Page 33

Chapter

Thirty

HADLEY

Kendall: I miss you!

Hadley: I miss you, too! How’s your summer?

Kendall: Weird. I’m ready to be back at Harrison.

Hadley: I’m so ready to see you.

“So, was I right?” Jonas smiles at me.

Jonas has two smiles. One is his Mona Lisa smile—pleased but closed-mouthed.

And the other one is a full-on grin. I can see why he doesn’t give everyone the high-wattage version all the time, because it’s like the sun appearing on a cloudy day.

Absolutely blinding. He’d have every female in the vicinity throwing herself at him (and some males, too) if he brought that sucker out constantly.

He does now. And it takes my breath away.

“Yeah,” I croak. “Although is it normal that the fairgrounds are in the middle of town?”

“I thought the same thing! They should be in the country, right?” His eyes light up at our similarity, and my heart lurches.

When Jonas came home from a shift on the pediatric floor, he was practically vibrating off the walls. One of the other nurses told him the county fair was happening this week, and he rushed home to our apartment and insisted we go. He said he knew I’d love it.

He’s right. The air smells like sugar, fried food, and sun-warmed earth.

Surprising both of us, the fairgrounds aren’t in the country, surrounded by big sky and corn fields, but in the middle of the action next to one of the local high schools.

Weird. But there’s junk food in my future and a Ferris wheel looming overhead, so I can overlook the incongruous setting.

“What do you want to do first?” he asks, his shoulder bumping mine. We can’t stop touching each other. Elbows, shoulders, hips—little brushes that anchor me and at the same time, make my heart beat faster. “Cheryl said they have all the normal fair stuff—rides, games, and food—and also livestock.”

“Livestock?” I echo. “What?”

He points to a sprawling white barn to our left. “I guess kids bring their animals to be judged? She mentioned horses, cows, llamas, and bunnies.”

“Ohmigosh, bunnies, obviously! Let’s go.”

Our knuckles brush as we amble towards the barn. Not interlaced or holding hands,

but like our fingers can’t help flirting with each other. Which makes sense because the rest of me can’t stop flirting with Jonas, either.

Is this a date? The butterflies in my stomach think so. Do I want to make things public between us and keep going on dates with him? Hunter could shove it, honestly, if he has a problem with me and Jonas. But we agreed this was a summer fling, and I need to stick to that.

Why does my heart sink at the thought?

I put it from my mind as we walk into the barn, and my eyes adjust to the dim light. The fried food smell disappears, overpowered by the sharp tang of farm animals and the sweet scent of fresh hay. Jonas leads me to a row of large cages, and I gasp.

“These are not bunnies.” I was picturing the little guys I see hopping around campus—brown, small ears that point up, fluffy white cotton ball tails.

These are rabbits—that’s the only word for it.

They are massive, the size of large house cats, with long droopy ears and soulful brown eyes.

I immediately want to scoop one and cuddle it.

“Seriously.” Jonas blinks, taking them in. “I guess country rabbits are different from city ones?”

“They look so soft.”

There are rabbits of all colors—black, white, brown, and a mix of all three. Their coats gleam in the low light.

“You can touch them, if you want.”

The voice comes out of nowhere, and I jump. A little girl, probably about seven or eight, with two pigtail braids, freckles, and crooked teeth, stands next to Jonas. She points at a massive brown rabbit. “That one’s mine.”

“Really?” I ask, and she nods. “What’s his name?”

“Bambi.”

Jonas and I share a confused glance—I thought Bambi was a deer—but we go with it.

The little girl demonstrates how to pet him, slipping her fingers through the bars of the cage and stroking his side.

“How old is he?” Jonas asks, stepping closer and crouching at eye level with the girl and the rabbit. She blushes under his attention, and yeah girl, I get it.

“He’s three.”

“Well, he looks very, um, healthy,” I tell her, unsure how to compliment a big, fat rabbit. That must be okay because she beams at me.

“His competition is tonight,” she tells us.

“Do you think he’ll win?” Jonas asks her, sticking his fingers through the spaces in the cage like she did.

She nods. “He has a decent chance.”

“Hadley.” He turns to me, his eyes glowing. “You’ve gotta feel this rabbit. It’s the softest thing I’ve ever touched.”

“Chinchillas are the softest animal in the world,” the little girl says, “but I bet Bambi is second.”

“Have you ever pet a chinchilla?” I step closer and wedge my fingers into the gap. It’s like stroking downy fluff, softer than velvet or the puppies at the shelter. I love it.

She shakes her head. “No, but I want to test it out.”

“I bet Bambi is the softest rabbit here,” Jonas says, standing and placing his hand on my lower back. I shiver, not because I’m cold.

The little girl nods. “I know he is. I touched them all.”

“That’s solid research.” He holds out his hand for a fist bump, and she smiles and returns it. “And good luck to you both during the judging.”

“Thanks for letting us meet him,” I tell her. “Have fun.”

Waving, we amble on, visiting the goats, cows, and horses. None of them entice me to pet them, though. The goats have crazy eyes, and the cows and horses are way bigger up close. The llamas ignore us entirely.

“Thanks for this,” I say as we exit the barn. I glance around, but I doubt there are any other college students who know us here. So I lace my fingers through his like I’ve been wanting to do this whole time.

