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Simon’s pace began to slow up and it struck her for the first time about how much energy this day had taken out of him. Not that his enthusiasm had waned once.
‘Can we go to the shop now?’ His eyes were wide and it was no wonder. A building stuffed to the rafters with soft toys and souvenirs was probably one of the highlights for most of the children. For her, there’d been many others. With one in particular still lingering on her lips, and she wasn’t talking about the cakes.
‘Sure. What do you say about taking in the rest of the way from a giraffe’s point of view?’ Matt, obviously picking up on his sudden weariness too, stooped down and gently hoisted Simon up onto his shoulders. It was a balancing act to avoid jarring Simon’s right side but he managed it, holding on to make sure his passenger was comfortable and secure.
Rather than make a fuss, he’d found a way to turn a potential meltdown into something fun. A tired and cranky tot was just as difficult to reason with as a frightened, injured one.
Crisis averted, Simon perched happily on Matt’s broad shoulders for the remainder of their walk around the grounds with a hand resting on his head. If either of them were in any discomfort they made no mention of it. The smiling twosome blended into the crowd of other fathers and sons and Quinn had to remind herself it was an illusion. It wasn’t real. Matt wasn’t always going to be around, but for now, it was good for Simon to have someone other than her who actually wanted the best for him.
‘I wanna get down.’ He only became restless once they reached the shop entrance, so Quinn helped Matt lift him off his shoulders so they could let him loose.
Matt cricked his neck from side to side and massaged his neck. ‘I’m getting too old for that.’
‘Never.’ She got the impression he’d done this sort of thing a lot for his kid sisters. It seemed a shame he was so set on making sure he never committed to fatherhood again. He’d have made a great dad for some lucky child.
‘My thirty-five-year-old aching muscles beg to differ. You, on the other hand, strike me as someone who’s young at heart and never too old to appreciate these.’ He lifted a cuddly bush baby, its big eyes begging Quinn to take him home.
‘It’s so cute.’ She hugged it close, unable to resist the aww factor.
‘And a souvenir from our time in the night life exhibit.’ His devilish arched eyebrow and wicked smirk immediately flicked her swoon switch.
She’d never been a bad girl, always on her best behaviour, trying to please people so they wouldn’t have cause to reject her. Matt drew out that reckless side she’d suppressed for so long and she kind of liked it.
She knew the score. Unlike Darryl, Matt had never said he’d stick around and raise foster kids with her. He was going to leave no matter what. She didn’t have to be a good girl where he was concerned, and based on previous experience he had a hell of a naughty side she wouldn’t mind getting to know better. Arousal rushed through her like a warm summer breeze, bringing promises of hot sweaty nights to follow.
It would’ve been futile to try and stop him from taking the poignant reminder of their day together over to the cash register when he hadn’t let her pay for anything so far. She went to look for Simon, who’d disappeared behind the shelving at the front of the shop, probably lining up a selection of animal friends he’d talk Matt into buying for him.
When she walked around the corner she was horrified to find him in tears, surrounded by a group of older boys.
‘What’s going on?’ She went straight into mama bear mode, defending her young and putting a barrier between Simon and whatever was upsetting him.
The three backed off, still laughing, and tossed a plastic monkey face mask at her feet. ‘The freak might look better with one of those.’
At that point Matt came striding over, a formidable figure with a thunderous look on his face which sent Simon’s tormentors scurrying out of the shop. ‘Are you two okay?’
Quinn was winded from the cruelty she’d witnessed directed at Simon but she hugged him close, letting his tears soak through her dress.
‘He’s only a baby,’ she gasped to Matt, her own tears bubbling to the surface.
They’d had a lovely day and now the actions of some stupid kids had set them back at square one, undoing all the progress they’d made by bringing him here.
Matt crouched down so he was level with Simon’s bowed head. ‘Hey, wee man. Don’t you listen to them.’
Every jerky sob broke her heart a little bit more as Simon clung to her with his one good arm. If she had her way she’d wrap him up in cotton wool so this kind of thing would never happen again. A child this young shouldn’t have had to go through so much in his short life.
‘No one’s ever going to want to be my mummy and daddy because of my stupid face.’
The emotional punch of Simon’s words knocked them both into silence.
That belief was at the very heart of the child’s fears and why he wouldn’t let anyone get too close. He genuinely thought his injuries made him unlovable and that few minutes of taunting had given credence to his worries.
This time Quinn was forced to swipe away a rogue tear but she steeled herself against any more. For her to become an emotional wreck now wasn’t going to do Simon any favours.
‘Well, I know people who think the world of you. Why else would they have bought you your very own spider monkey?’ Matt opened the long arms of the cuddly primate and attached them around Simon’s neck. ‘I’ve got some zoo mugs for us too. Why don’t we go back to my house to test them out?’
Simon glanced up at her with puffy, red, irresistible eyes. ‘Can we?’
‘Sure,’ she said as brightly as she could muster, thankful that the master of distraction had found a quick and simple way to ease his immediate pain. It was going to have to be down to her to find the long-term solution and show him how loved he was.
Matt stood up and spoke quietly for her ears only. ‘I know this wasn’t in the plan but my place is closer. We can get a taxi there, get him calmed down again before we get you home.’
She nodded, afraid to verbalise her thanks in case she burst into grateful tears.
Just as he’d reassured Simon, he took her hand and squeezed it. ‘Everything’s going to be grand.’
She didn’t know why but even in the most trying circumstances she believed him.
‘Take us home, Matt.’ She sighed, content to let the pretence go on a while longer.
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