Griffen slid to a stop, sending a spray of ice toward Reese. “Nice skates. You spared no expense.”
“They’re made to last.”
They shared the rink with a handful of tourists and a couple he remembered vaguely from high school. A tall man in a bulky coat lumbered across the ice in the shadowed corner. He lost his balance, and his arms windmilled before he regained his footing.
An old-fashioned waltzy song leaked from the speakers.
Griffen watched Reese execute a graceful turn. She looked beyond cute under the twinkling lights that danced in the trees around the rink. She finished the twirl and took a bow. Her cheeks were flushed with cold, and a relaxed smile curved her full lips.
“You become a ballerina while I was away?”
“As if I’d be caught dead in a tutu.”
“I’d pay money to see it.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
Tonight she wore her usual jeans and a baby blue North Face parka. A fuzzy black hat covered her low ponytail and kept her ears warm.
“The gazebo looks awesome over there,” she said. “I love the scrolling on the eaves. Look, it’s already in use.”
Someone had lit the structure with white Christmas lights. During the warm months, the Garner Sisters would play from there on weekend evenings, replacing the canned music. Right now, a couple cuddled on the bench. When he’d been building it, he’d dreamed of Reese and him cuddling there under the stars. But then, he was always dreaming about Reese and him.
He was thinking of telling her soon. It was the reason he’d returned to Smitten. Well, that and to help the town rebuild. He watched her do another spin. Maybe he’d tell her tonight if he found the right moment. His heart bucked at the thought.
The timing never seemed right. When he’d realized his feelings three years earlier, she’d been dating Sawyer. Then, to his dismay, they’d become engaged. That was when he’d known he had to leave town. He couldn’t stand by and watch the woman he’d fallen in love with begin her life with someone else.
The man in the gazebo had lowered his head toward the woman.
“Look, they’re smooching,” Reese said.
He looked at Reese instead. Her lips curved in a dreamy smile that gave him courage. If not now, when? She already loved him. How big a gap could there be between “love” and “in love”? He’d never know what could be if he didn’t take a leap of faith.
He pushed off, closing the distance between them, pocketing his hands when he realized they were shaking.
“Reese . . .”
She turned those dreamy eyes on him, and for a moment his world stopped. His breath seized in his lungs. Even her frozen exhale seemed to hang in the air between them.
Say it, Parker. Tell her that she’s captured you, heart and soul. That you love every little thing about her. That you can’t bear to face another day without her knowing.
He opened his mouth to deliver the words that had been three years in coming.
Thwack.
A body barreled into Reese. Griffen reached out but she was gone, swept up in a tangle of arms and legs. They fought for balance, spinning and chopping at the air.
Finally they came to a standstill, facing one another. And that’s when Griffen got a look at the man who’d nearly swept Reese off her feet—in more ways than one.
Sawyer Smitten. Griffen recognized him the same time Reese did. He watched her lips part, her eyes widen.
“Sawyer.” His name left her lips on a sigh.
“Reese. Good heavens, I’m so sorry. I’m a klutz on these things.” He’d picked up a southern accent somewhere. Probably all those country songs he crooned.
Reese gave a high-pitched laugh—her nervous laugh. She and Sawyer still gripped each other’s forearms, and Griffen wanted to tear them apart, but he couldn’t seem to move.
“I hadn’t heard you were back.”
Was he imagining the breathiness in her voice?
“Just arrived today. I’m on break until we kick off the tour here in Smitten.” He managed to pull his eyes from Reese and scan the square. “Can’t believe what y’all have done with the town. Heard it was your idea, your planning.”
Reese did her nervous laugh again and shrugged. “No, no. Everyone worked together.”
“Some of the men gave you a hard time, I hear,” Sawyer said, a flirtatious twinkle in his eyes.
“Not so much anymore. They’re coming around.”
Did they not realize they were practically folded into each other’s arms? He wondered if Reese liked the changes in Sawyer. The neat sideburns, the shadow of a goatee. Some women went for that country singer look, he supposed.
Sawyer finally noticed him. His eyes widened in recognition. “Griffen Parker.” He extended his hand, which at least meant letting loose of Reese.
“Didn’t recognize you without your cowboy hat. Good to see you, Sawyer.” Griffen shook his hand. “Congratulations on your career successes—and your upcoming nuptials.” In case either of them needed the reminder.
“Thanks. Yeah, a lot going on these days. So you’re back in Smitten for a while?”
Griffen stood close to Reese in case she swooned. “For as long as I’m needed.” He telegraphed a message with his eyes, but Sawyer was already back to Reese.
“You’re opening that sporting goods store you always dreamed of.”
“An outfitters shop.”
He nodded. “Well. Good for you.”
“I bought the old Palmer building. You’ll have to swing by and see it when it’s finished. It’s going to be great.”
My best buddy Griffen is renovating it, Griffen added to himself. You know, the one who didn’t leave me for fame and fortune.
“I’ll do that.” Sawyer caught her hand. “It was good seeing you again. We’ll have to catch up sometime.”
“I’d like that.”
“Well, listen, I’ll let you two get back to it. I think I can make it back to my boots without fracturing my skull.”
Nervous laugh. “See you around, Sawyer.”
He could hardly wait.
“Bye now.”
Griffen watched Smitten’s claim to fame scuttle over the ice, watched Reese watching him go, and wondered if the woman he loved wasn’t still in love with a man who now belonged to someone else.