Chapter 135: Hundred and Thirty Five

We had to start working on things. For the first step - family bonding.

The plan sounded simple enough: spend a day together, for Noah’s sake. Declan would get to spend time with Noah. And Jacob and I would also be there, so it would be like prepping for future coparenting. In practice, it felt like trying to balance on a tightrope over shark-infested waters.

I was the one who texted both Jacob and Declan the night before, suggesting the zoo. Neutral territory, lots of distractions, and, most importantly, ice cream vendors to bribe Noah with if things got tense.

Noah loved going to the zoo. He loved animals.

By morning, Noah was a bouncing ball of energy. He wore his dinosaur T-shirt, stuffed his backpack with snacks he insisted on bringing “just in case the lions are hungry,” and asked at least seven times if we were there yet before we even pulled into the parking lot.

Jacob was already waiting at the entrance when we arrived, leaning against the railing like he’d been rehearsing looking casual. His face softened when Noah spotted him and came running.

Declan pulled up just as Jacob lifted Noah into his arms. For a moment, I braced myself for tension, but instead there was only a brief nod exchanged between the two men.

“Can we see the lions first?” Noah demanded, wriggling to the ground.

And just like that, the tension cracked.

The first hour was awkward in exactly the way I expected. Declan walked half a step behind, Jacob walked with his hands shoved in his pockets, and I hovered in the middle like a referee.

But Noah had no patience for awkwardness. He tugged us in every direction, his chatter bubbling over. At the giraffes, he pressed his face against the railing.

“They’re taller than Daddy!” he shouted.

Jacob laughed. “Much taller. Much taller than me.”

Noah gasped theatrically. “Impossible.”

Declan crouched next to him, pointing. “Maybe they’re tall because someone has to reach the clouds and say hi for the rest of us.”

Noah turned serious eyes on him. “Do they say hi to airplanes too?”

“Every single one,” Declan said with a straight face.

Noah beamed, satisfied. “Good. Otherwise the airplanes would get lonely.”

Jacob gave a quiet laugh, shaking his head, and for the first time all morning, the tightness in my chest loosened a little.

By the time we reached the elephants, things had thawed a little more.

One of the elephants flicked its trunk, spraying muddy water. Noah shrieked with delight. “It’s taking a bath!”

Declan leaned in. “Bet you can’t make that noise.”

Noah immediately tried, blowing spit everywhere in an enthusiastic raspberry.

“Close enough,” Declan said, grinning.

Jacob deadpanned, “Great, now he’s going to do that all week.”

“Character building,” Declan replied lightly.

I rolled my eyes, but I was hiding a smile.

At lunch, we found a picnic table. Noah insisted on ordering chicken nuggets. Declan, trying to help, leaned over to cut them in half, but Noah snatched the plate back.

“They have to stay whole!” he protested. “They’re a family.”

Declan blinked. “A family?”

“Yeah,” Noah explained matter-of-factly. “The T-Rex is the dad, the Triceratops is the mom, and the little Stegosaurus is me.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow. “So if you eat one, doesn’t that mean…”

“Don’t say it,” I warned.

But it was too late. Noah gasped, horrified. “You mean I’d eat myself?”

He refused to touch them after that, glaring accusingly at Jacob.

Declan slid some fries across the table. “Here, safe food. No family. Just potatoes.”

Noah accepted the fries with solemn dignity, though I caught Jacob muttering under his breath, “Better than him eating nothing.”

It was ridiculous, messy, and surprisingly funny. I hadn’t laughed over something so silly in years.

After lunch, we rode the tram around the park. Noah sat between Jacob and Declan, a hand in each of theirs, and I watched from across the aisle as he swung his legs and pointed at every peacock like it was a miracle.

“Look! That one’s showing its butt feathers!” he shouted, loud enough for the entire tram to hear.

Jacob groaned and buried his face in his hands. Declan just started laughing, shoulders shaking until I joined in too.

By the time we got to the playground, the tension at the beginning of the day had worn down. Noah climbed the jungle gym pretending to be a lion, roaring at strangers who played along with amused smiles.

I sat on the bench, exhausted but oddly peaceful, as the two men flanked me. For a moment, the three of us were quiet, watching Noah run in circles.

Declan’s voice was soft. “He’s incredible.”

Jacob’s mouth tightened before he nodded. “Yeah. He really is.”

Something unspoken passed between them. Not friendship, not yet. But something closer to respect.

And for the first time, I let myself bank on this unlikely harmony. Not perfect. But maybe, somehow, enough.