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I took a deep breath, thinking about baseball scores and moldy bread—anything to cool my body down so I could exit the ride with some dignity.

Thankfully, we had to wait for the people ahead of us to disembark. By the time I stepped out of the boat, I was mostly decent again.

“Where to next?” Joey asked as we made our way back to the midway between rides.

“I need a breather. How do you feel about getting some food?”

“You’re a lightweight, huh? Okay. I guess we can slow down. As long as you promise we can hit the Ring of Fire before the night’s over?”

“Anything you want, Joey.” I raised his hand to kiss his knuckles. “Let’s just pace ourselves.”

He pulled his hand from mine and stepped in closer, slipping his arms around my neck. “That’s always easier said than done with you,” he murmured.

I pressed my forehead to his. “Hm. Yeah. It is a challenge. But I want us to do this right. Dating. Connecting as people. I want to give you everything.”

“You already have, Kit. Just saying you want more…I never thought it could happen.”

“But how could it not?” I countered, brushing my nose against his. “When you’re so great?”

He rolled his eyes, not so easily convinced by my words. I’d just have to show him, again and again. I released him and stepped back. “Come on, let’s get some food and find a place to sit. Then you can drag me on all the rides you want.”

“Try not to sound so excited,” he said.

“Oh, I’m excited. I might have a heart attack by the time we leave.”

Joey laughed as we stepped into line. “Oh, I should get some cotton candy for my mom. She loves the stuff.”

“Sure,” I said. “We can get her some before we leave.”

“If you don’t mind going to my place tonight instead of yours?” Joey said. “You don’t have to meet my parents or anything,” he rushed out. “You can wait in the pool house while I⁠—”

“I want to meet them, Joey. As long as you’re okay with it.”

He swallowed, looking nervous. “I, um, haven’t told them I was dating you. I mean, they know I’m seeing someone, but not that you’re Dakota’s brother. I figured they’d freak out.”

I nodded. “So, we can reassure them together.”

“Yeah?”

I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him tighter to my side. “Yeah, Joey. We’re in this together now.”

He relaxed in my hold, laying his head on my shoulder. “That sounds really good.”

My heart thumped harder. Joey was putting his trust in me, and I never wanted to let him down.

The carnival closed up at ten, since it was a weekday night, and we carried our goods to the car next to families carrying their sleepy children. Joey had gotten a large cotton candy for his mom and a box of popcorn for his dad. I carried a stuffed purple octopus that I’d won for him after three tries—and close to fifty dollars, but who was counting? Winning your boyfriend a badass stuffed octopus was priceless.

Joey sent me a smile that was also worth every penny. “You outdid yourself with this date, Kit. You set the bar very high.”

“You think I can’t live up to it?” I asked.

He bumped me with a shoulder. “Oh, I know you will. You and those sexy freckles of yours.”

I smirked. “I’m more than my body parts, you know.”

For a second, he looked as if he might apologize. Then he caught my smirk and huffed. “As if you’re not dying to get those body parts all over me.”

“Busted,” I said with a laugh. “I guess you know me too well.”