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Broken Dreams Stories 36

Shattered Girl

Chapter 36

Patrick and I continued exploring the aquarium. We spent half an hour walking back and forth in the underwater tunnel, watching the sharks and other large fish swimming above us. Remembering I had my phone, I began taking tons of pictures and sending them all to our group chat. By the time Patrick led me out of the tunnel, I had probably sent close to thirty pictures, and Patrick was laughing as the guys made it a point to comment on each image.

As we were getting ready to leave, Patrick told me he had another surprise. He sat down with me on a bench and began texting. A few minutes later, he had me close my eyes. 1 giggled and did as he asked. I tried to hear what was happening around me and figure out what my surprise was. I could hear footsteps approaching, and I felt around next to me for Patrick’s hand. He linked our fingers together and told me to open my eyes and not make sudden movements.

I slowly opened my eyes to replace two tiny penguins in front of me, along with a staff member holding a bucket that smelled strongly of fish. “Patrick, how..when did you have a chance to set this all up?” I asked quietly, not wanting to scare the little penguins.

“My dad, lan, runs a shipping company that supplies the fresh fish for the aquarium. So he knows almost all the staff that work here. I just called in a favor.” He squeezed my hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it. We watched quietly as the penguins explored the room, returning to get fish when it was offered. I slowly took out my phone, took pictures, and switched to video to show the guys later.

The staff member, Shelly, explained how they cared for the penguins, who were named Olli and Walley. She told us about the other animals they were nursing back to health and planning to release soon. I must have asked her a million questions, including how long she had been working there and what kind of schooling she had to go through. Shelly happily explained everything to us. She promised to let us know when they would release their current patient, a seal she had named Sheldon. A good Samaritan had called when he spotted the seal tangled in netting and caught on the rocks of a nearby beach. Patrick promised we would be there. Shelly said her goodbyes and led Olli and Walley out of the room.

Once they were gone, Patrick pulled me to my feet; I could not stop smiling and pulled him to me for a long kiss, thanking him repeatedly for such a special surprise. He just laughed and reminded me he would do anything for me. Retaking my hand, we began heading toward the exit. But when we passed the gift shop, he detoured, pulling me after him.

We stopped at the entrance, and Patrick gently pushed me into the store. I turned to look at him. “Patrick, I didn’t bring any extra money for this; maybe the next time we come, I will get something,” I said as I left. Patrick stopped me with a hand on my shoulder and turned me back toward the shop.

* My heart, did you forget about the card Josh gave you? I also know the guys talked to you about our finances. You are part of that now. So stop worrying and go replace something that will remind you of this time we spent together.” I slowly nodded my head, and Patrick led me into the shop. We walked around looking at different things; I checked out some hoodies and ran my hand over the piles of plush sea

creatures.

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Spotting a bin of penguin plushies, I picked up one that reminded me of Olli as Patrick came up behind me, telling me to get two of the penguins so I could have Olli and Walley. Laughing, I searched through the bin until I found one that looked just like Walley, and we made our way to the cashier. Using the card Josh got me, I paid for my two stuffies and looked around as Patrick paid for his. Then we made our way back to the car. I insisted that the stuffed penguins stay with me, and Patrick laughed as he helped buckle me in.

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We are going to my parent’s house in Lexington; it’s about twenty minutes away. The guys are going to meet us there.”

“Is this where you grew up?” I was curious to learn more about Patrick’s family and had many questions for him,

Mostly, we moved there when I was born. My dads thought it would be safer for my mom and I to live outside the city. They still have a brownstone in the city, an apartment in New York, and a home in Malibu. They spend most of their time either here or in Malibu. My dads will stay in the brownstone or apartment if they have extended business to take care of, and my mom will stay there occasionally if she is meeting friends or wants to do some shopping.”

Did you travel a lot when you were growing up? I have hardly ever been out of the city or out of my old neighborhood, really, just a couple of class trips when I was in school. I would love to travel someday.” Patrick smiled gently at me, taking my hand.

We did some when I was younger. My grandparents lived about ten mutes from us, taking me on vacations most of the time. When my

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Chapter 36

grandfather retired, my dads were busy ensuring the family stayed strong. There were a lot of smaller gangs and other crime families that thought the leadership change would be a good time to cause trouble. So when I was traveling with my grandparents, it was one less thing for my dads and mom to worry about.”

“I’m sorry you were away from your parents so much.” I said, squeezing his hand.

* I wasn’t, though. My mom came with us quite a bit, and my dads would fly out to wherever we were as often as they could. We spent a lot of time in Ireland, and I still have extended family there. We traveled all over Europe, England, and Scotland. We even went to Egypt once.” He shrugged as he put a blinker on, slowing to make a turn into an upscale-looking neighborhood.” Once my dads had things under control, mom and I spent much more time at home; that was the summer before I started school, and also when I met Drew and Mike. Clint brought them to one of his meetings with my dads, and we have been friends ever since.” Patrick slowed the car and pushed a button on the dashboard. The gate swung open, and we drove up to an enormous house that was gorgeous.

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