Page 45 of Bound and Blitzed

“Yeah? That’s what I’m counting on.”

Shaking my head, I glide down the skating rink, tugging Avery along for the ride.

“I haven’t done this in years,” he admits, stumbling. “And even then, I was terrible.”

I laugh and lace my fingers with his. The first few go-arounds are shaky at best but slowly, Avery gets the hang of it.

We skate until the wind bites at my bare legs, and I fumble to wrap my scarf tighter around my neck.

“Come on. Let’s get you home,” Avery suggests.

Our walk back to campus feels longer, most likely because I’m exhausted. While I was grateful for the pair of flats I keep in the office so I didn’t have to walk to and from Market Square in heels, the exertion from the skating is catching up to me.

I slide into the driver’s seat of my car and follow Avery’s SUV home.

Once we get home, Avery takes a phone call from his mom. I use that time to shower, dress in comfortable pajamas, and slide my feet into slippers.

When I venture into the living room, Avery looks up from his seat on the couch. A bowl of popcorn and two mugs of hot cocoa rest on the coffee table.

“What’s this?” I ask, biting my bottom lip. Hope rises in my chest.

“Movie night?” Avery asks.

“Yes!” I agree, hopping into the space next to him.

“Oof.” He catches me, wrapping one arm around my back as I snuggle into him. His chest is broad, his arms long, and his body warm. When I’m with Avery, I feel safe and protected in a way I’ve never experienced.

In a way that makes me want to trust and confide in him.

“What are we watching?” he asks.

My mouth falls open. “You’re letting me pick?”

He frowns. “Of course I’m letting you pick. What kind of question is that?”

I shrug, not admitting that Dane never let me pick. Dane didn’t really let me do anything but fawn all over him.

“Do you have a Christmas movie tradition or something?” Avery asks.

“We actually do and you’re never going to believe it,” I admit.

He grins. “What is it?”

“Miracle on 34thStreet. It’s my abuelita’s favorite. One of her closest childhood friends was an American girl whose father was sent to work in Alicante. She spent seven years in Spain and every Christmas break, she and Abuela would watch the movie together. It’s something she passed onto us.”

“Then that’s the movie we should start with.”

He says the words sincerely, causing my heart to skip a beat. I shift closer to Avery and melt into him as he grips the remote control and presses play.

Chapter15

Avery

We’re onlya quarter through the movie and I’m distracted by Valentina next to me on the couch. She isn’t doing anything except breathing, her eyes glued to the television and the unfolding scene of Kris Kringle and Susan interacting, and yet, I can’t take my eyes off her.

I love how her eyes light up when she speaks about her abuela. I enjoy how she’s both passionate and reserved, generous and astute. She can talk about birds for hours and yet, she finds it difficult to weigh in on every single bridesmaid dress my sister texts her. She’s unlike any woman I know and it’s more than refreshing—it’s fascinating. Valentina Garcia has flipped my world on its axis, and it still blows my mind that she’s my wife.

Tomorrow, we’re going to tell her family about our marriage. When she first admitted that they don’t know the truth, a strange sense of disappointment—of hurt—rolled through my limbs.

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