“Minx,” he growls, picking the ball up again.
My hand cups him firmer this time and I watch as a bead of sweat begins pooling at his temple. He swallows, his eyes darkening, but I’m enjoying this far too much to stop.
Taking a deep breath, he brings his arm up and throws.
“You win whatever you want,” a bored voice grumbles from the booth.
Drawing back and shaking my head of lust, I pout. “Damn it.”
“Nothing will ever come between me and something I want, firefly. You should know this by now.” He laughs and turns toward the young kid. “I’ll take that one, please.”
Theo squeals after he receives his prize, clutching it to his chest like he’ll never let it go.
“It’s a stuffed toy.” I chuckle.
He glances up, his mouth agape. “A toy? A stuffed toy? Firefly, this is Thor. The greatest Avenger ever known.”
Shrugging, I say, “Oh, I don’t know. I was more of a Loki girl.”
“Take that back right now,” he exclaims, eyes wide.
“Never.”
Quick as the God of Thunder himself, Theo hauls me into his arms, nuzzling his head into my neck. “You really love pushing my buttons, don’t you?”
I hum, my head tilted to allow him access. “That’s half the fun.” A child screaming in excitement brings me back to my senses and I pull away. “Come on, there’s a corndog with my name on it over there.”
Climbing into the Ferris wheel cart, I shift over to let Theo in. It wobbles unevenly, creaking under his large frame. My body slides of its own accord as the weight moves to one side. His arm wraps around my shoulder, and I lean into him.
The guy manning the ride closes the gate, trapping us in. I panic for a moment, knowing we’re going to be high in the air, and vertigo hits me before we’ve even moved. Theo, apparently sensing my internal freakout, pulls me closer, placing a kiss on the top of my head, and my body instantly relaxes in his hold.
We spent the afternoon walking around, teasing each other and laughing until it hurt. Theo played a few more games while I kept him distracted. Eventually, we settled on a bench with hot chocolate, snuggled close as we watched the world drift past.
The cart creaks as we ascend, climbing higher and higher. The wind blows, making me shiver, but I don’t feel cold. Not when I have the giant sitting next to me giving me his warmth. The city comes into view, and I can imagine how magical it would be to see all this at night with the lights on and the night sky twinkling.
I let out a sigh of contentment. Not having felt this way for such a long time, it’s a novel feeling. I know I shouldn’t get used to it, but I no longer want to fight it either. I don’t have the energy to anymore. Theo promised me my job would be safe and no one would find out. I have to trust that. Trust in him that he won’t let me down again.
“I had a thought about Oscar’s birthday party and wanted to ask your opinion,” he says, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” I reply, snuggling further into him.
“I’d love to give him what he asked for the other night at dinner… you know, with all the superheroes and stuff.”
I sit up and look at him. “As much as I’d love to, we don’t have anywhere to hold all that,” I tell him, upset that I can’t give my sonthe one thing I know he’d love. “You live in a penthouse, and it’s not really designed for a ton of small children running around,” I point out.
“That’s where James comes in.” He smiles. “He has a garden big enough for what we need. I’ve already got Raven and Lauren on board with the organizing.”
If I didn’t love this man already, I think this would have been the tipping point. “Really?” I gush, an excited feeling hitting me. “He’d love that so much.”
“That’s what I thought,” he replies, smiling. “Lauren and Raven said to give you their number. They want you to be involved so you don’t think they’re taking over everything.”
“Of course. Thank you.” My voice becomes hoarse. I’m not used to people helping me or doing things like this for Oscar and me. It’s hard to accept, but Theo wants to be a dad, and I want him to have that.
They’ve formed a bond I could only dream of. Watching them together the last few weeks has soothed me in a way I didn’t realize I was missing until I felt it. I think it’s the same for Oscar as well; the way he lights up when he knows he’s going to see his dad is a beautiful thing to witness.
We get to the top of the wheel, and the cart lurches as we come to a stop. I breathe in the moment, enjoying the wind in my hair and the sounds below.
“We still have a few hours left before we have to get back for Oscar,” Theo says, his tone low.
