Page 36 of Charming Crosschecks

It was almostforty minutes before Gerry returned to the family room where Molly sat waiting, her legs tucked beneath her on the couch, idly watching television. Her heart had grown heavier with each passing minute, the quiet stretching between them as the hours of their evening began to dwindle. She clutched the remote, barely paying attention to the screen until a familiar sound caught her ear. SportsCenter was on, and a recap of the hockey games filled the room with animated voices and clips of last night’s highlights.

Her breath hitched when she saw it—a brief but unmistakable snippet of Gerry, larger than life on the screen. The camera showed him skating across the ice, her cradled in his strong arms, both of them kissing. It was the kind of moment she would have fretted over endlessly in the past. Was her hair a mess? Did her clothes look unflattering? Was her makeup smudged?

But this time was different.

The scene unfolding on the screen didn’t matter for those reasons. What struck her was the expression on Gerry’s face. Pure, unguarded affection radiated from him as he held her close. She couldn’t help but notice the way he looked at her—as though she was the only person in the world. And when she glanced at her own reflection at the moment, she realized her feelings mirrored his.

“Ladies,” the commentator on the television quipped, her voice playful and teasing, “looks like another of the North Texas Coyotes is officially off the market! Our favorite player, Gerry Thierry—A.K.A. Thor—has a new love in his life, and I’d almost wonder if hockey might have to take a back seat to that lucky little lady…”

The words made Molly’s cheeks flush with warmth. The scene was so surreal, so intimate, and public all at once. Her hand trembled as she fumbled with the remote to turn off the television just as the door creaked open.

Gerry stepped in hesitantly, his usual confident demeanor replaced with something softer, shyer. His dark eyes darted toward her before quickly looking away.

“Sorry,” he began, his voice low. “I know it’s getting late and?—”

“Take me home,” she whispered, cutting him off. Her words were gentle but filled with a quiet urgency. She didn’t want to spend another second dancing around what they were feeling. She wanted to be somewhere private, just the two of them, where they could talk, hold each other, and maybe, just maybe, build on the connection that had sparked so fiercely between them.

Gerry blinked, his brow furrowing slightly. “I will,” he said after a pause, though his tone was cautious. “Maybe we could try this again? Another time, when it’s not so late?—”

“Gerry,” she said, standing and taking a step toward him, her voice firm but tender. “Take me home and spend time with me.” She gave him a small, reassuring smile. “If you don’t mind the late hour, then I certainly don’t. We could cuddle, chat until the sun comes up…”

His head snapped up, surprise written all over his face. “Are you serious?”

“Are you?” she countered, tilting her head as she studied him. Her tone softened as she continued, “If you’re sure about us—about wanting to see where this goes—and if you believe there might be something real between us, then yes, I’m serious.”

Gerry exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Molly, I’d love to spend more time with you away from work, but…” He hesitated, his gaze meeting hers with an intensity that made her chest tighten. “I think we need to clear the air first. Make sure there aren’t any misunderstandings.”

“Oh?” she prompted, her brow arching slightly.

“I’m not sleeping with you,” he said quietly, his words deliberate and his gaze unwavering. “I believe in marriage, and if I come over, then…”

Before he could finish, Molly burst out laughing. It was so adorably old-fashioned and sweet coming from him. The sheer earnestness in his voice melted her heart. She hadn’t been inviting him over to sleep with her but rather to simply spend time together, talking and enjoying each other’s company. Yet his modesty had taken her words as an actual proposition.

“I’m not sleeping with you either,” she replied, her lips curving into a smile. “I believe in marriage, too. Just because I invited you to cuddle doesn’t mean we’re going to have some wild throwdown in the bedroom, buster.”

“Dang,” he murmured, running a hand through his hair and chuckling nervously. His sheepish grin made her heart skip a beat. “I mean, if you tried, I wouldn’t protest too much. I’d make a show of resisting, but then, you know—give up completely.”

Molly couldn’t help but laugh again, her cheeks warming with a rosy blush that spread to the tips of her ears. Her heart felt impossibly full as if it had expanded to hold all the unexpected joy of this moment. It was incredible—this shift, this turn they had taken. Just days ago, they had been locked in a battle of sharp words and cold stares, each treating the other like an enemy to guard against. But now, they were leaning toward each other, opening up, daring to share fragments of themselves they’d kept hidden.

This openness was intoxicating, like stepping into the first warmth of spring after a long, bitter winter. It was welcome, healing even, filling a void she hadn’t realized was there. When he smiled at her—genuinely smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners—it felt like the sun breaking through clouds. Then, without hesitation, he turned and linked his hand with hers, his touch grounding her even as her thoughts raced.

They walked in companionable silence down the private walkway toward the parking lot, the world around them muted and distant, as if the universe had folded in on itself to make space for just them. It felt natural, effortless, and yet as they approached her car, she hesitated, the practical part of her brain catching up. Her steps faltered, and he noticed immediately, tilting his head to look at her with that mix of curiosity and concern she was beginning to adore.

“What?” he asked, his voice soft but steady.

She bit her lip, suddenly sheepish. “Well, if I leave my car, then…”

He raised a brow, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a lopsided grin. “Then I can bring you back tomorrow.”

The simplicity of his solution made her laugh again, though this time it was more nervous than amused. She gave a small shrug, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “I suppose you can sleep on the couch,” she said lightly, starting forward again.

Her wordsseemed to hit him like a jolt of electricity. This time, it was his turn to hesitate, his feet rooted to the ground as he stared at her, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and amazement.

“What?” she asked, genuinely perplexed by his reaction.

“You sure move fast when you’re all in, don’t you?” he said hoarsely, his voice thick with something she couldn’t quite name. “Maybe I should just ask you to marry me now.”

“What?!” she yelped, stopping so abruptly that she nearly tripped. Her wide-eyed stare locked on his, her heart thundering in her chest. Surely, she hadn’t heard him right.

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