The amusement park wasn’t too far from Hayden’s cabin. More of the bland white houses with unnaturally colored roofs lined the streets with a few breaks of forestry in between.
When they arrived at last, the place was swarming with people. Kenzie looked up and saw a roller coaster track, and on the ground level she could make out an arcade and some gentler rides. She walked beside Hayden as he strolled up to the gate and identified himself as a reporter for the Moonlight Falls newspaper. He was granted entry right away, and Kenzie followed him into the noisy park.
Hayden met with the owner of the park, and Kenzie got an in-depth look at how he did his job. She’d been on her high school newspaper staff, but it was vastly different covering things outside of what the student body was up to and the latest game on the field. And this type of interview was different than the type she was used to when it came to interrogating suspects.
The interview took about a half-hour to complete before the owner allowed Hayden and Kenzie free access to the park for one day to thank them for the story and publicity. Well, he was mostly thanking Hayden, but obviously Kenzie was with him, so the courtesy had to be extended to her.
“What shall we do first?” Hayden asked as he moved his camera about, looking for the right angles and best shots.
Kenzie looked around. “I don’t know. We could get something to eat, check out the arcade, or…”
“How about we try that?” Hayden indicated the roller coaster.
“Uh…too high.”
Hayden chortled. “Have you ever been on one? Besides that little one at the fair; that one hardly counted considering it was mostly for kids.”
“Yeah, that was enough for me. I’m scared to death of those things.”
“Hey.” Hayden clasped Kenzie’s shoulder intently. “I will never let anything happen to you. I swore to protect you, always and forever, and I’ll do that. If I thought you were in any danger, I’d never even suggest it.”
Kenzie knew this was true. Hayden would never put her in harm’s way. She trusted him. Besides, she’d vowed to try new things for her new year’s resolution. Why not start now, even if it was March?
“Okay,” she said. “But you have to hold me.”
“With pleasure.”
So the two made their way to the roller coaster line that was snaking its way through the crowd. When at last it was their turn on the single car ride, Kenzie felt her heart leap into her throat as she climbed over the track and planted herself firmly in the seat with Hayden beside her.
The car jolted forward, and that was enough to nearly shatter Kenzie’s nerves. As she looked at the daunting track looming ahead, she noticed loops for the first time. Definitely not her strong point.
“By the creator,” she whimpered against Hayden’s firm chest. His teasing demeanor was gone; he was now holding her tightly in his arms as the coaster scooted forward, then up an incline, and finally down a steep slope.
Besides the loops, there were also watery gaps and plunges. The fantasy-themed ride seemed to combine several different elements into one package full of thrills. Hayden even threw his hands up in the air during the death drop, in which they plunged into a cavern of water.
“Hang on, baby,” Hayden consoled after the death plunge. “You’ll be okay, I promise.”
“You owe me big for this,” Kenzie muttered with gritted teeth. That caused another hearty laugh to bounce out of her boyfriend’s chest as the first loop became upon them.
“HOLY SHIT!” Kenzie yelled as they careened upside down at probably sixty miles per hour.
“It’s okay,” Hayden asserted as he held Kenzie tighter. “It’ll be over soon.”
“Soon” didn’t seem soon enough for Kenzie. But, to her surprise, once the loop was out of the way, she found the ride to be more enjoyable. She leaned into Hayden and closed her eyes when the height became too threatening, and the rest of the time she let her screams be heard throughout the entire park in elation, not unlike other riders. The strong momentum combined with her boyfriend’s arm around her was producing a pleasantly stimulating effect. In an odd way, she felt closer to Hayden, knowing that he was living up to his word and protecting her, just as he’d promised. She knew that he’d never let anything happen to her.
When the ride ended at last and they vacated the car, she threw her arms around him in a grateful, loving embrace.
Hayden returned the hug and lifted Kenzie off her feet, both of them ignoring the other people in the crowd trying to get around them.
“I take it you’re okay now?” Hayden chuckled. Kenzie blew a raspberry at him, sending him howling into laughter.
“Well, I went on that ride with you,” she said, “so now I get to choose one.”
“Fair enough.”
Kenzie perused the park, trying to find something silly to subject Hayden to. Her eyes settled on the spinning teacups, but considering there were mostly children in those, that would probably spark unwanted attention and assumptions. So instead, she looked heavenward and saw a romantic ferris wheel staring down at them.
“That,” she said with determination. She grabbed Hayden’s hand and led him toward it. The two were seated after a short wait, and this time Kenzie snuggled up against Hayden without any qualms, and he held her tenderly in response.
“I can’t believe you chose this ride,” Hayden stated as they ascended. “You’re so timid when it comes to heights, and this one is higher than the roller coaster.”
“True, but it’s also more romantic. And I trust you with my life. Literally.”
“Come here.”
As the ride climbed higher, Hayden planted a kiss on Kenzie’s lips. She was overcome with so much ecstasy, more than she’d ever experienced in all her twenty-six years.
When the ride ended, the two spent a few more hours on some others and playing games to win prizes and then in the arcade. It was dusk when they finally decided to return to the cabin.
As they were leaving, Kenzie was almost certain that she heard someone calling her name, almost dubiously, but she ignored it. Besides, she had a special present in mind for Hayden and their first Love Day together. Nothing else was going to interfere.
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