Page 36 of Whatever You Want

There was nothing I wouldn’t do for my daughter. That was the only reason why I tolerated her bullshit. I gave her the house, and the car in the divorce. I paid off all the credit card debt. I covered all Brina’s doctor and dentist appointments. I even paid for her dance classes, her clothes, and added lunch money to her account at school every month. All this on top of the monthly support checks she got from me. Not once have I ever complained. I would give every last cent to my name if it meant my daughter had what she needed.

“Drain your savings? Really? How about the fact that I had to go get a job because my husband left me without an income?” She blinked at me like working was completely beneath her. The biggest mistake I ever made was allowing her to become financially dependent on me. All the overtime I worked was never appreciated. All she did was whine that I was never home. On the days where I was home, she would complain we didn’t have any money. I couldn’t catch a break to save my life.

“Maybe you should save that speech for the judge.” I tapped my knuckles on the granite countertop and stormed out the door.

My body vibrated with anticipation while Madison and I waited for Logan to pick us up. I’ve spent the last week trying to wrap my head around that kiss. I’ve worried about what to say and how to act tonight. I tried to play it cool when he invited us to go to the carnival a couple of towns over, but truthfully, I was freaking out.

I spotted his black truck coming down the street. I locked my front door, grabbed Madison’s hand, and led her down the walkway. He pulled into my driveway and jumped out to greet us.

Jesus! Why did he always have to look so damn good? It was utterly unfair. He slid his aviators on top of his head and smiled at us. “Hello, ladies. Are you ready to have some fun tonight?”

Madison let go of my hand and skipped over to him. “We are going to have so much fun,” she stuck her foot out, “even though my mom made me wear sneakers. I really wanted to wear my sandals, but she said my feet would get dirty.”

“I have to agree with your mom on this one, kiddo. Besides, some of the attendants won’t let you ride if you don’t have the proper shoes.”

She tilted her head up in confusion. “What’s an attendant?”

He laughed. “A worker. The person who lets you on the ride.”

“Oh, well, I like rides, especially the ones that go upside down. Does Brina like those?”

“She’s not a fan of going upside down, but she likes the rides that spin and go really fast. Don’t worry though, I’ll go on whatever you want.”

I smiled, watching him give Madison his full attention. I tried not to stare too much at how good he looked in a simple pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. My tongue darted out to wet my dry lips. He looked up at that moment and quirked an eyebrow, letting me know that I’d been caught.

“I’m going to grab her a sweater in case it gets cold later.” My daughter gave me the stink eye. She could be so stubborn at times.

“No need. Brina has an extra sweatshirt in the back of my truck if she needs one.” He winked at Madison like they were in on a secret.

Brina rolled her window down and waved us over. “Come on, guys, we have a lot of rides to go on.”

I chuckled at her enthusiasm.

Logan slid into the driver’s seat and buckled his seat belt. He shot a glance my way and almost reached for my hand but stopped himself. I shifted in place, looking out my window. I really wanted him to hold my hand, but it wouldn’t be appropriate in front of the girls.

He cleared his throat and started to back out. “You can push your seat back if you want. They have plenty of leg room.”

“I’m fine.” I stretched my legs out, showing him I had more than enough space. The girls’ laughter coming from the back seat had me turning around. “What are you two troublemakers up to back there?”

“Brina just told me what her dad is going to try to win you at the carnival.”

I slanted my head to the side. “Really, and what’s that?”

Brina reached over and flashed a finger over Madison’s mouth and whispered to keep quiet.

“It’s a secret,” Brina offered up, meeting her dad’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He gave her a warning look which I thought was funny until I realized what it could be.

My head snapped to his. “It better not be what I think it is.”

The smirk on his face gave it away. I smacked his leg. “If you even think about winning me a goldfish, that thing will be sent right back out to the ocean where it came from by morning.”

“You would really kill an innocent little goldfish?” He sounded offended and was laying it on thick for his audience in the back.

Both girls gasped on cue. “No! You can’t kill the fish.”

I groaned and leaned against the door. I was tempted to bang my head against the window. He set me up on purpose. He knew bringing them in on his plan would leave me stuck with the damn thing.

The girls were talkative during the entire ride, and by the time we pulled up to the carnival, they were both pretty wired. I thought giving them my phone to watch YouTube videos would calm them down, but they were too excited to sit still. They couldn’t stop talking about which rides they wanted to go on first.

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