“Do you want to go on the Ferris wheel?” I asked and pointed at the large wheel ride.
“That looks too scary,” Margie said.
“It’s not scary. It’s fun. I’m sure we can see the whole city from the top,” Anna said. I could tell she was trying her best to make Margie feel better about the ride.
“I don’t know. It seems scary,” Margie said again.
“You two go; we’ll take her to get some cotton candy,” Millie said.
Margie squealed in delight. Anna and I looked at each other. “You want to go?” I asked. Anna nodded her head.
I led Anna to the Ferris wheel. The line was longer than it had been for the kiddie coaster. It took thirty minutes to get onto the ride, but we passed the time talking and laughing. Anna’s voice was something I enjoyed and wished I could hear all the time.
“I love Ferris wheels,” she said when we were almost to the front of the line. “When I was little and my parents would take me to the carnival, it was the first ride I rode on. My favorite part was when riders would get on, and the ride would stop right when I was at the top. I loved being able to look out across the city.”
I stared at her while she talked. Her eyes lit up when she talked about her childhood. I could tell she had a great one from the way her parents acted with Margie.
“Did it bother you when my parents told Margie to call them ‘nana’ and ‘papa’?” Anna asked.
I shook my head. “No, it didn’t. Did it bother you?”
“No, not at all,” she said, smiling at me.
I grabbed her hand and held it the rest of the time we stood in line.
“Are you ready for your next fight?” she asked me.
“Yeah, I think so. You know, as long as my good luck charm is there,” I winked at her.
She laughed. “Oh stop. I’m not your good luck charm. Look, you won your last fight, and I wasn’t there.”
“Yeah, but I almost lost. If you would have been there, I could have beat him in the first round.”
“Oh really?” she asked.
“Yes. I’m serious, Anna. Something about you being in the room just helps me concentrate,” I said.
“So, I’m an ego boost for you?” she said with a laugh.
I loved how easily she could laugh around me. “Kind of.” I received a slight hit on my arm.
We got onto the ride, and when we reached the top, the ride stopped to let more people on. I looked at Anna and said, “Looks like you got your wish.”
She smiled, and we looked out at the city. It was a magnificent view; she was right about that, but the best view was the childlike sense of wonder on her beautiful face. I leaned in, gently grabbed her face, and kissed her. Right there, at the top of the Ferris Wheel, overlooking the entire city, I knew I loved this woman. I hadn’t felt this way since Tammy died, and that was huge for me.
Chapter Twenty
Anna
When Justin kissed me on the Ferris wheel, I felt like we were in a movie. It was the most perfectly romantic moment of my entire life. It only intensified the feelings I already had for him. We got off the Ferris wheel and hurried back to everyone else. I watched as Justin ran around playing with Margie, and my dad joined them. I noticed my parents embraced Margie like she was their own grandchild.
I was so nervous when my mom told Margie to call them “nana” and “papa.” I had no idea how Justin was going to react. This was supposed to be all pretend, but it was very quickly becoming something real. At least, it was on my end. I was relieved when he said my parents’ request didn’t bother him.
Ally walked over to me. “That’s a picture-perfect moment. Good thing mom’s taking some pictures.”
“Better her than me,” I said.
We watched as Justin went to dodge Margie from getting him and he tripped and fell lightly on the ground. It wasn’t a hard fall. Ally and I laughed.