Page 33 of An Alaskan Wedding (Alaskan Grooms 1)

“I was at your house the other night when you woke up and came into the living room. Your daddy was fixing me up.”

“Oh. Uncle Boone’s lady.”

Uncle Boone’s lady? Her face flushed at Aidan’s comment. Boone couldn’t have grinned wider. Both he and Liam chuckled.

“Why don’t we get your skates on, Aidan?” Liam told his son. He turned toward Grace with a grateful smile. “Thanks so much. He would never have let me live it down if he didn’t get to skate tonight.”

“My pleasure,” Grace said, feeling happy that she’d done a little something to help Liam and his adorable son. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be to raise a little one after losing your spouse.

Once Aidan had his skates on, Grace took him out to the ice. Sophie waved to her enthusiastically from a few feet away as she skated with a group of admirers. Bending down at the waist, she took Aidan’s hands in hers and began to slowly lead him around the rink. She was skating backward, which earned her a few surprised glances. She’d learned this trick at an early age, and it was the best way to teach Aidan how to glide around the ice without taking her eyes off him. He seemed surprised to be gliding around the ice. His joyful laughter filled her soul with happiness. There was nothing quite so innocent as a child’s laugh. As she let go of Aidan’s hands and watched him take a few fledglin

g steps on his own, she heard the whistles and shouts of praise from the sidelines. Aidan resembled a newborn colt just getting his legs. Boone and Liam were standing there, cheering Aidan on. Boone smiled in their direction—a sweet, tender smile—that nestled its way into her heart.

She didn’t want this wonderful evening to end. Being with Boone tonight had brought her indescribable joy. Teaching him how to skate and seeing the stunning northern lights were memories she would carry around with her forever. Sharing a kiss with Boone as the sky lit up with nature’s beauty had been the most romantic moment of her life. And being out on the lake with Aidan made her think about someday holding her own kids in her arms.

The residents of Love had made her feel like one of their own. And even though she’d promised herself not to get in too deep, it was too late. Between a swoon-worthy sheriff and a town full of eccentric, lovable folks who embraced her with open arms, her heart was growing by leaps and bounds. It was no longer her own. With that knowledge came a little fear. She’d already had the rug pulled out from her when Trey changed his mind about marrying her. The thought of being hurt by Boone scared her. And there was nothing she could do to stop this relationship from going further. It was far too late to rein her feelings in. She was falling head over heels in love with Sheriff Boone Prescott.

* * *

By the time morning came, Boone’s backside and legs were hurting. His falls on the ice had left him with some aches and pains that were difficult to ignore. He had no regrets, though. His date with Grace had been a memorable one. Thoughts of the romantic kiss they’d shared had been at the forefront of his mind ever since he woke up. Finding out about her past gave him a good idea as to why she’d ventured all the way to Alaska. She was looking for a fresh start. It was an opportunity to reinvent herself away from her family and ex-fiancé.

It must have been difficult to deal with the stares and whispers in the weeks and months following the canceled wedding. Even in a small town like Love, gossip was insidious. Being here, he imagined, allowed Grace to rewrite the story of her life. He just hoped there was a place for him in her life, because he was starting to think of Grace as a permanent fixture in his.

He whistled a happy tune as he pulled up outside Liam’s house carrying an armful of groceries. It still wasn’t easy for Liam to be out and about in public. Last night had been a rare exception, and he’d only showed up at the ice-skating social for Aidan’s sake. He felt a gigantic smile breaking out over his face as the memory of Grace and Aidan skating together washed over him. It was nice knowing she had such a way with children. Aidan had been putty in her hands.

When the door slowly opened, Aidan was standing at the threshold, a shy smile on his face.

“Uncle Boone. Uncle Boone.” He grabbed him by the legs and peered behind him. “Where’s Grace?”

“She’s not here, buddy. I’m pretty sure she’s working with Uncle Cam today.” He lifted the grocery bags in the air. “What am I, chopped liver?”

Aidan stuck out his tongue. “Yucky. I hate liver.”

Liam’s voice called to him from inside the house. “Come on in, Boone. We’re in the kitchen.” With Aidan leading the way, Boone walked toward the back of the house. The brightly lit kitchen, all white with granite counter tops, had been the handiwork of Ruby, Liam’s deceased wife. It was an airy, cheerful room that belied the current circumstances of Liam’s family. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the scent of freshly baked bread rose to his nostrils. Honor and Liam were standing at the stove putting the finishing touches on a pizza fresh out of the oven.

“You’re just in time. Take a seat. We’re just slicing it now,” Liam explained.

As everyone sat down, Boone noticed Liam’s none-too-subtle maneuvering that placed him right next to his sister. Honor barely glanced in his direction, letting him know the frostiness between them still hadn’t thawed. He was beginning to think she might never warm up toward him.

Liam placed the pizza in the middle of the table and began serving up piping hot slices.

“Reindeer sausage pizza. I love reindeer pizza,” Aidan shouted. His chubby hand was raised triumphantly in the air.

“You’ve gotten good at making this,” Boone noted between bites of pizza.

“I had to,” Liam said with a shuttered expression. “Ruby was always the chef in this house. I had to learn on the fly once she was gone. It’s Aidan’s favorite.”

Honor shot Boone a dirty glance, as if letting him know he shouldn’t have brought up the subject of cooking. As if he’d been responsible for Liam’s mind straying toward Ruby. At this point, Honor blamed him for everything under the sun, and he was getting mighty sick and tired of it. With an angry huff he placed his napkin on the table and stood up. He pointed in Honor’s direction. “You. And me. Living room. Now.”

“I—I’m eating right now,” she sputtered, looking over at Liam for support.

“Go on, Honor. You’ve run from this long enough,” Liam said.

Aidan looked back and forth between them with a curious expression on his face. He’d just stuffed a big piece of crust in his mouth. Honor stood up abruptly and pushed back her chair. With her arms folded across her chest, she marched to the living room.

She turned on her heel to face him. “What is it?” she snapped, her eyes flashing fire.

Boone folded his arms across his chest and stared Honor down. “For starters, I would appreciate it if you’d speak to me with some measure of respect. If you expect to be treated like a grown woman, you need to act like one.”

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