“Well, that’s romantic.”

“It actually was. Because he sees them, knows them, and he’s fine with them. He listed some of his own, and all I could think is, I’m fine with them. And I … I told him I loved him. Because I do.”

“The L word was exchanged, the biggest four-letter word there is. Yay! And about time.”

“About time? Teesh, we’ve only been together for a few months. Barely.”

Teesha just waved that aside. “You’ve known each other forever. And you’ve always had a thing for him.”

“No, I haven’t.”

Now she flipped a decisive index finger into a point. “Have, too—and don’t make me sound like Phin. Way back when you told me about Maya, you talked about her older brother. And there was this spark.”

“No.”

“Yes. That was more than ten years ago. You had a lot to say about him.”

“I did?”

“His art, his green eyes.”

“Oh God.” She sat down, laughed at herself. “You’re right. I did. I think, now that I can think about it, I fell for him the day I saw the drawings on the walls of his room. And then the way he looked at me—those eyes—when I said I really liked them.

“What was I? Seven? God.” With equal surprise and amusement, she slapped her hand on either side of her face and shook her head. “Then he shut the door in my face, as any respectable boy of ten would. I guess I never let it surface, especially after Lorilee.”

“Because in the endless stream of the space-time continuum, this was the time and the place.”

“Sure, that explains it.”

“Yes, it actually does. You’re good together, Adrian, so that’s number one, because a lot of people who fall for each other aren’t. And I’ve got to go.” She pushed up. “You know, Raylan’s kids are going to tell Phineas about the carnival. I’m going to end up getting my ass dragged there.”

“Yes! Let’s meet there. It’ll be fun. I’ll text Maya, see if she and Joe and the kids want in.”

“Are you making a crowd to hide your love?”

“No. We all deserve some fun. And hey, it’s a carnival.”

Long before the summer sun set, music blasted, rides whirled and twirled, kids—and plenty of adults—squealed. The air, filled with scents of fried sugar, grilled meat, bubbling grease, radiated heat and humidity.

Midway games drew hopefuls who’d shell out twenty bucks for a chance to win a two-dollar toy. Bells clanged, wheels spun, air guns popped.

The minute they parked in the field with dozens of cars, Bradley grabbed Raylan’s hand. “Let’s go, Dad! I’m starving. I want two hot dogs and fries and funnel cake and ice cream and—”

“If you eat half of that before you get on the rides, you’ll puke.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Yuh-huh. Pick some rides first, then chow, then we’ll do some games before any more rides.”

“I want the Matterhorn and the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Ferris wheel.” In her delight, Mariah executed a very nice cartwheel.

“You up for this?” Raylan asked Adrian.

“Absolutely.”

At the admissions booth he bought four full-access passes. Then scanned the wild maze of booths and rides. “Looks like Matterhorn’s first up.”

“I can ride it this year.” Mariah reached up for Adrian’s hand. “I wasn’t tall enough last year, but I grew. We measured and everything. I only have to do baby rides if I want.”

“How about you ride with me, Mo?”

“I can ride with Adrian, Daddy. We’re the girls.”

“We’re good,” Adrian assured him.

And they were, tucked together in the bobsled car, swinging out and in, faster and faster until the world was a blur. Beside her, Mariah let out screams, wild laughs, screams.

When they slowed, she beamed up at Adrian. “This was the most fun in my whole life!”

“There’s more where that came from.”

The minute they hit the ground again, Mariah leaped up into Raylan’s arms. “Can we do it again? Can we?”

“My fearless femme.” He rubbed his cheek to hers. “Sure. But why don’t we hit something else first?”

“Text from Teesha. They’re parking, and Maya and Joe pulled in right behind them.”

“Why don’t you tell her we’ll meet them at the Tilt-A-Whirl?”

“Can I get cotton candy when we eat?”

As they walked, Raylan looked down at Mariah, then over at Adrian. “You might have to put on blinders.”

“Do the ring toss, Dad. Can I have a penknife when you win?”

“When you’re thirteen,” Raylan told Bradley.

“That’s forever away!”

“How come you claimed you were almost a teenager the other day?”

Bradley executed the one-eighty flawlessly. “I almost am, so I should have a penknife.”

“Does not compute.” But Raylan paused by the ring-toss game, bought tickets. He spotted a fancy pink penknife, flipped the ring. Ringed the bottle with it.

“How did you do that?” Adrian demanded.

“It’s just hand-eye coordination and some basic physics.” He handed her the prize. “You’re old enough to have this. Be responsible.”

He won a gaudy necklace for Mariah, a pen with multicolored ink for Bradley.

“That shouldn’t have been possible,” Adrian commented as they continued to the next ride.

“Yeah, that’s what the guy running the game usually says.”

When they met up with the rest, Phineas studied the whirling ride with sorrow. “I’m not tall enough.”

“You will be next year,” Mariah told him. “I just got tall enough.”

“It’s all right, my man. I’m tall enough, but I don’t go on those puke machines.” Monroe already had the baby kicking his feet in his stroller. “You, me, and Thad are going to hit the other rides. Why don’t you give me your short stuff there, Maya, and I’ll take her with us.”

“Three to one?” Patting Quinn’s bottom in the front pack she wore, Maya shook her head. “I’ll stick with you this round.”

“I’ll rotate with you.” Joe leaned over to kiss Maya. Then rubbed his hands together. “I love me some puke machines. Ready for your first whirl, Collin? You just hit tall enough.”

He bit his lip. “I guess.”

“You don’t have to. You can come with us,” Maya told him.

“No, I can do it.”

He did it, but unlike Mariah, came off with eyes wide and shocked. He managed two more rides with eyes like blue glass moons.

“Let’s give Mom a chance, okay with you? We’ll help Monroe with the little guys.”

“Okay. We gotta be fair.” Wobbling a little, Collin took Joe’s hand as they walked toward the kiddie rides. “I didn’t puke.”

“Guts of steel.”

After the first round, they ate what Adrian judged to be a ridiculous amount of meat, sugar, and fat, then walked off what they could on the midway as dusk settled in and the lights began to beam.