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He wanted to go.
Wanted to be the man he’d once been, before all this shit went down. Wanted to be the man he’d been when he was with her…if only for a few hours. Then he’d go back to being the new him. The one who never stepped out of line.
The one he didn’t even really like.
Chapter Five
Tara shoved her sunglasses higher, grinning as she took in the bustle and energy of the carnival. She always felt so alive at this type of event. So free and energized.
She stood at the booth of stickers, bending forward to study each one. The scent of baking funnel cake teased her senses. She’d have to stop by that booth before they left. Maybe she’d get some cotton candy, too. Her gaze latched on a round sticker toward the back of the table. It would be perfect.
“Oh, I’ll take that one, too, please.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the young man behind the table said, eyeing her boobs the whole time. “That’ll be twenty.”
After she dug the cash out, she peeked over her shoulder. Behind her, a couple swung a toddler in between them, and her giggles filled the air. She forced her attention away from the charming scene. She had to finish this transaction before Jake came back. The man gave her the merchandise, and Tara grinned as she shoved the stickers inside her purse.
She had big plans for these, but it would have to wait.
For now, she needed to quickly act innocent because Jake was almost at her side. She wandered off, trying to look as if she didn’t have a care in the world. But she did.
A lot of them.
Jake walked past the family she’d been watching, not even a hint of a smile playing at his lips. He looked as if he were on death row, rather than at a place where most people would be having fun. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Jake was a different man. And, yeah, people grew up.
But he’d really, really changed.
It was growing increasingly hard to believe this straitlaced man was the same boy who tied her shoelaces together so she tripped. The same one who replaced her conditioner with mayonnaise not once…not twice…but three times.
The knowledge that the fun boy he’d been might truly be gone left her feeling empty inside. And sad. So, so sad for him. He might be trying to blackmail her into submission—which would not work at all—but she had to save him.
It was time someone brought some laughter back in his life.
When he stumbled in his stride a little, he curled his hands into fists. After standing still for a little while, he mumbled something under his breath, straightened his back, and walked a little slower. Her heart twisted at his obvious frustration. He didn’t like what he perceived as his “weakness.” His “imperfection.” She knew it drove him insane, though he probably told himself otherwise.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself.” He smoothed his short brown hair, his focus on the table next to her. “Why do they have New York Giants bumper stickers in Maine?”
“I have no idea.” She traced the corner of the sticker. “Still hate them?”
His stony expression was more than enough answer.
When they’d decided to come to the carnival, he’d changed into a pair of torn jeans and a green T-shirt. In the bright afternoon sun, he looked devilishly handsome, and she wanted nothing more than to explore every inch of his body. To rip that shirt off his chest and lick the contours of his muscles.
But instead, she rolled her eyes. “So some things don’t change.”
“Some things never change.”
“And the Yankees?”
“Tara.” He crossed himself. “Don’t speak that name in my presence.”
She burst into laughter. “Another joke?”
“Who’s joking? I’m dead fucking serious.”
Her laughter trickled off and she shook her head. Stopping in front of a game stand, she nodded toward it. “Do you still have a killer arm?”
