Page 63 of Designs on You

“Not to me it doesn’t. Well, I take that back. I used to have nightmares when I was a kid. Horror movies would terrify me. And the dark. But that was a long time ago.”

He shrugged. “You’d be surprised how something can trigger those memories. Obviously today’s ride did.”

“I guess. Maybe the dark and that fucking creature jumping out at me.”

“Sorry. I should have never—”

“You didn’t know. I didn’t even know.”

“But I should have thought. I mean, Christopher is too young for something that intense.”

She frowned. “Was he upset?”

“Actually, no. He laughed.”

“Well. Good for him. I guess he’s braver than his momma.”

He rubbed her back. “I think you should give yourself a break. We all have our fears.”

“Oh right. And what are you afraid of?”

“Clowns. And those rooms with all the mirrors. Freaks me right out.”

“Huh. Well, that makes me feel marginally better.”

“Good.” He wound his fingers with hers. “It’s okay to be afraid of things, Natalie. It’s not a sign of weakness.”

“Thank you.” She finished her glass of lemonade. “I guess we should join everyone else.”

“Sure.” He stood and turned to leave, but she grabbed his hand and tugged him close.

She stepped into his body, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Thanks for holding on to me.”

He sighed and laid his chin on top of her head. “Always.”

The next ride was more adventure based, with some pretty awesome graphics. Eugene made some mental notes while also paying attention to Natalie, who grinned and squealed with enjoyment, so he was relieved about that. She seemed to be fully recovered from the trauma of the first ride, thankfully. Then the kids wanted to go on a water ride, and since it was hot out, no one complained about that, even when they got drenched. They dried out by walking around, stopping for pretzels along the way.

After two more rides, Christopher and Cammie both wanted lunch, so they stopped in one of the themed restaurants where it was dark and cool. The kids enjoyed the characters while the adults sat back and chilled.

“This was a lot more fun when we were kids,” Hazel said, taking a long swallow of her iced tea.

“The parks were smaller then.” Natalie rolled her neck back and forth. “Plus we weren’t watching kids back then. Just ourselves.”

“Point taken.” Hazel sighed. “Growing up sucks.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Linc said, slinging his arm around the back of Hazel’s chair. He slid his hand into her hair. “Being an adult has distinct advantages.”

“Mmm, true. For example…”

“Hey, there are other people at this table,” Natalie said. “Go get a room or something.”

“Oh, could we?” Hazel asked. “Because I could use a massage. And a nap.”

“You’re all a bunch of lightweights,” Eugene said motioning toward where the kids were giggling and laughing as they watched the ducks parading around in the pond that circled various restaurants. “The kids aren’t tired.”

“Because they’re kids, Eugene,” Natalie said. “They have the energy of the sun.”

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