Page 104 of Captured Love

Knox turns to me, and I swear he’s still in shock. “You planned all this?”

I shrug, trying to play it cool. “With a little help from your friends.”

He pulls me into a tight hug, and I can feel his gratitude radiating through his body. “This is amazing. Thank you.”

“Let’s go have fun. We can talk later,” I turn to walk away, knowing he would follow me.

But his hand catches mine. “No, I don’t want to have whatever that,” he gestures to the door. “was sitting on our conscience all night.”

His thumb brushes lightly over the back of my hand. His gaze searches mine before he speaks again.

“Seriously, are you okay?” he asks with a low voice.

I hesitate. I could lie, wave it off, pretend it didn’t shake me as much as it did. But he’d see right through it.

So instead, I squeeze his hand back. “I will be.”

He holds my gaze for a second longer before nodding, like he’s accepting my answer even if he doesn’t fully buy it, but he doesn’t push any harder. Instead, he says, “Tessa doesn’t get to ruin anything for us.”

I swallow hard, my throat suddenly goes dry. “No, she doesn’t. But now it’s time to party.”

“Wait there’s something else I need to do.”

“What—”

Knox leans forward and gives me the biggest kiss. It’s enough to earn even more cheers and whistles from our friends. I can’t help but grin when we break apart to catch our breath. “I love you, picosita.”

“And I love you too,” I say with a smile that I don’t think will ever be wiped from my face.

EPILOGUE

KNOX

Theree Years Later

“How much further do we have to go?”

I shake my head at how impatient my girlfriend of just over three years is. It’s something I’m used to, but I can’t help but find it amusing. Not to mention I don’t necessarily blame her since she is blindfolded and I’m leading her to our destination.

“We're almost there, I promise,” I say, squeezing Selene's hand a little tighter. The cool air of the rink is a stark contrast to the warm summer night outside.

Her lips pout, but I can tell she really wants to smile. Surprises aren't her favorite because she likes to be in control and know what's coming. Still, she's been a good sport about this one.

I stop us just short of the ice and take a moment to stare at her. Her red hair is slightly longer than it was when we were in college, and I never miss an opportunity to see her green eyes and count the freckles on her face. She's beautiful and it still knocks the wind out of me, even after all this time.

“Okay,” I say, “You can take it off now.”

Selene hesitates for a beat and then slips the blindfold over her head. She blinks and takes in the empty rink, the polished ice glinting like a diamond under the lights. Her mouth forms a perfect ‘O’ from being shocked.

“You wanted to surprise me with ice skating again!”

Add another point to the scoreboard for me.

“Knox, did you rent the whole rink out just for us?”

I shrug. “Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t.”

Selene's eyes sparkle with joy and I know every bit of effort this took was worth it. “You’re ridiculous,” she says, but I can tell she's thrilled.