“I was just overthinking. I’ll make sure nothing happens,” he answered and threaded our fingers together. “We should head inside.”
I didn’t budge when he tried to head for the entrance. He looked back at me curiously.
“I’m okay,” I told him. “I’m not going to let some asshole stop me from enjoying my life. I will be cautious, yes, but I’m not going to spend every day until we catch him looking over my shoulder. Besides, I know you have my back.”
“I do. Always,” Hector replied with a smile on his lips.
“Good.” I smiled back. “Now, let’s go. I’m sure they’re already inside waiting for us.”
Hector nodded and followed me hand in hand to our meeting spot. I could tell Hector was stiff with all the eyes on us—the townsfolk weren’t subtle with their gazes—but he didn’t drop my hand once. I was grinning the entire walk to the hugging booth.
“There you two are!” Sam waved when he saw us. His gaze landed on our hands, and he smiled widely. “We’re glad you made it! It’s nice to spend time with you both outside of the diner.”
Ryker nodded toward us with a smile. He wasn’tmuch of a talker outside of with Sam, but he was a nice guy. And he had an adorable cat named Gray that he and Sam took for walks around town. They would occasionally bring the cutie to the diner too.
“We’re excited to be here,” I said, unable to keep the grin off my face. Hector nodded a greeting to them both.
“Where are the others?” I asked, looking around. Ryan and Jones had said they’d be coming to the fair today too.
“They’re around here somewhere. Karla and Imani are leading them around by the nose,” Ryker answered with a grin. I laughed too.
Karla was Ryan’s daughter, and Imani was Jones’ cousin’s daughter, as well as Karla’s best friend. And when those two were together, they were a force to be reckoned with.
A timer beeping behind us had me turning toward the hugging booth. Carol was ecstatic as someone donated big bucks for their fundraiser. I heard they made half of what they needed for a new playground at the local elementary school at the summer fair. From how crowded the booth looked now, I was sure they’d get the new playground soon.
I looked inside, half expecting to see Dan and Clay again. They were the stars of the hugging booth at the summer fair and had gathered a huge crowd of donations to contribute to the time they had to spend hugging each other.
“They refused to come to the fair ’cause they wereafraid Carol would get her claws into them. She was determined to recruit them again,” Sam caught my gaze and explained with a laugh. He covered his mouth with his hand as if to tell me a huge secret. “They’re hiding at home.”
I laughed with a shake of my head. But honestly, I couldn’t blame them. Carol was terrifying when she put her mind to something.
“Anyway, I hope you guys are hungry, ’cause the hot dog–eating contest is about to start,” Sam said excitedly.
Ryker nodded, though I doubted he’d refuse any of Sam’s suggestions. The man was so visibly smitten.
Hector rubbed his belly and said, “I could eat.”
Sam hooked his arm through Ryker’s. “How many hot dogs do you think I can shove down my throat?”
“Well, depends on how big the sausages are. I’ve seen you eat…so maybe five to six average-sized ones. Less if they’re larger, unless you’re up for the challenge,” Hector said very seriously.
Ryker’s face was turning red, and I was still grinning hard.
Sam laughed. “Oh, I’m definitely up for the challenge. Just ask my fiancé,” he replied with a wink. Ryker pulled him away before Sam could say anything else.
Hector turned to me, all confused. “Did I say something?”
I tried my best not to laugh, but a smile still slipped through.
“Never change,” I told him and pressed another kisson his cheek. I was getting addicted to doing that, to showing the world that Hector was mine.
He was less shy this time and flashed me a genuine smile, white teeth and all, then excused himself for a moment to head into the hugging booth. He quickly gave Carol a donation that had her eyes practically shining with dollar signs. She was so enthusiastic that Hector had to struggle to extract himself from the situation.
I was smiling so hard as I watched the entire exchange. “And you say you’re not the absolute best,” I teased when Hector returned to my side.
His cheeks flushed as he cleared his throat. Hector might refuse to admit it, but he really was the biggest, kindest, teddy bear in this town.
He reconnected our hands, and we went to find our friends again.
