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inhaled sharply looking over at Evelyn with a certain wariness present in his features, "So is it everything you imagined?"

She looked around gobsmacked, memorizing every single thing about the place. Her eyes flickered everywhere. From the merry-go-round to the cotton candy stand to the center attraction, the iconic ferris wheel.

She was lost for words. She was finally at the town fair.

Maddox watched her expression, waiting to see a smile light up in anticipation. He waited for her to squeal in excitement and run around wanting to try every ride out.

But instead he saw her eyes fill with tears. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"The fuck?"

Choking on a laugh, she flung herself into his arms, attempting to squeeze the life out of him.

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed in happiness.

Laughing slightly, he maneuvered to hold her steady before she landed face first on the ground.

Her eyes lit up as she looked at him, "How did you convince my parents?"

Her voice was curious and quiet, not wanting to know the answer but also needing to know it well.

A day prior

He knocked on the door with hesitation. Shaking his head furiously, he snapped his eyes open and took a deep breath. The nervousness was replaced with oozing confidence, making him seem more intimidating and authoritative.

What better way to make an introduction to the Moreau family?

As footsteps neared the door, he inhaled sharply before exhaling to calm himself down. His palms, oddly enough, were sweating and he swore that sweat would drip off his forehead any minute.

Fuck. Why was it so hot in Florida?

Hearing the door unlatch, he shifted from one foot to balance some weight onto the other foot. It's better not to fidget in front of those you wish to impress.

The door opened after what seemed like forever, with Logan Moreau standing there with a picture perfect smile. She was ready to play a typical mother. Beautiful, smart and kind.

He wasn't sure if 'kind' suited her though. He supposed he'd figure that out along the way.

Passing a dazzling smile along her subtly puzzled face, he entered their home as she gestured for him to make himself comfortable. Walking into the spacious foyer, he stood for a moment. Admiring each decoration, scrutinizing what could be made better.

He'd always had a passion for interior decorating.

"Please," Mrs. Moreau spoke, "have a seat Maddox."

He wasn't exactly shocked that they knew who he was, his face was quite well known around town. Plus his last name carried heavy baggage. To the world, that baggage was a hefty load of cash.

To the Lohan family though, that baggage was a variety of past nightmares.

Nodding in her direction, he carefully placed himself on the single chair that sat diagonal from the fire place. The chair bled power. It demanded attention. And Maddox had a feeling that Mr. Lohan was the one who sat in that chair on the regular.

What better way to strip them of their supposed power by displaying how easily he could take it away.

Patiently waiting, Maddox whipped his phone out, reading Evelyn's latest text.

Chuckling softly at her messages, he pocketed the phone as he heard unintelligent chatter. Along with Mrs. Moreau's voice, a man's voice was also heard.

So Mr. Moreau couldn't stay away as soon as he heard that a Lohan was waiting at their humble abode. Typical.

Watching the doorway in which the chatter was heard, Maddox stared unamused as Cody Moreau made his grand entrance. His shiny black dress shoes made their appearance first, followed by his wrinkle free suit pants and then his neat shirt dressed with a sport's jacket. The tie that was clipped tidily to the shirt, perfected the look.

Organized and slick. The words to describe Mr. Moreau without a doubt.

Mr. Moreau looked down upon Maddox from a distance, clearly annoyed by his choice of seating. Hands in pocket, he took a deep breath before coming to sit on the luxurious couch adjacent to Maddox. A knee above the other, he proceeded to sling an arm around the back arm rest of the couch, leaning to get comfortable.

"And may I ask what brings you here Mr. Lohan?" his voice strong and set. Not leaving any room for a slip up.

"I came here to discuss a situation we seem to have on our hands," Maddox blandly stated, sarcastically going along with the sudden elegance of this conversation.

He was wearing sweatpants with a shirt and flip flops for god sake. At least give the lad a fair warning.

Rolling his eyes, Maddox opened his mouth once again before Mr. Moreau could respond.

"Okay let's cut the bullshit. Your daughter, Evelyn, hasn't gone to the town fair at all. Ever. Seeing as it's tradition for me to go and win my mother a prize, I see it fit for Evelyn to tag along," he said with dull interest. Catching his mishap, he continued, "I mean Mrs. Moreau's daughter. She's not exactly yours if I remember correctly."

If it were another parent, maybe Maddox wouldn't be so hostile and clipped. But this was the man who caused Evelyn more than enough damage.

Looking to his left, Maddox met Mrs. Moreau's eyes with harsh truth blazing in them.

It's not her fault. It's not Evelyn's fault.

Her expression said it all though. With the slight smirk gracing her lips and an arrogant posture, it seemed Mrs. Moreau was proud of Maddox's jabs towards Mr. Moreau.

Mr. Moreau's eyes narrowed in anger and shock. His jaw tensed as he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward in hopeful intimidation.

"Absolutely not. Evelyn is not permitted to go."

"I think she is," Maddox countered back as he slipped a piece of paper towards the man with some unadulterated hate. As Mr. Moreau cautiously took the paper in his hands, he read over the contents of the paper. Setting it down in fury, he got up in sudden displeasure.

Immediately, Mrs. Moreau came to the rescue. Walking over, she set a hand down on her husband's tense shoulder as she whispered for him to sit down. Grabbing the paper in her own hands, she read over what made Cody Moreau so mad. Putting it back down, she quietly laughed in surprise and admiration.

"Feel free to take Eve to the fair," she murmured as she assessed Maddox's expression.

