Page 34 of Sophia & Cameron

“I’m not a princess, remember?” Sophia folded her arms. “I don’t need you to open the door for me.”

He wanted to argue but thought better of it. Instead of pointing out that a man should be able to treat a lady well, he slipped his hand into hers and led her to the sidewalk. She bumped into him as if she intended on going to the front door, but he took a beeline for the side of the building and guided her toward a less busy alleyway.

Before she could ask him what they were doing in the alley, she stopped short. Her eyes trailed over the backside of the building. The bricks still showed signs of being scorched, but as the original building was still standing, the owners had made the best of the situation. A bright, colorful mural covered the damage. Apparently, the owners of the place didn’t want to pay to paint over the damage. The community had come together to create something new.

“What happened here?” she said.

“A fire.”

“I can see that,” she said with a laugh. “But what’s all this?” She gestured to the images painted on the building. Nothing about the mural was cohesive except for the fact that the people of this town had chosen to represent themselves. Horses, nature, other animals, and a beautiful sunset made this wall a work of art.

Cameron turned his attention to Sophia while she drank it in. “The owners of this pottery studio went through something horrific. They lost so much, but miraculously, most of the building survived.” He continued to watch her, waiting for her to realize the significance of why he’d brought her here. “Instead of spending their money to replace the exterior with new bricks or painting over it with the typical brick color, they brought the community together. The scars are still present, but so is the evidence of their strength.”

Sophia frowned as her focus darted to him, still not understanding what he was getting at.

“Do you think that painting over those scorch marks shows weakness?”

“Of course not…” she hedged.

He reached out and touched the red strands of her hair. Understanding dawned on her face and she blinked several times as emotion showed in her eyes. Cameron didn’t have to say anything more, but he did. “And neither does this.” He tucked her hair behind her ear.

For a moment he considered kissing her. But the moment didn’t feel quite right. Sophia broke their eye contact first when she grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the entrance of the alley.

“Come on. I want to take you somewhere.”

Cameron grinned as she pulled him along. He’d had more plans for them, but he got the distinct feeling that this would be better.

“Turn here.”

Cameron gave Sophia a side-eyed stare, then he smirked. Signs for the fair had been plastered all along this highway. He’d been aware that there was a fair in town, and he’d seriously considered recreating their first date. But after she’d shared the story about her choice in hairstyle, he’d known he needed something better.

He didn’t dare hope that she had a similar idea—nor that they could be even more perfectly matched. But if she did, then that would solidify everything he knew to be true.

The smile on her face was so like the smiles she’d given him back in Texas when they’d first met. She seemed freer with this one. It wasn’t a mask of who she thought everyone wanted her to be. With him, she was real.

When she directed them into the overfilled parking lot, he just knew it. She was going to take him up to the Ferris wheel, and they were going to look at the stars.

“What?” she demanded, and he blinked. Shoot, how long had he been staring? He shook his head, and she rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s go.” True to Sophia fashion, she didn’t allow him to open the door for her. By the time he got out of the truck and to her side, she was already striding toward the entrance to the fairgrounds.

Cameron slipped his hand into hers, and she didn’t pull away. His heart hammered in his chest when she gave his hand a little squeeze. He must be a complete sap. Already he could see a future with this woman. She had enchanted him from the moment he met her, and she still made him want to learn all he could about her.

His desire for her only increased when they got in line for the Ferris wheel. The smile on his face must have been all sorts of ridiculous because Sophia squeezed his hand again as she looked up at him. “What are you thinking?”

He shook his head and brought her hand to his lips. “If you knew what was going on in my head,” he murmured against her skin, “it would scare you off.” Cameron almost expected her to pull away at his confession. Heck, he had anticipated that she’d look nervous or demand that he expound on what he’d said.

But she didn’t.

Her expression was thoughtful, and if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of amusement toying at her lips. It almost disappointed him that she didn’t demand that he explain himself. There would be plenty of time for that later.

At the top of the Ferris wheel, she looked at the stars while he was happy to look at her.

“You know something?” she said as the Ferris wheel came to a halt to allow people to get on and off. “I’d never ridden a Ferris wheel before that day you took me on one.”

He scoffed. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

She turned to him with a laugh. “It’s true. That was the first time.”

He studied her, not seeing any lie in her eyes. “Why? Didn’t you do that sort of thing as a kid?”

---