Page 37 of Planning on Happily Ever After

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Ben

The weather was perfectfor their daytime outing and Ben had enjoyed the hike through Lighthouse Park, not just because of the beautiful trees and gardens along the footpaths, but because of the woman currently standing next to him. Holly stared up at the sandstone lighthouse in awe, shielding her eyes from the sun even though she was still wearing her Red Sox ball cap. Ben absolutelylovedthat she wore it. She looked adorable in it, but even more than that he liked that she wasn’t afraid to support her team knowing he was a fan of their rivals.

Now that baseball season was underway, it would be interesting to see how things played out when they went to a game. The fact that he was already planning day and weekend trips to Boston and New York for some ballgames would have scared him in the past since it was unusual for him to plan beyond the two hours he would normally spend with a woman, but Ben could see a lot more than baseball in his and Holly’s future, and for once, his anxiety was quiet.

Is this just the calm before the storm?Ben recalled one of his mom’s boyfriends, Rick, from when he was about seven. The man had been kind and attentive to Ben, acting like a surrogate dad at times and trying to get into video games with him even though he was a gearhead mechanic, and Ben really thought he was going to stick around, but he left just like the ones before and after him.

He still had a nagging feeling about his mom’s current fiancé, but after his little slip up at the cake tasting, he promised her he would stow his cynicism and be supportive, no matter the outcome. Besides, he was a big boy now, and if his mom could handle the whole thing going bust, he certainly could. What he didn’t think he could handle was if his relationship with Holly didn’t work out.

“This is so cool. Thank you for sharing this with me.” Her crisp voice, filled with wonder and delight at the tall lighthouse before them, broke into his thoughts. “It’s too bad we can’t go inside.”

“I know,” he lamented before tugging her hand and steering her toward a large pavilion. “I’ve got something better, though.”

“Oooh, do tell,” she said with a giggle. Ben loved every sweet sound that came out of her mouth. There were a few other sounds he wouldn’t mind hearing, but they were in a very public park and exhibitionism wasn’t his kink.

“This one is a surprise.” He winked at her and continued to stroll along toward what had been a favorite activity of his as a young child.

They entered the pavilion and bright, boisterous music filled the air as they turned the corner and came to a stop in front of a grand carousel, bright colors and wooden animals dancing before their eyes as it spun round and round. Ben peered over at Holly, feeling very pleased with himself when he saw her delighted face, her blue eyes shining brighter than the clear sky and her smile so big and brilliant it could light up even the darkest room.

“This. Is. Amazing!” Holly gripped his hand and pulled him toward the ticket booth, her excitement contagious as always. “I never would have pegged you as a carousel person.”

He chuckled and pulled out his wallet to purchase two tickets. “To be fair, it’s probably been at least fifteen years since I’ve been on one.”

They walked over to wait in line and watched as children of all ages bobbed up and down on the horses, tigers, and giraffes that were mounted on moving posts. “This is so great,” Holly gushed as she enthusiastically bounced on her toes, quickly kissing him on the lips. “What made you think of it?”

Ben rubbed the back of his neck, nerves suddenly making an appearance. “Um, well. When I was little, I was a bit of a loner. Shocker, I know.” He shrugged it off like his perpetual loneliness was nothing, but Holly’s nod of encouragement and warm hand tangled with his gave him the strength to go on. “There would sometimes be all of these father/son events at school or bring your son to work days. I didn’t have a dad, and I didn’t have friends with dads to tag along with, so I just wouldn’t go to those things.”

Holly squeezed his hand, her head leaning against his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks.” He shifted so she was under his arm and pulled her closer as he tried to clear the throat that was suddenly thick with emotions he’d held onto for too long. “Anyway, my mom knew that it got me pretty down, so she would take me to this awesome carousel in Albany.” His mind sparked with all of the memories from the times they would go. It didn’t erase the bad feelings, but the fun they had made them a little more bearable. He smiled at one detail in particular and gazed off into the distance, the image in his mind’s eye super-imposed over his current view. “There was this dragon on the carousel. I always loved dragons, knights, and all that medieval stuff, and I’d always make sure I got to ride the dragon so I could pretend that I was this brave knight who had conquered the fierce beast.” He smiled, the old image fading as he tilted his head to look upon the face of the woman next to him. “Probably kind of silly.”

Holly raised a brow, her smile empathetic and kind. “Is it any sillier than me going to an arcade and drinking a milkshake?” They shifted into an embrace, Ben’s hands slipping down to her waist as he held on tight. “We all have things that help us deal with the bad stuff, and I think pretending you fought and conquered a dragon is a pretty cool one. Not to mention, you kind of turned that whole knights and dragon’s thing into a pretty awesome career. Now you create games so other people can use the same scenario you did to enjoy themselves, too.”

Ben peered down at her with awe. It seemed as though Holly was seeing a lot more of him than he’d previously thought possible. He had taken his love of knights and dragons, the thing that had helped him through the hardest times in his life, and turned it into something he could do forever. His mom had stopped taking him to the carousel after one of her boyfriends had left and Ben said he was too grown up for it, but in reality, he had just decided to close the door on trying to feel better or deal with the emotions.

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