Looking at them a bit longer to see if they'd change their mind, Maddox nodded his head before getting up and walking towards the hallway which led to the front entrance. Making his way out the door, he visibly relaxed.

Good riddance.

Walking to his sleek car, footsteps came pounding down the stairs leading to the porch of the mansion. Turning around to make eye contact with Logan Moreau, Maddox casually leaned against his car waiting for her to finally reach his place.

Coming to a stop, she observed him as he gazed back. Mumbling under her breath, she gave him the paper in her hand, the one he presented to them just some minutes ago.

"No need to keep this as a reminder of what you hold over us," she said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" he retorted.

"Quite sure to be honest," she said as her eyes flicked down to the pebbles pavement beneath their feet. Raising her head back up, she sighed in fatigue.

"Maddox," she started.

He tilted his head waiting for her to continue.

"Personally, I would've said yes without the need for you to present that paper."

He stared at her, shocked to silence. Her smile faded as she brought a hand up to wipe the lone tear that fell down her cheek. Taking a deep breath, she gave him a regretful smile before walking off, back into the mansion.

Rooted to his place for some seconds, he found himself slowly swallowing down that sentence before making his way out of the driveway of their house.

Making his way to Evelyn.

"I just asked," he said with a shrug.

Giving him a mildly doubtful look, she repeated his words.

"I just asked?"

She scoffed with some humor, "So basically what you mean is that you didn't exactly ask. You gave them a choice of some sort."

He shrugged indifferently, "Whatever I did worked didn't it?"

Looking at him for a few seconds, she hummed in agreement. She couldn't refute his argument.

"That's true," she mumbled. Inhaling sharply, she turned back to digest everything that came in sight of her eyes. Colors and more colors. Everywhere.

"Once again, thank you Maddox. I mean it. Really. Thank you," she said with gratefulness. She still couldn't believe she was here.

Shaking his head, he brought an arm around her shoulder pulling her closer beside him. "Just forget for a day. It's finally your chance."

Together, they made their way around the fair. Riding the merry-go-round and playing the bottleneck game. Evelyn even managed to win a prize in basketball. She was extremely ecstatic.

Soon, they walked over to the very first thing Evelyn had set her eyes upon when they first entered the fair. Something she'd never tried before.

Cotton candy.

As they waited in line, Evelyn noticed as some girls behind them glared holes into her. Not exactly sure why, confusion swarmed her thoughts. But it was easily replaced with understanding as the girls looked towards Maddox before erupting in a state of quiet giggles.

The happiness Evelyn felt was short-lived as reality hit her in the head.

Watching Maddox under her lashes, she observed as he looked around the fair not bothering to keep his eyes sorely trained on one thing. His eyes passed by some girls farther away before making their way back to Evelyn's.

Tilting his head in question, he silently asked her what's up?

Shaking her head, she offered him a full blown smile as they moved up the line to finally order. But on the inside, a feeling of dread overcame Evelyn and she had no clue why.

Watching her from the corner of his eyes, Maddox wondered why she was so dejected all of the sudden. Nudging her, he presented a tender smile, letting her know he was there for her.

"It tastes horrible, just a warning," he said cringing as he handed the blue cotton candy to Evelyn's eagerly waiting grip.

"No," she started shaking her head, "do not try and make me already make my mind up beforehand. I am going into this with a fresh start. A clear mind. No bias."

Her seriousness over such a dumb thing had him laughing in amusement.

As she gently took a bite of the fluffy blue snack, she barely got to chew as the taste hit her like a ton of bricks before melting away in seconds.

Gasping, she looked at the cotton candy in her hand. Opening her mouth in bewilderment, she gasped again.

"Where the hell did it go?"

Beside her, Maddox started to cackle finding the situation hilarious.

"I'm serious Maddox," she whined. "I swear I had it all there!"

"It melts in your mouth," he barely managed to say. "It's too weird for me to like."

Taking another larger bite, she let the cloud dissolve its flavor as it vanished into nothingness. What a weird concept. She continued to take calculated bites, amazed at what cotton candy did.

"Try it," she said thrusting it into Maddox's unprepared face. He instinctively moved back, wanting to keep his distance from the dumb snack. But Evelyn's persistence won as she shoved some cotton candy into his mouth when he opened his mouth to object.

Groaning, he could barely concentrate on what just happened as he stared down at her gleeful expression. He stared at her delighted gaze as he finally swallowed what remained of the cotton candy.

Evelyn was bouncing on the tips of her toes, happy to be at the fair. To be at the fair with Maddox.

They stared at each other as the lighthearted aura died down, replaced with a risky and flirtatious aura.

Staring at her with determination, Maddox was conflicted. What was this feeling deep within his gut. It was like a little spark, and it eventually spread like dynamite. Rippling through him, making him feel.

Making him feel something for the girl in front of him.

Shaking his head to rid himself of whatever he previously felt, he cleared his throat to bring them both back from the alternate universe they almost fell into.

Glancing down at his watch, he opened his mouth to speak. "Probably best we go home. It's almost midnight," he mumbled scratching the back of his head.

Nodding, she blankly followed him to the parking lot. Getting into the passenger side, she took a deep breath confused with everything she just felt.

Everything she felt towards him.

As he started the car and sped off, he wasn't aware of what to do now. Clearly, she felt some weird electricity between them, but it wasn't right. It felt too natural. He almost fell for it.

"So, how was the cotton candy?" she playfully asked with a dazzling smile.

Glancing at her, he laughed a little. To be honest, he had no clue how the cotton candy was.

Because he was too busy staring at her.

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