Page 90 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

I hadn’t had a chance to tell Jaxon yet, but beside a few minor fixes that I planned to do tomorrow morning the book had been fully restored. The only thing left was for me to translate the poetry inside. Already I pictured myself reading poems from the book to Jaxon as we lay in bed together.

“Thank you.” I gave her a grateful smile and we walked on. “It helps to hear you say that.”

She was right, of course. Jaxon wouldn't have offered if he didn’t want to. Part of me wondered if this was his way of asking me to stay a little longer. I really hoped so. But it wasn’t just about what I wanted. I had to think about how a temporary move would affect Dad, too.

We’d reached the rides set up in a large open field. “Where do you think the boys have gotten themselves off to?” she asked.

I craned my neck to see if I could find them in the ever moving crowd. “Jaxon texted me and said to meet them here.”

Suddenly, a little boy with sandy colored hair burst forth out from between the throngs of people. “Aunt Ange!”

His big gap tooth smile had me smiling back. He ran to Angela and grabbed her hand to yank her after him as he moved back through the crowd.

“Whoa, Davie. Where’s Jaxon and Paul?” she asked, laughing at his enthusiasm.

“They’re over there.” Davie threw his arm out to point at a nearby booth where a small crowd gathered. “Jaxon is trying to win me the Pikachu at the ring toss!”

“Why are there so many people watching him?” It was strange to hear people gasp as Jaxon threw the rings and missed. It was only a carnival game, not a professional sporting event.

Jaxon’s hulking frame stood behind a table at the large booth. He had two buckets placed in front of him, full of small red metal circles. The determined expression on his face, as he hefted up the red ring and tossed it, had me holding my breath, hoping he’d win.

I groaned along with the crowd when the ring pinged across three bottles before dropping to the floor. “How long has he been at this?”

“This is his tenth bucket.” Davie’s unrestrained laughter had me smiling along with him. Precocious or not, he was adorable.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Angela gasped. “Why?”

Davie shrugged, as though it was no big deal. “He’s already gotten one ring.” He pointed at the green bottle to the left that held a bright red ring around its neck. “And he said he promised me the stuffed animal and he wouldn’t stop until he got it.”

“How many more does he need?” I asked.

“Just one,” Davie answered before running back to the game tent.

Poor Jaxon had probably thought the game would be a piece of cake when he promised Davie the stuffie. And knowing Jaxon, he wasn’t about to go back on his promise, even if that meant spending fifty times what that prize was worth.

Jaxon’s eyes narrowed in concentration, his legs spread apart like he was about to throw down an ax, his wrist flicking up once, twice, and on the third he let it sail. I watched it arc up, and as if in slow motion, fall straight down, before bouncing off a bottle that had looked to be directly beneath it.

The sound of the ring plinking off the glass was covered up by the groans of the crowd and Jaxon’s snarl of frustration.

I moved next to him. “Hey, handsome, fancy meeting you here.”

He ran a hand down his face, smoothing his fingers over his beard. “Hey, beautiful.”

The poor guy looked so defeated. “Can I help?”

He shrugged and nodded. “I’ve been at this for the last thirty minutes. It was sheer luck that I landed the first one.”

I reached into the bucket and pulled out a ring. Eyeing the closest rows of bottles, I decided those would offer the least chance that the ring would ping off the surrounding bottles. I lifted the piece of metal, getting a feel of the weight of the disc in my hand. Placing the ring over my index finger, I held it in place with my thumb.

The trajectory needed to be accurate, and for the ring to fly flat and straight, I kept my wrist steady and near the center of my torso.

Concentrating, I set my eyes on the bottle I was aiming for, and gently lobbed the ring, keeping my arc low and allowing it to spin, not wobble.

Bull’s eye!The ping of glass rang out, and the crowd let out a little cheer.

Hole in one.

“How did you do that?” Jaxon muttered, his eyebrow raised and his arms crossed over his broad chest.