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When we got to the restaurant, Dean went to talk to the hostess, leaving me with the brooding hoard of children.

Emma was cranky because she was so hungry, and Callie was just cranky. What was new?

Dean returned a few seconds later.

“This way,” the hostess said. I looked around at all of the people who had been waiting when we got there, but assumed this was more Dean-induced magic. It was like he was a celebrity.

The restaurant was actually inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, complete with mist, fake twinkling stars, and croaking frogs in the bayou. We were seated near the edge so we could even see the boats go by.

“We went on that!” Emma said loudly, pointing to the boats.

“We did! And you touched
everything,
” I trailed off, and I unfolded my menu. I had made her wash her hands multiple times after that so we didn’t all get sick.

Dean laughed at me from behind his own menu.

Everyone ordered off of the kids menu because that looked far more delicious. Dean got a bowl of clam chowder and insisted that I try it.

“When in the bayou, get clam chowder,” he reasoned.

We were in California, not exactly the
bayou,
but I humored him anyway.

It was clear that the waiter thought that Emma was our child, but that didn’t stop him from paying special attention to me. I wasn’t into it, but at last the tables were turned and I got to watch Dean squirm uncomfortably in his seat.

“Why does this keep happening?” I asked rhetorically as soon as he brought us our check.

“Because,” Callie said, completely deadpan. “You guys are weird together.”

“Oh shut up,” Jenny cut in. “I think it’s cute. Emma isn’t crying all the time, and Dean isn’t being a man-whore. It’s nice.”

Dean narrowed his eyes at her, but I could tell he knew it was partly true.

I wasn’t sure what to feel. It was true that he hadn’t flirted with anyone other than me whenever I’d seen him, but I wasn’t with him all the time. I knew he had a past, but I didn’t like to think about it.

We all sat there in awkward silence. Dean put cash on the table and pulled my chair out.

“Come on,” he said looking straight at me with sad eyes. “Let’s go see the fireworks.”

They were absolutely breathtaking. Disney sure knows how to pull at all of your heartstrings. Even Callie seemed moved by the music and the lights together.

Emma was back on Dean’s shoulders so she could see over the crowd, and I was standing in front of Dean. I shivered and brushed my hands over my arms to try to warm myself up, thinking I should have brought a jacket for when it got cold at night.

Dean noticed and stepped forward from behind me. I was warmer instantly. Somehow, it didn’t feel awkward. I reached back with both of my hands and took his. They twined into mine, and I leaned back into him as I looked back up at the fireworks.

I had never felt so at home in my entire life.

I couldn’t help but cry. This couldn’t be real. Somehow, all of the Disney lights and music were getting to me.

He felt me shaking and released my hands to turn me around.

He leaned down and lightly wiped the tears from my eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said softly, and I knew he probably couldn’t hear me over the music and fireworks.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead, lightly dislodging Emma in the process. Thankfully, she didn’t notice since she was too enthralled with the lights. My forehead burned from where his lips touched my skin, and I gripped his hands even tighter.

I sniffled and turned back around, leaning on him once again. This time he reached forward and took my hands, and I’ve never loved fireworks so much.

I was in a daze as we walked back to the hotel. Dean carried Emma, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit upset when he let go of my hands to lift her down from his shoulders.

Callie and Jenny chatted behind us, and Chase was following the map GPS on his iPad.

I glanced over at Dean and he smiled back.

I remembered being at Disneyland once before with my dad when I was little. My mom was there too, but I don’t remember that. I just remember him. I kept telling him that I felt like none of it was real, and I felt exactly the same way now. As if I was walking around in a dreamland that wasn’t really my life. Would this all last when we went home? Would it even last until morning?

I opened the door to the girls room and Jenny and Callie filed in. I took a sleeping Emma from Dean.

“Don’t make out for too long,” Callie whispered under her breath as she passed us.

I sighed. I hadn’t even kissed him yet.

I reeled at the thought. Oh god. I thought there would be a
yet
.

“Night, Lindsay,” he said casually, using my last name like a guy would.

“Night Dean,” I said shakily. I couldn’t decide if I was glad Emma was between us or not.

As I walked through the doorway and let the door shut behind me, I took a deep breath and decided not.

AT SOME POINT in the middle of the night, I woke up to my stomach gurgling. I sat up and immediately regretted it. My entire body felt wrong, and my head was spinning.

Oh no.

I ran for the bathroom and immediately threw up everything I’d eaten for dinner. No, no, no. This was horrible.

When it seemed like it had passed, I sat up and put my shaking hand on my clammy forehead. Throwing up was probably my least favorite activity in the entire world.

“Gross!” Callie shrieked from the bathroom doorway, squinting at the light.

I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t deal with her right now.

I shut the toilet lid and rested my head on it.

Someone was knocking at the door and I hoped Callie would get it. I couldn’t move.

I peeked out from under my arm when I heard a familiar voice.

Chase was standing in the doorway looking sleepy.

“Dean needs Lauren,” he said. “Can I sleep in here?”

Callie nodded and they walked out of my view.

I fell asleep for a second, and woke when Jenny shook my arm.

“Here,” she said. “I brought you water.”

I shook my head.

“I can’t,” I rasped.

“Okay,” she said, putting the cup down. “I’m going to help you go over to his room, okay?”

Oh my god. No. No, no, no.

He could
not
see me like this. This was not the time for things to get interesting. I tried to protest, but no one was having any of it. They supported me the three feet that it took to get to his door, which was left open slightly.

I was expecting to see him somewhere in the room, but instead heard him to my left.

“Not you too,” he said softly.

He was sitting on the floor of the bathroom. This could not be happening.

Jenny helped me sit down in the doorway of the bathroom, and I rested against the doorframe.

“Call us if you need anything,” she said sympathetically. Callie was already out the door.

Traitors. I couldn’t believe they would just leave two people with food poisoning here to die like this.

“What happened?” I asked when I felt like the world stopped spinning.

“Clam chowder.”

I would never eat clam chowder again for as long as I lived.

“This is so awful,” I said, starting to cry.

He moved on his knees toward me.

“Shhh,” he said, putting his hands on my face. “We’re going to be okay.”

Tears were falling down my face and he was wiping them away for the second time tonight.

Somehow, I was being lifted up. My head was spinning again and he set me on one of the beds.

How did he manage that? I felt like I was going to die at any second.

He tried to pull the sheets around me, but I refused. I didn’t want to be constricted in case I had to get up quickly again. I prayed I wouldn’t have to throw up again because I didn’t know if I could deal with that kind of mortification in front of him.

Dean fell onto the other bed and groaned.

“I’m so sorry I made you try it,” he said. “This is hell.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered. Then I did my best to fall asleep.

I wasn’t sure how much later it was when I realized I was shivering. It was still dark outside. My entire body was shaking and I couldn’t get warm.

“Dean,” I whispered, unable to move.

Nothing.

“Dean,” I said, a little louder. Did I even make a sound?

I heard movement, and then I felt him next to me.

“I’m so cold,” I said, my eyes still shut.

“Me too,” he whispered.

His arms came around me and I was warmer instantly. I put one of my legs in between his and shivered for a couple more minutes until I was warm.

“Is this okay?” he asked, sounding as though he was already falling back asleep. I nodded into his chest.

The light streaming through the curtains was
not
my friend.

I had to make one more trip to the bathroom that morning, and I still felt as if I’d been hit by a truck. No rides for me today.

We made Jenny and Callie swear to call us every half hour and Jenny promised profusely that Emma and Chase would not leave her sight. They’d better not.