Chapter 18
Winter
I tip the box of icing sugar over the mixing bowl, and Caden wraps his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder.
His parents and brothers have gone to the steakhouse in town for a meeting, catching up with some of the other ranch-hands and riders from around the country. A bunch of rodeo riders who they’re friendly with have stopped by in Kentucky, before heading back home for the winter season.
Ade really wanted us to come with them, but Maverick said that it was okay for us to miss it, seeing as there will be another get-together in a couple days’ time.
And this way, Caden and me have the ranch to ourselves for the evening.
The Christmas country song playing from his phone comes to a soft twangy end, and Caden releases me from one of his forearms as he reaches across the counter.
He looks at the screen to check the next song and then places it back beside my ingredients, squeezing his palms around my waist as he sways me gently against his chest.
“Caden,” I laugh, and I feel him smirk against my cheek.
“I like dancing with you,” he rumbles quietly, and I bite back a smile as I blush.
“I can’t wait to graduate,” he admits softly. “I can’t wait for us to have a place of our own.”
“You’ll be on the road,” I whisper back to him.
He shakes his head. “I’m bringing you with me.”
I giggle at that, still mixing the sugar, making the topping for the chocolate chip cookies. They’re resting patiently on top of the rack, with red and green candies in the mixture, and they’re going to be super cute once I’ve perfected their icing.
It’s going to be a snowy white backdrop with little green pine trees – the epitome of winter when it snows in the lower valleys.
Caden and his brothers are incredibly fit and healthy, but they embrace the holidays like it’s nobody’s business and they aren’t afraid of a little sugar.
“I don’t think that hockey players bring their girlfriends on the road with them,” I say teasingly, and Caden goes quiet for a moment as he rubs his palms under the hem of my shirt.
“Maybe by that point,” he says softly, “you won’t be my girlfriend – you’ll be my wife. And second of all, baby… you being on the road with me is non-negotiable.”
I look back at him over my shoulder, my cheeks dimpling at the sincerity in his eyes.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” I tell him honestly. “I think it’s a ‘no distractions’ kind of thing. Like, the players travel without their partners so that they can focus on their games.”
He stares down at me in silence, his eyes unblinking as my words sink in.
Then, after a moment, he exhales gently, his hold on me tightening.
“Fine,” he murmurs. “But I’ll be home whenever I’m free.”
I tilt my head back against his chest, smiling as I reach up to stroke his stubble.
He leans into my touch with a rumbling sound, his dark lashes fluttering as he searches my eyes.
“I’ve been thinking,” he murmurs, his tattoos flexing as he gathers me closer. “Seeing as it’s only a couple of days until Christmas, I was wondering if we could maybe…”
He drops his gaze and clears his throat, giving himself a moment to get his words out, and his strong cheekbones begin to flush as his chest swells against my back.
“Maybe…?” I prompt with a smile, and he meets my eyes, his irises sparkling.
“You know how I practice in the evenings, down at the rink before hitting the gym? And how the last time that I was home we talked about how maybe we could… we could…?”
He swallows hard and shakes his head, his breathing getting heavier as he struggles to say it.
So I turn gently in his arms and he inhales steadily as he gathers me closer, his large palms gripping my waist as he finds a way to say what he’s thinking.
And then he says it.
“Come with me,” he murmurs hoarsely, his irises molten as they burn into mine.
“Tomorrow, at the rink. I want you to come with me. You don’t have to skate,” he adds quietly, “but I hate being away from you. Especially when I’ll be back in Carter Ridge in just over a week, so I want to make the most of every second in Kentucky. ”
I blink fast, searching his eyes, my heart pounding at what he’s offering.
Ever since I stopped skating, I never went back to our local rink. I’ve been to other ones to watch Caden play, but I haven’t been to the one that I trained at.
And another thing that I haven’t done?
I haven’t put a foot on the ice.
Caden breathes steadily as he cups my cheek, his touch warm, protective, and soothing, and I instinctively press my body closer to his heaving chest.
“You don’t have to skate,” he repeats, but, from the look in his eyes, he knows what I’m thinking.
Even though I have residual fear… I secretly want to do it.
I want to feel the ice beneath my blades as I spin in Caden’s strong arms, the same way we did it back when we were teenagers.
If I hadn’t been a competitive figure skater, Caden never would have picked up hockey, and I miss sharing that with him, especially now that my injury is long-healed.
I should be out there with him, falling in love with it all over again.
I’m silent for so long that Caden swallows hard and shakes his head.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” he rumbles hoarsely. “I didn’t mean to push it. I’m sorry–”
So I pull his mouth down to mine, and the whole world stops as he kisses me back.
His touch is warm and gentle, and he groans softly as I pull away, his pupils dialled out into darkness as he stares down at me, his breathing heavy.
“I just needed a minute,” I whisper softly. “I needed a minute to think it through.”
He swallows and nods, pulling me closer. “Take all the time that you need.”
I press another kiss to his perfect lips, and my heart shimmers when I see his dimples.
“I don’t need any more time to think,” I admit, and those dimples deepen. “Let’s go to the rink.”