Page 146 of Wildest Dreams

My eyebrows lift in surprise, because Idefinitelyhadn’t expected that.

I squeeze Tanner’s hand tighter.

What an amazing man.

“That’s really beautiful,” I breathe out.

“Uh, thank you,” he rumbles shyly, lifting my hand so that he can brush a kiss to it. Then he swipes his tongue over his lower lip and says, “Always wondered which path was the right one for me.”

I swallow quietly and ask, “Like, hockey or the army?”

“Yeah.”

“And do you… think that you picked the right one?” I say, feeling a little breathless.

A smile crease appears in Tanner’s cheek. “Yeah,” he says simply.

“How do you know?” I ask.

“Because I met you.”

I press my palm over my chest, feeling my heart thunder as I look up at him.

He gives me a loving squeeze, laughing quietly when I squish up against his biceps.

Then he gets back to telling me his parents’ story.

“So at this military dinner they set up a rink for her to recreate her gold-medal-winning performance on, and as soon as my dad saw her he was like… he just knew. And bear in mind, at this point my dad barely spoke to his co-workers, let alone total strangers. But after her performance when everyone was free to mill around, he just walked straight up to her. Asked her if she wanted to dance.”

Tanner casts a glance at me, a secretive smirk tugging up the corner of his lips.

“I should also probably mention the fact that she didn’t speak a word of English.”

A surprised laugh leaves my throat and I ask, “Then how did they talk?”

He clears his throat. Hard. “They found other ways to communicate.”

My jaw instantly drops. And from the set of Tanner’s jaw, I can tell that he’s a little less comfortable with this part of the story.

“So…didthey dance?” I ask, feeling Tanner’s hand tighten around my own.

He rolls his shoulders, glances down at me, and simply says, “Yeah.”

“…And?” I ask, biting back a smile at how rigid he’s suddenly sitting.

He shifts uncomfortably on his seat, his wrist flexing as he grips the wheel.

“They, uh… they danced. All night. He didn’t let her out of his sight after that.”

I watch him carefully. “Didn’t she need to… go home?”

Tanner cracks his knuckles, eyes refusing to meet mine.

“Yeah,” he murmurs. “But, uh… she didn’t.”

I can’t take it anymore. Uncontrollable laughter bubbles out of me and Tanner breathes out a nervous laugh of his own.

“Sorry,” he laughs. “I know this is awkward as hell to talk about.”

---