Heat it Up: Off the Ice - Book One
Page 26
When we finally pull apart, we’re both breathless. I’m vaguely aware of tourists sneaking glances at us, but I don’t care. All I care about is one thing right now, and she’s standing in front of me.
“I love you,” she says, and a warm glow fills my heart at her words, adding to what was there from when she said ‘I love you’ on voicemail. “But I’m not staying here. I’ve decided to return home. My parents have made arrangements so that my grandmother will have someone to help her. I want to go back to my life in Minneapolis and start moving past what happened. To create new memories. To rebuild my life.”
I might’ve been fine with a long-distance relationship if she had stayed in Finland, but I’m more than thrilled that we don’t have to deal with that after all. Now I’ll be able to hold her, kiss her, be part of her life every day, if she’ll let me.
“And at least Seattle isn’t as far away from Minnesota as Finland,” Sofia says. “I’ll be able to see you more often.”
“I’m not moving to Seattle. I turned down the job.” I thread my fingers with hers.
“But why? I thought you were excited about it.”
I shake my head. “I thought I would be, but I realized coaching isn’t what I want to do with my life.”
“But you’re so good at it. I saw how those boys responded when you were coaching them. You were great with them.”
“I know, but it killed me that I wasn’t the one doing the drills or playing hockey competitively. I want to be a physics teacher. I loved coaching them, but I loved teaching them about the physics behind hockey even more. I loved seeing their faces when something I said made sense because I explained it in a way that interested them. I wouldn’t get that coaching at the collegiate level.”
She grins, her beautiful light-blue eyes sparkling. “You’ll be a great teacher. You are a great teacher.” She pulls her hand away from mine and fishes around in the plastic bag in her other hand. “I had no idea if I would ever see you again, or if you would even want to talk to me after I called you and left the message—but I got you this.”
She hands me a long package wrapped in paper. I open it. Inside is a knife, its handle made of reindeer antler; the blade is encased in a leather case with the picture of a reindeer on one side.
“The blade’s engraved,” she says.
I pull the knife out and grin at the words, and what the knife means, especially after I almost sliced her finger off while we were mushroom picking. She trusts me. She loves me and she trusts me not to hurt her, both emotionally and physically.
My lips find hers to show just how much I love the gift and the meaning behind it. I pull away after a heartbeat. “It’s only fitting I give something to you, since this is Santa’s Village.”
She opens her mouth to protest. I place my finger against her lips. “Uh, uh. No talking. And close your eyes.”
Once her eyes are closed, I remove the gift from my backpack. “Hold out your hands.”
She does it without hesitation. I smile at the simple gesture of how much she trusts me, and place the package in her hands. “Okay, you can open your eyes.”
Sofia looks at the gift, confusion and wonder in her eyes. Then like a little girl on Christmas morning, she unwraps it and reveals the swan from the store where I bought my mom the glass bird. The smile on Sofia’s lips makes me love her even more.
The swan represents everything about us. Her beauty and grace, both inside and out. And my transformation from ugly duckling to something much much better.
“I’ll going back to college to get my teaching degree.” I’ve talked to the university about the courses I need, and registered for them in the upcoming school year. Which means I’ll be going to school with Sofia. “So, it looks like we’ll see a lot more of each other this year. Can you handle that?”
Sofia wraps her arms around my neck, the swan still in her hand. “Let me think about it.” She presses her lips against mine for a heartbeat, then winks at me. “Yes, I definitely think I can handle it. As long as you continue all that sexy physics talk.”
Before I can tell her, “Damn straight I will,” her lips are on mine again.
Acknowledgments
Authors come up with ideas for their books from the least expected sources. Sometimes it’s inspired by a real-life event that happened to them. Who would have thought that my work-exchange experience cleaning toilets in a recreation center in Helsinki, when I was twenty-one years old, would one day result in this book? And because of this, I want to thank my (now deceased) grandparents for putting up with me, especially since my Finnish sucked and the only English they knew was “very good.”
Before I thank everyone involved in bringing Heat It Up to life, I want to express my undying gratitude to the readers and bloggers who have fallen in love with my characters along the way. I love every tweet, email, and Facebook message that you send me, sharing your experiences and your love for my books. And if it weren’t for my publicist, Nina Bocci, none of that would be possible. She’s the one who helps keep me sane in this crazy world of publishing.
Thanks go out to my agent, Marisa Corvisiero, for believing in Heat It Up and for her enthusiasm over it. And to my editor, Randall Klein, for helping me make the book much stronger. He challenged me and I enjoyed every moment of it. And then there’s the cover. Heat It Up wouldn’t be the same without the great cover designed by The Killion Group. From what I’ve been told, the model has a very sexy Russian accent. I also want to thank everyone else with Diversion Books who worked hard to get the book out there.
Before a book ends up in an agent or editor’s inbox, numerous other individuals have contributed their time, their suggestions, and their encouragement to help make the book better. They are the cheerleaders that a writer can’t survive without. Christina Lee has been by my side for more years that I can remember. I’m thrilled to have her as my critique partner, best friend, and general partner in crime. The other wonderful individuals who provided feedback on the book and who have been with me on every step of this journey include: Tracy Buscemi, Jayden Abello, and Laura Pauling. Thanks also go out to Lia Riley for her feedback on the earlier version of Heat It Up, for talking me off the ledge when I got stuck, and for brainstorming potential plot solutions with me.
There are also two other writers I need to thank. Cherylanne Corneille is my ice hockey guru and has a strong appreciation for Finland…especially the fine hockey players the country produces. She’s the one I can always turn to with my hockey questions. Suzanne van Rooyen is my guru for all things related to Finland and the Finnish language. Suzanne helped ensure that I got the Finnish phrases I used in the book correct. Yes, Google Translate is not always your friend.
And finally…to Ralph, Anton, Stefan, and Anja. I know being married to an author and having an author as a mother isn’t always easy. Your love and support always makes my day that much brighter. Thank you!
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