Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“I never knew I could feel, not before you. I never knew I had it in me. You’ve made me feel young again.”
She giggles, shooting me a playful look. “You are young. Thirty-six isn’t old.”
I smirk, squeezing her side, making her laugh even more. “Okay, smartass, younger then.” She smiles. I go on, “Everything with you feels like an adventure. Spending the day in bed with you, just holding you, feels like an adventure. We’ve got so much ahead of us. I wanted to wait until we were here. I left this place a husk. I was hollowed out. Then I met this perfect, funny, interesting, loving, beautiful woman.”
When I kneel in the snow, she blinks, tears filling her eyes. I remove my gloves, lay them on the snow, then reach into my coat pocket. Taking out the ring, I look up at her with so much love expanding inside me. She beams it right back at me. We’re swept up in a torrent of closeness.
I open the ring box, letting her see the diamond. It’s a four-carat rock set within a platinum band, not too chunky but full and beautiful. “Will you marry me?”
Her reaction is going to be carved into my mind forever. She looks like she almost rolls her eyes, as if she’s going to tell me, Uh… duh, obviously? She thrusts her hand down, looking at me through tears. “What do you think?”
I smirk. “Nah-uh. You have to say it.”
“Maybe I enjoy watching you kneel in the snow, huh?”
I laugh. “I’d kneel here all day long for you.”
“Yes, Logan,” she says, her voice breaking, quaking with a happy sob. “Yes, oh, Logan. Yes!”
I slide the ring onto her finger, stand up, and pull her into my arms. I spin her around, then kiss her, holding her so tightly. I feel the life growing inside of her, the love beaming out.
“Oh, and I’ve got a surprise,” I tell her, kissing her on the cheek.
She’s always glowing, but this is even more intense than usual. She’s captivating. “What could make this even better?”
“Well, look over there.”
I gesture into the trees. She turns and then lets out the cutest gasp. I smile into the forest at Angela, Michael, and Eric, bundled up in winter coats.
“We’re going to spend Christmas together,” I say. “All of us as a family.”
EPILOGUE
FIVE DAYS LATER
Eric
I skate along the rink’s edge, holding my hands out in case Mom falls. She has all the pads: elbows, knees, thighs, wrist guards, and a helmet. That’s smart because she’s scared as heck, as Emma would say. I’m just glad they’re still cool with me after I snooped. I really, really shouldn’t have done that.
“You got this, Mom!” Emma cheers from the sidelines, hands wrapped around a mug of hot cocoa. Her big rock is glinting in the overhead lights. It’s a huge diamond.
Mom laughs, then puts her arms at her sides. “That’s it, Mom. Small, easy strides in a V shape.”
On the other side of the nearly empty rink—it’s so cool, we get the whole place to ourselves after closing—Dad and Logan are racing up and down. Dad is moving way quicker than I thought he would. He was nervous the first day on the ice, but now he’s getting back into it.
Mom sees me looking. “Join in, Eric.”
“I’m helping you.”
“Helping me?” She lowers her head and makes a few determined strides. “Does it look like I need help?”
I grin. “Uh, Mom, I’m not sure you want me to answer that.”
She laughs and waves a hand, which sends her into a spinning circle. I quickly rush forward, helping her to the barrier before she falls. She grabs hold of it, shaking her head and raising her voice. “Emma, I’m stealing your hot cocoa!”
Emma laughs. “Oh, really?”
“Yep. I’m coming up there right now and taking it if I can get these things off.”
I grin, clapping my hands. Everything has a Christmassy feel. Not long now. Dad says we might go skiing with Logan. That’s going to be awesome.
“Hey, kiddo,” Dad calls over, making the ice swish when he comes to a stop. He puts his hands out on his sides. “You ready for a race?”
“Dad…”
“Hey, come on now,” Dad beams, skating over. “I know you think you’ve got youth on your side.”
“Dad, I’ve got thunder thighs. Legs of steel. You’d never keep up.”
Logan chuckles as he skates over. It’s easy to see how Logan and Dad were best friends when they’re on the ice together. I found it weird before, picturing them being buddies, but they’re like two big kids on the ice. “Those are fighting words, Michel. Eric is a very skilled skater.”
That’s a big compliment coming from Logan. It’s unbelievable how expertly he moves around on the ice. He’s got the agility of a man half his size.