Page 2 of Crack the Ice

“Sometimes,” I admit. “But I like to think that life knows what it’s doing, even if we don’t. One day it’ll make sense.”

He sighs. It’s heavy, weighed down by years of being the man of the house, the one everyone looks to for help and guidance. I can’t imagine how tired he must be. “You’re right.”

“If you could change things, would you?” I ask hesitantly.

He doesn’t miss a beat, and my heart rebels violently at his answer. “I’d take it all back in a second if I could.”

I shoot up off his thigh, my cheeks burning, whether that’s from the sun or my anger, I don’t know. I can’t help but feel dismissed by that comment. “You wanted to go to Vancouver?”

“It would have been nice to see what life is like outside Tampa. I’ve only ever lived here.”

I wrap my arms around my stomach, curling in on myself a bit. My nose scrunches when I think about it. “It’s cold there.”

The side of his mouth ticks up into his signature half smirk, and off go the butterflies that reside in my stomach.

“Does that mean you wouldn’t have come to visit?”

“Oh, please, Mavy.” I turn myself to lie in the same direction as he is. “You’d have to try harder than that to get rid of me.”

His pinky finds mine, hooking around it as he says, “I don’t want to. You’re my person.”

You’re my person, too, Mav.

“Think we’ll have our own kids one day?” he asks when I don’t respond.

My head snaps toward him, my jaw going slack when I see the sincerity in his eyes. “You want to have kids with me?”

He chuckles, deep and throaty. It rumbles through his chest, and I fight against every instinct I have to get closer to it. “Course. You’d make the best mom. I’d be honored to give my kids a mom as perfect as you.”

If a heart could explode, I’m pretty sure mine would. We’ve only been dating for six months, but I guess months are nothing when you’ve been two peas in a pod for the last eight years.

Being with Mav wasn’t something I ever anticipated. I swore he only saw me as his little sister’s best friend, and maybe his best friend, too. But now that we’re here, I’m itching to tell everyone, mainly because I’m like the luckiest woman on the planet to be his, and to have kids with him? I don’t think I’ve ever had a dream bigger than this one.

I roll to my side, so I’m facing him, his eyes already locked on mine. The world seems to slow when we’re together, not that I mind. My lips wobble as I fight off a smile when I say, “Then I guess you better put a ring on my finger, Mavy.”

His eyes dilate, gaze falling to my hand, tongue running over the seam of his lip before bringing his attention back to me. “I plan on it.” He leans in, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck and pulling me into him. His pillowy lips meet mine with such reverence that my toes curl into the grass.

I love this man. There’s no other way to look at it. I’m his more than I have ever been mine. My heart has been in his care for longer than I even knew what that meant.

“Maybe we should practice first,” he mumbles against my lips.

I can’t help the laugh that tumbles from me. The man is insatiable. We ‘practiced’ all night. Luckily, with Lana being at Lake’s, we had uninterrupted time to do whatever we wanted. “You’re pretty good already, don’t you think?”

“Could always be better for you, baby.” He leans in again, but I move back, smile growing as his eyes narrow and a frown begins to form on his handsome face.

I push up from the grass, darting toward the door. “Last one inside makes snack trays,” I call over my shoulder. I make it about four steps before I look over my shoulder to make sure he’s following. Sure enough, he’s right on my heels.

His arms wrap around me, and my squeal cuts through the air, dissolving into a fit of laughter as he spins us in a circle a few times. My hair flies out around me, my hands fighting to grab onto his biceps to keep me steady. “You know you like to make them,” he says into my ear. “Plus, I can spin all day and not get dizzy.”

He sets my feet on the ground, steadying me for half a second before he runs up the steps. I stumble as I try to follow. “Hey!” I whine. “You’re a cheater.”

He stops at the door and winks, leaving me standing at the bottom of the steps, smiling like the love-drunk idiot that I am.

“I love it when I’m the reason you laugh, Cecy.” The deep bravado of his voice gently unravels the strands I’ve burned at the end, desperate to keep them from fraying.

Man, I am screwed.

ONE