“Yeah,” Ella says.
When we reach the front of the line, the attendant straps Ella into the passenger seat next to Jamie. I slide into my own car two rows back. The vinyl seat is cracked and slightly sticky, and the whole ride smells like funnel cake and gasoline, but Ella's squealing with excitement, so none of it matters.
“May the best driver win,” Jamie calls over his shoulder, his smile easy as though this is exactly where he wants to be.
It’s exactly where I want him to be, too.
The buzzer sounds, and suddenly we're off.
Immediately, I press down on the pedal, only for my car to lurch forward, and I overcorrect, spinning in a slow circle before I even make it five feet. Jamie’s already spotted me—I can see him grinning as he steers toward me with Ella shrieking in delight beside him.
“Watch out, Mama!” Ella yells just before they slam into my side.
The impact jolts me, and I can't help but laugh. “Oh, you're going down, Nicks!”
I manage to get my car straightened out and gun it toward them. Jamie's trying to reverse, but he's blocked by another car, and I seize my opportunity. I crash into them head-on, and Ella throws her hands up like she's on a roller coaster.
“Again! Again!” she shouts.
We spend the next few minutes in complete chaos—bumping, spinning, laughing. Every time Jamie gets close, I manage to dodge him, and every time I line up a shot, he swerves away at the last second.
“You're pretty good at this,” Jamie says when we finally pull up, side by side during a brief lull.
“Don't sound so surprised,” I shoot back, as I whack their car and drive past them.
I can’t smile for too long because another car bumps me in the side two seconds later.
When the buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the ride, we all come to a stop. The attendant starts making his rounds, unstrapping everyone, and when he gets to Ella, she's still bouncing in her seat.
“That was so fun! Can we go again?” she asks.
“Shall we see what else we can do first?” I suggest. “Then come back?”
Ella nods, and as we’re walking away from the ride, Ella skips ahead to a couple of the stands. Jamie falls into step beside me,and he’s close enough that our arms brush. His pinkie grazes mine once. Then again.
I look down at our hands, and a second later, his palm slides into mine. It’s tentative at first, and when I don’t pull away, he laces our hands together.
I don’t look at him. I don’t think I can without blushing.
I just let myself enjoy the warm, tingly feeling making its way through my chest as I let myself enjoy this. I feel like a kid again. Not a mom with a three-year-old, but the girl that I maybe could’ve been if I hadn’t gotten pregnant so young.
We wander through the carnival, stopping at every game that catches Ella’s eye. She tries the ring toss and misses spectacularly, the plastic rings clattering uselessly against the bottles.
“It’s okay,” Jamie says easily, crouching beside her. “You want to try again?”
She shakes her head, already looking for the next booth.
When we reach the water-shooter game, Ella slows, watching the stream of kids spraying water at tiny metal targets.
“This one,” she says, pointing.
Jamie grins and hands the attendant a few bills. “Alright. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Ella climbs onto the stool and grabs the handle with both hands. The buzzer sounds, and she squeezes the trigger.
The water sprays everywhere except the target.
Her smile falters. “It’s not working.”