“Me!” Wolf raised his hand in the air.
“I want to try it,” Fitzgibbon said, looking as if he’d rather stand in front of a firing squad.
“Not me,” Aurora said, “but do you, Daddy.”
The rest of the kids and adults nodded or shook their heads. Everly answered yes, but her eyes were glued to Ronan. Tenknew if Ronan didn’t ride, Everly wouldn’t either. Ten wouldn’t ride that roller coaster for money.
Ronan swallowed so hard his throat clicked. Ten could feel anxiety rolling off him in waves. “I’m ready!” He looked anything but.
When Ten used his gift to read Ronan, he could feel his husband’s fear and pride. All the talks Ten heard about peer pressure had to do with not drinking or doing drugs at his friends’ insistence. This felt more like going with the flow. If Kaye were here, she would have said, “If your friends jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you jump too?” He had a feeling Ronan’s answer would be yes. Thankfully, Kaye wasn’t around to ask.
With knocking knees, Ronan and Jude rounded up the kids and headed back toward the Viper. Ten held his phone in one hand, filming Ronan, while the other helped push the double stroller Lizbet and Ezra were riding in.
“It looks even taller than before,” Ronan muttered when Ten joined him in front of the loop de loop.
“Are you sure about this?” Ten asked. “Once you’re on the platform and loaded into the seats, there’s no turning back. You’re either in, or you’re out.” Ten gave Ronan’s hand a squeeze. “There’s no shame in opting out.”
Ronan nodded. His eyes were on Everly as she cheered along with the riders as they did the first and then the second loop. Ten knew in that moment Ronan was truly in. He would do anything for his daughter.
“Let’s get in line,” Ronan said. He shot Ten two thumbs up.
“Is he gonna be okay?” Cope asked from Ten’s left side.
“I think so.” To be honest, Ten wasn’t sure what Ronan was going to be after this. He’d been by his husband’s side as they went up against hardened killers, and never once had he seen his husband flinch in the face of mortal danger. It was almost laughable that his brave husband was scared of the roller coaster. He supposed it would be like the Crocodile Hunter wrangling the deadliest animals with no fear and being afraid of a tiny spider in the shower.
“Do you think the kids will be okay?” Cope whispered.
Using his powers, he easily read Everly. She was raring to go. He sensed a little bit of fear in her, but this was a little girl who stood up to malignant spirits on a daily basis. She wasn’t going to let anything hold her back. Wolf was a black hole to Ten, so he had no idea what the little boy was thinking, but he hadn’t stopped jumping around since they’d gotten in line. “They’ll be fine.” Ten crossed his fingers, praying he was right.
“They’re up next,” Barb said, pointing to the platform.
Ten felt his stomach drop like it had done when he rode the Dragon earlier. He watched as Fitzgibbon and River got into the front seat. Ronan and Everly were behind them, and last were Jude and Wolf. The ride attendant went to every person to make sure their harness was locked securely in place. When he stepped back, he flashed a thumbs-up, and the coaster began its clunky climb to the top. Everly and Wolf waved from their seats. Both kids looked as if they were having the time of their lives. “Oh, fuck,” he muttered when the coaster sped down the tracks.
Everly screamed, nearly stopping Ten’s heart. All he could do was stand there and watch the coaster fly through the loops. He could still hear Everly, but now it sounded like she was laughing rather than screaming in terror. The car spun throughthe corkscrews, and before Ten could catch his breath, the car was coming to a stop and the passengers were getting off.
When Everly and Wolf got out of the car, they walked to the railing, looking down at everyone. “We did it!” both kids shouted.
Ten and Cope applauded. Aurora waved back. The kids were still jumping up and down when Ronan and Jude joined them. Both men gave a thumbs-up, along with Fitz and River, who Ten knew wanted to go again.
“Daddy, did you see that?” Everly asked. “I did it! I tamed the Viper. Dad’s gonna get us matching shirts.”
“I saw it and heard you screaming the whole way down the hill.” If Ten lived to be a hundred, he’d never forget that scream.
Everly giggled. “That was just me shouting out my fear. Uncle River told us to do that, and it worked. I had the bestest time.”
Ronan walked to Ten and wrapped his arms around him. “I’m the king of the world,” he whispered, sounding very much like he was about to abdicate the throne.
“You guys were amazing.” Ten meant every word.
“Let’s go again!” Wolf said, jumping up and down.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we do the Ferris wheel instead?” Ten paused to take everyone’s temperature. Wolf and Jude looked like they were about to object, but Ten continued before they could verbalize the complaint. “That’s the one ride we can all do together, even Barb, who hasn’t been able to do anything yet.”
“Let’s do it, Mommy. I want to ride the Paris wheel with you.”
Barb chucked and gave Brooke a hug. “Me too!”
As they walked toward the wheel, Ten noticed there seemed to be a commotion going on down on the midway. Some people screamed while others parted like the Red Sea.
