Page 26 of Snowed in with My Pucking Ex
I continue to stare, unable to focus my attention on anything but him at the moment. He carefully maneuvers the queen-sized mattress from the closest room until it’s in front of the fireplace. He turns back to grab the sheets, blankets, and an armful of pillows. I did offer to help, but like the capable man Sean is, he politely turned me down and suggested I stay on the couch and keep warm.
Did I mention the guy is sweet? Total heartthrob, with a work ethic like no other. No wonder he’s done so well for himself in hockey. Not only is he a skilled player, but he’s willing to put in the work it takes to be more than just an average athlete.
“You’re doing good work over there,” I comment, cheering him on while keeping my eyes pinned to all of his glorious muscles shifting and flexing beneath his waffle-knit thermal Henley. It’s just tight enough to show the good stuff, while at the same time not coming off as a schmedium squishing him in. I won’t lie, when he peeled off his jacket earlier and slipped his boots off by the door, I may’ve stared a little too hard then as well. One thing’s for certain: he’s not as lanky as he used to be, and it makes me want to send a thank-you card to whoever came up with his workout regimen. They’re out here doing the Lord's work for us ladies, for sure.
“Yeah, yeah.” He waves me off and shakes his head, almost as if he’s well aware that I’ve been ogling him this entire time and he’s not calling me on it.
Eventually, I hop up from the couch and head for the kitchen to see what I can scrounge up for us to eat. There are plenty of canned veggies and some soups, along with other foods that stay good for a longer period of time. Crackers, marshmallows, peanut butter, noodles, and other random items fill the pantry shelves. We don’t come up here as much as we did when we were kids, since all of our schedules are out of whack, so the pantry and cabinets aren’t stocked up like they used to be.
“We’ve got stuff for s'mores!” I call over my shoulder as I shift stuff around to see what else may be tucked away.
“I’ve never had s'mores.”
“Um, you’re kidding, right?”
“Nope. Not something my mom thought was a good idea. Boys and sticky sugar aren’t always a clean option when you’re a busy mom without much help.”
Shoot, I didn’t even think of that.
“We aresohaving s'mores tonight. It’s going to change your life.” And his coaches will end up hating me, as I slowly tank Sean’s diet all in one day of being stuck in a cabin with me. I go for the most edible meal, which happens to be the cans of soup. It’s not a five-star meal that I’m sure he’s used to at this point in his life, but with some crackers, it’ll keep us warm and from starving, so it’s a winner in my book.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he replies as I busy myself opening the cans. I add the soup to a small pot and heat it over the woodstove. We’ve had this woodstove in here my entire life, so I learned to cook on it when I was a little girl. My parents were good about giving us so many different life experiences mixed with useful knowledge, and it never really hit me until right now.
Sean moves around the cabin, covering the windows with blankets and pushing a few throw pillows against the bottom of the front door. He’s doing everything in his power to make sure I’m warm, comfortable, and well taken care of. It’s got me looking at him with heart eyes, wondering why I was so adamant about staying away from him when we first ran into each other. I’m also finding myself wishing I’d made it a point to see him sooner, rather than nursing a fragile heart where he’s concerned, for too long. We could’ve been friends for years, maybe even given dating another shot.
I ladle the soup into a bowl for each of us, grab two sleeves of crackers, and bring them to the kitchen table that’s probablyolder than me. Once I set everything down, I grab a few spoons and a roll of paper towels to use for napkins. “Dinner’s ready. Don’t judge my reheating skills; I didn’t have the stuff to make it from scratch. I’m a poor first date.” I joke.
“Mm, it smells good, and after our busy day, I’m starving. Regardless of whether it’s scratch-made or not, I’m grateful you heated it for us.”
We sit next to each other, close enough that our arms graze against each other every time we move them. With each brush, as we carefully dive into our steaming dinner, I grow more and more aware of his presence beside me. I want to just dump the soup and climb onto his lap instead.
“I wanted to thank you. For the gift in my car. The keychain was thoughtful, and I love it. The angel was a sweet touch.”
“I wanted to surprise you with something. When I had to leave town for my games, there was a gift shop at the airport of our first layover. We had enough time to basically get off and stretch our legs while the plane refueled, and I found the small shop near our gate. One of the main draws was thecreate your own keychain. They had it set up as a souvenir sort of thing, but I managed to pick out those charms.” He shrugs, playing it off. “I was excited when it came together like it did.”
“And the angel? The words on the back?” I can’t help but ask.
“The woman was able to laser it for me. I know it’s probably something silly, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“Are you kidding? Sean, it’s beautiful and incredibly sweet. The gift was unexpected and thoughtful; it means a lot to me.”
He tips his head down, his soup way more interesting as he quietly murmurs, “I’m glad, becauseyou being safe means a lot to me. The W on it with the gemstones I sourced from a jeweler. I sent them a picture of the keychain and other charms, and they made sure it was the right size and tone, so it all matches.”
“You’re telling me the gemstones on my keychain are actually real stones and I’m supposed to keep it on a keychain?” That had to cost him a fortune! I thought it was just a sentimental gift, inexpensive, but meaningful. I would’ve loved it just as much if they were fake, but finding out he got it specially from a jeweler and somehow managed to get it to Doug to leave in the car all in the matter of a couple of days means he must’ve spent top dollar to make it happen.
“Yeah, they are. I wanted it to be special. I’ve enjoyed getting to spend time with you since you’ve been home. Then I practically barged in on your festival plans, you had to deal with me and my mom crashing your family Thanksgiving, and now we’re snowed in here together. It’s the least I could do, so you know how much this time has meant to me.”
Jesus Christ, I just want to lean over and kiss the man like crazy. Shove his chair back, straddle his lap facing him, and lay a juicy one on him. Then we can work on peeling off these offensive clothes until he and I are left skin to skin. I would thoroughly enjoy the chance to properly say thank you to the hockey God right now, if given the chance.
“I won’t lie…I was skeptical at first, but you’ve grown on me. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you, too. And, if I’m really being honest, my tinsel would’ve been in one helluva tangle if you hadn’t shown up and decided to help me out at every turn this trip has tossed at me.”
“No blizzard on your checklist this trip, I take it?”
“Or sliding on the ice, ditching my car, no cell service, no best friend, an injured dad, no siblings here to help shoulder their share, then the bank car robbers, flat tires, oh yeah, and me almost biffing it several times. You’ve turned into some kind of knight in shining armor. I’m apologizing in advance for whatever else you get drug into.”
“It hasn’t seemed bad to me; it’s been the opposite.”
Lord, sweet six-pound tiny baby Jesus in a little manger, this man is gunning to be the sweetest Christmas cookie this season at this rate. Like a big ol’ dollop of maple syrup, I just want to lick him from top to bottom.
