Page 44 of Wed to You-
“I want to win one.” Kaden tugged on Jagger’s hand. “Can I?”
In Chelsea’s experience, most carnival games were nearly impossible to win. But Jagger indulged Kaden, paying for him to fish out a plastic shark and toss a ring around an old-fashioned milk bottle.
“It’s too hard.” Kaden pouted.
“Maybe you should try.” Chelsea smirked at Jagger.
His brows rose. “Do I detect a hint of doubt in my carnival game ability?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Can you, Jagger? Can you win me something?”
“How about the basketball hoop?”
“Do you play basket ball?” Chelsea wondered if he’d played sports in school, as she had.
“I played lacrosse.”
She rolled her eyes. Of course he had.
“It’s all hand-eye coordination right?”
“Let’s see what you’ve got, Michael Jordon.” Chelsea laughed and took Kaden’s hand as they walked with Jagger to the basketball hoop game. Twenty-five dollars later, he’d won a five-dollar stuffed turtle for Kaden. It only took him another fifteen dollars to win Chelsea a tiny stuffed bear.
“Can you win something, Miss Beemer?” Kaden asked as they left the basketball hoops.
“The only game I might be able to win is the target shooting.”
“You can shoot a gun?” Kaden looked up at her with wide eyes.
She nodded. “Yes. I used to hunt with my brother.”
“Did you kill animals?”
Chelsea was well aware that some people felt hunting was for boys and was cruel for killing animals for sport. For her family, as for many other rural families in the South, hunting wasn’t a game. “We hunted for food. I’m famous for my venison burgers.”
“Really?” Jagger cocked brow hinted at intrigue. “BBQ and now venison.”
They reached the shooting game and Chelsea set her money on the counter. She hadn’t hunted since she was a teenager. Without Brian, it wasn’t the same. Mitch invited her along when he went, but she declined. Since he was always bringing her ground venison, it seemed he hunted enough for both of them.
She hit only two targets on the first try, but on the next two rounds won a stuffed tiger for Kaden and a stuffed banana, which she gave to Jagger.
Thirty minutes later, Jagger carried a nearly sleeping Kaden to the car. Chelsea walked with them, carrying their winnings. Jagger opened the door to his SUV and strapped Kaden into his car seat.
“I want to go on rides.” Kaden’s words were heavy with sleep andhis lids drooped.
“We need to get ready for Miss Beemer to come to dinner tonight.”
“’Kay.” His lids closed the rest of the way.
Chelsea smiled. “He wore himself out.”
“Me as well.” Jagger shut the door and then turned to her. “I may need a nap too.” He took the stuffed winnings, except her bear, and rounded the SUV to put them in the back. He shut the back hatch and then returned to the driver’s side where Chelsea was watching Kaden sleep.
“Today was nice.” Despite the awkwardness of their picnic and dealing with Lexie and Mitch, Chelsea had enjoyed the day. Watching Jagger with Kaden, and witnessing his determination to retain custody, had endeared him to her. He was attentive and loving, yet firm with boundaries when needed, which wasn’t often as Kaden was well behaved.
Jagger smiled. “I’m glad you think so. It worked out as a first date.”
