Page 133 of Married with Mayhem

This will be the perfect day.

31

SABRINA

My next game is going to be carnival themed. The graphics will be an explosion of color and the action will be fast paced. The storyline and the rest of the details still need to be ironed out but I’m attached to the idea of a post-apocalyptic premise.

Perhaps this is the very last carnival on earth and the players are trying to enjoy some harmless fun and forget about all the outside threats that await beyond the carnival lights.

There’s a long way to go in order to flesh out the idea but I’ll leave that for some other time. Tonight belongs to Monte.

We’re holding hands as we walk the carnival grounds. Every attraction has a considerable line but this only adds to the fun. We’re surrounded by happy energy and by people having a good time.

“You can still change your mind,” Monte says after we’ve waited in the Ferris Wheel line for twenty minutes. Our turn is next.

I’m not crazy about heights. And theme park rides have never appealed to me very much.

“That would feel like a crime,” I say. “The Ferris Wheel is the carnival’s star attraction. Walking right past it would be like visiting New York for the first time and refusing to see the Statue of Liberty. But don’t laugh at me if I close my eyes and clutch the safety bar for dear life.”

Monte pulls me close and curls his arms around my waist. “Clutch me instead,” he suggests. “I’m stronger than the damn safety bar and I’ll never let you fall.”

The thrill of being held by him never fades.

Yes, I’m sure he really is stronger than the safety bar. He’ssofreaking strong. Monte carries me on his back as if I’m a bag of air, which I definitely am not.

My arm brushes the hard lump of the gun on his hip. His t-shirt is long enough and baggy enough to hide it from view but weapons are prohibited here. If he’s spotted by security, he’ll probably be in hot water. But I don’t bother to tell him what he already knows. Monte has little respect for rules and he’ll only laugh.

The little gondola contraption that will carry us to the top of the wheel seems absurdly rickety but I feel much better when Monte climbs in beside me and drapes an arm securely around my body. It’s impossible to feel nervous when I’m with him, even as we’re lifted into the air, higher and higher after every brief pause of the ride.

“Are you cold?” Monte asks.

A little bit. I should have brought a sweater. The temperature around here is significantly cooler than a city summer night. But up here I can taste the first hint of fall. I love the autumn with its vibrant colors and Halloween fun. And then comes the holiday season, which is always a special kind of magic in New York City. I understand why people come from all over the world to see it. Monte and I are already planning to visit Colorado. I wouldn’tmiss Jane’s first Christmas for anything. Then Daisy’s baby is due in February.

There’s so much to look forward to and I get to be with the man I adore.

“I’m not cold,” I say and snuggle closer to him.

How could I possibly be cold when his arms are around me?

We’re nearly at the pinnacle of the Ferris Wheel. The brash carnival lights are an oasis in the darkness. Though the full moon shines, the stunning scenery in the Catskill Mountain region is all hidden from view.

“We should come back to the cabin in October,” I say to Monte. “I’m sure it’s spectacular when all the leaves change color.”

“It is,” he agrees and tips my chin up to give me a kiss.

My heart thuds against the wall of my chest. “I love you, Monte.”

A scream of laughter pierces the night from somewhere below. The tinkling music of the carousel fills the air.

The soft look on Monte’s face is mine alone. He looks at no one else this way. I’m a lucky girl.

“I love you too, Sabrina,” he says and the Ferris Wheel lurches even closer to the top.

The moon is so bright and massive it’s almost believable that I could reach out my arm and pluck it from the sky. We’re high in the air but I’m not nervous at all, not afraid to look down.

I can see the parking lot and the game booths and the crowd waiting in line below. My eyes catch on a figure, standing apart and looking up. He’s wearing dark clothes and he’s too far for me to see the features of his face but it seems like he’s staring at us.

This, of course, is my imagination. He doesn’t look familiar at all. Monte never mentioned having any friends in the area. The man probably knows someone else who is riding the Ferris Wheel. That’s why he’s looking up here.

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