cold

fourteen

"Come on mommy, it's time to wake up!" Ayden whispers into Ana's ear.

Slowly she opens her hazel eyes and meets his soft brown ones. Ana rubs his cheek as he smiles at her before finally sitting up in bed. After brushing her teeth she dresses in leggings and a t shirt before meeting Ayden by the door. She grabs his hand and the two of them hop into the car making their way toward the zoo.

As she taps her fingers to the beat of the music her phone vibrates and she answers quickly.

"Hello."

"Y'all still coming to dinner right?" Angelle ask through the speakers of the car. "I'm not making all this food for nothing, Ayden got me cooking lobster tails and shit." She complains causing Ana to giggle.

"Stop cussing you're on speaker. But to answer your question, yes we will be there around 6."

"Good. Have fun at the zoo, love ya."

Angelle ends the call as Ana pulls up to the zoo.

"Come on mommy!" Ayden shouts as he grabs his hat and rushes toward the entrance.

Ana shakes her head and follows behind him already knowing he was going to wear her out today. He had just gotten back home from spending the summer with Rayn and Helen back in Seattle and it was their first full day back together. Ayden had given her a list of things he wanted to accomplish before school started back in a week and she was going to make it happen even if she didn't feel like it.

"I wanna see the penguins and bears and lions first!"

"How about we follow the trail so we can see all the animals?"

"Nah." Ayden responds shaking his head of dark curls. "Let's start with the penguins mommy."

Ana just nods and follows behind him toward the penguins exhibit. She was never going to win that argument, he was just like his daddy. Walking through each exhibit she took pictures of Ayden admiring every animal he encountered while letting her know random facts about each one. After a long day the two of them retire back home to the condo to shower and get ready for dinner at Angelle's.

"And don't put on that ridiculous Hawaiian shirt again Ayden. Dress like a normal person tonight." Anastassia says before leaving him alone in his bedroom.

"I'll wear the dinasour crocs then." Ayden mumbles with a shrug.

Ana shakes her head and walks into her bedroom. She waltz over to the bed and sits down looking her man in the eye.

"How was your day?"

"Good, I wish you felt up to coming with us this morning. He had so much fun." Ana smiles.

Soft kisses are placed around his jawline while he rubs her back gently. Their lips meet for a passionate kiss and she lets him take control once his tongue snakes it's way into her mouth.

"We got time for a quickie?"

Ana blushes and shakes her head. "If Ayden wasn't running around here sure but I got your dessert after dinner."

He bites into his lip and nods as Ana stands and heads for the bathroom to shower. Meanwhile in the bedroom he sits in silence rolling his sore shoulder trying to ease some of the pain he was feeling in that moment. Reaching over to the nightstand he grabs the bottle of pain pills and pops two before chugging down some water behind it. The past month and a half had been rough for him, recovery and having to depend on the one person he had taken for granted so many times before had humbled him.

Humbled him in a way only she could have done. With one gunshot to the shoulder and the other to his leg Ana had done some damage, not enough to kill him but damage none the less.
He was angry for awhile after it happened, but knew rationally he deserved that plus more for thinking he was untouchable.