He laughs. “I told you, we’re skating.”
“Noah . . .”
“Fine.” He uses his free hand to squeeze the back of his neck. “You showed me your wedding wish list, so I wanted to show you something too.” He blows out a breath, and it’s shaky, almost like he’s nervous to say the next part.
“You can tell me anything,” I encourage him.
He nods. “I know. It’s just ... I’m scared, you know? I don’t want to jinx it because it’s not final yet.” Another heavy exhale. “If things go our way, this is the future home of the Stick Taps Community Iceplex.”
“The training camp you want to start?”
He nods. “Yeah. This is it. The current owner is looking to retire and doesn’t have the funds to fix it up to sell it. Ezra and I have been eyeing it for a while now, biding our time until the old man was ready. It looks like he is now, so we put an offer in. Nothing is official yet, but it’s looking like it’s ours.”
“Noah!”
I launch myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He squeezes me tightly, almost as if he’s afraid he’ll lose me if he lets go. To be fair, he might, since I am definitelynota natural-born skater.
“That’s incredible. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks,” he says into my hair. “I’ve been itching to find a way to give back to the game that gave me so much, and I think this is just the way to do it.”
“You’re going to be incredible at it. I mean, look how patient you are with me. You haven’t laughed once.”
“I have on the inside.”
I pinch him, and he chuckles.
Then he’s not laughing at all. He’s kissing me.
His hands thread through my hair as his lips coax mine open. His tongue slips into my mouth, brushing against my own in slow, lazy strokes.
I wrap my leg around his, trying to climb him because I want more, and he laughs, pulling away.
“Easy there, Odie. You’re wearing knife boots, and I’m not wearing protective gear.”
“Boo.”
He kisses the tip of my nose. “And you were worriedI’dtry to murderyou.”
“I still am.” He tugs on me, pulling me away from the wall. “And clearly I have good reason to be. I am not skilled enough for open ice.”
“Do you trust me?”
It’s what he asked me in the parking lot too. And though I gave him a smart-ass answer then, it was only because I was too scared to tell him the truth.
I do trust him. More than he knows. More than I probably should.
I trust him with my heart ... and that’s the scariest part of all.
Chapter Nineteen
Noah
“There she is!”
I look up from the grill as if I haven’t been checking the door every five minutes.
This time, what I’ve been waiting for is here. Or I guess I should saywhoI’ve been waiting for.
