Page 45 of Christmas on Ice
“You ready to go back in, Kami?” I asked over her shoulder, completely ignoring him.
“She’s not yours.” He lifted a fist.
“You don’t want to do that, man,” I said.
“I could kill you with my bare hands right now if I wanted to,” Sutton growled.
I held his gaze, challenging him to try. His eyes were wild with rage. He might have learned some lethal maneuvers in the military, but by the time I finished college, I’d earned a third-degree black belt and was sure I could hold my own against him.
“Don’t you dare threaten him!” Kami sprang from Kassidy’s arms and was in between us before I could blink. “Sutton Spencer, you leave herenow.Stop trying to make me feel guilty. I don’t owe you anything. You cheated on me, remember? I do not belong to you, and if you don’t watch it, I’ll get a restraining order and a lawyer and God help you if you ever want to see Ryleigh again!”
The flashing lights of a police cruiser turning in to the back of the parking lot punctuated her warning.
“Oh good, here’s my man now.” Kassidy waved to the car.
“This isn’t over, Kamryn,” Sutton spat, taking a step back.
“It had better be.” I reached around Kami’s waist and pulled her to my side.
“Are you threatening me, hockey boy? I’ll snap your wrist so fast—”
“That’s enough!” Kami began to shake. “We don’t have to stand here and listen to this. C’mon, Trask. Graham will deal with him.”
She took my hand and gripped it tightly. At the entrance to the main building, she punched in a code by the door and drew me inside. I took in the shelves of honey, tables of candles, soap, and other products, and a long wooden counter with a cash register and clear jars filled with multicolored honey sticks.
She spoke breathlessly. “I just need a minute before we go back out there. I can meet you if you want to go ahead without—”
“Whoa, hey.” I squeezed her hand, then let it go to cup her cheeks. I wanted her to look into my eyes and know that I was in this no matter what her ex tried to pull. He wouldn’t scare me off. “Look at me, Kam.”
Her lashes lifted, revealing the water pooling in her eyes. I drew her head to my lips and gently kissed her forehead. A tear dripped onto my chin.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed. “I never thought he would show up here—”
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” I pulled her into my arms. It was quiet enough to hear the faint sounds of Phil Collins’s “You’ll Be in My Heart.” I smiled. “Do you hear that?” I whispered.
She looked up. “TheTarzansong?”
“Yeah. They’re doing the father-daughter dance.”
“To theTarzansong?”
“Have I mentioned my family is Disney-obsessed?”
She chuckled. “No wonder you didn’t balk at dressing like Captain Hook. You probably already owned that costume, didn’t you?” she teased.
“I plead the fifth.”
“If they play ‘Second Star to the Right,’ Ryleigh’s gonna go nuts.”
“I’m sure we can arrange it.”
“Awesome.” She squeezed her arms around my middle, and it made me feel all warm inside. “Thanks for being here, Trask.”
I smiled. “Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?”
She laughed. “You know what I mean. C’mon. Let’s not miss this. I bet there’s not a dry eye in the garden.”
“I bet you’re right.”
