"That's amazing!" Lilly exclaimed, her voice bursting with delight as her face lit up with pure joy.
Beside her, Big Leo clenched his tiny fists, unable to suppress the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. His eyes sparkled with a quiet excitement, the kind that made Eleanor’s heart feel impossibly full.
Watching them, Eleanor shook her head with a fond smile.
They had been cooped up for far too long.
If she didn’t take them out soon, they’d start climbing the walls. More importantly, this was their first real taste of a new world—Chicago was nothing like Pear Blossom Island, and the two little ones had yet to explore it properly.
This outing wasn’t just a break. It was a small but necessary step in helping them adjust, to ease them gently into a world bursting with unfamiliar sounds, sights, and rhythms.
It was time for an adventure.
...........