36. Teddy
Teddy
“ C ome on, lovebirds! I want to ride the death traps!” Caro calls over her shoulder. Her light brown hair flows behind her as she speed-walks toward the carnival rides.
Lottie’s carefree laugh joins the growing crowd surrounding us. “You’re on your own, Caroline. I refuse to get on those things.”
“You’re such a typical older sibling. Live a little. Please?” Caro gives Lottie the most potent puppy dog eyes. The look is eerily similar to Lottie’s. It doesn’t matter that Caroline shares the same blue eyes as her mother; she’s got the same look Lottie gets when she wants her way.
“Those aren’t going to work on me. I taught you how to wield them.”
Caroline drops the expression and grins at her sister. “I forgot.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Caro turns to me. “Will you ride the rollercoasters with me?”
I keep my expression neutral. “No. ”
Lottie giggles at Caroline’s pout. “You two suck. Fine. I’ll find Adalaide. She’ll ride the rides with me.”
I have yet to meet Ryan’s middle sister, but from what I’ve been told, she’s an even bigger daredevil than Caroline.
Caro pulls out her phone, her attention moving from us in a heartbeat.
With the distraction, I wrap my arm around Lottie’s waist to yank her closer to me.
The whole town is here, so I feel like I need to be on my best behavior.
I want to kiss the shit out of Lottie. Instead, I press one to her forehead.
“What are the chances we could make out on the Ferris wheel?” Lottie looks up at me with innocent eyes.
“Zero.” I lean down to whisper in her ear. “But I’ll take you home and fuck you hard right now if you want.”
Lottie shivers. “Later. Definitely later.”
I smirk at her. “Got it.” We keep walking down the main drag of the fair. Roller coasters and carnival games line the strip. People are everywhere. It’s overwhelming, to say the least, but I can’t deny that I’m having fun.
Lottie told me the town started bringing in a carnival about ten years ago to celebrate the beginning of spring. It turned into a celebration before tourist season hits, when the town becomes overrun with strangers until Labor Day.
Apparently, they were put on a top-ten list for small-town vacations a while back, and since then, they’ve become a booming tourist destination. The downtown area looks like it belongs on a postcard, so I guess it fits.
“How about we make a bet?” Lottie gets that gleam in her eye that I love.
“A bet?”
“Yeah. If I win a carnival game, you have to ride the Ferris wheel with me.”
“Okay. I’ll take that bet.”
She grabs my hand and drags me across the field toward the target shooting game. There are stuffed animals and ten- cent prizes scattered around the booth. The targets are a myriad of animals rotating through a cartoon scene of a pond. I start to grab my wallet when Lottie slaps down a five.
“I could’ve paid for it.” I frown at her.
“Never use someone else’s money for your own bets.”
“Who said that?”
Lottie grins. “My dad.” Then she laughs. “Although he probably got it from someone else.”
I wave my hand to tell her to carry on. She grabs a gun after the attendant takes her money and proceeds to knock down every single target she shoots at. A tap to my chin makes me close my mouth, and I’m met with a smug Lottie.
“Soooo. Ferris wheel?”
“I just got scammed. You hustled me.”
Lottie laughs long and loud, and I can’t help it. I cup her face and kiss the hell out of her.
“I should be punching you”—the voice has me pulling away from Lottie to see Cooper, standing next to his wife with his hands on his hips, fighting a smile—“but I know you just got your ass handed to you, so I won’t add insult to injury.”
Keeping my arm around Lottie’s waist, I turn toward Cooper.
“I’m assuming her skill is your handiwork?
” I thought I’d be intimidated by Lottie’s dad for a while longer, but all I feel is respect for how much he loves his girls.
He’s also only ever shown me the same, despite blustering a bit after he found out I was dating Lottie.
“Couldn’t stop her from playing, so I figured I should teach her how to win.”
“What he didn’t take into account is my need to learn the trick to all the games at the fair.” Lottie squeezes me. Her open affection in front of her parents does something to me.
“Bet you can’t guess where her competitiveness comes from,” Quinn teases .
“Hey, now.” Cooper pokes Quinn in her side, making her squeal.
“You can’t deny it, Dad.” Lottie looks up at me. “He had to watch my softball games from the outfield because he couldn’t stop disagreeing with the umpires.”
“It drove us all crazy,” Quinn adds.
“Now, wait just a second. I was never belligerent or anything.”
Quinn tilts her head in acknowledgment. “That’s true. But you definitely had a hard time keeping your mouth closed. I always made them treats before a game to apologize.”
“It’s lucky we live in a small town because they knew Dad was a good guy away from sports. They’d usually just laugh at him.”
“I could go for some of those almond cookies you used to make.” Cooper rubs his belly.
Quinn pats him on the chest. “I’ll make some tomorrow. You guys gonna watch the fireworks with us?”
“We’ve got a date with the Ferris wheel first. Then we’ll come over.” Lottie winks at me.
“I’ve got blankets and chairs for all of us, so call me when you’re on your way.”
“We’ll see you guys later.” I grab Lottie’s hand and lead us toward the ticket booth.
Once we’ve got our passes, we head to the long line of people waiting for their turn on the Ferris wheel.
I’d say I’m surprised she got me to change my mind, but I’m not.
Lottie could make me do just about anything for her.
Heights have never been my favorite thing. I figure I can just make out with Lottie when we get to the top to distract myself.
People stop to talk to Lottie the entire time we’re in line. They ask about her parents, her sister, and even how her podcast is doing. By the time the fifth person says hello, I can’t hold in my laughter. How the fuck did I end up with the beauty queen of Sonoma?
“What?” Lottie smiles at me.
“I’m just trying to figure out how the son of a prostitute ended up with the town’s golden girl. It’s not quite computing, if I’m honest.”
Her face falls, confusion lining her eyebrows.
I love that in her mind, we make sense in any scenario.
She’s never questioned it. “Your background doesn’t determine who you are, Teddy.
It’s going to play a part; there’s no getting around that, but what you choose to do with your circumstances is on you.
You became an honorable man with loyalty that knows no bounds.
You’re respectful and kind while simultaneously being strong-willed and independent.
I’m lucky to be the woman you chose to let into your life.
I don’t take it lightly, Teddy. Not in the slightest.”
I stare down into her fierce golden eyes. No one has ever looked at me the way Lottie does. I’m her entire world, the same way she’s mine. I can’t get my tongue wrapped around the words I want to tell her. Not yet, anyway, so I gently fist her hair and kiss her with every emotion I can’t voice.
When I pull away, she smiles at me as if she knows exactly what I just told her, and I hope to God that’s true. I want her to know how much I love her, even though I’m too chickenshit to say the words yet.
We get to the front of the line and squeeze ourselves into the tiny cart. I ignore the rusty bolts on the metal joints. It’ll be fine. Hopefully.
Lottie’s warm hand on my thigh is the perfect distraction. Her smile is a mile wide as the ride starts. I love seeing her happy. It’s become my only mission in life. How do I keep that smile on her face forever?
As the wheel turns, Lottie snuggles deeper into my side. I wrap my arm around her shoulders to bring her closer. I haven’t taken my eyes off her.
“Look how beautiful the lights are! This is my favorite view.”
“Mine, too.” I couldn’t give a fuck about the world around me. She’s the only thing that’s ever mattered. Even when I denied what she could be to me, she was all I could think about.
Lottie looks at me and blushes when she realizes I’m not looking at anything other than her. I grab her jaw, pulling her head toward me. When her eyes flutter closed, I smile. Good. She’s as overwhelmed by this as I am.
Then I kiss her like it’ll be our last.