“Awesome” seemed like an overstatement, but Sarah refused to chicken out now. Being with Wes and Marissa was good for her soul. She liked spending time with them. The little girl was smart and funny and sweet, and Wes was an amazing dad. He obviously put Marissa’s needs first and was doing his best raising her on his own. Sure, they had their differences, which made it difficult to connect sometimes, but Wes clearly adored his daughter, and that made him even more irresistible.

The ride stopped, and Sarah scanned the row of people in front of them. A quick math calculation had her pulse racing. Shit, they were on next. The exit gate opened, and she watched the slightly dizzy group of people leave the ride, swaying left and right as though trying to get their sea legs.

“Well, they survived,” Wes said.

“That’s debatable,” she said, nodding at the man running toward the nearest trash can.

The line shuffled forward, and Wes tore four tickets off the set and handed them to the young kid operating the ride.

“How many?” the kid asked.

“Four!” Marissa said, jumping up and down.

“Three adults? You’ll need two cars—two in each. Make sure the lightest is on the inside,” he said, reaching past them for the next riders.

“I’m with Aunt Lia,” Marissa said, and Lia nodded.

Wes looked slightly panicked. “You don’t want to ride with me?”

“I can do that later. Have fun, you two!” she said, shooting them a grin as she and Lia ran off to get the light-blue car she’d been eyeing in line.

“We’ll meet you at the ride exit…” Wes called after them before turning to Sarah. “So, it’s you and me?”

Her heart was pounding out of her chest, and she hadn’t even gotten on the ride yet. “Or we could sneak out the exit. They’d never know.”

The gate clicked, locking them in, and Wes looked terrified. “I don’t think that’s an option. That one is still empty,” he said, nodding to a green car behind her.

Sarah followed him to the car, and he opened the small metal door for her to climb in first. “Lightest on the inside,” he said.

She was very aware of his gaze on her ass as she climbed into the seat, and her pulse was racing as he climbed in next to her and his large thigh touched hers in the cramped space. He closed the door, secured the latch, and pulled the safety bar down over their laps. It clicked in place, and Sarah gripped it tight, her mouth going dry as she forced a calming breath.

Across the way, Marissa leaned out of her car with Lia to wave at them. The smug little smile on her face suggested she’d planned this.