Page 52 of Romancing the Grump
“Hey!” I nudge her shoulder. “Go easy on the teasing? I’m doing you a favor here.”
“I know. I know! And I’m so grateful.” She offers me some popcorn. “But I’m pretty sure in a few weeks, you’re going to be the one thanking me.”
I lift my eyebrows and give her a sideways look.
“What?” she says in defense. “I have a good feeling about you two.”
I don’t respond because Parker looks too excited, and I don’t want to fuel the hope that landed me in this situation in the first place. The reality is, there’s still so much I don’t actually know about Nathan. I know I’m attracted to him. I know he makes my heart flutter and my skin flush, and that kissing him made me feel alive in ways I’ve never felt before.
But I don’t know why he’s so hung up on not dating.
I don’t know what his family is like or if he wants to have kids or if he hopes to retire in Bermuda and spend all his time on the beach.
In that respect, maybe this whole faking thing will begood for me. I’ll be able to get to know him without any pressure.
Around us, the crowd erupts into cheers as the Wolves take the ice for their warm-up. The Appies follow right behind them, and the cheering intensifies.
Parker and I look at each other and laugh.
“It’s magic,” Parker says.
“It’s smart,” I say back. “And you’re the brains behind it.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “Whatever. It’s a team effort. These guys have earned all the love. I just help package it.” She stands up. “Come on. Let’s get closer.”
It’s a little bit of a fight to get down to the glass, but Parker has been Logan’s girlfriend long enough that Appies fans recognize her and make room for us. Soon, we’re standing right beside the ice. It’s colder down here, and the players are going much faster. At least, it seems faster from this perspective. I spot Nathan across the ice, and my heart tightens in my chest. He looks amazing. Natural. Even graceful, which feels like a weird thing to say about someone so large, but it’s true.
The Appies make several loops around their half of the ice, and I hold my breath every time Nathan passes by. I’m not sure he’s even seen me, but then they break out of formation, and all the guys start to do their own thing. Logan and Eli move up to the net with Felix while Nathan skates over to me.
We make eye contact, and I smile, lifting my hand to the glass.
He stops directly opposite and lifts his glove to the same spot.
And then hesmiles.
Not the little half-grin I’ve seen whenever I tease him, or the annoying smirk he gives his teammates when he thinksthey’re being ridiculous. This smile is wide and real and it makes his eyes crinkle at the corners and it’s possibly the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.
He leans forward, touching his helmet to the glass, and I echo his movement, pressing my forehead to the same spot. An enormous cheer sounds through the arena. I’m not sure what they’re cheering for, I just know I can’t look away from Nathan. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.
Finally, he pushes back, smiling one last time before he spins and skates back to his team.
I turn to face Parker, who is bouncing on her toes, her smile wide. I lift both hands to my cheeks. The crowd directly behind me starts to cheer, and I realize they’re all looking at me.Cheeringfor me. For us?
I reach for Parker’s hand, and she tugs me up, through the crowd and back to our seats. People clap for us the entire way. By the time we sit down, I’m trembling.
“What just happened?” I say to Parker.
“You were on the jumbotron,” she says. “That’s what happened. And you made the grumpiest grump of all smile like a kid on Christmas morning.”
“I’ve never seen him smile like that,” I say.
“Um,no onehas ever seen him smile like that. If we wanted to sell the fact that you’ve tamed the brooding beast, that just did it.” She chuckles as she scrolls through her phone, then shows me a twenty-second video of Nathan and I staring at each other through the glass.
It’s different seeing myself in the frame, but when Nathan smiles, the swoop of my belly is exactly the same.
“I’d tell you that was an Oscar-worthy performance, but I don’t think you were acting,” Parker says.
We make eye contact, and her expression softens.
