Page 97 of Born to Make You Smile

The two of them skated away rather quickly.

“Well. It starts.” He exhaled, his breath visible in the cold. “Seems they’d rather hang out with their friends than with us these days.”

I shrugged, also a bit disappointed but happy for the girls at the same time. “They’re at that age.”

We made our way around, holding each other a little closer now that the girls were occupied.

“See this is fun, isn’t it,” I said to him with a smile.

“It’s great. But is it time for hot cocoa yet? My feet are killing me.” Gavin groaned.

We sat on the bench together, hot chocolates in hand, our cheeks and noses red from the cold. I cuddled up close to him, and a pleasant warmth filled my body.

“You got so many more marshmallows than I did.” He peered into my cup, his eyebrows knit together.

“Maybe yours melted. Do you want some of mine?”

“No. It’s not about the marshmallows, it’s about principle. Fairness. I saw that extra spoonful that young man put in. You must have charmed him!” he teased, nudging me.

I shook my head with a hearty laugh. He was acting like such a child. “All I did was flash him a smile.”

“Well then, you can’t blame him. Your smile is absolutely mesmerizing.”

His words made me blush.

As we sipped our hot cocoa, we watched the families skate around, the young kids holding their parents’ hands. A pang hit my chest. I wondered if I’d ever have that opportunity. To have a family of my very own, to come here and skate with. I loved the girls dearly, but they were getting older, more independent. Deep down, I yearned for more. I looked over at Gavin and wished I could ask him about these things—if having more children was even a possibility. But part of me was so scared of the answer. That we were in two completely different phases of our lives.

TWENTY-NINE

The girls ended upgoing for burgers with Paige and her family nearby while Gavin and I continued to skate. Well, I continued at least. Gavin decided he had enough, so he sat on the bench to watch while I went back on the ice for one more round. For fun, I showed off my skating skills. However, I must have snagged a dip in the ice as my body twisted, and I fell forward, landing on my hip.

Shit. How humiliating.

A few people stopped to help me up, and as soon as I put weight on it, my right ankle screamed at me. A very kind woman took me to the side, off the ice, and Gavin quickly came to me.

“Grace, love. Are you all right? You poor thing.”

I nodded, trying to contain the pain. “I’m all right, just my ankle. I think that’s enough skating for today.”

He frowned. “I feel terrible. I should have been there to help you.”

“It’s my fault I was goofing off.” I winced as I hobbled my way to the bench.

He helped me remove my skates, and with his gloved hand, he gently rubbed my injured ankle over my thick sock.

“When we get home, we’ll put some ice on it. Hopefully, it’s just a mild sprain.”

***

We got back later that afternoon, and I noticed Eddie’s van in my driveway.

“More work to be done?” asked Gavin.

I nodded. “I’m having my furnace looked at.”

“Ahh. Well, you best come to my place for a bit. Relax until he’s finished.”

The four of us played several rounds of Uno in the family room. Despite my ankle feeling better, Gavin had me elevate my leg with an ice pack.

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