“Hi, Savannah. They roped you into the ticket booth this year?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I wanted to take pictures in Santa’s cottage. Heat, you know? Plus, I like photography. But here I am. At least I have a space heater in here.”
“That’s good. Maybe you’ll be able to get the job for the spring one.”
“Yeah, maybe. Do y’all want tickets?”
“Yes, please. We’ll take three all-access bracelets. The little ones don’t need them, right?”
Savannah leaned forward so she could get a better glimpse of Storm and Hawk. “Nope, five and under can ride for free. And you two can ride for free if you have the little kids with you.”
Savannah rang up our purchases and helped the kids get their bracelets on.
Koa said goodbye to his student, and then we walked toward the sound of kids screaming. Of course, the twins couldn’t agree on where to start. Cruz seemed happy with whatever, so I took Bel, Cruz, and Storm, and Koa went the other way with Rue and Hawk. We agreed to meet back near the ticket booth in an hour so we could all go on the Ferris wheel together.
Their first stop was the Tilt-A-Whirl. Stormy was too small for it, so we waited on the other side of the safety railing, waving whenever we saw Bel and Cruz and taking pictures.
Next were the little cars that went in a circle around the track that Bel volunteered to take Storm on. The fair was well organized and thankfully there weren’t many lines, despite how crowded it was. So we were able to get through everything the boys wanted, plus a few for Storm before it was time to meet Koa.
“Ri, can Rue, Cruz, and I ride in our own car on the Ferris wheel?”
I nodded. “Yeah, as long as the three of you promise to stay together and wait for us right by the exit if you get off first.”
“Yeah, we will!” At that moment, Koa appeared with the boys.
“Guess what, we can ride alone!” Bel called out excitedly.
“As long as you stick together!” I reminded him. “And don’t leave the area.”
“Awesome!” Rue shouted, giving his brother a high five.
Koa just laughed. He was carrying Hawk, who looked over the whole thing. He was sucking his thumb, which he rarely did anymore, and seemed a little zoned out.
“Yeah. One of the rides was a little loud for him. But he said he still wants to try the Ferris wheel.”
I was a little nervous because if he changed his mind, there was nothing we could do about it until the ride was over. But if he was sure, I wanted him to have his chance.
The line was longer for the Ferris wheel than for anything else. It was always the big attraction at the festival. From the top, you could see the whole town, including the river that had given River Hills its name, and my personal favorite spot because of what it meant to Koa and me. Teenagers loved it because it was private and romantic, and younger kids got a thrill from the height. Me, I wasn’t the biggest fan of any ride, especially one that involved being that far off the ground, but I wanted to see Storm’s and Hawk’s reactions, so I dutifully climbed into the cab with Koa and the younger ones, once we’d seen the boys get on safely.
I sat with Hawk on my lap while Koa had Storm. Our thighs were pressed up against each other’s and his hand was squeezing my knee tightly. “You know you don’t have to do this, right?”
I glared at him from the corner of my eye. “Oh, I know. I want to. Besides, it’s romantic, isn’t it?”
Koa snorted. “Yup, so romantic.” He gestured to the kids and I shrugged. We didn’t get privacy often, so I would take it.
It was still a little weird thinking in those terms. And it made me feel like an ass for how long it had taken me to put it all together. I had been neglecting one of Koa’s needs all this time and hadn’t even realized it. Which, to be fair, he’d made damn sure to keep that quiet, but still, I kind of wanted to make up for it now. Not that I had a clue how to do that, but snuggling up with him on the ride was a good start. Even if we had the kids with us.
Despite my best effort, Koa had been right and we didn’t exactly have time for dates or private time to explore this new dynamic together. We hadn’t done much more when it came to sexual exploration either. I’d told Koa I was willing, but heseemed content with cuddling and kissing and the occasional mutual hand job in the shower. Maybe it would become more than that, but whatever happened, it would be with Koa.
The ride lurched to a stop at the top. My stomach dropped and maybe I squeezed Hawk just a little too tightly, but fuck, I did not like how the cart rocked.
Instead of making fun of me, Koa just brought me closer.
“We’re okay, baby. Look, you can see everything.”
I didn’t want to open my eyes. I wanted to stay right where I was and count down the seconds until the ride started to move again. But Hawk was already wiggling in my lap, trying to get closer, so I had no choice but to slide with him so he could look out the window. It was dark, but that meant nothing since everything was lit up with Christmas lights. I could probably see for miles. It was hard to make out the river in the darkness, but I knew where it was and looked in that direction.
“We should go back there soon. It’s been a while.”
