Page 72 of Declan
I turn and stroll away to look at some warning posters on the wall, letting my smile free. That tinge of fear in his eyes is everything. Declan and I are going to destroy him.
IT DOESN ’T SEEM LIKE IT WOULD BE A HARD THING, GETTING A BUNCH OF GROWN MEN INTO WIND outfits. But it’s actually a shit show. I’m still not convinced I want to do this, though it seems a hell of a lot safer than the roller coaster. I would have gone back to ride it. Maybe. Ok, no way was I ever getting on that thing. But Declan doesn’t need to know that.
Turns out, I don’t have to worry. I don’t meet the weight guidelines, and, thank god, I get to sit this out. We all gather around the instructors. It was one younger guy, but when they saw the level of enthusiasm in our group, they got more help to wrangle us. Now a college kid is trying to give us the safety lecture and not getting very far. Every time he opens his mouth, another brother pops off on a tangent.
“Hope you didn’t eat too recently. Can you imagine blowing chunks in there? It would fly right back in your mouth,” Kade mutters to Micah. Becca, beside him, grimaces and casually elbows him in the stomach then eases to the back of the group, scowling at her boyfriend. She stops beside me, patting her stomach.
“Asshole fed me Sushi before we came. I did not know we were coming here, and I really don’t want to think about them puking.”
“I just ate a burger the size of my head and fries to soak up the very big drink I had. Too bad I can’t go,” I say with a very fake sigh.
“Want to blow this joint? We could call a cab, go hit the town on our own.”
“We could, but we’d miss them,” I say, pointing at the guys looming over the instructor. “And that’s going to be worth watching. Trust me.”
She bites her lip, studying the guys. Finally, a smile breaks free. “Yeah. You’re right. Ten bucks says Kade pukes.”
I shake my head. “Suckers bet. They’re definitely puking. The only question is whether it’s inside that wind tunnel or not.” I turn to her. “Would you actually want to do this? If you could, I mean?”
She grins maniacally. “Oh yeah, I would. But I really don’t want to taste my Crispy Crunch roll on the way back up, so I’m ok missing out today.”
“Agreed,” I say, thinking of how not delicious my burger and fries would be the second time around.
Plan settled, we drop onto a long bench to watch. Holly wanders over with a wobbly-lipped Mia. “Evie’s in the bathroom, so Mia and I are hanging out. But Miss Mia is not happy,” she says with a gentle smile.
“Hey, little bit,” Becca says. “What’s the matter?”
“I no go,” she says, dropping her head to Holly’s shoulder. “I too little.” She says little with a ‘w’ and it’s freaking yummy. “Who you?” She asks, staring at me.
“My name is Cara. I work with your new step-daddy.”
She lifts her head, looking at me in confusion. “Step?”
I look at Holly and Becca, but they don’t look like they’re planning to step in. I am not a kid person. I didn’t babysit when I was younger. Instead, I got a job at the concession at the football field as soon as I was old enough. I thought I’d get way more time to watch the guys in their tight pants, but nope, I was run off my feet every game. Not my brightest plan.
“Um...a step-daddy is when your mommy marries another man, so he becomes a step-daddy.” There. That was easy.
“Mommy no been married. I don’t got’s a daddy.”
“Oh, well. I think people will still call him your step-daddy.”
She frowns, looking towards Colt, currently arguing with one of the young instructors.
“It’s not discrimination, sir, I assure you,” the kid says. I can see his throat bob from here. “It’s physics. You’re simply too large to get any lift.”
“Well then, just crank up the wind.”
“Sir, I can’t crank it up high enough for you to get off the ground.”
“Are you calling me fat?” Colt’s voice is rising in pitch. He slaps his hands on his hips. The suit he insisted on putting on, the suit that billows around the rest of his brother's bodies is clinging to him like a second skin.
The kid’s face is bright red. “No. Sir, of course not. It’s just the aerodynamics. The fan won’t give you any lift.”
“Any reason why I can’t go in there and give it a shot?” he asks as he crosses his arms, staring down at the kid. He’s completely intimidating, and the kid backs up with a gulp.
“Well, no.”
“Good, let’s go.”
