Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
My smile was wide, and for a moment, I wondered if maybe there really was a chance of things between us working out. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said, eyes lifting to something over my shoulder. “Dick’s coming. Quick. Casual kiss.”
I didn’t question him as I let him cup my face and kiss me in a way that was anything but casual. After a few moments, I pulled away, then risked a glance over my shoulder. The hallway was empty.
I frowned up at him.
“Whoops,” he said. “Must’ve been seeing things.”
28
JAMES
The entire wedding party, even Emma’s elusive father, was scattered around the outdoor ice rink and strapping on either rental skates or fancy skates they’d brought themselves. The resort’s ice rink was set on the edge of a hill that overlooked a small, wintery town below with mountain views in every other direction. Snow gently drifted down on us as we got ready.
Emma was beside me, struggling with her skates.
“Here,” I said, kneeling in front of her to fix her laces. “Let me guess. You’re about as good at ice skating as you are on the slopes?”
Emma stuck her tongue out at me. “I’ll have you know I’m a perfectly capable ice skater. Probably. It has been… a few years.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How many, exactly?”
She thought for a few moments. “Fifteen?”
I sighed. “You’re going to be holding my hand until I’m confident you aren’t going to fall and hurt yourself.”
“Is that an order?” she asked.
I gave her laces a firm tug. “Yes. Now, come on. I want to see what we’re working with.”
She smiled up at me, but let me lead her across the rubber mats and onto the ice rink. Ahead of us, Marcus and Lilly were somehow skating and hugging at the same time. It was both nauseating and sweet.
To my satisfaction, Dick was skating like a cat with tape on his feet. He looked absolutely lost, and the idiot was trying to keep up with a blonde woman who appeared to want nothing to do with him.
Emma’s mom and dad were holding hands as they skated, which was kind of adorable.
I guided Emma onto the ice, watching as she took her time getting her ice legs back. After one or two laps around the rink, she wasn’t actually doing so bad.
“There you go,” I said.
“If I get too good at this, does it mean you’re going to stop holding my hand?”
“That’s the idea,” I said.
Emma, who had been looking perfectly proficient at that moment, suddenly stumbled and seemed unsure on her feet.
I gave her hand a tighter squeeze. “Suspicious.”
She looked up at me innocently, then nearly tripped again. “Whoops,” she said.
Just as the sun started to set and turn the sky orange, mood lights kicked on, illuminating the rink and the falling snow. Music kicked on and a DJ’s voice came over the speakers. “Alright, Wellington-Marshall wedding party! Let’s kick it up a few notches!”
“Was this your plan?” I asked Emma.
“Maybe,” she admitted. “But I wasn’t planning to be skating with a hot guy when this happened. I kind of imagined myself watching from the sidelines.”
“I’m glad you’re not,” I said, pulling her a little closer as we skated a lazy circle around the rink.
“Me too,” she said.
Upbeat music began to play, and I smiled as I took Emma’s hands and made a clumsy attempt at dancing that nearly sent us both crashing to the ice.
She laughed, letting me pull her close as the other couples on the ice enjoyed the music.
Eventually, the DJ put on some slow music, and Emma’s ankles were getting tired, so she was happy to stand near the center of the rink where we were out of everyone’s way. I took her hands in mine and held her close, wondering if it was just the snow falling through the darkening sky, the music, or something else that had me feeling so… different.
“What are you thinking about? You look like you’re somewhere far away,” she said, lifting her snow-dusted eyelashes to look up at me.
“I’m right here,” I said. “And I was thinking about how I’m tired of pretending.”
Her forehead creased. “We only have to keep up the act another two days to get to the wedding, James. I don’t want to cause drama and ruin this for Lily.”
“No,” I said. “I mean me. I’m tired of pretending I don’t want this thing between us to be real.”
She audibly gasped, breathing suddenly coming faster as her chest rose and fell against mine. “What do you mean?”
“That my feelings for you are real. Every bit of it. Fuck, Em. I spent the last three years kicking myself for screwing things up with you. Wondering. Wishing… And now you’re here. I’ll be damned if I let this thing end without coming clean this time. I want to be with you. I want to be around you. I want any bit of you that you’ll allow me to have. And that is the truth. If you don’t feel the same, it’s fine. But I wanted to—”