Crossroads

Chapter 40

Lincoln just smiles, cupping my face with his hands before tilting it upward, that spark in his eyes shooting straight into my heart when he presses a kiss on my nose and whispers, "I'm good, Mia. I'll let you know when it gets too much, okay?"

The way he looks at me, that content smile on his face and this ocean of emotion in his eyes, I can't help but believe him. "Okay," I say before pressing a swift kiss on his lips, knowing I need to trust him now.

"Come on, let's get some cotton candy," he smiles, shooting me a wink before we make our way to the carnival.

It's been a while since I've been here. Even though I love it a lot, it still reminds me of Pops so much that I usually avoid it. Something feels different today, though, and I am looking forward to sharing this experience with Lincoln.

Rightfully so, apparently, because we end up having a lot of fun the whole day. We ride some of the smaller roller coasters, throw some hoops and even try ourselves at the whack a mole by the time evening rolls around.

"Wow, your aim is terrible - and you tell me you're a surgeon?" I chuckle, watching how he continuously misses each hit.

"Well, my patients are usually sedated and don't run off," he responds, still working on hitting at least one of them with narrowed eyes.

I can't help but laugh, although my laugh gets interrupted when he finally hits one on the head, and he instantly drops his hammer, raising his fists with wide eyes as he turns to look at me. "I did it!" he yells, and I can only nod my head, watching him with wide eyes. He laughs loudly and picks me up, and I'm so startled by that action that it takes me a moment to understand what is happening, my hands resting on his shoulders as I try to focus on the glimmer in his eyes. The second I do I'm hit with a wave of affection, the happiness radiating off of him smashes into me with high speed.

I'm still getting used to the content and happy version of him, and I can't help but grin back when he smiles so brightly, one might think he won every game in the carnival. And for just a second all the music, the blaring noises and chatter of people around is blacked out when he just looks at me, his eyes portraying such a strong range of emotion that I can't help but kiss him, wanting a piece of this happiness for myself.

He instantly gives in, tightening his grip around me while I run my hand through his hair, finding my thrill in exploring his mouth, in fighting his tongue, challenging his lips. It only takes seconds until I know we're close to dry humping each other in the middle of this carnival, and so I pull back, wiping some of my lipstick from his lips with a smile. "Come on, tiger. Let's get something to eat," I whisper, placing another kiss on his lips before he reluctantly lets me down, his hand instantly finding mine before we walk off.

We get some pretzels and eat them on our way to the Ferris wheel, which I insist on riding today - much to Link's dismay, who insists that those things will just fall apart if we swing it too hard.

"Have you never been on a Ferris wheel?" I ask as we stand in line for the cotton candy Lincoln demands he should have if he comes with me, the sun slowly starting to set in front of us.

"I think I have. I must've been a kid though, it's a faint memory," he smiles, "My mother loved those things."

His words make me smile and I look at him, squeezing his hand as he pays for and grabs the cotton candy with the other. "Sounds like your mother knew to appreciate the good things in life."

He laughs, and I can't deny that that just blows me away. I still see the pain in his eyes, see the sorrow on his features, but he can actually laugh at a memory of his mother now. It's so beautiful to see, I'm almost speechless when he retorts, "Oh yeah, she did. Although I wouldn't say this wheel of hell is one of them..."