Chapter 19
KIDS PLAY was already busy when they arrived, though not terribly crowded.
Since neither Kip nor Rayn had seen anything like it before, they weren’t sure what to expect until they saw what the other kids were doing.
Suddenly, they wanted to be everywhere, all at once, doing everything!
Orrin knew how to keep them focused on one activity at a time, and Zak played security, watching the kids like a hawk.
There were numerous ways to get hurt in a place like this, and he was determined to keep that from happening while allowing the little ones to enjoy themselves.
They started with the ‘Little Putt’ golf course for the youngest children, though the big, brightly colored balls went almost everywhere except in the designated holes.
Kip’s wild swings resulted in fewer points, though Rayn attempted to help him.
The little guy had more energy than he knew what to do with, so Orrin suggested something more physical to burn it off.
Rayn wasn’t yet cleared for jumping, so Orrin took her to the ball pit while Zak watched Kip in the bounce house.
There were a few near-collisions with other kids, but no issues except for Zak’s elevated blood pressure.
The next activity was the Go Karts—each child paired with an adult driver as they went slowly round and round the twisted track wearing helmets that nearly blocked all vision.
When they tired of that, it was time to try the zip lines.
Instead of hanging onto a T-bar, the little ones were strapped into a small seat with hand grips above their head and feet dangling.
The line itself extended twenty feet, and only about twenty-four inches above a thickly padded floor.
Still, it gave them a similar sensation to what the older kids nearby were getting.
For all his bravado, Kip nearly refused until Rayn convinced him it would be fun and went first. She laughed the whole way and then became his cheerleader.
“See? Now you try.”
He did, loved it, and then wouldn’t consider anything else until Orrin promised a treat at the snack bar.
To avoid arguments, he ordered brownie sundaes for everyone, doused with chocolate sauce and topped with sprinkles.
They weren’t bad, though Orrin was certain he could do better at home.
When they were finished, it was time for a bathroom break, and things got interesting.
Sensing Zak’s discomfort, he volunteered to take Rayn and the four of them marched into the men’s room and chose side by side stalls.
Kip turned out to be a chatty little booger, talking a mile-a-minute as he took care of business.
Zak got him put back together, helped him wash his hands, and then rejoined Orrin and Rayn.
Thankfully, no one gave him any side-eye during operation potty, and Zak suddenly realized that parents with little ones had been doing the same thing all along, even if he hadn’t noticed.
The next challenge was the climbing wall where Kip went up like a monkey—unafraid of heights and having a grand time waving from the top.
Zak finally remembered that shifter cubs in their bear form excelled at climbing trees, even very tall ones, without hesitation.
Rayn wasn’t quite so confident and insisted that Orrin go with her.
Even then, she stopped about halfway up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and quietly asked to go back down.
Except for the snack bar and Go Karts (which now had a long wait time), they revisited each of the areas for one more round of fun.
While the kids weren’t exhausted, they had slowed down, and by the time they’d finished, were ready to go without a fuss.
On the way back, they compared notes in the back seat—Kip declaring that the zip line was his favorite, while Rayn waffled between the Go Karts and the ball pit.
Both children were fans of the snack bar, which was no surprise at all.
It was already one o’clock when they reached the edge of town, and since they’d missed lunch, Orrin turned onto Third Avenue.
Two doors down from the Suds & Duds laundromat was a small, family-owned joint named Panetta’s Pizza.
While most of their business involved takeout, they did have a small eat-in dining room with a half-dozen tables.
Orrin never brought the cubs here, but he did order to-go meals occasionally—mostly busy days when there wasn’t time to cook.
Inside, the owner spotted them from the pickup window and waved.
“Orrin! Good to see you again. Takeout or eat-in today?”
“Hi Carlo. We’d like to eat-in if that’s all right.”
“No problem. I’ll send Maria out to take care of you.”
They chose a corner table and had barely sat down before a plump, middle-aged woman with raven-colored hair approached with a wide smile.
“Welcome, Orrin. I haven’t seen you in a while. Who is your friend and these adorable little ones?”
