Chapter 46 A Family of Four
Antonio had no clue what was running through Ethan's mind and just kept going, "Dude, if you can't see, just say so."
Ethan's usually icy face started to turn red. This time, he didn't put up a fight but quickly turned his head to check out his favorite raccoon.
A grin started to creep up on Ethan's face.
After they were done with the raccoons, Antonio had just set Ethan down when he heard a frantic shout from some woman he didn't know. "Don't run off. Stay with Mommy!"
Antonio's brow furrowed as he turned around, just in time to see a little girl darting through the crowd. She was giggling and looking back at her mom, totally oblivious to the person in front of her.
Sarah was laser-focused on Ethan, completely unaware of the impending collision.
In the next second, bam, she got hit.
"Watch out!" Antonio yelled, rushing over and catching Sarah just in time.
Everything happened so fast that by the time Sarah realized it, she was already in Antonio's arms.
She looked up at him, her face still showing signs of fear.
Her big, watery eyes blinked like a startled deer. Seeing her like this, Antonio's heart skipped a beat.
Sarah noticed the panic and concern in his eyes, and her heart did a little flip.
His strong arm was around her waist, and the sunglasses hanging from his collar pulled his neckline down.
From her angle, his solid chest and abs were on full display.
As Sarah looked, her face started to heat up.
Realizing how weird she was acting, she quickly pushed Antonio away and awkwardly adjusted her clothes. "Thanks, Mr. Valencia."
Sarah's formal tone immediately put out the light in Antonio's eyes. His face darkened, and his lips pressed together.
The little girl was pulled back by her mom. Seeing Sarah's annoyed face, she quickly apologized over and over while holding her daughter."I apologize for her behavior. I'll work on teaching her better manners at home. Luckily, your husband acted fast!"
Sarah was about to brush it off and say it was fine, but she froze before the words left her mouth.
Did this mom get the wrong idea?
The next moment, she heard the whispers around them.
"I'm so jealous of their cute little family!"
"Handsome guy, beautiful woman, and their kids are adorable!"
Sarah was totally at a loss. She wanted to explain that she wasn't Antonio's wife, but Antonio spoke first, "Let's go get ice cream for the kids."
His expression had softened a lot, and there was a faint smile on his lips as he led the kids away, pulling Sarah along.
Missing the chance to explain, Sarah was left speechless.
They kept walking around. After a bit, Ethan spotted the alligator exhibit in the distance and pointed. "I wanna go there."
Hearing this, Ryan followed his gaze and froze, his little face turning a bit pale.
Seeing Ryan's scared expression, Ethan shrugged helplessly. "Scaredy-cat."
Unexpectedly, his words lit a fire under Ryan.
He didn't want to look like a wimp in front of her or be called a useless brother!
So, he mustered up his courage and said, "Let's go!"
Antonio saw right through the kid's thoughts, shook his head, but still led the kids over.
The alligator exhibit was huge, with viewing stands all around and a massive alligator pool in the center.
The pool was split into two sections: a performance area and an experience area.
The water in the pool wasn't deep, with rocks of various sizes scattered around. The alligators were chilling, one with its mouth open, showing off its sharp white teeth.
As soon as Ryan stepped in, he instinctively grabbed Antonio's hand.
"Scared, buddy? If you're really freaked out, we can bounce," Antonio said, a bit worried. Ryan had a heart condition and couldn't handle too much excitement.
Ryan, determined to save face, looked up at Antonio and shook his head firmly. "No way, I'm not scared!"
Antonio nodded and squeezed Ryan's small hand a bit tighter.
Ethan dashed to the railing to look into the pool, his big eyes shining with excitement.
This was so cool!
Just in time for feeding, a staff member stood outside the railing, using a long pole to hook a live chicken and lower it into the alligator pond.
The alligator, which had been lying still on the rock, suddenly sprang up and swallowed the live chicken with its big mouth.
Ryan was so scared he closed his eyes, instinctively taking a step back, his face turning completely pale.
Ethan, intrigued, walked over to the staff. "Hey, can I give it a shot?"
Feeding the alligators was part of the experience, so with the staff's help, Ethan started feeding the alligators. Ryan's small hands were cold, and after hesitating for a long time, he didn't want to be laughed at, so he followed suit.
However, after feeding once, Ryan felt like he had a close brush with death.
Ethan, on the other hand, was very satisfied. He glanced at the pale-faced Ryan and went to find a better viewing spot.
Ryan jogged to catch up. Antonio watched the kids' backs, his eyes dark and unreadable.
Ethan saw a bridge in the experience area and walked up without hesitation.
Ryan followed to the bridgehead, saw the alligator pool below, and was so scared he stepped back, clutching the railing tightly. Seeing Ethan getting farther away, he trembled and called out, "Harper, don't run, it's too dangerous!"
Ethan didn't look back. Ryan was such a wimp, a scaredy-cat!
On the bridge, Ethan discovered a large cage below. After asking, he found out it was also part of the experience.
The cage was specially designed to withstand alligator attacks, allowing visitors to get close to the alligators. Ethan was eager to try.
Ryan finally caught up but felt weak in the knees when he heard about it.
He grabbed Ethan's sleeve. "Maybe we shouldn't go after all. It sounds unsafe. What if..."
"I'm not asking you to come. I'll go myself." Ethan snorted and shook off Ryan's hand.
A 9-foot-long alligator in the cage heard the commotion and suddenly opened its eyes.
Ryan was so scared by the cold light in the alligator's eyes that he shivered, took two steps back, and grabbed the railing.
The alligator's eyes darted around, and in the blink of an eye, it opened its massive jaws and lunged at the cage.
"Ah!"
The visitors around were scared out of their wits, and terrified screams echoed through the alligator exhibit.
Ryan's heart jumped to his throat, and his legs gave out, causing him to fall to the ground.
However, this fall made him slip through the gap under the railing!
Ethan's pupils dilated, and he instinctively tried to grab Ryan, but he was too late!
The onlookers were shocked, gasping and calling for help.
"Oh my God! A kid fell down! Help!"
"The alligator was just provoked, he's in danger now!"
Antonio rushed over, turning to see Ethan with his hand outstretched. He instinctively thought Ethan had pushed Ryan and shouted, "What the hell are you doing!"
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