Challenge Accepted

by Amanda Abram

But what was there left to really wish for? My book organization project was not only complete, it was a total success. I was now officially an adult. And I had a pretty awesome boyfriend.

  A boyfriend who was currently leaning toward me and whispering in my ear, “If you make your wish about me, I’ll make sure it comes true later.”

  I pushed him away as I felt blood rushing to my cheeks. How dare he make me blush in front of my parents!

  I should have expected that, though. Classic Logan.

  But they didn’t appear to have heard him. If they had, my father probably would have been scowling at him instead of grinning at me.

  I was at a loss of what to wish for, so I didn’t wish for anything at all. I didn’t really believe in that stuff, anyway. Instead, I just blew out the candle and said, “Okay, who’s going to help me eat this?”

  Even though it was just one slice of cake, it was large enough to feed our entire table of four. Rodeo Roy’s was known for their large portions of everything.

  When my parents told me they wanted to take me and Logan out for dinner for my birthday, and told me I could choose the restaurant, I didn’t even have to think about it. As much as I disliked Rodeo Roy’s, I think subconsciously I was sentimental about it. After all, it was the first place Logan and I had eaten at when we started hanging out this summer.

  Maybe that made me a dork, but this restaurant now held a special place in my heart.

  “What did you wish for, Pumpkin?” Dad asked, cutting off a piece of the cake with his fork and putting it onto his plate.

  “She’s not supposed to tell anyone, Jake, or it won’t come true,” Mom informed him, exchanging a glance with me and shaking her head.

  I shrugged as I took my own forkful of the cake—chocolate with chocolate frosting, my favorite. “It doesn’t matter, I didn’t wish for anything.” I turned to Logan. “I already have everything I want.”

  Logan’s eyes held mine while he smiled and grabbed my hand under the table. My parents, sitting across from us, both erupted into a simultaneous, “Aww!”

  And then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash.

  “Dad!” I turned my head to glower at him. He was grinning at me from ear-to-ear while holding up his cell phone. “No flash photography, please. Or any photography at all.”

  “Sorry, couldn’t help it,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. “You two just looked so sweet there for a moment.”

  I rolled my eyes. Dad had become so annoying since Logan and I announced our relationship. Logan’s dad, too. This was, after all, what they had always wanted—for their two kids to get together and fall in love. It was a dream come true for them. Logan and I often had to wonder if our dads were more excited for our relationship than we were.

  Mom glanced down at her watch. “Okay, Dad and I have to leave in a few minutes, but first, we have one more present to give you.” She reached into her purse, pulled out an envelope and handed it to me.

  My eyes widened at the sight of it. Another envelope? What was going to be in this one? I snuck a glance at Logan to see if he maybe knew, but he was avoiding eye contact with me.

  Hesitantly, I pulled the envelope closer and opened it.

  When I pulled out its contents, I stared down at it in confusion. “It’s…a travel brochure. For Florida.” I returned my gaze to my parents. “Thanks…it’s what I’ve always wanted?”

  Mom and Dad both chuckled softly. “Sweetie, the gift isn’t the brochure.” She looked at my dad with an expectant look, as if waiting for him to explain it to me.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “So, we haven’t officially done anything yet, because we wanted to wait to see what your reaction would be first, but…your mother and I would like to buy two round-trip plane tickets to Florida for you and Logan for one week, so that you can visit Chloe and Sophia.”

  My breath hitched in my throat. Plane tickets? Plane tickets? As in, a ticket that I would use to get on a plane? That would then take off into the sky? That type of plane ticket?

  “Um…” I didn’t know what to say. I was suddenly paralyzed by the thought of setting foot onto an airplane.

  “Now, we know how you feel about flying,” Mom said. “Which is why we haven’t purchased the tickets yet. But if you do decide to take us up on our offer, we have already checked with Chloe’s aunt, who said she would be more than happy to let you two stay with her and the girls for the week you’re there. We know how much you’ve missed your friends, and both your father and I think this would be a wonderful experience for you.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I glanced back at Logan. “Did you know about this?”

