Page 40 of Snowed in with My Pucking Ex
“Brenda, Gram, Winter, this is my buddy Jake. Mom, I told Jake he could stay at the house until he gets his living arrangements situated. I hope that’s okay.”
Jake steps forward, offering me his hand to shake. “What he means to say is that I’m his best friend. The same friend who just switched teams to theBlizzards,so we can continue to play together.”
He moves to Gram next, but he doesn’t shake her hand; he lightly kisses the top, and I swear she swoons. It’s hilarious. He tries it on Mom, but her brow goes up and she gives him her best ‘professional doctor look’ and he ends up shaking hers. I can’t help but smirk at the show playing out before me. Jake shakes things up, and I’m going to enjoy every moment of him being around. He pulls Calla into another hug, keeping her tucked under his arm as they separate, and I don’t miss how red her cheeks are at having his attention.
He leans in, whispering to her, “Hey, roomie. Thanks for letting me stay with you.”
Calla is stunned at first, but then she’s pinning her attention on her son as she tears up, asking, “Is he serious, Sean? It’s true you’ve signed a contract with the Blizzards?”
He glances at me for a moment as if he’s weighing my reaction before nodding and addressing the group. “I had to fly to New York suddenly when I learned I was about to be traded from the Pines. I’m sure you’ve seen the news by now; it’s all over the place that the Pines were on the cusp of going bankrupt. They had to make some quick, expensive trades to stay afloat. I was one of them, and when my agent told me the Blizzards were interested in me, I jumped at the chance to be this close to home.” He smiles at his mom’s happiness, then turns his attention back on me. “Can we talk? Maybe go for a quick skate?”
“We’re glad to have you so close to home again, honey,” Mom says, with a quick, affectionate pat against his bicep. They’re likebricks, I remember all too well from touching him and spending our night together. Yep, the man has arms that are brag-worthy.
“About time you got your head out of your rear and came to play for the home team, and you brought a new cute one with you, so I’ll accept it.” Gram nods her approval.
I roll my eyes and shake my head, watching as his lips fight from laughing at Gram’s comments. “I could stretch my legs for a minute,” I respond, trying to act like I’m not freaking out inside right now over this news. He’ll be so much closer now, considering he used to be in New York, and I live and work in the opposite direction from Noel Falls. Now, we’ll only be a few hours apart on a good weather day.
“Oh heavens, Winter, take more than a moment! And, you better lay one on the man in the middle of that skating rink before everyone else around here learns he’s home for good.” Gram shoots me a look, telling me she means business, and suddenly, I can’t escape with Sean fast enough. I grab his hand, tugging him away from the booth as Mom and Calla laugh at something Jake says, but it’s too low for me to hear.
“In a rush?” Sean asks as we practically jog to the ice skate rental booth. We both own our own skates, but neither of us is prepared.
“From Gram? One hundred percent yes. Have you been paying attention to the stuff she says?”
He chuckles, “I actually find her candor refreshing. Being around fake people for years will make you appreciate the real ones much more when you get to be around them.”
We stop at the counter with a basket of thick socks for purchase and a metal foot measure thingy. “I’ll take a size seven, and he’ll have a thirteen, please,” I say to the young girl working the skate rental booth. She’s lucky she has a portable heater in there with her. I bet her toes aren’t as cold as mine are.
“You remember my skate size?”
I shrug the question off, wondering if I’m showing my cards too soon. I take the last drink of my peppermint hot cocoa and toss the cup in the trash as Sean pays for our rental skates, then we’re lacing up our skates together on the closest bench. He smells so good, like soap, fresh snow, and cologne all mixed into one. He leans over, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
“What was that for?” I murmur, already feeling breathless as I stand.
He follows suit, grabbing my hand and lacing our gloved fingers together. “I didn’t get to kiss you in the booth, and I missed you.”
“You did?” I can’t help but question as he leads me out on the ice. His hand holds mine tightly, offering me a little more balance. I like how he’s always so thoughtful and helpful, even when I don’t ask him to be.
“Of course I did. I couldn’t stop thinking about you the entire time I was away from you. I wanted to text a dozen times, but made myself wait. I know how busy and worried you’ve been with the farm, and I didn’t want to take away any more of your time and cause you more stress.”
“Sean…” I trail off as we make a loop around the rink. I keep peaking under my lashes over at him, taking in his large frame. He seems normal-sized when he’s on the ice with his teammates, but having him beside me like this reminds me just how big he really is. Six foot-four, broad shoulders, muscular, but not beefy. He’s literally a walking dream man come true, but he acts like he doesn’t have the slightest clue people see him in such a way.
“What? It’s true, Winter. You seem to be all I think about these days, and I don’t want it to change.”
I stop skating, admitting, “I think of you all the time.”
He turns toward me, grabbing my other hand so he holds both of them. “I planned to see if we could make things between us work despite the distance our jobs and homes put us at. Butnow,” he grows quiet as he stares into my eyes. His gaze conveys so much, but I need to hear him actually say it out loud so I know we’re on the same page.
“Now?”
He nods. “The moment I heard the Blizzards wanted me, I was ready to sign the contract. I had already wanted to be closer to home to be near my mom, which is why I’ve been spending so much time visiting, but then I saw you again. Things have changed for me, and I no longer only need to be close to watch out for my mom, but because I can’t stand the thought of spending more time apart from you.”
“I don’t want to be away from you either,” I quietly confess. This is turning into a conversation that should only be between him and me, and yet there are people everywhere. I keep catching their curious eyes flicking to us and then away, attempting to be nonchalant, but they’re not fooling me. They want the tea and will share it with their friends in a heartbeat; it’s just the way things go in Noel Falls.
His hand releases mine as he reaches up to cup my jaw. I lean into his touch, loving how sweet he is and how cherished he makes me feel all in the span of a moment. “I’d never ask you to give up your career, but then, when I researched what you do, I learned you can work remotely. I thought…” He trails off with a shrug.
“You’re right, I do merchandise ordering for some department stores and marketing. I’ve been there long enough that I can pretty much work remotely if I wish, but the truth is, I’ve been unhappy with the company. I thought my vacation time would be enough, but then, when I got here and learned my father was hurt, and the farm needs me, it got me thinking, too. Throw in the fact that I almost couldn’t pay my bills because my card information was cloned or whatever, and I started to think it wasall a sign. I decided that maybe I should consider moving back home for a while.”
“For a while? How long?”
