He nodded. “Good to know.”
“If you want to go on those rides, I can watch Gina,” I said.
“No, I’d rather spend time with the both of you. I’ll get my thrills elsewhere.”
I had no idea what to say to that. But I had a strong feeling about what he meant.
The coaster went around the track three times before it slowed to its original position. The attendant helped Gina with her belt and she hopped off.
“That was so fun!” she said when she came around to us.
I played with her hair. “What do you want to do next?”
Gina rode pretend rocket ships, space buggies, and several other rides for the rest of the morning.
Noah managed to get me on a swing ride and while Gina and Noah whooped and hollered while flying through the air. I held onto the ropes as tight as I could, wishing the ride would end. Though, when it was over, a trembling sensation flitted through my body, and I felt good. Maybe these rides weren’t as bad as I feared.
Noah lifted Gina off the ground as we headed out of the ride. She giggled as he tickled her tummy.
“Are your hands okay?” Noah asked me.
I looked at them. There was nothing out of the ordinary. “Yeah, why?”
“You held that rope pretty tight,” he said with a silly grin.
I swatted at him. “Ha ha, you’re so funny.”
“How about we take a break for lunch?” he asked us.
Even though my stomach was still flying high from the swings, I agreed. At least after eating, I could have an excuse not to go on any more rides.
The three of us sat under one of the pavilions and chowed down on chicken tenders and greasy fries. The park charged ridiculous prices for the food, but Noah didn’t care. He never did. Money was no object for him. I supposed that came with having a lot of it.
“These are so good,” I said, polishing off my third chicken tender.
“I’m going to have to work out for a week to burn these off,” he said, grabbing another with no intention of stopping.
“Oh, stop,” I said. “You can indulge once in a while.”
“Yeah, Daddy,” Gina said with a mouth full of fries.
His mouth slackened. “Is it pick on Daddy day?” he asked Gina and then ruffled her hair.
She giggled.
“I thought better of you, Jess,” he said with a smirk.
“I’m not as good as you think,” I teased.
“I had a feeling.” His gaze lingered on mine. .
I quickly glanced at Gina, and she was happily sipping her soda. “So, what are we doing next?” I asked, steering the conversation away from topics that had a deeper meaning to the two of us.
“Well,” he said. “I can’t do any more rides for at least an hour after eating.”
“That’s swimming, Daddy,” Gina said.
“It applies to rides too,” he said.