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“You’re the one with the innuendo, Pup.” She skates backward, not without effort and a wobble, but there’s that sassy glint in her eye she always had when she had something to prove. “Waiting makes the heart grow fonder.” She turns forward but tosses me a glance over her shoulder. “Trust me. I would know.”
I skate over to her, and she’s doing just fine, but I still keep my hand over her back just in case. Jolie has always been athletic, but her technique needs some work, and I’m glad for it because teaching people things is something I love.
“Do you remember how to stop?”
“I used to just throw myself into the side of the rink.”
“You never learned?”
“No. Where would I have learned? I only skated with you two, and we just talked about what that was like for me.”
I can’t believe I think of him at a time like this. But the fact that my next game happens to be against Larose’s team has her ex on my mind more than I’d like. I don’t want to think about it but I can’t help but wonder how she was on and off with a pro-hockey player for the better part of her twenties and he never took her skating. It was the classic first date for a lot of us. Get to show off some skills, have a reason to touch the woman…
“What are you thinking about?” she asks. “You have that grimace of yours going on.”
I nearly keep it to myself. After all, I was the one who said we shouldn’t talk about our exes. But it’s not realistic to think we can grow close without getting to know it all, so I’ll have to grow up and get over that at some point. If we want to be close, she needs to be open with me. I need to get a strong, steel leash for my jealousy.
“What is it?” she repeats.
“I just find it weird that Eric didn’t take you skating enough to get good. That’s all.”
“Did you take Chloe skating?” She asks the question quickly as if trying to get it out before she stops herself.
I consider not responding. I don’t want to talk about Chloe, even though I know we have to. Maybe her segue is gracious. “Yes, I took her skating. Three times. Until she didn’t want to go anymore.”
“Three times? That’s not much; you were married a long time.”
“She didn’t like it.”
A scoff leaves her cherry lips. “Red flag.”
“Yes, it was. But we’re not talking about Chloe.” I try again. “Did Eric not take you skating?”
“He only took me twice—very early in our relationship.”
“That’s not much either.”
She shrugs. “I would have gone more. I’m a novice but I like it. It always made me think of good times…”
I love working our way around the ice, floating effortlessly, the sparkle of eternal winter all around us. I should leave it and lean into the romance. But… I can’t help the jealous need inside to know everything, and to rectify it. I don’t want to hear about her asshole ex and at the same time Ido. That’s the irony of being a protective man. I usher her over to the edge again, this time, cornering her to the side. I cage her in with two arms and press my hips into her to hold her up with them when she slips.
“Ooh. Nice move,GreatDane,” she teases.
I ask more forcefully than I mean to, but my words come out as a combination of jealousy and sensing something was wrong. “Why did Eric only take you twice?”
She gyrates her hips, as if she can dance out of this. “I like this…”
“You can’t get out of the question like that, Joey.”
She smirks. “The second time we went, I told him about how I used to play with you and Logan when we were younger…” She sighs, and her eyes lower. “He would do that. If he felt jealous or thought I got pleasure out of something, he’d take it away somehow. So after he knew I loved skating with you, he took it away as a means of control, I suppose.” She gazes at me again. “He was jealous of you for sure, and he probably assumed skating only made me think of you.” She quirks an eyebrow. “Even though it was a dick move, he was right. I’ve always talked about you with love.”
I think about how Chloe would respond when I spoke about Jolie. It wasn’t as extreme but similar. “I’ve always talked about you with love, too, Joey.” I lower my lips to hers and whisper a frosty puff of adoration across her mouth. “Because I love you.”
All bravado drains from her features and nothing is left but the beautiful, honest goddess I know her to be.
“You do?” She says, quietly.
“I love you.” I press my forehead to hers. “I always have.”
