Page 36

CHAPTER

THIRTY-SIX

Fable

Being the man that Jett is, he drove me to Chicago to see my therapist in person when I had another panic attack a couple days after my argument with my parents. He sat beside me as I unloaded on Alissa all the trauma that the letter had brought up for me about my parents. Jett never let go of my hand, and I’ve never been more thankful for the strong man that he is. He suggested that we push back the party for Kitty, but I refused. My parents had already stolen so much from us. I wouldn’t let them have what we had worked so hard for.

They’ll never take anything from us again.

I still can’t comprehend their thinking about the whole thing. How did I not see what they were doing? I should have done more to protect Jett, and when I said that to him, he told me that I was too busy protecting myself. He’s right, yet the guilt sucks. I spent years without the man who completes my soul. I convinced myself that he didn’t want me because, like my parents said, I was too much. When really, that was the furthest thing from the truth. I have apologized over and over to Jett, but all he does is kiss and remind me, “You’re all I want, Fable.”

Just as I am.

I glance over at where Kitty is sitting in the raised booth that Jett and Dean made for her. It’s bright pink, with glittery white cushions, matching all the rest of the decor in Kitty’s Rink. She has had tears in her eyes since she saw the newly painted doors that proclaim the rink hers, but when she realized we were surprising her with a whole shindig, she started bawling. I know she still feels bad for how things went down with my parents. I get the feeling she has felt guilty for years. She’s not only apologized to me, but to Jett too. I can’t be mad at her because I know how much she loves me. If my dad had threatened to keep me away, Kitty would have agreed to anything he asked of her.

I just wish it hadn’t been separating Jett and me.

The sparkle in her eyes brings such joy to my soul as I stand with my fingers threaded with Jett’s. Kitty sits with a little birthday tiara on her head, and her face is full of excitement, while her eyes are a bit misty. The girls sit with her, all different degrees of happiness on their faces, but instead of tiaras, they have on hats that wish Kitty a happy birthday.

The whole rink is covered with a variety of balloon art, wishing her all the great things for her special day. We had figure skaters made out of balloons and a huge birthday cake with a eighty-two on it. Everything is so pink, so sparkly, and so totally her. The grin on her face tells me how much she loves it, and that makes all the things we went through to make this happen totally worth it.

The rink is slammed with people. The bleachers are full of parents of all my kids, who have put on such a sweet program. The regular Beer League folks showed up to support Kitty, mostly standing while they nurse their beers and cheer for the kids like they’re battling for the Beer League Cup instead of skating to different Disney classics.

It’s all so amazing but overwhelming too.

But then he squeezes my hand.

I glance up at Jett, and he’s looking down at me, his lips curved up in a smile just for me. “You did this, princess.”

I shake my head. “ We did this.”

His eyes dance with mine, and I lean my shoulder into his bicep. He’s wearing black slacks and a sparkly bright-pink button-up made of nylon that is easy for him to move in. I’m wearing a crystal-studded long-sleeved pink leotard that hardly fits but I squeezed my ass into. I feel it crawling up my butt, but with the way Jett’s eyes heat every time he checks me out, I don’t mind. My skirt is a sheer black, matching my tights and skates. I don’t think anyone knows what is about to happen, but I’m ready to share what Jett and I worked so hard for.

“Ready?”

I nod, bringing his hand to my lips for a soft kiss. “For anything, as long as you’re with me.”

He winks. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Neither am I,” I promise, and we share a loving smile until I know I can’t stare at him any longer. I grab the mic from Dean as I step out onto the ice. Jett takes my hand, and we skate to the middle of the rink. I inhale a deep breath and let it out when his other hand comes to rest on my hip, kneading my flesh in the way I love.

While I’m stricken with nerves, his touch calms me, and I smile for the crowd, noticing that it’s not too hard to truly smile for the people of this town. I bring the mic up and gush, “Aren’t these kids amazing?”

