Page 89 of Dump and Chase

He texted back and we arranged for a skate at the Robson Square rink. I got there first and rented some skates since I hadn’t brought those along from Minnesota. The weather had finally dipped below zero and was perfect for a day on the ice. Christmas lights were still up, giving the square a winter wonderland look. I was taking it all in when Brandon met me at the skate rentals.

He hugged me, lifting me right off my feet.

“It’s nice to see you again.”

“That was a long road trip,” I said as he set me down.

“It never seemed to end.”

He had on a black beanie that was hiding his sandy-colored hair. I watched him lace up his skates and felt my heart tug just a little. In a different life that didn’t include Ethan, I would have jumped into a relationship with him, but I had a baby to consider. And an ex who was his teammate.

Once he had his skates on, he grabbed my hand as we made our way to the rink.

“Did Grant teach you how to skate?”

“Nah, I’m from Minnesota. I played hockey for a few years. Our high school had a girls’ team. I even played a year of college hockey, but I wasn’t that good. I was usually on the fourth line.”

“I’m learning a lot about you.”

“I loved playing sports.”

We hit the ice and he made sure to keep holding my hand. He asked me more about growing up in Minneapolis, and I asked him about growing up in Saskatchewan. Once we’d had our fill of skating, our faces red from the cold, we found a nearby coffee shop and got some hot chocolate.

“I still haven’t met Mario’s daughters, you know.”

He smiled. “Right. We need to get on that. I did promise.”

“He does really have daughters, right?”

He laughed now. “Yes, he really does.”

I knew the time had come to have some kind of talk with Brandon. I didn’t want to lead him on or be dishonest, but I also didn’t even know what I planned to tell him.

“I enjoy hanging out with you,” I said.

“And I love hanging out with you.”

I bit the side of my lip. Why did this have to be so hard? “But… things are complicated for me. I have a baby coming and now isn’t the right time for getting into a new relationship. I feel like I have to tell you that because the last thing I want to do is string you along.”

“I respect that.”

“I also have to think about Ethan and the relationship I have with him.”

He shifted his posture, clearly irritated at hearing Ethan’s name. “I get the feeling he wants to get back together with you. Is that something you want? And before you answer,” he said, stopping me from speaking, “I can handle it. It’s okay to want to get back together with him. You have a ton of history with him. But please promise me if you do, it’s for the right reasons and not just because you’re having a kid with him.”

Why was he such an amazing guy? He was going to make some woman very happy one day, but I knew my heart was spoken for.

“I don’t know what I want, and I know I need to figure that out.”

He reached out and touched my hand. “It’s okay if you pick him. I’ll be okay. Look, we haven’t really dated, so it’s not like we’re breaking up.”

“Stop being such a great guy.”

His blue eyes glinted in the light and his smile was so playful. “Do you mind telling that to all my teammates?”

We finished our drinks and as we got ready to leave he pulled me close.

“In case I don’t get a chance to do this again,” he said, pausing for a moment before leaning in to kiss me. He was so damn good at kissing.

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