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She gripped our hands with her other one. “Sweet baby gherkin, you’re wound tight. Are you up for this?”
I took a deep breath. She wasn’t wrong. “Hell, yeah. It’s time for you to learn how to fly on the ice on your own. You’re always welcome on my skates, but you should learn. Then you can go skating with Molls sometimes too.”
She grinned. “Yeah, that would be fun. Maybe she could teach me a few things.”
Just talking about Molly helped me relax. Strange that a teenager was a calming force, but today she was helping me clinch my future.
By the time we reached the rink, my nerves were back. Grabbing our skates, I led her inside. The place was dark except for a spotlight in the middle.
“It’s almost eerie in here without more lights,” she whispered. “Did they know we were coming?”
I swallowed hard. “It’s just how Cletus leaves it when it’s not being used for a scheduled skate. There’s enough light for us.”
I helped her get laced up, then I tossed on my skates. In no time, we were out on the ice.
Standing in front of her, I skated backward while pulling her forward and encouraging her. “You’ve got this, Raven. I’m right here.”
She took a deep breath, then blew it out. “As long as I’m with you, I can do anything.”
Skating backward, I pulled her along slowly. “Now, start marching a little just to get the feel of walking on the ice. Eventually, you’ll stomp and push forward.”
“Like this?” she asked with cute little clomps.
A smile tugged at my lips. “Yep, that’s it. Now, try stomp push forward. Stomp push forward. I’ll give you a little tug so you feel it.”
With a few more tries, she finally started getting it. She was still like a newborn giraffe, wobbly and about ready to fall over with every step, but I had her.
When she went all the way from one end to the other, I came around to her side.
“Where’re you going?” she asked in a panicked voice. “Don’t leave me!”
Clutching her side, I squeezed a little. “Nope, I’m right here. I want to show you how to push off and glide. Look, stomp push glide. Stomp push glide.” With a few practice pushes, we were actually gliding side by side. And it felt so good being on the ice here with the woman I loved.
After a few laps around the rink, I could tell her ankles were weakening. Skating was an ankle-intensive sport and I didn’t want her to be too wobbly for this next part. Bringing her back to the middle of the rink where the spotlight was, I pivoted so I was skating backward facing her again.
She clasped her chest. “You really need to tell me when you’re doing that.”
I smiled and slowed us down until we were directly under the spotlight. “How was it? You have fun?”
She grinned like a champ. “I kicked skating’s ass instead of the other way around!”
I bit my lip at how fucking cute she was. “That’s right. You do everything you set out to do. It’s one of the things I love about you. How you’re not afraid to go out and conquer the world.”
She shrugged. “What can I say? It’s what I do.”
Slowly, I lowered down until I was on one knee. “Phoebe Aurelia Garrison, my Raven, my love, I have a very important question to ask you.” Putting my fingers in my mouth and whistling, I waited as I heard footfalls beside me stop. “I mean, we want to ask you.”
Phoebe’s eyes were glistening. “Sweet baby gherkin, you got a dog?”
I steadied her while she leaned down to let him smell her hand and scratched his head. “He’s a rescue, a Malamute who was an Iditarod dropout. He didn’t have the stuff to run for miles, bum hip or something, but he’s two years old and eager to please.”
She looked at me with wide glistening eyes. “And he’s all ours?”
I nodded. “All ours.” I swallowed hard. “And he has something for you.”
She looked at me with curiosity as I reached for the bandana around his neck. As I pulled it off, a box slipped into my hand. “Raven, I’ve loved you as long as I’ve known you. I can’t stand the thought of ever being without you again. Would you promise to love me forever, despite my grunts and grumpy days, and marry me?”
I stood and when I popped open the ring box, she gasped.
