Sighing, Gordon folded his arms. “Son, I only wanted you back to the island to see if you were ready to take over.”
“Take over what, exactly?” Steele eyed his father closely, waiting for the floor to be yanked out beneath his feet as always.
“Take over the island, of course.” Gordon patted Steele’s shoulder. “You can’t expect me to do this all of my life, can you?”
Steele wasn’t hearing correctly. “You want me to run Cupid Island?”
“Of course. Why do you think I named it after you?”
“Uh… I’ve always wondered that myself.”
Gordon laughed boisterously. “Son, I think you’re ready for it now.”
Steele still felt there was something his father was keeping from him. “You do? Are you sure?”
“Steele,” Gordon hooked his arm around his shoulders. “I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished in your life so far. Everything you’ve done has been successful one way or another. Now I think you should have the island. I just hope you can find a woman to share it with.”
The conflicting feelings slammed against each other, and Steele wasn’t sure what to feel. He should be overjoyed at his father’s praise, and yet, at the moment, sadness crept into his heart as he thought about Ivy. “Yeah, a woman… I’d like to find one too.”
His father glanced around them once again. “Why aren’t you with Ivy? I’ve heard you and she made some pretty good sparks in the commercial.”
Steele was sure his father heard that bit of gossip from Rosetta. “I don’t know where she is. She’s probably up in her room editing the commercial.”
“No.” Gordon met Steele’s gaze. “I heard her talking with Rosetta not too long ago. Ivy wants to learn how to ice skate, and Rosetta is going to take her to the rink.”
“Why?”
Gordon shrugged. “Apparently, that was one thing Ivy has always wanted to do.” He playfully punched Steele’s shoulder. “I’m surprised you didn’t take her.”
Just the thought of Ivy being taught by Casanova himself, Reed Beckman, made Steele’s stomach churn. The man’s octopus arms would be wrapped around Ivy as he instructed her. That man didn’t know what he was talking about, anyway. If anyone knew how to ice-skate, it was Steele, and yet he hadn’t touched the ice since the accident.
His stomach lurched. Could he rescue her again? Unfortunately, this particular situation frightened him even more than falling through the ice into the frigid waters, and yet it was something that had to be done.
SEVENTEEN
Ivy was glad Rosetta suggested a break by going ice-skating. This was definitely something Ivy had wanted to do before leaving Alaska. The editing was surprisingly nearly completed, and she should be home before Christmas.
Although Rosetta had apologized for trying to play Cupid with Ivy’s and Steele’s lives, what hurt more was that Steele hadn’t tried to prove that he cared for her. That only confirmed what Ivy suspected… he hadn’t loved her at all.
“The first thing you need to remember,” Reed Beckman said in a sultry voice as he casually touched her lower back, “is to keep your knees bent and stay low. Like this.” He demonstrated the stance.
Immediately, she remembered when Steele had taken her skiing, and she caught herself smiling. She quickly shook away the memory and concentrated on Reed.
“You don’t want to put your feet too close together,” he continued. “In fact, it’s probably best to put one foot slightly in front of the other.”
She wobbled slightly as she tried to do as he’d instructed.
“Keep your arms bent, too.” He showed her.
As much as she’d wanted to learn to ice-skate, she wasn’t having any fun as she’d imagined she would. In fact, if Reed dropped his hand to her bottom one more time, she would punch him in the face. She might look petite, but she packed a heavy punch.
She lost her footing and fell to the ice. Maybe she should have stuffed her pants with bubble wrap. Then it wouldn’t hurt so badly when she fell.
“Come on, get up.” Reed chuckled as he helped her stand, his arm automatically wrapping around her waist. “I think you should try the penguin wobble. Most first-time skaters find that it works better for them as they are learning.”
“The penguin wobble? Seriously, Reed?”
Ivy jumped from hearing Steele’s strong voice so near her that she started to lose her footing again. Steele’s arms wrapped around her waist, holding her up. She grasped the front of his coat and stared deeply into his beautiful blue eyes.
“Steele,” she sighed his name, even though she probably shouldn’t have.
“Reed, if you don’t mind,” Steele said to the instructor even though he kept his eyes on her, “I’ll be the one teaching her how to skate.”
The beating of her heart increased as warmth filled her. She glanced down at his feet. He was wearing ice-skates!
She snapped her attention back to his face. “What are you doing?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Showing you the proper way to ice-skate.”
“But… but… you’re on the ice – in skates.”
He nodded. “That’s usually the best way to skate on the ice. The way you were doing it the other day while we were fishing was the wrong way to skate.”
She grinned, loving his humor.
“Now, the best way to learn to skate is by gliding – one foot and then the other. Just like this…”
Keeping his arm around her, he skated beside her slowly. The frantic and yet excited rhythm of her heart made her wonder if she’d lose her balance again. After all, she was in a sweet man’s strong arms that smelled so very good, and all she wanted to do was stare into his dreamy eyes forever.
