Page 58 of Moon Blind Hearts
The carnival is small, made up of only a few small rides, lots of carnival games, and a few food trucks that serve everything from fried Oreos to funnel cakes. It’s exactly the kind of vibe I love, small, entertaining, and full of life. The people of Steele are enjoying themselves, children running around from game to game, trying to win the big stuffed animals. It’ll be here all weekend, so I know I’m going to bring Genie here the next day. She’d love it and there are a few rides she can actually ride on.
“You any good at basketball?” Cash asks me, gesturing to the carnival game. “They’re pretty rigged so you gotta be extra good.”
“No,” I answer honestly. “But I’m pretty good at the ring toss.”
He grins. “Let’s go do that then.”
I’m dragged from game to game, Cash, Sawyer, and Oak at my side. They take turns between holding my hand and playing the games. Each of them decides they’re going to try and win me a stuffed animal so that after an hour, I’m already cradling two in my arms. Oak has the biggest one under his arm so I don’t have to carry it.
“I think that’s enough,” I laugh when Cash insists on winning me an extra panda.
Cash grins. “You can never have enough stuffies,” he teases. “You need that panda.”
Oak bumps his shoulder to mine. “You want a funnel cake?”
“Is that even a question?” I ask, smiling up at him.
“Noted.” When he leans down and pecks me on the lips, I blink in surprise but he’s already gone to get in line for the funnel cake.
“Still not used to it, are you?” Cash grins.
“I doubt I could ever get used to three men proclaiming their love for me and then taking me on the best date ever,” I admit.
Sawyer smiles and reaches out to take my hand. “The best date ever, huh?” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “Well then we for sure need to win you another stuffie. How about the cap gun?”
I expect Cash to step up to it. Instead, Sawyer does.
“You can shoot still?” I ask, surprised.
He winks at me. “Watch.”
The little targets are moving behind the counter. When he takes aim and holds still, I realize he’s listening to the sounds of them moving. His first shot hits one. His second knocks another out.
I gasp. “You can hear them!”
He nods and hits another. “I had good aim before this but . . . well, I had to adapt.”
In the end, he wins me a giant squid stuffie, one that I know Genie will lose her mind over. She loves things with big eyeballs. Don’t know why, but it’s always been a thing.
It’s only as I turn around and see Oak coming back, his hands full with my large stuffed bear and a funnel cake, that I realize someone else is watching me. At first, I ignore it, thinking it’s just someone watching a woman on a clear date with three men. And when I do realize who is exactly watching me, I stumble backwards into Sawyer. His arms come around my shoulders, stopping me from falling.
“Whoa there,” he says. “You good?”
“He’s here,” I rasp, clawing at Cash as he frowns and comes closer.
“Who?” Cash asks, looking around. His eyes land on the one man who looks out of place in the carnival. “Who the hell is the suited asshole?”
It’s not my father, but it is possibly the second worst person I could see here.
Augustus Harrington. CEO of Harrington Enterprises. Rumored to be with the 27 Foundation.
And my fiancé.
Panic seizes me as he starts to walk toward us and I clamor backwards. Oak, sensing my fear, immediately sets the funnel cake down on the nearest table along with the bear before taking a step in front of me. They have no idea what’s happening, but they move to protect me anyways.
“Well, funny seeing you here?” Augustus purrs, his voice as annoying as it always has been. “I’ve been looking for you, Mrs. Harrington.”
It’s a threat. A warning. And I know what this means. I’ve reached the end. I have to leave.