  A slight look of guilt passed over his face. “I may have been consulted at some point about it, yes.”

  I glanced back at the brochure. “This is a really nice gesture, but…I mean, plane tickets are so expensive. And, do you really feel comfortable letting your teenage daughter and her boyfriend go off to Florida alone?” I was looking for as many excuses I could find to justify turning down what was actually an amazing opportunity.

  “The plane tickets aren’t as expensive as you think,” Mom said. “And yes, we are comfortable letting the two of you go to Florida alone. You’re both eighteen now, and we trust you. Besides, I’m sure Chloe’s aunt will make sure you behave.”

  “But what about…” My voice trailed off. I was failing to come up with any other excuses.

  “You don’t have to decide right now,” Dad assured me. “Take a couple days and think about it. No pressure, alright?”

  I nodded as Dad threw some cash onto the table for a tip. “Your mom and I are going to take off,” he said. He slid out of the booth and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Since you’re an adult now, I think we can extend your curfew a bit.” He glanced at Logan. “Have her back by midnight, please.”

  Logan nodded. “I will, sir. And not a second later, I promise.”

  Dad groaned. “Logan, I’ve told you not to call me ‘sir’.” He paused for a moment before adding, “You can just call me ‘Dad’ from now on.”

  “DAD!” I cried out, mortified, as he burst out laughing.

  “Sorry, Pumpkin, I couldn’t help myself.” As his laughter subsided, he held out a hand to help my mom out of the booth.

  “Have fun, you two,” Mom said. Even though she smacked my father’s arm for his little joke, she was suppressing a grin.

  “We will, thanks,” I mumbled as I waved them goodbye.

  As soon as they were gone, I turned to Logan. “Sorry for my dad. He’s got a terrible sense of humor.”

  “It’s okay,” he said with a smile.

  “So,” I said, glancing back at the brochure. “You knew about this?”

  “I did,” he said with a slow nod. “They asked me my opinion, and I told them I didn’t think you’d go for it, but suggested they try, anyway. I did it for mostly selfish reasons, because I would love to take this trip with you. You know, I’ve never been on a plane, either?”

  “No?” My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “Nope. And to be honest, the thought of flying makes me a little nervous, too. But just think: we could take a selfie on the plane, and add the photo to the Logan and Emma’s Book of Firsts.”

  He was, of course, referring to his mother’s scrapbook which, while wasn’t an official book of “firsts”, did seem to heavily lean toward that theme.

  “I don’t know…”

  “Well, hey,” he said, snatching the brochure out of my hands, “like your dad said, you don’t need to decide right now. So, let’s get out of here and take advantage of the fact we still have about four hours left before I have to get you home. What do you say?”

  As another country song began to loudly play over the speakers and everyone around us started cheering, I said, “Yes, please.”

  “Great.” Logan slid out of the booth. “Where would the birthday girl like to go next?”

  Hmm. That was a good question. I
normally didn’t do much on my birthday. After I stopped having parties as a kid, most of my birthdays were spent just having a nice dinner at home with my parents, and then a sleepover with Chloe and Sophia. I’d never had a boyfriend on my birthday to take me out on a nice date anywhere.

  Where did girls like to go on their birthday dates?

  I thought about it for a moment. I wanted to go somewhere special. Somewhere romantic. Somewhere that held an even more special place in my heart than Rodeo Roy’s.

  And then it came to me. With a smile, I stood from the booth and took Logan’s hand in mine.

  “You’ll see.”

  ***

  “I can’t believe out of all the places you could have chosen to go for your birthday, you wanted to come here.”

  I looped my arm through Logan’s as we walked through the entrance of Funland Park. “Why not? The name suggests we’re going to have fun. Why wouldn’t I want to have fun on my birthday?”

  Logan shook his head. “I thought you hated this place?”

