back a smile, although Rio wasn't able to stop the small one that spread across his face. The kids yelled that they were ready for the gift shop. It was going to be an expensive trip, good thing they knew how to get their hands on cash quickly.
-
Kenny grabbed a thousand piece rhino puzzle, stating he was too old to collect stuffed animals. Emma grabbed a penguin plush, while Jane and Marcus wanted matching clown fish ones. Danny was trying to decide if he wanted the shark from earlier, or a big polar bear he found on the bottom shelf, ultimately deciding on the former.
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Rio picked Beth up from her house at six in the morning, for the first time since he came back from the dead, they were going to open the store together.
It was something Beth did by herself, although Ruby and Annie would when she had to drop off the kids, but this was a first for Rio.
He learned how to work the printing press, well, after Beth showed him five times. It wasn't that he couldn't grasp the steps, he just preferred being hands on with Beth. His touch on her hip, his breath on the back of her neck, it got her every time.
Opening the store together was a new step in their relationship, trust. Ruby was still unsure of Rio and what his intentions were, Annie shared similar sentiments, but Beth knew there was no way Rio would be working with Turner.
"Ready?". She dug the shop keys from her purse, catching his smirk off to the side, of course he was ready what was she thinking. "I'll even let you flip the sign".
"Ah shit. Thanks, boss" Rio breathed a laugh, running his hand over her shoulder as he walked past her.
-
Her phone buzzed against the counter, it was Rhea again. "See you at Xclusive tomorrow, eight still work? Bring Annie and Ruby, I'd like to meet them".
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow". Beth needed to come clean if there were any possibility of a future with Rio, but first, she had to tell Ruby and Annie who Rhea was.