Chapter 67
DIANA
“I can already see the paramedics plucking my body off the ice.”
Kai chuckles. He shakes his head as he finishes lacing up my skates. “Di, relax, alright? I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you while you’re on my turf.”
He kisses me and stands up. Kai wraps his arm around my waist and lifts me onto my feet.
I totter across the rubber floors of the locker room. It’s so strange to walk on nothing but blade and air. The thought of moving on ice in these things while giant, burly men come after you with sticks makes me momentarily question Kai’s sanity.
“You’re doing great,” Kai encourages. “You look super hot in these.”
“Oh, don’t start,” I grumble.
Kai laughs. He keeps a tight hold on me until the rubber floors give way into the glistening skating rink.
Cold air blasts across my face, drawing my head up. “Oh my god.”
Marley and Babette’s Christmas Wonderland is utterly magical.
The skating rink is doused in whimsical blue light that’s pricked with glimmering stars.
The stars rove around the vast ceiling and shine across the glittering wire reindeers pulling Santa’s sleigh.
The decoration twinkles above a quaint, snowy village surrounding the skating trail.
Nat King Cole echoes from the speakers as he sings about toys and mistletoe.
Kai wraps his arms around my waist and whispers into my ear, “If you’re at a loss for words, I believe the ones you’re looking for are ‘Kai, this was such a great idea! I’m so glad I listened to you.’”
I playfully roll my eyes, nudging his face away. “The air inside this rink is already addling that big head of yours.”
He smiles against my ear. “Alright, I’m gonna start moving, okay? Just move forward when I do.”
With my head tucked beneath Kai’s chin, I’m fully cocooned in him. Still, I grip tightly onto his hands as they clasp together over my stomach. Kai pushes forward. The ice starts gliding beneath my feet. I gasp, my heart fluttering.
“It’s alright, princess, I got you,” he assures.
We start curving down the pathway, winding past gingerbread cottages and flocks of animatronic animals prancing around heaps of snow.
Families and couples skate by. They pause and smile into the polaroid cameras the workers use to snap their photos.
I smile in wonder. A laugh escapes me as gentle air sweeps through my hair.
“I just know Mellonbaum would eat this up.” Kai clears his throat and points at a horde of animatronic elves packing gifts. “Look upon these majestic elf tushies! Aren’t they divine?”
I giggle.
“They’re truly a marvel,” I mock back, “They flaunt themselves with such gravitas!”
An elf suddenly springs out of a gift box. “Weee!”
“Oh my god!”
“Diana!”
Kai tries to wrangle me still, but the ice slips under my skates. I writhe around like a fish being drawn out against its will.
“I don’t like this!” I panic.
“It’s okay! You’re good, princess! I got you!” Kai laughs. He yanks me back up and hugs my waist tight.
A little girl in a pink bunny hat cackles at me. “Look, daddy! She fell!”
I scowl irritably as she and her father skate away. “That little gremlin laughed at me.”
“Oh, how dare she express her joy?” Kai scoffs. “Want me to get her?”
I smack his chest. Kai’s smile deepens, so carefree and mischievous that my toes curl at how utterly handsome he is.
“You two are adorable!” A bright-eyed old lady in an ugly Christmas sweater skates up to us.
The name Meredith is scrawled across her tag in white chalk; it angles crookedly when she waves the disposable camera in her hand.
“Would you like a polaroid taken of you? We want our skaters to have a little keepsake from the event since you’re not allowed to take photos on the ice.
Don’t want anyone tripping and falling!”
Kai nudges me. “What do you think?”
A wave of giddiness ripples through my heart at the thought of owning a secret polaroid of Kai and me.
“It’d be nice to have some pictures of us together.”
Kai kisses my forehead. He then nods at Meredith. “Do you mind taking a few?”
“Of course not, dear!” She holds the camera to her eye. “Whenever you’re ready!”
“Kai?” I tug his collar until he glances down at me. I smile softly, whispering to him, “I hope we get to have a hundred more dates like this.”
Kai brushes his smiling lips against mine. “I’ll be sure to leave out the earpiece next time.”
I laugh into the kiss. My eyes flutter shut as the camera goes off.
“Jesus Christ. Why does my head look fucking massive in these photos?”
Kai and I sit on the roof of his car as we go through all the polaroids in the parking lot of the skating rink. The lights from the rink gleam behind us. They color our box of gingerbread cookies and cups of hot chocolate in shades of red, yellow, blue, and green.
Kai grimaces at one of the polaroids in my hands. Meredith had captured us mid-laugh with our foreheads pressed together while roving stars shone over us.
“Okay, fine, if you don’t like this one then you can have the other one.” I hand him the polaroid by my lap. Suddenly, I gasp. “No.”
“What’s wrong?”
“That devil child photobombed the shot!”
“Where do you—” Kai bursts out laughing the second he sees it.
In the polaroid, we’re kissing under the reindeer glittering above our heads, oblivious to the little girl with the bunny hat sticking her tongue out at us.
“I change my mind,” I grumble. “I do want you to go back in and get her.”
Kai laughs and hugs me close. Happy tears swell in my eyes when I look at all the polaroids set side by side of us smiling and kissing, hugging and whispering things only we’ll ever know about.
I used to read about characters having moments like these in romance novels.
Never once did I think I’d ever have a chance to live it myself and yet, a few breakdowns and mental spirals later, here I am.
I pause, my smile fading.
How many more beautiful, wonderful things lie beyond the decisions I’m too afraid to make?
Kai frowns. “What are you thinking about?”
That’s when a tide of courage and determination comes over me.
“I’m going to tell my father the truth tonight.”
Kai looks at me in concern. “Are you sure? I mean, you can take your time, Di. I can wait until you’re ready.”
“No. I can’t keep living under a lie. Especially when there’s something else I’ve always wanted to do.” I swallow hard. The next words on my tongue slip out hesitantly, “I want to start my own media outlet.”
“Di!” Kai kisses my cheek. Excitement flares in his eyes as he glances down at me. “That’s amazing!”
“Sort of.” I did tell Stella, and she vowed to provide me with every connection and resource I needed to get it going. But I still can’t ignore the doubts plaguing my ambitions.
“No, it’s amazing and you should go for it,” he insists. “You can do it. I know you can. I’ve seen the way you lead the Howler.”
“It’s not the same, though.” I wriggle out of his arms and straighten up against the hood of the car.
“I love reporting and leading a newsroom. But I’ve never actually built anything by myself.
Nearly every opportunity I’ve had was handed to me because of my name.
My father knows that. If he finds out about me wanting to run my own media outlet, he’s going to make sure it fails. ”
“Hey, hey.” Kai rests his hands around my ankles, coaxing me to face him.
When I do, his face is calm, yet fierce with conviction.
“Look, you don’t need to deal with him on your own anymore.
I’m going to be here for you. Stella is going to be here for you.
The boys will be here for you. Someday, things are all going to work out and we’re gonna have a million more dates and a million more photos together. ”
I bite my lip, fiddling with the polaroids. “With sparklers, too?”
Kai chuckles and nods. He reaches out to tuck a stray curl behind my ear.
“As many as you want,” he promises.