I flip the switch and take my hand away from her eyes.
“Oh…” She steps forward, mouth open.
The tree she had bought for up here is fully lit, standing in the middle of an ice rink that spans about a third of the rooftop. An overly large fire is blazing in the firepit and I have heavy blankets sitting on the chairs, next to two pairs of skates.
“You did this?” Lucya turns to me, tears welling in her eyes.
“I was wrong to doubt you. Treating you like that, locking you up… it was…” I’m searching for the right words and it’s almost physically painful to feel this limited. “It was wrong.Iwas wrong,” I clarify. “I know your uncle was trying to force you to spy for him, my IT tech pulled up the audio from the call. I should have listened to youbefore I spoke to you that way.”
She’s shivering a little, even with the outdoor heaters the crew installed and I take off my jacket, putting it over her shoulders.
“This is new for me,” I admit. “But I have a reason to learn. I want to be better for you. You might have to be patient with me.”
Her lower lip is trembling and I’m not sure if that is good or bad.
“Before I treated you so badly last night, you asked if we could go ice skating down at the Seaport rink.” She offers me a watery little smile. “It’s not safe now, we’re having trouble with an Albanian mob.”
“The Ghazaryans?” Now, she’s worried. “Are you all right? What about your crew?”
“I’ll have it taken care of soon,” I say, gritting my teeth at the memory of my dead truck drivers. “But for now, I need to know you’re safe so I can concentrate, yes?”
“I understand.”
“But, that doesn’t mean you can’t go ice skating,” I smile, “the roof offers me the additional peace of mind that you can’t fall through the ice.”
“Oh, now I knowthatwas a joke,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I’ll have you know that I’m a very good skater. Except for that one time.”
“Sit down.” I guide her to one of the chairs and kneel in front of her, quickly lacing up her skates and then my own. This time, when I hold out my hand, she takes it.
We skate around the enormous Christmas tree in silence for a few laps, her mittened hand in mine. MyKolibriis as good of a skater as she claimed, moving with sharp, sure strokes of her blades and easily keeping up.
“Thank you,” she says, smiling up at me. “This is the best date ever.”
I raise my brow. “This is my first date.”
She bursts into laughter. “It’s my first date, too.”
We skate until she gets too cold and I bundle her up in front of the fire, adding extra logs and sending flames leaping up into thenight sky. The dinner I ordered was kept warm in the chafing dishes and I feed her Boston clam chowder and sourdough bread with cheesecake for dessert.
“What’s under that cover?” she asks, nodding at the last dish.
Taking off the lid with a flourish, I enjoy her excited squeal at the sight of the marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate.
“S’mores! You are the best husband ever!” My hummingbird claps her hands excitedly. “I mean, you will be.”
Taking her hand, I slide it under my shirt, over my heart. This time, I’m smart enough to understand what she is hoping for. “We are married. Tonight. I vow to love you and care for you for the rest of our lives.”
Her huge sea-glass green eyes are watering.
“Are those happy tears?” I ask, still out of my element.
“Yes,” she says, crawling into my lap to kiss me. “So happy. I have loved you since I was eleven years old and you saved my life. Thank you. Thank you for everything, the ice rink, the tree, thank you for your heart. You’ve always had mine.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I breathe in her warm vanilla and lavender scent and I realize that she’s always had my heart, too.
Chapter Twenty-Two
In which there is girl talk. And good news. Or bad news, depending on your point of view.
