Page 56 of One Good Puck
He nods once. “We did.”
“How are you feeling about it?” I ask.
“I felt excited about it in the moment.”
I smile at how simply he puts it. “I did too.”
“But I’m guessing you’re regretting letting things get to that point?” He doesn’t sound offended or upset. Just curious.
I let out a breath. “Honestly, Gavin, part of me wishes that we kissed. I’m attracted to you. You’re really handsome. And sweet and thoughtful and kind.”
He flashes another sexy half-smile. “Well, that works out because I’m attracted to you too.”
I let out a flustered laugh, giddy that this handsome and successful guy is attracted to me. I rein it in a second later. “But I think crossing that line would complicate things between us. And I can’t handle complicated right now.”
I hold my breath as I gauge his reaction. But he doesn’t react. He just blinks and nods, totally calm.
“Living with you has been wonderful. Emma loves it. And I’ve been able to save a lot of money because of your generosity.” I let out a breath. “If we kiss—if we’re anything other than friends and roommates—I’m scared it might make things awkward. So awkward that we might not beable to keep living together or be friends. And I don’t want that.”
“I understand,” he says without missing a beat. I scan his face for any trace of anger or hurt feelings, but I don’t see it. He seems totally relaxed and okay about all this.
“You’re not mad?” I ask.
“Not at all. You’re right. It’s probably not the smartest thing in the world for the two of us to be anything other than friends,” he says. “Your priority is your daughter and your living situation. I respect and support that completely. And I want to be a good friend to you.”
For a second, I just look at him, in awe of how well he’s taking this.
“So would it be okay if we pretended like the other night never happened?”
The corner of his mouth quirks up. “More than okay.”
A server walks by and I grab a glass of water from his tray. I hold up my glass. “Toast on it?”
Gavin flashes that full-on grin I can’t get enough of…the one he only seems to wear around me.
For a fleeting second, a part of me wishes that we could have kissed. No awkwardness, no consequences to our friendship. Just one hot kiss.
I shove the thought from my mind and refocus on the moment. Nope. None of that wishful thinking. Just be glad we’re still friends.
He taps his champagne glass against mine and says, “Cheers to being friends.”
I sip my water.
“Speaking of friends, the Bashers are hosting a friends and family community skate at the arena the first Saturday in October,” Gavin says. “You and Emmashould come.”
“Emma doesn’t know how to ice skate.”
“I’ll teach her.”
I smile. “Okay. We’ll be there.”
Chapter 23
Gavin
“It’s conga line time, boys!” Xander yells as he flies past me on the ice.
Blomdahl, Sam, and Theo skate ahead and join Xander to form a conga line. They skate slowly around the rink, careful to avoid all the little kids around them.
