Electricity seemed to crackle between us, and for a few seconds, it felt as if he and I had never lost touch, that we could read each other as easily as we’d done in the past.
“You left us…leftTerri, like an asshole.” Lana’s jaw clenched and her tone, strained and low, gave her words a clipped tightness.
“I know.” Paxton sighed and ran a hand over his face, then dropped it. His shoulders fell and he stuffed his fists into his pockets.
“Come on.” I squeezed Lana’s upper arm. “I came here to get closure, not to reopen old wounds.”
Paxton’s attention snapped to me, and he frowned. “AndIcame here to apologize and tell you the truth.”
Lana snorted. “Hmph.” She dropped her arms to her sides and walked toward the rope, leaning under as she stalked toward the ticket booth. “We’ll see.”
Paxton motioned in her direction and gave me a small grin. “After you.”
My heart jumped but I ignored it and raised an eyebrow. Following my sister, not bothering to look over my shoulder to see if Pax followed us, I strolled ahead.
As I caught up to Lana, the incoming people began to funnel into the straight pathway ending with the main centerpiece of the Big Top.
The ticket booth, a small trailer with four upraised windows and manned by just as many people, listed the prices for adults and children on an exterior whiteboard.
As I leaned my elbows onto the counter and leaned in to tell the lady how many tickets we needed, Paxton slid in front of me.
“Three, please.”
He smelled the same, that combination of male, mixed with mint and cedar, bringing back so many emotions in my heart—pain, sorrow, and rising joy. This man, even though he crushed my heart,hadgiven me something no one else ever had. Confidence.
“Well, that’s a start.” Lana pursed her lips and held out a hand for her ticket.
Paxton chuckled and slapped the tiny black tear-away ticket into her palm. “Your sister said you still like zombies.”
Black power cords crossed the dirt path, most of them covered with heavy rugs and carpets.
A small stall to the left boasted a petting zoo, where several people—adults and children—paid the fee to enter the corral and mingle with the goats and small ponies.
Hay and the light scent of animal dung permeated the dusty-choked night. Shetland ponies whinnied and goats bleated while the children screamed or chattered enthusiastically.
“Yeah, zombies and practically anything horror related. I’m going to work in special effects when I graduate.”
“I’m sure you’ll be awesome at it.”
“So, you’re turning into some kind of hotshot rock star or something, huh?” Lana’s gaze roved Paxton’s face, then swept his black t-shirt and jeans. “It must be hard facing us after knowing without our family’s money and connections you wouldn’t be where you’re at today.”
Lana didn’t hold back. She’d been just as hurt as I’d been that day. I hung back, curious to see how he’d react.
“You’re right.” He stopped at a concession stand, snagging three boxes of popcorn and three bottles of water, holding out one of each to Lana. “Everything in what you said is true, but it’s not the whole story.”
Snatching her food and drink, she rolled her eyes and threw a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
He pushed mine toward me and I took it, the tips of my fingers brushing against his, causing me to jerk away quickly.
“Hey, I know you,” said a boy, somewhere around seventeen or eighteen. “You’re the singer in that new band, Neverstorm, right?” He dragged his date—who chomped her gum like a cow chewing its cud—closer.
Paxton wedged his popcorn between his elbow and waist, finally breaking our stare. “Yep. That’s me.”
“Can I get your autograph?” The kid pushed closer, his stare wide and a humongous grin turning his lips upward.
“Sure,” Paxton said as shook his head, “but I don’t have a pen.”
“Damn.” The guy turned to the girl at his side. “Do you have one, and some paper?”
