Loving The Temperamental Adonis
Chapter 229: At the park

Chapter 229: At the park

Mia played with the children in the playground of the orphanage to wait for Neil, but after forty minutes of waiting for his arrival, with no signs of him and his phone beinh unreachable, Mia’s worry grew. She paced around trying to call him. Mitchell and Alissa noticed her distress and seized the opportunity to voice their doubts about Neil.

"You see, Miss Mia, your new boyfriend isn’t like Owen at all," Mitchell declared with a hint of smugness.

"Yeah, Owen would never keep you waiting like this," Alissa chimed in, her expression serious.

Mia tried calling Neil again, but the call went straight to voicemail. Frustration gnawed at her as she realized they couldn’t wait any longer or else they’d miss their scheduled time at the park. She made up her mind to take the children to the amusement park herself, but as she turned to her car, she realized it wouldn’t fit all of them.

Panic flickered in her chest as she realized they’d forgotten to make bus arrangements for the children before coming. She’d forgotten to mention to Neil that she usually rented a bus whenever she was coming to take the children out. As she contemplated driving down to rent the bus, she heard a loud honk at the gate. She looked up, and her eyes widened as a huge, luxurious family bus rolled in. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw Neil behind the wheel, a mischievous grin on his face as he pulled up in front of them.

As he stepped out of the bus, Mia got the full view of his attire and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. She’d seen Neil wore different type of suits and casual outfits, but not once had she seen him dressed in blue jeans that matched hers completely.

The casual blue jeans hugged his toned legs perfectly, accentuating every muscular curve. He wore a white t-shirt that clung to his broad chest, emphasizing his strong physique, while the jean jacket draped effortlessly over his broad shoulders, adding an irresistible rugged charm to his look. He wore the same white sneakers like hers but in men style with sunglasses resting on his head.

His gray eyes sparkled with mischief and warmth, drawing her in like a magnet. With his tousled hair and his nonchalant attitude, he looked every bit the handsome hunk that would make any girl’s heart skip a beat. He looked ten years younger than he actually was in that attire, and she couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride knowing he was hers.

As Neil approached, sliding his arm around her waist, Mia melted into his embrace. He planted a quick kiss on her lips, apologizing for his lateness and explaining that it took him a while to buy the bus.

Mia’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You bought the bus?"

Neil nodded, a playful glint in his eyes. "Why rent when we might need it again? Besides, we’ve got our own children to think about. It’s for the future."

Mia was stunned by Neil’s forward-thinking gesture, but before she could respond, Mitchell’s astonished voice broke the moment.

"Holy whacker molly, is that who I think it is?" he exclaimed, staring at Neil in awe. "You look so much like Neil Wayner. Are you him?" He asked in disbelief.

Any child who hadn’t heard about Neil Wayner must be living under the rock, and Mitchell hadn’t just heard about him, he’d dreamed of being like him when he grew older. And with the cool stories of him spending five years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, every boy Mitchell’s age thought him a movie hero, they’d all imagined his escape like in the movies. And Mitchell had glued his pictures on the walls of his bunk, he’d always prayed to meet him in person someday.

Neil grinned boyishly at the boy’s awestruck expression, he reached out and ruffled his hair and said, "I’ll let you guess if I am him. What’s your name?"

"My...my name is Mitchell. What’s yours?"

With a smile that made his eyes crinkle at the sides, Neil reached out his hand to the boy, "I’m Neil Wayner. It’s nice to meet you Mitchell. I’m guessing you are the leader of the group?"

Mitchell would have passed out from his joy of shaking hands with his hero if he wasn’t so determined to be a man and impress Neil Wayner. He wouldn’t scream like a girl and he wouldn’t request for a hug, but his grin didn’t hide his excitement as he said, "How’d you know I am the leader of the group?"

"I figured you are. You shake hands like a man and a leader would. How old are you, Mitchell?"

"I’m thirteen years old," Mitchell replied, trying to suppress his excitement. "Can I sit at the front with you in the bus, Mr. Wayner?"

"Sure, you can if my girlfriend is alright with that."

Mitchell turned to Mia with a hopeful look in his eyes. Mia chuckled at Mitchell’s reaction and nodded her head, grateful for Neil’s unexpected and grand gesture. As they boarded the bus, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement for the adventure ahead, knowing that with Neil by her side, it was going to be an adventure like any other.