Everyone cheers, and I love the look Kitty has on her face as she stands, clapping loudly. Phillip was right; this was just what she needed. Apparently my parents tried to come, but she was the one to tell them no. She did end up kicking them out, and to my surprise, the girls moved in with her.

Now, my family home is called “Belle Central.”

There is now so much cross-stitching stuff and Michelob Ultra in that house, I don’t know how they keep up with it. One thing is for sure, though—the four of them are so unbelievably happy, which is all I want for them.

“I want to thank everyone for coming out, not only to support the Ice Thistle skating program, but also my grandmother Kitty’s birthday.” I turn a bit to look over at Kitty, and she folds her hands before tucking them up under her chin as she watches me with admiration in her gaze. “After twenty years, I came back for her at the request of my grandfather, but then…” I pause, tipping my head to look at Jett. His lips curve, and I return the grin. “I’m staying for the love of my life.” He cuddles me closer, and my eyes don’t stray from his. “For those who don’t know, Jett and I pairs skated together for four years. We were the reincarnation of the movie The Cutting Edge . He was a hockey player turned figure skater, and I was the seasoned skater who couldn’t find a partner who meshed with me. He started to call me the ice princess, and I let him because I secretly loved being his ice princess.” Jett’s eyes widen, and then he shakes his head. “Fast-forward twenty years, and I came back home. And now, not only do I get to be his ice princess on the ice, but I get to be his everywhere.”

He squeezes my hip. “You always have been, princess.”

I swoon as I gaze up at him, completely captivated by him. There are so many memories, so many feelings, and knowing I get to make more with him has me grinning like a fool just for him. I hear some awws and then cheering as he leans down to kiss my nose. I sigh deeply before I say into the mic, “I always dreamed of skating with him again, and for the last three months, that dream came true.” I look over at the table of the Belles as confusion fills their beautiful faces. Kitty’s mouth parts as she clutches her chest, and I wink playfully. “This is for you, Kitty. From Phillip.”

Jett takes the mic and skates it over to Dean before looking over his shoulder at me. Laughter bubbles out of me as I beckon him with my finger. He starts for me as the rink explodes with cheers when they realize what is happening. All my kids from my classes are no longer sitting on the benches but standing and cheering loudly for us. Jett skates to me with the grace that I have always found so beautiful in his big body before stopping before me. Our eyes meet as he cups my cheeks, and I grab his wrists, nerves and excitement vibrating through my body.

Jett’s lips quirk at the side as his eyes fill with love, and I know I’m the only one he sees. It’s as if we’re in our own little bubble, and I don’t want to be anywhere else but with him. His voice is throaty as he tells me, “Just close your eyes. It’s only you and me.”

So many emotions move through me, but I don’t dare close my eyes. I hold his gaze. “I don’t have to close them for it to be just us. All I have to do is stare into your stunning eyes.”

He flexes his fingers around my cheeks before he leans in to kiss my nose just as the first note of the song starts. The whole rink is still full of excitement as we begin moving with the music before he dips me down and I point my toe to the sky. He lifts me with ease before he draws me across the ice like it’s nothing, and then we’re moving as one. We go into a series of small leaps, not like the extensive ones we did when we were younger, but solid second-year stuff that my ten-year-olds would be proud of. Every time he catches my gaze, I grin, and I love how widely he’s smiling. He spins me in, kissing my temple before spinning me out, and then we skate together to get ready for our jumps. Before, our triples were a thing of beauty. Now we look pretty damn good doing one-and-a-halfs. I love how much everyone is into it, screaming and clapping, not that I can see anyone’s face but his.

Jett moves me into a star hold, and my fingers brush the ice as he turns me. My heart is pounding in my chest, but I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I don’t care who is watching, I don’t care that we don’t look how we used to. All I care about is that we’re doing this together.

As one.

Just how we will for the rest of our days.

