Page 127 of His to Cherish
Chapter 26
The first thing I noticed about Navy Pier, besides the loudness from thousands of chattering voices, was that the atmosphere was different here from anywhere else we’d been so far in Chicago.
It was definitely a family tourist spot. Aidan and I dodged strollers and small children as we made our way down the pier, skirting past the Children’s Museum and watching kids on the smaller rides as we headed back toward the large Ferris wheel.
“It’s huge,” I said, looking up at the large structure. My stomach began to tighten and I feared the loss of the hot dogs and massive amounts of other food I’d consumed earlier.
The line was long, and it was pretty much guaranteed that by the time we waited in line for thirty minutes I could psyche myself out of going on this ride. I always had before.
Aidan cursed under his breath and turned to me, tilting my chin to look up at him. He must have noticed my slightly green appearance, because he scowled and his brows pulled together.
“Shit, Chelsea. Are you afraid of heights?”
I puffed out my cheeks and blew out a breath, unable to take my eyes off the massive wheel in front of us. “Did you and Derrick really go on this ride?”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“I want to,” I said firmly. “If this is something you did with Derrick and want to share with me, I’ll do it.”
He shook his head, grasped my hand firmly in his, and went to tug me out of the line. “I don’t want to scare you.”
“I can do this.” I pulled him back into the line and gazed at his bright green, concern-lined, eyes. “Keep my mind off it, though, or I’ll talk myself out of it. Tell me about Derrick.”
He hesitated, but I was determined. Eventually, he nodded and relaxed next to me.
“Just talk to me,” I repeated when he remained silent.
For the next thirty minutes, he told me all about Derrick. Some of the things I already knew, like how much the kid loved sports, and how smart he was. He had a great sense of humor and was kind to everyone. He never had any problems in school and had a ton of friends, from kids in band to jocks to loners. Several times I wrapped my arm around Aidan, hugging him from the side as his chin began to tremble and he had to stop his story to collect himself.
I gave him the time he needed before he continued to talk about all the stupid crap Shane and Derrick used to do, like the time Derrick tried to scale the shed in their backyard by standing on a glass aquarium. His foot had slipped through, breaking the glass and slicing up his leg.
Fortunately, he hadn’t needed stitches.
I was still laughing at how dangerous and dumb boys could be when we were suddenly at the front of the line and Aidan was holding the tickets out to the attendant. He ushered us into the car, which I was sure was completely safe, just scary as hell.
My pulse was suddenly thundering inside my throat and my ears. If Aidan hadn’t been holding on to me, I was certain I would have run and jump off the side of the pier. It didn’t matter that I wanted to do this for him, I was scared shitless.
“We don’t have to,” he said again with a caring smile on his face.
“It’s okay,” I muttered, and stepped inside.
Across from us, an older couple took their seats, smiling and talking with each other.
I hated that I was terrified like a kid in front of other people.
“Just look at me,” Aidan whispered into my ear, making me jump. The chair rocked and one of my hands grabbed onto the side, the nails of my other hand dug into Aidan’s thigh.
“Holy crap,” I gasped.
“Hey.” He reached out, and with his thumb, he turned my chin until I was facing him, looking directly into his eyes. “Talk to me. There’s going to be some stopping and starting while other people get on, and it’s going to rock a little bit, but you’re safe.”
I gulped down a golf ball–size lump in my throat.
Slowly, I nodded, trusting Aidan.
It was silly to be afraid of heights. Nothing bad was going to happen, but even as I thought it, our car stopped and rocked. I inhaled a quick breath as my skin chilled.
“Damn it,” I muttered, and did the dumbest thing. I turned away from Aidan and looked down. Blood rushed from my face and my palms went clammy.
