I finally catch him before he can run into the funhouse again. They call it fun, but there’s nothing humorous about trying to find a four-year-old in there. I haul him under my arm, like a sack of potatoes, back to Lyndi.
She tucks a stray strand of hair back into her bun and smiles at me so big I stumble over my own two feet. “Now you know why I didn’t want to come to this alone.”
“Thank goodness you didn’t.” I release Crew to her, then slip an arm around her waist. “I don’t know how you do it.”
She blinks, her eyelashes dusting the tiny freckles on her cheeks, then squints up at me. “A whole lot of caffeine and yoga pants.” She’s so honest, so truly herself, whether she’s trying to talk her child out of a supermarket fridge or cheering the loudest at a children’s soccer game. She’s brought the light and laughter back to the empty chambers of my heart.
I want to take a picture of her right here, so I can set her beautiful face as my home screen for the dark moments in my life.
“You’re incredible.“ I lean down to kiss Lyndi, but Crew jerks her hand, pulling her in the direction of the cotton candy.
I shake my head. I thought he and I were on the same team.
Crew finds fifteen more games he wants to play, and Lyndi finds just as much food to try.
And I love every minute of it.
Can I forgive myself?
The thought hits me again. The men I owe the most to can’t pick up my call. None of them asked me to try and fix the world for their sakes. That was a condition I put on myself.
So why the heck am I doing it? I’ve spent the last five years doing everything for them. What have I done for myself?
A ringing pulls me out of my thoughts. Lyndi uses her good hand to take her phone out of her dress pocket. Her face goes pale, and she swipes to decline the call.
“Everything okay?”
“Yep!” Her voice is five pitches higher than normal. She’s lying.
I kick up a loose piece of gravel. “Is something wrong with Maddie?”
“Oh, no.” A look of fear flashes across her face, but she quickly covers it with a shake of her head. “It’s just someone who keeps calling that I don’t want to talk to.”
I don’t like the sound of that. Despite my desire to turn all caveman and start growling, I bite it back and nod. She will tell me when she’s ready. Unless she doesn’t need me interfering in her life. I’m still only her fake boyfriend.
I shove a hand through my hair. I think it’s time to change that.
I swallow. “Lyndi—”
“No way. It’s you guys!” Someone approaches us.
I turn my attention to the woman. She has long brown hair and a smile so big I can count each of her teeth. She looks at us like she knows us. Not like she’s a friend, but more like she wants something from us.
“You’re that couple!” she yells, causing a few people around us to look over.
She adjusts the bag on her shoulder. “Oh my gosh, can you take off your shirt?”
She better be talking to me. I grab Lyndi and Crew’s hands and pull them behind me.
“I’m sorry. You must be mistaken,” I say through tight lips. But the woman is immune to the “back off” vibes I’m throwing out like grenades. She pulls out her phone, snapping photos like a one-woman paparazzi.
“Is this your little boy?” The woman peers around me. That is where I draw the line.
“Miss, you need to leave.” She doesn’t hear me, or simply doesn’t care, and continues clicking her phone.
“I can’t wait to post these. Can I get one with you?” She tugs on one of her curls and bats her eyes up at me.
“No.” I growl. “Posting other people’s photos is an invasion of their privacy.” I’m one second from ripping the phone out of her hands and smashing it on the ground. No one’s life is private anymore because of those stupid things.
