Page 95 of At the Edge with You

He flexes his fingers around my cheeks before he leans in to kiss my nose just as the first note of the song starts. The whole rink is still full of excitement as we begin moving with the music before he dips me down and I point my toe to the sky. He lifts me with ease before he draws me across the ice like it’s nothing, and then we’re moving as one. We go into a series of small leaps, not like the extensive ones we did when we were younger, but solid second-year stuff that my ten-year-olds would be proud of. Every time he catches my gaze, I grin, and I love how widely he’s smiling. He spins me in, kissing my temple before spinning me out, and then we skate together to get ready for our jumps. Before, our triples were a thing of beauty. Now we look pretty damn good doing one-and-a-halfs. I love how much everyone is into it, screaming and clapping, not that I can see anyone’s face but his.

Jett moves me into a star hold, and my fingers brush the ice as he turns me. My heart is pounding in my chest, but I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I don’t care who is watching, I don’t care that we don’t look how we used to. All I care about is that we’re doing this together.

As one.

Just how we will for the rest of our days.

I latch on to his hand, and he spins me into his chest, before taking my hips to lift me above his head. My hands float beside me before I go tight for the toss. He spins me up into the air, catching me as the crowd loses it once more. I swear I hear Bea screaming and banging on the glass. I love it. God, I love him. As he drags me down his body, I cup his face and our eyes lock. He looks so tranquil. He squeezes my ass, and I know he does so on purpose since I told him he couldn’t so many times during training.

With a laugh, I kick up my leg, and he dips me back. With more flair than needed, my fingers and hair brush the ice as he lowers to his knee, my other leg hooking around his hip. He holds the back of my neck, his temple pressing to mine as he stops us in the middle of the ice. It was only two minutes, and while we’re both panting, I wish it weren’t over. I open my eyes, and since my head is tipped back, I see Kitty. Even if she is upside down, I don’t miss the tears or the sob that leaves her lips as she stands on the table, clapping loudly for us, screaming, “Bravo!”

Most of all, I see true happiness in her eyes that hasn’t been there since Phillip passed.

We did it, Phillip.

I close my eyes, lifting my head to press it to Jett’s as our breaths mingle, and our hearts pound together as the rink fills with raucous applause. I cup his jaw, and I’m convinced I fall for him all over again once my eyes focus on him. “Thank you.”

“Worth it,” he says, kissing my nose once more. “All of it, the years apart, the pain, the fact that my hip will stop working one day… Fuck, Fable, it was all worth it. You’re worth it.”

My eyes burn with tears as I whisper, “I love you.”

“I love you.” His smile takes up his whole face, his eyes sparkling, while his chest rises and falls just for me. With a wink, he says, “But just remember I said it first.”

As much as I love his words, I can’t help but snort with laughter since only he would quoteThe Cutting Edgeafter we skate. Our lips crash together, and I’m unsure who went for whom first, but I want nothing else but his lips. We kiss like no one is watching, and in my head, they aren’t. It’s only him and me, just the way I love it.

When he pulls back, he kisses me three times before he kisses my nose. “Fable.”

I open my eyes and cup his cheek. “Yeah?”

“You’re mine forever, right?”

A tear slides out the side of my eye, and I nod. “And then some.”

“Marry me,” he says, with so much conviction it takes my breath away. “There isn’t a minute of any day when I haven’t thought of you. The greatest moments in my life include you, and I want to make so many more. I want to remind you daily how remarkable you are, how you don’t need labels, and how, no matter how mean you are to yourself, I’ll defend you. I’ll fight for you. Above all, I’ll love you.” Tears spill down my cheeks as he moves his hand from my neck to reach into his pocket. He holds up a beautiful rose-gold band that contains a one-carat diamond with different colored stones around it. “This ring reminded me of you, how you are all the colors in the universe, and each part of you is my favorite. I want to give you a good life, Fable, and my life can be what I want it to be with you. As my wife.” A sob breaks from my lips when I see the tears in his eyes, the loveshining so brightly and deeply for me. Breathlessly, he whispers, “Will you marry me, princess?”

“Jett,” I murmur, and the way his eyes widen almost makes me laugh. As if I’d say no to this man. “I want to be everything you need and more. You are the most supportive man, you have the most beautiful soul, and I want to see what we’ll do with this life we built—because the Ice Thistle, we killed that.” His eyes burn into mine as he nods, and I feel how quickly his heart is beating. I should feel bad for making him wait, but I’m sure he fully expects it. “I’m not easy.”

“But you’re mine.”

I press my lips together as I nod. “And you’re mine.”

He holds me closer, as if he wants to meld our bodies together. “So, you’ll marry me?”

I swallow, hesitating just to keep him on the edge where I like him. “I would have said yes back when we were younger. But now…” I breathe out, and his eyes narrow a bit. “I’ll scream it.” I do just that. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”

He laughs in relief before he lifts me up into his arms, holding me close as our lips meet in a heated embrace. I hold on to him, pouring love into our kiss as we cling to each other. I’m sure there are cheers, clapping, and the Belles are probably crying, but all I feel and see is Jett Thomas Cook.

I may have lost the boy, but the man found me, and I don’t think I could ever love him enough for it.

EPILOGUE

The Belles

When it comes to the timeline of Jett and Fable’s romance, all the Belles were wrong.

They shacked up pretty quickly, but everything else happened within six months.

Kitty’s birthday celebration was Friday, and now she sits in a chair in the backyard of Jett and Fable’s home only two days later as they exchange vows. The only decorations are the field of wildflowers and the pinks and oranges of the sky above the mountains. They said they didn’t need anything but each other, and by the way they’re staring at each other, no one could disagree.

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