Chapter 25

After the first session of speech therapy, Jinxx and Lee started to return home in Jayy’s car.

“Can w-we go out s-somewhere t-today, baby?” Lee asked as they arrived back home.

“Sure,” Jinxx replied, “Where do you want to go, darling?” Jinxx questioned back as he carried Lee back inside.

“If w-we leave t-tonight, w-we might make it to t-the S-san Diego Zoo by morning. I’ve never been t-there, and w-would love to go,” Lee replied.

Jinxx chuckled, “The San Diego Zoo? Alright, baby, we’ll go. But we’ll have to leave Lilith with Jayy, alright? And we’ll have to take my car instead,” Jinxx told Lee, walking her up to the bedroom for a change of clothes.

After an hour passed by, Jinxx went to pick Jayy up. Lee followed behind in Jinxx’s car to bring Jinxx back. Saying their goodbyes, Jinxx and Lee set off to San Diego, hoping to find a hotel before going to the zoo.

About three hours later, Jinxx had arrived in San Diego, wondering how long the actual drive took him. Finally finding a hotel for the early morning, Jinxx and Lee settled in for a few hours nap.

Lee woke up an hour later to an empty hotel bed. Wondering where Jinxx had gone, Lee got up and decided to take a quick shower. A little bit into Lee’s shower, Jinxx slowly crept through their room door.

“Lee! Happy birthday, darling,” Jinxx called from the bed as soon as Lee finished her shower.

Lee emerged from the bathroom with a smile on her face, “Thank you, honey. Hopefully t-today is a great day,” Lee replied, smiling at the fact she only stuttered one word.

“I got you something, but I don’t know if you'll like it,” Jinxx told Lee, handing her a beautifully wrapped present.

Opening the present gently, Lee unwrapped a medium sized teddy bear, holding one large heart with the words ‘I love you’ stitched into the heart.

“Press the button. You’ll like it,” Jinxx quietly told his wife.

Gently pressing the button on the right paw, the bear began to play the song ‘I’m A Believer’, one of Lee’s favorite songs.

“Thank you, baby! T-this is perfect,” Lee gasped out after the song was finished playing, “You really love me.”

Jinxx chuckled, then wrapped Lee in a tight hug, “If I didn’t love you, darling, then I wouldn’t have married you,” Jinxx paused to give Lee a quick kiss, “Go get dressed, darling. I don’t think a towel suits you all the greatest. If you check my bag, I believe I packed a dress for you to wear today,” Jinxx told Lee with another kiss.

“T-thank you, baby,” Lee replied, “Did you pack my favorite dress?” Lee asked as she walked over to Jinxx’s bag at the foot of the bed.

“I think I did, I really don’t remember. You’ll have to wait and see,” Jinxx said, gently teasing Lee.

Finally finding the dress Jinxx packed, Lee gasped out with excitement, as it was her favorite dress. After getting dressed, and making sure everything was perfect, Lee and Jinxx set off for the San Diego Zoo, which was only a mile away away from the hotel.

Finally arriving at the zoo, Lee wrapped her arms around Jinxx’s right arm in fear, as there were more than a few people there. Jinxx chuckled at Lee’s reaction, and wrapped her in a quick hug.

“You’re alright, baby. Okay? I promise you, everything’s fine,” Jinxx said, trying to reassure his wife, “Now, where do you want to go first?” Jinxx asked as soon as Lee calmed down.

Lee nodded in an attempt to not freak out again, “I t-think the t-tigers would be fun t-to s-see. Can w-we go s-see t-them first?” Lee asked, her blue eyes growing wide with excitement.

“Sure,” Jinxx replied, as he grabbed Lee’s hand, “Let’s go, baby,” Jinxx said while leading Lee to go see the tiger exhibit.

After finally finding the tiger exhibit, Lee stared at the majestic creatures much like a child would. Even though she was safely wrapped in Jinxx’s arms, Lee was very afraid of the tigers, and when one of them roared, she jumped.

“Are you okay?” Jinxx quietly asked, wrapping his arms tighter around Lee.

“Yeah, the t-tiger s-scared me a little. I s-should be fine, baby,” Lee replied, crossing her arms over Jinxx’s arms, bringing them closer to her.

The rest of the day was exciting for Lee, as she had never been to the zoo before. While visiting the giraffe exhibit, Lee got to feed one of the giraffes. Hours passed, and before long, Jinxx and Lee were back on their way to the hotel. Sighing deeply, Lee collapsed on the bed, wishing she could just sleep.

“Something wrong, my dear?” Jinxx asked, gently sitting on the bed next to Lee, who had sat up.

“Can’t s-sleep, baby,” Lee replied, “Today was just t-too exciting. T-thank you, Jinxx,” Lee told Jinxx, curling up to his chest.

Jinxx chuckled, “You’re welcome, honey. I wanted you to have fun, and enjoy some time with me. You did have fun, right Lee?” Jinxx asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

“I did, and I don’t w-want t-this day t-to end,” Lee replied, gently kissing Jinxx’s neck.

Jinxx chuckled deeply, “Alright gorgeous, let’s try for some sleep. I’m glad you had fun today. It’s all I wanted for you, just a chance to get away from motherhood for a while,” Jinxx told Lee, gently placing a kiss on her forehead.