“Have you ever been to this park?” I took a deep breath.
The guys shook their heads but Cade grabbed Ivy’s hand with a smile and they skipped ahead.
Before we could continue our conversation, he looked back at us. “Phones on. I’m going to get a stroller for our princess here. We’ll do some rides and meet up soon.”
“Why don’t we just go with him?” I asked Bastian, but my wonderful arranged partner was already waving them goodbye.
“We’ve already got eyes on us. We need to play up that we’re having a good time together.”
“What?” I glanced around. I didn’t see anyone who looked suspicious. There weren’t any cameras in bushes or people holding microphones like they were going to come ask us a question. “I don’t see any cameramen, Bastian.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, and I waited for him to calm down.
The crowd fanned out around us as they entered the park. The place was big but still not large enough to accommodate the massive swarm of excited theme park fans. People were dressed in character, some ran in like they needed to catch the best rides, and others snapped picture after picture of the castle in the distance.
“Most use phones now. And there are underground gangs, crews, other businessmen following us. They want evidence and the media want photos.”
My eyes darted uncontrollably around, trying to spot spies.
“You won’t see them, Morina. Cade’s good at security and so he just knows.”
“So when he said I looked nice today…” I trailed off realizing my question had been stupid.
“He means you look like you should. We’re just supposed to be dating. Hand holding and what not, okay?”
“I don’t know if I want to hold your hand.”
“Sure you do. We can go shopping together and try out a ride or two.”
“Have you ever even been here? Do you like these things?”
“I didn’t go to theme parks growing up and didn’t have time for them as an adult.”
“I’m sorry about your mother,” I said softly. “I know that doesn’t really help to say because people have said it to me over and over again. Sometimes I want to punch them or scream that words don’t help. Still, I don’t know what else to say.”
He nodded and pulled out some sunglasses from his suit pocket. It was a great way to mask that emptiness every orphaned child felt. “I’m older now. It doesn’t hurt so much anymore.”
“Were you close to her?”
Chewing his cheek and sticking his fists in his pockets told me before he answered. “My mother held the family together. We were actually pretty happy and normal with her there. My father took her soul though and sucked her dry until I found her with a bottle of pills on the bathroom floor.”
I cleared my throat. My heart hurt for him like it hurt for myself. “She OD’ed.”
“She died of a broken heart and a man as evil as the devil took her life. My father deserved to rot in hell just for that.” Bastian murmured the words but they came out violent and full of hate.
“Then, I hope he is.” I patted his shoulder as he stared off into the theme park.
“If he wasn’t, he’s rolling in his grave now seeing me reconstruct his whole empire and make it mine.”
“For your mother then?” I asked and did a fake cheers. “Guess we’re going to be saying these vows for her?”
He chuckled. “Sure, Morina. Sure.” Although his aviators were reflective, I felt his gaze snap to mine. “How did your parents die?”
I stepped back, not wanting to discuss them either. “Their bus crashed.”
He hummed. “Death is a fucker. I’m sorry you lost them too. Did they ever take you to the park?”
“No.” I sighed, not ready to share with him that my parents had been addicts. People judged them too quickly, not realizing that they’d still loved me when they were around. It wasn’t much, but it was something. “I don’t know that we didn’t have the time to go. I just didn’t have parents that–”
“Left town?” He chuckled, thinking my parents had been just like me.
“No. They left all the time.” The admission was a painful one because they blamed me for their leaving. I heard the fights at night with my grandmother about how I was too hyper, too much to handle. Sure, they loved me and I loved them, but they needed a break. My grades were mediocre and teaching me anything drained them.
They got a break by partying, doing drugs, and leaving town.
Every time they left, my grandma assured me it wasn’t because of me. Yet, it had to be. Why else would so many parents stay where mine always left? The reports from school every semester were the same. Attention issues. It turned my stomach sour just thinking about it.
I went to stick a hand in my pocket to grab a crystal, but Bastian caught the hand and threaded my fingers with his.
“What now? I didn’t piss you off already, did I?”
I cleared my throat and watched the large carousel of unicorns with families riding it round and round. “I don’t talk about them much.”
“I understand that.” He squeezed my hand and I wasn’t sure if it was for the cameras somewhere or because he wanted to comfort me. “I don’t talk about my father and mother either.”
“I could tell from what you said to Ivy.” I threw the joke out but it didn’t land at all how I wanted. “I’m sorry. It’s…you actually did great with her today. You make a great uncle.”
“You do great with her too. You like kids, I can tell. Do you want them one day?”
The questions he asked felt like he really wanted to know me, like we were becoming friends. “I do. I loved the time I had with my parents when they were there. Sure, I have resentment some days about random things but I loved some of my time with them. I want to drag my kid out at sunrise like my dad with me some day.”
He hummed. “You’ll be good at it.”
“You would too.” I nudged him as we walked. “Seriously, Ivy loves you.”
“I always try to be honest with her.” He shrugged. “My parents weren’t always honest with me. It’s what ended my father’s life.”
That made me freeze and stare up at him. He waited, staring right back. I wouldn’t ask the question, not even if he wanted me to. I knew what it was like to be asked about my parents. Were they high when their bus crashed? Did I miss them even if they were never there in the first place? Of course they must have been drinking, right?
None of it mattered.
They were gone.
“Well, it’s good we’re here.” I turned back toward the castle, covered in lights that made it shine in broad daylight. “Let’s see what the universe throws at us.”
“The universe isn’t concerned with us, piccola ragazza.” He pointed toward a rollercoaster and we made our way over.
The finality of his words sank in. Bastian didn’t think I was big enough for the universe to care about, but every speck on this planet moved the universe in a different direction.
20
Bastian