Page 38 of Put a Rink on It

I’m not sure what to make of her comments, but I don’t have time to respond as Nero whisks me away. Instead of back out to the front, we walk down the shore, his hand encased in mine.

“You must trust them to have solicited their help.”

“They’ll be discreet. Not once in all the years I lived next to them did they ever give away my status. Arianna’s grandfather was a pro footballer back in his day, so they’re used to it. Our secret’s safe.”

What I love about Nero is he’s a trustworthy guy. The fame and fortune that come with being a professional hockey player didn’t rob him of that.

“Are you hungry? It’s past dinnertime in our time zone.”

“Dinnertime? It’s almost my bedtime,” I mock-squeal.

“Better get you home to bed before you turn into a pumpkin.”

I halt our walk, standing in front of him, hyping myself to say the thing that’s been on my mind all day.

“Thank you for today, Nero. It’s been quite the adventure.” I steal a look at my ring, my heart on cloud nine with every peek. I shouldn’t be this entranced with a ring that symbolizes nothing. Not love, not an authentic commitment, nothing but an agreement between two friends to pretend there’s more to our relationship.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed the day and indulged in all the surprises.”

“I still can’t believe you did all this, down to our favorite songs playing on the speaker.”

He smiles. “Oh, good, you noticed. My heart was pounding in my ears, I couldn’t really hear it, but I’m glad you could.”

“You didn’t seem nervous. You wore your game face.” That’s not totally accurate. “With less aggression,” I amend with a giggle.

“Uh, thanks?”

I erase the distance between us. We’ve never shied away from being comfortable with each other, whether that meant me sitting on his lap or us cuddling, but ever since last week when he presented the idea of us being fake married, I’ve felt a stronger pull to him. Hell if I can explain it. Hell if I can explain why I take another step closer, placing my hand with the ring on his chest.

“I wasn’t sure what you had arranged for tonight when you said it was going to be a long one, though I didn’t expect Minnesota would be part of it. I moved some things around for tomorrow, and I packed pj’s and clothes.”

Nero raises a brow. “You did? For what reason?”

“Because I’ve yet to see my room at your apartment. Tonight seems like the perfect night to do it.”

“It would probably be wise for you to see it before it’s no longer yours.”

“No longer mine?” I question, my brows furrowing.

He loops my arms around his neck. It’s a bit of a stretch, but he always accommodates our height difference. “We can’t live together, be engaged, and later married, and have separate bedrooms. I don’t think that’s how it works.”

While we haven’t officially discussed my moving to Connecticut with him, we’ve implied it. It’s one more thing on our list to work out, especially what I’m going to do with my house, though I have some ideas.

“But can we chat about all this on the plane or in the car ride back to Connecticut? Let’s snap some pictures and grab food before we head to the airport.”

“Pictures of what?” I query.

“Your ring. Us as a newly engaged couple. Selfies by the lake to add to our collection. I can’t wait to update my phone contact with a picture of you wearing the ring.”

Though he hasn’t lived with Kaitlyn in years, her impact as an influencer is strong. He’s always making sure we take pictures—selfies—of all the things we do, even if they never make it off the camera. Thanks to Kaitlyn, he keeps his social media tightly related to hockey and hardly shares personal stuff on his accounts. I’m curious if he’ll do the same for this once we proclaim it.

“Okay, but make them fast. I’m starving.”

I unhook my arms from around his neck, and he grabs my wrists, his fingers rubbing along the insides. It’s been something he’s done for years. Tonight, like being tucked into his side, it feels different.

Or maybe it’s me who’s different. His sliding the ring onto my finger opened up a portal to new emotions, a new level of intensity, a new game with a different set of rules. I don’t know what it means, but I’m certain I like it.

I like it a lot.