No, the woman walking towards me is breathtaking. She holds the kind of beauty that could bring life to the deadest soul. The kind that would have the attention of every person in the room the moment she entered it. And the most powerful thing about her is, she knows it.
For the first time in four years, my body reacts. The hairs on my arms stand on end and my skin tingles as an unfamiliar excitement courses through my body, directly to my dick.
Noah practically bounces up and down with glee as they walk towards us, while Killian hides his hysterical laugh behind his fist. I keep my expression neutral, not wanting to give away the internal reaction my body is currently experiencing.
“Holy hotness,” I hear Savannahs friend whisper, and my lips twitch, a smirk fighting to break free.
“Noah, Killian, Grayson, you remember Savannah. This is her best friend and daughter, Olivia and Reign,” Hunter says, gesturing to the two girls we haven’t met before. “Girls, these are my brothers.”
Savannah gives us a small wave, “Hello again. Reigny say hello.” She says to her daughter, whose eyes haven’t left Noah since they walked up to us.
“Hello,” she says, her voice shy and unsure. She instantly reminds me of a younger Sapphire, and the thought has a rare smile escaping me.
Noah, being the attention whore he is, kneels in front of the young girl, handing her the teddy with a megawatt smile. “Hi Reign, this is for you. I’m Noah.”
She smiles widely at him before taking the bear and hugging it to her chest tightly. They exchange a few more words that have the others laughing, but I don’t hear what is said because my attention is focused on Olivia, who’s staring at my brother with hearts in her eyes as he stands and introduces himself. He lifts her hand to his mouth and places a kiss on her knuckles. The interaction has an unexpected anger coursing through my veins.
She smiles sweetly at him, and I glare at the side of his head, watching as a boyish blush creeps into his cheeks. I look away from him and my eyes immediately land on hers.
Blue.
Blue that rivals the cloudless sky behind white-capped mountains. The colour of the ocean on a tropical island. The kind of blue that is almost white in certain light.
I don’t offer any more than a tip of my hat as she stares into my soul as if she can see beyond the scowl on my face. I just return her perusal with my own uninterested one.
It doesn’t matter what kind of reaction my body has to the woman; I have no desire to entertain her.
She holds strong for a beat before breaking the eye contact and moving on to Killian. “Christ, do they put something in the water in this country?” She asks, fanning herself and drawing a laugh from the others.
Her accented voice wraps around me like an unwanted caress, and I turn my gaze away from them, instead focusing on the chaos happening around me.
Children’s laughter surrounds me as they zoom past us on fair-rides while their parents stand back taking pictures of them, capturing the moment forever. The smell of fried food and donuts are heavy in the air, and up-beat music plays somewhere in the background. The whole thing is joyous and exciting, but I can’t find any happiness in it at all.
The only thing I can focus on is the fact that Rueben should be here, experiencing all of this with his daughter.
***
“My mummy told me that I’m not supposed to say this, but you all have funny voices,” Reign tells me as she walksalong next to me, and I can’t hold the surprised laugh that escapes me.
“Is that right?”
The little girl nods at me, her eyes wide and innocent as I come to a stop and kneel in front of her. “Can I let you in on a little secret, Reign?”
She nods again. “You have a funny voice, too,” I whisper, earning a giggle from her that has a real smile breaking out.
“You’re funny, Gwayson,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the ring toss.
If only you knew, kid.
It’s funny to me that I prefer the company of a four-year-old child more than a typical adult. Much like horses, children are effortless. They have low expectations, and they’re a lot less judgmental.
Now, I’m not saying that children are completely nonjudgmental because that’d be a lie. I’ve been humbled more times than I care to admit by Sapphire. What I mean is; they’re just happy talking about the most mundane thing. They don’t want to know your innermost thoughts. Don’t push you to talk about your feelings and problems. They just have a way of making things lighter. And unlike most people in this town, they’re undeterred by my scowl.
Which is why I’m more than happy to allow Reign to drag me from stall to stall where I proceed to win heranotherbear. One that just so happens to be bigger than Noahs one, and a small, pettier part of me is smug over that fact.
Hunter and Savannah return from wherever it is they snuck off to, declaring it’s time to ride the Ferris wheel and the seven of us join the queue.
“Babybell!” Noah yells, waving to Killian’s sister, Bella, as she approaches us.
