by Claire Adams
“I didn’t realize how late it was,” he said, sleepily.
“I know. Thank you for staying up and talking to me for so long,” I responded.
“You’re welcome. Get some sleep, Anna.”
“You too, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, goodnight, gorgeous,” he said, and I was glad he couldn’t see my cheeks flush pink.
“Goodnight, Justin,” I said.
I hung up the phone and rolled onto my side. I had moved to my bed an hour into our conversation. I knew I was going to sleep well that night. Just thinking about Justin brought me peace.
Chapter Nineteen
Justin
I woke up feeling better than I had in a long time. The sky seemed a little bluer, the sun a little more yellow, the grass a little greener. I couldn’t help the overwhelming feelings of love I was starting to feel. As I got Margie ready for our adventure to the theme park with Anna, Ally, and their parents, I couldn’t help but notice that she might be just as in love with Anna as I was.
“Will you go on rides with me?” she asked as I combed through her hair.
“Of course, I will, sweetheart,” I promised.
“Do you think Anna will go on rides with me?” she asked.
“I know she will.” Anna was always so amazing with Margie. I could see and feel how much she cared about my daughter, and I had to admit it was the biggest turn on for me. It was the reason I started falling in love with her, the reason I wanted to spend every waking moment with her.
Margie’s smile said it all. I don’t think I had ever seen her more excited than in that moment. She had never been to a theme park before. She had never even been to a carnival before.
“How long will it take to get there?” This was the third or fourth time she asked me that question.
“It’s just about two hours away,” I said.
“That’s so far,” she whined.
I laughed. “I know, but it will be worth the drive. I promise,” I said and put her hair into a ponytail. “Go get your socks. You have to wear your tennis shoes today.”
“Okay, Daddy,” she said and ran to her room.
She came out with her socks on. “Is it time to go yet?” she asked.
I laughed at her. “Not quite, sweetheart. Are you excited?”
She nodded her head, and it reminded me of those bobblehead collectibles.
“I wish I could take you everywhere. To all of the cool places around.” I felt sad that I couldn’t do that for my daughter. She deserved so much more than I gave her. I wanted to give her the world, but with all the bills I was up against, it was next to impossible.
“I don’t need to go everywhere,” she said.
I cocked my head to the side and asked, “Why’s that?”
“I love just being with you, Daddy,” she said. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest.
I loved my daughter more than anything in this world, and every time she said things like that, it made me want to cry. She was the sweetest little girl I’d ever known, and I knew I had her mom to thank for that. I was glad she had that trait because I knew she would give everyone a chance. She would not be quick to judge someone and would always be accepting of others.
Margie wanted to color while I got ready, so I pulled out her crayons and coloring book and placed them at the kitchen table. She sat in a chair and went to work.
I went into my room and changed out of my t-shirt and basketball shorts. I wanted to help Margie get ready first. She still had a hard time remembering to brush her hair properly and when that happened, she would get big knots in the back.
I put on a pair of khaki shorts and a black Rockstar t-shirt I’d received for free after my second big win. I still loved the shirt and wore it quite often. I sprayed myself with my cologne, wanting to make sure I smelled good for Anna.
When I was finished, Margie was still sitting at the table coloring, but then she looked up at me. “Now is it time to go?” The impatient tone she used told me she was tired of waiting.
“Yes. Now, it’s time to go,” I said and walked with her to our car. I buckled her up, and we drove to Anna’s house where she was standing outside in the front with her parents and Ally. We were told to meet at 10:00, and it was 9:50 when I pulled up. I had to admit that I was trying to impress her parents. Especially her dad.
Margie ran over to Anna as soon as I helped her get unbuckled, and I watched as Anna picked her up and gave her a big hug. I smiled as I walked over to join the rest of them.
“Good morning, Justin,” Millie said and gave me a hug. I was going to have to get used to the affection they showed.
“Good morning, Millie. You’re looking beautiful today,” I wasn’t lying when I said this; she really was gorgeous.
She laughed. “Stop it,” she said and lightly hit my arm.
I held out my hand to Tom. “Good morning, Tom.”
“Good morning, Justin,” he said as he shook it. “You have a strong handshake. I like that.”
“You have to in the military,” I said with a laugh.
Tom laughed. “Yes, that you do.”
“Good morning, Ally,” I said, giving her a small nod.
“Morning,” she said.
Then I turned to Anna. “Good morning, beautiful,” I said and gave her a hug and a small kiss. I wasn’t sure what her limits were regarding affection in front of her parents. I thought it was best.
“Good morning, handsome,” she said. Then she turned her attention back to Margie. “Are you excited?”
“I’m so excited!” she yelled.
Everyone laughed.
“Good, because I am too!” Anna said.
“Are you gonna go on rides with me?” she asked.
“Of course, I am,” Anna said.
We piled into Anna’s parents van. I had moved Margie’s booster seat over already. I was glad she wasn’t in a car seat anymore. It was much easier to move a booster seat to another vehicle.
