“Let’s skate some more,” she suggested, and he shook off his thoughts and smiled at her. Her face was so alight with childish enthusiasm he couldn’t resist.
“Okay, but I’m skating backward so you can skate forward and hold on to my hands.”
“Overprotective much?”
“Indulge me.”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “Okay. Maybe I’ll indulge you later, too.”
Now that she was starting to drop her guard, he was in even more emotional danger.
They started to circle the ice. Once, he nearly freaked because Tori let go of one hand, then did a half turn so they were both skating backward. It almost felt as if they were...dancing! Then with a laugh, she turned again, faced him, gave a push forward and slid under his arm.
“What the heck are you doing?”
She giggled. “Dancing with you!”
“Be careful.”
“I’m always careful!”
In the end, though, it was Jeremy who caught an edge and felt himself go. He was holding her hand and forgot to let go; as he tumbled to the ice, he took her with him. He landed on his hip and he heard her breath leave her body with an “oof.”
“Oh, God! Are you okay?”
She was sprawled on top of him, and she started to laugh. “Other than having the air knocked out of me? I’m fine.”
He scowled. “Don’t laugh! You scared me.”
Her face grew tender as she looked down at him. “You gave me a soft place to fall,” she whispered, and he was a goner.
If he had his way, he would always be her soft place to fall.
* * *
After skating, they had hot chocolate and cookies, and then they walked back to his apartment. His hip hurt a bit, but he was more worried about Tori. “I’m just tired,” she insisted, but he wasn’t so sure. Skating had probably been a bad idea. What if she’d fallen on her belly? What would have happened to the baby?
“Do you have any cramping? Any pain anywhere?”
They reached his building. “Stop fussing. Seriously, I just need a nap. I’m fine, and so is the baby.”
He wasn’t convinced, but he wasn’t going to take chances. Once inside, he tucked her into his bed and called a doctor.
When the doctor arrived, he went in to wake Tori. She was lying on her side, her lips open, a little bit of drool clinging to the side of her mouth. She’d taken out her ponytail and her hair lay in a dark tangle on his pillowcase. Had she been right? Was she just tired? Still, it never hurt to make sure everything was okay.
“Tori?”
“Hmm?” She squeezed her eyes shut tight, and then opened them a little. “What time is it? How long did I sleep?”
“About an hour and a half. I called a doctor to come see you.”
She rolled over to her back and frowned. “You called a doctor? And he’s here?”
“She’s here, and yes. I was worried. You got so quiet. You did have a fall, you know.”
“Oh, Jeremy, you didn’t have to do that. If I’d had any cramping or anything I would have said.”
“Will you let her check you out anyway? It’ll make me feel better.”