Chapter 20
DRAKE
"Look at the snow. It's so pretty," Kimberly said. "When did it start snowing?"
"When I was cooking."
"This would be a perfect night for sledding, with the moon full and everything." She looked up at the sky, absolutely besotted.
"Then let's go," I said.
"What? Are you serious?"
"Why the hell not?"
"Because you’re wearing a suit, and we have no toboggans."
I smiled at her, coming closer, tipping her chin up, and brushing her lower lip with my mouth. "Everything can be solved with a trip to Target."
She stepped back. "Are you serious? Please don't get my hopes up. Tell me if you're joking."
"I'm not kidding at all."
She grinned. "I'm giddy with excitement, just so you know."
"Good. That's exactly what I was hoping for. Let's get in the car."
"By the way, were you dating someone before you moved here? I’ve meant to ask for a while."
That came out of the blue, but it was time for that conversation. After all, she’d opened up about her past.
"I was, actually. We'd been going out for a few months, and then my sister's troubles started. And when I told my ex I wanted to move here, she broke up with me. Said she didn't need any headaches with a needy family."
Kimberly gasped. "That's awful."
"Better to find out sooner rather than later."
"Was it serious?"
"No. We had barely gotten to know each other, but it left a sour taste in my mouth."
"Explains why you had a stick up your ass the first evening I met you." "I'll show you a stick up my ass."
“Oh really? How are you going to do that?"
“You’ll see.”
As I started the car, I googled the best places to go sledding in Chicago, and I got a few ideas. I knew exactly where to take her. But our first stop was Target.
She grinned as we entered the store, then chuckled.
"Why are you laughing?" I asked her.
"Because I didn't imagine you as the kind of guy who shops in Target."
"I don't usually, but my sister convinced me to give it a try a couple of weeks ago."
"Ha, I knew it. My instincts couldn't be that wrong. Then again, I haven't been here in a while. I forgot what a wonderful place it is." She stopped suddenly. "You know what? I also need snow boots."
"What?" I asked, sure I'd misheard her. "You want to buy shoes?"
She jerked her head back. "Drake! Not shoes! Snow boots. There's a huge difference."
"Why can't you wear what you've got on now?"
"Because I’d ruin them. These are leather boots. They don't do well with snow. Or water either, to be honest."
"Fine. Divide and conquer."
She nodded. "I agree. I’ll go get my snow boots, and I'll meet you in the sledding section.”
“Or I can grab the toboggans and wait for you at the exit."
She looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "No. I want to choose my sled."
I laughed, massaging my forehead with my fingers. "We're not going to get out of here anytime soon, are we?"
She grinned. "Nope."
I went straight to the sports section, and it was easy to find the toboggans; I’d noticed them when I came here with Suze last week.
I saw two black ones that looked solid enough to carry adults.
I was tempted to take two and go looking for Kimberly, but the way she claimed she wanted to choose her own toboggan made me think she wasn't joking.
To my surprise, she joined me a few minutes later, carrying a huge box under her arm.
"Give me that. I'll carry it for you," I said.
"What a gentleman. Thank you." She deposited the box in my open palm and then inspected the toboggan I'd chosen. "You like black."
She glanced at the selection and immediately went for a bright pink one. My eyes buldged.
"What? I can feel you judging me," she said.
"I'm not, just surprised."
"Oh, Drake. Life is too short for a black toboggan."
"Are you sure it's not for kids?"
"It is, but I checked the weight, and I think it'll be fine."
"Kimberly! What do you mean, you think? I won't let you buy something unsafe."
"I'm not asking for your permission."
"Regardless, you're not buying it."
She put a hand on her hip. "Listen, I've been on kids' toboggans, carrying one of my nieces. These things are sturdy, okay? Come on, let's go. I thought you'd be happy that I didn't spend too much time choosing my boots."
"Let me guess—they’re bright pink too?"
“Of course. Now let’s go.”
“Kimberly!”
"Oh, loosen up, Drake."
She laced her arm through mine, and I gave in. This little vixen was too determined. I realized when it came to her, I wasn't going to win all the fights. I was surprisingly accepting of that.
We bought some clothes that were suitable for the snow and changed in the bathroom at the store, putting our work clothes in the shopping bag.
"Where are we going?" she asked once we were back in the car. She’d changed into her snow boots while I loaded the sleds in the trunk of the SUV.
"There's a hill near Montrose Beach. You know it?"
"Yes. It's in the northern part of Lincoln Park. I've never actually been sledding there, but I remember that hill. It's pretty good, not too steep."
Once we arrived, I found a parking spot near the entrance easily enough. It was snowing even harder. "I wonder if there are going to be other people here too."
I doubted it. The hill wasn’t lit up, and it hadn't started snowing long enough ago for people to react. I was banking on us being alone. I wanted to see Kimberly's unrestrained joy.
"You should have bought some snow boots too. You're going to ruin those beautiful Oxford shoes."
"They’ll be fine," I assured her. Obviously, they were going to be messed up, but no way in hell would I ever wear snow boots. But they looked great on her. She wore them with pride.
