Chapter 21
Weston
My hand stays firmly planted on her lower back, not wanting to sever the connection.
My gaze keeps going to her hand, where her ring should be but isn’t.
She’d never forgotten it before her fiancé came to town.
It’s just the sign I needed. I didn’t really give a fuck about her piece of shit fiancé, but I do care about her.
If the ring is off, she’s fair game, and I’m coming for what’s mine.
“What do you want to do first? We can ride the Ferris wheel or the tilt-o-whirl. I’m not sure what else is around here.” I look around, taking note of the bright neon lightbulbs on the edge of the rides.
“I’m not sure, I haven’t been to one of these things in years. Do they still give away goldfish for prizes?” she asks, looking down the row of games we’re coming up on.
“Please tell me you’re not going to come home with a goldfish tonight?” I ask, amused.
She wrinkles her nose. “Absolutely not, I think I've got enough on my plate at the moment and don’t need to add on keeping something else alive, right now.”
“Mmmm, good call. Is there anything I can do to help you with what’s on your plate? If you’re overwhelmed or anything, I’m always here to support.”She lets out an amused chuckle. “You have a whole ranch to run; I think you’re busy enough.”
“I’m never too busy for you, Sunshine. Don’t ever forget it.”
She looks up from the flashing lights of the games and over at me, her face soft, and if I’m not mistaken, there’s a bit of a smile there.
“Okay. But no, thank you. I’m a bit of a control freak.
I’m still untangling the last mess a Taylor man left me.
” She playfully bumps into me, hinting at my dad’s lovely filing work.
“Fair enough.” I sink my hands into the front of my jeans as we walk, not wanting to scare her off with too much touch. “Do you want to play any of these games?” There’s a whole slew of them here. Ring Toss, Whac-a-Mole, basketball, pretty much all the standard carnival games.
She looks around. “Actually, can we grab a snack? I didn’t eat dinner when your sister came and kidnapped me.
” As her face tilts up to meet my gaze, I can’t help but notice she did her makeup differently today, the edges of the liner flicked out on the ends, which makes her green eyes look like they’re practically glowing.
“Whatever you want, Sunshine, something sweet, or something salty?” I smile at a passerby. This year's fair is even busier than normal.
“How about some cotton candy and then maybe the Ferris wheel?” she suggests, and I wonder if she remembers why that specific ride is my favorite. But at this point, I don’t really care; I’m just glad to get this time with her.
“Sounds perfect, let’s head that way.” My hand slides to her back as I steer her away, glad I lasted three whole minutes without touching her.
Part of me is terrified of touching her, like she’s a wild horse and one wrong move will scare her off, and the other, the other feels like I’m dying every second she’s not in contact. It’s a dangerous game I’m playing.
“Do you think we should go get Aspen?” She turns out of my touch, looking around. The breeze comes by us, and I get a whiff of her perfume: sweet, almost like honey.
I love my sister, I really do, but having her here, when I feel like Willow is finally opening up, is the last thing I want.
“How about for the rest of the night it’s just you and me?
” I brush a stray lock of hair out of her face and drop my hands to my side before I do something stupid, like lean in and kiss her.
Even though that’s all my body wants right now.
Her cheeks redden at my touch, but there’s a small smile peeking through. “Okay.” She tucks her head.
Being braver than I feel, I wrap my arm around her shoulders as I say, “Now, let’s go get you that cotton candy.
” My excitement is anything but forced. I never thought I would get to do this again, enjoy a night out in our favorite little town together, but it seems like maybe just maybe, my hope isn’t futile.
That hope explodes as she wraps her arm around my back and leans into me, nestling her arm into the crook of my chest and armpit.
We got through the cotton candy line with only a few wandering stares.
This town is small, and everyone knows who we are, who her grandpa is, and who my parents are.
So, they know our story, because gossip travels faster than a wildfire during a drought in a windstorm here.
Seeing her tucked into me, probably will have some questions stirred up on Monday.
When we get in line for the Ferris wheel, she’s content as she eats her bag of cotton candy, and as for me, well, I’m thinking about how utterly fucked I am.
I am so enamored of her that it’s terrifying.
