Page 83 of Forbidden Dreams
"What do you normally do on a Sunday morning?" I asked him.
"I work out, shower, and then go into the office for a few hours. Then to your parents' house for dinner."
"I used to work at Belle's Bookshop on Sundays, but I recently quit working there to focus solely on the event-coordinator job."
He raised a brow. "Do you have any coordinating to do today?"
"Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow. I worked hard on the parade. I deserve a break."
"What do you think about going to an event outside of town where we wouldn't see anyone in your family?"
My shoulders lowered in disappointment. He still wanted to keep us a secret. I'd hoped that last night had changed things for him. But maybe we'd have to go slow. Admitting that he loved me was huge for a man who'd been accused of not feeling anything. I should be happy with what he'd already offered.
His expression was earnest. "We'll have to deal with your family eventually, but can we keep this to ourselves for the day? I'd like to enjoy this."
I could understand that. It wasn't an unreasonable request. "I'd like to spend the day with you. What did you have in mind?"
"There's a winter festival in a nearby town. But it's not just shopping and music. They have ice skating and a slide."
"That sounds fun."
He showed me the pictures, and I was pleased that he'd taken the time to research something for us to do. He was a better boyfriend than he gave himself credit for.
A few hours later, we walked hand-in-hand down the street.
"I kind of want to do the slide. It's supposed to be made of ice," he said.
"Let's do it then." I was willing to do whatever he wanted to do today since this was his idea.
He grinned and picked up the pace as we walked toward the edge of town where the sporting events were set up.
My eyes widened as it came into view. "It looks fast."
"You can ride in front of me. I'll protect you."
I loved the sentiment, but I was a little nervous. This was something he wanted to do, and I wanted to have a good day.
We stood in line, and when we got to the top, they handed us a mat to slide down on. I got on in front of him, and he pressed me against his chest. His arms banded around me, and I felt nestled into his body, protected.
"You ready for this?" he whispered into my ear.
I nodded, and he pushed off.
Then we were racing to the bottom. My stomach dropped as we flew over a bump, and then I was screaming as we seemingly went into a free fall. The air was whipping at my cheeks, and my heart was still in the air when we started to slow.
When we came to a stop, Cooper hopped up with a grin and held out his hand to help me up. "Did you like it?"
"It was thrilling." I was just proud I'd done it despite my fear. But he was the one who made me feel safe and protected.
"Want to go again?" he asked earnestly, his expression eager.
"Sure." I had a feeling he missed things like this when he was a kid. And I wanted him to experience anything that gave him this boyish excitement.
We went down a few more times. When we were done, we stood, his arms around me as we watched others fly past us.
"Want to go ice skating?" he asked.
"I'd love to." It was nice to be able to touch each other in public like a real couple. The thrill of him saying he loved me was still fresh in my mind. I enjoyed reprieve from worrying about people finding out or the knowing that there was an end date to our relationship.