  “I do.” I removed my arm from his and instead slid it around his waist. He returned in kind, draping his arm across my shoulders and pulling me close. “But I wanted to give you another chance to win me a stuffed animal.”

  Logan groaned. “That game is rigged, Emma.”

  “Then how did I win so easily?” I said with a giggle.

  “You’re just that good, I guess.” He sighed in defeat. “Okay, fine. I’ll try to win you something.”

  “Yay!” I threw my other arm around him in a sideways hug. “You’re the best boyfriend ever!”

  Boyfriend. That word still felt very weird to say, like it wasn’t part of the English language. But I liked it. A lot.

  He chuckled softly. “I haven’t even won you anything yet.”

  I placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “You will. I have faith in you.”

  “Okay,” he said with a grin. “I’ll try the ring toss again. Maybe I’ll win you a blue monkey to go with your fuchsia one.”

  “That would be nice. She gets kind of lonely sometimes.”

  With a smirk, Logan said, “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that, weirdo.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet as we approached the ring toss booth. Handing the boy behind the counter a couple of bills, he turned to me and said, “Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck,” I said, giving him a thumbs-up.

  My phone rang in my pocket, and I had a sudden feeling of déjà vu—especially when I saw who was calling.

  “Hey, Chloe,” I said into the phone. “What’s up?”

  She and Sophia had already called me first thing in the morning to wish me a happy birthday, and to assure me that they’d gotten me a “kick-ass” birthday gift that I would get immediately upon their return.

  “Hey, Em! Sophia and I were just wondering if your parents had given you their gift yet…?”

  Even they knew about the potential Florida trip?

  My gaze flickered over to Logan, who was, as expected, failing at every toss of the rings. Suppressing a smirk, I turned around and walked away to give him some privacy. Maybe he’d have better luck if I wasn’t watching.

  “You mean the Florida brochure?” I asked.

  “Um, I guess?” Chloe sounded confused.

  “That’s how my parents presented it to me,” I explained to her. “They haven’t bought the tickets yet because they didn’t know if I would want to go or not.”

  “Why wouldn’t you want to go?” Sophia asked. As usual, I was on speaker. “Emma, your parents are paying for you and your boyfriend to spend a week alone in Florida. How awesome is that?”

  “It’s pretty awesome, but…” I took a deep breath and held it for a moment. I’d never really had a conversation with the girls about my fear of flying. I’d always been embarrassed by it. After all, I was afraid of something I’d never even done. How did that make any sense?

  “But what?” Chloe asked.

  Maybe it was time to come clean and tell them. They would understand and they wouldn’t pressure me about going anymore. But I did want to see them. And like my mom had said, it could be a wonderful experience…

  “Hey, check this out.”

  Logan’s voice behind me pulled me out of my thoughts. Spinning around, my jaw dropped as I saw he was holding out a blue stuffed monkey for me to take.

  “Oh my God, you actually did it?” I said with a laugh.

  “Did what?” Chloe asked.

  “Oh, sorry, guys,” I said to her and Sophia. “I have to go. Logan just won me a monkey.”

  “A what-now?” Sophia asked.

  “I’ll call you guys tomorrow, okay? And I promise I’ll consider my parents’ offer.”

  “Please do!” Chloe exclaimed. “We miss you so much!”

  “And we miss seeing Logan shirtless!” Sophia added.

  “Soph!” Chloe scolded her. “He’s our girl’s boyfriend now! You can’t say things like that anymore!”

  “It’s okay,” I said with a giggle. “Talk to you tomorrow. Love you both!”

  “We love you, too, Em!” they said in unison before I hung up.

  “So?” Logan said, still holding out the monkey. “Are you impressed?”

  I eyed him suspiciously as I took the monkey from him. “I’m not sure. I didn’t see you actually get one of the rings over one of the bottles.”

  “It happened,” he said, but something in his voice made me think otherwise.

  “Logan,” I said, locking eyes with him, “don’t lie to me.”

  We engaged in an intense staring contest for a moment before he finally ended it with the rolling of his eyes. “Okay, I didn’t actually win it. I just convinced the guy to let me buy it. Happy now?”

