The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(121)

Yvonne laughed.

“Have you been drinking, by any chance?”

“Of course I’ve been drinking. It’s Christmas Eve! Just please come meet us? Are you still out in the boondocks with your family?”

“I’m about thirty minutes from the city. Also, it’s super late—how is that place even open?”

“When else is an ice skating rink going to be open? Just come. Say you’ll come. I’m not going to stop asking until you say yes!”

It seemed strange that her friend was being so pressing, but Yvonne realized in that moment that she could use some friend time. While her family was wonderful, Mackenzie was a family member that she had selected herself. The thought of a fun ice skating adventure was appealing, even if she was still feeling wiped out from staying up so late the night before.

“Fine, I’ll see you in thirty minutes,” she said, and Mackenzie cheered.

“Best friends for life! See you soon!”

“See you soon,” Yvonne echoed, ending the call.

Her Christmas music came back on, and Yvonne sang cheerfully, enjoying the ability to see so many people she loved in one day. Of course, what she should have been doing was preparing her apartment for the magical Christmas dinner she was planning to have for Zadid, but there would be plenty of time for that. She already had all the ingredients she needed—all she had to do was decorate and cook.

Beyond that, she needed a distraction from the fact that she would be hosting him, in her apartment, alone. It sounded terribly romantic already, and the last thing she needed was to get her hopes up. Yvonne was a sensible woman, but when it came to Zadid, her heart wouldn’t seem to let her brain get a word in edgewise.

She wound her way through empty city streets, everyone home and waiting for the arrival of good old Saint Nick. The parking garage by the office was a graveyard, with only two cars in the lot.

Yvonne couldn’t help but notice that one of them happened to belong to Zadid.

Her mind raced as she considered heading upstairs to check on him. Was he seriously working at the office alone on Christmas Eve? Her phone buzzed then, with a text from Mackenzie asking where she was, and she sighed, resolving to leave him to do whatever he was doing.

Zadid was a grown man who could take care of himself. He didn’t need her barging in, checking on him like they were dating. Their relationship in no way called for that kind of behavior, much to her chagrin. She sent a quick text back to Mackenzie letting her know that she had parked and was walking over.

She stepped out into the street and walked across it, a large ice skating rink glowing in front of her beneath several large lampposts. In the center of the rink, Mackenzie and Kyle were skating together, twirling and laughing as they fell over. Yvonne waved as Mackenzie caught her eye, her friend’s mouth widening in an even bigger smile.

“Yvonne! You came!”

She planted a quick kiss on Kyle’s cheek before she shot up and skated over as fast as her feet could take her. When she got there, she pulled off her glove, revealing a very sparkly engagement ring.

“He did it! He proposed!”

Yvonne held her friend’s hand as she admired the beautiful new piece of jewelry. Kyle skated up to them, looking bashful as he gazed lovingly at his new fiancée.

“Congratulations, and well done!” Yvonne said, holding up Mackenzie’s hand as she smiled at Kyle.

“Thanks,” he replied, sounding pleased. “I’m a lucky guy.”

“That you are. You’ve got one of the best women in the world here. Don’t you ever let her go.”

“I don’t plan to,” he said, taking Mackenzie’s hand and kissing the back of it.

She stared up at him with sheer adoration before she looked back to Yvonne.

“Come skating with us! The rental office is still open; you can get a pair. Oh, and if you look over there, they’ve been blowing out a bunch of fake snow for a snowman-building contest in the morning. People are already making some, though.”

Yvonne thought about spending Christmas Eve as the third wheel to a happily newly-engaged couple. The idea was less than appealing, but when she saw the look in her friend’s eye, she knew she couldn’t deny her any extra happiness.

“I’ll go grab a pair of skates,” she said.

“Great! We’ll be here!”

Yvonne walked around the rink until she entered the small skate rental office. A teenage boy in a wrinkled uniform sat behind the desk, looking down at his phone. When he heard the door open, he looked up, hiding the device beneath the desk.

“Hello. Size?”

Yvonne told him her size, and he placed a pair of white ice skates on the desk, taking her cash before glancing back down beneath the counter, now just barely bothering to hide his distraction. A red-haired man with a full beard was busy lacing his own skates up at the only bench, and Yvonne sat beside him.

“Fine night for a skate,” the man commented.

Yvonne glanced over at him. His blue eyes were bright as he looked at her, and she nodded.

“I suppose Christmas Eve is as good as any other.”

“Are you here alone?” he asked. He sounded concerned, and Yvonne shook her head.

“My friend just got engaged. She invited me out to celebrate.”

His brows furrowed, then, and she wondered at his expression.