Page 88 of Snow, Ice, and Spice
“I feel like I won some sort of unspoken prize in your family,” he says.
“You have. You showed up my muscle-head brothers, and for that, my family will respect you forever.”
Theo laughs and downs more water. The music starts back up. The opening beat of PSY’s “Gangnam Style” echoes in the dining space.
“Damn. Blast from the past,” I say.
Theo holds out a hand. “We gotta dance.”
He pulls me onto the makeshift dancefloor. I do a terrible job of replicating the dance moves I barely remember the few times I watched the music video a decade ago when this was a YouTube craze. Theo dances and grooves alongside me, looking just as terrible. I’m smiling and laughing so much my cheeks ache.
The whole time I imagine what a future with Theo would be like. Nerves crackle inside of me at the uncertainty, at the potential of just how much we could hurt each other…
But then he takes my hand. He holds me close. He gazes at me with affection in his eyes. I shove aside the whirlwind of doubts and focus on the moment.
“I haven’t scared you off with my awful dance moves, have I?” he asks.
I smile at him. “Not even close.”
Chapter29
Theo
My stomach is crackling with nerves as I stand in the kitchen. I can barely swallow a sip of my morning coffee, I’m so nervous.
It’s been a week since her cousin’s anniversary party and things between us have been as fun and sexy as ever. When we’re not at hockey camp and I’m not at physical therapy, we can’t keep our hands off each other.
I think about how we almost talked about our relationship status that night…and how I lost the nerve to bring it back up to her after that comment she made about marriage being pointless…
Never in a million years.
I try to ignore that faint jolt of pain that shoots through my chest.
Before if someone I had dated uttered the word “marriage,” I’d be running for the hills. But not with Maya.
It’s not that I want to run out and marry her right this moment. More like the thought of being with her long-term and doing all the things we already do—living together, waking up every morning next to her, working together—doesn’t freak me out. The opposite actually.
My stomach does this strange flip thing it’s never done before. I catch myself smiling for no reason. The thought of sharing a life with her is thrilling.
And when I think about being apart from her—when I think about this setup ending someday—it feels like a punch to the gut. I dread even thinking about it. Because I’m starting to feel something deep for Maya.
That’s why I’m standing here, quietly freaking out, wondering if this surprise I’ve planned for her will broadcast just how much my feelings for her have grown…and if that will send her running for the hills.
I set the mug on the counter and force myself to take another breath. I stare at the confirmation email that’s displayed on my phone screen. Maybe this was a terrible idea.
I guess there’s only one way to find out.
Just then I hear Maya padding down the hall. When I look up at her, the tension coursing through me eases. God, she looks so fucking cute with her messy hair and her big brown eyes puffy with sleep.
She walks over and kisses me. “Morning,” she murmurs against my mouth.
“Morning.”
I pour her a cup of coffee and work up the nerve to show her what’s on my phone.
“Hey. Um, I have a surprise for you.”
She grins wide. “A surprise?”
