Page 119 of More For Me

“We’re fine,” I tell her. “Is he, um, going to come any closer, you think?”

“Kevin is a little more social than most of our marsupials,” she says, chuckling a little. “He likes to come check things out.”

“Awesome,” Bodhi says through gritted teeth, still not moving from his protective position in front of me.

“When they come on the trails like this, we just shoo them away,” she says, apparently not picking up on the waves of tension radiating off my boyfriend. She steps around us, closer to Kevin the kangaroo, and Bodhi sucks in a sharp breath. But the guide merely waves her hands and calmly tells the animal to move along. He tilts his head one more time, than bounces away. In front of me, Bodhi’s entire body relaxes.

“Thanks,” I tell the guide.

“No problem,” she says cheerily. “Enjoy the rest of your visit.”

I have a feeling our visit is already over.

Bodhi stays in front of me for a few moments and I watch his shoulders rise and fall, like he’s taking deep breaths. Finally, he turns to face me, a sheepish expression on his face.

“Okay, so I might have over-reacted slightly.” Then he grunts anoofof surprise when I throw my arms around him.

“You pulled me behind you,” I tell him, staring up at him with wide eyes. “You were protecting me.”

“I know we weren’t really in danger,” he says, still sheepish, but I put my hand over his mouth to shut him up.

“But you were scared. And you still put yourself between me and the kangaroo.”

His brow furrows and he pushes my hand away. “Of course I did. You think I was going to hide behind you or something?”

I just shake my head, staring up at him in amazement. Is it stupid to be afraid of kangaroos? Maybe. Did Bodhi over-react? Definitely. But there’s no doubt in my mind that he was legitimately afraid. Yet he didn’t let that stop him from putting himself between me and what he considered to be danger.

“You’re amazing, Bodhi Lakra,” I tell him, rising up on my tiptoes to kiss him. “My knight in shining armor.”

He scowls against my mouth. “Are you teasing me again?”

“No! I swear I’m not. I’m honestly impressed.”

He studies my face for a second before sighing. “Would you still be impressed if I ask if we can leave? Like immediately? Because I’ve had more than enough of facing my fears.”

I laugh and wrap my arm around his waist, turning us back to the exit. “Let’s go.”

I stop to buy us ice cream on our way to the front of the zoo. “You definitely deserve a reward for that,” I tell him, handing him a mint chocolate chip cone.

He guides me over to a picnic table. “You know what would be an even better reward?” His expression looks suspiciously smirky. “If you agreed to face some of your fears.”

I blink at him in confusion. “What fears do I need to face?”

He raises his eyebrows. It only takes me a moment to get his meaning, and I groan. “Bodhi, no.”

“I’m not going to make you,” he says. “But it did feel pretty good to be brave.”

“We were in there for less than twenty minutes! If we go camping, we’ll be out in the wilderness for a hell of a lot longer than that. Besides, I’m not afraid of camping. I just don’t care to do it.”

He gives me a skeptical look. “You’re not afraid of bugs? Rattlesnakes?”

I scowl. “For someone who’s been trying to talk me into this for the past two weeks, you’re not making it sound very good.”

Bodhi laughs. “Come on. Camping is great. I know you’ll have so much fun.” He slides an arm around my waist. “And I promise I’ll protect you from anything creepy or crawly.”

“What about bears?” I shoot back. “You going to protect me from bears.”

“I always bring bear spray.” I smack his chest. “What?”

“I was joking! Do you actually see bears out there?”

He rolls his eyes. “I’ve seen one bear one time. And I was out on a trail, not at a campsite.” He tickles my side a little. “Come on, Lele. I bet you’ll like it. You’re all about adventure. Camping is an adventure!”

I want to argue with him. I want to tell him that I prefer adventures where I have access to my curling iron and make up kit. But he looks so hopeful, so excited, that I can’t help give in.

“Fine,” I grumble. “I’ll go with you. But if I hate it, you don’t get to nag me about it anymore.”

He holds up his hand. “Scouts honor.” Then he gives me one of those perfect Bodhi grins before leaning down to kiss me. And I find I can’t be very upset about camping with this man after all.