She wanted to sit by a window in the very back row, but she also wanted Anna to sit right next to her. Ally and I sat in the two seats in the middle row.
In the back, there were two T.V. screens that played movies.
“I bought this movie. Do you want to watch it?” Millie asked, handing back the movie Moana.
Margie let out an excited squeal. “Thank you, Mrs. Anna’s mom!”
Millie laughed. “You can call me Nana and him Papa, if you want.”
Margie smiled “Okay, thank you, Nana!”
Millie loaded the movie into the DVD player, and we pulled out of the parking lot.
We got to the park, and it was already packed full of people. Margie practically flew out of the car. She had been bouncing around in her booster seat almost the whole car ride. She just couldn’t contain her excitement, and it made me feel good that she was able to experience something like this.
“What do you want to do first?” Millie asked Margie after we walked into the kiddie land area of the theme park.
“I want to ride the roller coaster!” Margie yelled, excitedly. “But I’m scared; will you ride with me, Daddy?”
“Of course, lead the way,” I said and followed her to the line for the kid coaster.
It took fifteen minutes before we could get on the ride.
“We’re next,” I said to Margie as we watched the ride take off.
“I’m scared, Daddy,” she said.
“We don’t have to do this one. But I promise you, it will be more fun than it will be scary.”
“Okay, Daddy,” she said and smiled at me.
The ride came to a stop, and the riders unloaded. We were the first ones in line, so we got our choice of seats, and Margie led me to the front. For being scared, she sure was being brave to go right for the front.
The ride employee bucked us up and told us the rules.
I leaned over to Margie and grabbed her hand. “Are you ready, pumpkin?”
She squeezed my han
d and nodded her head.
The ride started, and the look on her face was pure happiness. She yelled in excitement as we went over the two little hills. We went two more times around with Margie yelling, “I love this!”
When the ride came to a stop, and we were loaded off Margie ran right up to Anna.
“I loved that! I want to ride it again; will you ride with me?”
“Of course, sweetheart. Let’s go,” Anna said and let Margie drag her back into the line. This time, they were near the end, so they got the last seat, but I could see from where I stood with Tom and Millie, that she was still as delighted as ever.
We watched them go around.
“Hi!” Margie would yell as she went past us.
Millie snapped a few pictures of them together.
When the ride ended, Margie bounced over to us. “That was amazing!” she yelled.
“Do you want to go on the Ferris wheel?” I asked and pointed at the large wheel ride.
“That looks too scary,” Margie said.
“It’s not scary. It’s fun. I’m sure we can see the whole city from the top,” Anna said. I could tell she was trying her best to make Margie feel better about the ride.
“I don’t know. It seems scary,” Margie said again.
“You two go; we’ll take her to get some cotton candy,” Millie said.
Margie squealed in delight. Anna and I looked at each other. “You want to go?” I asked. Anna nodded her head.
I led Anna to the Ferris wheel. The line was longer than it had been for the kiddie coaster. It took thirty minutes to get onto the ride, but we passed the time talking and laughing. Anna’s voice was something I enjoyed and wished I could hear all the time.
“I love Ferris wheels,” she said when we were almost to the front of the line. “When I was little and my parents would take me to the carnival, it was the first ride I rode on. My favorite part was when riders would get on, and the ride would stop right when I was at the top. I loved being able to look out across the city.”
I stared at her while she talked. Her eyes lit up when she talked about her childhood. I could tell she had a great one from the way her parents acted with Margie.
“Did it bother you when my parents told Margie to call them ‘nana’ and ‘papa’?” Anna asked.
I shook my head. “No, it didn’t. Did it bother you?”
“No, not at all,” she said, smiling at me.
I grabbed her hand and held it the rest of the time we stood in line.
“Are you ready for your next fight?” she asked me.
“Yeah, I think so. You know, as long as my good luck charm is there,” I winked at her.
She laughed. “Oh stop. I’m not your good luck charm. Look, you won your last fight, and I wasn’t there.”
“Yeah, but I almost lost. If you would have been there, I could have beat him in the first round.”
“Oh really?” she asked.
“Yes. I’m serious, Anna. Something about you being in the room just helps me concentrate,” I said.
“So, I’m an ego boost for you?” she said with a laugh.
I loved how easily she could laugh around me. “Kind of.” I received a slight hit on my arm.
We got onto the ride, and when we reached the top, the ride stopped to let more people on. I looked at Anna and said, “Looks like you got your wish.”
She smiled, and we looked out at the city. It was a magnificent view; she was right about that, but the best view was the childlike sense of wonder on her beautiful face. I leaned in, gently grabbed her face, and kissed her. Right there, at the top of the Ferris Wheel, overlooking the entire city, I knew I loved this woman. I hadn’t felt this way since Tammy died, and that was huge for me.
Chapter Twenty
Anna
When Justin kissed me on the Ferris wheel, I felt like we were in a movie. It was the most perfectly romantic moment of my entire life. It only intensified the feelings I already had for him. We got off the Ferris wheel and hurried back to everyone else. I watched as Justin ran around playing with Margie, and my dad joined them. I noticed my parents embraced Margie like she was their own grandchild.
