Chapter 207

Judy’s POV

“I can’t believe we are actually at the fair right now,” I breathed as I stared around at all the rides and the colors. The crowd was insane because the fair was only in town for a couple more days, so everybody was having fun now.

“Does this make you happy?” He asked, observing me.

I nodded.

“Yes,” I admitted. “I’ve been wanting to come here with my friends, but we haven’t had any time to sneak away between work and school.”

He was quiet for a moment, processing my words.

“Are you okay with me being here with you instead of them?” He asked, glancing at me.

My heart swelled at his question.

I nodded slowly.

“Yes,” I told him. “I’m actually glad you are here with me. I have a feeling you never really had fun before. You are all work and Lycan duties. Do you ever have the chance to get out and have fun?”

He narrowed his eyes at me.

“I have fun,” he murmured, almost defensively.

I fought a laugh as I looked up at him.

“Oh yeah? Name one thing that you’ve done that you consider fun,” I said, raising my brows at him.

He thought about it for a moment.

“I went to a banquet a few weeks ago that I found enjoyable,” he replied.

I laughed.

“That’s not the kind of fun I’m talking about,” I told him, rolling my eyes. “I meant, going on rides and eating greasy foods… playing games.”

“Games?”

I nodded and pointed at the game stands that were set up.

“Yes and attempting to win prizes but never quite getting here because they are rigged.”

“Rigged?” He asked, glancing at me. “Is that legal?”

“I don’t know, but everyone knows the games at fairs are all rigged,” I tell him with a shrug. “It’s part of the fun.”

“How is that fun?”

I grin.

“Come on,” I tell him grabbing a hold of his hand. “I’ll show you.”

We went to one of the game stands; it was the game where we tossed rings on bottles, trying ot get the ring around the top of the bottle. It cost a few dollars, which Gavin insisted on paying even though it was my idea. He wasn’t going to let me pay for anything, which I found sweet but unnecessary. Now that my father was no longer in prison and his debt was paid, I had money to spare, and I could afford a few games at a fair. But he left no room for argument.

“Watch,” I told him.

I tossed a ring on top of a bottle and just as it looked as if it was going to make it, it fell off. Gavin’s frown deepened as he glared at the bottles. I tried again until I had no rings left, none of them landing on any of the bottles.

With a low growl, Gavin grabbed the guy by the throat, shocking me. His wolf was close to the surface as he growled loudly.

“Is this game rigged?” He asked, his tone gruff. “She threw those rings perfectly!!!”

The guy, who was no older than 18, stammered and said nervously, “It’s… it’s my job to make sure no one wins…” he admitted.

I couldn’t believe he actually admitted it; I always assumed it was rigged, but I never actually knew for sure.

“We’re going to play again,” he said in a growly tone that sent a shiver down my back.

The guy nodded, his entire body trembling as Gavin released him, handing him a bunch of rings without charging him the second time. He turned towards the ring and I watched with anticipation as he lined up. I took a step back, watching as he tossed the rings onto the bottle tops.

One by one he nailed it.

My mouth dropped open as the bell went off indicating a winner.

“Congratulations,” the guy said. “You can choose any prize you want.”

Gavin looked oddly victorious as he glanced at me.

“Choose your prize,” he told me, his tone gentle.

I flushed as I glanced up at the prize board. The giant purple bear caught my eye, so I pointed at that.

Gavin nodded at the guy.

“Wrap it up for us,” he said, as he took my hand and guided me away without a single look back at the man. The guy stared at him with a dumbstruck expression, probably confused about what had just happened.

“That was incredible,” I laughed. “Did you see the look on his face?”

Gavin chuckled; it was nice to see him a bit carefree for once.

“Yeah, I thought he was going to pass out,” he admitted. “So, what other things do you do at the fair?”

“Ride rides obviously,” I said, glancing at the rollercoaster in the distance. “Like that one.”

He followed my gaze and I swear I saw his face paling.

“There’s no way in hell I’m getting on that thing,” he told me, shaking his head.

I raised my brows at him and turned to look at him.

“Is the big bad Lycan afraid of roller coasters?” I asked.

He pressed his lips in a thin line and glared at me.

“I am not afraid of anything… but I won’t get on that death trap.”

I smirked and folded my arms across my chest.

“Kind of sounds like you’re afraid,” I teased, corking my brows at him.

“I’m not afraid,” he said again, firmly. “I’ve just had a bad experience on a roller coaster when I was a kid and never went on one again.”

There was a flash of vulnerability in his eyes, and I was surprised by it. I put my hand on his arm, showing him support and comfort.

“Want to talk about it?” I asked him.

He sighed and walked over to a bench, sitting down. I sat down beside him, waiting for him to start talking.

“I went on a roller coaster when I was a kid, it was my first and only time at a theme park. I didn’t realize how fast it was going to go and my stomach flipped upside down. Next thing I knew… I was getting sick. It got all over me and everyone on the coaster behind me. Afterwards, we left and I never went back again,” he told me.

“That must have been tough,” I said softly. “I’m sorry that happened to you. How old were you?”

“7.”

I tried to imagine a 7-year-old Gavin; he was around Matt’s age. I wondered if he looked like Matt; I knew Matt wasn’t his biological son, but they still shared the same gene and they do kind of look alike currently. I couldn’t imagine Matt getting on a roller coaster and embarrassing himself like that. I wondered if he ever went to a theme park or fair a day in his life.

I reached out and touched Gavin’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and keeping my hand placed on his.

“You were only a boy,” I said softly. “You can’t let that define your whole experience.”

“Told myself I’d never put myself through that again,” he said, lifting his gaze to look at me.

“Well, you’re an adult now,” I told him. “You have a stronger stomach and a fun companion who had run tons of roller coasters in her days. Maybe things will be different,” I suggested.

He looked at me for a moment longer and I could see the skepticism in his eyes for a long while. He looked like he was about to protest, so I held up my hand to stop him.

“How about we start with smaller rides first, and work our way up ot the roller coaster?” I suggested. He looked around for a moment at all the other rides that surrounded us. Some looked tougher, and others not so much. A small smile tipped the corner of his lips before he nodded.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” he finally said after a long pause.

With excitement, I stood to my feet. I couldn’t believe I was about to ride fair rides with Gavin; this was something I wasn’t expecting. If I had told a week ago that this was in the cards for me, I would have laughed.

For the next hour, we rode a ton of different rides. Including the carousel and the merry-go-round. A few times, I think I saw a smile tipping the corner of his lips. During the carousel, we could see the entire city from the top; we could even see both his villa and his mansion. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close and into his side, and I found myself melting against him.

This was nice, I had to admit.

We rode some faster rides as well and at that point, I did catch him laughing. I nudged him in one of the seats when I saw that he had a smile on his face and a laugh bubbled out of him during a small drop.

“You’re having fun,” I told him.

He smirked.

“Yeah,” he said simply. “Maybe I am.”

As the ride stopped and stumbled out, dizzy beyond belief, I turned to look at him.

“I think you are ready for the roller coaster,” I told him.

He narrowed his eyes at me and then at the coaster that was hidden in the distance.

“I think you’re ready,” I told him, pointing at the coaster.

He tensed as he followed my gaze, and I could tell he was about to deny me. But then his jaw tightened, and he nodded.

“Okay, yeah… let’s try this roller coaster,” he said, taking hold of my hand.

I happily led him to the line.