Page 125 of Cross Check Hearts

I sit up as he sets the tray down on the bed over my legs, and he kisses my forehead. “You’re going to need your energy. We’ve got a full day ahead of us.”

“We do?” I ask as I pick up a fork and spear some of the steaming scrambled eggs he made for me.

“Yup. We’re starting with some yoga, but I don’t want to spoil the rest of the surprise. So eat up.”

Unsurprisingly, the food is delicious, so I have no problem stocking up on it for whatever he has in store for me.

We get cleaned up after breakfast, and Declan takes me to a park I haven’t visited before. The sun is still high in the sky, and there’s barely a cloud to be seen, just endless bright blue. It’s a beautiful day, a perfect one to do some yoga in the morning rays with the mountains watching in the distance like they’re reaching for the sun with us.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m trying,” Declan says as he settles into reverse warrior pose and wobbles a bit. For someone who’s so coordinated on the ice, he’s kind of a mess on the ground, but I guess that’s why he gets paid to play hockey instead of doing yoga. He’s gotten a lot better since our first session though, and I love how dedicated he is to improving.

I smile at him and give him some pointers on how to stabilize his pose a little better, but judging from the redness on his face as he tries to hold it, it’s still a struggle. I tap his abs, and he jumps and almost falls over.

“You’ve got to engage your core more, especially for a pose like this. That’s where all your balance comes from. Here, watch,” I tell him and get into the pose properly with my core muscles engaged and holding everything together.

“You make it look so easy. Can’t I just sit and watch you instead since you’re the professional?”

“You could, but unfortunately, you aren’t going to burn any calories that way.”

Declan smirks, his eyes darkening. “I think we’ve already burned more than enough calories today. But I can think of at least a few other ways to get to the target that don’t involve yoga.”

“Is that the big surprise waiting for me at the end of this?” I ask with my eyebrows raised teasingly at him, but he chuckles and shakes his head.

“It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you ahead of time. Now come on, let’s finish this up. We’ve got other places to go and people to see,” he says as he tries the pose again. We get through the rest of the routine quietly just in time for lunch, so we pack everything up and drive to a local place for some of the best Thai food I’ve ever had in my life.

I’m sure the day is going to end there—but then he takes me to the spa for a couple’s mud bath treatment. I’ve never done anything like that before, but it’s always intrigued me. And I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything as funny as Declan in a vat of mud, covered from head to toe, with cucumber slices over his eyes.

But I have to admit, it is relaxing, and in a weird way the thick, slightly warmed mud feels great on my muscles after the yoga in the park this morning. It doesn’t end there, though. After we’ve showered off—they keep us separate for that, unfortunately—the attendant takes us to another room where we get a couple’s deep tissue massage.

By the time it’s over, I could go right to sleep for the next fifteen hours. But Declan insists on taking a little walk around downtown Denver to do some shopping, so I give in. I’ve lived in Denver my entire life, but we stop at so many places I’ve never heard of or been to before that I lose count quickly. The day passes in a wonderful blur, and we end up sitting down for dinner at a five-star restaurant in the mountains that has a stellar view of the range and the entirety of Denver.

But as we sit down across from each other, I can’t shake a sense of déjà vu. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something about this place feels oddly familiar. Actually, everything we’ve seen and done today has made recognition prickle somewhere deep in my brain. And as I unroll my silverware to drape the napkin in my lap, the realization strikes me.

This all seems so familiar… because it is.

I described all of this to Declan once, way back when he asked me what my ideal day would be like the first night we met. He’s been recreating every single place and moment I shared with him, and it took me until now to realize it.

“You’ve been recreating my perfect day, haven’t you?” I ask, and he grins at me from across the table, his amber-flecked eyes sparkling in the flickering light coming from the candle on the table.

“Have I gotten it right so far?”

“Perfectly,” I tell him, my heart swelling at the thought that he both remembered all of this stuff and went through all the effort to make it happen. We order main courses and a bottle of champagne to share, but neither of us speaks while we wait for the food to arrive. It’s been a perfect day, and I’m enjoying just spending time with Declan. He smiles at me over the rim of his champagne flute and raises it to me.

“How about a toast?”

“I won’t say no.” I raise my glass too and wait, and Declan clears his throat.

“Here’s to chance meetings that change lives. And here’s to us.”

“To us,” I agree and clink my glass against his before we each take a sip of the crisp, bubbling champagne. The food comes quickly, and it’s absolutely perfect. We make some casual conversation over dinner, but the food is so good that it’s difficult to focus on anything else. And neither of us wants to ruin the ambiance, with the quiet vibe in the restaurant and the lights of Denver’s buildings twinkling in the distance.

But as dinner winds down, Declan’s demeanor shifts. There’s something in his eyes that I can’t quite figure out, almost like he’s nervous—which almost never happens to him. And he’s looking right past me, like he’s expecting a gaggle of singers to waltz into the restaurant at any second or something. I follow his gaze and glance over my shoulder and gasp.

Every single table around us is occupied by people I know.

My family and friends are all here, and so is the entirety of the Aces team. All their tables were facing away from us so I didn’t realize it until now, but as if they’ve coordinated ahead of time, they all turn to face us nearly in unison. Butterflies erupt in my stomach as my jaw falls open. I turn back to Declan to ask him if he planned this—then freeze.

He’s kneeling in front of me. A soft, strangled sound spills from my lips as he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a little jewelry box, and I instantly start crying. I couldn’t stop it even if I wanted to.

---