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.
“I hope she got that on camera,” she said.
I laughed, again. “Me too.”
“How are you feeling about everything?” she asked me.
“I like him so much.” I didn’t think it through. This was probably something I shouldn’t have told my judgy little sister. Sometimes, she was a little too honest for my liking. It was almost as if she no longer had a filter, but I guessed that came with the territory of being a free spirit.
“What?” Ally said. I felt her studying my face as we watched Margie jump on Justin. I laughed. I was trying to avoid my sister’s gaze. I didn’t really know how to explain my feelings to her, but I knew I couldn’t ignore her forever.
I turned to Ally. I had to be honest with her because I needed to be honest with myself. “I like him a lot, Ally.”
“You need to be careful. Don’t forget about the arrangement you guys have.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said.