Page 159 of Miami Ice

Suddenly my heart flips inside my chest. I don’t care about Scarlett and Aiden anymore.

Because all I want to do is skate with Beckham.

“I trust you,” I say quietly. “With everything.”

Including my heart.

Beckham leads me out to the ice and takes both my hands in his. I grip his hands tightly. His grasp on me is firm, and I know there’s no way I’m going to take a tumble on the ice tonight.

We begin to skate, with Beckham going backward, me forward, and we slowly move across the ice. I’m not hopeless, as it turns out, and Beckham encourages me the whole time. “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande starts to play, and I sing the words to Beckham, who pretends to be revolted by it.

“I might have to put you in the penalty box for this infraction,” he declares.

“Beckham, youlovethis. I know you do.”

He leads me over to the boards and brings us to a stop. He lets go of one of my hands, and I gasp, but Beckham’s hand immediately finds the curve in my waist and holds me close. I put my hand on his arm, as I’m still not ready to let go of him yet.

“You’re making me love all kinds of things I didn’t think I ever would,” Beckham says softly.

“This makes me so happy. And I would reach up and touch your face, but I’m afraid I’ll fall.”

“I promise you I’m not going to let you fall. I will always be here for you, Georgie.”

My breath catches in my throat. I know he’s not just talking about the ice.

He’s talking about in life. Beckham is going to support me. Walk with me. Keep me from falling.

“If I did fall, I know you’d be there to help me back up,” I say. “Just like I would do for you.”

His eyes search mine. “I know you would.”

We remain still, simply staring at each other. Then he clears his throat. “Come on, let’s work on your skating. I’m going to have you skating on your own before we leave.”

“I trust you.”

And I do. I trust Beckham completely. This man won’t let me fall.

Not on the ice.

Or off it.

Chapter Thirty-Five

My week has arrived.

It’s December 23.And it’s time to celebrate Christmas.

I sit crisscross on Beckham’s bed, sorting through a box of ornaments I just picked up on clearance at Home Joy. Because Valentine’s Day is already starting to appear on the shelves, they have to start marking down Christmas to make room for more merchandise.

And it’s a perfect time to begin picking up stuff on sale.

I select a blown-glass gingerbread man ornament with pink icing and smile. I can still put these up in the kitchen. Yes, I know it’ll only be up for a little while now—I usually take the decor down January 2—but I can still enjoy it for the moment.

I think I’m going to celebrate everything today. I’m in love, it’s Christmas, and I’m sharing it all with Beckham.

I grin as thoughts of Beckham fill my head. He’s in the shower right now, getting ready to go to the arena for his last game before Christmas break. This month has been a whirlwind of activity, and I’ve loved it all. We’ve had hockey games. The team holiday party. I’ve had shows and my sales have been through the roof. I’ve been busy painting more jars as inventory keeps selling out.

A problem I never ever thought I’d have.

---