Page 138 of The Mating Game

“I should take a picture.”

“Live the moment, remember?”

I laugh, lifting my hands to my face to form a square as I click my tongue. “Yeah, yeah.”

Hunter spins me then, his arms around my waist and his expression amused as he gives me that trademark Hunter sort-of-smile. The one I’m madly in love with—exactly like I am with everything else about this man who completely took me by surprise.

“Everything is nearly set up, anyway,” I tell him. “They’re setting out the charcuterie boards now.”

He purses his lips. “It’s just meat and cheese.”

“But that doesn’t soundnearlyas fancy.” I tap his nose. “Oh, what do you think of an ice sculpture, by the way?”

He turns his head. “What?”

“I was thinking it would be such a waste not to utilize your skills,” I say with a straight face. “I mean, what is ice sculpting if not frozen whittling?”

He seems less amused now, his mouth turning down in a frown at my joke, and I laugh at his grumpy expression. I raise my hands again to take another mental picture of his narrowed eyes, knowing I’ll be paying for that comment later, but, oddly enough, I don’t mind in the slightest.

Hunter cocks an eyebrow at me. “Another memory you need, huh?”

“You just look so cute when you’re annoyed,” I coo.

He scoffs. “Cute.”

“As a button,” I tease.

He smiles at me then, not his usual tiny one but something full-blown and breathtaking—the smile that still catches me off guard no matter how many times I’m graced with it. His scent is a burst of joyful contentment, one that I pick up on him a lot more often now. It’s insane to me that we crashed into each other’s lives completely by chance, that an upheaval in my life could be the very thing that would deliver me more happiness than I ever thought possible.

“You know you did all this, right?” He gestures around the room. “We wouldn’t be here without you.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” I tell him. “You helped.” My mouth quirks. “I mean, sure, there would absolutely not be Wi-Fi at this place without me—I don’t know how you’d even begin to set up the router—but still.”

His eyes are narrowed again, but I can tell he wants to laugh. “I think you’re kind of a brat.”

“Well, I think”—I wind my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me—“you kind of want to kiss me.”

His eyes roam over my face with a warmth like he’s of a similar mind. “Only a stupid man wouldn’t,” he reminds me before he leans in to press his lips to mine.

There’s still a whole slew of reasons why it’s crazy that we’re here. I still don’t know much about classic rock, and I still have to show Hunter how to unlock his new smartphone half the time…but here, in this snowy little town of Nowheresville, with my surly but loveable mate, I learned what love is.

There’s still a lifetime ofrealmoments to experience…and I want to live every single one.