“Of course.” Jonas smiles at me, squeezing my hand. “I know you want to travel and have wild adventures and experiences, but I love that you find enjoyment in everything, even a little county fair.”

“I’m a city girl, no doubt about it.” I shudder, thinking again of how massive those farm animals were and the way they smelled. “Give me car exhaust fumes any day. But this is fun.”

“But the evening would not be complete without…” He clears his throat, and I raise my brow, waiting for the answer. “Fair food.”

My stomach growls in response. Yes, please.

“Lead the way, Joe.”

I can’t decide between cotton candy and funnel cake, so we get one of each to share.

“Cotton candy makes me think of you,” Jonas says, pulling off a fluffy bite and stuffing it into his mouth.

“Why?” I take a bite of my own, licking the spun sugar off my fingers.

He shrugs, blushing. “Do you have perfume or shampoo with this scent? Because that’s what you smell like.”

That’s adorable. I stop walking, and he does the same, facing me. “It’s a perfume. But what do I taste like?”

Leaning in, he nips my lip in a quick kiss. “Mmm, delicious.”

With a grin, I feed him a piece of funnel cake. “Which do you like better, cotton candy or funnel cake?”

He licks his lips. “Used to be the funnel cake, even though the powdered sugar is so messy. But now, cotton candy will always remind me of you. It’s my new favorite.”

I scoop the last bite off the cone and pretend to put it in his mouth before changing directions at the last minute and eating it myself.

“And how do you feel about Ferris wheels?” I point at the ride in front of us, painted white and pink with twinkling yellow lights.

“I’m up for it if you are.” He elbows me. “Get it? Up for it?”

“Oh, Joe. For that, I’m stealing the funnel cake, too.” I swipe the rest of dessert and throw away the plate while he gets us tickets to ride the Ferris wheel.

We don’t have long to wait before it’s our turn, and the guy manning the Ferris wheel lifts the bar and we climb into our cart. Jonas puts his arm around the back of it, ostensibly just resting it there, but I lean into him. I like sitting this close to him.

The car lurches forward and we zoom up. Jonas tenses next to me and tightens his grip.

“Hey, you okay?” I ask.

He stares straight ahead. “Maybe I should have mentioned I don’t love heights.”

“Jonas!” My tone scolds. “You said you were up for it! You liar.”

“It sounded like so much fun with you.” His voice wobbles. “I forgot it would be terrifying.”

I grab onto him as the car zooms up again. “I promise I won’t let go.”

He yelps a little and squeezes his eyes closed. “This is embarrassing.”

“No worse than me passing out at the sight of blood. We all have our things. Do you want me to tell them you need to get off?”

Still without looking, he shakes his head. “Distract me.”

“Okay. How about you tell me your favorite part of summer so far.”

“Is it too corny if I say you?”

“Yes, it is.” I roll my eyes, though he can’t see it.

“What about if I say spending time with friends?”

“I’ll allow it.” My chest warms at his words. “And what are you most concerned about when the semester starts?”

He huffs a shallow laugh. “Can I be honest?”

“Of course.”

Jonas opens his eyes and gazes right at me.

“I’m concerned about hockey, that I’ll let the team down again.

I’m concerned about the future, about making the right choice.

I’m concerned things will get weird with my best friend once she—” He pauses and swallows.

“Once she moves out. I’m concerned I’ll never be as happy as I am right now. ”

“Oh, Joe.” I rest my head on his shoulder. “I guarantee you’ll be happier than you are on the Ferris wheel of death you hate.”

“Of death?” His voice climbs. “Why did you have to call it that?”

“Because it’s about to get worse.”

As I say this, the ride starts in earnest, spinning around once all the passengers are aboard. Jonas clings to me, and I can’t help it, I laugh at his terror.

“Hey, I need to tell you something,” I whisper in his ear. “You didn’t let anyone down on the hockey team. It wasn’t your fault.”

He shakes his head. “I should have made that goal. I could have changed everything.”

“That’s not how the game works, and you know it.” I squeeze him, letting my hands wander around his rock-hard abs. “You wouldn’t let any of your teammates talk to themselves that way, so don’t do it in your own head.”

I clear my throat as the ride slows and we stop at the top. “Now, do you trust me?”

“Yes.” His voice is still shaky and his posture stiff.

“You should check out the view.”

“You promise you won’t let go of me?”

“Never.”

“Okay.”

Clinging to me, he opens his eyes and gasps, then shuts them quickly.

“What did you think?” I ask.

“It was…okay.”

I laugh, studying the sky spread before me. It’s breathtaking. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, it is.” But Jonas isn’t gazing at the view. His eyes are open again and glued to me.

“Oh, come on. That’s even cornier than your Ferris wheel joke.”

“But staring at you helps me feel better.”

“Then you’re going to love this.”

As the car zooms down, I press my lips to his, cupping his face.

His hands tangle in my hair, and I deepen the kiss.

Heat gathers in my lower belly as his tongue ignites a fire inside me.

I want him, all of him. All the time. I want to scrap my nails along his abs and watch his face as he comes undone.

I want to wake next to him in the morning and be the first thing his eyes focus on.

I want this perfect summer to last forever.