“So, he didn’t abandon me.”
Tucker reached for my hand and squeezed it. “Have you searched for him?”
His hand was warm on mine, so I kept it there. “Sure. He lives in Houston.”
“Are you going to contact him?”
“Why? He ditched me.”
“Maybe your mother lied to him, too.”
Had she?Could he have wanted me all this time?
The wheel moved again, but this time it did not stop, picking up speed. We reached the bottom, and it began another ascent. I clutched Tucker’s hand. “Is it supposed to do this?”
He squeezed my fingers. “Yes, once it’s loaded all the passengers.”
The breeze from our movement ruffled Tucker’s hair and sent wispy bits of my own into my face. I pushed them back and caught Tucker watching me. “You okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. It’s kind of a rush. Not wild like the other rides. But still a rush.”
“We’re up pretty high. You feel exposed sitting in a seat like this.”
He lifted our joined hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss onto my knuckles. “Headache gone?”
I nodded. “You get them a lot, right?”
“Not at the moment. My life is about as perfect as it gets.”
Our eyes held. The wind rushed against us, the seat shifting forward and back as we made the circle again. The noise of the crowd grew as we reached the bottom, then faded as we rose into the sky.
I didn’t know where to look, what to think, how to feel. The night was perfect and beautiful. Tucker was warm and close. He’d protected me. But my life was no different from what it had been when I first turned him down.
I was a walking disaster. He’d seen it first-hand when we met, and again tonight.
The Ferris wheel slowed down and soon it stopped, beginning the process of letting riders off and loading the next.
Tucker squeezed my hand. “Ava, I’m so glad you came here with me. I’m sorry I didn’t think about the strobe.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder. “No, no. It’s fine. You helped me. I hadn’t even known strobes existed. Now I know to avoid them.”
“I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you again.”
“You saw me seize. But… doesn’t it happen to you?”
“It’s different. I don’t lose my memory. But also, it’s only minor ones. They add up to the headaches, though.”
“You can’t take medicine like I do?”
He huffed out a breath. “I’ve taken most of them. My version of epilepsy isn’t as treatable as yours.”
“I guess they both suck in their own way.”
He brought my hand to his lips again. “But we’re here.”
The wheel shifted to another slot. Soon we’d be escorted off. I didn’t want this part of the night to end.
“Tucker…” But as soon as I said it, my confidence fled. I had to glance away.