“Maria, this is Zachary Hall, the new doctor in town, and this is Rayn and Kip.”
She smiled at Zak and then fussed over the children for a moment.
“Such a lovely family you make! What can I get for you?”
Zak blushed and Orrin decided it would make things worse if he tried to correct her. Besides, she was right.
“We’ll take two large meat-lovers, extra napkins, and a pitcher of water, please.”
“Lovely. Give me fifteen minutes.”
Maria then supplied coloring sheets and crayons for the little ones and returned to the kitchen. While the artists got busy, Zak asked Orrin a hushed question.
“How do they stay in business with Bella Vita in town?”
Orrin had wondered the same thing and consulted DeeDee Tillman.
“The Bella Vita building was an old family restaurant that used to be owned by Dash Hawthorn. When he sold it to Loren, a clause was included stating that pizza could only be sold as an eat-in menu item and not for takeout. Otherwise, the Panettas would have gone out of business. If they ever close, Loren is released from the restriction.”
Zak shook his head.
“The people in this town look after one other, don’t they? It’s refreshing, because nobody cares about the little guy in the city.”
Orrin agreed.
“Exactly. I’d bet good money that DeeDee suggested the idea to Dash in the first place, but we don’t need cutthroat businesses in Bear Creek. This community is intentionally different for a reason.”
When Zak paused to admire Kip’s artistic endeavor, he discovered that the cute puppy on the page was bright blue , of all things.
“Uh, why blue, Kip?”
Kip went into a long explanation of a cartoon and book character who, it turned out, was also blue.
That’s when Zak realized how little he knew about what kids were watching or even what interested them at this age.
With no nieces or nephews to keep him up to date, he’d have to lean on Orrin to help him catch up.
He did not want to be the clueless dad who didn’t understand what his own children and their friends were talking about.
Zak’s ruminations came to a screeching halt when he realized what he’d been thinking.
No, he wasn’t officially anyone’s father, but Orrin and the kids already treated him as such.
Even Maria thought they were a family. And would it be so terrible?
Not really, except that such a momentous change was not only life-altering, but had seemingly come out of nowhere.
Zak was still getting used to having a boyfriend, let alone mating with Orrin and becoming a dad, too.
But was the timing important when everything just clicked?
Orrin reached for Zak’s hand, threaded their fingers together, and gave it a squeeze. The man’s scent had betrayed his thoughts, and Orrin quietly encouraged him.
“Any man smart enough to become a doctor should have no trouble figuring out the little stuff. You’ll catch on, and I’ll be right there to help you. For what it’s worth, you’re doing great already, papa .”
Zak’s brows shot up and Orrin kissed him instead of belaboring the point.
Carlo and Maria arrived with their meal in the middle of the smooch, grinning at the intimate scene.
Kip and Rayn both giggled as the men parted and began passing out the food.
Zak and Rayn ate and chatted about the fun morning, while Orrin and Kip fed their beasts with a singular focus.
Between them, they swiftly dispatched the first pizza and made quick work of the second, too.
Orrin had wisely requested extra napkins, as the stack they’d started with was all but gone now.
Zak happily paid the bill as Orrin helped the children get their coats on and met him at the door with the coloring pages. Zak was about to ask what they were going to do with them when Orrin provided the answer.
“These go on the refrigerator door at home, of course. You’re gonna need some magnets!”
Zak sniggered as they got into the car and headed for home. Too bad there wasn’t a dad manual to explain all this stuff.
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Soon after, Bear Creek Preserve
An odd grouping wandered through the snowy woods, leaving both footprints and pawprints behind.
Orrin and Kip trundled along in bear form, leading the way down familiar paths as Zak walked beside them and Rayn rode on Orrin’s back.
The Preserve abutted the Cub House property and was a wonderful place to let their fur out when their bears got antsy.
Due to their mixed heritage, Zak and Rayn also had an affinity for nature, though they weren’t driven by it.
Having a full-body fur coat certainly gave Orrin and Kip an advantage, but as long as the wind remained calm, the quasi-shifters among them would be fine for a while.