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That mouth is about to come back with something sassy—but she’s cut off.
A breathy laugh lingers near us. “You guys,” Charlie starts as she pats us both gently, but pointedly. Then mutters through clenched teeth. “People are watching.”
Pepper and I exchange a guilty glance like we’d been caught chatting during class and wait for “the teacher” to turn around.
Once she’s gone, I wrap an arm around my bride and bend my head. Honey and vanilla hit my senses, and I fight the urge to breathe her in—or pull her closer. “I don’t like crowds, Pepper.”
“This coming from some sort of a superstar.”
“I play a sport. It comes with the territory.”
“No one else is being called King of the Ice.”
“Lots of players are—you’ve just been living in a shoe for eight years.”
We both turn at the sound of a bell. Dad is in the center of the room facing the crowd with the bar behind him. “That’s better. Thanks, Charlie.” He winks and hands her back the bell. “Now that we have everyone here, I want to thank you all for coming. I don’t do toasts, so I’ll leave that to the boys—” He points to Levi and Noah. “But I can offer free champagne on behalf of the…happy couple. Welcome home, Pepper, and congratulations, you two.”
People start to clear the way for us and my hand wraps protectively around Pepper’s waist, reluctantly leading us to the spotlight.
I remind myself I have nothing to worry about. Even if someone does see the resemblance to Penelope Walker—everyone’s got a doppelganger, right?
Levi meets us there and raises his glass. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to make a toast to my little brother, Chase, who, after all these years, reunited with the love of his life…Pepper Woods. Some of you may remember Pepper when she lived here. But what you don’t know about her and my brother is how close they were when they were kids.”
Lies.
“And how much trouble these two used to get into when they were teenagers—outside of their group of friends, of course. But what none of us knew.” He looks at us and I don’t miss the hint of a cocky smirk. “Is their secret vow to marry someday.”
“Initially, they agreed to thirty,” Levi continues, “But Chase didn’t want to risk his dream girl getting away.”
I’m gonna kill him.
“Welcome back, Pepper. Congratulations to you both.”
People start chanting for a kiss, and I feel Pepper stiffen at my side. I cup one side of her face and bring my lips down to hers, holding them for a brief moment before letting go.
Pepper offers me a small smile and turns back to the crowd.
Dad breaks up the applause and guides everyone to the buffet so the ‘happy couple’ can have some breathing room.
Smartest thing anyone’s said all night. I run my fingers through my hair. “This was a dumb idea.”
“Your idea,” she reminds me. “Don’t worry. No one’s recognized me as anyone other than Pepper,” she whispers.
“Pepper, your picture is plastered all over the media. All we need is one person to put two and two together.”
She glowers at me, gritting her teeth. “I’ve got this.”
“Well don’t. You basically signed your life away to someone and now you think you can make an entire town believe in some wacky love story?”
Her jaw tightens and she lowers her gaze in that same way she does before she’s about to run. But then turns and lifts a fork from the bar, connecting it with her glass. “Hey everyone, thank you so much for coming to celebrate with me—oh and my fiancé.” She brushes her hand over my arm. “I can’t express what this means to me. You know here I was in San Diego, trying to find my way as a figure skater—focused on anything but love—and Chase shows up—insisting we belong together. Did you know he used to fly to come see me every week—Saturdays usually. He'd wait outside my doorstep until I got home to surprise me. Always with little gifts.” She chuckles. “This one time he came with this little puppy toy. You know the ones with a heartbeat that help them sleep? He got down on one knee, held it up for me and said ‘This is the way my heart beats for you. It’s constant, it’s loud, and I can’t ignore it anymore. Marry me, Pepper.’”
The little minx smirks up at me as laughter and aww’s spread through our guests.
I slide my arm around her neck and dip to her ear. “You’re in so much trouble.”
Her eyes flash with a mixture of fear and excitement. And I decide that it’s an appropriate reaction.
Charlie’s hand is against her chest holding back a laugh as she steps up to us. “That story will never get old.”
