“Don’t let me fall,” she whimpers.

“Babe, you already did that, and chances are, you’re going to do it again. It happens.”

She gives me a mean look like she wishes a hole would open beneath me and eat me alive.

She takes a deep breath as we take a tentative step across the ice.

She lets out a small scream as we glide and tightens her hold on my arm.

“Grace, you’re going to have to let go of me.”

“No,” she cries.

“Hold onto my hand,” I plead. “I can’t move when you’re holding onto me like a goddamn spider monkey.”

She slowly releases her vice-like grip on my arm and entwines our fingers together. She shrieks as her legs wobble.

“I thought this would be easy,” she mumbles.

I laugh. “Most people think that, but it takes some getting used to. You can do it.”

“Not if I die first,” she mutters, looking down at her feet.

“You’re not going to die.” I shake my head at her. I find her reaction amusing. She normally always has this take charge attitude like she can do anything. It’s funny to see her losing her shit. “Come here, give me your other hand,” I plead.

“You want me to swing around in front of you?” She gasps.

“Yes.” I chuckle.

She whimpers, actually whimpers. I think it’s cute but she’d be pissed if I said that.

She works herself up and pushes off with her feet to glide around in front of me, but of course, she fucking stumbles and starts to fall onto the ice again. I pull her up before she can fall and she smacks into my chest. I hold on tightly to her, balancing my weight so we don’t fall.

“You’re good at this,” she gasps, and she actually sounds fucking surprised.

I laugh. “I have been doing this for years, sweetheart. Practically since I could walk. It’s like a way of life in Boston. You learn to walk and then you learn to skate.”

She shakes her head and holds onto my shoulders as I move us across the ice.

“Hey, this actually isn’t so bad.” She smiles up at me.

I laugh. “Well, it doesn’t really count as you skating since I’m doing all the work.”

She wrinkles her nose. “Thanks for bursting my bubble.”

“Anytime.” I kiss the end of her nose, and since I’m not paying any attention, we ram into the wall.

I lose my balance and fall to the ground with her on top of me.

Grace presses her lips together but can’t contain her laughter. I laugh too and it feels so fucking good to be this carefree with someone. With Grace, I don’t give a fuck about what I say or do, because I know she accepts me for me and vice versa. She’s just so fucking perfect for me.

I tuck her hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering on her cheek. “I love you,” I whisper.

I don’t know why the fuck words leave my mouth, but I can’t take it back, because it’s true.

She makes the tiniest gasp and she looks at me with wonder and happiness and a million other things I can’t even begin to understand.

The silence stretches between us and I worry that maybe I’ve scared her but then she smiles and kisses me. “I love you too,” she murmurs be

Tags: Micalea Smeltzer Us Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net