“No, you didn’t.”
Fuck it. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her. Our chests collided, and our heartbeats matched, and I sank into my wife.
“I’m terrified right now, Connor, that love isn’t… that just reconnecting isn’t enough for us to figure out how to stay together and be happy.”
My throat tightened as fear rooted me to the ground. I was terrified too, but I wasn’t going to say that. I wanted to exude confidence, that I would do whatever it took to solve this. I kissed her forehead and then rested my chin on top of her head.
“We’ll be happy, Laney. I know it in my soul. We’re learning how to communicate again, that’s all,” I said, my mind already coming up with a plan. I needed to continue to date her, show her I was listening. I had the perfect idea…
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LANEY
Can I take the blindfold off now?” I asked on Monday night—our date night. The weekend flew by with holiday activities with my parents, so this night was for us.
Connor chuckled and rubbed a reassuring hand down my arm, squeezing my wrist three times. “Nope. You know this place too well so it’s more of a challenge to surprise you. Blindfolding was the only way.”
“When I agreed to dating this month, kidnapping wasn’t on the list.”
“So funny, so clever.”
He made a left turn for a bit, then right. If I tried paying attention the entire drive, I could possibly figure out where we were going, but I was too nervous. Butterflies fluttered deep in my gut. “Almost there, Laney.”
He changed the music to one of my favorite holiday songs and patted my knee, humming along in his deep tone. Maybe it was the fact that one of my senses was blocked, but I reallytook in the moment. The way Connor’s cologne smelled spicy, the way he kept finding small ways to touch me, and the fact he’d planned whatever tonight’s surprise was. It showed he was listening to me. That he’d truly heard me when I said I didn’t want gifts. I wanted time together, that was it. It was almost like we’d tossed his work stuff aside and were focusing on us—which was the entire point of this month.
“This isn’t something extravagant, right?” I asked, cracking my knuckles on my left hand.
“Nope.”
“And I’ll enjoy it?”
“Yup.” He lifted my tense fingers and kissed the back of them, the scruff of his beard contrasting with the softness of his lips. My heart skipped a beat at the gesture, and my breathing picked up.
I turned into a puddle when Connor was sweet. A complete puddle.
The car stopped, and he undid his seat belt. “I’ll come and get you. Stay put, beautiful.”
Heat tickled my face from his compliment. It was strange to be with him for so long but still feel giddy.What about when he finds out you’re pregnant?I shoved the voice away. Tonight was about him and me, and that was it.
“Alright, I did my best for tonight,” Connor said, undoing my seat belt and gently kissing my temple. “We only get it for ourselves for twenty minutes.”
“Get what?” I stood on asphalt and dug my toes in. Sounds of laughter and smells of fire and cinnamon and hot chocolate were around us. “Okay, we’re in the center of town.”
“Correct.” Connor guided us for a minute, the asphalt shifting to a smoother surface after a few steps. “Shit, okay, I suddenly got nervous.”
“Connor,” I said, reaching around until my hands landed on his chest. I smoothed them over his heart and then over his shoulders. “This could be the worst idea you’ve ever had, but I already love it.”
“Pretty sure the worst idea I ever had was that year I thought we couldwinga vacation.”
I snorted. “Oh, that remains the top spot. We slept in that shared hotel room, and the bathroom was disgusting.”
“I can’t believe we did that, but hey, thanks for reminding me.”
“Anytime.” I grinned and scooted closer to him. “I’m going to love it. Please show me.”
He sighed. Then he removed the blindfold, and I found him staring intently at me. His jaw was tight and his eyes wide, a sure sign he was feeling hesitant. “Okay, you’ve always said how much you loved ice skating here growing up, but we never found the time to do it the last few years.” He swallowed and glanced over my shoulder. “We have the rink to ourselves for twenty minutes. I want to watch you skate, baby. The town can watch you.”
My chest ached with how much I loved this. “Connor,” I said, breathless as I stared at the completely empty rink. People were everywhere, walking and enjoying the countless other holiday activities, but the rink was empty. “You did this for me?”
