Page 28 of Wedlocked

My stomach somersaulted. Instead of taking his hand, I looped my arm around his, our sides brushing. His coat was thick like Jamie’s but blue, and I knew I probably looked dwarfed like Madison standing beside him.

Up ahead, everyone had commandeered a bench a few feet from the ice.

“This is so much bigger than the rinks I’m used to in Chicago,” I said, gazing out over the lake that was frozen solid.

Only part of it was sectioned off for skating, which was probably a safety precaution so people didn’t end up way out in the middle on their own.

It was snowing today, the flakes small and light. Large deep-green pine trees created a border around the landscape. The sky was dull blue, the sun hidden behind clouds. People were already skating. String lights glowed from where they hung over the ice. The scent of hot cocoa and cinnamon swirled in the air, drawing my eyes to the small snack shack nearby. There was a line of people waiting and some sitting at tables around it with paper cups and plates that were hidden beneath giant cinnamon rolls dripping with icing.

“Ow!” Bodhi howled from the bench. “Are you trying to cut off my circulation?” he demanded, trying to snatch his foot away from Emmett who was kneeling in front of him with a pair of laces in his fingers.

“Don’t be a drama queen,” Emmett grumped, snatching his foot back. “I’m not having you roll an ankle out there because then I’ll have to carry you around.”

“You’d like it,” Bodhi sassed.

“That’s beside the point,” he grumbled, head bowed as he finished his job.

Bodhi smirked and sank against the seat to let him finish.

“Have you ever been skating before, Bodhi?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No.”

“Malibu Barbie goes skating,” Kruger quipped.

Bodhi gave him the finger. “Rush’s never been either.”

Rush made a face.

“If you fall, do it away from my daughter,” Emmett told him. “And don’t hurt yourself. You still have to swim.”

I giggled under my breath, and Emmett glanced up at me and winked.

“What about you guys? Ever been skating?” Ryan asked Arsen, Prism, Kruger, and Jess.

“We’re from New York, bro,” Kruger said, and Jess nodded.

Prism looked at his boyfriend. “What about you, bear?”

I mean, how adorable was it that Prism called him bear? Every time I heard it, I squealed a little inside.

Arsen nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been a few times.”

Bodhi stood from the bench, and Emmett held his hands, making sure he was balanced.

“Sit down, baby. Here’s your skates,” Ryan said, gesturing to the bench.

I sat and tugged off my boots instantly. The thick leggings and socks I wore made a nice buffer for the wind. Excited to get on the ice, I tugged on the skates and then tightened the laces, tying them in a bow.

When I was done, Ryan reached down to double-knot them. “Can’t have them tripping you.”

Leaning forward, I pursed my lips, and he leaned over to grant the request. His lips were cool just like mine, but they warmed almost the instant we pressed together. We parted at the same time, his tongue flicking over the tip of mine. He tasted like mint, and I leaned a little closer. His fingers played with the ends of my hair that fell over my shoulder beneath the white beanie I wore.

When he pulled back, the skin around his eyes crinkled, and he dropped a kiss to the tip of my icy nose. “You look pretty sitting there in the snow.”

“Kiss me again, Ry,” I whispered.

Our lips were dancing, generating their own heat, when smacking lips broke into the spell Ryan always created. “Bro. This is the best cinnamon roll I ever had.”

---