I glance back at Noah and he kicks at a piece of bark along the edge of the fire pit while Finn asks Natalie about the bakery. “Never mind, I’ll tell you later.”
Jace moves closer, wrapping his arms around me as he tucks me back against his body. “Does that mean I get to see you later?” he murmurs against my hair, just beside my ear.
“Do you want to?” I ask, turning my head to the side to look up at him.
“Is that even a question?” He snorts, lifting his eyebrows before his expression softens. “I want to see you everyday for the rest of my life, Will.”
“Everyday?” My heart skips a beat and I turn in his arms to face him. “What if you get sick of me?”
He tilts his head to the side. “I promise you, that will never happen.” His eyes search mine before his gaze settles on mine. “I love you, Willow. You’re all I want, you’re all I’ll ever want.”
I can’t hide the smile that drifts across my lips as I lift my arms to circle them around the back of his neck. “I love you, Jace.”
He stares back at me, his green eyes unwavering and filled with pure, unfiltered love.
“It’s you and me forever, baby.”
EPILOGUE
JACE
ONE YEAR LATER
Standing in the center of the rink, the cold seeps from the ice beneath my skates. The air drifts along the outer layer of my jogger pants, sliding through the thin fabric as it dances across my skin. The front door closes as the last kid exits the building with his parents and I’m left alone after a long day of clinics.
Harrison and I opened the rink about two months ago and it’s been an absolute whirlwind since. We weren't sure what to expect with interest from different families, but as the word spread around town and the neighboring cities, we found ourselves overwhelmed with the amount of people who wanted to come check out what we are doing here.
I slowly spin on my skates, a sense of peace washing over me as I take in the place Harrison and I have poured everything into. Hundreds, if not thousands of hours, were spent planning and preparing for our opening day.
And now, here we are two months later with a packed schedule of sold out clinics and classes. I never would have thought something like this would be possible, except there isone person who has always been there, forcing me to believe in myself, because of how much she believes in me.
“Hey, you.”
I turn away from the benches to face the far door that opens into the rink. A smile dances across my lips. She’s standing there, almost as if she materialized from thin air.
Willow Alder.
The woman who has never viewed me as a failure.
The muscles in my legs fire as I skate over to where she’s standing. “What are you doing here, beautiful?”
Her lips twitch as a ghost of a smile dances across them. “Enjoying the view.”
“Yeah?” I say with a chuckle, coming closer to the door. Willow takes a step back, making room for me to pass through the opening in the boards. I grab the door and push it shut behind me. “I thought you were working late at the shop tonight?”
She shakes her head, heading down the hallway as we walk into the coach’s locker room. “I ended up getting done earlier than I thought and figured I’d come watch you.”
I lower myself onto the bench by the wall and bend over to untie my skates. Willow slowly walks around the room, her eyes scanning the different cubbies with Harrison and the other coach’s gear. “Are you done for the night?” She asks as she stops in front of me.
“I am. The last clinic’s done and everyone went home for the night.”
She arches a brow as I sit back upright, leaving my skates on the floor by my feet. “So, it’s just the two of us here?”
“It is,” I murmur, leaning forward to hook my hands around the backs of her thighs. She doesn’t protest as I drag her closer, spreading my knees as I pull her into the space between them. “I don’t think we’ve christened this room yet, have we?”
She lets out a soft laugh as she runs her hands along the tops of my shoulders and the base of my neck. “This room smells so bad, Jace.” Her nose scrunches upward and she shakes her head. “This room will remain untouched.”
My own laughter vibrates in my chest as I tilt my head up to look at her. “Hey, it was worth a try.”