  I broke out into a grin. “Very.” I hugged the monkey close to me. “I love him and will cherish him forever.”

  Logan threw his arm around me. “I’m glad. What are you going to name him?”

  I blinked up at him. I was eighteen now. I didn’t need to still be naming stuffed animals.

  Even though I kind of wanted to.

  “Mr. Darcy,” I replied without even thinking about it.

  Clearly amused, Logan said, “Pride and Prejudice?”

  “Yep. I named the fuchsia monkey Elizabeth, so it only makes sense to stick with the theme.”

  “How cute.” Logan chuckled. “Okay, what’s next?”

  I glanced around the park. There wasn’t much for me to do there, since I hated most of the rides. However, as soon as my gaze landed on the tall, round structure in the distance, I knew what I wanted to do.

  “I want to go on that,” I said, pointing.

  His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You want to go on the Ferris wheel again?”

  I nodded. “I do.”

  Logan looked doubtful. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” I grabbed his arm and started pulling him in the direction of the ride. “And it looks like Beck is working it tonight. Maybe we can get him to stop it at the top again.”

  Logan looked at me like I was crazy. “What has gotten into you?”

  We stopped at the end of the short line of people waiting to get on.

  “Nothing has gotten into me,” I said. “I just…I don’t know. I’m not as scared of it as I used to be. Besides, I’m sure the sunset would look amazing from up there.”

  He nodded in agreement. “It would.” The line began to move and he turned to me. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay with this?”

  “I promise.”

  I smiled at Logan’s cousin as we approached him.

  “Hey, you two,” Beck said with a wave. “Back for more, huh? Want another couple of minutes at the top?”

  Logan glanced at me. “That’s up to you.”

  “Yes, please,” I replied.

  Logan reached for his wallet, but Beck waved his hand and said, “This one’s on the house. Go ahead and get in.”

  He motioned t
o the empty car that had just stopped at the bottom and Logan took my hand and led the way. Once we were settled in, the wheel began to move.

  Instantly, my pulse began to race, and I stopped breathing. It’s okay, Emma. You’ve got this! You’ve done it once before and you can do it again!

  Logan placed his hand over mine. “You doing okay?”

  “Mmhmm,” I said, nodding my head. I wrapped an arm tightly around Mr. Darcy and squeezed him hard as we approached the top.

  Breathe…

  I didn’t realize until we came to a stop that I had closed my eyes, and now I didn’t know how to reopen them.

  “Wow, you were right,” Logan said. “The sunset is amazing from up here.”

  Oh, yeah, the sunset. I wanted to see the sunset. That was the whole point of riding this thing.

  Forcing my eyes open, I inhaled sharply at the view that immediately greeted me. The sun was just starting to slowly disappear below the horizon, illuminating the sky with the most gorgeous hues of red, orange and purple I’d ever seen.

  “This is so beautiful,” I breathed.

  I expected Logan to agree with me, but he said nothing. Curiously, my eyes flickered over to him and I found him staring at me; a small smile tugging at his lips.

  “What?” I asked, suddenly feeling all paranoid.

  “Nothing,” he said. “I was just wondering how I got to be so lucky.” He reached out and caressed the side of my face, gently running his thumb across my cheekbone.

  Leaning in, I brushed my lips against his in a quick, soft kiss before resting my head against his shoulder. I felt so safe and secure in his arms, just like the last time we were here. Only this time I didn’t need him to hold me. I just wanted him to.

  It was hard to believe I was currently 60 or so feet above the ground, but I didn’t even feel nervous anymore. I had Logan to thank for that. He hadn’t cured me of my fear of heights or anything, but he had helped to make it all a little more manageable. He’d shown me that it wasn’t all as bad as I thought it was. Maybe he’d be able to do that with some of my other fears as well.

  Such as flying.

  “I want to do it, Logan,” I said suddenly.

  He stiffened beside me. “Um, what?”