Page 195 of The Husband Game

Charlie patted the back of his hand, then left his pressed there. “Don’t you worry. I know it’s safe with you.”

Dustin wanted to say something sweet in response, something romantic.

Something that would sum up all of the feelings inside him that had been growing since the first day they met but he was fading fast.

“Hey, I thought we were gonna grow old together,” he slurred, his eyes growing heavy.

“What?” Charlie asked, sounding far away.

“You killed me. Can’t grow old with you if I’m dead,” Dustin managed.

The last thing he remembered before he slipped into sleep was the feel of Charlie’s laughter against his skin.

EPILOGUE

“Open your eyes.” Dustin lifted his hands from Charlie’s face and he blinked, staring through the windows at the back of their home.

A heavy snowstorm and a cold snap had left their backyard looking like a winter wonderland.

It was dark out now, so Charlie shouldn’t have been able to see anything, but lights glowed everywhere, winding up the big old tree toward the back of the property and crisscrossing the empty stretch of lawn that was … no longer empty?

Charlie tilted his head, studying it for a moment before he recognized the rectangular shape and the white gleam of ice, reflecting the golden glow of the lights overhead.

“You … is that a rink out there?”

“Yes.” Dustin pressed close, wrapping his arms loosely around Charlie’s body and resting his chin on his hair. “I thought you might enjoy a romantic evening skate.”

“You … you bought us a rink?”

“Rented,” Dustin countered. “But if you want to keep it, that can be arranged.”

“Holy shit. When I said I wanted you to take me skating, I thought you’d like … get us an hour at the team’s practice rink or something.”

“I considered that. I also toyed with the idea of a public skate but I thought something private might be better.”

Charlie craned his neck to look at him. “You thought of everything, didn’t you?”

“I tried.”

Charlie pressed his fingertips to the glass. “Can we go now? Or does it need time to finish hardening?”

“We can go now. The company started setting up the minute you flew down to Chicago and it’s been ready since yesterday.”

Charlie smiled. He’d only arrived back home an hour or so ago. “So this is why you told me to dress warm for our date night. I thought maybe we were going to go downtown or something.”

“If you don’t want to go or you change your mind …” Dustin said. “Just tell me.”

Charlie scoffed. “Hell no. I mean, that’s thoughtful and you know I like that shit but no. Get me on that ice now.”

Laughing, Dustin took his hand.

They bundled up in winter gear and Dustin swiped a bag from the hall closet. He lifted out two pairs of figure skates and slung them over his shoulder. “Ready.”

Charlie’s heart leapt with excitement as they crunched through the snow in the backyard. The fire pit had been moved close to the ice, logs crackling merrily. A warm plaid blanket and thermos of what Charlie assumed was tea or hot chocolate waited nearby.

He was looking forward to snuggling down by the fire after their skate.

The rink was even more beautiful close up, the clear acrylic skirting boards reflecting the fairytale look of the lights above.

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