Rebecca climbed onto the ride, and I slid in next to her. The Scrambler was one of those long armed, spider shaped rides that made you dizzy and, at the same time, gave you a mild form of whiplash. But Rebecca had insisted we go on it.

We pulled the bar down over our laps. Rebecca hung her head over the side of the ride to look at the long metal arm holding our cart in place. "I sure hope the guy taking tickets isn't the person who put this ride together. He looked kind of, kind of—"

"High? And maybe we should have pondered that question before we climbed onto this rickety looking ride."

She wrapped her arm around mine. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I think we have different definitions for adventure. To me—adventure is hiking up a mountain or rafting down a river. Getting thrown through a fair crowd trapped in a rusty ride car is not adventure."

Rebecca kissed my cheek. "I'm glad you thought of this. I haven't been to the fair in such a long time."

"Me neither. It's somehow smaller and less overwhelming now that I'm a grown up." The start to the ride was stalled as the ticket guy walked around to check that everyone's bars were locked in place. He got to one car and asked the small boy sitting next to his older sister to get out. Then walked him down to the sign that showed the height limit.

"Well, I misjudged the man," Rebecca quipped. "He's more with it than I gave him credit for. But I still hope he wasn't the person who built the ride."

"I second that." My phone rang. As badly as I wanted to ignore it, I'd told Dylan to call if he needed me. "Sorry, I've got to answer this." I turned my head away from the noise out in the fairground. Unfortunately, that meant closer to Rebecca. She pretended to busy herself watching the Ferris wheel across the way.

"What's up?"

"Wasn't sure if you'd answer. What the fuck is all that noise?"

"Did you call for a reason?" I barked through the phone.

"Yeah, I did. Tory cut her thumb badly on a broken glass. I need to take her to the clinic for stitches."

"Shit. It's that bad? I'm a good hour away. Who else is around that can watch the place until I get there?"

"Helena is taking over when I leave, but you know that's not ideal. So hurry back."

"Yeah, I'll be there soon." I hung up and put the phone back into my pocket.

"I heard," Rebecca said. "We'll head out as soon as the ride ends. I guess it's kind of hard on you with me living in the city, so far from your business and home."

"The moon wouldn't be too far as long as I knew you were at the end of the journey." I placed my hand on the back of her head and brought her mouth to mine for a quick kiss. "I'm just disappointed our evening is cut short."

"Me too."

While we waited for the kid's height to be checked, Rebecca rested her head against my shoulder. She laughed. "I was just thinking about when Michelle and Dad took us here. Em and I were getting off the scary monster cars that take you through the fun house, and her sandal got caught on the edge of the car." She lifted her head and laughed again. "And the cars were on a conveyor belt that never stopped, so we both stood by in horror as the car rolled away from us with Emily's sandal dangling precariously off the side. By the time we reached one of the workers to help us, the car had disappeared back into the fun house. They had to stop the entire ride and turn on the lights, ruining, of course, the special scary effects and everyone else's ride. Poor Em was mortified as she stood there with one shoe. Everyone was skewering her with angry glares while the workers looked for the sandal."

"I think she told me that story once." I curled my fingers around hers. "I think it was when we were at a carnival, and I asked her if she wanted to ride in the fun house. Her answer was a decisive no. Then she told me about the rogue sandal story."

"I'm glad I have someone to talk to about Emily. My dad really wanted to push the memories away. While the feelings were pretty mutual when he and my mom split up, he was genuinely heartbroken about losing Michelle." She looked over at me. "Sometimes I wonder if all this would be easier if that kiss had never happened. It would feel like a cleaner start."

I hadn't expected the topic change, so I took my time responding. It was something I'd thought about too, but every time, I came back to the same conclusion. The kiss was just one fleeting moment in a long string of moments. Even as far back as Rebecca's sixteenth birthday, things between us were changing. My gift wasn't just some quick, last second decision. I knew I wanted her to have my Iron Maiden t-shirt because I loved her. And Emily's reaction assured me that she was slowly figuring that out too.

"Rebel, that kiss—" I shook my head. "Shit, it's a kiss I will never forget. But, for me, that kiss had happened in my head and in my heart a million times before your lips pressed against mine."

The tinny music began playing, and the ride jolted to a start. The big metal arms creaked as if they needed new bolts. Rebecca was still gazing at me.

"Joshua," she said softly, and the sound of it tightened around my heart.