“The easiest way to stop,” he continued, “is to turn one foot sideways and drag it behind, or you can plow your feet together and do this—”
“But what if I don’t want to stop?” she said softly, interrupting him.
His smile widened. “Why wouldn’t you want to stop?”
“Because this is rather nice with your arms around me, protecting me and keeping me warm.”
He slowed their speed down until they were barely moving as he tightened his arms around her. “Like this?”
She nodded. “Exactly like that.” She caressed his cheek. “Steele, why are you on the ice? You once told me you’d never set foot on the ice-rink again.”
He brought them to a stop and faced her. “Because I’ll do anything to prove my love to the woman who has captured my heart.”
A lump of happiness formed in her throat as her heart slammed excitedly against her ribs. “You love me?”
He nodded. “I wouldn’t be out here for just anyone.”
“I… know. Rosetta told me about what happened to you in college during the hockey game.”
“Then do you know I must love you if I’m here with you now?”
“Yes.”
He cupped the side of her face. “And what about your feelings?”
“Oh, Steele. I’ve been falling for you since we first met, and it scared me. I withdrew at the first test of my devotion, and I’m truly sorry. I was afraid you wouldn’t feel the same about me.”
“If you love me,” he bent and briefly kissed her mouth, “then I do feel the same way about you.”
“Yes, Steele. I love you.” She slid her hands up his chest to link her arms around his neck. “I love you and I don’t ever want to be without you.”
He kissed her cheek, trailing small kisses along her jaw. “Do you love me enough to want to stay here on this island with me?”
Closing her eyes, she cherished the warm tingles dancing over her body. “Yes, I do.”
He kissed below her ear. “Do you love me enough to become Mrs. Cupid Holliday?”
The question startled her, and she snapped her eyes open. “What? You… want to marry me?”
Grinning, he nodded. “More than anything. I too, can’t be away from you. With you in my life, my
days are brighter, and my life is happier. I never want that to end.”
Complete happiness burst inside her like fireworks on the Fourth of July. “Oh, Steele,” she mumbled as she met his seeking mouth. Her words were stopped, but through the way he kissed her and the way he held her so tightly, words were not necessary.
And… she rather liked the way they were communicating. In fact, they would have to do more of this.
Cuddling next to the woman he loved as they sat on the loveseat in his apartment, Steele clicked on the television remote. They were told when the commercial would air for the first time. She nervously fidgeted, and he couldn’t believe how anxious he was.
When the episode of the TV series ended, their commercial came on. She giggled and squirmed in his arms, but he just held her closely and watched.
It was like watching the way they had fallen in love – minus the arguments, of course. He loved it. He loved her. She brought out the best in him, and he wanted nothing more than to be the best man he could be for her.
Her sweet voice narrated the commercial – clear to the beautiful ending.
If you’re not in love when you come to Cupid Island, you’ll definitely leave holding someone’s heart.
He waited for another commercial before kissing her neck as he pulled her back against the loveseat. She laughed deeply, followed by a satisfied sigh.
“You know,” he said, raising his head to look at her. “We should have added one more line to the commercial.”
“What is that?”
“You should have said that the commercial was based on a true story.”
She laughed and tightened her arms around his neck. “Yes, I suppose I should have.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll do that in the next commercial.”
Surprise shook through him. “The next commercial?”
She nodded. “Your father introduced me to a big-time producer. He loved my commercial. He wants me to write more like that for him.”
“Woo-hoo!” he shouted before kissing her on the mouth, but because of the excitement, it was too soon to turn the mood passionate. “Does this mean you’ll be flying to New York soon?”
She nodded. “But I told him he’d have to wait until after my wedding… and I told him I’d have to bring my husband.”
Grinning, he shook his head. “You’re amazing, do you know that?”
“Only when I’m with you.”
“Then let’s be amazing together.”
She nodded. “That’s the best deal I’ve ever made.”
He kissed her again, knowing this time it would turn passionate. But… there was no other way to let her know how happy he was. That was okay. She wouldn’t mind.
THE END
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READERS – the heroine in this story, Ivy Kidman, is also part of another Christmas story. Read about her sister, Holly, in A Thrill of Hope. https://www.amazon.com/Thrill-Hope-Christmas-Sisters-Book-ebook/dp/B077XRTQRQ
Author’s Bio
Marie Higgins is an award-winning, best-selling author of clean romance novels that melt your heart and have you falling in love over and over again. Since 2010, she’s published over 70 heartwarming, on-the-edge-of-your-seat romances. She’s broadened her readership by writing mystery/suspense, humor, time-travel, paranormal, along with her love for historical romances. Her readers have dubbed her "Queen of Tease", because of all her twists and turns and unexpected endings.
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Cupid Takes a Wife Page 11