Page 52 of Taming You

When we finally arrive, I hold back a groan as I see what the game is. I may be athletic enough and I know I’m good at hockey, but baseball was never my forte. Of course, this stupid game is knocking over glass bottles with a baseball.

I hand the attendant enough cash for three rounds. The first round, I only manage to knock off the top bottle, same with the second. The third time, I get two more bottles, but I still have three more to go to win. I hand them more cash and feel Zoey shaking her head beside me.

Three more rounds and three more fails.

“Matt, we can move on. Let’s find another one.”

I shake my head. I’ve got to win this for her.

I hand the attendant more cash, and this time I knock down all the bottles on the second round and instinctively punch the air in triumph.

“Which prize do you want?” the bored teenager asks.

I point directly to the prize I’ve been eyeing, and they pull it down for me. I hand it directly to Zoey, and her eyes bounce between the giant stuffed ladybug and me.

“It’s a ladybug,” she says, stating the obvious.

“It is.” I grin at her.

“You remembered.” Disbelief fills her voice.

“Of course, I remembered, Bug. How could I forget?”

Growing up, Liv and Zoey played in our yard a lot. Mom was a huge fan of gardening, and we had all types of flowers in both the front and backyard. One summer when the girls were probably seven or eight, we had several lovelinesses of ladybugs all over. Zoey was fascinated by them, and Mom told her about how they bring good luck. She became obsessed with them. She started wearing ladybug earrings and necklaces. Liv even got her a charm bracelet with a ladybug for Christmas one year when they were kids. As she’s grown up, she’s stopped wearing them. I’m not entirely sure as to why, but I’ll never forget the little girl who would lie in the grass and watch the ladybugs for hours.

She clutches the stuffed animal as if her life depends on it. The look in her eyes has me wanting to lean down and kiss her, but instead, I lead us towards the carousel. I make sure Jayden is secured properly, and we get on. I follow Zoey as she makes her way to a bright-blue horse, and I grab the pink one beside her. The music starts and the horses start moving around as they slowly move up and down. If I’m not checking on Jayden, my eyes are glued to Zoey. She sneaks a few peeks our way, too, and her soft smile means everything to me.

When the ride finishes, we make our way out, and Zoey comes to stand beside me. She leans into me, staring at Jayden, who stares right back at her. I can’t take my eyes off of her, though. My heart races as I take in the way her lashes flutter as she rests her head on my shoulder. I take a chance and link my fingers with hers, and when she accepts and smiles up at me, I swear my heart stops. We stand there for a few minutes, her at my side as she stares at Jayden and I stare at her, our fingers interlocked, and I soak in how perfect today has been so far. It’s more than I had hoped for.

CHAPTER 20

Zoey

Ihaven’t been excited about holding hands with a boy since I was in high school, but when Matthew Carter slipped his hand in mine and entwined our fingers, there was no stopping the giddy feeling that went through me. For all I know, it was just a friendly gesture as I leaned into his side to get a good look at Jayden, but the fact that he initiated it was everything.

As Matt drives us back to the city, I stare out the window, hiding the smile I can’t fight. Today has been amazing. Trying new foods, riding the rides, and playing stupid fair games that are really just a grab for money was exactly what I needed to take my mind off everything. The highlight of it all was when Matt kept playing the stupid ball toss game, determined to win, and when he finally did, he got me that adorable stuffed ladybug. I was obsessed as a kid. After Mrs. Carter told me about them bringing good luck, I hoped if I spent enough time with them maybe they’d bring me enough luck that my parents would be home more often and when they were home, they’d play with me. I was in high school when I finally gave up hope that the ladybugs would bring me luck. I all but abandoned my love for them. I stopped wearing my ladybug jewellery and stopped lying in the grass beside the Carters’ garden and watching them. By then, I knew my parents wouldn’t change and hoping they would was more energy than it was worth. I had my brothers and Liv, and that’s all I needed.

Matt winning that stuffed animal for me reminded a little of the joy they used to bring me.

“I had fun today,” Matt says, breaking me from my fog.

I offer him a smile. “Me, too. I never got to go to the fair as a kid.”

He looks at me, a little shocked. “Never?”

I shake my head and play with my hands in my lap. “Never. We didn’t have the money growing up. Henry, Kai, and Ezra all made sure I didn’t have to work as a teenager so I could focus on school and get to do a few extracurriculars, but there wasn’t any money for those things.”

I’m not sure Matt knows the extent of what my childhood was like. I’m pretty sure Henry had told his parents the gist of things when I was a kid because I was spending so much time at their house, and over the years, I’ve told Liv more and more and she has the whole picture now, but not many people know just how bad things with my parents were. I haven’t spoken to either of them in years. In fact, I’m not even sure if they’re alive, and as horrible as it is to say, I’m not sure I really care either way. They were never there for me growing up. They never attended school concerts, bandaged me up when I fell and scraped my knees, or even attended any of my graduations. My brothers and the Carters are the ones who were there for all of that.

“Well, we can’t have that anymore. It’s decided, next summer, you and I are hitting Playland, the PNE, too.” Matt becomes more enthusiastic as he continues. “We’ll get season passes and go as often as possible. We’ll ride the rollercoasters and the flume. We’ll try every food they have and play all the games. We’ll hit everything.”

His excitement is contagious, and I can’t wait for us to do all of it.

“I’m sure Liv would love to join us,” I say, and I swear I feel disappointment radiate off him at my words.

“I’m sure she would.” His voice doesn’t hold the same genuine excitement it had before.

As we enter the city, I watch as Matt starts tapping his thumb on the steering wheel, slowly increasing in speed before he finally says, “So, I was thinking about ordering some food in and watching movies. Jayden will probably crash for hours. Do you...” He looks over at me before looking back at the road. “Do you want to join me?” There’s a hint of vulnerability to his voice, like me saying no would genuinely disappoint him.

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