Page 37 of Eternally Yours
Two hours later, after having dinner at a secluded little restaurant nearby, we jump back into the SUV and head to our final destination.
The moment we get to my old high school grounds, I can see the questions rolling through Cecilia’s mind. She doesn’t voice them, but they’re written all over her face.
I pull out my phone and send a text to George, the janitor who has been taking care of the school since I was a young boy, letting him know we’re here. I step out of the car and walk over to the passenger door, opening it for her and taking her hand to help her out.
I close the door behind her and walk us to the trunk and pop it open. In the trunk, there are two skate bags, one pair for her and one for me.
“We’re going skating!?” she asks, eyeing the bags.
I smile at her excitement. “We are. Have you ice skated before?”
“I’m Canadian, of course, I have.” There’s hesitation in her voice now.
“But?”
“Well, I was probably eight the last time I did. And I wasn’t really good at it...”She bites her lip like she does when she’s anxious.
I throw my arm around her shoulder and pull her to my side as we walk toward the doors. “That’s okay, you happen to have a professional skater willing to teach you.” I wink her way, my voice turning husky. “One-on-one.”
Her pupils dilate slightly, and those rosy cheeks resurface. “Why did that sound so sensual?” she asks on a breathless whisper.My girl is aroused.
“Maybe you just read too much of that book last night.”
Her hands come up to cover her face. “Ugh! You’re never going to let that go, are you?”
“Nope.” I chuckle as she throws her head back, releasing a deep, exasperated sigh.
Once we’re inside and escorted to the rink by George, he wishes me good luck for my first game next week and heads off to finish his duties for the night, leaving us to ourselves.
“Where’s everyone else?”
“It’s just us tonight, babe. Like I promised,” I tell her with a smile as I finish lacing my skates and start doing hers. “I come to the school once in a while to encourage the hockey team here, and also just to visit. When I stopped by this week, I asked George if there was any way for us to have access to the rink alone so that we didn’t have to go to a public place and be bothered every second by someone wanting a picture or autograph. He told me the ice was free Friday night, so here we are.”
I let go of her laced-up skate and pick up her other leg, removing her boot and placing her foot into the waiting skate.
“That’s really kind of you to come here and help out,” she says as she watches me go through the motion.
Once I’ve done my task, I stand and take her hand, helping her up. She wobbles a little but gets the hang of it after a few beats. “Wow, they fit perfectly. How is that possible?” She holds on to my arms as I help walk her to the rink.
“I may have contacted Emma yesterday to get your shoe size. I picked them up this afternoon, do you like them?”
She looks down at them with a smile. “I love them, thank you. But you need to stop spoiling me. A girl could get used to that, and then things could get dangerous.”
“Well, you’ll have to get used to it because I have no intention of stopping.” I lay a kiss to her cheekbone as we step onto the ice.
Cecilia holds on to the side when I let her go. My feet go on autopilot and take me around the ice rink at full speed, from one end to the other. I breathe in the cold air, a smile on my face.
This is what I love. This is the only place I truly feel at home. Well, on the ice andwith my Minnie.
I come back around once I’ve had my thrill and stop in front of Cecilia, stretching out my hand for her to grab. “Let’s see what we’re working with here.”
She takes hold of my hand, and with her first step my way, she almost slips backward. I grab onto her waist quickly, stopping her fall. “Okay, I guess we’re starting with basics.”
After about an hour, she finally gets the hang of it, and now we’re gliding around the rink. I skate backwards, keeping an eye on her as she follows me facing forward.
She’s fallen so many times I’ve lost count. She’ll definitely have a bruised ass tomorrow. I kind of feel guilty, I didn’t think this through properly, and I don’t want her to be sore or get hurt because of my stupid ideas.
Nonetheless, we’ve had fun. We’ve laughed and talked about our week. She told me about yesterday’s turnout and that she’s already received personal requests to plan other high-profile events, which she politely declined and referred them to the company she works for.
