Hakim chucked. “Oh, you do, do you?”
Lauren pointed ahead of the car. “The giant sign kind of gave it away.”
Hakim drove through the gate, which had opened as they approached. The gate swung close behind them and Hakim drove right up to the main walkway and parked in front of it. He and Lauren got out of the car and Lauren stopped to stare around her.
The theme park was definitely closed—there weren’t any people around—but the rides were lit up, as were the main pathways through the park.
“How did you do this?” She sounded amazed, then turned to him with a grin. “Wait, don’t tell me. You know a guy.”
Hakim laughed and held out his hand. Lauren took it, and he led her into the park. One of his clients sat on the board of the parent company that owned the park, so Hakim had asked for a favor and offered to pay for staff to keep the park open for a private tour and operate the rides.
Wandering through the park late at night by themselves was far more fun than being there with the crowds, Hakim thought, but even more fun was watching Lauren. She enthusiastically rode every ride, explored every side path, and pointed out all the little secrets of the park.
“Spent some time here, have you?” Hakim asked her, amused.
“I love this place. When we moved here, I would spend weekends here and every day I could during the summer. I wanted to work here when I was a teenager, but I was expected to do other things, like shadowing my mom.”
Hakim heard the sad note in her voice and tugged her hand toward another ride to distract her. “Come on, this is a good one.”
She grinned. “I know.”
At the top of the ride, where they could see the whole park bathed in bright moonlight, Lauren turned to him. “Can we do this again? I don’t mean having the park all to ourselves—though that is awesome, and thank you for that—but can we come here again?”
Hakim pretended to brush a strand of hair off her face, just so he could touch her. “I will take you wherever you want to go, whenever you want. Your wish is my command.”
Lauren grinned at him, leaning closer. “I thought that was my line.”
“Not anymore.” Hakim tilted her chin up and kissed her.
She opened her mouth under his, and Hakim tasted honey and vanilla, which was all Lauren. When she pulled back, he pressed his forehead to hers.
“Lauren, I want you in my life. I want a relationship with you. A real, official relationship.”
She leaned back and looked into his eyes, lifting her hand to touch his cheek. Then she smiled.
“Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, oh Romeo?”
He lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “Why, yes, I am.”
She grinned back. “Then yes, I will.”
Lauren kissed him and snuggled into his arms. He intertwined his fingers with hers, studying their joined hands as the ride came to an end. Hand in hand, they headed down the path away from the ride, when suddenly Lauren stopped, a hesitant look on her face.
Hakim knew exactly what she was thinking. “You want to ride it again?”
And there was the adorable wrinkled nose and sheepish smile. “Yes, please.”
He grinned and steered her back to the entrance. They rode the ride again, and when they exited, Lauren checked her phone.
“I hate to do this, but I need to get home. Your ruse won’t work forever, and I don’t want my mother finding out I was out tonight. And yes, I know how silly that sounds.”
Hakim shook his head. “I understand. We’ll figure out a plan tomorrow, but for tonight, let’s get you home.”
Chapter 21
Lauren
A sharp knock on her front door woke Lauren up the next morning. She stumbled out of bed and quickly threw on some sweats and a T-shirt.
“Hang on, I’m coming,” she yelled down the hall.
She quickly checked through the peephole in the door to see if she needed to worry about whoever was on the other side. The she dropped her forehead against the door. She definitely needed to worry.
She opened the door and said, “Hi, Mom.”
Patricia Sanders was not happy, Lauren could tell. In fact, she’d go so far as to say her mother was furious, which could mean only one thing.
“Lauren, aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“I just woke up, and I’m not really in the mood for company. Can we talk another time?”
Patricia pushed past her daughter, ignoring her request. Lauren sighed and closed the door, then walked past her mother into the kitchen.
“If you’re going to yell at me, I’m fixing coffee.”
When Patricia turned up her nose at the coffee Lauren pulled down from the cabinet, Lauren looked at her with a cold smile. “Oh, I’m not fixing coffee for you.”