Page 11 of Christmas on Ice
“Then I’ll tell her she’s just dreaming and to close her eyes.” He flashed a smile. I quickly looked down at my hands so he couldn’t see the effect that smile had on me. “I have a niece her age. I think I mastered the car-seat-to-the-crib while I was home over the summer. Let me try?”
I shrugged and fought a smile. It hurt my face to smile. “Go for it. But if she wakes up…”
“I got her.”
He made a show of tiptoeing to the daybed, and I stifled a giggle. He winked as he slipped an arm under Ryleigh’s princess-nightgown-clad form and another under her knees.
“Tig-man,” she mumbled. “Late to…tea party.”
“Shhh,” he coaxed. “Close your eyes. Mr. Tiggerman is at your tea party now.”
“Be … careful, Tig-man. Pretty teacup. Don’t … drop.”
“Never,” he whispered. “I’ll be extra careful.” My heart melted right there on the spot.
“Good. ’Cause I’m really pretty.”
I covered my mouth as he chuckled. Ryleigh sometimes talked in her sleep, but this was hysterical.
“Yes, you are, baby girl. And don’t you worry. I always hold what’s in my arms real tight.” Our eyes met after he said those words, and I sucked in a breath. I looked away, quickly, but I hadn’t wanted to break the hold they’d had on me.
Whoa.
7
Trask
Iset Ryleigh on her bed and pulled the covers up over her. The floorboard creaked behind me, and I turned to find Kami in the doorway.
“Thank you,” she whispered. I nodded and turned to leave. She stepped aside as I exited the room and closed the door behind her.
“My pleasure.” It really was. Sleeping kids always tugged at my heartstrings. But I wasn’t thinking about Ryleigh anymore.
We were still standing outside Ryleigh’s room. I couldn’t think of anything to say, and she wasn’t talking either. But the way we were looking at each other … I was starting to feel warm all over.
I held up my hand. “Follow my finger?” I needed some excuse to justify my staring. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from this beautiful, strong woman who made being a parent look easy and fun. “You’re fine. Uh. I mean, I think your eyes are fine.”Smooth. Real smooth.
She cleared her throat, and we both chuckled. “Ow,” she grabbed her head. “It hurts to laugh.”
I could understand that. “Are you dizzy? What about an ice pack?”
“I’m fine, really.”
The paramedic that checked her out said she’d be fine, but I didn’t like that her head hurt. “I think you’re okay to lie down,” I said. “I’ll just hang on the couch. You won’t even know I’m here.”
“Like I could ignore you,” she muttered, giving me a skeptical look and a once-over. My head almost touched the ceiling. I smiled easily, trying not to strut like a proud peacock back to the living area.
“Hey, that’s the Pineapple fountain.” A framed photo of Kami holding a baby Ryleigh in front of Charleston’s iconic landmark sat beneath the lamp on the end table by the couch.
“Ryleigh’s favorite swimming hole.” She picked up the photo. “Gosh, I miss it there. I can’t wait to go back.”
“I hear ya. I don’t know where my hockey career will take me, but I know I’ll end up there when it’s done. I can’t imagine living out my life anywhere else.” Home, for me, would always be by the sea. I loved the mountains, but I didn’t want to live here forever.
“Same. I should have gone back after I got my bachelor’s, but then Sutton got the transfer. We didn’t think he would, so I wasn’t prepared for it. I wish I’d listened to my gut. He wanted to get married so we could live on base together. When he got deployed, I was okay with it. I loved being alone. That should have been a sign. I had school and Brenna and my friends.” Her confession held a regretful tone, almost resigned. Did she feel guilty about not missing her husband? I wanted to know.
“You didn’t miss him when he got deployed?”
She shook her head and sat on the couch. I lowered myself to sit next to her. “Not like the other wives. I genuinely like being alone, so it didn’t seem odd, then. But looking back … I didn’t love him the way I should have. And he didn’t love me that way, either. After we had Ryleigh, he, well, he—”