There were a few inches of snow on the hill. We walked over, and I set both toboggans down. Kimberly started pulling the handle of hers. She couldn't be prouder of her pink sled. I laughed despite myself.
She glanced at me over her shoulder. "We're all weird in our own ways, Drake. I've learned to embrace mine. Have you?"
"No,” I said truthfully. But I had a hunch I'd catch up to her in no time. Her unrestrained way of doing everything was contagious.
We walked uphill for a few minutes so we could get to the top.
"This is beautiful," she murmured when we reached the peak. We had a view of the city under the moonlight. She was right. It was breathtaking. "Thank you for bringing me here."
I leaned closer. “I love being here with you.”
"Are you ready to race?"
"Not yet."
I brushed my lips against hers before capturing her mouth.
Jesus, I'd wanted to do this all evening.
I'd been lost in her the whole night, and yet I hadn't been able to taste her the way I wanted to.
I kissed her deeply, putting a hand on her back and pressing her against me.
I needed her body warmth, but mostly I just needed her.
My mind became a blank slate whenever I was near her; any worries or thoughts fell to the side.
She moaned against my lips and then stepped back, shaking her head. "No, no, no. First sledding, then kissing—and whatever else you might have in mind."
Before I could add anything else, she sat down on her sled. I did the same and waited for a few seconds, watching her intently as she slid down the hill, letting out a loud “Yoo-hoo” with both hands up in the air, waving them about.
God, this woman is going to give me a heart attack. Does safety mean nothing to her?
I got on the sled and headed down too. Because I weighed more, I caught up to her in no time. We reached the bottom almost simultaneously, and Kimberly grinned, jumping up to her feet.
"This is amazing. Come on, let's go again."
I frowned. "Kimberly, how about you keep your hands inside next time, holding on to the sled?"
"What do you think is going to happen to me? There's no one around. Besides, it's not that steep."
She was right, but when it came to her, I couldn't help but be overprotective.
We went up and down the hill a few more times. Kimberly was tireless, but she was right. This was a lot of fun.
"It’s so quiet. I love that about snow. It’s like the world stops. This is the best date ever," she said when we got up from our fifteenth or so slide down. Kimberly’s cheeks were red, and snow clung to her hair, but her smile was huge. She really meant it.
"I was going to take you to a fancy restaurant before Suze called for help," I said.
"I know. The location was on the calendar invite, remember? All so official. Instead, I got you cooking for me, some baby time, and now you brought me sledding. And we've got the entire hill to ourselves under the full moon. What can be better than that?"
"Going home with you," I replied.
She snorted. "Well played. But first, I want us to take one last ride down and maybe use the edge of the hill. It's a bit steeper, and the snow is still fresh."
"Your wish is my command." And I didn't just mean when it came to sledding.
She was even giddier than before as she set to go down the hill. I'd miscalculated the angle—it really was steeper, so she was going even faster than before. I immediately leaned forward, too, and the sled sped downhill.
"I love going fast," she exclaimed. She was using both her hands to steady the sleigh.
"Can you steer it toward the flat area?" I asked as loud as I could.
"Not easy to control," she yelled back, "but I have an idea. Let's roll out of it."
That was one way to stop, but not ideal. "Are you serious?"
She literally rolled off the next second, right into the snow. I knew I could steer mine, but this seemed more fun, so I rolled out of it too. I hit the ground with a thump, getting snow everywhere. She rolled on her back, laughing out loud.
"This was amazing." She pushed herself up on one elbow.
"Are you hurt?" I asked her.
"No, of course I'm not. Where are our sleds?"
They’d stopped at the base of the hill after having slammed into a fence.
She winced. "I hope they survived the trip."
"I'm sure they did," I said. "You wouldn't want anything happening to your pink sled, huh?"
"Of course not." She lay down on her back.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Ruining my perfect coat to make a snow angel. I haven't done this in so long. My mom showed me how to do it when I was little. Then I made one, too, and was upset because it turned out much smaller than hers.”
She laughed, moving her arms and legs at a frantic pace.
"See, you do have a memory of your mom."
She stopped and looked at me. "You're right. Wow, I didn't even know I had it. I guess… I don't know, being in the snow must have unlocked it."
"That's cool."
"How does my angel look?"
"Great, but you look like a snowman."
She rushed to her feet, brushing the snow off her coat. Her eyes were glassy.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, I just… I didn’t know I had that memory."
"How old were you when she passed away?"
"Seven. I wasn't that young, you know? Sometimes I wonder if maybe my brain is actively trying to forget those memories because it's less painful not to remember." She shrugged, smiling wildly. "Don't pay attention to me. I'm just being silly."
I frowned. "No, you’re not. If you're feeling down, that's okay. You don't have to be cheerful all the time."
"Of course I do. There's nothing to be sad about. I have a great life, a great family."
"Kimberly, you don't have to put on an act with me."
"It's not an act." She bit her lip. "Or maybe it is. Maybe I've fooled myself into thinking that if I'm cheerful all the time, it's all good." She shivered. "I'm starting to feel cold. I think I've got some snow up my back."
"I know just how to warm you up."
She smiled. “I was counting on that.”