“So, I feel like I should ask…” Will begins, gently gliding onto the ice and taking me with him. “How old are you?”
Furrowing my brow, I answer. “Twenty-seven, why?”
He blows out a sharp breath. “Well, to be honest, I’m only twenty-six, but at the last singles thing, I started talking to this woman who I thought was around my age. As it turns out, she was forty-three, with adaughtercloser to my age.”
“Oh my gosh.” I burst into laughter, my eyes widening. “I can’t even imagine how much of a shock that’d be.”
He joins me, his prominent nose crinkling ever so slightly. “In my defense, she didnotlook her age, and honestly, I’ll never judge a man for dating an older woman, but I want a family and stuff. She’s already had hers.”
My laughter fades at the mention of family. “I get that. I recently got out of a long-term relationship, and I think that’s been one of the scariest parts for me. I really thought that I would be starting a family by the time I turned thirty … But I guess the joke’s on me.” I try to play it off like it’s not a big deal, but Will’s entire expression seems to shift.
“So, how recent was your breakup?”
Oh no.
“Um … It was pretty recent…” My voice trails off as my chest starts to feel heavy, like someone is crushing it with a vise. I can already tell by the way Will is loosening his grip on my arm that this is all about to blow up in my face. “I’m not looking for anything—”
“Other than a rebound.” He snorts, shaking his head at me as his voice turns cold. “I should’ve known. You’rewaytoo pretty to be at one of these singles things. I swear, I have theworstluck.”
My jaw drops, unsure if what he’s saying is a compliment or an insult, or maybe a mix of the two. “Oh, well … I don’t really know what to say to that.”
Will lets go of my arm entirely now, and we’re no longer moving, just standing. “I’m just trying to avoid red flags, you know? And you’re fresh out of a relationship. I’m not trying to be a jerk, I just have requirements. So, this isn’t going to work.”
“You don’t say.” I snort, shaking my head. “I swear, I don’t even know why I ever agreed to come to this thing.” With a quick huff, I skate away from Will, leaving him there, standing still. I don’t see the point of entertaining someone who sees me as a red flag…
Even if maybe, right now, Iamone.
As I slip away, my eyes scan the area, and that’s when I gasp. Amy, Parker’sfriend,wipes out. It’s a horrible fall, and I know for sure there’s going to be an injury involved. Meanwhile, the guy she’s with is just backing up…
And laughing.
I start toward her immediately. However, Parker rushes there much faster than I could ever move. I have to say, I’m impressed with my grumpy brother.
And I only grow more impressed as I approach, his entire demeanor almost foreign to me as he carefully removes her skates.
“Are you okay?” I ask Amy as I take the skates from Parker. “That was a hard fall.”
Amy shrugs as a tear spills down her cheek. She’s probably super embarrassed, and my heart aches for her, though it eases as my brother sweeps her into his arms. It’s almost …romantic.
“Wh-what are you doing? You can’t skate with me like this…” Amy hangs on tightly to him. It’s literally the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. I forgot how caring he could be … and all the times he was there for me.
“It’s a lot faster this way.” Parker nods toward the exit.
I smile. “He’s good at this,” I tell Amy, skating carefully beside them. “You’re in good hands. Also, that guy you were with was atotal jerk. I can’t believe he didn’t even try to help you or make sure you were okay.”
Amy gives me a sad look. “I didn’t tell him my ankle hurt.”
“Your ankle is in bad shape,” Parker mutters, stiffening visibly. I wonder what’s going through my brother’s head as I watch the scene play out in front of me. There’s clearly chemistry between the two of them, and it’s bugging me that he’s so obviously opposed to it. Amy is so sweet, so why is he in denial?
I follow them to a bench, where Parker sets Amy down. I set the skates down beside her, wondering what’s going to happen next. I mean, there’s no way Amy will be able to make the walk home, and as strong as my brother is … That’s a long way to carry someone.
However, as I rise from setting the skates down, my mind grows blank while I take in the sight of a tall, broad-shouldered man in a black puffy jacket heading toward us. His jet-black hair contrasts his light-colored skin andbrightblue eyes. There’s something about him that rings familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it until my mind suddenly flashes with a younger version in a pair of dark-rimmed glasses…
“Is that who I think it is?” I choke out, hardly able to connect the nerdy version to, well,thisversion. “It’s …Weston.”
Chapter Four
Weston
