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“Is she trying to talk you into letting her bungee jumpagain?”
Hudson’s voice catches me off guard, and I turn around to see him and Stella coming our way. The sight of her eases me. Hudson … not so much. I’m not sure how he feels about me. Stella insists he holds no grudges against me, but I don’t believeher.
“I’m not old enough for thatyet,” Mavensays.
“Or ever,” Dallas corrects. He stares down at Maven, shaking his head. “You, my dear child, are going to give me a heart attack beforeforty.”
“Hey, brother,” Hudson cuts in. “Which will be worse—the day she wants to bungee jump ordate?”
“Dating,” Dallas answers without hesitation. “I will bungee jump at her side before I agree todating.”
“Gross, I don’t want to date,” Maven chimes in withdisgust.
Dallas taps the top of her head. “That’s mygirl.”
“You want to ride roller coasters with me, Uncle Hudson?” Maven asks. “Willow iscoming!”
Pregnancy and carnival rides don’t gotogether.
“Oh no,” I moan out. “I get motionsickness.”
I’m not sure when Dallas is going to break the news that she’s going to be a big sister, but I most certainly don’t want to be in attendance. Lord knows the questions she’llhave.
Maven’s smile morphs into a pout. “My mommy did, too, but she was alwaysokay.”
I regret looking at Dallas at the mention of Lucy. His body goes still, and I’m confident his heart is beating faster than anyone on a roller coaster here. The lightness of our time together has been extinguished, a whirl of unease stepping through. He scratches his neck, and I notice a vein popping out fromit.
“How about I go with you? I love roller coasters!” Stella quickly offers up, lying to the poorgirl.
“Thank you,” I whisper to her while Maven waits for Dallas’spermission.
His eyes are vacant, his face cloaked with pain. He’s checkedout.
“I’ll make sure the two of them stay out of trouble,” Hudson says. “You keep introducing Willow to coma-inducing foods and sell Blue Beech toher.”
Dallas pinches the bridge of his nose and nods. I grab my lemon shakeup and suck it down without even bothering to argue with Hudson about the “sell Blue Beech to her” comment. The thought of Dallas showing me around makes me queasier than themeat.
Stella grabs Maven’s hand, and the three of them take off through the pack of people. I’m struggling to find the right words. I want to console Dallas, but I’m not sure if it’s a good idea. It might push him awaymore.
Isn’t that what I wanted when I found out I waspregnant?
Now, I’m thriving for more fromhim.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve admired his love for Lucy. His commitment to her, even when half-dressed women threw themselves at him in hopes of seeingStella.
Seeing their relationship made you believe in loveagain.
And that’s why I can’t get close tohim.
He’ll never give methat.
You don’t get love like that twice in alifetime.
You can’t awaken those emotions back out of a brokenman.
I need to back off and quit trying to make strides with him that’ll only end up stomping on my heart when I’m forced to face the devastation that he’s just around me because I got knocked up byhim.
I don’t realize I’m staring until his hollow eyes meet mine. His Adam’s apple bobs while he piles the plates on top of each other and disposes them into thetrash.
