Page 10 of Wrong Number, Right Valentine

“Please tell me you didn’t spend the whole day worrying about it.” Even if the night had been a disaster, I still wouldn’t want him to feel bad about it. It wasn’t like he called in to go skiing or be a slug.

“No, of course not… Just part of the day.”

We chatted a bit longer, and he shared the details of his harrowing day at the hospital with Junior. I was glad to be a shoulder for him. Being a single omega father wasn’t ideal, but fate didn’t give you a choice. In Hank’s case, his husband had passed away in an accident when his son was a baby, leaving him to raise their son alone. He was an amazing dad, but it had to be hard.

After our call, I went to the store and picked up some warm gloves, scarves, and hats. I wanted to surprise Banks with the ice skating and didn’t want him to get cold because I hadn’t properly explained what he needed to wear. This was the best way to ensure he’d be comfortable and have a surprise.

When I pulled up to his place, he was ready, coming right to the car. It wasn’t romantic or traditional. It was so much better. Hewanted this date as much as I did, and he didn’t try to hide the smile on his face.

“You didn’t tell me where we’re going.” He buckled his belt.

“You’re right. I didn’t.” I pulled away from the curb. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Fine. Be that way.”

His scent filled the car, and for a split second I considered opening a window to help me keep my focus.

I drove through town to the commons that the city flooded every year to create an ice rink. Some years, it stayed up for months; others, it barely lasted a few weeks. It all depended on the weather. This year had been a good one for ice. Not so good for staying warm.

“What do you think? Want to go ice skating?” I pulled into a spot.

“I haven’t been since I was a kid. Let’s go.”

We rented skates, and I helped him put on the hat and scarf I’d bought. I liked doing that for him, and my wolf did too. Little gestures like this had him prancing around inside me, thrilled at the chance to take care of our omega.

“Fair warning,” I said, lacing up my skates, “I haven’t been ice skating since… well, I don’t even remember. Maybe elementary school.” And back then we called racing on the frozen pond ice skating, even though there were no actual skates involved.

I hadn’t thought that part through before deciding on the date, but we were both equally horrible at it in the beginning, so it worked. We held hands, more to keep each other upright thananything else, stumbling and laughing as we tried to find our balance. Slowly, we got the hang of it. Round and round we went, feeling the cold on our cheeks and bouncing to the music playing over the rink speakers.

Eventually, a group of local teens—probably from the hockey club by the sounds of it—showed up. They were having fun, but being surrounded by kids wasn’t ideal for a romantic date. We decided to call it and skated off, returning our skates and wandering toward the nearby shops.

“I don’t get out to this part of town very often.” Banks gave my hand a squeeze.

I didn’t need it to hold me up anymore, but I wasn’t ready to let go of it either and appreciated the gesture. “Yeah, me neither. It’s got a lot more than I realized.”

“Oh! Look over there.”

I followed his gaze to a small shop across the street. At first, I thought it was a café, but on closer inspection, it turned out to be a hot chocolate bar.

“I didn’t know those existed.” But now that I did, I was all about trying it.

“We’re going, right? We’re going, right?” he asked, as if that was in question.

“Oh yeah, we’re going.”

We crossed the street and stepped inside, greeted by the smell of chocolate and a menu so large it took up the entire wall.

“I don’t even know which kind to get.” Banks leaned into my side.

“That’s easy. I’m just going to ask them to make me their favorite.” As a restaurant owner, that was frustrating, but right now it sounded like a brilliant idea.

“Me too.” He pulled off his hat, his hair ruffled, begging for my fingers to run through it.

That would have to wait. It was hot cocoa time.

9

BANKS

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