Page 58 of Fate on the Ice

That’s something I didn’t think was possible. Dreamless sleep. I thought I would always be scared, that I would always lie in wait. But not when I have Otto beside me. He is my protector.

He is my world.

The sun shines into the bedroom, and I open my eyes. I don’t have to get up for work for at least two more hours, but there’s something I want to do alone before anyone else wakes up, especially Otto.

I grab my phone off the nightstand, then find Otto’s T-shirt and slip it on before I tiptoe to the bathroom and close the door behind me, locking it. Closing the lid on the toilet, I sink down and begin to touch the screen.

Beauty isn’t my thing, but I love the salon. I want to stay there and make a career out of it. One thing they could all use is a good bookkeeper. I want to be that for them. I can manage the whole salon—appointments, bills, payroll, all of it.

I have half the cost of the courses already saved. It’s a six-month course, and I can take it all on nights and weekends. I’m just not sure if they would want that from me. I haven’t asked any of them yet. I wanted to gather all the information before I said anything.

The doorknob wiggles, and then I watch as the door opens. Otto stands in front of me. I don’t ask him how he opened the door. It doesn’t matter. He’s leaning his shoulder against the frame, his eyes focused on me, and his brows are snapped together.

“You want to tell me what you’re doing?”

Biting the inside of my cheek, I dip my chin in a nod, but I don’t stand. I stay where I am as I tell him my idea. I tell him everything I can about it, including the fact that I have half of the money saved up.

“It’s just online and then one evening a week. I think it will be easy enough, and then I’ll be able to do so much,” I quickly explain, finishing my plan.

Staring at Otto, I wait for his response. Then he grins and takes a step toward me before he crouches down in front of me. He’s not wearing a shirt, but the low-slung athletic shorts tell me that he’s tugged them on sans underwear, and I can’t help but think about that as he lifts his hands and wraps his fingers around my wrists.

“I think that’s an amazing plan,” he murmurs.

“Except?”

“Except for the part where you pay for any of it.”

“Otto—” I begin, but he holds his hand up and shakes his head once.

“I won’t take no for an answer. If my wife wants to attend a class, I'll pay for it.”

Tears fill my eyes. They fall down my cheeks, and I wonder how this could be my life. How this man could be mine. All mine. I didn’t think it was imaginable. I didn’t think a man like him could be possible for a woman like me.

But he is.

And I love him.

I’ll never stop loving him.

Epilogue

OTTO

SIX WEEKS LATER

I’ve never brought a woman home to meet my family. There’s never been one to bring home to them—until now. Grace is the first of a lot of things. And I can’t wait for her to be the first of many more.

“Maman,” I murmur.

She lifts her head and reaches out her fingers to slide across the backs of mine. Then she stares at me in silence.

“I like her,” she whispers. “She doesn’t know French, but she can learn.”

Laughing softly, I shake my head a couple of times, then turn my hand over, palm facing up. Her hand shifts, and I curl my fingers around hers, gripping them gently.

“I wish you would come and visit us. What is going to happen when you have grandkids?”

She pulls her hand away, placing it in her lap as she looks down. I can tell she’s embarrassed, and I feel like an asshole, but I hate the fact that she’s effectively locked herself here.

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