I was so nervous when my mom told Margie to call them “nana” and “papa.” I had no idea how Justin was going to react. This was supposed to be all pretend, but it was very quickly becoming something real. At least, it was on my end. I was relieved when he said my parents’ request didn’t bother him.
Ally walked over to me. “That’s a picture-perfect moment. Good thing mom’s taking some pictures.”
“Better her than me,” I said.
We watched as Justin went to dodge Margie from getting him and he tripped and fell lightly on the ground. It wasn’t a hard fall. Ally and I laughed.
“I hope she got that on camera,” she said.
I laughed, again. “Me too.”
“How are you feeling about everything?” she asked me.
“I like him so much.” I didn’t think it through. This was probably something I shouldn’t have told my judgy little sister. Sometimes, she was a little too honest for my liking. It was almost as if she no longer had a filter, but I guessed that came with the territory of being a free spirit.
“What?” Ally said. I felt her studying my face as we watched Margie jump on Justin. I laughed. I was trying to avoid my sister’s gaze. I didn’t really know how to explain my feelings to her, but I knew I couldn’t ignore her forever.
I turned to Ally. I had to be honest with her because I needed to be honest with myself. “I like him a lot, Ally.”
“You need to be careful. Don’t forget about the arrangement you guys have.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said.
You can’t get too emotionally involved,” she added.
“I know. I’m not going to,” I said, trying to mask my irritation. I was beginning to master my ability to hide emotions from Ally. With everything she was throwing at me lately, I had to protect myself somehow.
“It looks like it’s already too late,” she said just as our mom walked up.
I was glad she was far enough away during our conversation. I couldn’t risk her asking too many questions. There was no way I would live that down and who knew how mad they would be at Justin for this.
“What are my girls talking about?” she asked.
“Anna was just telling me how much she likes Justin,” Ally said with a smirk. It was hard not reach over and smack the smug look off her face.
I looked over to where my dad was still playing with Justin and Margie. It was a sight to see, and I loved watching every moment of it. I didn’t want to tear my eyes away from them.
“You know, Anna,” my mom said, and I looked at her, giving her my full attention. “I can tell what you and Justin have is the real deal.”
“Really?” Ally asked, smirking.
“Yes. You’ll find yours one day,” mom said.
Little did she know that Ally couldn’t care less about having a real relationship. She was only asking the question to mess with me. Since she was the one who pointed out our feelings for each other in the first place, she was being all too smug. I only hoped that she was right about Justin.
“You two really do have something special. It reminds me of your dad and I when we first started dating. I was so nervous around him. I didn’t quite know if it was real or not. During the first month or so, I used to wonder if he even really liked me at all.”
It was crazy that my mom was explaining how she felt about my dad. It was exactly how I felt about Justin, with one real difference: they were actually dating, while Justin and I were just pretending to be.
It made me even more curious about his feelings for me. The kiss on the Ferris wheel felt so real, and no one was around to see it, so he couldn’t have done it for show.
“That’s so sweet,” I said to her.
We watched as my dad picked Margie up and swung her around. It made me nervous, which was weird because she wasn�
��t my child, but I cared about her all the same.
“I just love Margie,” my mom said. “How could I not? She’s so sweet, and I can see the twinkle in her eyes when she looks at you.”
“I know. I love her so much, too,” I said. I avoided looking at Ally because I didn’t want to deal with it.
Margie, Justin, and my dad walked over to where we stood watching them.
“Can we play some games?” Margie asked my mom.
“I think so, as long as it’s okay with your daddy,” my mom said.
Justin looked at Margie. “I don’t see why not. We’re here, aren’t we? It would be a crime not to get some cotton candy.”
There were stands everywhere, and after a few minutes of walking by rides, we found two stands side by side. One sold cotton candy, funnel cakes, lemonade, and a few other snack foods. The other one sold turkey legs, hamburgers, hot dogs, and the like.
“What color do you want?” my mom asked Margie.
“Pink!” she said and pointed at the pink fluffy stuff that was advertised in the window.
My mom ordered Margie a pink cotton candy and handed it to her. Margie pulled some off and ate it. She looked at Justin. “It’s so cool, Daddy. It like melts. You need to try it,” she said.
Justin pulled off a small piece and ate it. “It is yummy, baby girl.”
“Have you ever had a funnel cake?” I asked Justin.
He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”
My mouth dropped open. I didn’t think I’d ever met anyone who had never had a funnel cake before.
“You have got to try one,” I said and then stepped up to the window. “One funnel cake, please,” I said to the lady working in the booth.
“Do you want it supreme?” she asked in a monotone voice. I figured she must hate her job. It would have sucked working in that booth in the hot sun all day.
“Oh. What’s that?” I looked at Justin and wiggled my eyebrows. He laughed.
“It comes with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry on top.” She sounded even more bored, like I had been asking questions for the last hour or something.