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Chapter 16
~ AVA ~
Despite the cold, Harris’s car is warm inside from the bright sun shining through its windows while we ice skated.
As he shuts the door for me, I slide my hands out of my mittens and breathe on my icy fingertips.
When Harris gets in next to me, his voice is laced with humor as he admits, “You know, it’s really hard to feel like a bad-ass warrior when I’ve spent the morning humiliating myself in front of a bunch of little kids.”
A laugh escapes me, remembering what he said would be the lowest point of his morning when a five-year-old came over to him and reached out a hand to help him up when he had fallen.
It was an adorable moment that he said he’d love to forget.
Unfortunately, I saw the five-year-old’s mom recording it all with her phone, so I fear Harris might be going viral by the morning.
“You weren’t that bad,” I try to reassure him.
Cocking his head, he sends me a meaningful look.“You’re not a very good liar, Ava.”
“Okay, okay, you were terrible,” I finally agree.Because… well, his backside spent more time on the ice than his skates did.“It seemed like a fun idea.”
“Fun for you.You didn’t fall.”
I shrug.“When it comes to physical activities, ice skating is probably the only thing that I’ve got you beaten at.”
“That’s a belief you’d disprove if you ever wentrollerskating with me.I couldn’t even do that as a kid.But—if you want to go skiing, I’ll totally impress you.”
Eyes narrowing thoughtfully, I send him a curious gaze.“I see a pattern with you.You tend to excel at the things that could break your neck.I’m betting you go rock climbing and hang gliding too.”
“You’d win that bet.”
“Are there any activities you excel at thataren’tlife-threatening?”
He leans over to me and kisses me, and those icy fingertips I had a moment ago are suddenly warm again—along with the rest of me.
Then he murmurs, “I should hope you know the answer to that question by now.”
I grin, enjoying the heated look he gives me.“When we get home, you’ll have to refresh my memory.”
It’s a short drive from Quiet Waters Park to my home.Fortunately… because I feel a desire building inside of me.I want him… right away.I don’t even care that it’s barely noon.
The days are slipping away from me—this unique time in my life when I get to luxuriate in this fusion of romance and passion without having to schedule around anything.This brief time when I can enjoy impromptu sex without even having to schedule a babysitter.
Even if we’re able to steal a moment here or there after Nicholas returns, the fact is, this fire between us will likely die off quickly when we can’t stoke the embers at will.
Besides, I can’t let my son dare to think that there is anything permanent about having Harris in our lives.This summer, Harris will be packing his bags—and all I’ll have to comfort me at night are these memories.
So I’ll treat each moment with him like a treasure.
“You know, you could have mentioned that you can’t ice skate when Freya suggested the idea a few days ago,” I remind him.My thoughts race back to that Christmas dinner, and my cheeks blush as I think of all we’ve enjoyed together since.
Both inandout of the bedroom.
In the short time that followed that wonderful meal at his friends’ house, we went sledding at a local hill just as though we were a couple oversized kids.I taught him how to make chicken and dumplings, and we roasted marshmallows in my fireplace, making quite a mess.
We shared a couple leisurely walks down Main Street to soak up the holiday atmosphere before they take down all the decorations, and we even made plans to watch the fireworks together on New Year’s Eve.
I smile, looking forward to standing at the place we picked out on Spa Creek Bridge tomorrow night as we ring in the new year.The fireworks should be beautiful there.
