"Also true."
He nodded as if he'd just delivered an airtight legal argument.
I smiled into my hot chocolate. The thing was, I understood exactly what he meant. It wasn't really about skating. It was about the excitement in his voice. The pride. The simple happiness of trying something new and discovering he could do it.
I found myself watching him while he talked. Watching his hands move when he got animated. Watching his smile appear and disappear. Watching his eyes light up whenever he got excited about something.
At some point, I'd stopped looking for reasons to spend time with him. Now I looked for reasons not to. So far, I haven't found any.
When the rink lights dimmed slightly, signaling the end of the evening session, Kieran let out a disappointed sigh. "Guess that's our cue."
We tossed our empty cups, returned our skates, and stepped back out into the cold. The temperature had dropped since we'd arrived.
Snow crunched beneath our boots as we crossed the parking lot toward the SUV. Kieran shoved one hand into his coat pocket and rubbed the other against his jeans.
"Cold?"
"A little."
I slipped my arm around his shoulders. The movement felt as natural as breathing. Kieran immediately moved closer.
We reached the truck, but neither of us hurried to open the doors. Instead, we stood there for a second, looking back toward the rink. Christmas Day was almost over. The trip would continue for a little while longer. Then eventually we'd have to go home. Back to reality. The thought sat heavily with me.
Kieran turned toward me. "What?"
I hadn't realized I'd been staring. "Nothing."
"Liar."
“Maybe.” I smiled.
The truth had been sitting there all day. Maybe longer than that.
I looked at the man standing beside me, cheeks pink from the cold, hair a mess beneath his beanie, eyes bright from an evening spent learning how to skate. Then I looked at the smile that appeared. The smile I was already becoming a little addicted to. It wasn't dramatic or shocking. The realization settled into place so naturally that it felt less like a discovery and more like finally admitting something I'd known for a while.
I was falling in love with him.
TWENTY-THREE
KIERAN
The smell of breakfast drifted through the cottage, pulling me awake.
For a moment, I stayed where I was, staring up at the ceiling while the events of the previous day slowly came back to me. Christmas. The skating rink. Walking back through town with Thane. The warmth that had followed me all the way back to the cottage.
Then I shifted beneath the blankets and immediately regretted it. Every muscle in my legs protested. So much for feeling confident by the end of the lesson. Apparently, learning to skate came with consequences.
I pushed the blankets aside and sat up. Pale winter light filtered through the curtains, and somewhere beyond the bedroom door, I could hear dishes clinking together.
Mr. Maple sat on the dresser across the room. I smiled at the sight of him before heading for the bathroom.
A few minutes later, after brushing my teeth, washing up, and changing into a fresh pair of jeans and a sweater, I headed to the kitchen.
Thane stood at the stove with a spatula in one hand and a mug of hot chocolate in the other. He looked up when I walked in. Something softened in his expression. He set the mug on the counter and rested the spatula beside the stove before crossing the small distance between us.
His hand settled at the back of my neck. The kiss was slow and unhurried. Warm. Familiar. The kiss tasted like fresh mint and chocolate goodness. The kiss ended way too soon.
"Morning," he said.
