Fast Track

Chapter Sixteen

Addie's POV:

As Jeb steered his truck into the city limits of Halifax, I couldn't help but notice all the people milling around town. "What's going on?" I asked, breaking the contented silence that he and I had been sharing as he drove.

"County Fair." he said, a smile in his tone. "I'd forgotten that it was happening this weekend. Want to go?"

"Hell yes!" I said. As soon as the words spilled from his lips, I caught sight of a massive ferris wheel in the middle of town. Since I was a little girl, the ferris wheel has always been my favorite. There was something about sitting in a swinging car, high above the ground as taking in the scenery that made you realize just how small you were in the big, big world. Seeing one today, after everythings that's happened, was just the cherry on top.

"Let's go drop our bags at the house, grab Brownie, and then we can head back. Should be back just in time to watch the fireworks." said Jeb, lacing his fingers with mine on top of the console between us. As he came to a stop at one of the few stop lights in town, he lifted my knuckles to his lips and placed a soft kiss there. When he lowered it, his thumb began to trail over my right finger, making me think about the absence of a piece of jewelry there. I knew that Jeb and I weren't ready to get married but that didn't mean that I hadn't been thinking about the possibility of it happening one day. Crazy the right person at the right time can make you start to think about things that you didn't even know you really wanted.

"Sounds good." I said, giving him a loving smile. "But just so you know, you can't tempt me with fireworks and not expect to have to be up on the ferris wheel to watch them."

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing that that was what I fully intended on doing then aint it?" He smiled as he eased the truck away from the stop light.

******

Jeb and I made it back to the fair just as the sun was setting. Without the glow warmth of the sun it was cooler, making me glad that we had stopped by his house before coming out here. His carhartt jacket might not pair well with my sweater dress and riding boots but at least I was halfway warm. The two of us walked through the still crowded streets hand in hand, getting stopped more than a few times by people who had already heard about his new job and position with JGR. A few of them even went as far as asking when they would get their wedding invitations in the mail to which we had both just laughed it off and changed the subject. To my surprise though, Jeb hadn't balked at the idea of marriage like I'd thought he would considering how he and Brandy were recently divorced. Most men in his situation would be running the other direction screaming if someone mentioned marriage in their presence so close after a divorce. The fact that Jeb wasn't just made the thoughts from earlier spring back to the front of my mind, reminding me that Jeb was the person that I could see myself spending the rest of my life with.

With that thought in my mind, I snuggled into Jeb's side, his arm wrapping around me protectively in an instant.

By the time we'd made it to the ferris wheel, I was pretty sure that I had met everyone in town. More than a few recognized me from the time that I was here not too long ago. All in all, even though I was the outsider in their tight knit community, they had welcomed me with open arms. And that just made me even happier.

"Next!" yelled the guy loading the ferris wheel, indicating that Jeb and I could climb on board.

Unlike most ferris wheels that were merely a double swing with a lap bar, these cars had cages on them that would hinder the view of the fireworks slightly but would also cut the chill of the cool night air. Jeb's hand landed on the small of my back as he walked us to the waiting car. Once seated, the operator shut the door and secured it before slowly moving the wheel around to load the next car.