Everywhere Lily looked she found herself feeling more and more excited. Her face had begun to hurt a while ago from how much she had been smiling throughout the whole day. But it was such a wonderful feeling that she didn't mind it at all.
First she had gotten the chance to make something with her own hands and now she was in the very center of a dream like place.
Aiden had the entire city zoo booked for the whole evening. They had been walking around for hours now and not once did Lily's sparkling expression disappear.
Accompanied by a young woman that acted as their guide, they toured around the zoo while learning about the animals that they saw. To Lily's surprise, the woman understood her sign language and answered every single one of her questions with enthusiasm. Along the way she surprised both the tour guide and Aiden when she told them all she already knew about the different species they were seeing.
She fed the giraffes, learned about bears and even got to pet and play with a variety of small animals. Similar to how she felt in the art studio, being surrounded by so many new and exciting things was magical to her. It was like being inside one of the wild life adventure channels she usually watched.
Aiden on the other hand was enjoying every minute of her company. From the giggles she made when feeding animals to how she excitedly explained everything she knew about elephants. It all made him feel like showing her everything he could possibly think of.
Throughout the day he had noticed how kind and gentle she truly was. Making him want to spoil her even more. When she walked besides him and held his hand, when he picked her up to properly feed or see an animal and when she would unconsciously smile up at him, it all made him beam with joy.
After they explored most of the zoo, Aiden decided it was time to take a break. Lily was so energetic that she walked most of the time, but he knew she wasn't used to so much exercise. Seeing as it was also time for her to eat, he bent down and picked her up before she could go into another section and keep on strolling around.
Once Lily noticed that he wasn't heading towards the jungle area she wanted to see, her face turned sad. Aiden saw that and remembered how Claire mentioned that she would rarely express herself when it came to feeling bad or in that case, disappointed.
"It's time for you to take a break and eat something." He told her while drawing circles on her back with his thumb. "But we can come back another day Princess."
Lily studied his face for a while before she lifted up her small hand and offered him her pinkie finger. Without hesitation, Aiden lifted his own and locked their fingers together before they both kissed their closed fists.
"It's a promise Sweetheart." He told her as they grinned at each other.
After lifting Lily's mood, Aiden made his way to the resting area he had prepared for Ben. It was a gazebo in the middle of one of the zoo's gardens. The bushes filled with small flowers that surrounded it, the light breeze that occasionally blew and the now starting to set sun, made it the perfect place to wind down after their eventful afternoon.
A round table was placed in the middle with an arrangement of dishes. Ben was comfortably sitting at it while waiting for them. As soon as he saw them approach the gazebo he stood up to greet them.
"I see you've enjoyed yourselves." Ben chuckled as he saw the matching cat ear headbands both Lily and Aiden had on. Without a doubt his young Miss was good at making him yield to her wishes.
'Ben! We saw so many animals! I even got to feed a giraffe! It's tongue was really dark and long.' Lily went off on a signing marathon as soon as she saw him. Her face was filled with cheerfulness and child like wonder as they sat down to enjoy the food.
Lily was so excited to tell Ben about everything she had done that she barely stopped signing to eat. Aiden knew she rarely rambled on like that, but he also wanted her to eat. Looking at Ben, he noticed he was in the same predicament of not wanting to interrupt, but also wanting her to have her meal.
Without stopping her, he lifted her from the seat she was in and placed her on his lap. He fed her while she happily went on and on about the day completely unfazed by his actions.
After finishing their meals they were again inside Aiden's car. By the time they left the zoo it was already dark out. Lily's head started to sway as she struggled to keep her eyes open thanks to all the energy she burned throughout the day.
"Why don't you sleep Princess? It's still going to be a while." Aiden said as he caressed her cheek lovingly. They were on their way to meet with Claire at the city's center.
'I have to stay awake. I want to tell Mommy about the bunnies. Bunnies are Mommy's favorites.' She replied with a sweet smile.
Aiden looked through the front seat windshield and saw there was little traffic.
"Greg."He started to say as he unbuckled Lily from her car seat.
"Yes Boss." The driver immediately answered.
"Shift to the slow lane and keep it under 20." He instructed him and without wasting any time Greg did as told.
Aiden placed Lily on his lap and gently pressed her head against his chest.
"Sleep Sweetheart. You can tell her all about it when you wake up." His husky voice was soft as he made her comfortable in his embrace.
Lily simply nodded and closed her eyes. His hand gently rubbed up and down her back lulling her to sleep in a matter of seconds.
After making sure she was sound asleep, Aiden placed his hand over her left ear to avoid any sounds from waking her up. He then pressed the button for the partition to go up before speaking.
"I believe you wanted to speak with me privately." Aiden looked at Ben who's eyes hadn't stopped studying his every move since they first met at the hospital.
"You are indeed sharp Mr. Villan." Ben's gentle smile slowly disappeared from his lips as his expression turned serious. The atmosphere suddenly turned icy as Ben's face shifted from a loyal butler, to that of a man who was out for blood.
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Claire quickly walked to her hotel suite door as soon as she heard the knock. Once she opened it, a gentle smile bloomed on her face. Her little flower was deeply asleep in Aiden's arms as he stood at the doorway.
She quietly gestured for him to come in and closed the door behind him. Aiden followed her to the room where he slowly laid Lily down on the bed. After Claire took off her shoes, her hearing aids and made sure she was properly tucked in, they made their way out of the the room.
"Thank you for taking care of her today. I hope it wasn't much trouble." Claire said to him as she shut the door to avoid disturbing Lily's sleep.
"Not at all." Aiden replied as he enjoyed the sight of her.
Claire was wearing pink bunny print pajamas that consisted of a short sleeved button shirt and a pair of shorts. Her hair was styled into a sloppy messy bun that left many strands of her hair loose. She also wore calf high white socks with her complimentary hotel slippers.
He had already seen her in business and evening wear, which he was certainly a fan of, but seeing her like she was now made him melt. She was undeniably adorable.
Just then, another knock was heard at the entrance. Claire furrowed her eyebrows in confusion since she wasn't expecting anybody else. But before she even took a step towards the door, Aiden had already opened it.
A man in a black suit stood in the hallway. He slightly bowed towards Aiden before he gave him a big paper bag. As soon as he did, Aiden shut the door closed. He turned and walked over to the sofa in the middle of suite living room area and sat down on the coffee table in front of it.
"Come." He said to Claire as he took out a box from the bag.
Claire walked towards him and sat on the sofa in the space that faced him directly. They were close enough to have their knees touch.
"What's that?" She asked him with curiosity.
"It's your first present." He answered while he grinned at her.