Page 85 of Hometown Heart

We skated together, moving in unison without discussion or plan. The connection between us had evolved beyond the need for constant verbal confirmation—we'd learned to read each other's movements and anticipate each other's thoughts. It was a dance we'd been rehearsing for months without fully acknowledging its steps.

Cody's laughter echoed across the harbor as he executed a perfect spin, arms extended like a miniature Olympic figure skater. The affection I felt watching him surprised me with its intensity.

"He's amazing," I said, watching Jack's face transform with pride. "You've raised an extraordinary kid, Jack."

"He makes it easy," he replied. "Most days, anyway."

"And the other days?" I asked, thinking of the occasional challenges I'd witnessed over the past months.

"The other days remind me why parenting is the most terrifying adventure possible."

I nodded, thoughtful. "You're good at it. Being his dad."

"I try," he said. "Though some days I feel like I'm making it up as I go along."

"Aren't we all? Making it up as we go?" The question felt important, encompassing more than just parenting.

We completed another circuit of the harbor's edge in contemplative silence. Snowflakes were falling more steadily now, dusting the ice with a fresh powder that hissed beneath our blades.

I slowed to a stop again, this time at the farthest point from shore. I turned to face Jack, suddenly aware that we'd reached a moment of decision.

"Jack," I began, then paused, gathering my thoughts. "I've been thinking a lot lately. About Tidal Grounds, about Whistleport. About my life here."

He waited, giving me space to find my words—one of the many things I'd come to appreciate about him.

"For years, I convinced myself that stability meant standing still. If I maintained the same routines, served the same coffee, kept the same careful distance from everything and everyone, I could avoid being hurt again." I shook my head, snowflakes dislodging from my hair with the movement. "But that's not stability. That's stagnation."

"And now?" he prompted gently.

"Now I understand that real stability isn't about staying in one place. It's about building something strong enough to withstand movement, change, growth." My eyes met his, direct and certain. "Let's build a life together."

The words hung in the air between us, five simple syllables that had taken me years to find the courage to speak.

"No ring?" he managed, his voice rougher than usual.

I smiled, feeling lighter than I had in years. "No pressure. Just a promise."

He reached for my hand, holding on tight. "Yeah. Let's."

The simplicity of our exchange belied its significance. There was no need for grand speeches or elaborate declarations—we'd moved beyond that. What remained was the essential truth: we were choosing each other deliberately and with full awareness of all it entailed.

Cody's distant figure caught our attention as he performed an elaborate victory lap around his friends. His joy was infectious, even from this distance.

"Does Cody know?" I asked, watching the boy who had become so important to me.

"That I'm hopelessly falling for the local coffee guy? I think he's suspected for a while." Jack smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. "He approves, by the way. Though I think your hot chocolate skills factored heavily into his decision."

"Smart kid. Knows how to evaluate the important qualities in a potential stepfather." The word slipped out before I could consider its implications, hanging in the air between us, unexpected but not unwelcome. Neither of us acknowledged it directly, but its presence shifted something fundamental in our understanding of where this path might lead.

"We should probably head back," Jack said, noticing the snow falling more heavily now. "Before we get snowed in out here."

"Would that be so terrible?" I asked, my thumb tracing circles on his palm through our gloves.

"Not terrible," he admitted. "Just impractical. Cody has school tomorrow, and you have a café to open at ungodly hours."

I laughed, the sound carrying across the ice. "Always the responsible one."

"One of us has to be."

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