But I don’t care, even if this winds up to be nothing, this brief bit of happiness I get with her will be worth the fallout.
We move up the line, and the worker asks, “Tickets?”
Willow’s eyes go wide. I am guessing she wasn’t really planning on riding rides.
But I had hoped this would happen when Aspen said she was going to try to convince her to come, so I bought the tickets.
In fact, I bought enough for us to ride this damn thing all night.
I’d do it too, if it meant I got more time with her.
Our tickets get collected, and we sit side by side, the worker putting the bar over us. The ride jolts to life, and we start our ascent to the top.
“You gonna share some cotton candy?” I look over with raised brows as she drops another bit of cotton candy in her mouth.
“No, I think I will keep it all to myself, thank you.” She drops another piece of cotton candy into her mouth; the act in itself shouldn’t be hot, but watching her lick her fingers clean. It’s borderline erotic.
I reach over and snag the bag from her hands. “I’ll decide.” And shove a piece into my own mouth. Its sweetness melts over my tongue, and I can’t help but wish it was Willow I was tasting.
She huffs, playfully slapping my arm. “Hey, that was mine! You didn’t want any.”
“That was before I saw you eating it.” I wink at her as I take another bite. I don’t really want this cotton candy, but toying with her like this makes it feel like old times. My heart feels like it could soar every time I hear her laugh.
“Oh, what now you wanna taste?” She rolls her eyes, completely oblivious to how true that statement is.
I want a taste of something that’s for fucking sure. I cannot help but think of how sweet her lips will be right now with the lingering taste of cotton candy on them.
She goes to snag the bag back, and I shield it from her just as the ride takes off.
I take more than my fair share of bites of the cotton candy just to rile her up.
“Are you gonna let me have a bite?”
“Sure, you can have a bite.” I grab some with my fingers and offer it to her.
She shocks the hell out of me when she leans in, her plump lips coming around my fingers, taking the cotton candy from me. The act in itself is hot as fuck, but she looks at me the whole time. I may have turned this cotton candy thing into a game, but she’s playing dirty.
My breath shudders as she licks the remnants off her lips, my eyes staying glued on them; I couldn’t look away if I tried. She is so magnetic, every bit of her. A show I could watch for the rest of my fucking life.
“Thanks for sharing.” She’s now the one doing the winking, taking back complete control.
Fuck, all of this is far too familiar. This exact ride holds memories for us, too. I cock my head. “Do you know why this ride is my favorite?”
Her eyes flash, and I just know she’s replaying the same memory.
We were fifteen, and she had begged me for an hour to ride the damn Ferris wheel.
I had been avoiding it because being next to her, even then, was too damn tempting.
Things were changing between us, and I knew if I kissed her, that would be it; we would be more than friends.
She was my best friend, and the thought was terrifying because I didn't want that to go away.
“I might have an idea.” Her eyes drop to my lips.
“It was you and me, just like this. We went on that ride as friends, but I walked off it a completely different person. It was the best day of my life as a kid; it still is now.”
“It was a pretty good day.” Her gaze still lingers on mine, both of us lost in our own little bubble. I feel us making our way to the top of the ride, the stars surrounding us.
“I kissed you for the very first time that day.” My arm wraps around her, bringing her closer. I want to feel that again, that rush I felt when I kissed her. It was like a jolt of lightning went through me, shocking me to my core and branding my heart as hers.
“Weston,” she whispers, meeting me in the middle, our faces so close now, I can smell the cotton candy on her breath.
The ride jolts to a stop, shaking the seats we are in. Willow blinks rapidly, as if the fog of the haze of the memory is gone. She looks at me and takes a shuddering breath before scooting away ever so slightly.
I was so fucking close to having her lips on mine again. So close to bridging this gap between us, for one second, it felt like we were one small jump away.
Not wanting to push her before she’s ready, I offer her a peace offering in the form of spun sugar. “Want a bite?”
She snags the bag from my hands. “Yes, I do want a bite of my cotton candy, thank you very much.” She smiles, and I feel a bit of relief.
The moment may have passed, but the next time it comes around, I’m seizing it. I’m going to fix what I broke and make it shine again. In time, there will be no fighting about the fact that she was always going to be a Taylor.