As they arrived at the amusement park, Mia and the children realized there was some Disney festival going on today in the park. The excitement was palpable as families gathered at the park, the usually familiar grounds transformed into a Disney wonderland for the weekend. Colorful banners featuring beloved Disney characters fluttered in the breeze, and the air was filled with the cheerful sounds of Disney music as their bus came to a stop.

The children and their caretaker joined the crowd, their faces lighting up as they spotted Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse greeting guests at the entrance. "Look, it’s Goofy!" the children pointed for Mia to look, and she looked up and waved, while Neil just looked around with a blank expression as he wasn’t familiar with any of the characters the children were pointing out to Mia.

The central plaza of the park had been turned into a mini-Magic Kingdom, complete with a dazzling replica of Cinderella’s Castle, where special performances and parades were scheduled throughout the day.

Mia’s eyes brightened up as she spotted the signboard for the Enchanted Forest from Frozen. The children wanted to go see other Disney characters, but Mia wanted to go see the section where they were now hosting a meet-and-greet session with princesses like Elsa and Moana.

"Neil, let’s go to the Enchanted Forest area. I want to show you around and take some pictures!" She tugged at his sleeve, but Neil frowned. "Isn’t all this festival nonsense for kids? The kids are going that way; I think we should go with them," he said with a straight face, already walking towards the direction the kids and the caretaker were headed, but Mia pulled him back with all her strength.

"Don’t be a party pooper. We didn’t come all this way just to supervise the kids. I planned to take many pictures and go around." She glared up at him when he looked around the park as if to question if she was being serious. "I know you aren’t the type to do all those things, but loosen up and let me introduce you to the Disney princesses and all the magic! I promise you won’t regret this, sweetheart!"

****

The Disney festival at the amusement park, Neil realized as they walked around the Enchanted Forest with Mia introducing him to characters from the movie, was not so bad. If it was possible, he’d say his woman had turned into a kid again. Her large brown eyes grew even bigger with every character she saw and introduced to him. He’d never seen her eyes shine this bright before. He wasn’t as interested in the characters as he was in her reaction to them and her childlike cuteness. He enjoyed watching her expressions more than whatever she was showing him.

Not wanting to miss the chance, he took out his phone and began to click her pictures. When she noticed he was taking her pictures with the characters, she began to pose for him, laughing and blowing him a kiss. Neil didn’t realize he was laughing along with her until he noticed people were looking at them, but he didn’t care. He took a few selfies with Mia and her favorite characters.

"That’s all there is to the Enchanted Forest," Mia told him as they walked out of the Enchanted Forest twenty minutes later and stopped at the edge where they’d be seen by the fewest people.

"The amusement park is even bigger than I expected," she said, already walking ahead of him. "It’s very nice."

Neil slid his arm around her from behind, pulling her trim buttocks against him, and smiled into her hair. "You feel very nice."

She leaned lightly against him, and Neil felt his body surge and harden. "So do you," she whispered.

Swallowing, Neil diverted himself by concentrating on other things in the park. He was impressed that no one seemed to notice his presence in the park.

For the past few weeks after his return, he’d never had the chance to be an ordinary person because of how the paparazzi and the people of Mirage Mesa would follow him around taking pictures. But here in the park, he hadn’t seen anything like that so far. Neil thought it was fortunate, but unfortunately for him, the Disney music playing in the background stopped, and a voice was heard through the amusement park, who he realized was talking about him. He cursed under his breath, knowing immediately that his ordinary time at the park would be invaded.

"We apologize for interrupting the music, but before we resume with the festival, I’d like to spend just a minute to thank the special guest we have in our park today. Our park is honored to have Neil Wayner and his girlfriend present at the festival, and it’s no secret to everyone that Neil Wayner hates publicity. I’d appreciate it if you don’t crowd him or pester him for autographs. Let’s all give him the chance to enjoy the celebration just like everyone else!"

That invocation was greeted with a loud burst of applause, a drum roll from the bandstand, and friendly grins and waves from hundreds of people aimed at Neil, which he politely returned. Deep down, he was cursing whoever made that announcement just now. He had been moving around with Mia with no one recognizing him, but now they sure as hell did.