“Which of us is the better skater?” I ask, taking a tentative step onto the ice.
It’s been years since I’ve skated, but I can already feel the muscle memory kicking in.
“I’m gonna say, me,” he teases when I get a little too confident and catch a toe pick.
I regain my balance and give Donovan a smirk. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“Because you’re gonna have to catch me to get a kiss.”
He grins at me, suddenly lunging before I can take off. He grabs my hands in his and pulls me across the ice toward him. He spins me playfully before letting me glide against his chest. I laugh, dark hair swirling around my head, relishing this moment.
I love being close to him. When he and I have fun like this, all of my doubts just fade away.
Why can’t it be like this all the time?
“Looks like you owe me a kiss,” he murmurs, gazing into my eyes.
I happily oblige and soon our competitive sides come out. Laughing together until my sides hurt, my fiancé and I challenge each other to show off our skating skills until we’re breathless. It’s so much fun to joke and flirt with Donovan away from work. He’s reminding me of the man I fell in love with. The one who is willing to take risks with his heart, not just in the boardroom.
Maybe now is the perfect moment to broach this conversation I’ve been wanting to have with him.
Gathering up my courage, I force myself to ease into the topic. “Before we came out here, I was chatting with Co-Co,” I begin, idly. I continue to skate in slow circles around Donovan, my heart drumming nervously in my chest. “She was saying that she’s lost track of how long she and Ethan have been engaged. They’re so busy with work that they haven’t been able to set a wedding date. Isn’t that sad?”
Donovan’s head cocks. “I'm not sure I see what’s sad about it. In fact, I like their work ethic. I think we have a lot in common with them.”
“We do?” I swallow hard, not liking the excited grin widening Donovan’s face.
He’s completely missing the point I’m trying to make. I don’t want to be workaholics like them.
Donovan skates closer to me now. “Yeah. Actually, I’m really glad you brought them up. I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something important since we arrived.”
My heart races. Maybe I’ve underestimated him. “You have?”
He nods eagerly. “I’ve been taking notes about the lodge and ways we could improve things. I really think Dunn Advertising can boost their business. The second our stay is over, I'd like to start negotiations with Ethan and Co-Co.”
“Negotiations?” I echo weakly. “You mean you’ve been thinking about work this whole time?”
“Well . . . yes. Of course. This is a great opportunity.”
I drag my hands through my hair, disappointment almost crushing me. This is not at all how I thought this conversation would go. I’d truly believed getting out of the city would be a chance for us to get on the same page.
Clearly, that’s not the case.
All this time I thought Donovan was enjoying himself away from work, but he’d been working every second. The moment he saw the ice-skating pond he probably saw dollar signs instead of the priceless moment we could’ve had. He was most likely constructing a business proposal in his head right now.
I suck in an icy breath hoping to keep my tears at bay.
It seems it doesn’t matter what I do. I can take Donovan away from his office, but I’ll never be able to get him to focus on us. It’s work first with him—always.
Not comprehending in the slightest why my face is getting red and my hands are shaking, Donovan just stares at me. “What’s wrong, Chloe? Do you disagree about the business opportunity here?”
“Business opportunity?” I squeak. “You’re missing the point of this whole vacation, Donovan!”
“What are you talking about?”
I groan. “The only opportunity I want you to see here is the opportunity for us to reconnect!”
I watch his handsome face fill with confusion. “Reconnect? Since when do we need to reconnect? We’re perfectly connected.”
“No, Donovan, we’re not. And the fact that you think everything is fine between us tells me I’m right to be worried about our relationship.”
All the color suddenly drains from his face. “You’re worried about our relationship?”
“Yes!”
“Since when?”
“For a while now,” I say through tears that I can no longer hold back.
“And you’re just telling me now?”
When I can’t find the words to answer him, Donovan erupts.
“Chloe, I thought this was what you wanted!” he yells, gesturing to the wintery scene around us. “I came out here for you!”
“I’m not just talking about coming here.”
Frustrated, Donovan runs a hand through his dark hair. I can tell I’ve caught him completely off guard and that hurts my heart even more. It feels like I’m in a sinking ship all alone. How can I be the only one running for a life raft right now?
I love Donovan so much it hurts. I don’t want to think about a future where we’re not together, but I don’t want to have a future where I feel completely alone either. I’m not done fighting for us, but I need him to meet me halfway.
As if he senses that, he takes a tentative step toward me. At some point we’d stopped skating around each other. So maybe it’s time I stopped skating around our issues.
Donovan glides to a stop closing some of the distance between us, which is ironic, considering he still feels miles away.
Knowing I need to just get my fears off my chest, I blurt everything out at once.
“All that matters to you is work! I want to know that I matter! That our engagement matters! That our future matters! That I’m not alone in wanting a