I latch on to his hand, and he spins me into his chest, before taking my hips to lift me above his head. My hands float beside me before I go tight for the toss. He spins me up into the air, catching me as the crowd loses it once more. I swear I hear Bea screaming and banging on the glass. I love it. God, I love him. As he drags me down his body, I cup his face and our eyes lock. He looks so tranquil. He squeezes my ass, and I know he does so on purpose since I told him he couldn’t so many times during training.

With a laugh, I kick up my leg, and he dips me back. With more flair than needed, my fingers and hair brush the ice as he lowers to his knee, my other leg hooking around his hip. He holds the back of my neck, his temple pressing to mine as he stops us in the middle of the ice. It was only two minutes, and while we’re both panting, I wish it weren’t over. I open my eyes, and since my head is tipped back, I see Kitty. Even if she is upside down, I don’t miss the tears or the sob that leaves her lips as she stands on the table, clapping loudly for us, screaming, “Bravo!”

Most of all, I see true happiness in her eyes that hasn’t been there since Phillip passed.

We did it, Phillip.

I close my eyes, lifting my head to press it to Jett’s as our breaths mingle, and our hearts pound together as the rink fills with raucous applause. I cup his jaw, and I’m convinced I fall for him all over again once my eyes focus on him. “Thank you.”

“Worth it,” he says, kissing my nose once more. “All of it, the years apart, the pain, the fact that my hip will stop working one day… Fuck, Fable, it was all worth it. You’re worth it.”

My eyes burn with tears as I whisper, “I love you.”

“I love you.” His smile takes up his whole face, his eyes sparkling, while his chest rises and falls just for me. With a wink, he says, “But just remember I said it first.”

As much as I love his words, I can’t help but snort with laughter since only he would quote The Cutting Edge after we skate. Our lips crash together, and I’m unsure who went for whom first, but I want nothing else but his lips. We kiss like no one is watching, and in my head, they aren’t. It’s only him and me, just the way I love it.

When he pulls back, he kisses me three times before he kisses my nose. “Fable.”

I open my eyes and cup his cheek. “Yeah?”

“You’re mine forever, right?”

A tear slides out the side of my eye, and I nod. “And then some.”

“Marry me,” he says, with so much conviction it takes my breath away. “There isn’t a minute of any day when I haven’t thought of you. The greatest moments in my life include you, and I want to make so many more. I want to remind you daily how remarkable you are, how you don’t need labels, and how, no matter how mean you are to yourself, I’ll defend you. I’ll fight for you. Above all, I’ll love you.” Tears spill down my cheeks as he moves his hand from my neck to reach into his pocket. He holds up a beautiful rose-gold band that contains a one-carat diamond with different colored stones around it. “This ring reminded me of you, how you are all the colors in the universe, and each part of you is my favorite. I want to give you a good life, Fable, and my life can be what I want it to be with you. As my wife.” A sob breaks from my lips when I see the tears in his eyes, the love shining so brightly and deeply for me. Breathlessly, he whispers, “Will you marry me, princess?”

“Jett,” I murmur, and the way his eyes widen almost makes me laugh. As if I’d say no to this man. “I want to be everything you need and more. You are the most supportive man, you have the most beautiful soul, and I want to see what we’ll do with this life we built—because the Ice Thistle, we killed that.” His eyes burn into mine as he nods, and I feel how quickly his heart is beating. I should feel bad for making him wait, but I’m sure he fully expects it. “I’m not easy.”

“But you’re mine.”

I press my lips together as I nod. “And you’re mine.”

He holds me closer, as if he wants to meld our bodies together. “So, you’ll marry me?”

I swallow, hesitating just to keep him on the edge where I like him. “I would have said yes back when we were younger. But now…” I breathe out, and his eyes narrow a bit. “I’ll scream it.” I do just that. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”

He laughs in relief before he lifts me up into his arms, holding me close as our lips meet in a heated embrace. I hold on to him, pouring love into our kiss as we cling to each other. I’m sure there are cheers, clapping, and the Belles are probably crying, but all I feel and see is Jett Thomas Cook.

I may have lost the boy, but the man found me, and I don’t think I could ever love him enough for it.