Page 69 of A Christmas For Holly

Softer, he pulled out and dealt with the condom, and snuggled into me—and me into him—curled around each other, clinging so tight.

“We’re not doing that again,” I whispered into the crook of his neck.

“What?” he asked quietly. “Sex?”

“Oh, my god, no,” I was horrified. “Of course, we’re making love again.”

“Making love?” he whispered.

“Yeah, making love every night, which means no more nights apart.”

“Okay.”

I lifted my head to lose myself in his brown eyes. “Ever.”

I waited for him to panic, but he gave me the softest smile instead. “Okay.”

“I love you.”

“I love you,” he answered.

And, after a quick snack of cookies and hot cocoa, we snuggled into the soft bed and slept in each other’s arms.

Chapter 27

Holly

The car traveledalong the snow-dusted road, the early morning light barely breaking through the thick gray clouds overhead. I sat in the passenger seat, my hands wrapped around a thermos of coffee Lucas had shoved at me before we’d left the cabin. The familiar nerves ached in my chest as we approached the Diamonds hockey rink outside Wishing Tree. I’d taken my meds this morning. I even had the emergency supply on me just in case. But it turned out that having Lucas next to me made me wary of taking anything that would numb me to this new life I was experiencing, and somehow the panic was less whenever he was near. Go figure.

I stared at the building as it came into view, Kai Buchanan’s name bold on the side, like a stamp of approval from the man himself. I’d heard about the programs here, how they were building a reputation for training kids and fostering a love for hockey. It was… impressive. And intimidating.

“I’m not sure about this,” I said, my voice low as I stared at the rink, my grip tightening on the thermos.

Lucas’s hand left the wheel, his fingers settling on my knee, firm but gentle. “It’s just kids and skating, Holly,” he said, histone light but steady. The car stopped in the small parking lot, and I stared at the building, letting out a slow breath.

I turned to him, searching his face. “Why aren’t you being the perfect boyfriend and saying you’ll take me home instead?”

“Boyfriend?” he murmured, and I felt my face heat.

“That’s what we are, right?”

“Yeah,” he leaned over and kissed me. “That is what we are.”

“So, boyfriend, back to my original question—why aren’t you taking me back to the cabin?”

He glanced at me, his blue eyes softening with something I couldn’t quite name. “Because,” he said with a faint smile, “there’s nothing, and no one, as sexy as you on the ice, and I wanna see that.” My heart gave a little jolt at the words, but then he added, more seriously, “Also, it’s a healing thing. Trust me on this.”

“You’re really good at this whole motivational speech thing, you know,” I muttered.

“Comes with the territory,” he replied, grinning as he killed the engine and stepped out.

I reluctantly followed, shoving my hands deep into my coat pockets as the cold bit at my face.

The rink wasn’t flashy—not the kind of arena I’d grown used to in my years of pro hockey—but it had its own kind of charm. The outside had been renovated, with newer siding and clean, bold signage, but the inside still showed its age. The walls were scuffed, the benches well-worn, and the smell of ice and gear lingered in the air. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt real.

Kai appeared near the boards, grinning wide as he waved us over. “About time,” he said, his tone teasing as we approached. “I’ve got skates and a stick for you, Hols. We’re the same size generally, so they’re mine, but you’ll have to deal with them until you get your own here.”

I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms. “How do you know I didn’t sell mine? Or toss them in the trash?”

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